jimin stood outside on the balcony and took a whiff of the warm air. summer had definitely arrived early this year; trees were in full bloom and it was constantly scalding outside. the faint whiff of cinnamon buns and coffee rose from the bakery positioned a couple of houses away from them.
"morning," taehyung murmured as he appeared next to jimin, still fully clothed in his pajamas. he let out a long yawn and leaned his arms on the railing before pressing a quick kiss against jimin's lips. "how did you sleep?"
"decently," jimin responded as his stomach suddenly growled at the thought of cinnamon buns. "you kept snoring, though."
taehyung laughed. "sorry," he apologized, but continued on talking. as if he could read jimin's mind, he suddenly said, "i'm really hungry. maybe we could go to the bakery and buy something?"
jimin's eyes widened. "i was just thinking about that," he responded. "get dressed first, though. there's no way you're going out in pajamas."
taehyung rolled his eyes good-naturedly. "there go my plans for the day," he joked and disappeared back into their room.
jimin smiled to himself as a cool breeze swept around him, cooling him down against the heat. he glanced at the thermometer positioned on the door to the balcony; it read over ninety degrees. jimin let out a groan. he had never really been one to like the heat. he was definitely a winter person.
taehyung reappeared a couple of moments later and swung his arm around jimin's shoulder, leading him outside and locking the door. "it's really hot today," taehyung sighed as he glanced around at the semi-busy street.
jimin nodded in agreement. "yeah," he yawned and rubbed his eyes sleepily as he leaned his head on comforting taehyung's shoulder. "we could go to the beach today. it's not that far away, right?"
"i guess," taehyung responded with a shrug. "but first, lets get those cinnamon buns."
jimin giggled and headed inside of the small bakery, only to stop in his tracks as they walked in. the cafe was small and cozy; the walls were a pastel shade of pink. small pictures and paintings of various sugary sweets were hung up on the sides of the bakery. a couple of white chairs and tables were spread around. the bakery was surprisingly full.
"uh, taehyung?" he muttered, staring directly at the barista. he was staring down at something on the counters, and though he had aged over the years, jimin would of recognized him anywhere. "remember the ex that i told you about?"
taehyung's eyes followed jimin's gaze towards the working boy. "um, yeah, jongdae or whatever?" taehyung responded, the back of his neck prickling with apprehension as the memory of taehyung's outburst flooded back to him, leaving a small pit in his stomach. "what about him?"
"that's him right there," jimin murmured and flicked his head towards the man as a small sheen of sweat appeared on his forehead.
"just tell him you have a boyfriend if he tries anything," taehyung responded, one fist clenching at his side.
"okay," jimin whispered and began to head towards the cashier, praying that his ex wouldn't recognize him.
his prayers weren't answered as jongdae looked up, catching jimin's eye. "jimin?!" he gasped in surprise. "what the hell are you doing here? how are you?"
jimin scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. "uh, i've been doing well. i could ask you the same thing," he muttered, keeping his gaze directed towards the floor.
"i work here," jongdae answered simply, unsure of what else to say.
"i can see that," jimin responded quietly. thick air full of awkwardness surrounded him. "can i just have two cinnamon buns?"
"sure," jongdae said before blurting something out. "you look great today, by the way. i mean, not that you didn't all those years ago or anything."
jimin blinked rapidly as taehyung appeared by his side, throwing a protective arm around his shoulders. "oh, thanks. but uh, sorry," jimin uttered. "i kind of have a boyfriend. but thanks, i guess?"
"oh." jongdae let out a small, dejected sigh as he handed the bag with the sugary treats inside to jimin. "that'll be five dollars. also, did you get my texts? i tried to text you, but you didn't respond..."
jimin felt his teeth clench as taehyung's grip around his shoulders tightened. "no," he lied through gritted teeth. "i got a new phone."
jongdae's eyebrows rose in surprise. "in that case," he said, completely ignoring taehyung's presence. "can i have your number?"
taehyung snorted and handed jongdae the five dollar bill. "no," he answered, a little vehemently. "in case you didn't notice, i'm his boyfriend. he's off limits. we'll be going now."
jimin blushed at taehyung's words as they turned around and left the bakery, cinnamon buns in hand. jimin took a deep breath. "that was so fucking awkward, oh my god."
taehyung let out a chuckle. "your face is so red," he teased his boyfriend and pecked his cheek lovingly. "c'mon, let's go back and enjoy those cinnamon buns."
as they began to slowly walk back to their apartment, they talked about nothing and everything. jimin's life really felt complete as he contemplated everything that had happened within the past years.
"you know i really really love you, right?" jimin said out of nowhere. "like, i just," he trailed off.
taehyung stopped in the middle of the road and dipped down to give jimin a long kiss on his lips, not caring whether passerbys were watching or not. once he pulled back, he simply smiled. "i know. and i really, really love you too."
jimin felt like the luckiest man in the world to have someone like taehyung.
