Work Text:
It starts on an otherwise completely normal Friday in April, when Yoongi had let Hoseok and Jin drag him out of his room, sat his ass down on a seat in one of their favourite restaurants and told him that they hadn't seen him since the New Year – which is an outright lie, but he is weak for puppy eyes.
Which... it's not like Yoongi doesn't like their company, but he's busy. He needs to finish his thesis project, he needs to start looking for a job and mentally prepare himself for being an actual adult, so socialising is really at the back of his mind at the moment. And okay, maybe he missed a lot of things recently, but that's just something he – and his friends – have to deal with right now.
So maybe he shouldn't be surprised that when Jimin walks in, there's a new guy next to him. Tall thin, high cheekbones, grey hair falling down into his eyes. He's handsome, just like Jimin and Yoongi wonders just how much he has missed that they got someone new in their friend group, when Jin says:
"Oh, Jimin brought his new bf."
Yoongi chokes on his drink and bends forward, forehead against the table, as Jin makes actual air-quotes around the abbreviation. He misses the look that passes between his friends entirely, while he tries to regain some air.
Jimin.
Boyfriend.
Jimin has a boyfriend.
Jimin hasn't had a boyfriend in two years, nearly as long as Yoongi has known him and Yoongi... Yoongi has gotten quite used to that. He likes Jimin single. A single Jimin means dropping by at unexpected times, dragging Yoongi out of his shell, making him laugh.
Suddenly he isn't surprised why he hasn't seen Jimin in weeks, why he's only gotten sporadic texts. He had thought Jimin had left him alone because he respected his academic aspirations, but it seems like there is a much easier explanation after all.
"Yoongi-hyung!" Jimin seems surprised to see him, the guy at his side forgotten for a second as he launches himself at Yoongi. Yoongi catches him and ruffles his head. He grunts as a greeting, not daring to speak as long as the guy is standing there – he doesn't want to give himself away after all - and Jimin pulls back.
"Hyung, this is Taehyung, Tae, this is Yoongi-hyung."
Taehyung nods in his direction, a strange look in his face. Even that one makes him look really good.
They sit down in front of him, Jimin clinging to Taehyung, smiling at his face and Yoongi... Yoongi realises he really doesn't like this guy.
It's odd seeing Jimin be so invested in someone, when Yoongi is pretty sure that so far Jimin has always clung to him, has always wanted to speak to him. It's unusual and a change and he doesn't like it.
"Hyung?"
Yoongi looks up from his drink, lost in thought of how much he doesn't like this guy, when Jimin speaks to him.
"Were you listening?" There's a strange look in Jimin's face that he can't quite read. But then Jimin isn't usually used to Yoongi not listening to him.
"Sorry, what were you saying?"
"I was telling you how Tae is also from Daegu! He moved here a few weeks ago." Jimin seems excited and Yoongi forces the corners of his mouth to go up. Jimin knows how much Yoongi loves his hometown, so of course he would want to tell him and usually Yoongi would be all for talking about how much he misses Daegu and how they maybe even know the same people, but right now he just looks at Taehyung, raises an eyebrow and hums.
He looks down on his phone again, actively ignoring Jimin and his boyfriend and misses the startled look in Jimin's eyes.
He's saved from being scolded by Jin by the arrival of Namjoon and Jungkook and finally the attention shifts away from him as Taehyung gets the welcoming he probably deserves.
Jimin looks genuinely happy as he introduces them to each other, his fingers playing with Taehyung's. Yoongi learns that Taehyung has moved to Seoul only weeks ago, that they've known each other for ages and that it soo sooo cool that they're finally in the same town.
Yoongi spends the evening glued to his phone, low-key listening to Jimin ramble about all the things they have in common and how they've always known they belong together and high-key stalking this Taehyung guy online to confirm his suspicions about him being the worst person Yoongi has ever met.
He only grunts when Jimin wishes him a goodbye a few hours later and categorically ignores Hoseok laughing at him the whole way home.
It doesn't get better. It's Taehyung this, Taehyung that. When – if – Jimin texts him it's always with "Taehyung and I went shopping today", "Taehyung invited me to the cinema today!" or "Taehyung proposed today and we're going to move into a house and adopt five dogs and a mini-pig together".
Okay, maybe Yoongi knows deep down that he's overreacting a little bit, but if Jimin's next text would contain any of these words he would not be surprised anymore.
"Have you considered that maybe you're jealous?" Hoseok says one evening and Yoongi looks up from his phone - he has Jimin's instagram profile open, hovering over the like button of his and Taehyung's newest selfie – and turns his head around to him very slowly.
"Excuse me?" he asks, giving Hoseok an out, but as always his best friend doesn't know what's good for him.
"Jimin is spending a lot of time with Taehyung." Yoongi grunts. "And I bet you're not getting as many texts from him as before." Yoongi ignores him. "And I haven't seen him around your flat in a while. Didn't he used to come over practically every day?" Yoongi stares at his phone, deciding that no, a picture that has Taehyung in it doesn't deserve a like from him. He'll like the next one Jimin posts where he doesn't have an octopus attached to him.
Hoseok snaps his fingers in front of Yoongi's face and he looks up reluctantly, carefully keeping his face blank.
Hoseok sighs. "Is this about Taehyung?"
"Who?" Yoongi asks and Hoseok gives him a look that says more than words.
"You can admit to being jealous of Jimin's boyfriend, you know? Can't be easy when a good friend like that suddenly spends time with someone else and ignores you." There's an accusation in there, Yoongi knows that, but as with everything that is currently going on he tries to ignore it. He can apologise to Hoseok later.
"Unless there's another reason why you're jealous?"
Yoongi looks at his best friend, with his stupid face and his stupid deduction skills and gets up. Hoseok's brows furrow together in confusion as Yoongi walks out of the living room, into his own room, closes the door behind himself, looks it and falls down on his bed.
Hoseok can see himself out.
He keeps staring at the picture of Jimin and Taehyung, swallows down the last bit of pain that he definitely isn't feeling and double taps the picture.
Yoongi is at peace with his feelings for Jimin, has been for the past year. But just because he has feelings for him, doesn't mean he has to act on them. So there is no point into making this into a big thing.
The red heart mocks him from its position on the screen and Yoongi – despite knowing better – unlikes it again.
A few days later Yoongi runs into Taehyung outside the grocery store, arms full with bags of things they can't afford, but which Jin needs. He's stumbling a bit and suddenly Taehyung is next to him.
"Do you need help?" he offers, his stupid pretty face open and helpful and Yoongi hates him. He really hates him.
He hasn't heard from Jimin in over a week.
Not a single text. Or picture. Or snap. Nothing.
It's not like Yoongi texted him either, but Jimin texting him and Yoongi responding has always been their thing. He doesn't text most other people back. Jimin knows that.
Yoongi looks Taehyung up and down. His stupid long legs and ill-fitting jeans, the weird shirt that shows some collarbone, the hair that falls in waves down over his brows and turns his head away. He composes himself and walks off, leaving Taehyung in front of the store, not caring at all how rude he is.
Later that evening Yoongi is lying on his bed, listening to what might be the final version of his final thesis project, looking at the newest picture Jimin has just uploaded – it shows him and Taehyung cuddling on the couch - when his door slams open and none other than Jimin stands in his doorway. Jin must have let him in.
He looks ... pissed might be a bit too strong, but then Jimin has never looked at Yoongi with this kind of negative expression, so maybe he just doesn't know what a pissed Jimin looks like from this perspective.
"We need to talk," Jimin says and Yoongi considers staring stubbornly at his laptop for a second, before he closes his laptop and places it on the ground. This is Jimin after all. There has never been a moment where Yoongi has not wanted to listen to him – recent weeks aside since he could forgo having to hear anything about Taehyung come out of Jimin's mouth ever again.
He comes into the room when Yoongi doesn't answer and Yoongi watches him take a look at the bed, before sitting down on his office chair. He'd be lying if he said that that doesn't hurt like hell.
Yoongi sits up, his back straight, cross-legged, waiting for Jimin to stop fiddling with his thumbs.
"I need you to stop," Jimin finally says and looks up. Before Yoongi can answer, he continues. "I get it, you don't like Tae, but ... can you please try to be civil?"
Oh.
Taehyung must have said something. Not surprising, considering how Yoongi had left him.
"I..." he trails off. It's not his business what Jimin does. They're friends, nothing more. If Jimin wants to be with a guy like that than it's okay but ... "Alright."
"Alright?" Jimin asks. He leans forward, disbelief in his voice, his lush lips open. He rakes his fingers through his blonde hair and Yoongi swallows. He needs to keep it cool. He can do this. "Just like that? You treat my best friend like crap and suddenly you're okay with it?"
It speaks for how distracted he is by Jimin biting his lips, that he doesn't notice the description.
"If you think he's right for you, then I will respect that."
There. That's good. He sounds like a reasonable adult. Namjoon would be proud of him. Jimin stares at him from his place on the chair.
"So you don't think he's right for me?" He sounds angry. Of course he does. He must like Taehyung, probably even loves him. Hearing someone you consider a friend talk this way about the one you love must hurt.
"I ... Maybe."
He looks down, now fiddling with his thumbs himself. It's not that he has noticed anything truly off about Taehyung, as much as he wishes otherwise. He's weird, yes, but he isn't dangerous.
Jimin scoffs. "Please enlighten me, who would be right for me?"
Yoongi remains silent. Some part of him deep down tells him that he should say it, that he should confess, but ... he has always been comfortable with the knowledge that he's attracted to Jimin, that he has feelings for him, but that he will never act on it.
And fine, he shouldn't actively try to sabotage Jimin's relationship, just because he'll never act on his feelings for him. Yoongi doesn't own him, Jimin has a right to a relationship.
"Never mind," he says. "I probably just need to get used to him. He's different." Mentally preparing himself for the ordeal of having to endure Jimin and Taehyung making googly eyes at each other in the future, he gives Jimin a smile that feels as fake as his hair colour.
He ignores the confusion on Jimin's face and reaches forward with one hand, patting Jimin on the back of his own.
"I'm happy for you." There, that wasn't so hard. He's even going to like their newest instagram post after Jimin leaves.
When Jimin just keeps staring at him, Yoongi clears his throat and forces himself to go on. Punishment for never opening his mouth before.
"I just wasn't used to you ignoring me. I uh missed you a bit. But I understand that a boyfriend takes priority." He pats Jimin's hand again.
There, that's good. Yoongi is quite proud of all of this healthy adult behaviour he is expressing today, until Jimin blinks and says:
"Taehyung is not my boyfriend."
Yoongi freezes, his hand still on Jimin's. He blinks, once, twice, looks down onto his lap, onto the sheets where his phone still shows the picture.
"Oh," he finally decides on as a response and pulls back. He grips his jeans with his fingers.
Taehyung isn't Jimin's boyfriend.
"He's my best friend, my bff," Jimin lays weight on the last letter and Yoongi contemplates for a second if Jin and Hobi knew or if they misunderstood bf and bff, before realising that he just made a giant fool out of himself.
"That's uh good."
He tries to keep his breathing normal. He just told Jimin he misses him. Implied that he doesn't like Taehyung because he's Jimin's boyfriend. You don't have to be Namjoon to realise that Yoongi had been jealous.
"You thought he was my boyfriend? Is that why you don't like him?"
Yoongi opens his mouth and closes it again. He doesn't have an excuse. Jimin has obviously seen through him. In the end he shrugs and looks down.
Takes a deep breath. Resists the urge to bite his nails. Prepares himself for the inevitable rejection.
"Where you ... jealous of him because you thought he was my boyfriend?" Jimin's voice is thin and shaky, like he wants to have this conversation just as much as Yoongi does.
Yoongi gets up from the bed, needs to put some distance between them.
"Maybe you should leave, I'll call or whatever." He motions with one hand to the door, just as Jimin gets up and makes a grab for his wrist.
Yoongi flinches. He has his back half to Jimin, forcing himself to stare at the pile of books on the floor.
"Hyung," Jimin says and pulls on Yoongi's wrist. It's only with the slightest amount of power, just enough to show Yoongi that Jimin wants him to turn around, but not exactly enough to actually make him.
Reluctantly, Yoongi turns. He keeps his head down, analyses the patterns in the carpet and the way Jimin's socked toes nearly touch his own as Jimin comes closer.
"Hyung," Jimin says again and Yoongi turns his eyes upwards, without moving his head.
There's a shine to Jimin's eyes, as if he's trying to stop himself from crying and Yoongi has the sudden horrible realisation that he nearly made Jimin cry, that Jimin isn't comfortable with him anymore and doesn't want to be his friend anymore, when Jimin suddenly leans forward and kisses him on the mouth.
Yoongi doesn't squeak. The noise he lets out is much more reasonable than that. A surprised grunt, that's what it is.
And then Jimin pulls back and Yoongi still doesn't really know what's going on.
"I'm so sorry, hyung, I shouldn't have, but I just..." Embarrassment colours Jimin's cheeks red and Yoongi realises that Jimin just kissed him, that Jimin wants to kiss him more maybe? He's confused, his brain feels like someone took a whisk to it.
"But you're jealous that means I have a chance right?"
And maybe he's hallucinating Jimin rambling about Jimin having a chance with Yoongi, he just never thought Yoongi was interested, but this means something doesn't it?
And Yoongi leans forward and Jimin smiles brightly when their lips collide. He throws his arms around Yoongi's neck and Yoongi can't contain the laugh that comes out of his threat any more than Jimin can stop his uncontrolled giggling. They stumbled backwards and Yoongi is pretty sure he just stepped on his laptop, but then Jimin is crouching on top of him, the barest hint of tongue grazing his lips and who cares about their academic career anyway right?
