Archive of Our Own

Yoongi loved his townhouse. It was tucked away on a private drive, just far enough from the city to be quiet and peaceful but still convenient. He also had gotten lucky with the neighbors he had, as sharing a wall where the two homes were split could have been a nightmare if they were noisy. But two younger guys had moved in about six months ago, and Yoongi never had a single problem in regards to noise, parking, or any other neighborly issues.

In fact, he often found himself grateful that they had moved in, as bumping into them regularly always made for friendly conversation. Yoongi was an extremely introverted person—his family members teased that he had become a hermit. He lived an intentionally quiet life, so it wasn’t unusual for his run-ins with Taehyung or Jimin to be his sole conversations of the day.

“Good morning, hyung!” Jimin would cheerfully greet Yoongi as he walked to his car. “Any new future best sellers?”

Yoongi was a literary agent, another reason his life involved little human interaction—his clientele was global, so most of his communication was via emails and occasional phone calls. He once mentioned to Jimin that several of the authors he worked with had bestselling novels, without realizing how Jimin would find that to be so impressive.

“Must mean you’re a good agent,” Jimin had said.

“I hope so,” Yoongi replied with a laugh, and ever since it became Jimin’s way of asking Yoongi how work was going.

Yoongi would smile at Jimin’s greeting and briefly tell him about the latest authors he was working with, until he would check his watch and regretfully have to leave Jimin to drive to the office.

During the summer and fall seasons, whenever the weather was agreeable, Yoongi would come home in the evenings to find Jimin and Taehyung on their porch. They would greet him, inviting him to sit with them while the sun settled behind the trees, and occasionally Yoongi would surprise himself by actually joining them.

For the first month or so, Yoongi was unsure of the nature of the two boys’ relationship. Even though they lived together and seemed very close, Yoongi felt like they had a more friendship vibe—but he didn’t want to make assumptions, nor did he want to appear nosy and ask them an intrusive question about their personal lives. They had told him about how they met in college, and that they both graduated and got jobs in the city—Taehyung a photographer and Jimin a curator at the art museum—which was when they decided to move in together. It wasn’t until Taehyung started bringing home another boy, Jungkook, who he eventually introduced to Yoongi as his boyfriend, that it became clear that he and Jimin were in fact just close friends.

Not that it mattered to Yoongi—they were just his neighbors, their business was their own. He didn’t like feeling nosy, and would get annoyed at himself whenever his thoughts wandered to the fact that he never saw Jimin bringing someone over like Tae did.

One late October evening, Yoongi found himself waving to the three boys as he walked up the drive way. About to walk up the steps to his door of the townhouse, Jimin called out to him.

“Come join us, hyung! Don’t leave me alone with these two lovebirds.”

The three of them laughed, and Yoongi smiled at the pink haired boy leaning over the railing, grinning at him with a beer in hand.

He shrugged. “Alright.”

Yoongi walked over to their porch and sat down in a patio chair next to Jimin, who handed him a beer. Taehyung and Jungkook were on the opposite side of the small porch, sitting on a hanging wooden swing. Jungkook’s legs were across Taehyung’s lap, and Tae’s hands rested on Jungkook’s knees.

“I’m crashing their 4-month anniversary,” Jimin told Yoongi with a small chuckle.

“You’re not crashing anything, hyung, we’re just hanging out,” Jungkook said.

“Yeah, we’re not officially celebrating til this weekend,” Tae added, smiling at his boyfriend.

Yoongi was never much for sappy stuff—he tended to avoid overly sentimental or romantic things—but even he couldn’t deny that the way these two looked at each other was terribly endearing. He asked, “Any big plans for it?”

“We’re going to a cabin in the mountains,” Jungkook said eagerly.

The city was just an hour away from a beautiful mountain range that attracted a lot of tourists throughout the seasons—hikers and campers in the spring and summer, skiers in the winter.

“It might even snow, I’m so excited,” Jungkook added.

“That’s right, I heard it might hit here too,” Yoongi said, remembering the weather warnings for the freak blizzard in October that played on the radio as he drove home.

Junngkook nodded, then wrapped his arms around Taehyung’s neck. “We’ll go out and play in the snow, right hyung?”

Taehyung smiled widely, leaning into Kook. “Only if you’re not too hard on me during snowball fights.”

The two giggled at each other and Yoongi turned to Jimin for a distraction, feeling like he was peering in at an intimate moment. Jimin met his gaze and jokingly gave an eyeroll. Yoongi smiled, knowing that Jimin must have similar thoughts about the cute but clingy couple.

“Is it really going to snow here, hyung?” Jimin asked. “That’s kind of unusual, isn’t it?”

Yoongi nodded. The city was in the valley where the mountain range reached its end, so their weather was never as extreme. But every now and then a particularly powerful storm would come through, often virtually shutting down the city for a day or two. He hadn’t heard enough reports to know whether this one would be to that extent though.

Jimin glanced around the porch. “So much for my remaining flowers.”

Jimin gardened as a hobby. Ever since he and Taehyung moved in, he kept the front of the house—including Yoongi’s side after asking his permission—beautiful with flower beds, pots, and hanging baskets. He knew which types to buy for different parts of the house—shade, sun, partial—and for the different seasons. He had explained to Yoongi once that there was a surprising amount of species that would keep their blooms through late Autumn, as long as the weather wasn’t harsh.

Yoongi looked around at the hanging plants too. “It’s unfortunate.”

Jimin shrugged, smiling at him. “I’ll just have to switch to house plants for the winter.”

They continued their light conversation, but Yoongi didn’t stay much longer. The sun was setting anyway, so he soon said goodbye to his neighbors, tucking away to his quiet home for the night.

~

On Friday morning, there was already a light snowfall in the morning when Yoongi drove into work. By noon, as Yoongi took a break and stepped away from his computer to the office’s window, he saw there was a decent amount of snow already sticking to the city’s sidewalks and roads. He considered leaving early, handling any remaining work from his laptop at home, but ultimately, he decided against it. He liked keeping his work separate from his home, his place of comfort and relaxation; plus, this wouldn’t be the first snow storm he had driven through since moving to the city a few years ago.

When he left the office around 5 o’clock, his walk to the parking garage where his car was involved walking through ankle deep, fluffy snow, with more of it still falling down in the stiff breeze. Who knew winter could come in such a rush, Yoongi thought to himself, considering just days ago he had been out on the porch with his neighbors, needing nothing more than a light jacket. He dug his hands into his pockets, wishing he had had the foresight to grab more than just his coat—he should have gone for his gloves, hat and scarf too.

He took his time driving home, making sure to be cautious on the snow-covered roads, especially up the narrow private drive to the townhouse. He was tired from the long day of work, looking forward to a calm weekend at home, so he didn’t notice when he first parked his car, cut the engine, and step out into the snow. He didn’t notice as he walked up to the townhouse, his eyes on the ground to avoid slipping on any ice that might have formed. But, maybe out of habit, he glanced up as he walked past Jimin and Taehyung’s door, and that’s when he noticed, like the flowers in the hanging baskets, he noticed the pink standing out against the white covered world.

Jimin was curled up in a ball on their porch, leaning against the wall next to the door. The porch’s cover made it to where he was mostly out of the snow, but because of the wind, his left side had a light dusting of snow that was soaking into damp spots on his clothing.

It was a confusing sight to behold, so much so that it stunned Yoongi, and it took him a moment to think to say or do anything. “Jimin?”

When Jimin didn’t react to his voice, that’s when it hit Yoongi like a ton of bricks: something was seriously wrong. He rushed over to the younger one, crouching down and giving his shoulder a gentle shake.

“Jimin?” he said, hearing the strain in his voice over his increasing concern. His heart was racing and his head felt dizzy with panic as he waited for the boy to react in some way.

Jimin slightly lifted his head from his knees, and his dark brown eyes squinted at Yoongi.

“H-hyung?” his voice was barely a breath, but just that action seemed to take all the remaining energy he had out of him. His eyes closed and his head fell back to his knees.

Yoongi touch his hand to Jimin’s cheek and neck, feeling how cold his skin was. “Shit.”

He was beginning to full on panic as he stood up looking around, trying to get his mind to settle down enough to decide what the best course of action was. Standing right next to it, he checked their door—locked. He was about to knock when he remembered Taehyung was gone for the weekend.

“Shit.”

He dug through his pockets and found his keys. It felt wrong to leave Jimin on the porch, even just for a brief moment, but Yoongi knew he was weak. He hurried over to his side of the townhouse and unlocked the door, keeping it open a crack as he rushed back to Jimin.

“Please don’t be too heavy,” Yoongi said under his breath as he crouched by Jimin. Or please make me stronger than I think I am, he thought.

He wrapped one of Jimin’s arms around his neck and tucked his own arms across Jimin’s back and under his knees. Once he was confident in his grip on the boy, he took in a deep breath and stood up. He was surprised at how, once he was fully standing, Jimin was fairly easy to carry. The most challenging part was maneuvering down the porch steps, up his own, and then bumping open the door with his hip as he brought Jimin into his home.

He set Jimin on his couch as he went to shut the door. Luckily he had remembered to set the heat before leaving that morning, so it was warm in his home. He once again found himself pausing as he tried to come up with the next best plan of action. Getting Jimin warm seemed like the obvious priority. He took off his coat and laid it on top of Jimin—it wasn’t much, but it would have to be good enough while he went to dig out more of his winter possessions from his closet.

In his bedroom, he pulled out the heavy-duty comforter and laid it out across his bed. He also found a couple of fleece blankets and tossed them on the bed for good measure. When he came back out to the living room, he was somewhat relieved to see Jimin lying down in a more comfortable position—it meant he was perhaps not entirely unconscious. Yoongi was less relieved when, as he got closer to Jimin, he noticed how violently he was now shivering.

“Shit, let’s get you in bed,” he said, hoping that Jimin could hear him.

He once again picked up the younger male, and this time Jimin clung onto him, nuzzling his cold nose into Yoongi’s chest. The coat fell off Jimin as Yoongi set him on the bed, and that’s when Yoongi realized how soaked from the snow Jimin’s clothes were.

“No wonder you’re shivering.”

Yoongi remembered hearing somewhere, on the radio probably, that the best way to get warm was to be well insulated in blankets but without any clothes on, because they could restrict your limbs from the rest of your body heat. But Yoongi couldn’t help but hesitate—to undress his basically unconscious neighbor? He felt invasive anytime he was curious about Jimin’s personal life, how was he supposed to be comfortable with undressing him? This boy is freezing but you’re stalling because you’re nervous to see his body. Idiot.

“Ahh, I’m sorry for the lack of privacy, Jiminie,” Yoongi said. It was as he unzipped Jimin’s gray jacket that he realized how ill dressed for the weather Jimin had been. A fairly light weight jacket and a tshirt underneath—what had he been thinking? Yoongi pulled the damp white tshirt off, touching Jimin’s still cold bare skin as he laid him back down on the bed.

Now for the jeans. It felt so bizarre to be unbuttoning Jimin’s jeans and pulling them off.

“This certainly wasn’t the context I’d ever imagined taking your pants off in,” Yoongi couldn’t help but say, perhaps to relieve the nervous tension he was feeling. You’re the only one making this weird. Because you’re the only conscious one here. Idiot. Yoongi refused to take off Jimin’s boxers—the floor of the porch had remained fairly free of snow, so his jeans were mostly dry, which meant he was fine to remain in his boxers. Yoongi was pretty sure he’d crumble from embarrassment before he could have Jimin unknowingly fully nude in his bed. If only that would happen by choice, he thought before rolling his eyes at himself. Idiot.

He grew more serious again when he realized, even after tucking Jimin under the comforter and blankets, that he was still shivering. Yoongi sat down on the bed and brought his hand to Jimin’s ear—freezing. He ran his hand across Jimin’s cheek, then down to his neck and then his shoulder—all still freezing. He brought his hand back to Jimin’s ear, naturally the coldest, and noticed that his shivering became less dramatic with the heat of his bare hand. It dawned on him what this meant.

He sighed and had to laugh in order to cope with how much the day was turning out to challenge his comfort zone.

“Oh, Jimin-ah, what will you think when you wake up?” Yoongi said as he slipped out of his jeans and pulled off his shirt.

Yoongi lifted the covers and slipped under them. He scooted closer to Jimin, initially retracting his feet when they touched Jimin because of how cold his skin was. But he breathed in and relaxed, lying his legs against Jimin’s. Yoongi gingerly placed his arm across Jimin’s back, and in reaction to the warmth of his body, Jimin hugged onto him. Still weak, if even conscious at all, Yoongi helped Jimin adjust to resting his head on his chest, and his arm hugged Yoongi around his stomach. One arm still around Jimin, he used his free hand to pull up the covers.

“God, I hope I can make us both warm instead of you making us both cold,” he said.

He thought he heard Jimin make a whimper, but it was faint enough that it could have been in his mind.

Yoongi ran his hands over Jimin’s arms, neck, and side, giving him gentle squeezes as if he could force the heat through his skin. It seemed to be working though, as Jimin had stopped shivering, and after a several minutes, his body under the covers seemed relatively warm. So Yoongi brought his hand to Jimin’s ear again and kept it there, occasionally stroking his hair and neck. He tried to get a good look at Jimin’s face, and from what he could tell it looked like he was finally resting in a peaceful way. Yoongi didn’t mind the idea of holding Jimin for the next hour or two while he rested.

Petting his pink locks of hair, Yoongi’s mind wandered to when Jimin had first dyed it that way back in August.

The three neighbors happened to be getting home from work around the same time that Monday, and Yoongi hadn’t ran into them over the weekend, so he was anticipating a longer conversation with them as he got out of his car. When he saw the once blonde Jimin stepping out of Taehyung’s car, he immediately smiled at the pastel pink shade his hair now was.

“Wahh, Jimin, you dyed your hair! That is so cool,” Yoongi greeted.

But uncharacteristically, Jimin kept his eyes on the ground and walked up the sidewalk. He mumbled some indiscernible response to Yoongi, but he didn’t smile and hurried into the townhouse. Yoongi looked to Taehyung, both of them still at their cars. Taehyung was looking towards where Jimin had walked away, his eyes heavy and his lips pressed together in concern.

“Did something happen?” Yoongi asked, hoping it was clear that he asked out of concern and not to be a gossip.

Taehyung sighed, locking his car and walking over to Yoongi so the two of them could head up the sidewalk together.

“Not exactly,” Tae said. “Jimin’s just…sensitive. It’s kind of a tough time of year for him, he thought dying his hair would cheer him up, but…I don’t know. I think it may have just made him feel self-conscious instead.”

Yoongi paused, considering what Taehyung was implying, and replaying his exchange with the boy in his mind. “Gosh, he didn’t think I was being sarcastic, did he?”

Taehyung shook his head. “I doubt it, hyung. He knows you wouldn’t be mean like that. He just needs some time to get used to it, maybe sit in his feelings for a bit. If I know him at all, he’ll be back to his normal self soon enough.”

Yoongi nodded, but he couldn’t help worrying over his pink haired neighbor. He really thought the new color suited Jimin, light and cheerful like his personality, and it was a shame that he was feeling insecure about it instead.

Taehyung and Yoongi parted to go to their separate parts of the townhouse, and Yoongi walked into the back where his kitchen was. He wanted to make dinner and hoped cooking would help clear his mind. It’s really none of your business anyway.

As he was rinsing off vegetables in the kitchen sink, he glanced out the window to see Jimin in the backyard, watering flowers. The boy seemed pensive, staring off as water fell out of the pail, his expression more dull and dazed than Yoongi was used to.

 He bit his lip. It’s none of your business. Leave him alone. He shut off the sink and set the vegetables on the counter, still looking out the window. If his best friend is leaving him be, what makes you think anything you say will be better? You’re just his neighbor. He wiped his hands with a dishtowel and tossed it back on the counter. You hate when people intrude on your life. You like being alone too, you should be understanding. Yoongi walked to the back door of the townhouse. I’m not like most people though, am I?

He opened the door and stepped out. The noise of the door made Jimin look up, and Yoongi gave a small smile to try to gage if Jimin would want him to come over. Jimin’s gaze softened as he looked at Yoongi, and then he went back to watering where he was standing. Yoongi interpreted that as Jimin being okay with his presence—otherwise he would have walked inside or to the other side of the garden, turned away from him in some way.

Yoongi slowly made his way over to the patio where Jimin was watering his slew of potted plants. He sat down on the step of the patio, near Jimin.

“I meant what I said, you know,” he said after a quiet moment passed. “I don’t want you to think I was being sarcastic.”

Jimin didn’t respond right away, and Yoongi looked up at him. Jimin refused to look back, so, within reach, Yoongi nudged his leg. “The color really suites you.”

This time Jimin looked at him, and forced a weak smile. “Thanks, hyung.”

See, this was a bad idea. Yoongi was about to get up and go back inside, but to his surprise, Jimin set down the watering bucket and sat down next to Yoongi. He set his elbows on his knees, stretching his hands out in front of him.

“No one said anything mean about it,” Jimin said, turning to Yoongi.

He sighed and looked ahead of them. “But all day, when I was walking around at work, if people were laughing or smiling, if anyone looked my way—it felt shitty. It made me feel like I must look ridiculous.”

Yoongi didn’t say anything. He was never one to feed people the line they wanted to hear: “you don’t look ridiculous!” because he knew it would sound disingenuous. But as he sat there, trying to discern what words would provide genuine comfort, Jimin spoke up again.

“About a year ago, I broke up with my ex. We were together for a year, and he was…controlling. Even back then I liked the idea of dying my hair pink, but when I told him, he laughed at me. He told me not to do it, because it would look unprofessional, he said I would never be taken seriously.”

Jimin hugged onto his knees. “Now, a year later, his damn voice is still in my head. No one said anything mean, I even got compliments, but I just felt stupid all day. Anytime someone looked my way, I thought about what they must be thinking of me.”

Yoongi watched Jimin, who was still staring off across the yard. Yoongi couldn’t imagine what kind of asshole would get off on putting down someone as sweet as Jimin. But again, Yoongi found himself at a standstill. What generic statement could make Jimin feel better? ‘He sounds like an asshole;’ ‘You’re better off without him;’ ‘He didn’t know what he was talking about, you look great.’ They all made Yoongi want to roll his eyes. Jimin was smart, he didn’t need to be told these things.

Yoongi looked around too, hoping his presence was some form of comfort since words were failing him. His gaze landed on a potted plant that he thought he remembered Jimin calling a hydrangea. Its small blooms formed spheres of soft pink flowers, and it was Yoongi’s favorite one in the back garden.

He smiled, nudged Jimin, and nodded towards the plant. “Those flowers are the same pink as you.”

Jimin glanced towards the hydrangea and gave a tired smile. “Yeah.”

“I don’t know about you, but whenever I look at those flowers, I can’t think of anything except how beautiful they are.”

Yoongi had been looking at the blooms as he spoke, but he glanced back to Jimin when he hadn’t responded. The two neighbors stared at each other for a moment, but Yoongi couldn’t read Jimin’s expression well. Suddenly, Jimin laid his head on Yoongi’s shoulder.

“Thanks, hyung,” he said softly.

Yoongi smiled, and wrapped his arm around Jimin’s shoulders, hugging him closer. “Anytime, Jimin-ah.”

~

Yoongi didn’t realize he had dozed off while reminiscing. In his sleepy state, he didn’t think before he turned onto his side to face the body he was in bed with and pull it closer to him. It had been so long since he had shared a bed with anyone. The feeling of his bare skin against another’s was intoxicating, his chest against their back, and he couldn’t fight the temptation to lazily grind his hips into them. He breathed in the familiar floral scent of Jimin and—wait, Jimin?! Just like that, Yoongi was awake and reality came rushing back to the forefront of his mind: the snow storm, finding his freezing neighbor, having to keep him warm.

Yoongi opened his eyes with a start, and jumped at finding himself spooning Jimin. But even more inappropriate than that, oh god—how the fuck could you have a boner at a time like this?! His cheeks flushed with embarrassment and he immediately sat up and turned away from Jimin, sitting on the edge of the bed. He put his head in his hands as he tried to calm his breathing. Your neighbor nearly froze to death, but sure, get a hard-on at his body.

Yoongi heard the sheets rustle and his breathing increased again—crap, he’s awake, you’re gonna look like a perv. Yoongi quickly grabbed his jeans off the floor and slipped them on—they were uncomfortable, but at least they somewhat hid his, uh, situation.

Jimin let out a hum, and Yoongi cursed at himself for finding it so attractive. He couldn’t bring himself to look at the boy, not yet. He still had to get over his embarrassment—and he still had to calm down.

Jimin’s soft voice greeted the air. “Mm, Y-yoongi hyung?”

The confusion in his voice made Yoongi turn to look at him. Jimin, clearly still waking up, met Yoongi’s eyes, then his gaze fell to Yoongi’s bare chest, then to the sheet he was clinging onto. He let out a small gasp and clung to it tighter when he realized he was undressed. Yoongi turned back around, his cheeks growing redder than ever.

Yoongi was about to spit out an apology when he stopped himself. You shouldn’t apologize, you carried him out of the cold for fuck’s sake. You’re his hyung, fucking act like it. Finally calm enough, Yoongi stood up and faced him.

“Jimin, I found you out in the cold, what the hell were you doing? I had to carry you in here, I had to get you warm. You were barely even wearing a jacket, you were soaked from the snow, what were you thinking?”

Yoongi thought Jimin was burying his face in the comforter from embarrassment of being naked, but when he spoke Yoongi’s heart sank, because he was crying.

“I’m sorry hyung. I’m stupid, it was all my fault because I’m so stupid,” he said through sobs.

Shit. Maybe you were too stern of a hyung.

Yoongi sat back down on the bed, scooting closer to where Jimin was lying. He placed his hand on the back of Jimin’s head, and Jimin seemed responsive to his offer of comfort, lifting his head into Yoongi’s chest. Maybe it was because they were both undressed, maybe it was because they had fallen asleep together, but whatever the reason, Yoongi didn’t feel the usual hesitation or worry of invading privacy that he used to feel with his neighbor. He pulled Jimin closer so he could more comfortably lay against him, even pulling his legs up to where they could rest in his lap, and Jimin became a ball for Yoongi to hold onto.

“Jimin, shh, listen to me,” Yoongi found himself saying, for once not worrying over his words. “Jimin, you’re not stupid, okay? I’m not mad at you, I promise. I was just scared. I was really scared, you were unconscious and freezing in the snow. I mean, god, maybe I should’ve taken you to a hospital—shit, should I take you to a hospital?”

Jimin sniffled and shook his head. “No, I think I’m okay, hyung.”

“Okay, good. I’m not sure I could’ve gotten down the private drive anyway,” Yoongi said, glancing out the bedroom window at the dimming world covered in pure white.

Jimin wiped his eyes and sat up properly now that he was no longer crying, his legs still resting in Yoongi’s lap.

Yoongi sighed. “What happened, Jimin-ah?”

Jimin’s cheeks flushed, and he let out a small laugh and sniffled again. “It is stupid, hyung.”

“Try me.”

“When I got home from work, I went inside, took off my coat, and realized I had left my phone in the car. I ran out to get it real quick but when I got to the car, I realized it was locked and my keys were in my coat pocket. So I went back to the house to get the coat, but—I had locked myself out. I couldn’t get to my phone to contact anybody for help, we have no nearby neighbors—after I checked you weren’t home—so I just sat there. I didn’t know what else to do.”

“For how long?”

Jimin shrugged. “Two or three hours?”

Yoongi sighed, his heart aching at the vision of Jimin sitting on the porch, getting colder and colder.

“Pretty stupid, huh?”

Yoongi shook his head. “Sounds more like a really shitty stroke of bad luck to me.”

For some reason that made Jimin smile, and seeing that Jimin was okay enough to smile made Yoongi smile too. He reached out and put his hand on Jimin’s neck—it was warm.

“How do you feel now?”

“Pretty good. Maybe a little hungry.”

Yoongi nodded, realizing he was hungry too—they had slept past dinner time. He patted Jimin’s legs before getting out from under them, standing up.

“I’ll cook us something,” he said as he pulled his shirt back on. Jimin started to scoot towards the edge of the bed, but Yoongi stopped him. “Why don’t you stay under the covers a bit longer? Rest some more while I cook. I’ll come get you when it’s ready.”

The storm had been harsh enough to make everything cold, so even the house’s heating had trouble keeping up. As he walked to the kitchen, Yoongi was glad he left Jimin in the warmth of his bed. He decided to cook pasta and garlic bread for the two of them, knowing that running both the stove and the oven would help warm up the kitchen.

When it was ready, Yoongi went back to fetch Jimin. He opened his closet doors, pulled out a pair of grey sweatpants and tossed them to Jimin.

“Take whatever you want, wear as many layers as you need to stay warm,” Yoongi said, gesturing at his closet.

Jimin sat at the edge of the bed pulling on the sweatpants, and Yoongi couldn’t deny that he was admiring, in potentially the only chance he would have, Jimin’s body. When Jimin stood up, Yoongi felt weak at the way the sweatpants barely clung on to his hips. Pull yourself together.

“Hyung,” Jimin’s voice snapped him out of it. “Thanks. For everything. I-I’m so sorry to have scared you, and to be inconveniencing you like this.”

Yoongi shook his head. “Don’t say it like that. Just think of it this way: you’re keeping me company during the snow storm.”

Jimin smiled, his cheeks turning rosy. “Well, I’m certainly glad to keep you company, hyung.”

After the two ate pasta together, with Jimin complimenting Yoongi’s cooking multiple times, he started collecting the dirty dishes into the sink. Yoongi tried to stop him, but Jimin insisted. “It’s really the least I can do, hyung.”

So while Jimin cleaned the dishes, Yoongi walked into the living room to start a fire in the fireplace.

“How do you like your dishes stacked?” Jimin called out.

Yoongi scrunched his nose. “What do you mean?”

He started back into the kitchen while Jimin explained.

“Well, do you keep the bowls facing up or down? Do you keep them on top of or separate from your plates?” Jimin’s back was to him, facing the cupboards with a dishtowel and bowl in hand.

“I don’t think I’ve ever thought about it that much,” Yoongi said with a shrug and small laugh. “You can just leave them on the rack by the sink to dry.”

Jimin glanced towards Yoongi but quickly turned back around. He gave a nervous laugh. “Oh. Okay. Yeah, I guess that was stupid.”

Yoongi frowned, confused by his sudden nervous energy. He took a step closer to Jimin. “It wasn’t stupid.”

Jimin didn’t say anything. He closed the cupboard he had opened and rested his hands on the counter.

“Jimin?”

After a moment, Jimin turned around. He met Yoongi’s eyes but quickly dropped his gaze to the floor. “Ah, sorry, Yoongi hyung. It’s just, my ex liked certain things—well, everything—to be done in particular ways, and he would get…aggressive, if I did them wrong.”

A pit formed in Yoongi’s stomach at the word. His heart felt heavy at the way Jimin stared at the floor, how he wouldn’t look back up at him.

“Jimin—did he hurt you?”

Jimin hugged his arms, eyes still downcast. He shrugged. “It’s…weirdly, it’s not that simple. Did he beat me—punch or slap me? No, never. But would I have bruises from the way he’d grab me? When he was mad would he shake me, yell awful things in my face and push me around? Yeah.”

He paused and Yoongi really didn’t know what to say. Jimin laughed, but in a bitter way. “He didn’t know his own strength—that’s what we used to say about the bruises, after. He’d feel bad and blame it on that. It took me too long to realize, but,” Jimin paused, shaking his head, and he finally looked up at Yoongi. “You shouldn’t be scared of someone you love, you know?”

Yoongi felt tears stinging at his eyes, but it seemed unfair for him to be the one crying, so he fought them back. He didn’t know what to say, what to do, all he could do was think about how this was why he hid in his townhouse, why he interacted with so few people. Too many people were shit, too many bad things happened. He found himself wishing this snowstorm would never end, so he could keep Jimin safe and warm and happy in their townhouse for the rest of their lives.

Then again, maybe that made him a coward. Jimin had gotten out of a bad relationship, moved with a friend to a new city, and was never anything but friendly and cheerful, still so willing to risk himself to the rest of the world. Yoongi wanted to protect Jimin, but it hit him that Jimin was really quite strong on his own.

He must have noticed Yoongi’s glistening eyes, because when Jimin spoke up again, his tone was lighter than before. “Don’t be sad for me over something that happened so long ago, hyung. I’m much better off now.”

“Says the kid who almost froze to death today.” Teasing? Really? He opens up about his dark past, and you offer sarcasm? Idiot. Yoongi cringed at himself, but to his surprise—and relief—Jimin giggled softly.

“Yep. But, my wonderful neighbor came and saved me. And he’s pampered me ever since, so,” Jimin’s voice trailed off as he grinned at Yoongi.

Yoongi smiled in return and hoped he wasn’t blushing too obviously. “Touché.”

~

They pushed the small couch closer to the fireplace, and Yoongi tossed a fleece blanket across their laps for good measure too. He had opened up a bottle of wine, and the two neighbors sat contently in front of the warm crackling fire.

“Tae didn’t want to date him at first because he had given himself a strict code of ethics never to date the models he photographed. But it had always been easy in the past because he works for a lingerie company, so up to that point he had only had to photograph women,” Jimin was telling Yoongi. “Jungkook really threw him for a loop.”

Yoongi laughed along with Jimin’s giggles. “I guess it all worked out in the long run, though.”

Jimin smiled. “Yeah, either Kook’s contract ran up, or Tae said screw it to his ethics—I’m not sure exactly, but obviously they’re together and happy now, and that’s what matters.”

Yoongi nodded. He watched Jimin, leaning his head on the loveseat, look Yoongi up and down with a soft smile. When Yoongi scrunched his nose to question the look, Jimin giggled again.

“You don’t talk much, do you, hyung?”

“Oh. I suppose not. Is that okay?”

“I suppose. Do you get annoyed at people who talk a lot?”

Yoongi smiled, leaning his head against the couch in the same way Jimin was, so they were aligned together, noses inches apart. “I enjoy listening to you talk, if that’s what you’re worried about, Jimin-ah.”

Yoongi enjoyed seeing Jimin’s cheeks flush, and after a moment, Jimin spoke again.

“Well, can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

“How did you get the scar on your tummy?”

It took Yoongi a moment to get over how cute it sounded when Jimin said ‘tummy’ to realize what he was talking about.

“What? Oh, this?” Yoongi pushed down the blanket and lifted his shirt up a little to reveal a scar on his side. Jimin nodded, keeping his eyes on Yoongi’s stomach. “It’s a surgery scar. I had to have my appendix removed a couple years ago.”

“Was it serious?” Jimin touched his fingertips to the scar. His touch made Yoongi’s insides flutter, but he tried to seem calm.

“Umm, not really. I mean, I felt pretty damn sick, but I just drove myself to the hospital and they figured it out, and the surgery is pretty common.”

“You had to drive yourself? What about after the surgery?”

Yoongi shrugged. “My mother came down for a couple days while I was recovering, but otherwise I just took off work and rested around the house.”

Jimin pouted, his fingers still running over Yoongi’s stomach. “That’s so sad, Yoongi hyung. I wish we would have lived here back then, I would’ve taken care of you.”

Yoongi couldn’t help grinning widely at the soft, pink-haired boy. He reached out and ran his fingers through Jimin’s hair.

“You’re such a sweetheart, Jimin-ah,” Yoongi said.

Maybe due to the buzz from the wine, or because of the subdued light of the fireplace, Yoongi was lost when in one quick motion, Jimin leaned over to Yoongi and kissed his lips. It happened so fast and out of nowhere that Jimin had already pulled away before Yoongi could even register what was going on.

He must have looked startled, because Jimin spoke, “S-sorry, hyung, I thought maybe—”

But Yoongi disrupted his sentence, cupping Jimin’s face in his hands and kissing his full lips softly. Jimin’s hands came up to Yoongi’s wrists, and Yoongi pulled away from their kiss slowly, running his thumbs across Jimin’s cheeks. The sweet pink haired boy’s eyes stared longingly into Yoongi’s, his lips slightly parted, as if waiting for more.

“You thought correctly,” Yoongi said quietly, and when Jimin smiled, he went in for another kiss.

They continued kissing, and soon Jimin was straddling Yoongi on the couch, allowing him to grab Jimin’s hips and ass, then grabbing at the hoodie he was wearing to pull it off, followed by the sweater and shirt underneath.

“You told me to wear a lot of layers, hyung,” Jimin said breathlessly.

“I know I did, baby,” Yoongi said, kissing between the words. He ran his hands over Jimin’s bare back until they fell to his hips once again, and he started kissing and biting at Jimin’s neck and chest. Jimin let out small moans, and his hands ran up Yoongi’s neck to his face, lifting it up so Jimin could kiss him on the lips again.

After some fumbling and giggles, Yoongi managed to stand up while still holding Jimin, and for the second time, he carried his neighbor into his bedroom, this time in a much-preferred context.

~

The next morning, Yoongi woke up before Jimin. He smiled at the pink hair sticking out from where Jimin had managed to bury himself in the comforter. He pulled it down a little, not enough to disturb the sleeping boy, but to where he could see his face. He ran his hand over Jimin’s skin, causing Jimin to shift in his sleep and turn away from him. Yoongi placed a kiss on his bare shoulder before getting out of bed to make coffee for the two of them.

Once in the kitchen, he looked out the window above the sink. There was still plenty of snow on the ground, but patches of grass and sidewalk were starting to show through, and the icicles that had formed were dripping water in the sunlight of the new day.

As Yoongi fiddled with the coffee maker, he heard the patter of Jimin walking over to him. He wrapped his arms around Yoongi’s shoulders, and murmured into his ear, “Why did you leave bed, hyung?”

“I wanted coffee,” Yoongi said. He turned around to face Jimin, who leaned his chest into his, pressing Yoongi’s waist into the kitchen counter. Jimin had put on one of Yoongi’s larger black hoodies, with the hood up. He hadn’t put on any pants though, and Yoongi couldn’t resist giving Jimin’s ass a squeeze.

“Hyung!” Jimin giggled.

“Aren’t you cold?” Yoongi asked, watching his smiley neighbor.

“I’m alright,” he said, leaning in to kiss Yoongi.

They spend the rest of the day together, and in the afternoon Jimin convinced Yoongi to go out in the snow.

“Fresh air will be good, hyung, I won’t freeze this time, you’ll be with me.”

Yoongi insisted Jimin wear his thicker coat, even though much of the snow had melted at that point. He loosened up once Jimin started playing and giggling in the remaining snow, the two having a snowball fight that only ended because Taehyung and Jungkook drove up the private drive.

“Taetae!” Jimin jogged over to them as they got out of the car and Yoongi followed behind. “You won’t believe this, but I locked myself out this weekend.”

Tae looked between him and Yoongi. “You did? During the storm?”

“Yeah, but don’t worry. Yoongi hyung took care of me.” Jimin looked at Yoongi with such a bright smile, it made him feel like the melting snow.

Tae looked at him and seemed to understand, giving a knowing smile.

Jungkook stood next to Taehyung. “Wow, good thing he was there.”

Jimin continued smiling at Yoongi. “I know.”

Yoongi broke and smiled too, pulling Jimin closer to him so he could place a kiss on his cheek. “Anytime, Jimin-ah.”

~The end~