Chapter Text
Jungkook.
Jeon Jungkook.
He had always been someone Jimin never truly understood.
So what if they have been in the same band for so long, Jimin always saw him as something like an enigma.
He did say he loved Jungkook like a little brother on interviews and in front of cameras but that was faker than the color of his pink hair. It was the half truth, he loved Jungkook but not as a brother but as a man.
He hides it well enough under joking smiles and seemingly flippant words.
Taehyung and Yoongi are the only ones who’ve realized, so Jimin thinks he’s done pretty well so far.
It’s easier to hide behind a screen of playful jealousy than to pretend it doesn’t hurt at all when Jungkook chooses to hang out with the other members instead or when the younger boy playfully mocks him.
His hopes soar higher than it should when Jungkook goes and says nice things to him, when the younger boy touches him like it’s no big deal or when he just has to go and treat him gently.
“Jimin-ah.” Yoongi gives his shoulder a small shake. “Jimin?”
He blinks away his thoughts and turns to his friend and bandmate. “Sorry, I spaced out for a while.”
“It’s fine.” Yoongi gives his shoulder a soft squeeze. “But Namjoon says we have to go. Photoshoot, remember?”
Jimin nods and quickly grabs his scarf. “The one for the Japanese magazine, right?”
“I think so.” Yoongi grabs his jacket and hands it to him. “The others are getting ready and I think the youngest are in the car already.”
“Thanks, Yoongi.” Jimin takes the jacket and leans over to grab his shoes. Yoongi shuts the door behind him to the noise of the others scrambling to get ready.
The two of them enter the lift together quietly.
He attempts pat down strands of stray hair that had been messed up in his sleep.
Looking at their reflection in the mirror in the lift, he notices how Yoongi looks just as tired as he feels. If the eye bags weren’t a telltale sign, the slump of the older boy’s shoulders tells him just as much.
“Have you been sleeping properly?” Jimin asks.
Yoongi gives him a small smile and runs a hand through his blonde hair. “Do I look that bad?”
“You don’t but your eye bags give you away.” Jimin runs his thumb under the older boy’s eyes. “You need to sleep earlier, Yoongi.”
Yoongi groans and turn his head away. “It’s nothing a little makeup won’t hide.”
“Sleep in the car.” Jimin drops his hand to his side and they step out of the elevator to Yoongi’s grunt.
“I don’t think that’s possible with everyone in the car.”
They stop in front of the car and as if to prove Yoongi’s point, Taehyung and Jungkook are screaming and laughing over something on Taehyung’s phone pretty loudly. Yoongi raises his eyebrow as if to say ‘i told you so’.
Jungkook is the first to notice them. He doesn’t understand the look the younger boy gives him. It bores into him with a little furrow of Jungkook’s brow. They stay like that, eyes locked, until Yoongi inadvertently breaks it when he climbs into the car.
“Chim!” Taehyung looks up from his phone as he gets into the car behind Yoongi. “Did you listen to my cover?”
“Of course I did, Tae Tae!” Jimin gives his best friend a wide grin. “It was the best. It fit your voice a lot.”
“Thanks for saying that, Chim.” Taehyung gives him one last boxy grin before he turns back to his phone.
He chooses the seat beside Yoongi, in front of Jungkook, instead of the one beside Jungkook. It’s easier to be beside Yoongi’s calming aura than to drown in his negative thoughts beside Jungkook and Taehyung. By the time they get to the photoshoot, he’ll be feeling like a third wheel more than anything else. Maybe later, he’ll be okay thinking like that, but for now, he can’t be feeling like that when he needs to keep a semi happy face in front of the camera.
Yoongi pulls out his earphones and hands him one wordlessly. Jimin takes them and pops them in his ear, letting Yoongi’s music wash over him as they wait for the others to get into the car.
Just like he expects, Yoongi falls asleep pretty soon, the older’s head falling on his shoulder. He pulls the earphones from Yoongi’s ear and adjusts the rapper’s jacket so Yoongi won’t wake up with his zipper imprinted to his cheek.
He feels someone nudge the back of his seat and he pulls his hand away from Yoongi. Without turning around, he knows it’s probably Jungkook who’s sitting behind him.
He turns around anyways and gives Jungkook a questioning look. “What is it, Kook?”
Jungkook shrugs. “Sorry, I just wanted to move to a more comfortable position.”
He gives the younger boy a small smile and turns back to the front and resumes chatting with Hoseok on his other side.
When they arrive, the makeup artists descend on them in a flurry of action.
He barely pays attention as everyone moves around him like chickens with their heads cut off.
The photographer briefs them on the theme of the photoshoot before he leaves the room to get ready.
He feels more than sees the camera when he turns away from the mirror in front of him.
“And here is Jiminie!” Taehyung is the one behind the camera, narrating everything with a laugh. “Look at those soft cheeks and that pink hair! No wonder everyone calls him ‘Mochi’!”
“Tae Tae!” Jimin moves to cover the camera lens but his friend steps out of his reach. “I’m not done with my makeup.”
“You look perfectly fine.” Taehyung pans the camera to someone behind him. “Doesn’t he, Kook?”
It’s quiet for a little while before Jungkook answers. “Yeah, you’re fine, Jimin-ah.”
Jimin hopes and prays that the room is dim enough to hide the pink of his cheeks.
“Do you really think so, Jungkookie?” Jimin quickly adopts his playful persona so no one can tell how much that one sentence affected him. “You’re not going to say that and rank me last on looks again, are you?”
“I was just joking!” Jungkook’s huff comes closer than he expects. “That was years ago.”
“Then am I handsome now?” Jimin playfully hits Jungkook’s shoulder. “I won’t believe you until you tell me I’m handsome.”
Jungkook rolls his eyes. “You’re handsome.”
Jimin wants to believe that Jungkook means it from the bottom of his heart but he knows it’s mostly for the fans but it doesn’t stop him from being all happy and giggly about it. “You’ve grown up too handsome, maknae.”
Their manager walks in and tells them to finish up with their makeup. His makeup artist, Ha Na gestures to him at the chair with a smile. He gives the camera one last smile before he hurries towards Ha Na.
Jungkook’s words linger in his mind the entire day.
“Who is it?” Hoseok’s shrieks, reverberates through their dorm. “Stop flushing the toilet when I’m in the shower, Jungkook!”
Taehyung laughs, falling against Jimin, as they both turn towards the direction of the toilet.
Jungkook emerges from the toilet, looking a little sheepish, as he closes the door behind him.
“Did you forget again, Kook?” Taehyung asks the younger boy with a teasing smile on his face.
“Yeah.” Jungkook shrugs. “I was going to use the other toilet but Namjoon was in there.”
Jin sighs. “At this rate, he’ll start spending his time in there with a laptop and a sandwich.”
“Speaking of sandwiches,” Jungkook says as he stops beside the sofa. “Want to go grab something to eat?”
Jimin doesn’t turn to Jungkook because he knows the question wasn’t aimed at him.
It’s quiet for a while before Taehyung shrugs beside him. “I can’t Kook, I promised to grab lunch with Hoseok.”
“Jin?” From the corner of his eye, he sees Jungkook turn to their oldest bandmate.
“Sorry, Kook.” Jin shrugs his broad shoulders. “Namjoon said there was something he wanted to talk about. What about-”
Yoongi bursts through his shared room with Jin and practically stumbles towards the couch, cutting off whatever suggestion Jin has and throwing himself beside Jimin.
“You’ve finally awakened, huh?” Taehyung asks with a small laugh.
“Yeah.” Yoongi drops into the spot beside him. “I was trying to write.”
Jimin turns to Yoongi. “Did you even sleep?”
“No.” The blonde rapper groans. “I almost did but Hoseok began screeching and I couldn’t sleep anymore.”
He looks worriedly at Yoongi, the eye bags look a little deeper and darker than the last time. “Want to go get some food with me? At the bbq place down the street, the one you like.”
Yoongi drops his head onto his shoulder. “Are you treating me?”
“If it helps you relax.” Jimin gives Yoongi’s head a small pat. “Then sure.”
“I’m just kidding.” Yoongi bumps his shoulder lightly with his head. “How can I make you treat me?”
“I don’t mind.” Jimin gives Yoongi a small smile. “I don’t need so much money anyways. I give most of it to my parents and the rest is just in my bank account.”
Jin sighs. “Jiminie, you always say that when you treat us.”
Taehyung nods in agreement. “You’ve been buying all of us expensive birthday presents since our trainee days.”
“Yeah.” Jungkook’s voice is quiet when he chimes in. “You should let us treat you from time to time.”
“I don’t do it because I want you guys to treat me.” Jimin clears his throat a little awkwardly now that everyone has their attention on him. “I have nothing to spend it on, so why not use it on the people I love, my family.”
Jin leans over to ruffle his hair while Taehyung gives hims a side hug, jostling Yoongi from his shoulder.
“Stop being so nice.” Jin complains. “It’s hard for us to match that.”
“I’m not.” Jimin shakes his head to emphasize his point. “I do it because I want you guys to be happy. I’m just doing it for my own selfishness.”
Taehyung snorts. “What part of that is selfish?”
“Who cares, let’s go get food.” Yoongi speaks up. “I’m hungry.”
“Alright.” Jimin untangles himself from Taehyung. “But go grab a coat, Yoongi. It’s pretty cold outside.”
“Fine.” Yoongi grumbles and moves back to his room.
Jimin pushes himself off the sofa. He catches Jungkook’s eye just as he’s reaching for his scarf. “Do you want to come with us, Kookie?”
Jungkook opens his mouth to reply but Yoongi bursts into the room once again.
“I’m ready.” Yoongi says, snagging his bag on the way towards the door. “Jimin-ah, let’s go.”
Jimin hurriedly moves towards Yoongi. “I was just asking Kookie if he wanted to come with us since he was asking Tae and Jin if he wanted to get food a little earlier.”
Yoongi’s eyes narrow.
“Yoongi…” Jimin hurriedly tries to stop Yoongi before he can say anything.
Yoongi huffs. “If he wants to come.”
“I…” Jungkook looks between them, a hand awkwardly rubbing at the back of his neck. “Maybe next time.”
“Next time then.” Yoongi gives a careless shrug. “Let’s go, Jimin-ah.”
“Okay.” He steps into his shoes right behind Yoongi.
Jungkook looks like he has something more to say but he doesn’t move to say anything. Instead he just gives him a small smile before he drops onto the couch beside Taehyung.
He manages to put that off his mind when he spends his time with Yoongi. Maybe it’s better that way.