Chapter Text
It didn't feel like the end of summer yet. It didn't even feel like the start of the last year in school. It was still warm, kids were still outside playing on the streets and in parks until late. Usually only running home when it got dark at ten pm. They could afford such freedom during the summer break.
The sun still set late in the evening and rose early at five. A few too many nights Jimin found himself staying up late enough to watch the sunrise. An accident turned into a bad habit by the third week of their break really. He never could resist the calmness of the night.
He would get out of bed silently, god forbid he'd wake up any of the sleeping family members that also resided in the family home. He would find an odd pair of socks tossed somewhere on the floor and tug them on. Not bothering with shoes but also not wanting to suffer the feeling of cold concrete nip at his soles.
He would bring up his curtains and softly unlock the hinge from his window so it could swing out wide. He would have to be careful if it was windy. Otherwise, the wind would blow the window so far out and the hinges would lock. When that happened it was hard to pull it back into place.
Jimin would then bring one leg up to his window ledge and hoist himself up as quietly as possible so that he could shimmy out of the window and on to the tiny balcony hanging off his room.
He would forgo a jacket and let the cool air cloak his bare arms and legs. Goosebumps forming and hair rising to stand straight against the chill of the morning. He'd watch the sun slowly creep up behind all the other houses in his little street and bring with it a clear light blue sky, the blue bleeding into orange and pink as it mixes with the slowly receding inky black of the night.
He did it as often as he could, and every time he did, he thought of calling Yoongi and asking him to join him, but every time he imagined the cursing and whining he would endure, so he left his phone to lie at his side and sat on the cold flooring by himself. Enjoying the last few moments of silence.
The grass was dry and rough where it pressed into Jimin's bare legs and neck. He squirmed, trying to get away from a particularly nasty blade of grass tickling his neck.
Once again Jimin found himself lying by Yoongi's feet at their local park.
It could hardly be dubbed a park, no swings or slides in sight. No pond or river running through it. Not even many trees, except the ones bordering the grassy green on its edges.
Really it was just a field. It wasn't even theirs. It was a nice sized field used mostly for practice soccer matches for the local teams and goofing around for the neighbourhood kids. Two large goal posts were positioned on opposite ends. The signature white lines marking out the pitch dimensions were absent, usually filled with little plastic cone markers. There was plenty of room around the posts to sit around in groups, which is exactly where Jimin found himself every afternoon this summer, well every summer. And today was no exception.
Jimin would always sleep in late, walking only around noon and groggily making his way downstairs still in his sleeping shirt and shorts. His parents would have long since left for work and his younger brother Jihyun had a different club activity almost every day of the week and he was old enough to get there by himself. So that left Jimin alone in the house.
But not for long. Because to his luck, his best friend lived right next door and had just as much on his plate as Jimin, nothing. So he would take his time, he’d make a nice breakfast most days, clean up after himself and get ready. All while singing and dancing along to his newest favourite songs. Truly nothing could beat summer. He had a part-time job in their town’s only book store. But he only worked a few days a week. Yoongi’s roster almost always matched up with Jimin’s too and if it didn't, Jimin was well capable of entertaining himself for a few hours.
And then it would be almost the evening and Jimin would step into his beat-up runners and open the front and there Yoongi would stand, usually head and neck bent looking over into his phone.
Sometimes he would meet up with other friends from school, other times he’d get invited to summer parties and beach trips. And every so often he found himself going on a date with some pretty girl or boy from their school. But usually, he found himself sitting down in the field with Yoongi. As much as he enjoyed going out and being wild, Yoongi had always felt like home.
And that's exactly where he found himself today.
His arms were folded under his head, keeping it away from and dried clumps of cut grass and his belly was stretched out, toes reaching out far and beyond. He turned his head and saw Yoongi sat cross-legged beside him, picking at the blades and tearing them to shreds. Phone surprisingly laying face down by his legs for once.
“I’m gonna miss this.” Jimin sighed and turned his head back to watch the cloudless sky. He couldn’t even distract himself with abstract shapes the large fluffy cloud would usually form.
Yoongi lifted his head up from his lap and hummed.
“It's not like we’re going anywhere? It's just another school year.”
It was the last few days before starting their final year in high school and Jimin was feeling uncharacteristically anxious.
“I don't know, it just feels different. Like it's our last year. We’ve so much to do.”
Yoongi nodded, “Yeah but we’ll be back at the park in no time. It's not like life stops just because we start school again. And next summer is gonna be so fun.”
Jimin frowned.
“But then it’s college and university, and moving away and what if we don’t get into the same college.”
Jimin rolled over to his tummy and pushed himself up a little bit to make eye contact with Yoongi. The ground was firm under him and his bare toes dug into the grass. “I’ll miss you.”
Yoongi rolled his eyes playfully.
“Don't worry Jimin, it's not like you. We'll be fine, we always have been.” Yoongi smiled and tilted his head sideways. Obviously at ease with the future and not blowing it up out of proportion. Jimin hummed and dropped back into the grass, arms relaxed near his head and blades of grass tickling his cheek.
He couldn’t help it. It just felt that his entire life was leading up to this year. Curse all those teenage coming of age films. Jimin did not want to peak in high school, let alone deem graduation and prom the most important nights in his life.
"Sorry." He mumbled into the grass. Faint and easily overpowered by the noise of screaming kids and multiple tiny feet pounding around the grass field near them. Jimin looked up to observe the park.
Dogs were loudly yipping and yapping, tugging at their owners that were holding onto their colourful leashes for their dear life. They ran circles around each other, playfully nipping at their paws and rolling around in the grass. Some were better behaved, or else at least pretending to.
His eyes tracked two girls just across from them. They had three small dogs between them. A small, grey Yorkshire terrier followed diligently by their feet and two young toy poodles were running around and weaving between their moving legs, chasing each other and play fighting.
Jimin couldn’t begin to imagine the effort of brushing all the cut grass out of their curly coats. Their leashes were long abandoned and were trailing pitifully behind them. But it was clear they were well trained, never straying too far and even keeping their distance from other dogs and people.
His eyes moved onto the next group of people he could find. A small group of six or so children converged in a tightly knit although misshapen circle. They were probably planning something mischievous or simply coordinating their next game. It seemed super intense and serious, whatever game they were playing. Suddenly, they all ran in different directions, yelling loudly and kicking up dirt as they scattered all around the field.
Jimin rolled around onto his back again. Never content to lay still in one position. He let his head roll to the side to face Yoongi.
His hair was straight and hung in his eyes as he looked down at his phone. Jimin felt a slight breeze pass against his face. He closed his eyes and basked in the sun's heat and the slight wind that blew every so often. It made the trees’ branches sway softly and move to cover the sun that shone on his face every so often.
Yoongi was wearing a simple black hoodie and some shorts that bunched up around his thighs from the way he was sitting. His feet sported plain brown sandals fastened with velcro- "for convenience Jimin", "more like for a three-year-old." - He was slouched over, back hunched in such a rolled curve that it definitely wasn’t comfortable. Yet he stayed still and unmoving as Jimin stared.
Jimin himself had his shoes off. His beat-up Nikes were thrown over somewhere when he had kicked them aside before sitting down. His white socks were also discarded, bunched up and stuffed into the shoes so they wouldn't get lost among the grass. His bag lied next to his head. An old navy Jansport, that has survived six years of school and needs to survive for one year at least.
Sometimes the zipper got stuck, sometimes it would snag at the fabric and refuse to budge but Jimin would sooner carry all his books in his arms before he shelled out for a new one. He'd keep it forever, well as long as the straps didn’t start falling off.
"Yoongi."
"Hm?" Yoongi didn't move. His eyes stayed stuck on his screen, unmoving.
"Yoooongi," Jimin dragged his name out, in the specific way he knows Yoongi hated. Just long enough and high pitched to pull Yoongi's gaze to him.
"What’s up?"
"What are your plans for this year?"
Yoongi looked momentarily confused. His eyebrows bunched together and mouth pursed.
"This is really bothering you, isn't it? What’s wrong?" Yoongi finally put his phone down. Locked and face down.
"I'm not bothered by anything. I'm just making conversation."
Yoongi hummed, "What happened to sport head Jimin that doesn't care about anything but football, let alone the future?"
"I just don't want to peak in high school. I don't want this to be the best year of my life. Not like everyone expects it to be."
"Well, there’s a simple answer to that. Don't make it the best year of your life then."
Jimin huffed. "Go back to your phone, you're useless."
Yoongi guffawed. "What's got you so tight today? Did Taeyeon finally dump you?"
Jimin's face soured and Yoongi just laughed again. "No.”
"Are you sure?"
"It's whatever, it's not like I actually liked her. It was just fun hanging out with her this summer that's all.
Taeyeon had confessed her feelings for Jimin last May, just before school let out for the Summer holidays. She said she wasn't expecting it to go anywhere since Jimin was so well-liked, but Jimin thought she was nice and kinda cute so why not give it a try? Especially because his previous girlfriend broke up with him a month ago and he missed going on dates at the beach.
Yoongi never indulged him, always complaining about not liking the water and refusing to step in.
Jimin and Taeyeon had a good few weeks together but decided to break it off when it was clear Jimin often cancelled their plans to just lay in a field with Yoongi.
That was, unfortunately, a recurring theme in Jimin's relationships thus far. He was lonely and bored, and often got fed up that Yoongi wouldn't do specific things with him. Like getting ice cream after school, going to parties, and swimming with him. Then someone would confess their feelings for him, always shy and meek, always with good intentions even though their interests in him were shallow. They would date for a few weeks before Jimin got bored and decided playing Super Smash with Yoongi was more fun.
They'd break up, rinse and repeat.
"What is this? Your fourth girlfriend this year? Just how do you do it resident heartbreaker?"
"Hey, it's not my fault they like me." It’s not like Jimin went out of his way to get people’s attention. He was just generally well-liked, he was charismatic and athletic. He was often told he was perfect boyfriend material, if he well, sucked less at being a long-term boyfriend.
"I just don't get it. How do you get so many people to like you? I've dated all of one person in my life. And it was during camp, we weren't even allowed to stay up past nine pm!"
"Well, then that can be your thing for the year!"
"Thing? I never said I wanted a thing for this year." Yoongi looked flushed, his metaphorical hackles were raised as he rushed to defend himself and Jimin knew exactly why.
"Wait, you like someone don't you?" Jimin smiled brightly. He sat up eagerly and Yoongi flipped his hood up and drew the strings together, hiding his face from view. He groaned.
"You do!" Jimin all but squealed. "Who? do I know them?"
"No, it's embarrassing. I'm not telling." His words were muffled by the fabric covering his mouth but even then, it was clear he was pouting.
"You have to! Come on." Jimin was giggling at this point. In all fifteen years of knowing Yoongi, give or take. He had never heard of Yoongi crushing on someone. It was all new and interesting, like a new toy for a baby.
Yoongi had always been quiet since the very first time they met at a barbecue his family hosted when they were three and hobbling around, still not quite steady on their feet. Head too big and feet to slow to bring them where they wanted to go.
And it was fine, Jimin always made up for it, talking a mile a minute about everything and anything. He didn't mind carrying most of the conversation, nor did he care about initiating all their conversations.
But Yoongi especially never seemed to show much interest in relationships, always focusing on his work, studies and hobbies. He seemed contempt with Jimin by his side and he was used to this. Yoongi branching out and catching feelings, was new, to say the least.
"It's stupid, I’ll get over it soon enough."
"Nu-uh! We're gonna get you two together I swear it! Watch me, I’ll be the best wingman."
"No offence Jiminie, but they'll just end up falling for you if you do that."
Jimin laughed, knowing Yoongi didn't mean it spitefully. The conversation slowly moved on to something else and soon enough Jimin had forgotten about any mention of Yoongi's new crush. The new overwatch skins released became considerably more important than torturing Yoongi.
It has only been one week of being back to school and Jimin is already over it.
Unsurprisingly he wasn't the only one who skipped their summer reading, so the first day back they were forced to sit through a gruelling lecture about disrespect by their English teacher. Clearly a good start to the year. He already had summary notes due for the summer reading next week and it seems like Sparknotes would soon become his new best friend.
To top it off, their principal was away for the first week, some family emergency, so student leadership roles were delayed which meant Jimin had to agonise for another full week before finding out whether he would be the new football team's captain this year.
Yoongi was hoping to get a perfect role, or maybe even something else, but from his overall demeanor, he was visibly a lot more nonchalant about it.
"If I get it, cool. If I don't, then at least I don't have to go to all those meetings." He shrugged.
Jimin let out a pained noise, high and stressed. He let his head drop to the desk table. Not feeling up to eating his lunch today.
Yoongi patted his head. "There's really no one else I can think of making captain other than you."
Jimin pouted. Stomach still too knotted. "Thanks."
"Well except maybe Hyunwoo."
Jimin's stomach churned and he groaned. His appetite just kept dropping the more Yoongi spoke.
"Like he was pretty amazing last year remember? And didn't he go to some cool camp for the top players in our area this summer?"
"Stop," Jimin whined. "Why are you so mean to me?"
Yoongi just laughed and let him continue his moping.
Jimin had gotten the invitation too. Only the best player in their district got called in. It was an amazing opportunity to meet new players and practice against future opponents but Jimin had been forced to decline just so he could help out his family at his grandparents’ farm for three weeks mid-July. Jimin never hated harvesting potatoes more than now.
And the fact that Hyunwoo of all people got to go? It unsettled Jimin to his core. It's not like he hated Hyunwoo or anything, just well. There was some good-natured rivalry between each other.
Nothing wrong with friendly competition, even their coach encouraged it, seeing how they pushed one another to perform better. And well if Jimin came home more tired and battered the necessary most nights, that was his own problem.
He wasn't jealous, he just thought it wasn't fair. Clearly, he deserved the captain badge more. Also, didn’t help that Hyunwoo was a huge fucking dick and had the worst personality Jimin had ever seen.
"I can't do this Yoongi. Bring back summer, take me back to the better days."
"Relax, just a few more days of torture." Curse Ms.Kim for giving him indigestion for the last three days, and clearly for the next seven days to come.
Practice didn’t start till October anyway, so there wasn’t anyone he could badger about the information.
All he could do was shoot daggers at Hyunwoo when he sat behind him in Korean literature and impatiently bounce his leg each morning in assembly.
Not to mention Jimin was already drowning in work.
He didn't know all the teachers could assemble together and decide to dump all their assignments one on top of another. The due dates were still a bit away but Jimin knew that as soon as the first few weeks were over, he'd have trouble keeping up with the workload and it would just end up piling up into a huge mountain.
"Lets hit the ground running" has quickly become Jimin’s least favourite phrase, to say the least. And quite frankly, you're supposed to pace yourself in a marathon, and senior year was definitely not a sprint.
The bell signalling the end of lunch shrieked loudly and Jimin groaned. He quickly scarfed down a cereal and nut bar before standing up and looking over to Yoongi. They didn't have any classes together this year. Yoongi took more social science classes and excelled in literature while Jimin stuck to the advanced sciences and maths while slogging through his required Korean and history classes.
"Do you want to come over tonight?"
"Sure, anything in particular planned?"
“Hmm, how about Super Smash and ignoring my essay on ‘The Dwarf’?"
"Sounds like a plan."
It was a week later and Jimin and Yoongi were sitting in their school's main hall for their start of the year assembly, only delayed by a whole week.
It was ridiculously warm, September was always warm right up until the end and the sun shone strongly through the high windows against their backs. They were all squished at the back together, more so resembling sardines stewing in the heat and going bad than clean and proper students the school expected them to be.
Yoongi was sitting on his right, head tipped back and obviously not paying any attention to the speech being given to welcome back the students.
Truthfully neither was Jimin. He was too uncomfortable in-between Yoongi and another classmate he barely knew on his sides. Chanyoung, he thought, was the name of the other boy. They have maths together, or maybe it was biology. Chanyoung was awfully warm and his leg was uncomfortably pressed into Jimin’s.
Jimin scooted as much as he could to his right, nearly on top of Yoongi, trying to put some space in between himself and Chanyoung.
"Calm down." Yoongi kept his voice low, not wanting to draw the attention of their principal and suffer through a very public call-out. He didn't open his eyes and kept his face angled to the sun.
"It's too hot."
"It's always too hot. Take your jumper off."
Jimin shook his head. He didn't need Chanyoung and the rest of their year knew just how much he was sweating.
Truth be told he was ridiculously nervous for the announcement of leadership roles. Seriously, how long could you possibly spend thanking staff members for being a part of the school community? Jimin just wanted to know whether he got to be a team captain or if all his dreams were going to be crushed and get out and back to class.
The speech was so awful that even his Korean literature class would have been more entertaining. His leg was bouncing nervously from all the pent up energy.
"And I once again urge all the seniors to really hit the ground running now so that everything can easily fall into place by the time exams come around..."
Jimin was seriously contemplating just going ahead and bashing his head into the wall behind him at this point.
Yoongi placed a gentle hand on his knee and Jimin stilled his leg. He let out a heavy sigh and slumped into his seat, right leg returning to press against Chanyoung.
"...moving on, I think it's time for our student leadership roles for this year to be announced."
Jimin's back went ram-rod straight and he suddenly felt the overwhelming urge to cry. Yoongi Picked up his hand from where it was still resting on his knee and moved it to rub soothing circles on his back.
It wasn't even that important. He wasn't planning on pursuing football professionally, he didn't need the recommendations nor was his test scores lacking.
Yet he desperately wanted to be important this year, cliche movies be damned, Jimin wanted to stay well known and well-liked for the last year. And well, maybe he finally wanted to beat Hyunwoo after seven years of bitter rivalry.
They announced the prefects and Yoongi got his role. He was mildly surprised but he just stood up gracefully and sauntered up to receive his badge and shake hands with the staff present. His sleeves were rolled up and cuffed at his elbows. Jimin had never seen anyone that relaxed.
After the student council was announced, Hyunwoo is delegated the overall sports prefect role which sucked because that meant Jimin would have to deal with him a lot more this year (provided he got his captain role.) but yeah, guess that's what you get for being friendly with all the other sports teachers.
As nice as it would’ve been to be the sports prefect, he was now in a better position to receive his dream position.
And thankfully, he did.
He stood up once his name was called out and walked by all the students and teachers. His hands were awfully sweaty when he shook their principal’s hand.
Yoongi patted him on the back and gave him a relaxed smile when he came back around and sat back down on the bench.
Jimin and Yoongi were packing up their bags in the classroom ready to go home. Jimin was taking forever as always, even their form teacher had already left and bid them goodbye.
Yoongi had been talking to them about some niche history event while waiting for Jimin but now he was left leaning against the whiteboard, picking at his nails as Jimin ran around the room trying to find his copy of ‘The Dwarf’.
“Just take one of the random ones lying around,” Yoongi suggested.
Jimin looked scandalised, “I can’t just steal someone else’s book Yoongi!”
He didn't want to waste time trying to find a free online copy tonight. So, of course, he decided to waste time during the day.
“Aha! Found it” Jimin smiled sheepishly.
It turned out it was in his locker. Buried under a massive pile of books and pages that he had left in his locker long before the summer break. Sure he’ll just clean it out at the end of the year, no point in sorting it out now.
If he didn’t need all those loose-leaf notes yet, he doubted he would need them in the next few months.
“Finally.”
Yoongi wasn’t actually peeved. Thirteen years worth of education with Jimin has trained him to be used to this. Jimin was always running late to everything and by extension so was Yoongi.
It didn’t help that they were only two weeks in the year and they had both gotten multiple tardy slips already. They tried their hardest to sneak in after nine yet the teacher on duty always seemed to sniff them out.
They were both pretty tragic. Yoongi had no clue how either of them got any student leadership roles.
When Yoongi looked up again he noticed a girl had walked into the classroom.
“Ah Jimin, I was hoping you hadn't left yet.”
Yoongi scoffed. He knew exactly where this was heading.
“Hey, Hyejin, what’s up?”
Hyejin looked down and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
“Well, I wanted to congratulate you on becoming the captain. The team is really lucky this year.”
Jimin blushed.
“Thanks so much! I'm really lucky to have such a great team.” Jimin laughed lightly.
He zipped up his bag and swung it around to rest on one shoulder. Yoongi finally let himself kick off the wall he was leaning against and pick up his own school bag.
“And well I was thinking, maybe you'd like to study together someday, we could get coffee and work through our history projects.”
“That sounds really good yeah! You have my…”
Yoongi tuned out the conversation. Having heard plenty of variations already.
Sometimes it was getting coffee like Hyejin, other times it was a trip to the movies, or they needed help with some math problems. Really the pool of choices was limitless when it came to people craving Jimin's attention.
Yoongi kept walking and he let Jimin and Hyejin fall back to plan their date.
Eventually, he felt Jimin running to catch up with him after parting ways with Hyejin. He slowed his pace down slightly.
“Our local casanova is back in the field already? Poor Minji, she's still probably not over you.”
Jimin huffed. “It's just coffee Yoongi.”
“It’s always just coffee right?” Yoongi smirked.
Jimin was, unfortunately, the resident heartbreaker in their school.
He was nice, cute and awfully charming. And his inability to say no more often than not stuck him with two different girls a month going for ‘just coffee’. Before Jimin inevitably got bored with them and the girls noticed. Jimin went through girls as fast as their literature teacher went through essay prompts.
Yet despite his reputation, girls and guys alike were still clambering over each other to finally be the one person that Jimin liked enough to deem worthy of dating.
It's been a few years and it hasn't happened yet.
‘Those poor students.’ Yoongi thought.
“Seriously though Yoongi, if you want to go on a date someday, you should put yourself out there.”
Yoongi's face wrinkled and his mouth spread out to form a straight thin line across his face.
“Uh, yeah, no thanks. I'm very happy by myself.”
“Ah, aren’t you the least bit curious? You know I could probably set you up with someone if you wanted to?”
“Eh, it feels weird going on dates with strangers. It's way too awkward.”
“Well, how will you ever make them not strangers then?”
Yoongi shrugged and hiked his bag up higher on his shoulder. They were almost home. They had left the more central part of the town where their school was and were now in the suburban neighbourhoods.
Yoongi’s least favourite thing about September was that the sun was always in his eyes as they were walking home. He had to squint for the whole walk home and he always felt a slight headache coming on by the time he got into his house. That and the massive hedges and big, flowering, bushes that hung over the garden walls and spilled onto their path.
Jimin ducked under stray branches while still talking about Yoongi's non-existent dating life.
Their walk home was routine. Not even having to think about where to go as their feet carried them on autopilot after so many years of following the same route.
“Hey, you wanna come over?”
Yoongi turned back once he realised Jimin and asked him a question.
“Yeah sure. You can help me with my maths problems.”
Jimin smiled brightly.
Jimin sat cross-legged on his bed, frowning at the pile of books surrounding him in messy towers that were threatening to topple. The pages of homework he had placed on his lap looked like a mess of letters and numbers he didn't understand. He pouted at the prospect of having to have it completed by the end of the weekend.
The first month of school had passed relatively quickly. Assignments building up and club events well underway. Football season hadn't started yet so training hadn't started yet either. However, as Captain Jimin already had loads on his plate. Between rounding up first years to try out, ordering new uniforms and coming up with new fundraiser ideas, Jimin was dead tired. Not to mention the copious amounts of work their teachers were pushing on to the final year students.
Once again Jimin found himself in the company of Yoongi. It was just so easy to fall into their normal routine. No matter how much work either of them had pulled up, it was always easier to get through it together. Not quicker mind you, they spent more time goofing around and laughing than actually doing work but it was much more fun. And as long as they got the work done, why does it matter how long it took them?
Yoongi and Jimin have been friends since - well, forever. When Yoongi and his family moved into their quaint, small housed neighbourhood, Jimin's mom had wasted no time in preparing a batch of welcoming cookies and pushing Jimin from behind her knees to greet their new neighbours.
Yoongi and Jimin clicked instantly.
Soon they were begging their parents to have each other over for playdates and afternoon naps. Jimin’s name was mentioned in the Min household more often than the word ‘please’ and Jimin constantly talked about the funny things Yoongi had said to him that day.
When they grew out of parent-organised playdates, they tackled bigger, more dangerous activities together. Such as riding a bicycle for the first time without training wheels and the first day of school just to mention a few of the larger scale mountains they had to overcome.
Both days were traumatic in their own rights, both important feats to happen in their young lives, one more important than the other (the cycling duh) ]. Both days were filled with fat whale tears cascading down their faces and scrapes and bruises littering their knobbly knees.
Every time Jimin toppled over, Yoongi was right by his side ready to pick him up and encourage him to continue and Jimin gently tugged Yoongi away from his mom’s skirt every morning before school and stuck by his side as much as possible throughout the day.
The evening sun lit up Jimin’s skin from the side, making him look like some sort of glowing angel, but only Yoongi noticed the soft highlights that graced his face making him look so much softer. His jaw looked rounder and cheeks fuller, the gentle slope of his round eyes and short lashes were accentuated in the afternoon glow.
His forehead was scrunched in concentration or confusion, Yoongi guessed the latter. And there was a prominent furrow between his eyebrows. Strands of black hair fell forward, annoying Jimin and prompting him to continuously push it back by raking his hands through it. It didn't stay situated for long and the same few locks kept falling forwards.
Yoongi sat at the other side of his bed, hunched over his phone, scrolling through Instagram aimlessly, bundled up under a thick blanket and a pillow between his legs, completely unbothered by the other’s notable frustration.
He found it oddly amusing, pretending to ignore Jimin’s struggles until he was squirming and had to beg Yoongi for help. Then Yoongi had to feign stupidity, acting like he had no idea what Jimin was talking about just to irk him. Jimin would slap his arm and bad mouth him, whining out his name in a breathy, high pitched tone, before Yoongi would finally give in.
It was hard not to when you had Park Jimin’s puppy eyes staring you down. It gave him a sense of importance almost. He wasn’t popular or talented in anything specifically, unlike Jimin who seemed to have his whole life put together. He was envious of him almost, but not in an ugly jealous way, more of ‘Wow that’s my best friend.’ type.
He was happy for him.
Jimin had everything that Yoongi wished for. He was popular and well-liked, he had passed through puberty and came out looking amazing, he had sweet parents and was extremely athletic.
Yoongi felt like dirt compared to him, but Jimin stuck by nevertheless. Never left him alone and always lent him a helping hand.
However, something Jimin did not possess was the skill of history essays, or well, the attention span and memory for it. Jimin did well in most subjects but was really incapable of remembering the events of any wars correctly, let alone the order of when they happened.
His almost failing grade was threatening his place in the next major football game, and that was motivation enough for him to put his ass in action.
Yoongi, being the kind and amazing friend he was, always helped him out. Explaining what Jimin didn’t get and in turn being he was able to feel like he at least had something to his name. Yoongi felt bad for thinking that way but it was hard not to feel in the shadow of Park Jimin.
Jimin was cute, with his swollen eyes and puffy cheeks, although the overall softness of his features was deceiving. His face was innocent and sweet, the kind to give into submission easily just to avoid conflict. With his small, chubby hands and sweet smile, he could coax anyone into thinking he was just a little harmless puppy.
But his body? He had the body of an athlete, a strong sturdy body, muscled and defined. He never missed a chance to show off his strength or athleticism. Quite frankly, he even enjoyed the awed affection he got from classmates as he easily carried large stacks of boxes and piled chairs, masking his smugness with a flattered smile.
And he even excelled in most subjects, minus history of course. He was in all the advanced maths and science classes and even in Yoongi advanced Korean literature class. He sang well for the choir and helped tutor first-year maths students. On top of playing for their football team and helping train the junior football team. He really was the dreamboat of their school.
Yoongi knew what he was like, most people in their school did by now. They had all heard the stories about the infamous Park Jimin, even then, most of the student body wanted to have him or be him.
Maybe it was his good looks, like how his jawline was sharp and masculine. Or maybe it was his eyes, that everyone knew were sharp and sexy but could become rounded with friendliness. It wouldn't surprise Yoongi to know that they all fell for him just for his broad torso and rippling abs.
Yoongi didn't care for them much- especially when he knew how self-conscious Jimin was, and the suffering he went through in order to obtain the adoration and keep up the act. That had been a particularly hard time for Jimin. Life just wasn’t going well and the added pressure of school work and societal norms and stereotypes hit Jimin hard. He worked tirelessly to be more like what everyone expected an athletic high school student to be like, he looked and acted the part. He made new friends and started dating around. Just to fit in.
People always thought they were an odd pair even more so now when they split off into different specialties in school and were planning on taking completely different paths after school. Seeing how bright and loud Jimin was, and how Yoongi was more reserved, quiet.
Yoongi could be just as loud, and he was just as bright, he was just shy around people he didn't know well. He knew people had predetermined ideas of him, none of which matched his truth.
Sure, he was quiet and preferred to spend his lunches at the pitch sidelines, watching Jimin kick a black and white ball around with his other friends. But he was also dorky and obnoxious, enjoying completely obliterating Jimin in video games and then boasting about it for the whole evening. He got flustered easily and blushed a lot, which made people fond of him, labelling him as ‘cute’ rather than Jimin’s usual ‘hot’.
Although he had a softer personality his eyes were sharp and calculating, always watching his surroundings and picking apart other’s behaviours. His tongue was just as sharp and he didn't hesitate to talk shit under his breath behind people’s backs. He was short in stature but no shorter than Jimin, yet his personality and visage made him appear like the smaller of the two.
It didn't help that he always slouched while Jimin’s back was rod straight. His bad posture developed over the years of being hunched over a desk or reading in bed sitting up.
“Ah,” Jimin spoke suddenly, completely disregarding his work and sounding way too close to Yoongi. He peered into his phone and made a noise of realisation glancing at Yoongi’s phone.
“Is that Hyunwoo? What are you doing looking at his page?”
Yoongi turned a bright shade of pink, quickly locking his phone and dropping it face down onto his lap. He was hoping Jimin didn’t notice that Yoongi had already made it thirty-two weeks into his Instagram feed but his cackling crushed said hopes.
Yoongi trusted Jimin with his life and there were no secrets between them. Yet something had stopped Yoongi from sharing his new crush with Jimin. Probably Jimin’s personal hatred for said crush… Yeah, most likely Jimin’s hatred.
“Uhh well, he was wearing some shoes that I liked in his last photo, just wanted to see where he got it.”
Jimin hummed. “That's all?”
Yoongi ears became hot. “Yes definitely.”
Jimin pressed against his side, dropped his head on his shoulder and peered up at Yoongi with wide eyes.
“Are you sure?” he elongated his vowels and came across almost mocking.
“Well…”
Jimin hummed teasingly.
“I guess I kinda like him,” Yoongi mumbled. He turned his face away from Jimin and stared at the wardrobe at the end of his bed. It was too embarrassing to face Jimin.
“Jesus Christ Yoongi you’re really scraping the bottom of the barrel.”
Yoongi pouted.
“He’s hot okay?”
“Yeah so am I? At least I don't have a dog shit personality.”
“I’m not gonna date you Jimin that's weird.”
Jimin rolled his eyes. “Not the point I was trying to make but sure.”
“He’s not all that bad even. You're just biased.”
“I’m not biased! He’s an actual spawn of hell. He's so mean with all the people he dates and they always have messy breakups and he totally fucks around even when he's with someone already. I just know it.”
Jimin scrunched his face. He always had the worst feeling deep in his bones when it came to Hyunwoo. Everything he did rubbed him wrong.
“It’s not like he even knows who I am. It’s just a stupid crush. He's too cool for me.”
“Oh hell no. He is not that amazing. You’re way too good for him! He’d be lucky to have you.”
“So…” Yoongi turned back to face Jimin now, a small smile was teasing his lips. “Maybe you’ll help me get with him? You know, to help my self-esteem.”
Jimin was shaking his head frantically. “Nu-uh, no way.”
“Come on Jimin...it could be like… my thing for this year?”
No. Jimin would not fall for such a stupid meaningless indie teenage film drama. You didn't need to date in high school to be deemed cool or successful. Nope, no major life journeys this year. He had promised himself a nice and easy, no-hassle senior year. No expectations, no standards.
But it was Yoongi’s first crush…. And Jimin was a soft romantic at heart. And it would be really cute for Yoongi to have a boyfriend, if it even led that far.
And well, Jimin hoped that maybe Yoongi would realise how shit Hyunwoo is but would feel more at ease at dating other people.
So maybe… this wouldn't hurt.
“I see it! You're thinking about it!” Yoongi was smiling widely, all teeth and gums showing. His eyes shone with excitement and Jimin couldn't bear to let him down.
“Ahh alright then..”
“Yes!” Yoongi lunged at him and hugged him around the neck tightly. They ended up toppling over on to Jimin’s precarious book nest. Sharp corners and spines digging into Jimin’s back as Yoongi smiled down at him.
Jimin almost wanted to tell Yoongi no, that Hyunwoo just wasn't right for someone as affectionate as Yoongi, he was going to rip him to shreds. But he couldn’t bear to see Yoongi lose his cute smile, he almost cooed at it. He would just intervene if anything started looking fishy.
“Hope you're ready for your first relationship.”
“Ha, yeah, who would have thought this day would come. Hope he doesn't try to kiss me anytime soon though, I totally suck at it.”
Yoongi had moved back to sit up against the wall. And Jimin plopped his head on Yoongi’s lap as if he owned it.
Jimin went silent. The line of his lips wobbled as he desperately tried to keep a straight face. His cheeks twitched in the temptation of laughter but he didn't want to make Yoongi feel stupid.
“Uh pal, buddy, amigo,” Jimin wrapped his arm around Yoongi’s shoulder like a father giving his son some wholesome advice.
“Hyunwoo doesn't kiss on first dates. He fucks. Are you sure you're okay with that?”
This startled the older boy, making him jerk backwards and hit his head against the wall. He clutched at the soon to be bumped and Jimin winced.
“What?! I've never-”
“Oh my god”
“What?”
“You've never-”
“No,”
“But you're older than me!”
“By a year only.”
“But still!”
“What?”
“What about handjobs? Blowy? No?”
“No.”
“Eh?!”
“What's the big deal?”
“At this point, the only way you’ll ever get laid is if you crawl up a chicken’s ass and wait. What about a kiss? Even just a kiss? Surely you have?”
“Well, does the time we were seven count? If not then...”
Jimin blinked rapidly at his best friend like he was viewing him from an entirely new perspective. He cocked his head to the side, before smiling sweetly at him.
“You're really sweet Yoongi!”
Jimin’s famous smile was flashing, mouth open wide and eyes crinkling. He flopped down onto the bed with a huff and dropped his head in Yoongi’s lap. He reached his arm up and poked his nose.
“How cute. You might wanna watch some porn though, or something. Y’know? At least have an idea of how to kiss someone before you attempt it. Bad kissing is a turn-off.”
He couldn’t believe that Yoongi never did, well, anything. He was eighteen and as clean as a priest. He had just assumed Yoongi had fooled around once or twice without telling Jimin about it. They don’t tell each other everything .
Yoongi didn't think about this before, pressing his tongue against his cheek in thought. Jimin wasn't exactly wrong- Hyunwoo had dated around a lot already, and they all must have been much more experienced than Yoongi was.
This fact was very well known around school, yet Yoongi -like the majority of the people out there- couldn’t help but have a type. He dreamt of manly men, sometimes with facial hair. He liked the whole macho thing- with thick thighs, thick lips, and strong arms.
He liked the tanned, glowing skin that contrasted with white t-shirts and their dazzling smiles. His dream man of such, and Hyunwoo fit the description perfectly.
He spent most of his time studying or focusing on his music up until now. He never really thought much about relationships, especially after coming to accept the fact that the chances of finding a fellow someone attractive and interesting were close to impossible in their relatively small town.
“Oh God, I'm gonna embarrass myself like a sad virgin.”
Yoongi was pouting, something he did often when he had something to sulk about. His bottom lip stuck out fitfully. He hunched in on himself even more than Jimin thought was possible and he was stuck looking up to the dark mop of Yoongi’s hair.
“Two hours on pornhub and you'll be fine.” Jimin yawned, clearly becoming increasingly less interested in the topic.
He adjusted his head in Yoongi’s lap as though he was preparing for a little nap, pens and history mind maps completely forgotten.
“Watching isn't the real de-” Yoongi paused, realising dawning upon him. “Hey Jimin.”
Jimin cracked one eye open, peering out sceptically.
“Yes?”
“You've kissed many people.”
“Indeed,” Jimin’s eyes were fluttering now, his voice slowing down into a whisper. His cheeks were squished into his face, and he was either too tired or just too naïve, to get what Yoongi was hinting at.
“Teach me.”
Jimin’s eyes shot open immediately at this, his peaceful face turning wide and confused. He bit down harshly on his lip, tapping his finger against his own thigh.
It wasn't like Jimin to reject anyone (literally, anyone) but his childhood best friend was a completely different story. He didn't particularly care about the fact that it was for educational purposes, it was still weird.
“Are you serious?” Jimin went quiet and serious, a mood he only ever turned to when he was trying to be professional, never with his best friend.
“Of course! I don't want to be a fool, and I trust you! It’s just a kiss, no feelings.”
Yoongi was smiling cheerfully, obviously not picking up on Jimin’s concern about the request.
Jimin had kissed many of his friends platonically for a laugh, but as close as they were,-Jimin having a habit of quite literally hanging from his neck sometimes- it felt odd.
“I'm not one to object to a friend's wish for help but- don't you think it'll be weird?”
Jimin was blinking up at him, chewing nervously on the inside of his cheek. He never got nervous at the thought of kissing anyone, but now he could feel the sweat between his fingers.
“I guess but,” Yoongi began. “It means nothing.”
Jimin nodded slowly, knowing his friend was speaking logically, and that he was getting worked up over nothing. It was nothing, and he'd done it so many times in the past, that didn't have to change now.
“Alright,” Jimin huffed, pulling himself up off Yoongi’s lap and sitting up straight. He bent his legs slightly in as they reached out in front of him and patted his thigh, gesturing to Yoongi to come closer, “Get over here.”
Yoongi scrambled over immediately, not hesitating to throw his legs over Jimin and straddle his lap. From Jimin’s memory, this was most definitely the most compromising position they had ever been in. He never thought his best friend's ass would be in contact with the crotch, but he supposed there was a first for everything.
Yoongi was fidgeting too, squirming in his place to try to get comfortable which really really did not help raise Jimin’s comfort levels.
“Why do we have to sit like this?” Yoongi cocked his head, placing his hands on Jimin’s shoulder to support himself.
Jimin gulped, feeling his hair beginning to stick uncomfortably to his forehead.
“More intimate. If you sit a metre away then it will really make you look like a sad virgin.”
Jimin tried to explain rationally, but he too regretted the seating choice he made. It was intimate, but that was something he'd never imagined for himself and Yoongi, and it all felt surreal.
His hands were reluctant to hold Yoongi’s hips, but keeping them sat in his lap would just make this more awkward- if that was possible so he placed them on Yoongi’s thighs. Yoongi seemed unphased by the whole scenario, seemingly content by everything that was going on.
Jimin licked his lips softly, running his tongue across his bottom lip and then rubbing them together. Yoongi shifted, moving his arms to rest on top of Jimin's shoulders. The weight was familiar yet strange at the same time.
Countless girls had held onto his shoulders for support, wrapped their arms around his neck and pulled at the hairs on his head. But this, this felt different. Yoongi’s arms were different, his soul felt weighed down by the two limbs on either side of his head, and well, he liked it. He liked the feeling of being trapped under Yoongi’s gaze. This was the only position he got to look up to Yoongi in.
Yoongi had the worst posture, always slouching and appearing smaller and cuter than he actually is. Even though Jimin was supposed to be leading this ordeal, teaching Yoongi what to do, he felt paralysed under him.
He felt as if Yoongi knew exactly what he was doing with his eyes alone and Jimin was struck dumb with how pretty his best friend actually was. His cat eyes were half-lidded and he was looking down, gaze flickering between Jimin’s lips and eyes. Jimin could feel his warm breath fan against his face and he looked down his small button nose and down to his parted lips. He inched forward slowly, looking up every so often to make sure Yoongi was still sure about this.
“Just a quick lesson, yeah? A demonstration.”
“Yeah,” Yoongi breathed out, not breaking eye contact.
Jimin went for it then, straight and to the point. He pressed his lips against Yoongi’s deftly. He waited for a few seconds to see if Yoongi would pull back, but when he couldn’t feel any hesitation from him, he moved back slightly and went right back in only a second later, this time parting his lips and letting his hands rest on Yoongi’s thin waist.
Yoongi sat straighter and slotted his lips between Jimin’s. He tightened his hold around Jimin’s neck and burrowed his fingers into his hair, slightly snagging a few locks as he ran his slim fingers through the strands. Jimin leant back slightly, allowing Yoongi to push forward and deepen the kiss, it was slow and warm, nothing like the quick makeout sessions between classes he had in some dingey school bathroom stall.
Yoongi’s lips were soft and plush, well moisturised with no cracks. It wasn’t too wet either, the perfect amount of saliva.
Jimin was confused, there was no way Yoongi was as inexperienced as he said he was. He was too good, too soft and acted as if he knew what he was doing. He was too confident, too strong and Jimin felt himself lose control and let Yoongi lead the pace.
He gave up trying to dictate and just enjoyed Yoongi’s lips pressing against his, moving slowly.
He grasped tighter at his waist and slowly let his hands wander higher, the fabric of Yoongi’s tee-shirt bunched up around his fingers and some slipped under and pressed against the cool skin of his sides, he rubbed his thumbs in slow circles and tilted his head up, pushing, chasing, trying to get more, more of Yoongi.
He grabbed at Yoongi’s shirt and pulled roughly, their chests collided and Jimin fell back onto the bed, dragging Yoongi down with him. His hair fanned out under him and revealed his forehead. Yoongi’s arms fell from his neck and found their place either side of his head on the light blue duvet.
They took the second to regain their breaths. Jimin had his eyes closed and Yoongi looked down, eyes half-lidded and panting, noticing Jimin’s lips were plumper than before, pinker and looked extremely kissable coated in Yoongi’s saliva.
Jimin opened his eyes again and pulled Yoongi down by his neck and resumed the kiss. Yoongi lowered himself, rested his elbows on the bed to be closer to Jimin.
They picked up the pace this time, more feverish and quick but no less soft and comfortable. Jimin’s face was warm and he had no idea that kissing could be so enjoyable. He could lay in bed all day just kissing Yoongi and he’d be content with life.
He knew he needed to stop before either of them thought of it the wrong way, he knew he was getting addicted to Yoongi’s tongue, to his taste of sweet toffee popcorn they were previously munching on, to Yoongi’s pillowy lips and the way they move in sync with his own.
However, as if the universe itself was reading Jimin’s rational thoughts, it decided to intervene. And before they could continue any further, a shout from downstairs interrupted their first lesson.
“Boys! There’s dinner if you want!”
And Jimin suddenly found himself regretting having given into Yoongi.