The 95z were eating in a nearby restaurant five blocks from their dorm. Jimin paid for both their meals and they were happily eating; him with pasta and chicken while the other had hot wings and lots of garlic bread.
Taehyung chewed on his eighth bread when he asked "Did you ever think of an alternate universe where we could all understand animal languages and humans and animals can just communicate fine?"
The other stops in the process of drinking soup to think about the question thrown at him. It's not unusual for Taehyung to ask such random and out of this world questions but sometimes he asks in such unexpected of moments and Jimin doesn't know how to answer that. Still, he tries to reply anyway since he's expecting an answer. "Couple of times during my childhood yes. But now? Not so much."
"Hmmm." He looks up as if thinking deeply, which was probably the case. As Jimin waits he takes this as an opportunity to finish his soup. Then- "What about if inanimate things could talk and act like human beings? You know, like 'Beauty and the Beast'?"
Jimin spit out a few droplets of his soup and the flecks landed straight on the younger's face, his eyes lazily shut. Jimin laughs nervously as he wipes the soup with a napkin. "I'm so sorry Taehyungie I didn't mean it."
Instead Taehyung just smiles, and Jimin wonders if his friend got hit in the head or something. "That's okay Jiminie I know you don't mean it." His face then turns serious. Or as serious as it can get after a funny episode like that. "But seriously what are your opinions about it? Don't tell me that I'm the only one who thought of that since how are the writers and producers of 'Beauty and the Beast' able to come up with such an idea? If I were asked I would answer yes many times, even when I turn twenty plus. And look here I'm already twenty-two but still-"
Jimin covers the other's mouth to stop the oncoming rant and offers a smile. "I get it Tae. But to answer your question, I guess I did when I was maybe five or younger."
They quietly resume lunch after that and leave the diner, walking to digest the food. Taehyung then asks "What about magic? I know I did. I remember I used to think that there were spells and witches with candies and they're waiting to corner me so I could be their next meal or something like that."
"Do you always think about the fairy tales?" Jimin asks out of curiosity, giving the other a glance.
"Not really I guess," he answers with a slight hum in his voice. "It's just cuz I don't know what else to say."
He was met with Jimin's loud and clear laugh. This continued on for a few seconds before Taehyung joined in, his deep voice mingling with Jimin's high one. Jimin then regains enough composure to say "Aww Tae you don't have to ask random questions all the time just so you can speak to me. You know you can tell me anything right? You don't have to be so nervous around me." He offers a reassuring smile, one that the other male returns.
"I'm sorry Min it's just that you're the only one who I can talk to without getting such negative reactions," Taehyung tells him as they stroll around. "Jungkook either won't listen or would give me weird looks. Hobi-hyung would just laugh it off and pat my head, saying I'm a kid when I'm actually asking for answers. Namjoon-hyung is more on the realistic side while I'm the dreamy idealist. Yoongi-hyung would just brush me off. And Jin-hyung's just gonna tell me to ask someone else so really, you're the nicest of them all. You only smile and answer my questions while asking some along the way so I think you're the most easiest to talk to."
Jimin smiles fondly at him and runs a small hand through his hair. "Alright then. Ask me all you want and I promise I won't judge."
"Just hearing that is enough to boost my confidence." They touch foreheads and rub it against each other, smiling and looking straight into each other's souls. After the short but sweet moment they retract in almost the same time and the younger asks "Have you ever wondered why blueberries were called as such?"
Jimin hums as he thinks of an answer. "Maybe because they're blue?"
"Yeah but I was thinking more along the lines of why not something else," he tells him. "And I remember asking my history teacher once how the world evolved from the cavemen to the ones in the medieval times and such? I mean, don't you agree that it just doesn't jump like that? Where's the rest of the period from there? And scientists say that in a few billion years or so the sun would die. If it did, would life still be possible on earth? I think even if we move to Mars there's no point since you can't live without sunlight, unless there is an alternative way to creat heat scientifically. Until then, I'm not sure about that. And I always wondered why monks were bald do you? Someone told me..."
And on and on did Taehyung go, asking questions and inserting opinions along the way. Jimin noticed faintly that he didn't ask for his own thought but that was fine with him. Seeing Tae so lost in the world of imagination was something different entirely and Jimin would find himself often treasuring the little moments when his best friend would stray from reality to escape into dreamland. It was just nice to hear him talk. And he's pretty sure the other feels the same, looking for someone to share these thoughts with. Truthfully Jimin wouldn't trade anything else for the world.
He remembers this one time in high school, they had most of their classes together and Jimin found the other so lost in his own world that he became physically present but mentally absent. He's got this misty look in his eyes that Jimin knew he was in another place entirely and so decided not to disturb him. When teachers did try and call his attention, Jimin would be the one to make up an excuse, and they'd leave him be. Taehyung only did snap out when the bell for the last period rang, and he realized he missed all of his classes, panicking and messing up his hair. Jimin had laughed that time at the priceless reaction, and reassured him he could copy and study his notes. The look of absolute relief was not missed by him.
Blaring horns and traffic brought him back from his reverie, and he was saved by Taehyung when he was about to cross the street since a speeding car had passed by. "Whoa careful there bud. Can't have you dying on me when we've got so much more to accomplish."
Jimin giggles nervously and thanked him all the same. As they walked around a small shop selling shoes, Taehyung still wasn't finished with his tirade. "I always wondered what it would be like to live in space. You know, all those zero gravity and floating around. Just how do you pee when you're practically up in the air?"
"I think they have a small bathroom that prevents the zero gravity from affecting your said business."
"You think so?" He receives a hum as a reply.
While Jimin fits for a few clothes in the next shop it's about kittens.
"There was this one time I adopted a white cat and it was so small and fluffy I just had to do something. I took care of her for at least three weeks when I saw her mom pick her up and they walk away, only for them to be almost crushed by a big truck that I had to wave my arms and throw myself on the street to make it stop. Man, I remember my heart wanting to get out my rib cage and the driver scolded me for being reckless. Of course I told him it's because of the cats he didn't see."
Jimin chuckles and tells the boy "Well it was a good thing the driver took notice of you, otherwise your sacrifice may have been to waste."
A laugh. "Tell me about it."
As they swerve a crowd Taehyung begins to tell Jimin his mind about the cosmos. "Don't you even try and imagine how chaos and order can practically blend together to make our world? They are two exactly opposite things yet they manage to mix harmoniously to create the universe. I mean, how mind-blowing is that?"
Jimin smiled at a few fans and answered "Yes I have to agree. How does that even happen?" He turned to the other. "Two completely different things and then you have something beautiful created. Take for example water and oil. They never blend together."
"Exactly." Taehyung pointed a finger at him.
As they walk around a park and feed ducks, Jimin found himself questioning things and sometimes sharing answers. Yes he knows it was very unlike him since Taehyung was the one with the open mind. He usually stuck to reality. He doesn't know maybe Taehyung finally rubbed off of him. He giggles inside his head. Possible.
It's their fifteenth bread for the ducks and Jimin said "Tae I think it's time to go home." Said male turns to him, curiosity etched on his face. "Jin-hyung might not feed us if we don't make it home before seven." They agree to walk back, still talking about those questions.
"I always wondered how the product could stay sealed in a bag without being ripped apart before the consumer," Taehyung was saying as they ate pizza.
Jimin looked at him. "What does that mean?"
"Like, how cheese ring bags should be teared apart for us to eat it. Didn't you ever think about how they got in the bag without being ripped?"
He hummed. "Nice." After getting vanilla milkshake from a store he told him "And I always got this curiosity about trucks. Like, how they always need a lot more wheels to balance the weight. What if there was a time where the load gets too heavy and the tires collapse or something?"
"That'd be a real tragedy."
They reach the dorm to Seokjin's impatient face. "Where were you both for the whole day? You're lucky we don't have a schedule. It's almost suppertime wash your hands and change your clothes." After a stern look to them both he left.
Jungkook then appeared and dragged Taehyung away for some video games. Likewise, Jimin went over to Hoseok.
"Hyung where did you and Jimin-hyung go? We've been looking around everywhere. Yoongi-hyung even checked the trash bin and Hobi-hyung looked out the window to see if you've fallen out or something."
Taehyung laughed as his thumbs twiddled with the controller. "Around. We didn't notice the time since we've been so lost in conversation about nothing."
There's a little bit of silence when "I don't even wanna know."
Again, the older laughed. "What is up with you today man? Chill out."
"Seriously there's something wrong with you and hyung," said the maknae. Taehyung could only look at him weirdly for a moment before focusing on the game.