Vmin {Oneshot}

Cherry On Top

🍒🌸

The first time Taehyung met Jimin, he had cherry juice dripping down his chin.

They were only six, sitting under the old cherry tree that grew between their houses. Jimin's grandmother had been carrying a basket full of ripe fruit, but he had snuck two handfuls and darted to Taehyung, who was sitting cross-legged in the grass with a toy car. Jimin plopped down beside him, cheeks puffed and red, and pushed a cherry against Taehyung's lips.

"Try it," Jimin said, his voice sticky-sweet.

Taehyung obeyed, letting the taste burst on his tongue. The fruit was sweet, but not nearly as sweet as the smile Jimin gave him when they laughed together.
From then on, summers meant cherries, grass stains, and Jimin.

Years went by, but nothing changed - or maybe everything did.

By the time they were twelve, Jimin had grown shy about hugging, while Taehyung had learned to hide how much he liked holding Jimin's hand when they ran through the fields. They spent afternoons making up stories, lying on their backs and pointing out shapes in the clouds.

Taehyung's heart would thud whenever Jimin's shoulder brushed his. He didn't know what that meant yet, but he knew one thing: no one else in the world mattered as much as Jimin.

When high school came, things grew complicated.

Jimin was graceful in ways Taehyung wasn't - a dancer, admired by classmates, always smiling yet slightly distant. Taehyung was warm and loud, always trying to make Jimin laugh in crowded hallways. They still met under the cherry tree, still shared late-night talks, but now there were unspoken words between them.

Sometimes, Taehyung caught Jimin staring, eyes soft like he was about to say something. But then Jimin would laugh it off, and the moment passed.

They were both afraid. Afraid that if they confessed, the delicate thread between them might snap.

Their friends noticed, of course.

Namjoon, wise and calm, often gave Taehyung looks that said just tell him. Hoseok teased Jimin about how he blushed whenever Taehyung was around. Yoongi pretended not to care, but he always made sure Jimin got home safely if Taehyung wasn't there.

And then there were Jin and Jungkook - an unlikely pair who had found love in each other. Jin, ever dramatic, declared them the "handsome boyfriends of destiny," while Jungkook blushed but never let go of Jin's hand. Seeing them together only made Taehyung ache more for what he couldn't say to Jimin.

Then came university. The distance stretched between them.

Texts and calls weren't the same as evenings under the cherry tree. Taehyung buried himself in music, every melody whispering Jimin's name. Jimin trained harder in dance, each performance carrying a quiet longing.

Years slipped by, but the bond never broke. If anything, it grew stronger, waiting for the moment it could finally bloom.

🍒

The summer after graduation, the cherry tree was waiting for them.

It had grown thicker, its branches heavy with fruit. Taehyung stood beneath it, older now, taller, but his heart beat just the same as when he was six years old and Jimin had pressed that first cherry to his lips.

And then Jimin was there.

He walked toward Taehyung with the sunlight behind him, hair glowing gold, smile hesitant but so bright it nearly knocked the air out of Taehyung's lungs. For a moment, neither spoke. Then Jimin laughed - soft, nervous - and it felt like every year apart had vanished.