THE DAWN - VMIN ONE SHOTS

I DON'T WANT NOBODY ELSE 5

Jimin stirred under the covers, groggy and disoriented, noticeably better than the day before. His head was still warm, limbs heavy, but it felt like the fever had finally loosened its brutal grip. His skin no longer burned quite so fiercely, and the dizziness had dulled into a manageable haze.

It was the warmth against his body that caught him off guard.

Jimin's lashes fluttered open, and the first thing he registered was an arm snug around his shoulders, gently tucking him close. He was being held, his cheek pressed against something solid and warm, a calm breath brushing over the crown of his head.

Heart leaping into his throat, Jimin lifted his head carefully.

And there he was. Taehyung was sleeping beside him, impossibly close, his arm cradling Jimin securely. His face was tilted down, lips nestled in Jimin's hair, as if he'd drifted off mid-comfort. The image was so tender, so intimate, that Jimin almost forgot how to breathe.

Why is he here?

He didn't remember asking him to stay. He didn't even remember when Taehyung had arrived. How had he even known Jimin was sick? Was it Hoseok Hyung who told him?

Jimin tried to sit up a little without waking him. As he did, Taehyung's arm pulled him in closer, and Jimin's breath caught. His face was now tucked beneath Taehyung's chin, his nose grazing the soft skin of Taehyung's collarbone.

God. He could hear Taehyung's heartbeat, steady and close, making it all the more real that he was being held so tenderly.

Jimin lifted his head and looked up at him. Taehyung's face was soft in sleep-long, dark lashes resting against his cheeks, brows smooth and relaxed. He looked so peaceful, exuding a youthful tenderness even when lost in dreamland.

Jimin's eyes dropped to the slope of Taehyung's long nose, the high of his cheekbones, and-inevitably-to his soft, pink mouth, parted in sleep. Jimin's gaze lingered there too long, and that's when something sharp and startling bloomed behind his eyes.

A memory-an image-flashed like a dream punching through fog.

Jimin's own fingers gently cupping Taehyung's jaw. Him leaning in and pressing a soft kiss to the corner of Taehyung's mouth.

A deep voice-Taehyung's voice-asking, "Why not kiss me here?" and the vivid memory of the younger's long finger tapping the center of his lips.

Jimin's stomach dropped, his heart pounding as if the memory had shaken it awake.

He couldn't even piece it all together. It's when Taehyung shifted, as if following the subtle movement of Jimin's head-like gravity itself was pulling them together again-and so gently that it sent a shiver down Jimin's spine, Taehyung's lips brushed against his forehead, like he couldn't bear even the smallest space between them. His breath fanned out once more-content.

Jimin's cheeks flared red. His hands, frozen on Taehyung's chest, now pressed lightly against it, trying to create some breathing room. It was too much. They were too close. They hadn't even talked about everything that mattered.

What are you doing, Park Jimin? his logical brain asked his traitorous heart, which was refusing to leave the warmth of Taehyung's body.

He pushed gently, trying to wriggle out of Taehyung's hold without waking him. What was he even going to do after he broke free? Jimin didn't have an answer.