1

"Maybe I'm just meant to be single," Jimin says sadly, after his third disaster of a date.

It's become somewhat of a trend lately. There's always the thrill of excitement when Jimin meets someone new, the hopefulness of 'what if', and then the worst part... the crushing disappointment when it doesn't work out.

"Oh, Jiminnie," Taehyung says, shifting closer so he can card his hands through Jimin's hair. "Jimin, if anyone was born to be loved, it's you. You'll find your special someone, it just takes time."

"Well he's taking too long," Jimin pouts, "I don't even know why I bother to put myself out there."

It's a lie. Jimin knows why he bothers.

Jimin wants to fall in love, wants to be giddy with it. He's never been good at being on his own; it takes the spark out of things when there's no one to share it with.

It's not like he hasn't tried to put himself out there. He makes friends, mingles with his peers, and dutifully goes on dates.

But Jimin who falls with his entire soul, doesn't know how much more of this he can take, how much more of himself he can give away when everyone seems to forget to give the parts of his heart they've taken with them back.

Jimin sighs, burying his face in his hands. "Maybe I should grow up and try dating older guys."

"What's wrong with younger guys?" Jungkook says, materializing in the living room holding a cup of warm milk.

"They have no game. They just wanna get in your pants and then boom they're on to the next sparkly thing-"

"TMI," Hobi protests loudly from his room.

Taehyung looks disgruntled at being interrupted, but obediently shuts up.

"I think you should try," Jungkook says quietly, when the living room lapses back into silence. He startles when they both swivel around to stare at him. "I mean--"

"He could be right," Taehyung muses. "After all, the best way to get over someone is to get under someone."

"That's not what I--"

"Tae!"

"Hear me out, Jiminnie," Taehyung says and Jimin sits back with a huff, "not just some random someone. Someone hot and older and experienced who would love and cherish you the way you, Park Jimin, deserve."

Jimin raises an eyebrow. "Like?"

"Like," Taehyung says brightly, "Namjoon hyung."

"Namjoon hyung is straight."

"What about Hoseok hyung? He bought an apartment but still lives here with you if that doesn't say love I don't know what-"

"LEAVE ME OUT OF THIS."

"Okay, I guess not." Taehyung taps his bottom lip thoughtfully. "Ooh, what about- Sejin hyung? He always buvs vour favorite coffee-"

"Tae," Jimin groans, "no! And for the record, he buys all our favorite coffees, that's literally his job."

Taehyung sighs flopping back onto the couch.

"What about.." His eyes swivel to Jungkook who is hunched over his phone, pretending not to eavesdrop. "Jungkook?"

Jungkook starts at the mention of his name, staring up at Jimin with hopeful baby deer eves.

The idea is so preposterous that Jimin bursts out laughing.

Jungkook frowns. "What's so funny?"

"Aww, leave him out of this, Tae," Jimin says in between fits of giggles. "Jungkookie's just a baby."

Taehyung 'hmms' in agreement, looking Jungkook over before shaking his head.

"It's true. He totally fails the 'hot and experienced' requirement. Jin hyung, on the other hand is a fine example of the benefits of dating an older man. Do you know the other day he did this thing with his tongue and I swear to God I was coming for fifteen minutes straight-"

"TAEHYUNG!" Hoseok roars, the bedroom door swinging open with such ferocity it rattles on its hinges.

"Annnddd that's my cue to go," Taehyung says, jumping up from the couch and running for the front door. "Sorry Jiminnie! Call you later, love you, bye!"

"Hey," Jungkook says later, when Hoseok's in the shower, having been suitably appeased with bribes of jajangmyun,

"did you mean what you said out there?"

"What I said about what?" Jimin says, pulling his headphones off.

Jungkook is leaning against the door, looking pensive, his oversized sweats falling over his ankles.

"What you said," Jungkook says, waving his hand vaguely.

"About, you know.

"Oh," Jimin snickers, "you mean about older guys being so much better at-"

"Why are you so against dating younger guys anyway?"

Jungkook asks, tongue poking the side of his cheek. He puffs out his chest when Jimin grins at him, trying to look bigger and more intimidating than he actually is.

Jimin just thinks he looks precious.

"I'm not against dating younger guys," Jimin says, eyes flashing with mischief, "I'm just against dating little babies like vou."

Jungkook growls, crossing the room in two steps to tackle

Jimin onto the bed.

"You! Take that back!"

"No way!" Jimin giggles, wriggling wildly when Jungkook climbs onto his bed to play wrestle.

He barely lasts a minute against Jungkook who easily flips him over and climbs on top of him, his muscular thighs bracketing Jimin's waist. Jungkook grins wickedly down at him, his dimples flashing and Jimin can already tell what's going to happen next and he doesn't like it one bit.

"Truce!" Jimin yelps.

"Who's the baby now?" Jungkook teases, his hands already sliding beneath Jimin's hoodie.

"Oh my god, oh my god, stop!" Jimin giggles when Jungkook begins to tickle him. "Jungkook--ahh!

Jungkookie, stop I can't--I can't breathe!"

"Say you're sorry," Jungkook commands. He catches

Jimin's wrists deftly in one hand when Jimin tries to wriggle out of his grasp.

It's a lost cause trying to win a fight with Jungkook so

Jimin doesn't try very hard.

"Sor-sorry," Jimin huffs out, in between more helpless giggling.

Jungkook leans back when Jimin goes limp beneath him, looking pleased.

"I'm not a baby," Jungkook says, his fingers gentle as he brushes the messy strands out of Jimin's face, "you're the baby."

He looks so serious about it that Jimin can't resist reaching up to cup his cheeks, squishing them between his palms.

"It doesn't matter how much you grow up, Jungkookie," Jimin says, "you're my baby. You'll always be my baby."

"I'm not a kid anymore, hyung," Jungkook says, pulling away with a frown, "I'm twenty three."

"That's still two years younger than me though," Jimin says, tweaking Jungkook's nose. "A whole 2130 bowls of rice less than me."

"I'm pretty sure I've eaten way more rice than you have," Jungkook says, his fingers gently stroking the prominent curve of Jimin's ribs in silent rebuke. "So.

"So?"

"So why wouldn't you date m-someone my age?"

Jimin wants to laugh at the petulant question, but when he glances up, he catches the way Jungkook's staring at him, dark eyes serious and that makes him reconsider.

He had just been teasing before, but now he wonders... why not?

Maybe it's because Jimin's tired of people changing their minds, of people outgrowing Jimin just as he's starting to fall in love with them.

You settle down as you get older, that's what Jimin's mother used to say.

But Jimin wants to settle down now. He's had the fame, he's had the success, the glitz and glamor, and a slew of awards to nrove it But none of that seemed to fill theemptiness in his heart when he lay in bed, alone at night.

It turns out, what Jimin wanted all along wasn't the Daesung, or the AMA or the Billboard Music Award. What Jimin wants is a love that will anchor him down in this crazy whirlwind they call life.

"I don't know," Jimin says, finally, "I'm tired of being with people who are just shopping around. I want to be with someone who knows what they want."

And, Jimin thinks, sadly, I want what they want to be me.

"Do you really think that has anything to do with age?"

Jimin thinks about the people in his life who've figured it all out. They're usually older than him, like his dad, of course and Bang PD-nim. Of his contemporaries, Namjoon and Yoongi top the list.

And then strangely enough, the next person that comes to mind is Jungkook.

He surprises himself with the thought because Jungkook is so young. In Jimin's mind, Jungkook will always be that little kid with big eyes and a bigger voice who Jimin's been looking out for since day one.

But even at thirteen, shy, reserved, Jeon Jungkook had always known who he was. Had walked his own path, standing by his beliefs with a fierce conviction that belied his quiet personality.

"No," Jimin admits, looking Jungkook in the eye, "I guess not."

"Hyung," Jungkook says, his breath skittering against Jimin's cheek, "people don't start knowing what they want just because they grow up."

"They don't?"

"No," Jungkook says softly, "sometimes, they just... they've

just alwavs known."

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