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Chapter Text

Yoongi yanks open the door of his locker and grabs whatever he needs for his next lecture. He’s extra grumpy today, almost shoving things around as he searches for one of his textbooks. He doesn’t have enough sleep last night (he never had), and all those painfully boring lectures he’s been in until now are definitely not helping.

Yoongi unzips his bag and patiently loads everything into it, because he knows that there’s no way to fit everything in if he shoves blindly. He then moves to shut the door of his locker, fighting the urge to just slam it shut because there’s a high possibility that the hinges will come off and leave him with a door-less locker.

Yoongi stands there for a while, pressing his forehead against the cool metal of his locker and stifling a yawn. Still a long day ahead, he thinks bitterly.

There’s a sudden burst of noises down the hallway, but Yoongi ignores it and stays still.

He doesn’t sense it when someone approaches him, only knows it when that someone bumps into him rather harshly.

Yoongi stumbles to the side, unable to brace himself. His left elbow collides with the locker and a loud crashing sound echoes down the hallway.

The pain is dull, merely a sting, but he’s quite sure that he’ll see a red mark there if he rolls up the sleeve of his grey hoodie.

Yoongi clutches at his elbow and hisses. “Watch where you’re going,” he grumbles, finally lifting his head to look at the person who bumped into him.

His gaze lands on someone who looks kind of familiar to him, but not familiar enough to let him recognize the boy in front of him right away.

Yoongi stares at him a little longer, and then it all snaps together.

Park Jimin.

One of the most popular kids in college.

Heartthrob, heartbreaker, bad boy, whatever they call him.

Park Jimin, with his blonde hair and dark brown eyes and full lips and generally, a ridiculously young and handsome face. It’s him.

Yoongi’s heard of him plenty of times before (it’s impossible not to), but this is the first time he’s ever meet him face-to-face.

Jimin is wearing a leather jacket and tight pants, blonde hair slightly disheveled, and he’s staring right into Yoongi’s eyes.

Yoongi couldn’t read his expression. He’s not smiling, not scowling. He just keeps staring.

Under normal circumstances, Yoongi would have cursed at the person in front of him, just to let them know how rude it is to crash into someone without apologizing after. But right now, words are dying away in his throat, and somehow, he just forgets.

Park Jimin opens his mouth, and for a moment, Yoongi thought he would apologize.

A string of high pitched giggles cut through the air and both of them snap their head towards the source of it. A few girls run down the hallway, and as they pass by, one of them grabs Jimin’s hand, pulling him with her.

“Come on Jimin, we’re running late!” the girl laughs, rushing past Yoongi with Jimin’s hand still clutched in hers.

 Before Yoongi can even react, Jimin’s already gone, disappearing down the hallway without sparing Yoongi another glance.

xxx

“Do you know Park Jimin?”

Hoseok looks up from his bowl of rice and fixes Yoongi with a curious stare, eyebrows quirked.

“Who doesn’t?” he asks back.

“You know what I mean,” Yoongi sighs a little. “Do you know him personally?”

Hoseok frowns at him, a bit confused, before nodding. “Yeah. Dance club.”

Yoongi makes a soft “oh” under his breath. Now he remembers. Park Jimin isn’t just famous because of his ‘bad boy’ title. He is one of the best dancers amongst the dance crew, and according to what Yoongi heard, Jimin’s dancing is really something. He’d never personally saw the other dance before, though.

Hoseok waves his hand a little in Yoongi’s face to get his attention again. “And why are you asking?”

“He bumped into me earlier today. Didn’t even bother to say sorry,” Yoongi complains, his mouth set in a frown. “Rude.”

Hoseok lets out a rather questioning hum. “Are you sure?” he asks. “He might be a bad boy, but he isn’t a bad person, as far as I know.”

“Well, he sure didn’t leave a good impression on me,” Yoongi huffs, unconvinced. “I guess all popular kids have attitude problems.”

“Bad boys aren’t necessarily bad people,” Hoseok points out, slightly frustrated about Yoongi’s extra stubbornness today. “For your information, you’re a bad boy too.”

“We’re different,” Yoongi protests, hating the fact that he’s been addressed as a bad boy again. “I don’t play around with girls. And I know my manners.”

“Jimin isn’t like that,” And why’s he always defending Jimin? “He doesn’t play around with girls either. He’s just friends with everyone.”

“Definitely not me,” Yoongi mutters. Hoseok gives him a tired look and decides to turn his attention back to his food instead.

“You just don’t know him, Yoongi.”

And Yoongi never wanted to.

xxx

The weather’s hot today, very hot, and the sun is just mean, shining down on Yoongi’s bare arms mercilessly. At this rate, he’s convinced that he’ll get skin cancer sooner or later.

There’s a reason to why he always chooses this time to practice basketball, though. It’s late in the afternoon and no one will want to watch from the sidelines, and honestly, Yoongi is grateful for that. He might be one of the most popular players from the team, but he never liked the attention. The last thing he wants is a crowd cheering and being noisy when all he wanted is to practice alone in peace.

Yoongi wipes sweat from his forehead and bends over to catch his breath. The fabric of his sleeveless jersey is soaked through with sweat and clinging to his skin, but not in an extremely uncomfortable way.

After a while, Yoongi picks up the basketball next to his feet and swivels around to face the hoop. He aims, then shoots, jumping off the ground a little as he does so. The ball travels in an almost perfect arc, going straight for the hoop, and Yoongi scores.

Someone claps as the ball hits the ground with a dull “thud”. Yoongi jumps slightly, turning his attention towards the noise, and for a second he couldn’t recognize the boy sitting on the bench by the sidelines.

Yoongi takes a few steps towards him and stops when he sees the leather jacket draping from the boy’s shoulders. Those tight black pants. And that mess of blond hair.

Park Jimin. He’s sitting there with his legs crossed, a lopsided smile curving his lips.

Yoongi is confused for a second, before he decides that he doesn’t care and there’s no way Jimin is here for him anyway. They don’t even know each other.

So Yoongi turns around and jogs after the ball to retrieve it. There’s a clicking noise behind him (those you make with your tongue when you’re annoyed with something) and it seems to come from Jimin, but Yoongi thinks he heard it wrong. He bends down to pick up the ball, cradling it in the crook of his arm, before checking the time and decides that he should go.

His belongings are on the bench, the one Jimin’s sitting on. Yoongi has no choice but to approach him.

Jimin’s face lights up when Yoongi comes near him. He tries to ignore the way Jimin’s eyes follow every movement of his as he picks up his belongings hastily, wanting to escape Jimin’s heavy gaze as soon as possible.

“Hey,” Jimin says, and it’s the first time Yoongi hears his voice. It’s light and smooth, a little high pitched than what Yoongi thought would be.

Yoongi turns to look at him and something flashes across Jimin’s eyes, something that he couldn’t quite decipher. Like he’s proud and full of himself that he managed to catch Yoongi’s attention or something. What the hell?

Jimin leans back as he crosses his arms, and something around his neck catches in the sunlight, reflecting right back into Yoongi’s eyes. He squints. There’s a sliver chain hanging loosely from Jimin’s neck, only long enough to dip under his collarbones, with the absence of a pendent and Yoongi briefly wonders why.

Jimin smirks when he notices Yoongi staring at his neck. He tips his head backward a little, purposefully baring his throat and Yoongi scowls at his action.

“I’m sorry about earlier,” Jimin says and it surprises Yoongi a little, because he isn’t expecting him to apologize.

Yoongi hums but doesn’t say anything. He’s not pissed off about the incident earlier anymore, the sting in his elbow has long since faded and it’s really no big deal. So he slings his bag over his shoulder and turns to leave, but stops dead on his track when a hand wraps around his elbow.

Yoongi looks back and watches as Jimin stands, taking a step closer to him, hand still on his elbow.

“What’s your name?” Jimin asks, his voice slightly lower than before.

Yoongi doesn’t answer. “Why?” he asks back instead, genuinely confused. They are both popular in this college but in different ways and they never cross paths, why is Jimin trying to get close with him?

Jimin laughs. It sounds like bells tinkling and honey dripping and Yoongi wonders if he rehearsed that before.

“You already know my name, so let me know yours,” Jimin says matter-of-factly, and Yoongi couldn’t help but feels like the whole conversation between them is getting really weird.

“How are you so sure of that?” Yoongi retorts, voice a little snappy, not feeling like giving in to this cocky brat. Jimin looks almost thrilled at the fact that he talks back.

“Come on, you can’t not know who I am,” Jimin says, brushing strands of hair from his eyes and Yoongi watches as his lips fall into a soft pout.

What is wrong with this kid? Yoongi is starting to feel a little uncomfortable.

“Still doesn’t mean I have to tell you mine,” he says curtly and starts to tug his elbow out of Jimin’s grip.

Jimin lets go very slowly, his fingers trailing down Yoongi’s bare arm, brushing along the soft, pale skin. Yoongi hastily withdraws his arm, almost stumbling as he takes a few steps backwards and glares hard at Jimin.

“Cute,” Jimin hums thoughtfully as he smiles back, and Yoongi seriously had enough. He turns and strides away at a quick pace, a little too desperate to escape from Jimin who looks like, okay, is definitely flirting with him.

Yoongi shudders in disgust at the thought, subconsciously quickening his pace as he heads for the main gates.

Thank god Jimin isn’t following him. Yoongi sighs in relief.

xxx

It’s early as hell in the morning, and Yoongi isn’t even sure that he’s awake or not. He’s walking and moving, but his mind is pretty much still asleep, because he couldn’t remember where the hell he’d put his earphones and he’s currently digging through the mess in his locker, hoping that he’ll find them in there somewhere.

After searching for a few more moments, Yoongi is about to give up and leave for his first lecture of the day, when the quiet hallway is suddenly flooded with loud noises.

A large group of people is marching down the hallway, girls squealing and boys hollering and it’s so loud that it makes Yoongi scowl.

One glance at the group tells him that they’re the rich and popular kids of the college, typical troublemakers and infamous for their shitty attitudes. Yoongi would never join them in a million years.

A second glance at them however, makes Yoongi’s stomach drop.

Because at the very front of the group, is Park Jimin, walking with his hands in his pockets and a few girls sashaying along beside him.

Yoongi curses inwardly and tries to shield himself from view by hiding behind the door of the locker.

And do you think that will stop Park Jimin from spotting you? Nope.

“Hello, Yoongi,” Jimin calls melodically, immediately catching everyone’s attention in the hallway.

Disrespectful. It’s the only thing Yoongi can think of as he steps away from his locker and slams it shut. He turns around then, Jimin already standing directly in front of him and smiling in such a way that Yoongi can only describe as smug.

“Park Jimin,” Yoongi sneers. “I thought you’re at least smart enough to know that I’m older than you.”

Jimin’s eyes widen in fake surprise but his smile never fades. “Are you letting me call you hyung, then?” Jimin counters, seemingly trying to rile him up even more.

“Stay in your line, kid. Just because you’re popular and stupid doesn’t mean you can do anything you want,” Yoongi snaps, sounding harsher than he had intended to. He isn’t usually this fiery and embarrassing himself in public is the last thing he wanted to do, but Jimin is getting on his nerves and suddenly he just doesn’t care that a lot of people is watching – he will let Jimin know that he is not someone he can toy with.

Jimin’s smile disappears and his expression goes hard. They stare at each other, tension hanging thick and heavy between them, Yoongi watching as emotions that he couldn’t decipher flit across Jimin’s eyes. He doesn’t fire back this time, which is something Yoongi isn’t expecting.

“Move,” Yoongi grumbles, not wanting to waste his time anymore and shoulders past Jimin not-so-gently to continue down the hallway without looking back.

xxx

“Shit!” Hoseok startles, almost dropping the chopsticks in his hand as Yoongi literally dumps his food tray on the table, before plopping himself down onto the seat opposite of Hoseok with a loud sigh.

“Ugh, hyung,” Hoseok complains, throwing him a weary look. “You’re always in a bad mood these days. What is it this time?”

“What did I miss?” Namjoon’s voice cuts in as he settles down with his own tray of food next to Hoseok. “Why is Yoongi-hyung always in a bad mood?”

“Beats me,” Hoseok sighs before turning back to Yoongi with his eyebrows raised. “Well?”

“Park Jimin,” Yoongi groans, picking up his chopsticks and stabbing at the bowl of rice in front of him. “He’s getting on my nerves. He just made me an asshole in front of everyone and I won’t be surprised if the whole campus‘s talking about how I treated their favorite bad boy at the end of the day.”

“What did you do? Details, hyung,” Hoseok asks curiously.

“He’s being rude for no reason, so I told him just that and he teased back instead of apologizing,” Yoongi says, frowning. “Everyone is watching too, and I just – ugh, I hate it so much.”

Hoseok and Namjoon are quiet. After a while, Hoseok sighs and runs a hand through his hair.

“No wonder Jimin looks distracted throughout our dance practice today,” Hoseok recalls. “He made more mistakes than usual too. He is just as affected by that incident as you.”

“Are you sure?” Yoongi is quick to question. “I honestly doubt that he’ll be bothered by something like this. He must be thinking about something else. If he’s really sorry about what happened, he should’ve apologized by now.”

“God, hyung,” Hoseok groans, eyebrows knitted in frustration. “This is so unfair to Jimin. You didn’t even try to get to know him. He really isn’t a bad person.”

“Are we talking about the same Park Jimin here?” Namjoon interrupts, leaning towards Yoongi as he speaks. “Because the Park Jimin I know isn’t like what you said at all.”

“You know him?” Yoongi and Hoseok ask in unison, astonishment written all over their faces.

“Yeah, he’s in vocal too so he’s quite close with Jungkook. Said he’s got a light voice that’ll suit my song perfectly, didn’t even ask me before sending my demo to Jimin but wow, turns out Jungkook was right. So he introduced us and I still ask him to feature in my songs sometimes,” Namjoon explains, nodding and smiling a little before adding, “He’s a good kid.”

Yoongi scoffs and Hoseok glares at him.

“There. You heard us. Don’t talk about him like that again,” Hoseok concludes, wagging a finger at Yoongi and leaving no space for him to argue.

And Yoongi absolutely hates that.

xxx

Yoongi couldn’t feel his skin. Not because of the cold, but the heat. The sun is deadly as usual, burning hot on Yoongi’s skin to the point that he feels nothing but numbness. He wonders how he’s still as pale as a sheet despite all the sunlight he’s receiving every day.

Sweat drips down his face and before he can wipe it away, a drop catches at the corner of his left eye and seeps in. The sting makes him shut his eyes instinctively.

Yoongi lets the ball roll off his hands and pulls at the sleeve of his jersey to wipe his eye. He could hear the sound of the ball bouncing off the ground and towards a direction away from him.

When he opens his eyes again, he looks around for the ball. He sees that it’s sitting a few meters away from him and there’s a pair of feet next to it. His eyes trail up and Yoongi couldn’t help the groan that slips past his lips.

Jimin picks up the ball and tosses it to Yoongi, a somewhat nervous smile on his face.

“Hi,” he greets, slow and careful. Yoongi raises an eyebrow at that. “Are you leaving now?”

“Uh –”

What?

“What?” Yoongi asks back, frowning at the question, out of the blue. “Why are you asking?”

“You left around this time yesterday,” Jimin recalls, not really answering Yoongi’s question.

Yoongi feels a light stir of annoyance as he narrows his eyes at the other. What is wrong with him? What’s his deal?

He couldn’t help the next sentence that slips past his lips. “That’s because you’re here,” he retorts, and oh no, it sounded more offensive than he thought.

Jimin, however, takes it as a joke and laughs a little. He runs a hand through his blond hair, eyes not meeting Yoongi’s. “I’m just thinking about, uhm, buying you a treat or something, I – look, I’m really sorry I –”

“It’s alright,” Yoongi raises a hand, and Jimin immediately stops talking, eyes a little wide and lips parted in a small ‘o’ as he stares at the other. “You don’t have to, just – go home, okay? It’s late.”

“Uhh,” Jimin starts, but he doesn’t really know what to say. He just got rejected by Yoongi, and rejection is not something he’s familiar with. “What about you?”

“Another half an hour, maybe,” Yoongi simply replies, so that the other can leave him alone already. Why is he this persistent anyway? Yoongi is very obviously trying to push him away, but why does he keep coming back?

Jimin hums and Yoongi doesn’t care to say goodbye, turning around to face the hoop again. He can hear the sole of Jimin’s shoes scratching against the ground as he leaves.

Yoongi huffs a small breath of relief, focusing on the hoop in front of him as he goes back to practice.

xxx

When Yoongi is ready to leave, he’s surprised to find that Jimin is actually still there, sitting on the bench just like yesterday, his leather jacket slipping off his shoulders and pooling around his elbows, the silver chain dangling from his neck glittering under the sunlight.

Yoongi lets loose a weary sigh as he slowly approaches the other. “Didn’t I tell you to go home?” he asks, pulling a clean towel from his bag to wipe off sweat from his face.

“I have nothing to do anyway,” Jimin smiles, not at all bothered by the sun shining bright and fierce above his head. He’s wearing a freaking leather jacket and he doesn’t even sweat a drop. Yoongi wonders how.

“Do you have time?” Jimin asks, sounding somewhat hopeful.

“What do you want?” Yoongi almost snaps at him, but he suddenly remembers Hoseok’s stupid words and he manages to refrain himself from doing so.

“I just want to treat you to something, as an apology or whatever. We can go to the store opposite the campus, if you’re okay with it?” Jimin suggests, eyes shining as he looks up at Yoongi.

Yoongi is ready to reject him the second time – the words are right on the tip of his tongue. But then an idea pops up in his head.

Maybe if I let him do whatever he wants, he’ll leave me alone and we won’t cross paths ever again.

“Alright,” Yoongi sighs, gathering his belongings and shoving everything into his bag. “Fine. Okay.”

Jimin makes an excited little noise at this, rising to his feet and finally taking off his leather jacket. He’s wearing a black tee underneath. Yoongi can only imagine how hot it is to wear this leather-jacket-black-tee combo in such weather.

“Listen,” Yoongi says, slinging his bag over his shoulder. “After this, you’ll leave me alone, okay? Don’t ever come and find me again.”

Jimin doesn’t give him a response, rather pout at him in a childish way. “Can we go now?”

Yoongi grumbles and lets Jimin tug him towards the main gates of their college.

They arrive at the store a minute later and Yoongi enters first, greeting the old lady at the cashier with Jimin trailing behind him.

“Grab anything you want,” Jimin says cheerily, a bounce in his step as they walk further into the store. Yoongi hums, going straight for the beverage refrigerators located at the back of the shop.

He scans through row upon row of beverages before pulling the glass door open and picking a can of energy drink.

He’s just about to shut the door when Jimin’s voice stop him, sounding awfully close and Yoongi realizes that Jimin’s lips are right next to his ear.

“Wait.”

Yoongi freezes as Jimin’s body presses up against his from behind, his chest almost touching Yoongi’s back. Jimin reaches over him to grab a can of beverage, trapping Yoongi’s body between his and the refrigerator.

His movements are painfully slow, like he’s doing it on purpose – no, he is doing it on purpose – and Yoongi feels uneasiness settles at the pit of his stomach.

“Thanks,” Jimin mumbles, his lips unnecessarily close to Yoongi’s neck, his breath warm against his skin.

Yoongi slips away quickly, briefly considering punching Jimin in the face, but he remembers that this is the last time he’ll interact with him anyway, so he decides to let it slide.

What Yoongi does instead, is to choose a handful of the most expensive snacks he can find in the whole store and brings them to the cashier. Jimin is going to pay for everything and nope, Yoongi is not even feeling a little bit guilty. Not at all.

Jimin pulls out his wallet and pays like he promised earlier, handing bills to the old lady and patiently waits for the change.

Yoongi doesn’t wait for him. He gathers whatever belongs to him and mumbles a quick “thanks” to Jimin before stepping out of the shop and heading home.

xxx

The next time Yoongi sees Jimin, he’s leaning against Yoongi’s locker with his arms crossed in front of his chest, chatting away with a group of girls from the cheerleading team and Yoongi feels the usual flare of annoyance whenever he sees Jimin’s face.

He walks over and Jimin immediately stops talking, eyes following him and Yoongi can see a small smirk flickering at the corner of the younger’s lips.

He couldn’t believe it. This kid is getting cocky all over again just because Yoongi treated him nicely last time only for the sake of getting the other to leave him alone. Looks like Yoongi’s plan is not working out.

“Excuse me,” Yoongi mumbles, keeping his eyes away from Jimin’s and his voice flat.

“Yes?” Jimin asks sweetly, his honeyed voice sending another throb of anger into Yoongi’s veins. The girls who are talking to him earlier peer at the two curiously and Yoongi hates the attention.

“You’re leaning against my locker,” Yoongi answers, finally looking at Jimin as he shoots him his coldest glare. Jimin looks genuinely surprised for a second.

“Oh, really?” he says, stepping away from Yoongi’s locker. The older wastes no time pulling the door of his locker open, slamming a little harder than usual. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Jimin wincing a little at the sound of metal crashing against metal.

Yoongi might have made himself look more irritated than he actually feels, but he doesn’t really care anyways.

“Are you staying back today?”Jimin asks, his voice soft and careful.

Yoongi wants to ignore him and walk away, he really wants to, but people are still watching and he doesn’t need the whole school to know that he’s a rude ass person who turns a blind eye to Park Jimin when he so graciously tries to talk to him. Rumors can spread scarily fast, especially when it involves someone popular.

“Look, Jimin,” Yoongi huffs, turning to face him fully. “I thought we agreed on this. You buy me food, and that’s it. We get out of each other’s way. So why are we having this conversation right now?”

“Hyung,” Jimin says, his eyes all wide and innocent and it makes Yoongi’s skin tingle. “Don’t be so cold. Can’t we at least be friends?”

Jimin steps closer. Yoongi looks away. “No.”

“I have dance practice today,” Jimin continues, completely ignoring Yoongi’s rejection. “You can come and watch.”

“No,” Yoongi repeats. Of course he knows about the famous dance practices. The dance crew is pretty popular and it wouldn’t be a surprise if they have a fan club of their own. They have dance practices four days a week and tons of students will gather at the dance studio to watch like it’s a showcase or something. According to what Yoongi heard, Jimin is one of the best dancers among the crew.

However, the idea of being jammed in the crowd and surrounded by shouts and hollers makes Yoongi frown. He’ll rather study at the library or go home for a nap.

“Why not?” Jimin doesn’t give up. Yoongi has a feeling that he will not stop pestering him if he doesn’t get an answer.

“Because,” Yoongi sighs, closing his eyes briefly in exasperation. “There’ll be tons of people and I hate it.”

Jimin hums thoughtfully and Yoongi just knows that he’s not going to let him go yet. The younger then leans in to whisper.

“Come at five,” Jimin says, and instead of looking at him, Yoongi drops his gaze to the silver chain dangling from his neck, lazily swaying back and forth. “There’ll be no one around. Also, you left your earphones that day. I’ll give you back later.”

Yoongi opens his mouth to protest, but Jimin is already at the other end of the hallway in the blink of an eye, flashing him a bright smile before disappearing from his sight. Yoongi curses and checks his watch, then curses for the second time.

He’s late for his lecture.

xxx

After his last lecture of the day, Yoongi goes straight for the cafeteria.

He passes by the dance studio on his way, and judging by the crowd and the noises coming from them, the dance practice has already started.

Yoongi was right – there’re tons of people and it’s loud, so loud that he quickens his pace to escape from all the cheers and hollers.

Yoongi enters the cafeteria and his eyes automatically flick to the menu to scan through it. He immediately settles on bibimbap, not wanting to spend too much time deciding.

As he chews through his lunch, he plans to stay back at the library to study later, taking a break from basketball and instead spending a little more time on his studies.

Yoongi drains the last bit of his fruit juice before standing to leave the cafeteria. He goes straight to the library, noting that the dance studio is still packed with people and flinching when a particularly high-pitched scream tears from the crowd.

Nope, he’s definitely not coming back for Jimin later.

xxx

Studying alone in the library is boring but effective, and Yoongi actually manages to stay awake for a full three hours, so that’s quite an achievement really.

He happens to check his watch right when the time is a quarter to five. He also happens to remember Jimin’s invitation earlier in the morning. He wants to just forget it and head home, but then he happens to remember that Jimin has his earphones with him.

I’ll pass by the studio anyway. Yoongi reasons, closing his books and slipping them into his bag.

He exits the library, walking past a few blocks of buildings before arriving at the dance studio.

Jimin was right. The crowd has cleared and there’s no one in sight, a strong contrast with the loud atmosphere just a few hours earlier and Yoongi suddenly feels small in the quiet space.

He glances into the dance studio through the large windows, and it’s deserted, save for a boy whose back is facing him but Yoongi can see his reflection from the mirrors inside the studio.

It’s Jimin, and he doesn’t seem to notice Yoongi’s presence. He’s dancing, damp hair plastered to his forehead and he’s staring at his own reflection with a serious level of concentration.

Yoongi watches him quietly, wondering if he should just push open the door and go in but he also doesn’t want to distract Jimin.

It’s a full minute of Yoongi just standing there silently before Jimin catches sight of him through the mirror.

A look of surprise flashes across his face as all movements of his body screeches to a halt. Jimin straightens, pulling his lips into a smile as he rakes his hair back from his brow. Yoongi takes that as a cue for him to swing the door open and enter the studio.

“You’re here,” Jimin says, turning around to face him. He’s wearing a loose t-shirt, bare skin glistening with a thin sheen of sweat under the soft light of the studio.

“Mm,” Yoongi replies, noticing the silver chain around Jimin’s neck. He wears it even when he’s dancing. It looks like something more than a fashion item. Maybe it’s important to him in some way.

“You look very interested in my necklace,” Jimin points out, smiling as he runs his fingertips along the silver chain.

Only then Yoongi realizes that he’s been staring. He snaps his gaze up to Jimin’s eyes. “Just wondering why it doesn’t have a pendant,” he randomly finds an excuse.

Jimin makes a soft ‘oh’ under his breath as he pinches the silver chain between his thumb and forefinger. Yoongi doesn’t expect him to answer, but he does, in an almost serious tone even.

“Because I don’t have anything important enough as the pendant. Not yet, for now,” Jimin says, his lips falling into a slight pout.

Yoongi doesn’t know why he tells him that, but he nods anyway.

“Where’re my earphones?” he asks, remembering the reason why he is here.

“Oh, that,” Jimin walks over to where his bag is lying on the floor, digging through it before pulling out Yoongi’s earphones, carefully coiled into a neat circle so that it doesn’t tangle up.

“Thanks,” Yoongi says as he takes the earphones from Jimin and turns to leave.

“Hyung, wait,” Jimin stops him, and Yoongi turns around again, barely stopping an exasperated sigh from escaping his mouth.

“It’s just, erm,” Jimin starts, suddenly looking a little…nervous? “Well, I’ve seen you play basketball before, so it’s only fair that you watch me dance, right?”

Yoongi huffs out a laugh, because what Jimin said is a bit ridiculous. “What?”

“I’ll treat you to something after this,” Jimin says again, and why does it sound like he’s trying to convince him? “I need your opinion on this new choreography I’ve been practicing.”

Yoongi hums and pretends to ponder Jimin’s request for a few moments. He doesn’t understand why his opinion would be important to him, considering the fact that he knows absolutely nothing about dancing.

However, Jimin doesn’t wait for his reply. The music is turned on a little too loudly, filling the air with heavy beats and shattering the peaceful atmosphere in the dance studio.

Yoongi frowns slightly, but Jimin is already moving. He dances like it’s in his blood, his body moving fluidly like it’s made of liquid and not bones and flesh. His expression drops into a serious one, and Yoongi realizes that this is the first time he’s seeing this side of him.

Jimin focuses solely on his dancing, his gaze heavy and intense as he stares at his own reflection in the mirror. Despite the tiring and challenging choreography, Jimin doesn’t look tired at all.

When the music stops, however, he has to bend over to catch his breath.

Yoongi remembers that Jimin clapped when he first saw him playing basketball, so he claps for him too. Jimin’s head snaps up at the sound, a grin stretching its way across his lips as he straightens himself.

“How was it?” Jimin asks, his voice a little breathless.

“You’re a great dancer,” Yoongi replies, because what else can he say?

Jimin purses his lips, looking slightly dissatisfied. “That’s all?”

“I know nothing about dancing,” Yoongi deadpans. Isn’t that obvious?

“Mmm,” Jimin rolls his eyes to stare at the ceiling thoughtfully before making a soft noise under his breath as he remembers something.

“Shall we go to the store?”  Jimin suggests, already moving to grab his bag from the floor. “I’ll buy you ice creams.”

“How do you even know that I like ice creams?” Yoongi questions, doesn’t even try to stop the other from treating him again because he knows that it wouldn’t work.

Jimin just throws him a blinding smile. “No one can resist ice creams.”

xxx

Yoongi goes straight for the ice cream freezers located right in the centre of the store. The freezer is not even taller than his hips, so he has to bend over and reach down for the pile of ice creams inside.

He’s been hesitating for quite some time now, his hand wandering from chocolate flavor to vanilla and then back again, having trouble to decide on one. He’s just starting to consider grabbing both when Jimin walks up next to him.

Their shoulder lightly bumps into each other’s as Jimin reaches down into the fridge. However, instead of reaching for the ice creams, Jimin’s hand closes around Yoongi’s and the older jumps at the contact.

He’s still too surprised to do anything as Jimin pulls his hand out of the fridge and holds it between them.

“Your hand’s cold,” he murmurs, turning his hand a little so that their palm presses against each other’s. Their fingers slot together naturally, and Yoongi couldn’t help but notice that Jimin’s hand is a lot smaller than his.

“Still couldn’t pick one?” Jimin asks, smiling sweetly at Yoongi as he swipes his thumb over the back of the other’s hand in a slow and painstaking manner.

The gesture causes goosebumps to rise along the skin of Yoongi’s arm and he finally snaps out of it, tugging his own hand out of Jimin’s grasp sharply.

“Let go,” Yoongi’s voice comes out almost as a hiss. “I can pick one myself.”

“Oh,” Jimin breathes, looking surprised for some reason. He takes a step away from the fridge, and Yoongi hastily grabs one ice cream before turning to leave for the cashier.

Jimin comes over a few moments later, pulling out his wallet to pay and quietly handing Yoongi his ice cream after that.

“Thanks,” Yoongi mumbles and doesn’t wait for Jimin’s reply.

xxx

The cafeteria is loud and packed with people and Yoongi sits alone because his friends ditched him for some club meetings and project discussions, leaving him feeling very much out of place in the noisy cafeteria.

Yoongi takes a bite of rice and winces as a few students sitting by one of the tables opposite of him yell and scream at something. Said table is occupied by a group of unnecessarily loud people, and they’re none other than the popular kids.

Yoongi sighs and throws a glare towards their direction. Most of the noises in the cafeteria come from them, and Yoongi just wants to finish his meal as quickly as possible and leave.

He sweeps his gaze over the group, spotting Jimin sitting between two girls and laughing at something someone just said. His posture is relaxed and somewhat cocky, leather jacket slipping off his shoulders and the way he throws his head back freely as he laughs.

As if sensing that someone is staring at him, Jimin turns his head and lock gazes with Yoongi. He smiles and the older smiles back because he doesn’t want to be rude, but it’s more like a grimace than anything.

Yoongi then ducks his head and shoves the last bit of food into his mouth, putting down the utensils in his hands and he’s just about to stand up and leave when a small, delicate-looking box is placed on the table in front of him.

Yoongi looks up. Jimin towers over him, a soft smile on his lips and his hair falls into his eyes as he leans down.

“What’s this?” Yoongi asks, eyeing the little box on the table.

“It’s for you,” Jimin replies, not really answering Yoongi’s question. “I hope you like it.”

“Uhm,” Yoongi isn’t sure what to say. His fingers twitch against the tabletop, unsure whether to reach out for the little box or withdraw his hand. Their interaction is starting to attract unwanted attention, and Yoongi can feel his skin tingling uncomfortably under all the stares he’s receiving.

Yoongi’s instincts tell him flight. To get away from everyone, get away from all the attention. So he stands, very abruptly and barely avoiding knocking Jimin in the face, grabs the box with one hand and his bag with the other.

“Thanks,” Yoongi mumbles half-heartedly as usual, already turning around to walk out of the cafeteria. Jimin doesn’t stop him or follow him, but he doesn’t stop staring after him either.

Yoongi can feel his eyes on him – and everyone else’s – as he pushes past the glass doors and takes a deep breath, noticing how the air seems to be much less suffocating.

Yoongi takes a moment to compose himself, rolling his shoulders and fixing his shirt mindlessly before he starts to walk again. He arrives at the hall for his next lecture and sighs wearily as he settles himself at one of the seats available near the back of the hall.

After shrugging off his bag, Yoongi studies the little box in his hand. It’s a square box, slightly larger than his palm and made out of some dark brown material – cardboard probably.

Yoongi shakes the box lightly, feeling its contents thumping softly against the sides and he catches a faint whiff of something sweet.

Curious, Yoongi slips a finger underneath the lid of the box and pops it open. A warm and sweet scent floods his nostrils and he inhales deeply, instinctively breathing in more of the sweet aroma.

Mmm, chocolate muffin.

 Yoongi would very much like to savour it right then and there, but he just had lunch and the lecture is starting in a minute or two, so he slips the box shut and places it on the edge of his table, leaving it until the end of the lecture.

xxx

It’s late, but Yoongi left his earphones in his locker (again), so he has to walk down the hallways to get it before going home.

He passes by the dance studio on his way, but doesn’t stop to spare a glance.

Yoongi swings open the door of his locker as soon as he reaches it, then starts rummaging through his stuff in search for his earphones.

After half a minute of fruitless searching, Yoongi decides to change his tactic. Instead of blindly shoving his things around and causing a bigger mess, he starts to arrange his books into a pile in an attempt to tidy things up a little.

Soon, he spots his earphones coiled up underneath one of his thick notebooks and sighs as he reaches for it.

After he’s done untangling the earphones and tucking it into his pocket, he closes his locker with a huff.

He almost gets a heart attack as he turns to his right, because Jimin is right there, arms crossed and leaning against the lockers with a lazy smile on his lips.

“Hi,” Jimin greets, laughing softly at the way Yoongi glares at his half-heartedly. “How’s the muffin?”

Yoongi makes a soft ‘oh’ under his breath before reaching a hand into his bag to draw out the little box. Jimin raises his eyebrows in question.

“I haven’t eat it,” Yoongi explains, opening the box to reveal the chocolate muffin inside, untouched.

“What, you’re scared that I’ll poison you?” Jimin asks, grinning at his own joke.

Yoongi rolls his eyes at him. “I just forgot to eat it.”

“Then try it now,” Jimin says, lifting his chin and urging Yoongi to do so. The older lifts the muffin from the box and with his other hand, he slips the box shut and tucks it back into his bag. He studies the muffin in his hand for a while before splitting it into half and offering it to Jimin.

The younger’s expression is hard to read, but he looks somewhat amused as he accepts half of the muffin from Yoongi and smiles in return.

Yoongi lifts the muffin to his lips and takes a bite. The muffin is quite small, and he couldn’t really deny the fact that it’s delicious, so he finishes it in two bites.

He takes a moment to lick his lips free of crumbs, unaware that Jimin is watching him the whole time. When he looks up again, the other is back to his posture earlier, arms crossed and his share of muffin nowhere to be seen, so Yoongi assumes that he must’ve finished eating too.

“How was it?” Jimin asks, all the while taking a step closer to Yoongi.

“Nice,” Yoongi replies flatly, unconsciously taking a step backwards.

Jimin purses his lips and frowns lightly. “What’s with that expression on your face? You look… displeased,” he comments, leaning closer to study the other’s face.

Yoongi jumps at the proximity – even though they aren’t that close to each other at all – and very nearly hisses. “Why are you always so close? It’s weird and uncomfortable for me.”

“What?” Jimin asks back, looking genuinely confused. “Am I too close? I’m like this with all my friends, though.”

“Not with me,” Yoongi mutters, but Jimin hears it anyway. Yoongi isn’t sure if he imagined the slight hurt that flashes across the younger’s eyes.

“I just wanna be friends with you,” Jimin somewhat complains, and Yoongi wants to tell him to put that pout on his face away. Because it’s annoying, of course. “I want to know more about you. I know you aren’t that cold, unapproachable bad boy that everyone else says you are. I just – I wanna be closer, alright?”

Yoongi doesn’t reply, suddenly distracted by the way Jimin is looking at him. Jimin’s eyes are bright, genuine, and Yoongi notices that his eyes are slightly uneven, but in a beautiful way that adds to his attractiveness. This is the first time he really looks at Jimin, and the younger looks – soft, not cocky, not mischievous, just soft. He’s not smiling, convincing Yoongi that he’s utterly serious about this conversation, this ‘friend’ thing he’s talking about.

Yoongi coughs, finally snapping out of his trance. “Whatever,” he says, as nonchalantly as he can, breaking eye contact with Jimin by turning away.

Jimin smiles, Yoongi feels it, the intensity of it making his skin tingle with warmth.

“See you tomorrow?” Jimin says, in that hopeful voice of his again.

Yoongi nods wordlessly, and feels the younger’s smile widens even more.

xxx

Yoongi is seeing Jimin every day, sometimes early in the morning, sometimes after lectures, sometimes when he’s practicing basketball, or when Jimin is practicing dancing.

Yoongi never looks for him – Jimin is the one that always come to him. The younger treats him whenever he can – ice creams, candies, smoothies, soft drinks – mostly sweets.

Yoongi tried more than once to tell Jimin that it’s really not necessary, but the other just brushed him off and assured him that it’s not a big deal and he doesn’t mind treating his friend.

Just another too-early morning and Yoongi is already tired, as if forcing himself out of bed earlier has already drained all of the energy from his body. He drags himself down the hallways, opens his locker and gathers his stuff for the first lecture of the day.

He swings the door of his locker closed, and Jimin is standing right behind the door, grinning with a cup of hot coffee in one hand while the other is behind his back.

“Morning!” he chirps, looking at least a thousand times more energetic than Yoongi. “Coffee? I know you didn’t get one this morning.”

“How do you know?” Yoongi asks, almost wary.

“You never had coffee if you have lectures early in the morning even though you desperately need it, because you can’t get up any earlier to buy one,” Jimin giggles as if finding this cute. It is not. “Hoseok hyung told me.”

Yoongi lets out an exasperated sigh. Of course Hoseok did. Jimin is a social butterfly and Yoongi wouldn’t be surprised if all of his friends are Jimin’s too.

“So, Americano?” Jimin smiles, but Yoongi doesn’t reach out to take the hot coffee from his hand.

“Iced,” he simply says.

“I know,” Jimin’s smile widens.

And then, much to the other’s surprise, Jimin draws his other hand from behind his back and holds out an iced Americano to him. The expression on the younger’s face is nothing short of smug and Yoongi kinds of want to punch it off his face.

“Hoseok hyung,” Jimin says, answering Yoongi’s silent question before pushing the cold drink into his hand.

“Thank you,” Yoongi mumbles, immediately taking a sip and groaning softly at the bitter but refreshing taste.

“Sure,” Jimin looks away, fingers playing along the length of his silver chain. “I can bring one to you every day.”

“No, you don’t have to,” Yoongi quickly says, eyes growing wide. “I don’t want to trouble you like this.”

“I need one for myself anyway,” Jimin shrugs, lifting the coffee cup in his hand for a sip.

“I’ll pay you back,” Yoongi insists. Jimin shakes his head, waves his hand dismissively and turns to leave. He freezes when a hand, warm and firm, wraps around his wrist to stop him from leaving.

“Jimin,” Yoongi practically warns, gaze sharp and unwavering as they connect with Jimin’s. The younger blankly stares back, speechless for a moment or two. He swallows, managing a small smile before gently pulling his wrist out of Yoongi’s grasp and giving the older’s hand a light squeeze.

“It’s fine,” Jimin says, and Yoongi watches as he disappears down the hallway.

xxx

Jimin never fails to meet up with Yoongi every day, and the older doesn’t actually mind it, but there is something that bothers him immensely.

Jimin always chooses the worst timing ever to approach him, like in the middle of a crowded hallway or in the cafeteria when it’s packed with people. Both of them are somewhat popular on campus, so their interactions often attract a lot of attention.

Which is one of the things Yoongi hates the most – being the center of everyone else’s attention, especially when it’s avoidable (unlike being in a basketball match, that’s unavoidable).

Also, Yoongi finds that Jimin is a very touchy person. He sometimes holds onto Yoongi’s wrist when he talks, always clutches onto him or hits his arm lightly when he laughs, and leans in close without warning when he wants to whisper something.

And of course, Jimin chooses to do all these in front of everyone, not at all fazed by all the attention. It makes people think that they’re closer to each other than they actually are, and a lot of people are surprised and confused at how fast they’re getting together.

When rumors of the two of them being a thing start to fly around the campus, Yoongi decides that he has had enough. He’s going to talk to Jimin and tell him to keep his distance and stop treating him more than a normal friend would, at least until all the rumors die down a little.

So when Yoongi sees Jimin leaning against his locker in the empty hallway late in the afternoon, he doesn’t hesitate to walk right up to the other to confront him.

“Hello,” Jimin practically sings, face lighting up as the older stops in front of him. “How are those cookies this morning?”

“Good,” Yoongi simply replies, still thinking about how to start the subject without sounding too harsh.

Jimin frowns at his half-hearted reply. “Is something wrong?” he asks, his frown deepening when the other lets out a sigh.

“Look, Jimin,” Yoongi starts, making a decision to not beat around the bush and just cut straight to the point. “You must’ve heard all those things about us, right? I don’t know about you, but it’s making me uncomfortable. Not just that, you’re always drawing so much attention and actually, that’s the exact reason the rumors started. I really don’t like it, okay? Hate it. I don’t know if you like being the center of attention or something, but I don’t. You couldn’t just find a better timing to approach me, huh?”

Jimin doesn’t reply right away. He stares at Yoongi, utterly surprised by his sudden outburst. When he recovers from his shock, he doesn’t apologize or anything. He just smiles. Yoongi groans, starting to doubt that Jimin understands what he just said, or if he’s listening at all.

“Hmm, really?” Jimin hums thoughtfully, a glint of mischievous in his eyes. “Are you saying that you prefer us doing it in secret?”

“Yeah,” Yoongi answers out of reflex without actually thinking over what Jimin just said. When he finally registers the younger’s playful question in his mind, he almost gasps in horror. “Wait, no. What do you mean by ‘it’?”

Jimin smirks at the wary look Yoongi fixes him with. Then, he leans in so that they are face-to-face, closer to each other than they ever were before.

Yoongi unconsciously holds his breath and he can do nothing other than stay still and let Jimin study his features with dark eyes. The younger’s eyes bore into his, then slides down, slowly, to his nose and finally drops to his lips.

Yoongi doesn’t know if Jimin is playing with him, joking around with him or what. Yoongi doesn’t know anymore.

“What?” he asks quietly, flinching a little as the other’s eyes immediately snap up to his.

Jimin smiles sweetly, mocking or genuine, Yoongi can’t tell. “You,” he starts, head tilting to one side. “You’re –”

Suddenly, as if jolting awake from a dream, Jimin catches himself and stops talking, eyes wide as he straightens and leans away. Yoongi looks at him weirdly.

Jimin glances away before running a hand through his hair roughly. Yoongi’s eyes narrow. Is he…flustered?

Upon the realization, Yoongi’s lips involuntarily splits into a smirk. Oh.

“I’m what?” the older presses, finding their current situation somewhat interesting. For that short moment, it seems like their characters are swapped – Yoongi is the one acting all cocky and smug, while Jimin looks like he’s been cornered by Yoongi and is at a loss for words.

“Oh my god,” Jimin quietly breathes, laughing almost nervously as he starts inching away from Yoongi. “I – uh, I gotta go. See ya.”

And then he turns, striding down the hallway without looking back.

Yoongi smiles inwardly, an oddly satisfying feeling humming in his chest.

xxx

“Are you and Jimin together?”

Yoongi sets his spoon down a little too harshly, putting an exaggerated frown on his face before directing it towards whomever that question came from, which happens to be Hoseok.

The rumors are driving him crazy already and Hoseok just has to bring it up. It also doesn’t help that Yoongi’s whole circle of close friends are present today. Now they’re all stopping whatever they’re doing to stare between him and Hoseok curiously.

“No,” Yoongi answers, doesn’t even care that he’s practically snapping.

“You mean our Jimin? Park Jimin?” Taehyung pipes in, leaning over Seokjin to get closer to Yoongi. He and Jimin are quite close, knowing each other for a few years already and sharing some classes.

“Who else could it be?” Hoseok asks back, frowning at Taehyung’s question. “They’re all over the campus these days.”

“Don’t remind me,” Yoongi’s snapping again, but he also doesn’t care.

“Why are you mad?” Jungkook asks, his eyebrows screwing up in pure confusion.

“It’s practically his fault that the rumors started,” Yoongi scoffs, scowl deepening. “Annoying.”

“You sound like you hate him,” Namjoon points out, raising an eyebrow when Hoseok gasps.

“I –” Yoongi pauses. He himself hasn’t really thought about it before – if he hates Jimin or not. “No, but I don’t like him either.”

The corners of Hoseok’s lips turn down and he looks like he’s about to say something, but Jungkook beats him to it.

“Jimin hyung always talks about you, though,” he says, still not understanding why Yoongi doesn’t like Jimin.

“A lot,” Taehyung adds, as if it will make Yoongi feel guilty about what he just said.

Yoongi doesn’t. He just feels surprised.

“All bad things, huh?” is the response Yoongi manages. Of course it would be. Yoongi never cares to act nicely when he’s with Jimin. He couldn’t blame anyone if Jimin badmouths him and really, it’s fine –

“No, never!” Taehyung exclaims, eyes incredulous, as if Yoongi just insulted Jimin. Well, Yoongi thinks he has, in some way. “He’s glad to be friends with you.”

“Sure he is,” Yoongi says dryly, he himself not even sure why he’s so stubborn on this.

“Look, hyung,” Hoseok speaks up, exhaustion evident in his voice. “If you care so much about what Jimin thinks of you, I’ll just ask him myself, okay?”

Yoongi’s eyes widen. “Don’t.”

“I will,” Hoseok doesn’t shy away from Yoongi’s glare. “I will, if it means putting a stop to you complaining about Jimin. I’m tired of it all.”

Yoongi stands, startling everyone else. Seokjin looks like he’s ready to hold him back if he decides to pick a fight with Hoseok right then and there. But Yoongi isn’t that stupid.

“Fine. Do whatever you want,” Yoongi hisses, turning sharply and storming out of the cafeteria, leaving the others gaping after him.

xxx

There’s dance practice today, and everyone is as hardworking as ever, including Hoseok, except that he isn’t as focused as usual, chancing glances at Jimin every now and then.

 He’s still pondering how and when to ask Jimin about the Yoongi thing, having absolutely no idea at all despite the fact that he’s been thinking about it throughout the whole dance practice and said practice is slowly coming to an end.

When the clock strikes three, the dance crew calls it a day and starts saying goodbyes to each other. Hoseok suddenly remembers that Jimin always stays back at least two hours to work on his choreography, so it’s a perfect opportunity for Hoseok to get the two of them alone and finally asks him about the thing that’s bugging him for almost a whole day now.

Hoseok watches as the whole dance crew except Jimin filters out of the dance studio, smiling and exchanging goodbyes with whoever that passes by him. Soon only him and Jimin are left, the younger leaving the spot he’s been occupying since the start of their dance practice at one corner of the studio and walking towards where his bag is leaning against one of the walls.

Jimin bends over to grab his water bottle on the floor next to his bag before straightening, finally noticing that he’s not alone in the studio, which is usually deserted at this time.

“Hoseok hyung?” Jimin says, eyebrows rising in surprise as he walks closer to the other. “Are you staying back today?”

“Yeah,” Hoseok replies, trying to act casual by picking up his own water bottle to take a sip. “You staying ‘til?”

“Four,” Jimin answers, wiping sweat from his brow with the back of his hand.

“Oh? I thought you usually stay back at least two hours?” Hoseok asks.

“Not today. I’m meeting up with a friend whose lecture ends at four,” Jimin says, a faint trace of smile on his lips as he speaks. Hoseok barely resists the urge to snicker. Friend? More like lover. Yep, these two are definitely a thing.

“Yoongi hyung?” Hoseok asks, as if it ain’t obvious enough.

“Mhm,” Jimin hums, taking a sip of water.

“So you wait for him every day?” Hoseok asks again, mouth hanging open a little when Jimin nods in reply. “Wow, I – I didn’t know you guys are this close.”

Jimin huffs a laugh at this, albeit a little sadly. “Well, I wanted us to be close. For some reason Yoongi hyung always keeps his distance and sometimes I feel like he still hates me or something. He probably thinks I’m annoying too. But I – I don’t know any other way to get closer to him.”

Hoseok doesn’t know what to say. Jimin looks genuine, and – why does he look sad? – Hoseok is pretty sure that he doesn’t have to ask him about Yoongi to know what the younger thinks about him. It’s obvious that Jimin only wants to be friends and maybe, maybe a little bit more than that?

“Well I wasn’t expecting that,” Hoseok chuckles, giving Jimin’s shoulder a pat. “I’ve never really heard of anyone trying to get close to Yoongi hyung before, except for his popularity, you know.”

Jimin’s eyes widen. “That’s not why I –”

“I know, I know,” Hoseok laughs, waving a hand at the other. “I’m not saying that you’re one of them, calm down. What makes you want to be close to Yoongi hyung anyway?”

Jimin actually takes a moment to think before answering, and Hoseok doesn’t even try to hide the amused look on his face. He’s never seen Jimin this serious about a friend before, so he’s almost completely convinced that they’re more than that now.

“He’s…different, I guess,” Jimin starts, absentmindedly turning his water bottle in his hands as he speaks. “No one’s ever treated me like how he did before. People say he’s rude and cold, but I don’t see him like that. I know that he’ll be different once he opens up with other people. I’ve seen him with you guys, you know, the way he smiles and laughs and all, he looks good like that. He only ever glares at me – not that I mind, it doesn’t look as intimidating as I thought it would, but it’ll be nice if we can laugh together too. And he doesn’t like it when people watch him play basketball, but he’s really good at it and he looks cool when he plays. I – I want to know more about him, but not only through his friends, you know. I wish he’ll open up to me someday…”

Hoseok nods as he listens to Jimin, pretty sure that the other is rambling at this point, but he doesn’t stop him. Somehow, he feels like he’s listening to someone talking about their dreamy crush and he snickers inwardly at the thought. If only he could record this and show it to Yoongi later.

“Wow, okay, I didn’t know you –”  Hoseok begins speaking as Jimin finishes, pausing a moment to find an appropriate word. “– admire him that much?”

“Yeah,” Jimin almost sighs, lifting his water bottle for a sip and Hoseok does the same.

“He’s a pretty little thing.”

Hoseok chokes on his water.

xxx

Yoongi chokes on his rice.

“He – he said what?!” Yoongi wants to yell but he couldn’t, instead wheezing uncontrollably because he can’t catch his breath.

“Yes you heard me right,” Hoseok nods solemnly, his expression somewhat disgusted. “He said you’re a pretty li –”

“Okay don’t,” Yoongi groans, closing his hands over his ears with a pained look on his face. “Just stop talking for a moment.”

Hoseok shuts up and Yoongi groans again, barely restraining himself from banging his head on the table. When Hoseok first said that he’ll ask Jimin what does the other think about him, Yoongi was not expecting to hear an answer like this.

Well, at least Hoseok is smart enough to break the news when it’s only the two of them instead of the whole gang at the table. He doesn’t even want to know how the others will react. Especially Jungkook. Or Taehyung.

“Why would he even say something like that?” Yoongi sighs, dragging both hands down his face in an exasperated manner. “Honestly, I feel like it’s an insult more than any –”

“Yoongi hyung, please,” Hoseok interrupts him with a stern look on his face. “You’re smarter than this, stop acting clueless. Jimin admires you more than a normal friend should.”

“But I don’t,” Yoongi says, ignoring the way his heart clenches in his chest. “And I don’t know how to face him now.”

“Just treat him like how you normally would. And don’t try to avoid him, alright?” Hoseok sighs, his mouth turning downwards at the corners and the look on his face somewhat sympathetic. Yoongi doesn’t like it.

“I just hope he won’t try anything weird,” Yoongi mutters mostly to himself, eyes downcast.

“He deserves someone better than me.”

xxx

Yoongi doesn’t avoid Jimin, but he also secretly prays that they won’t see each other too frequently. However, Jimin never fails to look for him, so they still manage to meet up every day.

It’s not that Yoongi thinks Jimin is annoying or anything. He actually kind of likes the younger’s company, though he’ll never admit that. He just doesn’t want Jimin to get too close and comfortable and get his hopes high, only for Yoongi to reject him and shatter his heart into pieces.

But the way Jimin talks and smiles and laughs too hard sometimes, the way he bounces on the balls of his feet as he waits for Yoongi outside the lecture hall and the way he greets him every morning with a cup of coffee in his hand, the way he always likes to run his fingers through his own hair and the way he absentmindedly clutches onto the sleeve of the older’s sweater while they walk, make Yoongi forgets sometimes.

Not too close. A warning, quiet but always lurking at the back of his mind.

Sometimes, Yoongi just forgets.

xxx

Yoongi debates whether to go home early or not. His yet-to-complete assignment is lying heavy in his bag, and he knows himself well enough to confirm that he definitely couldn’t finish it anytime soon if he does it at home – he wouldn’t be able to concentrate with all kinds of distraction around him, for example his laptop.

After his only lecture of the day, Yoongi goes to the library and is determined to finish his assignment by today. The time is still early, so he can definitely complete it if he focuses.

 Yoongi buys a cup of coffee and chooses to settle down at one of the seats right next to the library’s large windows. Spreading all the materials he’ll need on the table and taking a sip of his coffee, he sets to work with an unusually high level of determination in his mind.

He works hard, only taking a break to grab lunch at the cafeteria before he’s back in the library again.

It’s almost evening when he’s finally done, the light from the windows spilling orange and yellow and Yoongi feels like his eyes are going to shut themselves automatically if he doesn’t go home and take a long nap now, maybe even sleep through dinner, because he won’t feel hungry anyway if he’s asleep.

Yawning into the back of his hand, Yoongi stretches his body a little before standing up, gathering his things on the table and shoving them into his bag before zipping it up.

He exits the library and takes a sharp turn to the right, not really looking at where he’s going and that’s when he barrels straight into someone else.

Yoongi lets out a soft “umph” as his chest collide with the other’s and he can feel the other’s nose bumping into his forehead.

“Sorry. I’m sorry,” Yoongi mutters quickly, his head still lowered as he tries to take a step back and away from the other’s personal space.

There’s a laugh above him, and suddenly a pair of arms are snaking around his waist and holding him in place.

Yoongi snaps his head up in shock, his eyes wide and his nose brushing against the other’s chin –

Jimin.

It’s Jimin, smiling down at him in that smug way of his, and their noses are now touching, and his arms are around his waist and they’re standing too close to each other and –

Yoongi gulps. Way too close.

“Oh, honey,” Jimin says in that voice, all sweet and dripping with honey, his breath warm and teasing against Yoongi’s lips. “You went straight into my arms. What should I do about that?”

“I didn’t do it on purpose,” Yoongi protests, internally screams when he feels his own face heats up. “How about you just let me go –”

“Kiss me and I will,” Jimin cuts him off abruptly, catching him completely by surprise.

Yoongi’s eyes go wide, his mouth falling open as he gapes dumbly at Jimin. Did he just –

“Kiss me and I will,” Jimin repeats calmly, taking advantage of Yoongi’s shocked state to slide a hand up his back and pressing it between his shoulder blades, bringing him close again.

Yoongi inhales sharply as their bodies are once again flush against each other’s. Jimin’s lips are centimeters from his. Too close too close too close.

Jimin leans in, going straight for Yoongi’s lips and the older gasps, turning away at the last moment. Jimin makes a noise of disapproval under his breath.

“Jimin, no,” Yoongi rasps, eyes frantically darting everywhere to see if there’s anyone around.

“Hyung,” Jimin almost pleads, all broken and torn. The sound makes Yoongi’s heart falter, but he knows he can’t give in. If he lets Jimin get what he wants, he will only plummet deeper into something that won’t happen and Yoongi won’t be able to stop it.

Yoongi turns to glare at Jimin as hard as he can, but that’s a very wrong move because the next thing he knows, the younger is surging forward and almost crashes their lips together.

The air in Yoongi’s lungs are knocked out forcefully and he flinches away at the unfamiliar sensation of someone else’s lips on his, a soft gasp falling from his mouth as he tries to pull away. Jimin has both of his hands pressed against Yoongi’s back, keeping him in place as he tilts his head a little to deepen the kiss.

Yoongi’s heart goes wild, lips parting at how hard Jimin kisses him but he doesn’t kiss back, he just stays still.

Jimin hums softly, and Yoongi actually panics when he feels a slip of tongue. He turns his head to the side, forcefully breaking the kiss. Jimin’s lips slide to his cheek, and he laughs softly at how warm it is.

“Let me go,” Yoongi utters, his voice quiet but firm. Jimin frowns but does as he’s told, moving to unwind his arms from around Yoongi’s body before taking a step backwards.

Yoongi wants to get mad at him, wants to yell at him, but he can’t because he isn’t mad at all. He’s just – lost, he doesn’t know what to do.

“You okay?” Jimin asks with small smile on his lips, blissfully unaware of the turmoil raging inside Yoongi.

Yoongi has to take a deep breath before answering, trying to force a smile but failing miserably. “I’ll…see you tomorrow.”

“Mhm,” Jimin hums, looking somewhat giddy as he waves at Yoongi, grinning even wider than before.

Yoongi turns away from his smile and leaves.

His heart is restless even as he goes to sleep that night.

xxx

Yoongi’s vision is blurry, his mind clouded as he shuffles down the hallway, yawning and stretching like a cat because guess what, someone couldn’t sleep at all last night.

Suddenly, he feels an arm sliding around his shoulders and something warm presses up against his side. Yoongi turns to his left and gets himself a face full of soft blond hair.

Jimin laughs as the other’s nose bumps into his ear. Yoongi’s heart jumps into his throat. Why is he always so close?

Yoongi steps aside in an attempt to detach himself from Jimin. The younger slides his hand down to Yoongi’s waist, preventing just that.

Yoongi couldn’t be more awake now. He splutters as Jimin brings their body close again, and his hold is strong enough that Yoongi couldn’t wiggle free.

“What do you want?” Yoongi sighs tiredly, flinching when Jimin moves close enough that the other’s nose is touching his hair. “Hey, don’t –”

“The hallway’s empty. No one’s watching,” Jimin points out, a small whine bubbling at the back of his throat when Yoongi still tries to escape his grasp.

When Yoongi cranes his neck to look around just to make sure, Jimin takes the chance to lean close and press a kiss to the curve of Yoongi’s jaw.

“Jimin, c’mon,” Yoongi lets out a groan and jerks his head away, his reaction earning a string of giggles from Jimin.

“What?” Jimin feigns innocence, finally letting go of Yoongi when the other elbows him in the ribs, harder than playful. Yoongi fixes him a glare that he blatantly ignores.

“Wanna go grab coffee?” Jimin offers, grinning and clutching onto the long sleeve of Yoongi’s shirt like he always does when the other doesn’t answer him but turns to start walking.

xxx

Whatever is going on between them, it goes on. There’s never a day that Jimin won’t come to Yoongi. For some reason, Jimin always knows his whereabouts. Yoongi’s hope of avoiding him has long since crushed and he just gives up and lets fate take the lead.

Jimin manages to steal quick kisses and soft touches every time he sees Yoongi. The older doesn’t even try to resist by now because Jimin would leave him alone sooner this way. Jimin finds it fun when Yoongi tries to escape his hold and will tease him for an even longer time.

Yoongi never succeeds in escaping anyway. Jimin is strong, and Yoongi seriously considers working out so that he can be the one manhandling Jimin one day.

And Jimin is just everywhere. Right outside the lecture hall, down the hallways, at the basketball court, across the cafeteria. Even around the corners –

“Yoongi hyung.”

Speak of the devil.

Yoongi tears his gaze from the floor and is instantly greeted with sight of Jimin’s smiling face.

Jimin doesn’t really smirk anymore, and Yoongi honestly prefers his smile. It’s warm and infectious, impossible for the people around him to not smile along.

When Jimin smiles, he looks like a totally different person. His features go soft, unlike the ‘bad boy look’ he plasters on when he’s not smiling, gaze sharp enough to kill and his full lips set in a flat line.

When Jimin smiles, his eyes narrow into beautiful crescents and his lips stretch to reveal almost perfect teeth.

Almost perfect, because his front teeth are slightly crooked. Yoongi doesn’t know why he noticed that.

“Where are you heading to?” Jimin asks, taking a step closer and Yoongi can smell faint whiffs of cologne.

“Home,” he answers shortly, groaning when Jimin raises his eyebrows. It’s what Jimin does when he has an idea, and Park Jimin with an idea is never a good thing.

“Let me walk you home,” Jimin suggests but his tone leaves no space for Yoongi to argue. It’s ridiculous. Yoongi actually scoffs. “Why?”

“It’s what friends do, no?” Jimin asks back with a shrug of his shoulders.

“We’re friends?” Yoongi questions, only half joking. After all they’ve done together, Jimin only sees them as friends? Shouldn’t it be more than that? At least friends with benefits? Now that Yoongi thinks about it, they’ve never really talk about this before. What are they?

Jimin lets out a laugh at this. “Unless you want to be more.”

Now Yoongi is confused. Is this a confession? After everything, he thought Jimin likes him. Or does Jimin see him as one of those girls he plays around with? Is Yoongi only a toy to him?

Caught up in his own thoughts, Yoongi shoves past Jimin and stomps down the hallway without looking back. A string of giggles trail behind him, and within seconds Jimin is beside him again, blissfully unaware of Yoongi’s inner conflicts as usual. The younger holds onto his wrist as they walk towards the main gates, Jimin’s thumb tracing small circles into Yoongi’s inner wrist but the latter is too absentminded to realize that and pull away.

As soon as they’re outside of campus, Jimin’s fingers slide down to Yoongi’s hand and wrap around it. Jimin’s hand is soft and warm around his, and it takes Yoongi longer than necessary to react.

“What are you doing?” Yoongi sighs, doesn’t even have the chance to try and withdraw his hand because Jimin is already holding on tighter.

“Isn’t it nice? Like this?” Jimin grins, sidling up close next to Yoongi until their shoulders bump. Yoongi stares down at their linked hands for a moment, his expression blank.

“Do whatever you want,” Yoongi murmurs, not really thinking before speaking. “It doesn’t mean anything anyway.”

“Suuuure,” Jimin mocks, light and teasing as usual, but what Yoongi doesn’t know is the slight pang of hurt the younger tries to hide after listening to his words.

They fall silent after that, Jimin letting Yoongi lead him down the streets and towards wherever his home is located.

Eventually they stop in front of a modest apartment and Yoongi lets out a somewhat relieved sigh, shifting to pull his hand out of Jimin’s grasp before heading towards his apartment without a word.

“Yoongi hyung, wait, don’t go yet,” Jimin calls behind him and Yoongi can almost hear the pout in his voice.

Yoongi turns to face him again with a frustrated groan, but he doesn’t even get the chance to complain because Jimin is already pulling him close and kissing him silent.

The kiss is soft and quick, Jimin pulling away before Yoongi can even react. There’s some sort of tenderness in it that Yoongi’s never felt before, and it sends his mind reeling because there’s so much that he doesn’t understand, and he’s confused and tired and wants to be alone, so that he can sort out all of these strange feelings that are haunting him and he’s starting to feel suffocated now, he needs to be alone right now.

“See you tomorrow,” Jimin says, his voice so soft that it’s almost a whisper and his smile even softer. It just adds to all those strange feelings inside Yoongi and he has to turns away, barely resisting the urge to just sprint towards his apartment.

Yoongi doesn’t say goodbye.

xxx

Jimin walks Yoongi home every day. Sometimes they would talk, about everything and anything at all. Other times, they let themselves settle in a comfortable silence.

Yoongi resolves to act as apathetic as possible to all of Jimin’s approach, hoping that the younger would understand one day and doesn’t do anything to try and make them closer than how they already are.

And Jimin is…unpredictable. Somehow, he gets softer and more aggressive at the same time. Yoongi could never forget the first time they didn’t see each other for a day because Jimin was absent, and when they meet again the next day Jimin was practically out of control.

He slammed Yoongi against the lockers in the (thankfully) deserted hallway, mouth pressing hard against his and swallowing all the little noises Yoongi made out of utter surprise.

“I miss you,” Jimin sighed, not even bothering to pull away completely, lips brushing against Yoongi’s as he spoke.

While Yoongi tried to regain his normal breathing pattern, Jimin slipped his arms around Yoongi’s waist and held him close.

Yoongi felt like something warm spilled in his chest and he couldn’t help it, not when Jimin shifted to rest his forehead against the other’s shoulder and breathed slowly.

“Why would you miss me? I shouldn’t mean anything to you,” Yoongi only managed to voice out the first half of his sentence, whereas the other half left his heart clenching in an almost painful way, though he didn’t really know what he’s feeling.

“Why wouldn’t I?” Jimin laughed, dropping a kiss onto Yoongi’s exposed collarbones before pulling away and lacing their fingers together. “Let’s go home.”

Yoongi simply nodded, eyes trained to the floor so that he didn’t have to look at the way Jimin smiled at him – so soft and full of something that at this point, Yoongi is afraid to look at.

He wondered, for the uncountable-th time, if he’s the only one who was able to see this side of Jimin. He supposed not, but it didn’t hurt to hope. No, wait, hope was not the right word –

“Yoongi hyung,” Jimin called, snapping Yoongi out of his thoughts. “What are you thinking about?”

“Not you,” Yoongi blurted, immediately experiencing an overwhelming urge to punch himself after that, because Jimin was looking at him with his eyebrows raised, his expression nothing short of smug.

“Not me?” Jimin pressed, laughing when Yoongi glared at him, daring him to say anything more. Jimin was not even a bit intimidated. “You sure?”

Yoongi merely rolled his eyes and quickened his footsteps, dragging Jimin behind him. The younger squeezed his hand playfully, giggling all the way as they headed towards Yoongi’s apartment as usual.

xxx

Jimin doesn’t come to meet Yoongi today, which is unusual because they hardly spend a day without seeing each other. Yoongi dimly wonders if Jimin has finally gotten his message and therefore will keep his distance from now on, not wanting to make him feel uncomfortable or anything. But Yoongi also realizes that he doesn’t want to lose a friend altogether, and maybe he should talk to Jimin and explain to him that he isn’t trying to cut all ties with him, they could still be friends and Yoongi cherishes the friendship between them.

While Jimin can sometimes be annoying, it’s not the bad kind of annoying and it’s cute sometimes, the way he acts almost like a petulant child. He likes to laugh a lot and he makes Yoongi laugh too, he makes Yoongi happy. He’s not always showing it, but Jimin is caring. And kind. Although he’s mischievous and always, always teasing, it’s never in a mean kind of way.

It’s already four in the afternoon, and Yoongi may or may not have stayed late just to see if Jimin will come to find him. He’s kind of, maybe, somewhat, just slightly disappointed when Jimin still doesn’t appear while he’s ready to leave the campus.

Yoongi strolls down the hallways, quiet except for the soft crunch of his footsteps against the tiled floor. It’s so quiet, quiet enough that he’s able to pick up a few voices as he nears the corner of one of the hallways.

Yoongi couldn’t see who they are because they’re standing around the corner and thus shielded by the wall, but from what he hears it’s a group of girls talking, their voice high-pitched and light.

“ – never seen you treat someone like this before!”

“Yeah, aren’t you and Yoongi together?”

Suddenly, a male voice adds in, and Yoongi instantly recognizes it as Jimin’s.

“No, no, no. Stop saying that we are!”

Jimin’s answer sends a pang of sadness to Yoongi’s heart. He doesn’t know why he’s feeling what he’s feeling right now, because Jimin is speaking the truth – they’re not an item, no matter how the rumors say otherwise. Also, Yoongi should be relieved that Jimin doesn’t assume what they have between them are beyond friends.

“But you guys are close, right?” One of the girls questions again.

Jimin snickers, but it’s not that genuine, warm sound that Yoongi’s familiar with. “Nah, nothing like that.”

Yoongi freezes, a frown settling on his features as he listens to Jimin’s nonchalant answer. After everything they had done together, aren’t they considered close friends, at least?

“Come on, Jimin, you’re lying –”

“We saw how you two are always together! You’re just as close with him as the rest of your popular gang, if not more.”

“You two are at least friends, right?”

Jimin deliberately hums in thought, the girls complaining and urging him to answer their questions.

“Friends? I don’t know, actually. I just know him,” Jimin says and Yoongi can picture him shrugging, doesn’t give a care about every word he said even though they are sharp like knives, stabbing at Yoongi’s heart and leaving behind open wounds.

Yoongi doesn’t even know that he’s clenching his fists until his nails dig into the palm of his hands hard enough to hurt, threatening to break skin. His mind, the rational part of him tells him to turn away and leave, to stop hurting himself by listening to whatever Jimin still has to say. However, his heart stubbornly wants him to stay. And this time, he listens to the latter.

“So you guys aren’t even friends? And there I thought something’s going on between you two!” One of the girls exclaims.

“Yeah, me too! I’m disappointed, Jimin.”

“Are you saying that he’s like a…toy to you? That you’ll throw him away once you find someone else to have fun with?”

Everyone quiets down at that. Yoongi can feel the blood in his veins run cold, his heart clenching so painfully that he almost gasps out loud and the pounding of his heartbeat in his ears are near deafening that he’s sure it’s echoing down the hallway.

Suddenly, Jimin laughs, shattering the stillness in the air. “Toy?” he muses, letting out another laugh that’s completely void of humor in Yoongi’s ears. “That’s too harsh. But I can tell you that we’re not friends.”

The last bit of hope in Yoongi’s heart is crushed into nothing upon hearing Jimin’s words. He doesn’t know why he even tried to hope in the first place. Yoongi clutches at his heart as a mix of emotions washes over him like a wave and the pain in his chest is numb at this point. He feels sad and disappointed and confused all at once, but mostly, he feels betrayed. Yoongi treated Jimin genuinely as a friend, he cared for him and never did anything that hurt him. Even when he found out that Jimin might have feelings for him, Yoongi didn’t completely avoid him or directly reject him because he didn’t want to hurt the younger in any way.

Suddenly, all Yoongi can feel is anger, boiling deep at his very core and licking at every inch of his body like the tongues of a flame. He’s angry at Jimin for playing around with his feelings and he’s angry at himself for falling into Jimin’s trap, for being so clueless and stupid enough to trust someone like Jimin.

Park Jimin, Yoongi seethes, turning on his heels and storming away from Jimin and the others, the anger raging inside of him threatening to consume him. This is where we end.

xxx

Avoiding Jimin isn’t that difficult when Yoongi tries hard enough. He doesn’t go for his locker like he usually would every morning as soon as he arrives at campus, because he knows that Jimin will be waiting for him there with Yoongi’s daily dose of caffeine in his hand. He goes straight to the lecture hall instead, taking a seat and waiting for the lecture to start.

Yoongi doesn’t go to the cafeteria either. Somehow, Jimin never fails to sit opposite of him no matter where he sits and after some time, Yoongi is convinced that it isn’t a coincidence anymore. He even experimented a little on this matter, choosing different seats in the cafeteria every day and when he looks up, Jimin is always there, catching his gaze and smiling back at him.

Back then, Yoongi’s heart would’ve stuttered in his chest at the thought of Jimin purposely choosing to sit opposite of him every day without fail. But now, he just feels annoyed by the fact.

As soon as his lectures end, Yoongi heads home and doesn’t stop by his locker first like he usually would because Jimin might be waiting for him there. He half expects to see Jimin waiting outside the lecture hall and is immensely relieved when he finds that the younger is not there.

Yoongi succeeds in avoiding Jimin for a whole day and he couldn’t help but think that it’s better to keep things this way, for he himself doesn’t know what he’ll do when he sees Jimin again, the rage he’d feel inside of him last time is so intense that it scares him. The last thing he wants is to get in a fight with Jimin in front of the whole campus and ruining whatever is left of his image.

Yoongi’s perfect plan of avoiding Jimin is ruined the very next day when the older goes to grab something from his locker. Yoongi has already purposefully chosen to go to his locker during the dance crew’s practice time so that Jimin won’t be anywhere other than the dance studio and the two of them won’t bump into each other.

However, fate is cruel and Yoongi finds Jimin standing in front of his locker, staring at the floor with his arms crossed over his chest, like he’s been waiting for Yoongi to appear for some time now.

 “Yoongi hyung!” Jimin gasps, his whole face lighting up with a smile when he spots the other. Yoongi pointedly avoids his gaze and has to restrain himself from slamming the door of his locker right in Jimin’s face as he opens it. Jimin’s smile falls as he realizes that Yoongi is ignoring him.

“Hyung,” Jimin says, frowning at Yoongi who’s busy rummaging through his stuff and hasn’t even spared him a glance. “Are you absent yesterday? Are you not feeling well? I was worried.”

Yoongi doesn’t answer. As soon as he finds what he’s looking for, he shoves it into his bag roughly before shutting his locker. When he turns to leave, Jimin’s voice stops him.

“Hyung, please,” he says, voice wavering and a little broken. Yoongi turns to him, only to send him a cold glare that chills him to the bones. Jimin slowly raises a hand, itching to touch. Yoongi doesn’t let him, almost hisses when the younger’s fingers hover over his upper arm.

“Don’t touch me.”

Jimin freezes at the venom dripping from his voice, his eyes wide as they stare back at Yoongi. The older holds his gaze, but only for a moment longer before he’s cursing under his breath and turning around to leave, never once stopping or looking back.

Jimin calls after him, but Yoongi’s footsteps never falter.

xxx

The next time Yoongi goes for his locker, it’s during one of Jimin’s dance practices again. The chances of Jimin skipping his dance practice two times in a row is highly unlikely, so Yoongi is assured that he won’t be seeing the younger that day.

Jimin is nowhere in sight when Yoongi reaches his locker, and he sighs in relief before pulling it open. The rush of relief he felt vanishes as quickly as it comes when his eyes land on a cup of coffee and a small, brown box sitting inside his locker.

Yoongi curses himself for not locking his locker out of his forgetfulness. He grabs the coffee with one hand and the box with the other, the coffee already cold from being there a few hours ago since morning. There’s a note underneath the box and Yoongi scowls at it.

I don’t know what I did but I’m sorry. Please don’t be like this.

Yoongi scrunches up the note and tosses it into the trash bin without a second thought, along with the cold cup of coffee and the little box.

xxx

It’s been days since Yoongi last stayed back for basketball, but it felt like ages and he’s itching to play. He’s never go this long without playing basketball before, and the only reason he avoided staying back is no other than Park Jimin.

However, he knows very well that stop playing basketball for more than a few days will do him no good. It’s only a matter of time before he needs to pick up basketball again if he wants to keep his skills from plummeting and steer clear of his coach’s yelling.

So, Yoongi makes a decision to finally stay back today but just to be safe, he waits outside Taehyung’s lecture hall and pulls the younger aside once he sees him. Taehyung yelps in surprise, Yoongi appearing out of nowhere and clutching at his arm. Taehyung is the only person Yoongi knows is close enough with Jimin that can tell him about his whereabouts, so Yoongi comes to him.

“Hey,” Yoongi greets unceremoniously, ignoring Taehyung’s loud complaints of “Hyung you scared me!” and glancing around in fear of sighting a particular blond-haired boy. “Where’s Jimin? He’s going home already?”

Taehyung frowns at Yoongi for a second before nodding. “Yeah, he said he’s tired or something so he isn’t staying back.”

“Good,” Yoongi sighs, sounding just as relieved as he feels. Taehyung raises his eyebrows in question and stops Yoongi when he turns to leave.

“What happened between you two?” Taehyung asks, the scowl on his face deepening when Yoongi doesn’t answer immediately.

“You said he’s genuinely happy that he’s friends with me,” Yoongi scoffs, practically speaking to himself instead of answering Taehyung’s question.

“Okay, I don’t know what’s going on, but,” Taehyung huffs, sounding very serious which is quite rare. “Jimin’s really upset these days and I’ve never seen him like this before. Also, I’ve known him for years so that’s saying something. If he made you mad or something, just forgive him, okay? He really cherish you as a friend, a lot –”

“He doesn’t even think of me as a friend,” Yoongi laughs bitterly, silencing Taehyung with a hand when the other opens his mouth to protest. “I don’t want to talk about him anymore. I’m going, Tae. Thanks.”

Taehyung purses his lips in frustration but doesn’t say anything. Yoongi wants to give him a small smile but the corners of his lips wouldn’t budge, so he just pats Taehyung’s shoulder once before making his way to the basketball court.

xxx

Three hours later, Yoongi’s shirt is soaked through with sweat and his face is so hot it feels like it’s on fire, his skin tingling with the usual numbness after spending hours under the unforgiving sun.

Deciding that it’s enough practice for the day, Yoongi tucks the basketball underneath his arm before going for the benches to gather his belongings, stopping dead when he sees Jimin sitting there and the sight of the younger makes him feel a strong sense of déjà vu.

Jimin uncrosses his legs and sits up straighter with a tight smile on his lips, trying to catch Yoongi’s eyes when the older stalks towards where his belongings are placed next to Jimin on the bench but refuses to look at him.

“Hi, Yoongi hyung,” Jimin says, his voice small and the way he twists his hands together in his lap nervously makes him look even smaller.

Yoongi gathers his stuff into his bag without sparing Jimin a single glance. He can feel the younger’s gaze on him, though. Confused, upset. Almost desperate.

“Y-Yoongi –” Jimin tries again, but immediately cuts himself off when Yoongi lets out a scoff, a sound that’s cold and harsh and it pierces right through Jimin’s aching heart.

“And Taehyung said you’re gone,” Yoongi sneers, shrugging the strap of his bag on one shoulder before turning around to leave.

He completely misses the absolutely hurt look on Jimin’s face, the fact that Yoongi goes as far as asking Taehyung about his whereabouts just for the sake of avoiding him makes him feel like his heart is being torn apart.

As Yoongi walks away from Jimin, he’s expecting the younger to run after him or call for him, but Jimin does neither and Yoongi breathes out a heavy sigh, relieved. He quickens his pace, praying that he won’t run into Jimin tomorrow, or better, ever again.

xxx

Yoongi is staying back for some assignments today, and he can’t help himself but asks Jungkook about Jimin this time. The younger boy cheerfully tells him that Jimin has already gone home, wholly oblivious to the fact that Yoongi is actually trying his hardest to avoid Jimin and not the opposite. Yoongi thanks him before heading to the library.

Four hours later and with one assignment out of the way, Yoongi tidies up his stuff and gets ready to head home. He just needs to grab some books from his locker before leaving the campus.

It’s late already, the sky glowing pink and orange and the campus nearly deserted. Yoongi walks down the hallways, eerily quiet and illuminated by the pale glow of the fluorescent lights. As soon as he reaches his locker, Yoongi wastes no time and starts searching for the books he needs.

All of a sudden, he’s being pulled aside by a pair of strong hands on his shoulders, turned around and slammed against the locker next to his, his back stinging from the impact of metal against skin. Yoongi groans, caught off guard by being manhandled so suddenly.

As he blinks his eyes back into focus, his nose catches on the faint smell of Jimin’s cologne and his mind screeches to a halt. The first thing he sees is the silver chain dangling right in front of his face, indicating just how little distance there is between the two of them right now.

Yoongi eyes trails up and he’s just about to snap at Jimin and tell him to let go, but the look on Jimin’s face stops him.

“Yoongi,” Jimin says, dropping all honorifics, his voice close to pleading. “Please, talk to me.”

Yoongi stays quiet and for the first time in a week, he looks at Jimin, really looks at him. Jimin looks tired, gone is the twinkle in his eyes that always makes them look bright, but his eyes are now dim and heavy, almost despairing. The faint touch of sunlight on his skin is gone, he looks pale and not unlike he’s lost a few nights worth of sleep. His mouth is downturned, a sight that’s rarely seen because there’s always a subtle smirk to his lips every time Yoongi sees him.

Clenching his fists, Yoongi stomps down on the guilt that bubbles in his chest before he lets the emotion take over him and does something stupid, like forgiving Jimin so easily.

“Don’t touch me,” Yoongi hisses, glaring at Jimin until he lets go of his shoulders. The younger’s eyes are wide, on the verge of tears. Yoongi’s heart stutters but he ignores it.

“You don’t even see me as a friend,” Yoongi says darkly, fire burning at the back of his eyes. “I’m just a toy that you can play around with and throw away right after.”

Jimin splutters, hands shaking. “W-what are you talking –”

“Don’t lie,” Yoongi cuts him off, his glare colder than ice. “I heard everything you told those girls.”

Jimin freezes, his eyes widening when realization strikes him. His bottom lip trembles when he tries to speak, scrambling for words. “N-no, that’s not –”

“Stop denying,” Yoongi talks over him, unconsciously raising his voice. “You –”

“No!” Jimin screams, effectively shutting Yoongi up and the older is so shocked at the sudden outburst that he can only stare back at Jimin dumbly, his mouth hanging open.

“You misunderstood!” Jimin continues, his voice high and desperate. “Those girls thought that I’m very close to you so they asked me about you, they kept pestering me because I wouldn’t say anything! They asked me what you like and they asked me if you’re really what those rumors said you are, cold and unapproachable and all those shit and they just, they won’t stop asking. I didn’t want to tell them because they’re interested in you, I don’t want them to bother you and I –”

“Okay hold on,” Yoongi interrupts, eyes wide and surprised and beyond confused. “They’re interested in me?”

“A lot of people are,” Jimin mutters, his cheeks suddenly pinker than before. “And those girls were trying to get information from me so that they can get closer to you. I don’t want anyone to get close to you like that, so I made up all kinds of excuses, said that I don’t even know you so that they’ll give up. I could’ve just told them that you’re mine and asked them to mind their own business and keep their noses out, but y-you’re not m-mine yet and I – I mean I want you to be b-but I –”

“Park Jimin,” Yoongi cuts him off again, unable to stop himself. “Are you confessing right now?”

Jimin’s mouth hangs open and his cheeks colours, even the tips of his ears turning a soft shade of pink and yep, he’s definitely blushing. Yoongi can probably die from how cute he looks right now.

“I-I’m not, uh, yes, but n-not –” Jimin stumbles over his own words, eyes darting everywhere but never landing on Yoongi.

Yoongi holds up a finger and Jimin immediately snaps his mouth shut, staring at him with wide eyes.

“I’ll give you one more chance,” Yoongi says, couldn’t stop the faint smile that curls his lips when Jimin is a flustered and spluttering mess in front of him. A truly rare sight.

Jimin takes a deep breath before biting down on his bottom lip lightly. Yoongi coos internally at how cute he looks when he’s nervous like this, but those coos turn into screams when Jimin suddenly leans in, close enough that their noses are nearly brushing.

“Yoongi,” Jimin’s voice is hushed, his tongue flicking over his own lips briefly to wet them and Yoongi wants to die. “I’ve liked you for a long, long time and I – I really want you. I’m always teasing you and being mean, because I don’t know how to approach you and every time I see you I just – I don’t know what to do. I’m sorry that I’m annoying and I always make you mad because I, uhm, I’ve never like someone this much before and I have no idea what to do with you. But please, please believe me that I really, really like you. Can you – will you be mine?”

Instead of answering, Yoongi fists the front of Jimin’s shirt and pulls him down for a kiss. Jimin lets out a soft, watery laugh before sliding his arms around Yoongi’s waist and kisses back, hard.

Yoongi pulls him close and even closer, like he couldn’t bear the thought that there’s any space left between their bodies. Jimin runs a hand through Yoongi’s hair before sliding down to cup his jaw and turn his face into a deeper kiss. Yoongi makes a small, muffled noise at the back of his throat, hands sliding down Jimin’s back and Jimin damn near loses his mind.

After they pull apart, Jimin rests his forehead against Yoongi’s and reaches up to swipe a thumb over the corner of Yoongi’s mouth, smiling softly at the slight flush on Yoongi’s cheeks.

“I’ve wanted to do that since forever,” Jimin murmurs, his heart seizing up when Yoongi looks up at him through his lashes.

Yoongi lets out a soft laugh but doesn’t say anything, shivering a little when Jimin’s thumb runs over his bottom lip slowly.

“Is that a yes?” Jimin asks after a few moments of silence.

Yoongi snorts. “Do you want me to kiss you again?”

“Yes,” Jimin breathes quietly, eyes falling shut and a smile curling his lips.

“Please.”

xxx

Jimin stands outside one of the lecture halls on campus, quietly humming a song to himself as he waits for Yoongi.

After a few more minutes of waiting, students start to exit the lecture hall and Jimin does an excited little jump when he spots Yoongi among them.

Yoongi looks around and as soon as his eyes fall on Jimin, a warm smile stretches across his lips and he immediately turns to walk towards him.

Jimin meets him halfway and when they’re close enough, the younger leans forward, pursing his lips slightly to ask for a kiss. Yoongi rolls his eyes at him fondly but dips down to comply anyway, pressing a quick kiss to Jimin’s full lips before pulling away.

Jimin makes a delighted noise under his breath, his eyes curving into pretty crescents as he slides his hand into Yoongi’s before entwining their fingers.

“Hungry?” Yoongi asks, laughing at the way Jimin nods enthusiastically. They walk to the cafeteria and buy themselves some food before going to their usual spot – a wooden bench in the shade of a large tree near the campus’s open field. Ever since they’re together, Jimin ditched his gang of popular kids and is now spending time with Yoongi and his friends instead.

Hoseok and the others are not at all surprised when Yoongi introduced Jimin as his boyfriend in front of them one day. Instead, they look somewhat smug, nudging each other and saying “I told you so” with wicked grins on their faces and Yoongi very nearly chokes all of those idiots that day if not for Jimin holding him back with his small hands curled into the hem of his shirt and a smile on his face that’s so full of content and affection it makes Yoongi forgets all about his stupid friends.

And now, as they settle themselves on the wooden bench under the tree, Jimin takes Yoongi’s food out of his hands and set it aside along with his own. Yoongi looks at him curiously and raises an eyebrow in question.

“I got something for you,” Jimin explains with a smile, pulling a small red box out of his bag and pushing the lid open with his thumb. He takes out a ring from the box and presses it into Yoongi’s open palm.

Yoongi holds the ring close to examine it. It’s a simple silver ring, no swirling patterns, no embed jewels, no nothing. When it catches the sunlight, however, it reflects a beautiful light blue colour.

“I always thought your hands will look nice with some accessories on,” Jimin says, watching as Yoongi brushes his index finger along the curve of the ring with a fond smile on his face.

“Thank you,” Yoongi murmurs, turning the ring over and only then, notices the word Jimin engraved on the inside of the ring. Yoongi hums in question. “Why is it your name?”

Jimin looks away and fiddles with his fingers absentmindedly. “It’s – it’s stupid but, uhm, I think of it as a part of me, so that, uh, wherever and whenever you are, there’s always a part of me with you. I-it’s stupid. I know it is.”

“No, Jimin,” Yoongi says, smiling softly when Jimin turns to look at him again. “That’s so sweet of you. I really like it, thank you.”

Jimin sighs, a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips as he takes the ring from Yoongi and slides it onto the other’s right ring finger. Then, he takes Yoongi’s hand in his before leaning down to press a soft kiss against the cool surface of the ring.

Yoongi laughs a little at his ministrations, warmth spreading throughout his body when Jimin looks up again and pouts, silently asking for a kiss. Yoongi sighs softly before complying, gently brushing Jimin’s cheeks with the back of his fingers.

“I really like you, Jimin-ah.”

“I – me too, hyung.”

xxx

Yoongi and Jimin promised each other to stay back and study at the library today, and surprisingly, it’s Jimin who came up with this idea a few days ago.

Since Jimin stopped hanging out with his previous gang, he doesn’t go around wasting time anymore and starts to really focus on his academics instead. He doesn’t skip classes anymore and he uses his free time to study, working hard to catch up with his lectures.

When he first asked Yoongi if he wanted to study together at the library, the older couldn’t even begin to describe how proud he felt. He nodded enthusiastically before pulling Jimin into a hug and then proceeded to smother him with kisses. Jimin squealed and complained at how dramatic Yoongi was being, but he couldn’t stop smiling either.

So a few days later, Yoongi stands outside the library and waits patiently for Jimin to arrive. When Jimin does, he’s smiling widely as he skips towards Yoongi, laughing happily when he goes right into Yoongi’s open arms and plants a loud kiss on his cheek.

“What’re you so happy about?” Yoongi asks, eyeing Jimin curiously as the other presses his face into the hollow of Yoongi’s neck to hide his smile. Jimin looks up at him, the way his eyes curve and crinkle as he smiles is so endearing that Yoongi doesn’t even try to stop himself from leaning down to drop a kiss on the tip of Jimin’s nose.

“No, it’s just,” Jimin says, biting his lip to keep his smile from widening even more. “This is where our first kiss happened, remember?”

Yoongi frowns at him for a moment before he remembers, a gasp slipping past his lips as he glares at Jimin accusingly. “No, wait, you forcefully kissed me that time!”

Now it’s Jimin’s turn to frown and complain. “Oh come on, I’m trying to be romantic here and you’re just ruining the mood. Besides, you wouldn’t kiss me so I had to do it first.”

“I haven’t realized that I like you back then,” Yoongi argues, pinching Jimin’s side when the younger rolls his eyes at him. “Now, stop pouting and let’s go study already, okay? We’re wasting time here.”

“Fine. Humph,” Jimin says petulantly, pout still present on his lips as he tugs Yoongi towards the library’s entrance.

They enter the library and chose to sit at a table right next to one of the large windows. They study quietly, only talking when they ask each other questions about some topics that they don’t understand.

Soon, the sky is turning orange and yellow outside the windows and there’s only very few people left in the library.

Jimin stretches a little on his seat, groaning at the stiffness of his back muscles. “Yoongi,” he says quietly, catching Yoongi’s attention. “It’s late. Should we go now?”

“Uh, sure, but,” Yoongi clears his throat, suddenly looking a little nervous. “But first, I have something for you.”

“Oh, really?” Jimin breathes out a quiet laugh, shuffling closer. “What is it?”

Yoongi digs around his bag for a moment before taking out a small blue box. Jimin laughs at the sight of it. “Really? You got me the same thing?”

“Almost,” Yoongi mutters, thumbing the lid of the box open and lifting the ring inside by pinching it between his thumb and index finger. It’s very similar to the ring adorning Yoongi’s finger, a simple silver ring that has no special designs whatsoever.

Yoongi holds out his hand expectantly, and Jimin laughs before placing his hand on top of Yoongi’s, their palms almost pressing together.

“You’re so cheesy,” Jimin says as Yoongi gently slips the ring onto Jimin’s ring finger. Jimin withdraws his hand to study the ring, a pleased smile on face. “Let me guess, you put your name on this one too, huh?”

“Yeah,” Yoongi mumbles, taking Jimin’s hand in his before lacing their fingers together and admiring how their rings gleam under the evening light spilling from the windows. “You should’ve made it a couple ring when you bought me this last time, you know? You’re so insensitive.”

Jimin makes an offended noise at this, but he’s smiling nonetheless. “Hmm, then how should I make it up to you?” he asks, leaning forward and into Yoongi’s space with a mischievous grin.

“Mmm,” Yoongi hums thoughtfully and pretends to think hard, pursing his lips for effect. “Ice cream?”

Jimin smiles at him softly.

“Ice cream.”

xxx

When Yoongi sees Jimin the next morning and the ring he gifted him the day before dangling from the sliver chain around his neck, the sudden surge of emotion Yoongi feels is unlike anything before.

I don’t have anything important enough as the pendant. Not yet.

Yoongi lets out a soft “oh” as his heart swells, full of something so soft and sweet and warm. Jimin smiles at him, and the sight of his lover makes Yoongi feels like he’s bursting at the seams.

Yoongi pulls Jimin close, cups his jaw with both hands and without a care in the world, kisses him. Jimin lets out a surprised sound, followed by a muffled giggle as he kisses Yoongi back with fervour, hands sliding around his waist to hold him close.

Yoongi pulls back after a while, his eyes bright and swimming with emotion. With a soft sigh, he presses his forehead against Jimin’s.

“I love you.”

Jimin smiles, tender and so breathtakingly beautiful.

“I love you too. Since forever.”