this story is turning out not at all like i had planned – early update bc ily all
quick poll; comment answers on the section
taeseok vs taekook
yoonmin vs yoonseok
(results won't affect much, just want to know where you guys stand. all characters may end up alone who knows)

       Jimin woke up when he heard his front door slam closed and a whispered, "oh shit," that followed right after. He'd fallen asleep on the couch and groaned at the pain in his neck. Jimin sat up and saw Yoongi struggling to hang his keys on the hook, his hands full with bags and a drink carrier.

       After finally hooking the keys, Yoongi smiled triumphantly and looked towards Jimin, and smiled wider upon seeing him. Jimin assumed it was due to his probable bed head and the imprint of the sofa lining on his cheeks.

       "Good morning, sleeping beauty. It's eleven, I hope you didn't have anywhere you had to be." Yoongi said. He set down the bags and drink carrier on Jimin's coffee table and kicked off his shoes before flopping down on the couch next to Jimin. He started riffling through the bags, and handed Jimin a bright cupcake – the same kind he'd had before from the cafe down the street. "I know this isn't exactly breakfast food, but I figured you needed something to lift your spirits."

       Jimin grabbed the cupcake and licked off some of the icing from the top. "Thank you." He said quietly. Yoongi just nodded and bit into his own cupcake, and Jimin turned on the television. It was still paused on the episode of Keeping Up With the Kardashian's that they'd stopped on the night before. Kim was currently crying because of an earring she'd lost in the ocean.

       "You know, if she's as rich as I assume her to be, one earring doesn't seem like that big of a deal." Jimin said, licking the remainder of the icing off the cupcake. Jimin had a bit of it on his nose, and Yoongi couldn't decide if he should wipe it off or not. Jimin noticed him staring and rubbed his hand over his face, effectively ridding it of the icing. "God, Taehyung's horrible eating habits have rubbed off on me."

       "Speaking of," Yoongi said, shifting on the couch. Jimin looked over at him with his eyebrows raised, urging him to continue. "I talked to him this morning, he was sat outside when I left. He said that he wants to talk to you, and that he knows that you're concerned with 'getting back what you lost,' whatever that means, but he wants you to see things from his point of view."

       "He doesn't understand–" Jimin cut himself off and shook his head angrily, his hair falling in front of his eyes. "I'm not going to burden you with my problems, forget about it."

       "You can talk to me, Jimin. I've been told I'm pretty good at listening." Yoongi said. He rested his hand on Jimin's knee and the younger boy sighed, shaking his head once again and leaning forward to turn up the tv. "Well, if you ever do want to talk, I'm here."

       "Yeah, I know. Thanks, hyung." Jimin said, resting his head on the arm of the couch. He heard Yoongi say something along the lines of, "don't be silly," before his head was pulled into Yoongi's lap, and the grey haired boy's fingers were tangled in his hair. Jimin sighed, the action reminding him of all the times Seokjin had done the same thing to comfort him.

       Jimin was almost asleep again when there was a hesitant knock on the door, and Yoongi removed him from his lap gently and got up. Jimin's eyes followed him to the door, and saw that Taehyung was standing in the hallway scratching his neck awkwardly. Hoseok was behind him with a smile on his face. Jimin wanted to punch him.

      "Jimin, can we talk to you?" Taehyung asked, peeking his head inside the door. Jimin sat up on the couch and wrapped the blanket around him protectively.

       "I want to talk to Hoseok." Jimin said. The older boy looked taken aback for a second, but pushed inside the apartment anyway. Yoongi looked over his shoulder apprehensively and Jimin shooed him away, and he left to stand in the hallway with Taehyung.

       "I'm really sorry, Jimin. I didn't know you liked him–"

       "I don't like him, but I'm just confused about something." Jimin said. He scooted to the end of the couch so Hoseok could sit down. Jimin knew that maybe he was about to cross the line, that perhaps he was sharing too much information, but this was the only way he knew how to get answers. "I thought you liked Yoongi hyung."

       Hoseok's face hardened, like he was about to deny it, but surprisingly, what came out of his mouth was much different than definitive words and accusations. Hoseok laughed. It was long and drawn out and dry, and if Jimin would have known any better he would have said the amount of pain behind the laugh was evident. Jimin didn't know any better, and he immediately took back his words.

        "I mean, maybe you don't, but I see the way you look at him. I see the way your eyes light up when he's around, or when you talk about him. I was just confused as to why you were kissing up on Taehyung if you liked him so much–"

        "Jimin, have you ever been in love?" Hoseok asked quietly. Jimin shook his head and Hoseok sighed and leant back against the couch. "Then let me try and explain it to you. With love comes this chemical in your brain called dopamine. Dopamine makes you happy, makes you feel light. After so many months of being on dopamine, being taken off of it feels like a bullet through the heart. Love hurts, Jimin. I've been in love with Yoongi for six years. Four of them were spent pining after him, and for the last two I've been trying to get over him."

Jimin rested a comforting hand on Hoseok's knee and the older boy smiled sadly at him. "I wouldn't expect you to understand, Jimin. But being around a person everyday who looks at you just like he does everyone else, well, it sucks. Not when I look at him like he hung the moon and stars. That's the funny thing about love, one person always gives a little more. All this time I've been giving him my everything and getting nothing in return. When Taehyung came around, well, it was a chance for me to try again to get over him. Because I think Yoongi's got his eye on someone, someone who isn't me."

"You have to fight for him, Hoseok! You have to try, don't give up!" Jimin said, grabbing onto his hands and shaking them fervently. Hoseok laughed and shook his head.

"I would rather sit back and see Yoongi happy than try to force upon him a relationship that he doesn't want." Hoseok said sadly. Jimin frowned at him and sat back in his seat, a million things running  through his mind. First things first, he thought, I need to get Taehyung to stay in his lane.

"Just, um, tell me one thing." Jimin said, shifting awkwardly on his legs. "You don't plan to use Taehyung to make Yoongi jealous, do you? Because I know he doesn't really look that way, but Taehyung is actually really sensitive and being used isn't really something I could let him be, especially not if I knew about it."

"No, Jimin, I'm not using Taehyung to make Yoongi jealous. And if it makes you feel better, I won't kiss him anymore until I know my feelings are gone, alright?" Jimin nodded and Hoseok smiled at him. "Now, I'm going to send Taehyung over here to talk to you, because ever done yesterday he won't shut up about how sorry he is. So,"

Hoseok waved goodbye to Jimin and left his apartment. Taehyung promptly took his place, like if he wasted any time at all Jimin wouldn't give him a chance to talk. Yoongi was still in the hallway, absentmindedly playing with a few strands of hair that refused to lay flat.

"Jimin, I'm sorry. I know I was an asshole, but you have to think about things from my side." Taehyung said. Jimin's face crinkled up at the apology that was given and then taken right back. "I know that flying means everything to you, I know that getting home to see your parents is a big deal, but don't you see how great you have it here?"

"No. No, I don't." Jimin said, cutting Taehyung off before he could dig himself a hole any deeper. "Look, I don't know what possesses you to think that I like it here. I don't know what makes you think that having me wings taken away was a good thing. If you haven't noticed, Taehyung, my wings are my life! Everyone I know has them, aside from Namjoon hyung, but that's unimportant. My parents expect me to have wings, Seokjin hyung expects me to have wings, the Council expects me to earn and have my wings. This isn't about me wanting to fly, this about me proving everyone wrong. Why can't you see that?"

Taehyung opened his mouth to say something, but Jimin cut him off once more. "I think you're the selfish one, Taehyung. You're so caught up in trying to find love that you've forgotten the real reason you're – why all of us, are here. We don't get love, Taehyung, we give love. We're not made to fall in love and get our happy ending. I think you're losing sight of what you're meant to do. I know I'm shit, I know that without help I can't even begin to pass a mission, but at least I'm not running around with my head in the clouds like an idiot convinced that I deserve love."

       Jimin slumped back on the couch and sighed, running his hands over his face. He watched Taehyung carefully, watching as his face contorted into anger before falling stoic. Jimin was about to apologize when Taehyung reached forward and punched him in the face, just barely missing his nose.

        "Oh, I will have none of that!" Seokjin's voice was shrill in their ears and Jimin cowered into the couch, one hand clutching his face while the other attempted to cover his ears. Taehyung was glaring at him and shaking his hand out, like Jimin had shoved his face into Taehyung's fist and not the other way around.

       "Taehyung, pack your things. First thing in the morning you're coming back home." Seokjin said. Taehyung scoffed and looked around, glaring at anything and everything that fell under his gaze.

       "You can't do that, the mission isn't over." Taehyung said. Jimin looked at himself in the reflection of the coffee table, and his eye was already bruising a pretty purple.

       "Consider the mission failed, you're coming home." Jimin perked up at that and opened his mouth to protest, but Seokjin cut him off. "Jimin, you're coming home too."

        "No! I've only been here for a few weeks, give me more time. Take Taehyung away and give me more time." Jimin begged. Talking hurt his face and he bit his lip in pain, not missing the way Taehyung smirked when he winced.

        "The Council are considering the mission failed. Be glad they're letting you come home and not kicking you into the mortal world for good." Seokjin said. Jimin sighed and rubbed at his face and Taehyung got up from the couch, hurrying towards Jimin's room. He heard his closet doors being thrown open and immediately realized what Taehyung was doing.

"Taehyung, don't you dare!" Jimin yelled, jumping off the couch. Taehyung ran past him, bow and arrows in hand. He expertly aimed one at Hoseok, hitting him in the back of the thigh on the first try. Jimin lunged at him, but Taehyung moved out of the way and Jimin landed face-first on the ground.

"I'm doing this for you, Jimin. Don't waste your life only caring about others. Put yourself first sometimes. I love you, man. In a platonic way, I mean. But you understand." Taehyung finished off his spiel by shoving a second arrow in his own thigh, and it disappeared almost automatically. Jimin could see the practical hearts in Taehyung's eyes when he looked up at Hoseok, and he held his arms open for the older male.

Hoseok turned around and jumped into Taehyung's arms, and the two of them spun in circles as they giggled. Jimin stared at them, jaw dropped. Yoongi stood in the hallway wearing the same expression, pieces of chocolate sitting precariously in the curve of his lip.

"Taehyung," Jimin sighed, dragging his hands through his hair. "What have you done?"