Chapter Text
Summer break started in the last week of July, a welcome reprieve from the ruthless period of final exams, projects, and in Jimin’s case, dance performances for several of his classes. He did good though, his grades were impeccable and he received high praise from most professors. Taehyung, on the other hand, struggled a lot with his workload and the pressure of exam season. He’d always been that kid who did everything last-minute and still got brilliant results. But this was college, and Taehyung hadn’t taken into account that some things need to be more thought-out and planned. His friend was stressed out and jittery during that time, groaning over how much work he still had to do, and the hundreds of pages he needed to read, and the lines he needed to memorize.
They’d been coming to Jimin’s house more during that time, because there weren’t as many distractions for Taehyung when they were studying. Taehyung wasn’t getting any work done at his own house because he always ended up gaming, playing a scratchy rendition of ‘Twinkle Twinkle Little Star’ on his violin, or just generally started yapping about something completely unrelated to his studies. It was unnerving, and it got in the way of Jimin’s focus too. So he had taken it upon himself to give Taehyung a reality slap, but paired it with as much support as he could. They made a study-plan together and, at Jimin’s place, Taehyung appeared like he could focus on his tasks better. That didn’t mean that he stopped complaining, though.
“You did it to yourself, Tae. I’ve been warning you for weeks that finals were coming and you needed to make a plan but you kept making silly faces at me, instead of listening - “
“Ughh!! It’s already done now, and I’m screwed… My dad is going to cut my fucking allowance, my summer vacation is going to suck ass, Jimin! Do you understand the severity of this?!” Taehyung whined, letting himself fall dramatically onto Jimin’s bed.
“Hmm. Why? Were you planning on going somewhere special?” Jimin asked casually, but he really wanted to know whether Taehyung was going to be away from him for a lot of their summer vacation.
It unsettled him, that little cold sensation appearing in the pit of his stomach any time there was even a vague threat of his friend not being there for him unexpectedly. Jimin had been feeling increasingly closer to him, even partially forgoing his usual rigid methods of studying and practicing to spend more time with Taehyung and help him get some semblance of control over his study-time. It was weird… But then again, this was his best friend. Taehyung was back full force into his life, like he had been for so many years during their childhood and early teens. Jimin was just enjoying this, falling back into old habits.
“Huh? Uh… No, I just need the money, you know. To party and stuff. And so me and you and the guys can go to the movies, and have dinner out, drinks, maybe go to a few summer festivals too… Oh, and concerts!” Taehyung counted all the activities using his fingers, staring at the ceiling while laying on Jimin’s bed.
Jimin felt relieved, but he still sensed Taehyung was keeping something from him. He just couldn’t quite put his finger on as to why that was.
Maybe he was being a little paranoid.
-
It wasn’t paranoia. Taehyung has been acting suspicious lately. Jimin would’ve chalked up the random questions he throws his way to his best friend’s natural curiosity and his ability to sometimes come up with the weirdest non sequiturs , but the fact is, he’s caught Taehyung whispering behind his back with his mother , three times over the last week. As they say, one time is an accident, two is a coincidence, but three times is a freaking pattern, and Jimin wants to know what the hell is going on.
He narrows his eyes and stares at the two of them looking at something on Taehyung’s phone, talking in a conspiratorial tone in the living room. Coming back from the bathroom, he catches a few words like ‘Europe’ and ‘beach’ and ‘car rental’. Is Taehyung telling Jimin’s mother about his previous vacations? Jimin has heard all about Taehyung’s last summer when he rented a car along with three of his french friends and they took a tour through the south of Spain. He has shown him interminable amounts of pictures of those moments, from Seville, to Malaga, to Granada, to Marbella, to Cadiz. It was all bright boxy smiles, glinting sunglasses, delicious food, gorgeous, ancient architecture, pictures of art, blue skies and even a video of a very drunk Taehyung trying to dance flamenco , though he kept losing his balance over and over due to his excessive arm flailing. One of his friends, a pretty, blonde girl, just giggled, clinging to Taehyung’s biceps to hold him upright. He seemed to like that.
This is all very strange. Why would Taehyung need to whisper about something he’s already told Jimin extensively about? He sneaks up on them from behind and puts his hands on each of their shoulders, making his mother suck in a breath and Taehyung nearly drop his phone as he presses the button to lock the screen.
"So… What are you two up to? It's literally the third time I've caught you whispering in the corners. I know there's some kind of collusion going on in this house!" Jimin accuses, crossing his arms with a smirk.
"Okay, you’ve caught us. Your mother has been sharing the secrets of her cooking with me. We thought you would take offense if you knew you weren't the first one to learn how to cook the best kimchi jigae in the world, so we hid this from you. I’m so sorry…” Taehyung says with a consternated look.
His mother bursts into an uncharacteristic fit of giggles and Jimin is getting more annoyed by the second.
“Ah, Taehyung-ah! It’s hardly the best in the world, you’re exaggerating! Always a charmer this one…” His mother blushes, still smiling behind her palm.
Only Kim Taehyung could have this effect on his mother. She’s always liked him a lot, and when they were kids, sometimes Jimin would even get jealous of her good rapport with his best friend. His mom was overjoyed when she first saw Taehyung visiting their house, still back in the beginning of the semester. ‘He’s always been such a good influence on you, such a good, cheerful, outgoing boy. You were like brothers! I have no idea why you two stopped talking.’, she had said. Yes, she didn’t know, and Jimin wouldn’t tell her either, as he didn’t want to spoil her innocent view of their friendship with talks about Taehyung’s difficult past, and his choice to stop speaking to Jimin when he moved away.
“Ah ah, you’re not tricking me with that idiotic excu- “ Jimin starts, rolling his eyes.
“Jimin-ah, did you know Seokjin-hyung got sugar gliders?!” Taehyung brusquely interrupts, shoving his phone on Jimin’s face.
“Wh- what?”
Jimin blinks rapidly taking in the picture of a very small, very cute animal that looks like a mix of a hamster, a squirrel and a baby bat.
Questions multiply in his brain, and that’s how he loses his train of thought and ends up finding out nothing about the conspiracy brewing in his own home.
-
Jimin was watching the first episode of the last season of Game of Thrones on his laptop, because Taehyung basically forced him to continue watching the series, but now he wasn’t even here to watch with him for some unknown reason. At first he was reluctant because it reminded him of Jungkook, reminded him of what the younger boy had done to him on his parents' expensive leather couch while an episode from the third season of the show was still playing. Invasive memories of seeing himself getting fucked through the tall living room mirror spawned in his mind, and he-
So he had stopped watching because of that . But then, Taehyung’s insistence and eagerness convinced him and they binge watched it together during the first week and a half of summer break.
Jimin is so engrossed in the episode, he doesn’t hear the doorbell ringing, neither does he hear when his mother answers the door, and that’s why he falls over from his bed and onto the hardwood floor with a startled squeal when Taehyung storms inside his room.
“Jimin-ah!! Pack your bags, we’re going to Croatia!” Taehyung shouts, throwing a piece of paper in Jimin’s general direction.
It flutters in the air and falls on Jimin’s lap. It’s a plane ticket.
“What- “ Jimin croaks, clutching his chest. He realizes Taehyung makes him say that a lot - ‘what’.
“We…” Taehyung points between the two of them, waggling his eyebrows comically. “Both of us, buddy boy, are going on an adventure to Croatia! In Europe, you know?!”
Jimin just stays on the floor and stares at Taehyung like he’s gone insane. This doesn’t make any sense.
“What the hell are you on about? I can’t afford that.”
“Well, you don’t have to worry about it because I, your bestest friend, am paying for almost everything!” Taehyung declares, puffing out his chest, like it’s the most obvious thing in the world.
“Uh… No, you’re not. I can’t let you do that, and I can’t go- “ Jimin shoots back, getting up from the floor.
“Son, you’re going with Taehyung. I already paid for your plane ticket.” His mom’s head pops up at the door from behind Taehyung.
“Which I didn’t want, but your mom said you wouldn’t go if I didn’t allow her to at least pay for the ticket…” Taehyung pouted playfully, his lower lip jutting out while looking at Jimin’s mom.
“And we will be paying for half the expenses, Kim Taehyung, even if I have to speak to your father about it.”
“Aish, eomoni ! Don’t start with that again, please! I already told you I want to do this for Jiminie, I’m the one who’s inviting him, and gifting this trip to him, there is no need- “
“Umm, excuse me? How wasn’t I consulted about this?” Jimin asks, beyond bewildered at the back and forth, standing before them like a statue.
“Because, Jimin-ah, you would raise all objections in order not to go. You would try to convince me not to spend the money every step of the way. As your mother, I want you to go and have this experience. You barely ever got out of the country. Just that one time when we went to Japan, a few years ago. So it’s time to get your passport and pack your bags, because you are going, mister.” Jimin’s mom straightens her white button-up and raises her nose somehow haughtily, her tone final.
She’s right. Jimin would’ve tried to dissuade her, not wanting her to spend her hard-earned money with something as superfluous as a trip to Europe for him. His mom has to pay their living expenses and his grandmother’s caretaker’s salary, because she is too old to be living alone, and her financial situation isn’t the best. His mom has a very stressful, demanding job and Jimin never wants her to worry any more about things than she already does, much less about money.
Jimin gapes at them like a fish out of water, trying to form a response. He feels a little lost, incredibly surprised and almost emotional. The fact that his mother is making him go on this trip feels like a recognition of Jimin’s efforts in school, but not only that. It feels like love. As much as he knows his mother cares about him, she’s not the type to express it much. She’s a woman of few words, practical and demanding most of the time, but supportive and concerned of his well-being and his future. And Taehyung. It’s clear his friend wants to repay him for his help during exam season, maybe get rid of the remnants of his guilt for having stopped talking to Jimin in the past. As Taehyung looks at Jimin with eyes curled into crescents, expectant and familiar, he feels more and more flustered.
“I- I don’t know what to say… Really, this is- Thank you…” He stutters inelegantly, eyes gluing themselves protectively to the plane ticket in his hand.
“You don’t have to say anything, and you don’t need to thank me. You just need to pack your bags, ‘cause we’re leaving in less than 48 hours!” Taehyung chirps animatedly.
“What?!” there it was again, ‘what’.
“Come on, Jimin-ah. Get packing. I’ve known you since you were born and God knows it’ll take you a substantial amount of time to organize your things. I can’t even look at this room, oh my… Would it kill you to just put your clothes away, son?! Why is that plate still over there? Oh, I really can’t look at this, my heart is palpitating!” His mother puts a hand over her chest as her eyes dart around Jimin’s room, expertly finding everything that is out of place.
Ah, so she’s back to normal , Jimin thinks, smiling internally.
“I will, mom. So don’t look, this is why I always keep my door shut!” Jimin whines, obstructing her view of the room and the sneakers he had strewn all over the floor haphazardly.
It’s something of a quirk Jimin has. He is very organized when it comes to schoolwork and his activities but he’s the opposite when it’s time to tidy up his room, for some reason.
“Yes, it’s better for me not to even look at it. I’m going now.”
Jimin’s mom retreats but not before shouting another ‘And do your laundry, for Christ’s sake!’ . Taehyung chuckles and sits on Jimin’s black office chair, swiveling around in it.
“I wonder what your mom would say if she ever saw my room…”
“She would probably come to her senses regarding your true nature. She seems to think you’re perfect in every way.” Jimin teases, but it’s lighthearted, relaxed.
“Hmm… Maybe I should take her on the trip with me then!” a wink and a wide rectangular smile blooms in Taehyung’s face.
Jimin scoffs and throws him a pillow that Taehyung easily catches with a deep laugh and throws right back at him. Jimin moves towards his friend and wraps his arms around his neck, pulling his head to his chest.
“But seriously… You shouldn’t have done this, you and mom are spending so much! The tickets must’ve cost a fortune when bought with such short notice, and for August, on top of that… Thank you, though. I mean it, Tae…” Jimin mumbles, his lips pressed to the side of Taehyung’s head, inhaling the fruity scent of his shampoo.
He feels Taehyung smile and snuggle a little closer. Affection was so easy with him, Jimin loved how comfortable they always were with physical touch.
“I wanted to give this to you. You kept saying you had never traveled anywhere, except for that one time you went to Japan, and it got stuck in my head. I wanted to go on a real trip with you, go to places we’ve never been to, make memories and have fun. So I started planning it, and having good grades saved my ass, because I think dad would’ve shut this whole thing down if I didn’t do well this semester. If it wasn’t for you keeping me in line, I don’t think we’d be standing here with plane tickets… So, I should thank you too.” Taehyung tilts his head upwards and looks at Jimin with an honest grin.
There’s an unidentified warmth reaching Jimin’s cheeks, and he scoffs, ruffling his friend’s hair, making the faded bluish green locks messy.
“You got that right, you needed some real discipline, man!” Jimin backs away and sits on his bed.
“Yeah, I’m glad you were there to give it to me.” Taehyung shoots back, raising a suggestive eyebrow.
And if Jimin didn’t know him well, he’d say he was flirting. He ignores his friend’s cheeky answer and decides to focus on what’s really important right now.
“So tell me… What’s the plan?”
-
Jimin eyed the two beds covered in orange duvets in the tiny airbnb they’d rented in Dubrovnik. They looked so inviting after 16 hours on airplanes and airports, barely getting any shut-eye during the flights because of how hyper and excited he was. He’d spent hours looking over the notes he made on a small blue notebook he purposefully got to write down the outline of their entire trip, using different colored markers for each day, and gluing post-its with extra things he found out about each place, while obsessively searching for more information on his phone. He didn’t have a lot of time to do it before the trip, so his sleep schedule has been completely screwed up over the last three days due to his focus being on knowing more and more about the cities he’s going to be visiting.
Taehyung shoves their bags onto a corner of the room and urges Jimin to hurry up and change, so they can start their visit before all the tourists arrive at the most iconic places. They hastily change into swim-trunks and thin cotton t-shirts, load up their backpacks with everything they’ll need for the day and head out the door in a blink of an eye.
Walking into Dubrovnik’s Old Town is an experience in itself: like entering another world, another time. The city looks like something out of a medieval fairy tale. It’s all warm colors against a bright blue sky, drenched in balmy sunshine. The stone edifices are elegant and majestic, the streets are cobbled neatly with limestone and everything looks pristine. Taehyung grabs Jimin’s arm when he starts slowing his step, his head snapping in every direction, eyes wide with wonder.
“Jimin-ah, come on! Let’s get to the Steps! It’s still early, I think we’ll barely get anyone there.”
Jimin is dragged towards the Jesuit Staircase by Saint Ignatius Church. It’s an incredibly famous spot in the city and always packed with people. Thankfully, it’s barely 9 am so very few tourists are around, and the cruise ships haven’t started arriving yet. When they get there, Jimin can’t help the smile that spreads across his face. The staircase is just like the one in Game of Thrones, in the scene where Cersei had to do her Walk of Atonement, except there’s no Great Sept of Baelor behind it. It was clear why Taehyung had forced Jimin to binge watch Game of Thrones in a week and a half, as he was planning a trip that included the city where a lot of scenes from the series had been filmed. Dubrovnik was the blueprint for the fictional city of King’s Landing, after all.
They get to the top of the stone staircase and Taehyung suddenly turns his phone towards Jimin.
“Do it.” He simply says.
“Huh?” Jimin asks, but he already knows. He doesn’t want to do it.
“Shame! Shame!” Taehyung shouts, even imitating the little bell sound Septa Unella uses during Cersei’s walk.
A couple of the three or four people that are around eye them, unimpressed. They look like locals, so they see this shit every day. They must be tired. And Jimin and Taehyung are literal walking cliché.
Jimin groans and covers his face, blushing profusely.
“Don’t be a killjoy, Jiminie. You’ll like having this memory later!”
“Okay, I’ll do it! But don’t shout it so loud…” Jimin hisses, pinching his friend’s side.
He bows his head down a little, feeling shy, cheeks ruddy red, but still marches on, walking down the steps slowly with Taehyung filming him, doing his little number as Septa Unella.
When they get to the bottom of the stairs, Taehyung stops the video and they huddle over the phone, their heads touching. They end up giggling over Jimin’s pink cheeks and pout that looks like a little beak when he’s looking down, he really looks like he’s doing a walk of shame. At the end of the video Taehyung films himself too, his boxy smile is so wide and radiant that Jimin immediately thinks that moment of cringe was completely worth it.
“See? That wasn’t so bad!”
Jimin agrees and blinks up at Taehyung when he extends his hand, passing him his phone with a shit-eating grin.
“Now, do it for me.”
Jimin holds his breath when he gets atop the city’s medieval walls. The view is perfect. The Adriatic sea stretches as far as the eye can see, enveloping the land in a glistening turquoise frame and kissing the cerulean blue sky on the horizon. As he walks the walls, Jimin sees the whole city below them, the terracotta rooftops of each house and building standing out against the scenery. It looks so very dreamy. In fact, Jimin has thought he must be dreaming several times over the morning.
They walk the ancient walls for about an hour and a half as the sun gets stronger and stronger the closer they get to midday. Jimin doesn’t mind though, he’ll happily stew under the punishing rays if it means he can look at the panoramic view for longer. Or maybe he also enjoys Taehyung’s sudden breaks into acting mode, while he makes stunningly accurate portrayals of Varys and Tyrion Lannister. Jimin watches dumbfounded and amused while his friend leans on the wall, perfectly reproducing the dialogue between those two characters as they prepare for the siege of King’s Landing, on the exact same spot the scene was filmed.
“You’re so good, Taetae… You’re gonna be famous one day.”
Taehyung interrupts himself and beams at Jimin, brighter than the croatian sun.
“So are you. No one in our uni can hold a candle to you. You’re the best dancer I’ve ever seen.”
“You’re exaggerating!” Jimin always has difficulty taking these types of compliments, so he averts his eyes, walking forward to lean on the wall too, facing the glittering sea.
“I’m not. You- “
“How do you remember all those lines anyway?” He interrupts.
“Well, this scene is super awesome. Plus I need to have a good declarative memory, comes with the territory of being an acting student.”
“Does it also apply to regular conversations?”
Taehyung nods, signaling Jimin forward for them to keep walking.
“It tends to, yeah. I’ve been developing my memory more and more as I stimulate it.”
“I’ll have to be careful with what I say around you then!” Jimin giggles as he passes Taehyung, to go down the stairs and finish their wall walk.
His friend catches his wrist first, pulling him back a little.
“Why? Are you planning on tricking me or something?” Taehyung asks with a playful tug on his arm.
“Hmm, no… Maybe?” Jimin giggles again when Taehyung wraps his arms around him from behind and squeezes him briefly. It’s not very practical going down narrow stairs like this and with Jimin’s full backpack on the way between them, but they make it work. “But it must be a useful skill when you’re fighting with someone. You can remember all your previous conversations in detail!”
“I guess it’s a blessing and a curse. We never fight, fight , though. We only bicker, right?”
“That’s right. ‘Cause you’re a little brat, even when we were kids you’ve always been the most stubborn person I have ever met.”
Taehyung scoffs and wacks Jimin lightly on the side of the head.
“I could say the same about you, smartass.”
They do bicker while they keep walking down the stairs and head to the Rector’s Palace, all the while pointing fingers at each other, countering each other’s arguments as to who between them was the brattiest or the pettiest. Jimin still thinks it’s Taehyung and nothing he says can convince him otherwise.
“Jimin-ah, I will now teach you how to properly enjoy the beach!” Taehyung announces cockily, as they stroll into Dubrovnik’s Banje beach at 4 PM.
They’d been walking non-stop for seven hours, only pausing briefly to get sandwiches and icy juices, which they had on the go while they discovered the city. Going to the beach and swimming for a while would be a good way to relax before having dinner, so Jimin welcomes the sight of the colored sun umbrellas planted in the fine, hot sand.
“Taehyung, we don’t have a sun umbrella though. Should we rent one?”
Jimin looks around to see if there’s any available, as the beach is already packed with people. He’s definitely not used to going to the beach without at least two sun umbrellas to keep him well protected.
“We don’t need one, come on! It’s already 4, the UV rays aren’t as strong from now on, and you brought all that sunscreen anyway. Also, our people don’t know how to take advantage of the beach and today you will learn one of the few things westerners got right. A little sunbathing is relaxing, beach towels are cool and we don’t have to always be running away to hide under the freaking sun umbrella!” Taehyung lectures, while they put their stuff down in a vacant spot in the sand.
Jimin must admit that the view around him is much different from the beaches in Busan. He normally went there for a couple of weeks with his mom when she had her summer vacation, and they stayed at his grandmother’s house.
Indeed, in their country people tend to always either be swimming or sitting under their sun umbrella, much more clothed and modest than here, where there’s girls in skimpy bikinis wherever he looks and guys strut around in short swim trunks, not wearing a tshirt. There’s tanned semi naked bodies everywhere, people laying on their beach towels, completely exposed to the scorching sun. There are no pool floats or swimming noodles anywhere to be seen, whereas in Korea people are not very confident in their swimming abilities and almost everyone takes those into the sea.
Jimin gapes at the scene, and when he looks at his friend again, he has already laid both their beach towels down and stripped his green, yellow and dark blue striped tshirt, his skin appearing even more golden in this light. Jimin blinks away and busies himself taking two bottles of sunscreen from his backpack: one for his face, one for his body.
Taehyung doesn’t seem to want to stop and put on sunscreen though. He takes the volleyball they brought out of his own backpack and starts kicking it around towards Jimin.
“Jimin-ah, let’s play a little first!” He insists, circling Jimin with the ball and throwing sand onto his lap.
“Stop it! We need to put on sunscreen first! You’re getting sand all over me, oh my god- “
Taehyung laughs, teasing and a little evil, as he continues to rile Jimin up, kicking the ball towards him, hitting him repeatedly all over his body. His arms are now looking like shrimp tempura, sand sticking to recently applied sunscreen annoyingly.
“Freaking asshole, come here!” He finally shrieks and chases a cackling, triumphant Kim Taehyung.
They play with the ball, Jimin tries to kick it from under Taehyung’s feet, grabbing his arm and pulling him. He plays dirty, just like his friend did with him. They laugh and pant, and try to trip each other, succeeding several times. Taehyung falls ass-first with a huff and Jimin sprints away with the ball, quickly hiding it under his towel and sitting on top of it. When Taehyung catches up to him, they’re both completely out of breath, falling onto their towels, panting harshly.
“O- okay- Let’s put on the sunscreen now.” Jimin reminds, shaking the excess sand off of his arms and legs.
Taehyung groans and lies on his back, closing his eyes.
“I don’t wanna. It’s really boring and I want to get a little tan.”
“What you’re gonna get is a huge sunburn, dude. The sun is still really strong, can’t you feel it?”
“‘S fine. I’m used to it, and I have a lot more melanin than your pale ass, anyway.”
“Suit yourself. My pale ass ain’t getting burned to a crisp.”
Jimin doesn’t remove his white t-shirt. He just reapplies his light, fluid coconut and hibiscus scented sunscreen on his arms, legs and the back of his neck, and then proceeds to open his new face sunscreen. He bought a La Roche-Posay fragrance-free sunscreen with physical UV-filters, as he heard they were the most effective against UV radiation. There was a downside though. Zinc oxide and titanium dioxide are very good at blocking UV rays but they also make the cream’s consistency thicker. He’s having a little trouble rubbing it into his skin, and he halts when he hears a loud snort from beside him.
“What?” He asks, somehow annoyed by the mirth in his friend’s expression.
“You look like Casper the friendly ghost!” Taehyung guffaws, pointing at him childishly.
“Ugh… Better that than second-degree burns, Taehyung-ah!”
“Here, I’ll help you.”
Still chuckling, Taehyung sits up and moves closer to Jimin. His long fingers start delicately spreading the sunscreen over Jimin’s nose and cheekbones, He carefully massages it in, even swiping some away from Jimin’s top lip with his thumb. Jimin’s lips part in surprise and he decides it’s better to close his eyes, as his friend finishes rubbing the excess cream on his neck. His hands feel too hot on his already overheated skin.
“That’s enough, you’re gonna give me a rash with so much rubbing, ouch!” Jimin’s empty complaint makes Taehyung stop, though.
“Jeez, even your skin is sensitive… Go on now, your majesty. Lay down next to me. We deserve a little rest.”
And Jimin does. He lays on his back next to Taehyung, closing his eyes to the blinding sun that shines in the vivid blue sky. He lets himself feel the warmth caressing his skin, feels the scent of brine carried by the breeze, hears the chatter around him, the kids playing happily, the soft sound of small waves hitting the shore… Being on the beach never felt this good. Maybe Taehyung was right. Just a little sunbathing never hurt anyone, right?
“Fuck, Jimin, it hurts! Shit, it itches so bad!!”
Kim Taehyung emerges from the bathroom in blue boxers, looking like a red pepper all over. Jimin’s eyes bug out as he takes in the severity of what they initially thought was just a mild sunburn. Taehyung’s chest especially is bright red, and tiny little bumps started appearing in the middle of it. He just finished showering and is now clawing at his skin, scratching it with a ferocity that definitely shouldn’t be employed on compromised tissue like that.
“Taehyung! Wh- what the hell?! How did it get like that?!”
“I dunno! After the shower it’s like the truth was revealed, man! Oh god, I’m going crazy!”
“Don’t scratch at it!! You’re gonna tear your skin off!”
Jimin rushes towards him, and touches his chest lightly. He’s burning up, literally.
“Hold on, let’s try something.”
“ Ugghhhh , I can’t- I regret everything!” Taehyung whines, fanning his chest with his hands desperately seeking some type of relief.
Jimin takes a towel from the bathroom and soaks it in cold water, then running back and pressing it to his friend’s chest, who immediately sighs in relief. Taehyung slumps down on the small beige sofa, his wet, faded blueish green hair clinging to his forehead and falling over his eyes.
“I’m never skipping sunscreen again.” He mutters under his breath.
“Smart. Too late now, though.” Jimin tries to sound scolding, but his voice comes out soft, as he sits at Taehyung’s side, still concerned.
Taehyung throws his head back on the couch, groaning and clutching the wet towel tightly to his tender chest.
“Ooh, fuck … That’s so much better.” He moans, relieved and almost indecent.
Jimin can’t help but follow the water droplets that slide down the side of his flushed face, tracing wet tracks down his defined jaw and long neck. There are also some running down his torso and wetting his boxers and thick thighs. He vaguely realizes that maybe this is not a good time to be noticing how striking his best friend looks, even when he’s sunburnt. But like, completely objectively speaking, Taehyung looks attractive. From a hypothetical, purely platonic point of view. It’s just a general fact.
Taehyung slowly turns his head to him with semi-closed eyes and the ghost of a smile on his lips.
“Why are you staring at my suffering like that? Are you happy that you were right, is that it? You’re so mean…”
“I’m not! I’m actually worried about you, idiot. Wait, I just remembered something that might help too.”
Jimin goes into their small bedroom, and rummages through his suitcase, looking for his toiletries. He fishes out a tub of aloe vera gel and hurries back to Taehyung.
“Here, you can rub that on your chest. It’s really good for soothing the skin. Actually you should rub it everywhere you’re red.”
Which would be his face, his chest, shoulders, arms and stomach. Somehow his legs escaped the punishment.
“Can you do it for me, Jiminie?” Taehyung whines, making grabby hands at Jimin.
“Uh? No? You are perfectly capable of doing it yourself.” Jimin’s face is hot as well, maybe he’s a little sunburnt too.
“I am capable… I just hate putting lotion on.”
“You realize your laziness to put lotion on was what led to your current state, Tae?”
“Hmm, indeed, the irony is not lost on me. But still I want you to do it. Your tiny hands are more suited for this job.”
Jimin scoffs, affronted.
“Excuse me? You really are a man-sized baby, Taehyung-ah.”
“And you’re a- a baby-sized man!” Taehyung throws his way, snickering at Jimin’s expression.
“Well, you seem to be completely recuperated, so I’ll leave you to it.” Jimin starts turning away to go take a shower.
“Nooo! Please, Jiminie, help me out… I really hate doing this and I’m hurting all over.”
Jimin squints at his friend who has now adopted his best puppy eyes in order to convince him. How lazy can he be?
“I’m doing your arms, you do the rest.”
“Fair enough. Come here.” Taehyung straightens up on the sofa and pats the seat next to him enthusiastically.
Jimin sits down, resigned, opening up the tub of aloe vera gel and dipping his fingers in the cool, slippery substance. The other boy chucks the wet towel to the side and starts taking some of the product in his hand too, smoothing it over his chest and stomach while hissing in sensitivity. Jimin just focuses on Taehyung’s left arm first, and not on the way his body looks slicked up with the gel. The skin on his arms is slightly red, but not as much as his torso, so Jimin doesn’t think he’ll hurt Taehyung too much while rubbing the product in.
When his fingers come into contact with Taehyung’s skin, the first thing he thinks is how hot to the touch he feels, but that is normal, of course, he’s sunburned after all. Jimin starts massaging the aloe on Taehyung’s shoulder, surprised at how firm his friend’s arm feels. He runs his hands down his deltoid, feeling the curve between that muscle and his bicep, and then over his tricep. He puts a little bit more pressure on those lightly defined, but still quite hard muscles, circling his thumbs on Taehyung’s smooth skin, while spreading the gel, feeling them flex lightly under his touch.
“Mmm, feels good…” Taehyung breathes out in a low, slow tone that catches Jimin completely off guard.
It makes him pause, eyes resolutely focused on Taehyung’s arm only. He suddenly feels embarrassed for being so hyper focused on this massage, and maybe because in his head, Taehyung’s words registered in a way they definitely shouldn’t have. It’s silly, in all honesty, so Jimin promptly recomposes himself and keeps going, massaging Taehyung’s forearm, watching the veins that snake down his arm become more prominent because of how the gel makes them glisten. He decides to accelerate the process when he switches to his friend’s other arm.
“Jiminie, do the same thing on that one too.” Taehyung whines petulantly.
Oh, of course he needs to be a whiny little brat about it. Jimin smiles and the weird tension he’s been very strangely harboring inside subsides a little when he sees Taehyung pout, the corners of his mouth pointing down due to Jimin’s haste in finishing the massage.
“Are you enjoying it that much?” He asks, cocking his head inquiringly.
Taehyung blinks down at him, slowly. His eyes look kind of hazy, he’s probably sleepy.
“Yeah, ‘s nice.”
Jimin huffs a laugh and indulges him, digging his fingers assertively into his arm, kneading the flesh thoroughly while applying another generous quantity of the aloe gel to Taehyung’s reddened skin. His friend sighs deeply and lets his head fall back once more, now having finished applying the gel to the other affected parts. Jimin just keeps going, effectively shutting out the slow exhales and hums he hears, concentrating instead on making the rest of the product sink in so it can soothe the tender sun-damaged skin.
“There you go!” He exclaims, maybe a little too loudly, patting Taehyung’s forearm sharply to let him know he’s really done this time.
“Ow, noo! I want more…”
“Hell, no! I spoil you too much, I swear. I’m gonna go take a shower, we still have to get dinner.”
Jimin feels salty, sweaty and gross so he gets up and finally collects his towel and fresh clothes from the bedroom, leaving his friend in an apparent puddle of goo, melting on the cheap IKEA love-seat.
The restaurant they chose is definitely gorgeous, with its amazing seaside view, but it’s very crowded as well, because of its popularity. They wait for half an hour until they are taken to their table in the terrace, by a pretty, brunette waitress that is much taller than him. Jimin stares a little at the girl's impressive height, and Taehyung catches him, raising his eyebrows playfully. His friend must be thinking Jimin is interested, and he has no intentions of pointing otherwise, so he just shrugs and smiles sheepishly, as they sit down on their wooden chairs.
One thing Jimin loves about the summer is how the daylight seems to stretch on and on and on. It’s 8:30 PM and the sun still shines prettily, coloring the ocean and the sky in tones of red, orange and gold. They struggle a little with what to order from the menu, but they finally settle on seafood. Jimin doesn’t want to take huge risks, as he tends to be quite picky with food, so he picks grilled mackerel with a side of grilled vegetables. Taehyung, on the other hand, goes all in and chooses a traditional croatian dish: black risotto, which is made with squid, garlic, olive oil, red wine and the squid ink gives it the characteristic black coloring.
When another waiter comes around to take their order, Jimin clams up and blushes a little, so Taehyung takes the lead, ordering their food in english with a confidence that only comes with a lot of self-assurance and experience. Jimin wishes he could be like that in radically new situations like the one he's in right now. In truth, Taehyung has been the one to always take the first step since they set foot at the airport, patiently explaining everything to Jimin, sorting out everything about their car rental, currency exchange, talking to the airbnb hosts excitedly when they arrived at the house’s location, and asking for directions to locals when they got a little lost. It really is admirable the ease with which his friend moves in such a different setting and in a foreign country.
“Jimin-ah, you need to try this prosciutto with the bread, it’s crazy good.”
Taehyung snaps Jimin out of his reverie, drawing his attention to the appetizers in front of them. There’s a variety of cold cuts and an aged sheep cheese platter, along with some freshly baked bread. Jimin has never really tried a lot of charcuterie, but he guesses now is the time to experiment with new things. Taehyung makes him a piece of bread with prosciutto rolled up on top and directly feeds it to Jimin. Jimin’s eyes widen, as he tastes the smoky and salty taste of the dry cured ham with the delightful crunch of the warm bread.
“Whoaa! ‘S really good!” He says with his mouth full.
Taehyung nods, eagerly stuffing his own face with the appetizers. Their beers arrive shortly after, so they wash down the saltiness with the effervescence of the cold brew, which compliments the taste perfectly.
Taehyung sits in front of him, wearing a white short-sleeved button-up, with three buttons undone, exposing part of his chest. It suited him, but it made his red skin stand out even more. He had a permanent blush on his face, over his nose and cheeks and even that looked kind of cute.
“You’re lucky you pull off the lobster look, Taehyung-ah.” Jimin giggles.
“Ha ha.” His friend laughs sarcastically. “You’ll see, when the redness goes down, it’ll turn into the hottest tan ever, I just wish it didn’t hurt this much.”
“Yeah… How are you going to enjoy the beach after we leave Dubrovnik? You’ll always need to stay in the shade.”
It suddenly dawns on Jimin that they have a full three days of exclusive beach-going planned after they leave Dubrovnik the day after tomorrow and head to Makarska, where Taehyung had rented another tiny apartment. Makarska is a very beautiful town, with a bunch of wonderful beaches nearby they could explore, and Jimin was looking forward to going there. But now he became worried, as his friend would definitely not enjoy it to the fullest.
“Hmm…” Taehyung hums pensively. “You got a good point there. We’ll think about it later when we get to the house, let’s just enjoy our dinner for now.”
When the main courses are set on the white and dark blue checkered tablecloth, Jimin’s mouth waters instantly. The scent of fresh grilled fish is enticing so he digs in unceremoniously, finding that it’s cooked to perfection. Taehyung’s black risotto looks weird but smells good as well.
“Ooh! That’s so fucking good- “ Taehyung groans around his fork.
They eat in silence for a while, savoring their dishes, until Taehyung convinces Jimin to try the risotto. He side-eyes the black rice and squid mixture and prepares himself for the worst. Taehyung feeds him a generous bite and for the second time that night, Jimin is blown away. This time a lot more than with the prosciutto. The risotto tastes intensely like the sea in the best way possible and is very well seasoned, the squid is tender and has the perfect texture. Squid when not cooked properly can have a stubborn, rubbery quality to it that makes it unpalatable to Jimin, but this was the best one he had ever tasted.
“Waah, dude! That’s so tasty! You were right all along.” Jimin praises, astounded.
“See, I told you. You really need to take all my advice, Jimin. I’m the expert here.” Taehyung says with a somewhat conceited smile.
And Jimin almost chokes on the piece of grilled asparagus he’d just put in his mouth. Taehyung’s smile would be the cause of his demise if he hadn’t coughed the veggie out of his windpipe, because his friend’s teeth are completely black , covered in squid ink. Jimin coughs and laughs at the same time, his eyes watering from the effort and Taehyung looks utterly confused.
“What?! Is there something on my face?” He asks, while wiping his face with a napkin.
“W- wait!” Jimin wheezes, getting his phone out of his pocket. “Smile, Taetae!”
Jimin snaps a picture of his friend’s black smile and shows it to him. They burst out laughing loudly in the middle of the restaurant, making some of the other patrons glance at them curiously.
“I look sexy as hell with this sunburn and black teeth, I can make anything work!” Taehyung says combing his hair back with his hand and securing his sunglasses on top of his head again.
“You should make this your profile picture in all your social media, Taehyung-ah.” Jimin chuckles, sending the picture to his friend.
They end up ordering more beer and sharing the remainder of their dishes between the two of them, which in turn prompts them to take a few silly selfies together, heads touching, black teeth showing to the camera. They look ridiculous. They look happy . Taehyung actually sets one of their selfies as a wallpaper on his phone.
“Nooo! Why did you put that on your phone!” Jimin whines.
“It doesn’t get any better than this, really. We’ve peaked, Jimin-ssi! We’ll never look this hot again, so this is definitely wallpaper-worthy.”
The mood between them is so light and warm, golden like this summer evening that smells and tastes of the ocean. One more beer is put in front of Jimin, and he begins to feel the effects of the alcohol after he takes a few more sips. They finish their food, and share a strawberry cheesecake for dessert, chatting and joking around non-stop. When the bill comes, Jimin has to physically force Taehyung to accept to split it between the two of them, but the other boy relents when Jimin pouts cutely, shoving the kuna bills onto his best friend’s big hand.
It’s a 10 minute walk from the restaurant to the apartment and Jimin zigzags slightly through the streets, lightheaded from the three beers he had and Taehyung giggles at his lack of alcohol tolerance. Jimin doesn’t even care. He bumps into his friend, shoulder to shoulder, and feels him wrap a warm hand around his waist, secure and supportive. Jimin feels exhaustion creeping in with every step he takes and as soon as they arrive, he changes into his white summer pajamas and goes to the bathroom to quickly brush his teeth and slap on his nighttime skincare routine. He proceeds to fall headfirst into his bed, hugging the cool pillow tightly.
“Aren’t you gonna sleep, Taehyungie?” He asks when he sees Taehyung on his laptop, reading something attentively on the screen.
“I will in a bit. Sleep well, Jiminie!”
Jimin hums and turns his head away, to avoid the direct light that emits from his friend’s bedside lamp. It’s a matter of seconds before his entire body feels deliciously heavy and a deep sleep takes him away to the land of dreams.
-
It’s barely 8:30 AM and Jimin is almost all set to run out the door, dressed in an airy, oversized white linen button-up, with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows and dark blueish-gray distressed denim shorts, paired up with black and white Nike sneakers. His large Yves Saint-Laurent sunglasses, which are the most expensive accessory he owns, gifted to him by his mother when he turned 18, are hooked on the front of his shirt, but he still needs a hat before leaving.
His suitcase is already a mess from rummaging inside so much, but he manages to find a white bucket hat and puts it on, checking himself in the mirror. It makes him look a lot younger, accentuating the softness of his features, and Jimin doesn’t know why, but it bothers him. He doesn’t really want to look cute today, he wants to look handsome. He sighs, and stares at the black cap he used yesterday, but it collected so much sweat he needs to wash it before using it again. He looks at his reflection again, and tries to comb his hair in a way that doesn’t make him look like an overgrown baby so much.
“Are you ready? Oh.” Taehyung stops in his tracks, having come out of the living room slash kitchenette area with a biscuit in hand.
His friend is wearing a thin pale blue long sleeve, tucked casually into tan wide-leg, flowy pants and brown sandals. For a moment, Taehyung’s eyes linger on Jimin’s face, inscrutable, and then a small smile appears on his lips, as he moves toward him, extending his hand.
“Look how cute you look, it’s like we’re back in fourth grade!” Taehyung coos, squeezing Jimin’s cheeks like the ahjummas do to particularly adorable little children.
Jimin bats Taehyung’s hand away with a “Yah!”, and keeps struggling with his longish black hair, set on making this look work better for him.
“Just leave it alone, Jimin. You look great!”
Taehyung sits on his unmade bed, the white sheets and electric orange duvet, halfway on the floor, and nibbles on his biscuit while checking something on his phone. Jimin has grown tired of his fruitless task, and resigns himself to his fate. He’s going to have to look like a primary school kid today, but at least he looks hot because these shorts show the lower part of his thick thighs and his toned calves.
“So, Jimin-ah… You know I’ve been thinking about what you said when we were having dinner yesterday, and I think you’re right. It’ll be hard for us to fully enjoy the beach days in Makarska, when I’m looking like a tomato.” Taehyung licks his lips slowly, an old habit, and leans back on his pillow.
“Yeah, I know… I’ll stay with you to keep you company though. We can sit in the shade, and we can still walk around town and on the beach if you cover your skin and put on sunscreen everywhere else!” Jimin says encouragingly.
He really doesn’t mind not going for swims or laying in the sun. He just wants Taehyung’s company, wants to cheer him up and make the most out of those moments.
“Mmm… Yeah, but like… What if I told you I canceled everything?” his friend asks casually, not looking up from his phone’s screen.
Jimin stills at this, and turns fully to his friend who appears to be sending messages to someone.
“What do you mean?” Jimin asks, eyes widening already.
“I think it’d be cool to shift things around, and I changed some stuff about our plans… Okay, maybe not some stuff. Maybe a lot?” He shrugs noncommittally, finally looking up at Jimin like he said the most normal, chill thing in the world.
“You- you canceled things?" Jimin is getting nervous, he wasn’t expecting this at all.
“I mean, I was searching up stuff last night, and there’s so many interesting places around! Makarska is 150 kilometers from here, do you know what is 140 kilometers from here too?” Taehyung asks, looking at Jimin expectantly, apparently not detecting his anxious energy, or else, ignoring it.
“No…”
“Mostar, in Bosnia! If we went there we could see another country, and the city is so amazing and diverse, and Bosnia’s history is also so interesting, but heavy in some ways too- “ Taehyung gesticulates excitedly, trying to convey to Jimin how it’s such a great idea to change their plans and suddenly go to another country, out of nowhere.
Jimin automatically turns towards his backpack and takes out the little blue notebook in which he had written on the cover ‘Jimin and Tae’s Adventure’ in bold silver letters. He gingerly opens it, while the other boy keeps going on about his ideas. He skims to the part where he had taken notes about Makarska, about the places and beaches they would visit, and even had one small, bright yellow post-it about potentially good restaurants to eat he’d look up on Tripadvisor during the sleepless nights that preceded their trip.
“B- but…” Jimin starts, his lips unconsciously forming a small pout. “We were going to go take long walks on the Harbour in the evening, and- and explore the Biokovo Nature Park, and… Go to Nugal beach and Punta Rata- “ Jimin points to the sentences he’d written in his best calligraphy, looking neat and highlighted in different colors, showing it to Taehyung.
Taehyung finally falls silent. He stares at Jimin for a moment, with that look that Jimin can’t quite put a finger on, the mysterious look he sometimes gives him, but gives nothing away. Jimin realizes he must look ridiculous. Wearing that stupid little bucket hat that makes him look like a kid, and pointing at his silly, colorful notes on his silly notebook, letting his anxiety show so clearly.
After a few seconds, his friend gets up from the bed, gently takes the notebook out of Jimin’s weak grasp, and settles two warm hands on each of Jimin’s shoulders, looking down into his eyes.
“Jiminie, when we’re on vacation, we don’t always need to have a plan that’s set in stone. Sometimes it’s fun to shake things up, be spontaneous…” Taehyung’s voice is soft, and mellow, his thumbs start rubbing little circles on Jimin’s shoulders, but his body can’t decide whether to relax or tense up further, apparently. How strange…
“But what about the cancellation for the airbnb in Makarska? You’re gonna lose at least a part of the money, and what if the rental car can’t go across the croatian border? And doesn’t Bosnia have a different currency? We only have kunas and wons with us. And we won’t be able to find a nice apartment to stay for cheap in such short notice. What if we stay at a really weird or dangerous place- “ Jimin’s words fall out of his lips without interruption, a cascade of worry and doubts.
“Hey. I already took care of all of that. It wasn’t a lot of money at all, and we already have a nice place to stay in Mostar. I’ve been texting Luka, the host and he was really cool about the whole thing. He'll have the house ready for when we arrive, and he can give us the key at any time of the day, because he lives nearby. I have everything under control, because I have experience with these things.”
“But what about- “ Jimin mumbles.
Taehyung sighs, both exasperated and amused.
“Jimin-ah, repeat after me: fuck it .”
“Huh?” Jimin blinks up at Taehyung’s sharp, dark eyes that are glued to his own.
“Fuck it. Fuck the money, fuck the worries, let’s just have fun, go a day at a time. So, say it - fuck it!” Taehyung grips Jimin’s shoulders firmly, clearly wanting him to calm himself down and loosen up.
“Fuck it.” Jimin parrots, still a little unsure.
“Yep. That is exactly it. Everything will be alright, you don’t have to worry about anything. You overthink too much, just let me take care of y- I mean, just let me handle stuff.”
Jimin sucks on his bottom lip and averts his eyes, considering what his friend just said. On the one hand, Taehyung is right, they are on vacation, things should be relaxed, but on the other, Jimin really dislikes not having a plan. Improvisation outside of dancing is not his strong suit and unexpected turns of events tend to make him more anxious lately. Another nice little gift the experiences he went through last year left him. The point is: Jimin doesn’t like not having control over things and not being able to predict what is going to happen next.
But also, he did write in his notebook that this was an ‘adventure’, their adventure. And those always have a side of the unknown, of the unexpected, that’s what makes them exciting. That’s exactly what Taehyung is trying to show Jimin, and he’s being a scaredy cat. He shouldn’t though, he should listen, he should trust.
As Jimin meets his friend’s warm eyes again, he gives him a little nod and a smile. Taehyung squeezes his shoulders one last time and his hands slide down Jimin’s arms, then moving away to fetch his backpack.
“Let’s go, then. There’s still a lot to see today!” He says, playfully patting Jimin’s butt while heading for the door. “By the way, those shorts make your ass look great, you’ll have all the chicks breaking their necks to check you out from behind.”
‘The chicks…’ Awesome. Jimin thinks, sarcastically.
“Yeah, then they’ll see my face and think I’m still a minor, thanks to this stupid hat.”
“Nonsense! Cute and hot is the best combination, and you’re both.” Taehyung commented in that laid-back fashion that’s always characteristic of him.
It shuts Jimin right up and makes a peculiar satisfaction spark up in his belly. He thoroughly disregards it and gets the rest of his stuff, following Taehyung right out the door. There’s a world to explore and no time to lose with foolish thoughts.
-
Mostar was beautiful, a city of contradictions, tough history and multiculturalism. They never planned on coming to this country but ended up being thoroughly captivated by its beauty and tragic past.
They stayed in a small house that had its whole right side torn apart by bullets from the war that took place nearly 30 years ago. The interior itself was clean and welcoming, even though the outside had startled them slightly. They walked around the gorgeous city, in which so many people of different religions and beliefs lived, coexisting, but still undoubtedly scarred. For all the beautiful mosques, colorful bazaars, and traditional ottoman houses, there was the contrast of shelled buildings, façades riddled by gunfire and graffiti demanding peace.
They visited the main landmarks, took pictures together, ate typical bosnian food and ended up at the Museum of War and Genocide. Jimin’s heart felt heavy, sadness and empathy filling him when confronted with such a terrible piece of history that he was barely aware had happened. The war that involved Bosnia, Croatia and Serbia had been a bloody one, full of treachery, crimes against humanity and even ethnic cleansing, with thousands of bosniak muslims massacred by the serbian army.
A solemn mood accompanied both him and Taehyung through their dinner, where they discussed what they had learned. The desire to know more made them spend the night watching documentaries about the Bosnian War, the massacre in Srebrenica and the siege of Sarajevo. So instead of sleeping, they planned their next day to go to the capital of the country and explore more of its stories.
The roads in Bosnia weren’t the best and that also made Taehyung and Jimin less prone to falling asleep, especially when they thought they accidentally entered Serbia because all the houses in a certain area had serbian flags. They checked the GPS but they were very much still in Bosnia, so it was clear the country was still very divided, with a portion of its population wanting to be part of Republika Srpska or even yearning for the return of the former Yugoslavia.
Sarajevo had its own unique feel. It’s where the east meets the west, where the skyline is decorated with mosques and minarets, as well as the Romanesque towers of catholic churches and the huge domes of the orthodox ones. The hills that completely surround the city look green and verdant with trees, now peaceful as ever, when previously, during the siege, they had been used to hide snipers that preyed upon its citizens. The city feels like a thriving and diverse european capital, but it also feels like it hasn’t forgotten. The Sarajevo Roses are small memorials spread across the streets, red paint on the floor, over the dents made by mortar explosions that killed people on those exact spots. It makes Jimin tremble when he finds out the meaning of those, as they see so many of them as they walk around the city.
They visit the Tunnel of Hope that was built in secret during the siege of Sarajevo in order to smuggle in food, humanitarian help and weapons to help the bosnians defend themselves against their aggressors, they visit cathedrals, and mosques and even stand in the exact spot where Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria was murdered, which led to the start of World War I. At lunch they stuff themselves with too much delicious ćevapi and strong as hell bosnian coffee that makes their hearts palpitate and eyes twitch, but allows them to power through the rest of the afternoon and the long trip that awaits them back to Split, in Croatia.
As the night falls over their moving car, Jimin is struck with awe at how much he has learned and absorbed over the last few days. They had envisioned this trip as focusing more on the natural beauty of Croatia, its architecture and artistic sides, but their detours and spontaneity had led to an unforeseen richness in their experience. Jimin felt awake , his mind bustling with thoughts, and ideas, and excitement. Yes, he was especially happy to be able to share all this with Taehyung. If it wasn’t for his friend’s boldness, Jimin never would’ve ventured into something like this. He would’ve stayed in his comfort zone, without risking anything, and also not gaining anything either.
On the flip side, they ran into their first real problem as the GPS basically sent them on an alternative path that appeared quicker but they realized too late that they were heading to croatian soil through the middle of a freaking natural park on the worst dirt road ever. Rocks kept jumping up and hitting the car with loud metallic sounds that startled the living crap out of both of them and made Taehyung drive at snail pace. To compensate for them being scared shitless of getting a flat tire in the middle of nowhere and past midnight, Taehyung just blasted korean trot and they sang way too loudly to cope with the stress. The creatures around them also appeared agitated, and Jimin watched in amusement and surprise as foxes, little mice and hedgehogs scurried away from them as fast as they could.
They get to Split at 2 am, which would be an obscene hour to go get the keys to their airbnb, but luckily their hosts stay up very late. Jimin takes the lead to talk to them this time, leaving Taehyung a bit surprised at his forwardness. But Jimin feels like it, feels like his confidence has been steadily rising as he explores different places and meets new people. He wants to lose his shyness and soak up some of Taehyung’s extroversion and savoir-faire , take a few more controlled risks.
Jimin is so tired he barely notices what kind of apartment they got this time, he just changes and collapses on the small double bed mindlessly, eyes already closed. A minute later he feels Taehyung getting into bed beside him and remembers this one only has one bed. Jimin distantly recalls that the last time he slept with his friend he was around 14, but he doesn’t dwell on anything else because soon he is out like a candle, falling asleep with Taehyung’s solid presence by his side.
-
The next five days pass by too quickly for Jimin’s taste. He wishes each day had 48 hours, so he could spend double the time enjoying the beautiful scenery, having icy drinks in the warm sunset, listening to Taehyung’s deep laugh, and even walking, and walking, and walking until his feet hurt and throb. His eyes have been feasting upon so many breathtaking nature, architecture and art he can barely contain his emotions. Jimin feels inspired, he feels like dancing all the time, moulding his rhythm to each place they go.
And Jimin has fun . He has so much fun with Taehyung wherever the place, whatever the time. From walking along Split’s sunny harbourside promenade, to catching a ferry to go to Hvar, a colorful island with glittering yachts and too many parties for rich people that they don’t give a shit about, settling on having cokes on the paradisiac beach instead, and strolling through never-ending lavender fields. From swimming in waterfalls that seem to have materialized directly from a dream in Krka, to taking in the unsurpassed and untouched beauty of the turquoise lakes, meadows, caves and forests within the Plitvice National Park. And then from nature, back into the city, to Zagreb, Croatia’s majestic capital.
In the middle of all this, there are long drives between places, Taehyung taking the arduous task of driving hundreds of kilometers like a champ, in order for them to make the most of their time. But even the moments they spend in the car are a highlight for Jimin. They have taken to the habit of singing in the car, singing well, singing badly, too high-pitched, or surprisingly on-key. They just synchronize their voices so well, and come to the conclusion that maybe, in another life, they could’ve been singers and started a band.
After a late dinner and a full day walking around Zagreb, Jimin and Taehyung sit at a trendy bar. Jimin’s drink is pink, fake strawberry flavor on his tongue and a little too much vodka. He loves it. Taehyung leans forward to sip at his gin and tonic, the glass almost bigger than his head. The ambiance is dark, but inviting, an acoustic guitar can be heard in the background along with a lot of chatter and laughter.
This time Jimin put extra effort into his look, wearing an all black ensemble, a tshirt and skin-tight pants. Jimin’s hair has been getting longer so he put it in a half-ponytail on top of his head, letting some strands frame his face delicately. He accessorized himself too, several rings decorating his fingers and silver hoops glinting in his ears.
But Taehyung looks even better than him. He’s wearing a black and white hawaiian shirt, with light-wash jeans. His sunburn is long gone, replaced with an otherworldly golden glow that makes everyone else look drab and dull when compared to him, his skin so soft and healthy. His hair has turned a very light minty green from all the sun and it makes the contrast of his pale locks and caramel complexion stand out beautifully. He looks unique, he looks unfairly handsome and se-
Well, that particular line of thinking doesn’t seem very productive right now. So Jimin diverts his attention from Taehyung who is currently licking his lips. Why does he do that so often?
Jimin whips out his phone from his back pocket, smiling to himself, as he decides this is the best moment to finally share with Taehyung something he has been plotting. He opens an app on his phone and looks up at his friend, cocking his head.
“Hey, I was checking Google Maps and guess what I found out.”
“What?” Taehyung asks, genuinely curious.
“We’re really close to the border…”
“Yeah?”
“Do you know what’s an hour and a half away?”
“What is?”
“Ljubljana.” Jimin says simply, showing Taehyung the itinerary on his phone.
At first, Taehyung looks at a loss for words, looking from the phone to Jimin’s face, and back to the phone again. And then his face lightens up with a cheeky grin.
“Jimin-ssi! I see my randomness is rubbing off on you. You should be careful!” He scolds playfully. “What happened with ‘this wasn’t what we planned’ and your cute little notebook?”
His friend imitates Jimin’s lost expression and pout, gesturing at an imaginary notebook. Jimin whacks Taehyung on his arm for good measure, though he can’t help but giggle.
“Stop it! I was still learning about this stuff.” he sulks.
And it’s like Jimin already knows pulling that face will earn him an endeared look from Taehyung and a hand grazing his cheek softly.
“I know that. And now you’re turning into a lil’ globetrotter, aren’t you?”
Jimin smiles sheepishly and takes Taehyung’s hand down to table with his own, still leaving their fingers touching slightly.
“But don’t you think it’s a good idea?” Jimin asks expectantly.
From the quick search he did on Slovenia, the capital seemed incredibly beautiful to him.
“It’s a fucking great idea, Jimin-ah. Let’s do it!”
Jimin preens at Taehyung’s enthusiasm, and they join heads over his phone to decide the places they should definitely be seeing.
There’s something happening around them, though. Ever since they got to the bar, Jimin noticed a group of four girls sitting at a table next to them that kept looking over. He decided to ignore them, but they had started to go back and forth to the bathroom several times in pairs, passing really close to their table each time.
Suddenly, Jimin feels someone bump against his arm, and snaps his head up, ready to be annoyed.
“Hey, guys!" a cheerful feminine voice with a heavy british accent sounds startlingly near him.
To Jimin’s utter mortification, he isn’t met with the girl’s face, but instead with an enormous pair of breasts almost in his face, as she had leaned over to talk to them at an awkward angle. This was definitely on purpose.
Jimin scrambles back and his eyes naturally meet Taehyung’s, who has a knowing smile on his lips. Oh. He thought Jimin had checked out this girl’s rack. Big-boobs girl and her friend chortle obnoxiously, and Jimin is beyond embarrassed.
“We hope you guys don’t mind but, you look really cool, and we were wondering if you are celebrities?” The other girl asks. She’s wearing the tiniest pair of shorts Jimin has ever seen in his life.
Big-boobs girl is short and has dark brown hair. She’s very voluptuous even though she’s petite. Her friend, on the other hand, is blonde, tall and slender, but still has nice curves and elegant legs completely on display. They are attractive, but would be even more so if they didn’t have tons of heavy makeup on their face. Their foundations are too orangey and their eyebrows seem painted on. Jimin vaguely recalls the stereotype of british girls being associated with bad makeup and orange fake tan, and this encounter seems to put some weight to it.
Jimin shakes his head stupidly at the question, not really knowing how to handle the situation yet. He’s kind of waiting for Taehyung to take the wheel on this one, but the guy has leaned back on his chair, eyes on Jimin. He looks like he’s enjoying himself watching Jimin squirm.
For fuck’s sake.
“Oh, okay! So where are you guys from?” Big-boobs girl chirps, staring intensely at Jimin, clearly interested.
Well, Jimin is sure he’d be interested too, if he wasn’t so painfully gay. He decides he should be nice, at least. Taehyung must want to develop the conversation with these girls for sure.
“Korea.” Jimin answers, giving them a tentative smile.
“Really? Wow, that’s awesome! One of my friends went to Seoul last year. Do you guys wanna join us at our table?” Tiny-shorts girl asks.
When Jimin is already opening his mouth to respond, he hears Taehyung’s voice.
“Ah, sorry, sorry! No englisheu.” He says with wide innocent eyes, shaking his hands in front of himself.
And Jimin is flabbergasted once again. The gall on this guy! Pretending they don’t know english when it’s clear Jimin has been understanding every word spoken to them. He tries to burn holes into Taehyung’s retinas with his glare, but his friend looks as clueless as ever, still in character.
The girls’ reaction is of obvious disappointment, but there’s more to it. Tiny-shorts eyes Big-boobs with a look that can only be read as ‘i told you so’. Big-boobs looks dejected, staring between Taehyung and Jimin and finally mumbles her goodbyes, turning her back on them to walk away. Tiny-shorts shrugs and makes an apologetic grimace.
“It’s okay. You guys look great together!” She adds offhandedly.
The comment hits Jimin like a ton of bricks to the face. He’s sure he lets out an audible gasp, eyes widening, but the girl has already stepped away and back to her table. Taehyung in contrast, is calm and collected. Cool as a cucumber, like having someone implying they are a couple hasn’t phased him even a little bit, while Jimin’s cheeks are flaming hot and he’s close to imploding.
“Taehyung! Why the hell did you say that?! You made things weird- “ Jimin stops himself there. He doesn’t want to elaborate a lot on what he thinks about the comment Tiny-shorts made.
His best friend looks as impervious as ever.
“Just didn’t feel like talking to them. We have a lot to do, and talk about.” He shrugs easily.
“Well, couldn’t you have said something different? “ Jimin hisses back.
“I could. It was funny though.” Taehyung chuckles, finishing his drink.
Of course it was funny, Jimin thinks bitterly, Taehyung is straight. He didn’t feel like he was about to be outed like Jimin did, didn’t feel the anxiety or shame. And of course even if he wasn’t straight he would never be interested in Jimin that way, so it’s obvious why he didn’t even flinch. It was just too outlandish of a notion. However, there are layers to how Jimin feels right now. It’s not just nervousness, and embarrassment. He feels… Pleased?
“You look like you just ate a whole lemon. Chill out, Jimin. You’ll have other opportunities to flirt.” Taehyung doesn’t even give Jimin time to respond, because he gets up from his seat. “Should we go? We can finish preparing for tomorrow at the house and I’m getting sleepy too.”
They pay for their drinks and leave. Jimin now thinks he understands why he’s pleased, deep down. Taehyung could’ve spent the night with pretty girls, making new friends, or even hooking up with someone, but he didn’t. He chose Jimin. He chose only Jimin for tonight. An involuntary smile keeps tugging at the corner of Jimin’s lips while he walks beside Taehyung in the orange-lit streets. He doesn’t look deeply into why there’s something almost possessive blooming within him.
They are best friends.
Jimin is also pleased because he knows that in a few minutes he’ll be under a flimsy cotton sheet with Taehyung. They’ll sleep together, like they have been doing since that night in Split. Jimin sleeps better next to Taehyung. And not because of anything in particular. It’s just comfort and familiarity. And it’s just that Jimin likes Taehyung’s scent. And he also likes when they wake up with their sides plastered to each other in the middle of the bed, heads, arms and legs touching. Because it’s comforting .
Jimin hears his mother's voice in his head, ‘like brothers’ she had said. Yes, Taehyung makes Jimin feel safe and calm, like a brother . There’s nothing wrong with liking to have your best friend’s undivided attention over and over again. Nothing wrong with liking the weight of his arm across his chest when he wakes up. It’s only natural to crave his touch more every day when they spend so much time together and get along so well. Like siblings, of course. And if Jimin becomes more aware of how attractive Taehyung looks with his golden tan, broad shoulders and slender fingers, that’s just because it’s only logical to think so. Those are facts. It’s not like he constantly thinks about it.
Taehyung is like his brother.
Taehyung is Jimin’s best friend .