THE DAWN - VMIN ONE SHOTS

NOSE BOOPS

Taehyung had been known as the neighborhood menace long before he learned how to spell his own name.

A scruffy wolf pup with perpetually scuffed knees, a bandage across the bridge of his nose, and a temper that snapped faster than dry twigs. He growled when other kids got too close. He nipped when they tried to touch his toys. Adults sighed, children avoided him, and Taehyung learned early that being feared was easier than being liked.

So the day Park Jimin bumped into him was supposed to go the same way it always did. Taehyung had barely steadied himself before a growl left his throat on instinct, tiny teeth flashing, eyes narrowed in warning.

Most kids would’ve jumped back, would’ve apologized nervously and hurried away. Most kids would have done the same. But the one he crossed paths with was Jimin, so it surprised Taehyung when all he saw was the other child blinking at him.

Then Jimin was smiling at him. Through the absurdity of the situation, the smile should have made him annoyed, but it didn’t. Because Jimin gave him a smile that crinkled his eyes and made his round cheeks lift, warm and bright like sunlight through leaves. His soft bunny ears twitched curiously as he looked at Taehyung’s fierce little face… and the crooked bandage taped across his nose.

“Cute,” Jimin murmured, his lips full with that soft smile, and Taehyung’s growl faltered. Wait a minute, this wasn't how the script should have gone.

Before he could recover from the comment, Jimin leaned down—because he was taller back then—and gently bumped his nose against Taehyung’s in a tiny, soft boop, his eyes closing.

Taehyung froze, the growl that was building up dying in his throat as if someone had pressed a mute button inside him. His ears flicked back in stunned confusion, eyes wide.

Jimin giggled, patted his head like he was completely unbothered by the fact that the kid he had just met was about to bite his fingers off, and walked away mid-conversation with his friends.

And folks, that was the first day Taehyung followed him home.

Well, he never really stopped after that. At first, he lurked from a distance, trailing behind Jimin like a suspicious shadow. Then he started sitting next to him at school. Then sharing snacks. Then walking him home. Then staying over. Then staying completely.

People still called Taehyung troublesome. But never when Jimin was around. With Jimin, he was quieter, softer, and always calmer. Like the storm inside him had learned to settle when it found its favorite place to rest. The irony should have made his head spin, but it only made him stick like glue to Jimin.

And Jimin never lost that habit. No matter how many years passed, no matter how much they grew, Jimin would still randomly lean in and bump their noses together like it was a secret ritual only they understood.

The only thing that changed was the height. Somewhere along the way, Taehyung shot up like a tree reaching for the sun, leaving Jimin huffing and stretching onto his toes just to reach him.

Taehyung never complained, because he wasn't ashamed to admit he secretly loved it.

...

College came with shared apartments, late-night ramen, and lazy evenings that blurred into comfortable quiet. Just like tonight.

Jimin was tucked between Taehyung’s open legs on the couch, his back pressed to his chest as they melted into the cushions. The TV droned softly in the background, long forgotten since neither of them was listening to what was playing on the screen anymore.