THE DAWN - VMIN ONE SHOTS

MY NAME ON YOUR LIPS

Taehyung had always run to Jimin.

From the very beginning - tiny feet pattering across dirt roads, hair wild with wind, cheeks pink with excitement - Taehyung would come barreling across the yard, shouting like the world needed to hear his joy. But most importantly, it was Jimin who should see the beautiful flower he picked on his way or hear the new word he learned that day.

"Jiminie!"

"Min-ah!"

"Chimchim!"

"Mimi!"

"Minnie!"

Each one tossed in the air like a skipping stone, always met with a hum, a smile, a small hand held out to catch his. Sometimes he would say them all in one breath, like he couldn't pick just one - like he didn't want to forget any version of Jimin.

And Jimin? He always turned, always looked, and always hummed. That was the thing about Jimin. Even as a child, he was soft-spoken, gentle, thoughtful - the kind of boy who spoke with his eyes and listened with his heart. He never got tired of Taehyung's noise, never scolded him for clinging or calling out his name five different ways in five seconds, simply because Taehyung liked to act like a brat - or maybe because he knew Jimin would answer no matter what. And Jimin never failed to answer. He simply smiled. Sometimes he'd hold out a hand, sometimes just a look, or tickle Taehyung under the jaw - always something that told Taehyung: I'm here. I hear you. I love you too.

By the time they were adults, the habit remained. Even when Taehyung got taller, broader, his voice deeper, more beautiful, and the world expected boys to grow out of chasing someone around with that kind of raw, joyful love - he didn't change. His limbs grew longer, but his heart stayed the same, still beat for Jimin. He followed Jimin with the same youthful affection, tugging at sleeves, calling names softly or loudly, always watching Jimin for that familiar hum.

"Jimin-ah, come see this!"

"Chim, look, I found a beetle!"

"Mimi, I swear that cloud looks like your nose!"

"Minnie, can you braid my hair again like last time?"

And Jimin, in all his quiet grace, still never got tired of it. He would glance over with that same fond smile, hum softly in reply, and let Taehyung tug him into whatever dream he was dreaming that day.

By the time they were in their twenties, something had shifted - not just in them, but around them. Their friends started noticing how they looked at each other too long, how Taehyung always sought Jimin first in a crowded room, and how their hands always lingered just a second longer on each other's bodies - tender touches they developed as their love language. They had grown up like two vines twisting together - so closely no one could tell where one ended and the other began.

One spring afternoon, when the cherry blossoms were shedding their soft petals over Taehyung's backyard like confetti, they lay under the tree that had shaded them through every season of their lives. Jimin had his head tucked against Taehyung's chest, listening to the calming, steady rhythm of his heartbeat.

Taehyung leaned in close, cupping his large hand over Jimin's small ones, voice soft, teasing, and loving.

"Jiminie."
A kiss to his forehead.