#vmingi

“Taehyungie! We’re heading out!” Jimin calls up the stairs as Yoongi laces up his second boot by the door. It’s couples date night, an ever rotating tradition the thouple had instated. It’s supposed to help them all build stronger relationships with each other so they don’t end up getting too close to one partner. Taehyung first suggested it when Yoongi joined their relationship, wanting an opportunity to spend alone time with his oldest boyfriend. But tonight, it’s Jimin and Yoongi’s turn to enjoy a romantic evening together. 

Jimin’s more excited than ever. Yoongi planned the date by himself- absolutely no input from Jimin whatsoever. That never happens. Yoongi always tries to get the other members to schedule things for him if he can. And Yoongi has been hyping up the event all week, leaving hints about the food, the atmosphere, the allusions to dancing. Jimin hasn’t done unchoreographed dancing in a while, always too focused on getting every step perfect to really enjoy it. He hopes there is dancing- messy, unrestrained, chaotic dancing just for the fun of it. But he’s just really looking forward to whatever Yoongi has planned. Of course, he’s always a bit disheartened that Taehyung would spend the night by himself; but these solo dates were his idea. And Taehyung’s an adult. He can entertain himself. He’ll be fine. 

Jimin remains standing at the base of the steps waiting for any kind of sign that Taehyung heard him shout. Usually their youngest partner would yell back some form of “okay” or a hummed response. But there’s nothing but absolute silence. Jimin tries not to assume the worst, maybe Taehyung just has earbuds in. 

“Come on, Jagiya. We’re going to be late,” Yoongi huffs impatiently by the door. His arms are crossed over his chest and he’s tapping his foot. If he had a watch on his wrist, he’d be looking at it. He knows Jimin shares a really strong bond with Taehyung, and he knows Jimin hates leaving any of them without a proper goodbye. But this is their night. 

It’s not insecurity. Yoongi is very secure in their relationship. It’s not jealousy. He knew he would have to share when he was invited by Jimin to join their relationship. And he loves them both so much, knows that love is reciprocated with how physically and emotionally affectionate the two younger ones are. But sometimes he can’t shake the feeling that he’s a third wheel. It can be hard to find how he fits in with how in sync the younger ones are. Yoongi thinks it must be a 95s thing, some cosmic connection he could never understand. 

So he looks forward to these date nights, chances to really bask in the love and affection of Jimin and Taehyung without any interruptions. But as he watches Jimin continue to pout at the staircase, he craves that attention. He wants Jimin’s eyes on him. He wants Jimin to prioritize him. Not for forever. Just for tonight. 

“He’s not answering, hyung. Usually he answers before we leave.” Jimin doesn’t even seem to register the annoyance Yoongi’s giving off, too focused on the lack of response from Taehyung. “Did you see him at all today?”

Yoongi tries to recall. “Yeah, just for a minute. He left in the morning. Didn’t say where he was going. Then he came back around lunch time. I offered to make him something but he said he wasn’t hungry. I just assumed he went out to lunch with someone.” 

“You don’t think he’s mad at us, do you?” Jimin pouts. 

Yoongi rolls his eyes, not like Jimin’s looking at him anyway. Of course Jimin’s immediate response is guilt. Of course Jimin immediately assumes that because maybe the youngest member hadn’t answered, it means he’s angry. Yoongi knows now that they’re not going to leave until this imaginary conflict is resolved. “Jimin-ah, why would Tae be mad at us?” 

“He could be jealous,” It’s a fear constantly looming in everyone’s head all the time. Making one of their partners jealous is always a concern. Especially with how clingy some members of this relationship could be. “Since you planned the date night for me. You’ve never planned your date night with TaeTae, have you?” 

Yoongi bites the inside of his cheek. He knows Taehyung’s not jealous about their date night. He knows because Yoongi consulted with their youngest partner in planning. Taehyung threw out a ton of ideas for out-of-the-box date night ideas and talked them all over with Yoongi. They worked together to come up with an evening that Jimin would really enjoy. He didn’t seem even the slightest bit jealous while he was helping Yoongi out, all big smiles and bright ideas. But Yoongi can’t tell Jimin that Taehyung planned parts of the date. He knows how proud Jimin is of him for planning it. He wants to keep that. 

“I’m going to go check on him.” Jimin’s sick of waiting. He treks up the stairs and over to their bedroom. 

He knocks lightly three times before opening the door, just in case. When he receives no answer, he creeps inside. The lights are all turned off and the curtains are drawn. There’s a covered lump in the middle of their king size bed - presumably Taehyung. It’s only 5 in the afternoon; Taehyung shouldn’t be sleeping. Jimin tiptoes closer, heart racing as he becomes aware of the soft painful moans slipping through Taehyung’s mouth. Finally at the edge of the bed, Jimin gently shakes the younger’s shoulder. Taehyung whimpers in response. 

Jimin’s concern is skyrocketing. He pulls the covers down just enough to see Taehyung’s sweaty hairline. He presses his knuckles to Taehyung’s forehead and is only slightly surprised by the dry heat that tinges his delicate skin. He lets out a low sigh, running his hand through Taehyung’s hair. When Jimin pulls his hand away, Taehyung starts to stir. His eyes shoot open and he scans the room. Jimin can see just how clouded and dazed they were, an obvious result of the fever. 

Taehyung makes an attempt to sit up in his bed; and though it takes longer than it should have, he manages. “I thought you and Yoongi were going out.” He forces out, voice still hoarse from sleep. 

“We were just on our way out. I called up to let you know we were leaving but you didn’t answer me. So I came to check on you.” Jimin tries to keep the scolding concerned-hyung voice to a minimum. He’s upset that Taehyung hadn’t mentioned to either of them that he was sick. “How long have you had this fever?” Taehyung rubs at his tired eyes. He’s really concentrating on his answer, “Since this morning, I guess. But it’s fine. I went to the clinic. They said it’s just a small flu and I’ll be good as new in a few days. I already took some medicine when I got back.” He states like that makes up for the fact that he hasn’t told anyone. 

Jimin mentally curses himself out. He’s trying to figure out why he hadn’t noticed Taehyung’s absence until now. Why hadn’t anyone noticed how un-Taehyung like it is for him not to be hovering around his partners. “My poor TaeTae doesn’t feel well. I’ll be right back, jagiya. I’m gonna let Yoongi know we aren’t going. Then I’ll be back with something for you to eat.” He’s already standing off the bed when Taehyung grabs his wrist. 

“No,” Taehyung argues weakly. “You don’t have to take care of me. Go on your date night with hyung. I’m fine.” 

“Taehyung, We are not leaving you sick and alone.” Jimin counters like it’s obvious. 

“And I’m not going to be the reason you don’t get to enjoy date night that hyung worked so hard to plan. Okay? I’m just really tired. I’m just gonna go back to sleep. You guys don’t need to sit around and watch me sleep. If you want to help me, please just bring me whatever you think I need and then go have a fun night with our boyfriend.” His voice is distant and disoriented, but he’s making a good effort getting his frustration across. He knows how excited Jimin’s been for tonight. 

Jimin hesitates. But he knows that Taehyung likely won’t budge on the issue. He can be so stubborn sometimes. So he compromises. “Okay, here’s the deal. Hyung and I go, but we won’t stay out too late. And you have to eat something before we leave.” 

Taehyung pouts, but eventually accepts the conditions. It’s better than them missing out on everything he supposes. 

Jimin went right to work. He rushes down the stairs where he’s met with a glaring Yoongi still waiting by the door. Before Yoongi can complain about their tardiness again, Jimin interjects. “Taehyung has a fever.” 

Yoongi has never kicked his shoes off so fast before, rushing to get by Jimin’s side as he heads to the kitchen. “He’s sick?” The realization hits him like a truck. He was being impatient about spending alone time with Jimin while Taehyung was up in their room suffering by himself. He feels like such an ass. 

Jimin nods, “He said he went to the clinic this morning and they said he’ll be fine in a few days. Just a small seasonal flu.” Jimin starts preparing some soup on the stove. It’s not instant, but pretty damn close. “Let me just get some food into him, then we can leave.” 

The comment stops Yoongi in his tracks. “You still want to go out? Even though Taehyung’s sick?” He had assumed that date night was already canceled, and figured Jimin would refuse to leave the house until Taehyung’s fever breaks. And to be honest, he feels the same way. He can’t exactly go out and have a good time with Jimin if he’s constantly picturing Taehyung shivering alone in the sheets. Taehyung can be whiny and needy on a good day, it amplifies tenfold when he’s not feeling well. 

“I told him we would stay, but he’s insisting we go. He said he’ll feel bad. He knows how hard you worked to plan things for us. He doesn’t want it to go to waste.” There’s only sympathy in Jimin’s voice as he adds a little more water to the pot. “So we compromised. I told him we would go out, but he has to eat something first. And I told him we’d be back early. I hope that’s okay?” 

Yoongi steps behind Jimin, wrapping his arms around the younger man’s waist and kissing his neck. “Jimin-ie, I’m okay with whatever you want to do.” 

Jimin stirs the pot, “Taehyung wants us to go out. So we’ll go out once he’s taken care of.” Yoongi can tell it’s not what Jimin wants. It’s like Jimin’s running on autopilot. He’s only agreeing to what he thinks will make Taehyung happy. If Jimin has any faults, which Yoongi insists he doesn’t, it’s that he’s always putting the wants and needs of others before himself. Admirable, but not sustainable. Yoongi knows while they are out, Taehyung will keep coming up in the conversation. Jimin will be trying to call him, checking in on him, worrying about him. That’s not the kind of date Yoongi wants to have with Jimin. 

“Okay, love. That’s fine.” Yoongi watches as Jimin continues stirring the pot, waiting for the soup to start bubbling. He detangles himself from Jimin and moves in pursuit of medicine. Jimin is an excellent caretaker. He’s overflowing with warmth and affection. He gives amazing massages. He’s the king of cuddles. He can whip up exceptional comfort food in a matter of minutes. But Yoongi errs on the side of practicality. Yoongi knows they’ll need the thermometer and he knows where they keep it. He knows where to find the fever reducers that work best for Taehyung, knows exactly how many pills Taehyung needs to take and how long before they wear off. They balance each other out so well. While Jimin finishes up with the soup, Yoongi’s off on his own mission to help Taehyung. 

They meet again in front of the bedroom door. Jimin’s got a tray with the soup and a glass of juice. Yoongi’s got an armful of pill bottles and their digital temporal scan thermometer at the ready. As they step back into the room, they notice that Taehyung has drifted back to sleep in waiting. 

This time, though, Jimin can tell that the sleep is much more uneasy. Taehyung has trails of tears falling from the corners of his eyes and he’s mumbling about something. When Jimin steps in closer, he can hear that he’s crying for his grandmother. He must be having a very vivid fever dream, he must be thinking back to when he lived with her. “Oh, TaeTae.” Jimin coos as he sets the tray down and runs over to console the sick man. 

Yoongi follows immediately after, setting down the pill bottles but keeping the thermometer. They position themselves on either side of Taehyung 

There’s a slick layer of sweat on Taehyung’s brow that wasn’t there last time Jimin checked. Jimin assumes that his fever suddenly spiked. A quick beep from the thermometer and Yoongi confirms he’s boiling over 39 degrees. Jimin wonders if his sudden spike was a result of their little argument. He hopes it’s just circumstantial, but he can’t shake that feeling that it’s somehow all his fault. Jimin crawls into the bed and wraps himself around Taehyung, restraining his flailing motions and trying to soothe him. After a decent amount of consoling, Taehyung wakes even more dazed than before. 

“Halmeoni,” He calls out aimlessly, desperate for an answer he’ll never receive. “Halmeoni. I need you.”

Jimin hushes him, “It’s okay, TaeTae. Jiminie’s here. I’ve got you. You’re safe. You’re okay, jagiya.” Yoongi joins in with more comforting mantras, “Taehyung-ah, hyung is here. You’ll be okay. Please don’t cry, baby. Everything will be fine.” Jimin’s got his delicate fingers drawing patterns along Taehyung’s skin, petting all his favorite spots. Yoongi slips into a thick Daegu satoori hoping familiar sounds of home will ground him. 

But no matter how much they try to comfort him, Taehyung still calls for his grandmother. He’s desperate for her, nothing else will satisfy. He wants her to read him his favorite books. He wants to eat her famous feel-better jook. He wants to be smothered by her get-well kisses. She gives the best kisses. He doesn’t feel good and only she can make him better. That’s what grandmother’s do.

Eventually, Taehyung’s screams die down and he finally acknowledges Jimin and Yoongi’s presence. His mind is clouded, reality a bit distorted. But there’s a part of him that knows. Maybe just an ounce of him understands, but it’s enough. If Jimin and Yoongi are sitting with him, it means his grandmother’s not around anymore. Memories of her flood his mind. Memories of good times. Memories of bad times. Then memories of her passing.   

“Yoongi-hyung. Jimin-hyung, I don’t feel good.” Taehyung pouts fresh tears spilling over the brims of his eyes. “I miss my halmeoni,” he weeps, his whole body shaking with the force of his sobs. 

Jimin’s heart shatters. Yoongi just grabs Taehyung, squeezing him as tight as he can without hurting him. Neither one has any idea what to say, what to do. It’s taking all their efforts not to cry. Watching Taehyung’s grief-ridden sobbing is agonizing. Rather than respond, they just latch onto him, encouraging him to fall back to sleep. The medicine will wait. The soup will wait. They just need to ride out this spike.

Yoongi and Jimin share a brief look of mutual understanding. They’re going to stay with Taehyung, as long as it takes.