EAT/JIKOOK.

thirty seventh.

"did i hear correctly? you have a date?!"

jimin giggles at his friend taehyung who stared at him with such a shocked expression. "what, am i not good enough to have a date?" he pretends to pout sadly.

"no! no!" taehyung, who's full of emotions and could white definitely be the most expressive person jimin had ever met, gasps and shakes his head, eyes widening. "you're beautiful and perfect! you just haven't dated in so long!"

jimin giggles again, still feeling all warm inside. "thank you, taetae."

instead of seokjin or hoseok, jimin had called taehyung the first chance he got. while he was very close with his hyungs, he wanted to be able to rant like a schoolgirl, and he wouldn't be able to do that with them.

taehyung, however, was a different story.

"what are you gonna wear?" he asks excitedly, grinning widely. "you've got nice clothes but maybe you should be more formal than stylish— be sure to ask him where you're going today, and i can help you. you can even borrow my clothes, i mean i don't know if they'll fit cause no offence but you're kinda short but you'll look cute in oversized cloth—"

"taetae!" jimin had to say loudly, breaking into a fit of giggles with a wide, toothy, eyeless grin. "relax, you're gonna get me overexcited! it's just dinner..." he says, leaning against the couch as a blush spreads across his face.

"there's no such thing as just dinner!" taehyung declares loudly. "especially not when you've known him for so long— and when you're roommates." he wiggles his eyebrows suggestively, cackling at jimin's darkening blush. "caught you, dirty minded mochi."

"s shut up!" he whines, pouting his lip out. the combined stress and excitement and general happiness was overwhelming him. "n no more, taetae."

taehyung notices his slight change in words and the droop in his eyes. he first noticed it years ago, as did seokjin and even hoseok, but none of them had said anything to the younger. he already had so much to deal with. "jiminie, how about you take a nap?" he says quietly.

"don wan..." he leans against the sofa, pout deepening. "i want...jungkookie."

taehyung sighs, pulling him into his stronger arms and kissing the top of his head. "he's not here right now, love."

blinking hard, jimin nods sadly. "i know..." he whispers, before falling asleep, clutching onto taehyung's shirt.

taehyung cards his fingers through his hair, softly. "oh, jiminie.."

he knew exactly what jimin was, and what he was fighting. but he couldn't bring himself to tell him— he didn't want jimin to hate himself any more.

but, with jungkook now in the picture, somebody to care for him, maybe he'll reconsider.

//it's been forever, sorry— next chapter is in the works! jikook's date :))