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Yoongi didn't visit his grandparents often enough, he knew that. And maybe as one or two years passed, Yoongi began to feel a little guilty. His grandmother continuously sent him tins of sweets and letters, and eventually, Yoongi had enough.
He was going to his grandmother's house.
It took a plane and two crowded buses, but Yoongi got there. And he was in awe.
Yoongi hadn't been to his grandmother's house in years, but it definitely hadn't been Olympic blue the last time he had seen it. It fit, though, and that was probably the strangest thing. The color didn't stand out, it felt like it belonged better now if anything. Yoongi couldn't recall what color it was before.
There were so many things to look at, at his grandmother's house. Her house was just off of the main road of the small town. Colorful, tight packed buildings were the norm on this street, so the open space surrounding his grandmother’s house was a strange sight. It was late afternoon now, and beams of sunlight came across the yard in big gold streaks.
Tall grass and flowers grew around the open area, with a fence only at the front-most part of the property. Chickens roamed the space, and Yoongi could hear the chaos of family before he even opened the door.
Yoongi had forgotten how much family he had. His grandfather greeted him at the door, with his grandmother yelling a greeting from the kitchen. One of Yoongi's uncles was also in the kitchen, as were a couple of small children. A lady that Yoongi assumed to be his uncle's wife sat in the living room chatting with his great aunt.
Yoongi's grandfather led him through the small hall to a room tinier than Yoongi's first bedroom at home was, but he didn't mind. The bed took up most of the floor space, with the walls painted a honey-yellow and strings of lights hung up across the walls. Yoongi couldn't tell who the bedroom normally belonged to.
"Feel free to come get acquainted with the kitchen if you want to. And Yoongi... we're really glad you're here," his grandfather said.
Yoongi smiled and nodded, but he decided he didn't really want to be cooking, and instead headed back outside, only to find someone else in the yard.
"Um, hi," Yoongi said awkwardly.
The boy, err, man, looked up and grinned. He was pretty. "I'm Jimin," he said. "And ya must be the grandson. Yoongi?"
Yoongi nodded.
"A city boy, hm? Not what I expected from Mrs. Min. Would've thought you'd be raised like her."
"It was, um," Yoongi cleared his throat, "my mom... who took us to the city, when I was really little."
Yoongi watched the man approach a chicken, fully expecting the chicken to bolt. It came straight for Jimin, though, almost jumping into his arms. Yoongi took in Jimin's appearance. He wore overalls over a t-shirt, and his hair was tangerine orange and shiny. His face wasn't clear, with a few blemishes, but he was still pretty. Oh so very pretty.
"Ever held a chicken, Yoongi?" Jimin smiled deviously, walking towards the poor city boy. There was, indeed, a chicken in his arms. No, Yoongi had never held a chicken.
"Um, please don't bring it any closer, thanks. I d-- I don't want to hold it."
The gold light hit Jimin's face as he stepped into a patch of sunlight and kept moving closer. He giggled sweetly.
Yoongi continued to move backwards, but Jimin picked up his pace. Yoongi turned and launched into a full sprint. He probably looked incredibly stupid, considering that he was wearing skinny jeans and a button up shirt. He cursed himself for choosing dumb sandals over tennis shoes as he lost a shoe and had to stop running. He turned to see a chicken flying at him, and he dodged.
Jimin frowned, "You're not supposed to move! You were supposed to catch her. Poor Beatrice." Jimin’s chest rose and fell quickly but with practiced ease.
Yoongi was currently dying from the unexpected exercise.
"What's wrong with ya? Are you really that out of shape? I see some muscle on ya, city boy."
Yoongi took another minute to gather his breath before turning to Jimin, serious. "I told you I didn't want to hold a chicken."
At Yoongi's tone, Jimin's face fell from a smile. "I was just playing around, I'm sorry. Are you af-- you're afraid? "
Yoongi winced when Jimin said the word 'afraid', because he didn't want to admit that that was exactly the case.
"Yoongi, they can't hurt you. They don’t have teeth , and they rarely scratch. Have you ever been pecked by anything in your life?"
"A baby peacock at the zoo," Yoongi replied.
"And how did that feel?"
"Not good."
"A chicken isn't going to break your hand or somethin’. If anything, it would probably be like, well, a baby peacock peck? Come here, let me find one of the good girls for you."
'I told you , I don't want to hold--"
"Aw, stop your whinin'! I'm jus' gonna let ya pet her." Yoongi noticed the slip of an accent into Jimin's speech, and how it only seemed to intensify once he had a chicken in his arms.
"This is Candy, she's such a good girl, hm?" Jimin held the chicken like a baby and scratched its belly. The chicken seemed content. Yoongi was jealous. "Pet her, Yoongi."
" How? " Yoongi asked, still staring at the... scary bird.
"Pet her belly. Gently," Jimin moved closer to Yoongi.
Yoongi cautiously reached out and touched the chicken's belly, surprised at how soft the chicken was. He was completely expected the bird to freak out and attack him without a second’s notice.
Jimin giggled, and Yoongi looked at him, still petting the chicken. This close, Yoongi could see the chip in one of his front teeth. Jimin's eyes were big and pretty.
"See, not so bad, hm? Hold your hands out like you're going to hold a baby."
Yoongi felt the blood drain out of his face, but did what Jimin said. Jimin placed the chicken in Yoongi's arms, and Yoongi sucked in a breath and held it.
Jimin chuckled at him and scratched the chicken's head a little. He stepped back and laughed. "Yoongi, relax. It's fine. Breathe."
Yoongi took in another deep breath and held it, but he let his shoulders drop a little, which only made Jimin laugh harder.
"I see you met my helper!" His grandmother yelled from the kitchen window. "Aww, who's he got there, Jiminie?"
"Candy!" Jimin replied. The chicken didn't even move when Jimin yelled, and Yoongi thanked the Gods.
"I love Candy!" His grandmother continued to scream. Yoongi wondered how good of lungs she had on her to do this, but the answer was obviously a good pair of lungs. "Come in soon for dinner, yeah?"
"Sure thing, Mrs. Min!"
Yoongi tilted his head, "How do you know my family? I didn't even think to question why you're here."
"Ah, I mainly just help with the birds. I love birds a lot. It sounds pretty stupid when I say that, hmm." Jimin ducked his head.
"No, it doesn't sound stupid at all. I can't imagine working with birds," Yoongi shivered, "but it's nice that you help my grandmother. Even just with the birds."
Jimin met Yoongi's eyes, eyebrows furrowed. For a second, he just kind of stared, but Yoongi stared back. He seemed to be searching Yoongi's face for... something. "We should... go inside for dinner," Jimin said softly. He carefully took the chicken from Yoongi’s arms and set her on the ground.
Yoongi nodded, and they walked back to the house slowly, even though they weren't that far away. Jimin hummed a tune softly. The sun was going down, Yoongi noticed. He hadn't thought that much time had passed.
Once inside, they were back to the normal chaos. They went through the kitchen to a dining room that Yoongi had probably only been in when he was extremely young. It was only used for formal dinners.
"Come on, come on. Ian, can you move over? Good, good. Grab a chair for Jimin, please," his grandmother ordered.
"Why are we eating in here?" Yoongi asked no one in particular.
"It's a celebration. You never come to visit, so it's a big deal!" His great aunt said, tugging him into a seat by the arm.
Yoongi turned bright red in embarrassment. His entire family knew how he basically ignored them for years. His heart hurt a little as they passed around the food and prayed.
They started off the dinner well, with quiet chatters and the passing of dishes. There was a radio playing in the kitchen that filtered into the dining room. Jimin was across the table to the right. Everyone ate, so there was no speaking.
That was until his uncle spoke up, "How's life in the big city?"
"Uh, well, I'm finishing my degree soon in music production and--"
"You look like you haven't been eating enough. Are you eating well?" His grandmother butted in.
Yoongi blinked. "Well, it's kind of hard. Money's been tight and I've been saving to come here so it's hard to afford things like, say, meat."
"You're telling me your momma didn't pay for you to come here?" His grandmother asked, looking angry. "When she has all that money..."
"No, we haven't talked in a long time. I pay for everything myself."
"How do you afford it?" One of the children asked. Yoongi wondered if the kid was old enough to even understand what he was saying.
"Well, I have two jobs on the side, and I sell my music," Yoongi explained.
An uncomfortable silence settled on the table.
"You have two jobs, and you're struggling to pay for things while your mother sits on her pile of money?" His grandfather said.
Yoongi nodded and shoved more food in his mouth. Jimin was eating passively, looking like he wasn't really interested in the conversation.
"I'm going to start sending money," his grandmother stated.
"Kira, no ," his grandfather immediately replied.
"We have enough of it," she snapped back. She looked at Yoongi. "I'll stop sending to your mother and start sending the checks to you, hmm?"
Yoongi took a deep breath, "Thank you, really, but I don't think I can take that."
"You can, and you will. And you will be having meat as often as possible while you're here, and then you'll go home and eat more meat, yes?"
"Yes, grandmother," Yoongi replied. He could feel tears building in his eyes. He wasn't sure whether they were from thankfulness or embarrassment at his financial status.
The rest of dinner passed fairly calmly, and then his grandmother brought out the sweets. The children climbed over each other to get cookies.
"Do you have a girlfriend, Yoongi?" His uncle's wife asked suddenly.
Yoongi froze. "Um, no, I don't."
At this, Jimin looked at Yoongi. Under the dining room light, Jimin's earrings sparkled, and Yoongi's heart pounded.
"I'm gay."
"Daddy, what's gay?" One of the children asked immediately. Yoongi's uncle rubbed his hands over his face in exasperation.
The rest of the room, aside from the noisy kids, was silent. His grandparents had stopped eating. His grandfather looked tired, and his grandmother's mouth was open in shock. His great aunt was staring hard at her cake. His uncle's wife's face was bright red, and she looked sorry for asking. He didn't look at Jimin.
"Yeah, that's what I thought. All them damn skinny jeans," his grandfather said. He stood up and began collecting clear plates. It felt like they were the only two in the room. "So, a boyfriend then?"
"No, I'm single," Yoongi replied. The slice of cake his great aunt had placed on his plate was left untouched. Yoongi's heart pounded in his throat. He could feel beads of sweat rolling down his back, and he almost wanted to laugh. He'd never heard the house this quiet.
"Why didn't you say anything before?" His great aunt piped up, back to being un-frozen. She seemed calm, if a little concerned.
"Well, it's been a couple years, and I haven't been down here, and I don't really know. It felt weird to put in a letter. It took me a long time to figure it out."
"Gay, I'm gay," one of the kids said, and his grandmother laughed and then immediately covered her mouth.
"Madison, you are not gay, you don't know what that means," Yoongi's uncle said. The little girl continued to chant the word gay. Yoongi heard a snicker to his right and looked at Jimin, who looked like he was trying really hard not to laugh at Yoongi's little cousin Madison.
From there, dessert ended quickly, with slightly less chatter than before. Jimin was smiling, though, and it made Yoongi's stomach flutter.
Once the table was clear and cleaned, everyone was dismissed. The sun was far below the horizon at this point, but there was still a little bit of light in the sky. His family members returned to the living room or their bedrooms. Yoongi walked Jimin outside.
"Well, that was the most interestin' dinner I've had in a long while," Jimin said, still smiling wide. Yoongi noticed his chipped tooth was also crooked, and he thought it was cute.
"I didn't... I didn't plan to say anything, y'know. It just happened. You're okay with it right, with me?" Yoongi felt like a twelve year old girl trying to ask her thirteen year old boy crush out. He felt a little dizzy.
"Of course," Jimin replied. He gestured to Yoongi and they walked around the back of the house. Jimin walked over to the chain link fence.
"Do you live here?" Yoongi asked.
"Nope, I just hop the fence to get home easier. The guy here doesn't mind." Jimin placed his foot in the fence and pushed himself up and swung a leg over. Before swinging the other leg over, he paused, still holding himself up with his arms. Yoongi admired his muscles. "See ya later, city boy.”
With that, Jimin swung all the way over and ran across the yard, stopping once more at the other side of the yard to wave.
Yoongi waved back, thinking about Jimin's laughter.
Later, when Yoongi was settled in his temporary room, he considered how lucky he was. He had come out of the closet at a family dinner after not seeing his family for more than two years, and it had been fine. He wasn't sure the reaction of some of his family members, like his uncle and his uncle's wife, but the rest... hadn't been terrible.
Yoongi woke up to a loud screech outside his window. He sat up immediately and suppressed a scream. For a solid minute, Yoongi was filled with immense terror as he couldn't figure out what he heard. Then, he remembered. Chickens. Roosters. It was five in the morning, and he was being woken up by a rooster screaming at him.
Yoongi made his way to the kitchen, thinking about how he had hoped to sleep in during his little vacation at his grandparents’, but that absolutely wasn't going to happen now.
Yoongi found a box of cereal in the cupboard and some milk in the fridge. He ate his cereal in a quiet kitchen. Apparently, Yoongi was the only one woken up by the rooster, as no one else joined him.
In fact, it took an hour of Yoongi sitting in the kitchen, sipping on some ginger tea he made, for anyone to wake up. At that point, his grandmother came into the kitchen and began cooking. She turned on the radio as she did, filling the kitchen with at least a little sound.
"Yoongi, help me," she ordered. "Cook the eggs."
Yoongi, the poor city lad, had never had to cook so many eggs at once, and he was kind of overwhelmed. He pretended that he knew what he was doing though, and hoped he didn't burn everything.
A knock on their door scared Yoongi and he nearly threw the pan, barely resisting the urge to just toss them somewhere. Instead, he carefully slid them over to a burner not being used and tried to slow down his heart.
Jimin walked into the house, carrying a gallon of milk in one hand and holding a bag of groceries against his hip in the other. Yoongi was glad, because he had used the last of the milk for his cereal.
"Hi, Yoongi," Jimin said. Yoongi blinked. He hadn't noticed zoning out so completely, and he turned back to the eggs.
Jimin looked very different than he had yesterday, Yoongi observed. Jimin was wearing jeans and also a jean jacket, but Yoongi hadn't seen a shirt under the jacket. He was trying not to think very hard on it but found himself completely spacing out the eggs again.
"Need some help?" a soft voice over his shoulder asked, and Yoongi shivered. Jimin took hold of the pan and the spatula Yoongi was holding, bumping his hip in an attempt to get Yoongi to move.
No, Jimin was not wearing a shirt underneath the jean jacket. Yoongi stepped away from the stove.
"Wow, these are... these are something, Yoongi. Have you ever cooked eggs before?" Jimin looked at Yoongi, who frowned.
"Of course I have!"
Jimin smirked like he knew Yoongi hadn't.
"Do boiled eggs count?" Yoongi said pathetically.
Jimin chuckled softly and beckoned Yoongi back over to the stove. "See how I'm folding the egg, instead of like, I don't know, stirring it? I honestly have no clue what you were doing to get these results but I'm trying to fix it the best I can."
Yoongi blushed and groaned into his hands. "I am a useless city boy."
At the statement, his grandmother scoffed and hit him with the newspaper sitting on the table. When did that get there?
"You are in no way useless. Shut your mouth," his grandmother said.
Jimin laughed as Yoongi frowned and sat at the tiny kitchen table. He watched Jimin cook the eggs with a level of ease he almost envied, but being able to actually stare at Jimin made up for it. Yoongi hoped his grandmother wouldn't catch him staring.
By the time breakfast was done, family members slowly started waking up and filing in to get their food. Since Yoongi had already claimed his seat at the table, most of the family went to the living room to eat, or outside in his grandfather's case. Jimin sat down in front of Yoongi.
"Aren't you going to eat?" Jimin asked.
"A rooster woke me up earlier and I had cereal and tea," Yoongi gestured to his now very cold cup of tea on the counter.
"Ah, bet you're not used to that, are ya?"
Yoongi shook his head.
Jimin shifted, still smiling but looking away. "Hey, wanna walk main street with me?"
"What, now?"
"Or later, if ya want." Jimin shrugged and Yoongi watched him start bouncing his leg. "It's not like it's cold, though, and it's only gonna get hotter."
Yoongi nodded, "Sure, let's go." He stood up and walked towards the door, only for his arm to be grabbed by Jimin.
Jimin laughed, "In your pajamas?"
Yoongi cursed quietly and tried to think of a fast excuse. He had totally forgotten he was in his pajamas, and as he quickly realized, there wasn't any excuse. He was in black fake-silk pajamas. He frowned at Jimin and went to his room. Once he was wearing public-appropriate clothing, he came back out.
Jimin was talking to Yoongi's great aunt about something, and Yoongi tried not to eavesdrop, but it was difficult. He stood by the door, looking down and shifting on his feet.
"Did you finish that bead curtain?" Jimin asked his great aunt, who nodded.
"It's beautiful. I am so proud of it, and they gave me a good tip. They always do."
"That's good," Jimin hummed.
"Yes it is. How are your birds?"
"Same as always. Savanna is a handful, as always."
"And the budgies? The new ones?"
Jimin hummed again, "They're as good as they can be, really. They're healing, but they have a long way to go. One of them is still very sick."
"Ah, I see. I wish you the best in helping them," his great aunt replied.
Jimin said thanks and then came over to Yoongi.
"You have birds? You... heal them?"
Jimin smiled and nodded. "I run the town's bird sanctuary, partially from my home. Like I said, I love birds."
Yoongi nodded, barely understanding how this farm boy did it all. He thought about it as they crossed the yard. He cooked, he helped little old ladies (not that Yoongi's grandma was that little old lady, she was quite fine on her own), and he rescued birds. Was there anything he couldn't do?
"Well, I can't ice skate to save my life. There's a lake here that freezes over perfectly in the winter, you know, but I can never get the hang of it. And I can't play any instruments."
"Can you sing? Or dance?" Yoongi asked.
They closed the gate behind them and started down the street.
"I mean, yeah, I dance and sing sometimes, and I’m not bad." Jimin shrugged.
Yoongi scoffed, "You're so talented. It's amazing."
Jimin seemed to almost shy away at the compliment, his cheeks turning a light shade of pink. It was cute.
"I'm glad you think so."
As they walked the street, they occasionally dipped into shops so Jimin could say hello, introduce Yoongi, and shop a little bit.
The main street was interesting, mostly because of the cool shops that lined it. There was a rock & mineral shop, a cute soap shop, a pawn shop with a lot of guns, and a pet store with the cutest ferrets Yoongi had ever seen.
Jimin seemed to know everyone in town, which Yoongi wouldn’t doubt. It was a small town, with almost every business along the main street or on the streets just beside it, Jimin told him.
Yoongi watched from a few paces away as Jimin interacted with a sweet-looking woman. They kept shooting glances at Yoongi, and Yoongi pretended not to see them. He had no idea what they were saying, though, and it was a little concerning to hear high pitched giggles from both people.
It took about an hour with all of Jimin's stopping in to go up and down main street. Yoongi had to admit that he really enjoyed it and he said as much to Jimin.
"I'm glad. How long are ya staying with your grandmother?"
"Sadly, only a couple more days. I wanted to stay the full week but I have an important assignment due soon that I need the studio for."
Jimin's face seemed to fall a bit at that. "Oh, okay. We'll have to make the best of what we have then. I'm gonna introduce you to all the chickens."
Yoongi sighed. "Do I have any say in this?"
Jimin adjusted his jacket and smiled. "Nope! Let's go."
Yoongi had greatly underestimated the amount of chickens there were in the yard, even though there were only two roosters.
"And this one is Maddy, hm?" Jimin made Yoongi hold each chicken to become 'well acquainted with them'. Yoongi took Maddy into his arms, the chicken flapping a little, making Yoongi wince.
"And now this is Ana. She's such a good girl," Jimin cooed.
"You've called every chicken a good girl," Yoongi said as he took the chicken into his arms.
"Yes, but Ana is a super good girl." Jimin petted the chicken’s back.
Yoongi rolled his eyes, "Whatever you say."
After they had gone through all the chickens, Yoongi took the chance to rest in his temporary room. Jimin insisted on bothering him, though, joining him on the bed.
"Why don't you have a shirt on under that jacket, huh?" Yoongi asked. He was lying on his back, staring at the ceiling. Jimin was next to Yoongi, facing him. The way he was positioned opened up the front of his jacket and revealed a big part of his chest. Yoongi knew his face was red.
"Why? You have a problem with it? It's a look. No one else is bothered with it."
Yoongi rolled over to face Jimin and found himself only a few inches away from his face. It was vaguely uncomfortable, but more than that, Yoongi's heart was pounding. He really wanted to kiss Jimin.
Before Yoongi could do anything, Jimin was rolling off the bed and standing next to the window. He was kind of disappointed.
"What did you plan to do here, before you knew I going to be here to keep ya company?" Jimin asked.
"I don't know. I have my phone and I brought a book. I planned on staying here mostly," Yoongi said, still looking at the ceiling.
Jimin hummed, "You could always hang out with your family. Help your grandmother. You know, your great aunt does jewelry."
"Oh, that's cool. I don't know. Right now, I just really want to take a nap." Yoongi felt like Jimin was being a little weird, but he didn't know what to do. He didn't really want to do anything, because he was so tired. He was just a little confused.
"Yeah, I bet you're pretty tired. Don't see this kinda action in the city, do ya? I'm gonna get going. See ya later maybe? I don't know if I'll be by for dinner tonight."
Yoongi hummed and closed his eyes. "Bye," he said. He listened to Jimin leave his room and shut the door quietly. He wished Jimin had just stayed on the bed.
Dinner was very nice, but Jimin sadly didn't show up. Instead of eating in the dining room like the previous night, they were spread out. His grandfather sat in his usual spot outside on the porch. Yoongi had wanted to eat in his room but his great aunt grabbed his elbow and dragged him to sit beside her.
"Careful with him, sister. You'll break him," his grandmother taunted. Yoongi scoffed at her and frowned, which made her laugh.
"Don't listen to her," his great aunt replied quietly. "She's just an old hag."
"Old hag? Old hag! You're a decade older than me!"
Yoongi's uncle and his uncle's wife laughed. Yoongi sat uncomfortably next to his great aunt while she grumbled angrily.
Yoongi spent the rest of the night in his room on his phone. At one point he snuck into the kitchen and grabbed an apple from the fruit basket, far past when everyone was asleep. He didn't want to go to sleep, because that meant that the next day was one less day here, one less day with Jimin and his grandma and without college.
Yoongi must've fallen asleep, though, because he was woken by Jimin knocking on his door.
"What time is it?" Yoongi croaked.
"It's seven thirty. I'm here to take you to my house. Get up," Jimin hit one of Yoongi's legs through the blanket, and Yoongi shot him an offended look. Jimin just giggled. "Don't worry, I won't watch you change."
"I bet you'd like it though, huh?" Yoongi rolled his eyes and pulled the blankets away.
Jimin's outfit today consisted of blue jeans and a long-sleeve black and white striped shirt. The collar on the shirt was very low, and it had Yoongi's eyes drawn right to Jimin's collarbones.
Jimin covered his chest and neck when he caught Yoongi looking. His cheeks were pink and he looked bashful.
Yoongi shoved Jimin out of the doorway and shut the door to change.
Jimin complained the entire time about how slow Yoongi was, and then complained more as Yoongi made himself breakfast. His grandmother had yet to wake, despite Jimin's loud whines and the time.
When Yoongi had finally finished his breakfast, the sun had risen and a pale, very vaguely warm sunlight had drenched everything.
"Jumping a few fences isn't worth it, so we're going the long way," Jimin said, leading Yoongi down the street.
"How long of a walk is it?"
"About half an hour," Jimin replied casually.
Yoongi groaned. He really regretted not bringing proper shoes, but he didn't expect to be leaving the house much. His feet already hurt.
Jimin sang softly as they walked, something that sounded kind of familiar, but Yoongi couldn't place it. He listened quietly.
They walked through a maze of roads. As they went farther out, houses became sparser, and trees became thicker.
Then, they finally approached what seemed to be Jimin's house. It was big and light yellow, the color of butter, and Yoongi could hear the sounds of birds from the streets. Jimin's face lit up as they approached it.
"Are you ready~?" Jimin sing-songed.
"How many birds do you have?"
Jimin smile grew, "Too many to count."
When Jimin opened the door, he immediately shoved Yoongi inside, entered behind him, and shut the door, just in time for a bird to fly at and land on Jimin's shoulder.
"Oh, hello sweetie," Jimin cooed. He didn't take his shoes off at the door, and Yoongi noticed the floor was covered in newspaper. "This is one of the bird rooms where I don't suggest you take off your shoes. They aren't allowed in the kitchen, bedroom, or bathroom, though, so we can remove our shoes there."
Yoongi nodded and looked around. Multiple large cages were open, with the birds flying around the room or sitting in their cages. They were an array of greens, yellows, and blues, and they were making quite some noise. The walls were painted a very light green.
The longer they stayed in the room, the more birds flocked to Jimin, who giggled as they landed on his shoulders. Jimin was smiling widely and making soft noises at the birds, and Yoongi's stomach fluttered.
"Yoongi, this blue one closest to me is Lily. I've had her longest out of the budgies, so she's a little old lady. I'm going to put her on your shoulder. Don't freak out."
Yoongi took a deep breath and let Jimin move the bird to his shoulder. She peeped quietly and then not so quietly in Yoongi's ear. Jimin cooed and removed the budgies from his own shoulders.
"Let me give you a tour. You can bring Lily with you around the house," Jimin said. He grabbed Yoongi's hand and walked him through the room into another room of cages. The birds in this room were shut in their cages. Because the two rooms were connected without a door, a few budgies flew in and out. "These are my small babies. I take turns letting them out or the budgies. The budgies aren't fond of the little ones, but they’re safe in the cages."
Yoongi looked at the tiny birds as they passed. They were much quieter than the budgies. Lily peeped loudly in his ear. Yoongi's hand was still being held by Jimin's, and Yoongi could feel the rough pads of Jimin's fingers against his skin. He shivered.
"And then through here is the kitchen."
Jimin's kitchen was simplistic and beautiful, and it seemed to contrast Jimin himself. It was very grayscale and clean, with few decorations or things lying around. A candle was on the counter, but not much else was.
"You want a snack?" Jimin asked. Yoongi wasn't sure whether the question was for him or the bird. Lily made a loud noise and Jimin laughed. "Well, Lily sure wants a snack, hm?"
Jimin took a small baggie out of the fridge and a couple apples. He handed an apple to Yoongi, and Yoongi's hand tingled where it brushed Jimin's. Yoongi smiled and watched Jimin give a couple small pieces of meat from the bag to Lily. He was close to the bird, and just as close to Yoongi. His face was only a few inches away, and it reminded Yoongi of yesterday.
"What do you think so far, Yoongi?" Jimin asked softly.
Yoongi hummed, "Your home is beautiful. The birds make me slightly nervous."
Jimin chuckled and ran his hand through Yoongi's hair. "Wait until you see the big bird room."
Yoongi swallowed. Jimin carefully took Lily off of his shoulder and went back to the budgie room. Yoongi took a bite of his apple. The candle on the counter was cinnamon scented.
"Alright, big bird room," Jimin smiled, hooking his arm around Yoongi's. "That apple might get stolen unless you put it down."
Yoongi set the apple on the counter.
The big bird room was... exactly that. Four parrots? macaws? were out in the room. One's chest was missing some feathers.
"I have exotic birds, too, but those are on the other side of town by the river. There are volunteers, too, who care for them when I'm not there," Jimin explained.
"Do you... are you... do you have qualifications to have a sanctuary?" Yoongi asked. He hoped he wouldn't offend Jimin.
"Oh yeah, I have a degree in biology and I'm certified to rehabilitate wildlife." A macaw landed on Jimin's shoulder as he opened a locked container and filled up a bowl of seeds and nuts on the table in the middle of the room. “This scarlet macaw is Savanna. She’s kind of angry all the time, so I have to be careful around her. The bird missing the feathers is Sammy. She had some not so good owners in the past, and it stressed her out.”
The window in this room was on the side where the sun came in, and it cast a beautiful glow in the room. Jimin turned towards Yoongi, sun on his skin and smile on his face with a big, brightly colored bird on his shoulder.
Yoongi said the only thing that came to mind,
"I think I'm in love with you." Almost immediately the room seemed to dim and Yoongi clapped a hand over his mouth. Jimin was staring wide eyed, with a confused look on his face. Yoongi took a couple steps back and felt his heart pound in his chest, but this time it wasn't a good feeling. The bird on Jimin's shoulder flew over and landed on a cage.
"Wait, Yoongi, I--"
Yoongi held his hands out in front of him, "No, no, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. I'm just gonna leave." Yoongi carefully let himself out of the room. A glance showed that Jimin was still staring at him.
Yoongi debated grabbing his apple as he stood in the kitchen for a moment. Why did he say that? He's probably weirded Jimin out, and now he won't want to see Yoongi ever again. Yoongi left his apple and made his way through the other rooms. He was careful not to let any birds get where they weren't supposed to be.
Just as Yoongi was trying to figure out the best way to get home, Jimin came barreling out of the house and right into him.
"City boy, where do ya think yer goin'?" Jimin said, holding Yoongi's upper arms. Yoongi had never heard Jimin's accent so clearly.
"Um, I didn't... I don't--"
"Yoongi, shut up." With that, Jimin's lips were on Yoongi's and Yoongi really had no idea what was going on.
Yoongi pulled away and stared. Jimin looked a little alarmed.
"Wait, what?!" Yoongi yelled, in the middle of the street. "But, but, I..." Maybe Yoongi was hyperventilating a little bit.
"Do you want to kiss me?" Jimin asked.
Yoongi was having a hard time thinking. Jimin, the pretty country boy who held chickens and ate dinner with his grandparents and was certified to rehabilitate wildlife. That Jimin, this Jimin, was trying to kiss him. Yoongi wasn't even out at his college. He had never kissed anyone .
"Yes," Yoongi said.
"Okay. Then I'm going to kiss you."
And kiss him, Jimin did. And Yoongi fumbled around for a good minute, having absolutely no clue was to do, until Jimin took his face in his hands and tilted it just a little bit. And that was good , that helped .
When Jimin pulled away, lips a little swollen and smile wide on his face, Yoongi's heart beat faster, in a good way.
"Should we tell your grandparents?" Jimin asked. Yoongi sucked in a breath and Jimin laughed. "We don't have to say anything... Come on, let's get you home."
The walk home wasn't nearly as awkward as it could've been. Jimin repeatedly bumped his shoulder into Yoongi's and was chatting about something, but Yoongi wasn't totally listening.
"What are you thinking about, hm?" Jimin asked, brushing his hand through Yoongi's hair. He seemed to really like doing that.
"Just, I don't know. Being here, and everything that's happened. Meeting you," Yoongi replied shyly, his face heating up.
Jimin hummed a soft little tune and took Yoongi's hand in his own hand. "You're sweet. I can't believe you've never held a chicken."
Yoongi scoffed but he was smiling.
The rest of the day passed quickly with Jimin and Yoongi shooting each other glances. Yoongi didn’t think his heart had ever beat so fast.
After dinner, Yoongi retreated to his temporary room with Jimin in tow. Jimin walked over to the radio on the bed side table and turned it on to something soft. He turned and shoved Yoongi onto the bed. While Yoongi caught his breath, Jimin crawled over and lay next to him.
"Hello, handsome," Jimin smiled, and Yoongi shoved him lightly. "So how's your vacation been?"
"Chaotic." It's the first thing that comes to mind, and Yoongi can't really think of another without involving Jimin's name.
"Good chaotic or bad?"
"Definitely good." At that, Jimin's smile grew and he put his hand in Yoongi's hair. Yoongi hummed, pleased at Jimin's fingers softly combing.
"I'm glad. I'm glad you got to hold a chicken, and that ya got to see town. What would ya do without me?"
Yoongi stared at Jimin's face. He had some light acne on his cheeks and freckles across the bridge of his nose. His eyes were kind of uneven with one eye being kind of puffier than the other. Jimin's eyes were so pretty, and Yoongi couldn't look away. The radio was still playing something soft and slow in the background.
That's how they spent the night, cuddling and talking quietly. Jimin had pulled Yoongi's head to his chest and Yoongi didn't even think to move. It was natural, even though it was still a little strange to Yoongi. He felt so comfortable, but at the same time, he'd never been in a relationship, especially one like this. He was so used to working and going to classes and maybe talking with classmate, but he didn't do relationships .
When Yoongi woke up he was still in his day outfit, and he was still curled up to Jimin, not even under the blankets.
Yoongi looked at Jimin and felt like he was in a cliche romance movie. Jimin just seemed... so peaceful. Yoongi could see each of Jimin's eyelashes, could see how his mouth was just barely open and could see the rise and fall of his chest.
Yoongi thought about going back to college and his heart ached. This was his last day at his grandparents’ house, and he really didn't want to leave.
Jimin shifted in Yoongi's arms and groaned. He opened his eyes and stared at Yoongi.
"Wow, you're real," Jimin mumbled.
Yoongi smiled, "Yeah, I am."
Jimin mumbled something that Yoongi didn't catch and wiggled down the bed. "Better get breakfast started, hm? You weren't woken up by a rooster, were you?"
Yoongi shook his head. He stood up and tried to straighten out his clothes. He felt stiff.
"C'mon, you're helping, city boy. Let's see how your egg cooking skills have improved."
Yoongi cringed but followed Jimin to the kitchen. He followed Jimin's instructions obediently, trying his best to not completely murder the eggs. He seemed to be doing well, as Jimin kept humming and putting his hand on the small of Yoongi's back. It made the butterflies in Yoongi's stomach go crazy.
"Oh, Yoongi! Jimin! What good boys, cookin' breakfast for the family. Say, Jiminie, could you run to the store and get some fruit?" Yoongi's grandmother came out of nowhere and scared both of them, with Jimin removing his hand from Yoongi's back quickly.
Jimin nodded and replied to his grandmother while slipping on his shoes at the door. She told him to get whatever fruits he wanted and handed him some cash. As soon as Jimin had closed the door behind him, Yoongi's grandmother was taking over both the cooking of the bacon and the eggs, and she said,
"What is going on with you and that boy?"
Yoongi flushed, "I don't know what you mean." He fanned his face.
His grandmother rolled her eyes. "You know darn well what I mean. I saw his hand on your back like that. Did you sleep with him?"
" Grandmother ," Yoongi gasped, holding a hand to his chest.
"No, Yoongi, I'm serious." She reached to turn on the radio.
"You would've heard us if we slept together," Yoongi said bashfully. He really didn't want to be having this conversation. "All we did was cuddle."
"Did you kiss him? Are you dating?"
"Yes, I kissed him. I don't know if we're dating. I don't even know if we could date, because I'll be at college and he'll be down here."
"You could always take him with you."
"His birds are here."
"Well, you could always stay."
"...You know I can't."
His grandmother rubbed Yoongi's arm and made a sad noise, but she looked understanding. Yoongi had responsibilities with his education and music, and he couldn't leech off of her money for the rest of his life by staying here.
They cooked in silence until the rest of the family started getting up, filling the kitchen with sleepy chatter as everyone tried to get their food.
Jimin came back soon with fruit and the little cousins nearly trampled him to get it. He carefully made his way to the kitchen where he could rinse the fruit off and then give it to the kids.
Yoongi was leaning with his back against the counter watching this happen when Jimin held out at strawberry for him. Yoongi held out his hand to take it and Jimin pulled it out of his reach. Yoongi felt like he was in an alternate dimension when he let Jimin feed him the fruit with a pleased smile.
Luckily, they were able to sneak off with the rest of the raspberries after breakfast, and Jimin took them outside. They sat near the chicken coop, and Jimin occasionally fed a curious chicken a raspberry.
"Aww, Ana and Candice are hanging out together. How cute!" Jimin cooed at the pair of chickens as they both approached for some raspberries.
"Candice?"
"Yeah, it's Candy's actual name. Isn't she so cute ooo~~~"
Jimin picked up Ana and handed her to Yoongi, who held the chicken on his lap with extreme wariness. Jimin meanwhile continued to coo at Candy as she fell asleep in his arms. Yoongi absentmindedly petted the chicken's back.
As the sun rose higher in the sky, it became more apparent that they were going to stay inside because of the heat. So, they stayed in Yoongi's room. Jimin turned on the radio and left it on the chill station and pulled out a few games from the closet.
"How do you know where everything is in the room?" Yoongi asked.
Jimin paused, and then he giggled. "Yoongi, who do you think stays in this room?"
"I don't know, I thought it was the spare."
"It is, but mainly I stay here. I check on my birds every day, of course, and usually I have friends checking on them as well, but I sleep here a lot. This is my room."
Yoongi hadn't considered that at all. "Oh," he said stupidly. He hadn’t thought Jimin came over often enough to have a room in the house.
Jimin pulled out checkers first, and when Yoongi admitted he didn't know how to play most of the games he had pulled out, Jimin made it his mission to teach him.
"No, you can't do that," Jimin said, erasing Yoongi's marks on the Yahtzee sheet.
"Why not? It works better."
Jimin sighed, "You already have three of a kind, and you can't just change it."
Yoongi frowned, "I don't like this game."
"It's fun if you actually listen to the rules !"
Yoongi scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Whatever." He scooted closer to Jimin and copied the way Jimin often ran his hands through Yoongi's hair. Jimin's hair was a little bit dry and a little bit rough, but Yoongi gently ran his hand through it. Jimin made a surprised noise that turned into something happy.
"That feels so nice," Jimin hummed.
Yoongi smiled at the way Jimin was basically leaning into his hand like a cat.
"You're so cute, y'know that?" Yoongi murmured.
Jimin wrapped his arms around Yoongi and shoved his face in Yoongi's neck. "Not at cute as you, city boy." Jimin licked a fat stripe up Yoongi's neck, with Yoongi immediately shoving Jimin away.
"Ew, Jimin, gross!" Yoongi wiped at his neck with his sleeve, smiling. Jimin cackled loudly from a few feet away.
After trying, and failing, to teach Yoongi the game, Jimin resorted to dragging Yoongi back around main street. They didn't stay out on the street for long, though, choosing to lounge in stores instead. The lady in the soap store welcomed them from the heat and let them relax out of the way near the back of the store.
They talked about whatever came to mind, and spent a couple hours just doing that. Jimin asked if Yoongi wanted ice cream, and Yoongi, of course, said yes.
They argued over the best flavor ice cream while in the line and then let each other try their ice creams. Jimin had gotten chocolate almond, and Yoongi had gone with Snickers. Jimin guiltily admitted that he did actually really like Snickers ice cream, leading to Yoongi using his spoon to put a portion of his in Jimin's cup.
After that, they headed back to Yoongi's grandparents' house, and Jimin spent more time with the chickens. Yoongi watched him take turns petting and talking to them. The one that Yoongi thought was named Ana kept running around Jimin, while another chicken stood nearby.
At dinner, Jimin and Yoongi got to the table early and sat next to each other. Yoongi's grandmother shot them scrutinizing looks, while his grandfather kept winking. Yoongi felt his face get warm and noticed that Jimin's cheeks were pink.
Throughout dinner, Yoongi looked at Jimin, but the boy kept his eyes firmly on his own plate. It was confusing to Yoongi, and a little disappointing.
After dinner, Jimin went straight to Yoongi's room. Yoongi, the good grandson, had to stay and help clean up the table. All the while, he was filled with nervous energy. His grandmother quickly let him go to his room when she saw that he couldn't focus. Yoongi thanked her and speed-walked to his room.
As soon as Yoongi stepped into his room, Jimin was shutting the door behind him and grabbing his face. Jimin's lips were on his and Yoongi was kissing back but then he wasn't.
"Why were you being weird at dinner?" Yoongi asked. Jimin's hands were unbuttoning his shirt. His hair looked like he had been running his hands through it.
"Your grandparents were being weird. And then I thought about you leaving. I really don't want you to leave."
Yoongi's shirt slid off of his shoulders. "You know I have to go."
"I do," Jimin nodded. He pulled his own shirt over his head. "That's why this night counts the most."
Yoongi nodded and let Jimin push him onto the bed.
And that's how Yoongi's last night passed, with Jimin in his bed trying to be as quiet as possible and failing. Jimin giggled each time Yoongi let out a high pitched moan, and Yoongi laughed at Jimin hitting his head on the bed frame.
They fell asleep in each others arms, Yoongi desperately wishing for any excuse not to leave.
The moment Yoongi woke up to sunlight coming in the window, though, he knew he would be leaving today. He struggled to get out of the bed without waking Jimin. Quietly, he put on his clothes and began putting his things away.
Yoongi opened the notepad he had brought but hadn't used once, and he began writing. When he finished, he ripped the paper out and folded it.
"Yoongi?" Jimin hummed sweetly and stretched.
"Jimin," Yoongi sighed. "I'm leaving."
Jimin smiled, but it was tight, fake. "Give me a kiss."
Yoongi leaned in and kissed Jimin with everything he felt, trying to get all the emotion into his one kiss, for Jimin to remember. For Yoongi to remember.
He handed the folded paper to Jimin, who starting singing that one tune from when they went to his house. Yoongi still couldn’t place it.
Yoongi grabbed his bag, slipped on his shoes at the door, and left his grandparent's blue house in the pink-purple light of dawn.
He shot one last look at the house outside of the gate. He could see a couple of chickens out of the coop, and there was a quiet that wasn't there when Yoongi first arrived. Through the window, Yoongi could make out Jimin's face looking at him, almost begging him to stay.
Yoongi swallowed and blinked back his tears. He turned and walked down main street.