5:42 p.m.

"Why do you eat it like that?"

"So that I don't leave a mess behind on my bed when it starts falling all over the place."

"Not what I meant."

"Because I don't feel like washing dishes," Jimin murmured through a full mouth.

He wiped his mouth with one of the stray napkins on the bed, then crunched into his head of lettuce, careful to take the bite over his windowsill-- which also served as his plate.

He realized it wasn't the most traditional way to eat. But it was a habit acquired from his halpoji during spring breaks spent at his grandparents house in the countryside back home. And no, this wasn't something he began to do as he descended into dementia. Simply a quirk of his that he passed onto Jimin and Jihyun from time spent together.

"My God, I'm dating a bunny."

Jimin grinned, "Halmoni used to say the same thing about being married to halpoji."

"I missed you."

Jimin looked at Taehyung as they squeezed together at the windowsill, his Bambi eyes alight with innocent surprise. The reaction made his boyfriend giggle, a noise that warmed him every time the sound made its way into his ears.

The entire day had been like this. Warm. Familiar. Easy. The only other person who compared was--

Was...

Halfway into sighing, he jumped at the view of Taehyung in his face. He held the back of Jimin's neck, pressing their lips together so quickly it hardly felt like anything at all.

"That tasted like ranch," Taehyung said.

"Sorry," Jimin ironically reached for the squeeze bottle on the sill, adding a dollop into an area he thought looked especially crisp. "Can you cut up some of the chicken cutlets I made in the fridge? They're in the black tupperware."

"If I do, will you eat your salad in a bowl?"

"No. But! I will consider it," Jimin grinned.

Taehyung never noticed how quickly his smile fell. He was occupied with throwing himself onto Jimin's powder blue bedding, giving an exasperated sigh.

"Apparently someone is bored."

"Not bored, Jimin. I'm hungry. You wanna get something to eat?"

"I'm eating," Jimin blunted.

"In theory. That's not a meal, stupid cunt." Taehyung said through their shared chuckle. "Come on, Jiminnnn. I'm hungry. Let's order from Signore's. We could get some spicy vodka rigatoni."

"How about we cook instead, hm?"

Taehyung groaned animatedly and rolled face down on the bed, half the note bouncing off the wall and the rest muffling into the fluff of a pillow.

"Seriously, Taehyung, what should we make?"

"Let's make... a call to Signore's."

"No. I need to save money. I spent 400 dollars last month on food outings, much of which was just me getting bubble tea every day for two weeks."

"Damn big booty, were you eating for two?"

"I could go for a seafood boil right now... Wanna go to Holy Crab after work?"

"I get off at 6 today. I also have a boyfriend. And am wearing a white shirt."

"It's not a date. I promise I won't pay for your food and you'll have to find your own ride home. Just change and meet me there. And make sure it's not cute. Because you have a boyyyyfriend."

"Fine. As long as we're clear that I am not going out to eat with you again."

"Clear as day. Oh, also. I have this buy one get one coupon for Ma Ma Tea, the place on Lawrence Street. I need to stop spending so much on boba, so you can have it if you want."

Jimin looked away. "I deserved it. It was a stressful month with work."

"You can make it all back when we start our OnlyFans."

"Our? We?..." Jimin's brows met with a wrinkle in the center of his face. He realized something then continued, "You?! Yeah, you're fucking funny."

"Great. So I'm a joke to you."

"Don't be like that."

"Jimin I'm so fucking hungry I could eat that ranch off the corner of your lips puh-leaseeee order me some Signore's."

Jimin wasn't really sold, but couldn't deny that he was impressed by Taehyung's saying all of that on one continuous breath. He caved. "Fine. What do you want?"

"Spicy rigatoni and calamari and um... the lemon aioli fries."

He dialed Signore's and put on his palatable voice-- the friendly one he had to use on interviews and at Signore's ten years ago, when he waited tables. He hoped that Ines, that lovely old hag, would pick up the phone when he answered. Instead comes the voice of a young girl who asks how she can help him.

He would stop by the place sometime soon. Say hi to some old friends.

"Oh, two calamaris! Two calamaris." Taehyung adds in a whisper, watching Jimin with the phone sandwiched between his cheek and shoulder.

When the order was placed, Jimin closed his eyes and rubbed them beneath his glasses. He sighed audibly and felt Taehyung's hands palm his cheeks.

"Are you tired?"

"Yeah. I'm gonna take a nap, I think."

"You're so pretty."

"I don't wanna be pretty."

"What about cute?"

Jimin felt his cheeks go hot. "I don't wanna be that either."

Taehyung let him go so he could get under the covers. He snuggled up to a pillow under the comforter, shut his eyes and exhaled the ball of tiredness hitched in his throat.

A hand fell limply onto his face.

"Let me sleeeeeeep," He moaned, the extremity still at rest over his eyes and nose.

"No."

"Then let's both sleep."

"I can't."

"Why? Come lay with me."

"No. I'm going to shower. I can smell myself."

"You can shower when we wake up."

"Someone has to wait for our food," Taehyung glanced at the clock, then back to Jimin.

"Okay," Jimin replied, a bit disappointed but heartened by Taehyung's grin. "Here's my phone so you know when the delivery man comes. And leave him a nice tip."

"I love you always, Tae."

"I love you always."

Taehyung took a long, good look at him. And Jimin looked back at him until he no longer saw his childhood sweetheart, but the pink shade of heaven's hour before the sun sets the sky ablaze. His favorite time of day. And Jimin was overcome suddenly with a deep and crippling sadness, a hundred pound lead ball that dropped from his heart to his pit. One he could not explain nor begin to understand.

When Taehyung lifted himself from the edge of the bed and disappeared into their home, Jimin rolled over to face the window.

He looked straight through the glass to the other glass, shut a ways away across the alley, and whispered something like a prayer.

Yoongi.

8:08 p.m.

When he awoke, the apartment had a delicate chill and quietness to it. The floors were cold to his feet's touch and the sun had only just sunken into the West. There was a vibration of life that was subtle but noticeable, a "not yet spring" vibration, and the anticipation of reawakening. So Jimin waited for any signs of life when he stood in his dining room, but—

nothing.

Taehyung was not here. His heart, to be honest, fell into a slump. It was only there for a moment before his eye caught the little pink note resting on the countertop. In black sharpie handwriting,

Be back soon. Realized we were out of wine and went to pick some up to go with our dinner. Keep your dick warm for me. And the food too I suppose.

I love, love, love ya!
- T

He held the note and tossed it back onto the counter, but missed. It floated and flounced to the floor as paper does. Fell right in front of the bedroom doorway, as a matter of fact. The bedroom doorway.

The bedroom doorway, aligned with the window, aligned with the window.

Yoongi.

(2) missed calls from Signore's.





His phone screen lit up, the blue light bouncing off white walls.