Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It’s nothing but silence on their way home, nothing but the sounds of cars passing by surrounded them as they made their way to their shared flat. It had been a rough night, and for the first time they're not walking hand in hand absorbing the crisp nightly chill of the city. Instead, Yoongi is walking ten paces ahead of Jimin, and even from that distance, the tension remains. Earlier in the evening Jimin somewhat knew the end result of his argument with the older. For the longest time, they had been avoiding the topic as much as possible but Yoongi simply wanted more, wanted all his late nights at his makeshift studio to pay off. And so when an opportunity for him to do just that presented itself, he knew he had to go.

"This could be it Jiminie" Yoongi says, eyes full of hope and anticipation of what was to come for him…for them. Jimin knew it was a big opportunity, a company wanting to partner up with Yoongi in building his own music label, it’s all he's ever wanted for the older, but it would mean that Yoongi would be gone for one year at least, coming and going as he tries to make a name for himself. Jimin couldn't help but be selfish, especially when it comes to Yoongi. He knew everything would change, their little bubble of four and a half years, about to be destroyed. "I don't know hyung, it's risky, what if-" Worry fills the younger's thoughts, and Yoongi feels it. But he tells Jimin that it was a risk he was willing to take. "Why don't you just keep doing what you're doing? I mean, you're more comfortable at home. And, and its less stress, and-" Jimin stammers, and says anything to get Yoongi to reconsider. That’s when Yoongi snaps. "You know what, I don't even know why you're putting up a fight Jimin. We've been over this time and time again, seriously Jimin, we need to have a plan, we need to start going for much bigger things. What did you expect, huh? We hole up in our shoebox of a flat for the rest of our lives? Grow up Jimin." With that, Yoongi storms out of the restaurant without another word, and Jimin shortly races after him.

The younger always knew Yoongi had a sharp tongue, but this time his words had stung him unlike any of those thrown at him in their recent arguments. Their night out was meant to mend the rough patch in their relationship, but it’s only made matters worse, and Jimin kind of hates himself for it and by the end of the night, that hatred had turned to pure self loathe and despair.

As soon as they get home, the silence breaks and Jimin attempts to stop his tears from falling but it's no use. Yoongi goes straight for the alcohol cabinet, and gulps down every bottle of heavy liquor . "You out of all people know how much this means to me, and you tell me to back out now? Because you're scared? Not everything in life gets handed to you on a silver platter, Jimin." He storms into their shared bedroom and haphazardly starts packing his clothes, tearing piles of hanged clothes from their closet.

"What- what are you doing, hyung?" Jimin was scared, anyone could see it, especially Yoongi. No, Yoongi was the one who always knew when the younger was even the slightest bit of upset, but he was drunk and angry, and confused. Jimin received no response aside from the zipping up of Yoongi's luggage.

"I'm sorry, please, please don't leave me, hyung-" Tears rolling uncontrollably down Jimin's cheeks, as Yoongi heads for the door. "Look, if you want to stay here and watch as life goes by, be my guest. But I'm done, Jimin, I need to leave for a while. Don't make this hard for yourself, for me." The door slams shut, leaving Jimin in the ruins of their once safe haven as the night ended, well, the end of life as Jimin knew it.

For days, Yoongi's words echoed in Jimin's mind, putting salt in the wound the older left in his life.

I'm done...

I need to leave…for a while

At the time Yoongi had no idea just how much what he said affected Jimin.  If only he said that he'd be gone for good, then maybe things would've turned out differently. But he hung on to those words as if it was the air he craved as he drowned. Knowing Yoongi, he probably said it to spite the younger, or to add bitterness to his already poisoning tone. But Jimin refused to believe Yoongi, his Yoongi hyung was gone, and so he waits.

He fixes the pictures around the house, faintly smiling to himself at he stared at their many fond memories. He fixes their bedroom, the kitchen, the couch they spent so many lazy mornings on. He wants so much for Yoongi to come back, and eventually days turned to weeks, weeks to months, until it's been half a year since that dreadful night, and still, he hasn't come back. But still, Jimin continued to wait, after all, he was always the patient one between the both of them.

Chapter Text

Jimin is startled by the incessant ringing of his phone, with his face still buried in his pillow, not wanting to start the day just yet, he blindly reached out to answer it. "What do you want?" He seriously hopes that whoever it was had a good enough reason to wake him up on one of his days off, which came around so rarely nowadays it was a miracle he still had any at all. "Park Jimin get your ass up right now or have you forgotten that you were supposed to pick up your best friend today? Because I am hurt Jiminie, truly," the voice on the phone practically screams, causing Jimin to actually sit up from his previous position. "I'm not your dongsae-" Before he could continue, he realises that he had indeed forgotten that today was the day Taehyung comes back from America, and also the day he promised to pick him up from the airport. "I'm  sorry, I'm sorry, I'm on my way stay put," panic fills Jimin's voice and he proceeds to run around throwing clothes on as fast as possible, stumbling all the way to his car.

It's a miracle that he had gotten to the airport in one piece with the amount of swerves and red lights he almost ran. He makes his way to the arrivals area and before he even starts looking for Taehyung, it seems like the latter had found him first. "CHIM CHIM!" Taehyung's voice fills the room, making people turn their heads to the boy running across the airport dragging an unnecessary amount of suitcases. He takes Jimin in for a hug, almost making him fall over.

"Two and a half years of not seeing each other and you forget to pick me up, some friend you are Jimin." He knows Taehyung is joking but still he feels the need to apologise. "Ah, I'm so sorry Tae, but I did pick you up didn't I?" A small smile makes its way across Jimin's soft features and Taehyung replies asking Jimin if he got any shorter, bursting out in laughter, forgetting about the whole mix up altogether.

The ride back to Jimin's flat is, to say the least, a loud one, talking about anything and everything, slipping into some sort of familiarity. Jimin is comforted knowing that Taehyung, though spending some time abroad, is still the same. He goes on and on about his many adventures while in the States, and Jimin wonders how his best friend could still have so much energy after such a long flight. Still, it's nice for him to know that Taehyung enjoyed himself over there despite being away for so long, and Jimin wishes he could say the same for himself. And so when Taehyung stops talking and asks Jimin how he's been or what he's been doing while he was gone, he couldn't help but tense up. Taehyung left just before what Jimin wishes was nothing but a nightmare between him and Yoongi, and though the older boy repeatedly told Taehyung that everything was just fine, it wasn't. He's been waiting, and waiting for so long and everyday his hope falters more and more. Under normal circumstances Jimin would've told Taehyung exactly what had happened but he's nowhere near ready to hear the reality of the situation come from someone else, and no way in hell was he giving up on Yoongi, no matter how much it drains him. And so Jimin avoids talking about it and instead rambles on about his job at the dance centre and how he never gets enough sleep, which is true, but he never mentions the sleepless nights thinking about the man, who up 'til now, has a constant hold over him.

By the time they arrive home, Taehyung's going on about how he hasn't had any proper tteokboki in the longest time and pesters Jimin to take him to go eat some "right this minute." Jimin agrees, but is too busy to reply, carrying all of Taehyung's luggage into the house as he chatters away claiming that he's the older one out of the both of them, using their height difference as a reason. And it’s apparently why Jimin should be helping his "hyung" out.

When Jimin just about finishes settling Taehyung's things and tidies up the guest room, they get ready to leave. But that's when he notices it, "Jiminie...what are those still doing up on the wall?" Taehyung points towards the picture frames that held photos of Jimin and Yoongi, a somewhat disappointed look settling on his face. Jimin wasn't expecting the matter to be brought up so soon, catching him completely off guard. And so he attempts to avoid it, pulling Taehyung's arm out the door. "Let's go Taehyung, it's nothing." Discontented, Taehyung raises his voice, wanting nothing but answers. "Jimin. Talk. What's all this do-" Jimin knows he wasn't going to just drop this especially since Taehyung knew, just how hard it was, he saw the aftermath of it all. So he settles to talk but somewhere he couldn't lash out in because Taehyung sure as hell wasn't going to like it, and so they go.

It had been two years since Jimin last saw Yoongi, two years since everything he held dear walked out of his life. But never in those two years did Jimin ever stop loving Yoongi.

They end up in some hole in the wall restaurant just a few blocks from the the flat building and Jimin could feel the sudden shift between them. "Okay, I know this place seems really dodgy, but I promise the food is amazing!" He forces a smile, trying to postpone the inevitable conversation about the obvious conflict of interest.

The waitress comes around, asking for their orders and Jimin feels relieved. But his complacency quickly fades as the waitress finishes taking their orders. "Okay Jimin, enough stalling, spill." Just as expected, Taehyung brings up the elephant in the room, and Jimin sighs in defeat. He begins to tell Taehyung about the night when it all fell apart again, except in greater detail, explaining that he had missed something Yoongi said to him. A part of Jimin hopes that Taehyung will understand and leave him be, but Jimin has a history of things never going his way. He anticipates Taehyung's and is greeted with a look of frustration and if he's being completely honest, pity.

"Two words, really? You're hanging on to him because of two damn words," his best friend almost snarls at him. It's a reaction he did not expect, it's as if Taehyung's mad at him. "It's been two years Jimin, and I'm going to go on a limb here and say he won't be back anytime soon." Taehyung had a point, this he knows, but every part of him just can't let go of the man who walked out on him two years ago, the man he loved, and still loves. "Tae, I can't just give up, he would-" Taehyung chuckles in response, cutting Jimin off. "He'd what? Do the same for you? C'mon Jimin, he's long gone by now, probably made a name for himself and hasn't thought twice about coming back. Look, I know it's hard, okay? I get it,“ Jimin looks away, not wanting to accept the possibility of what Taehyung had just pointed out. "But, you have to let him go. I don't like seeing you constantly pining over nothing. Just- just promise me you'll try?" The now fragile looking boy looks up and simply nods, but he knows just as well as Taehyung probably does, that it was nothing but an empty promise.

The mood of the entire night shifts, and throughout the whole dinner Taehyung would occasionally try and make conversation, but he remains cautious, not wanting to upset Jimin any further. Jimin replies, but unlike earlier in the day his tone was now laced with sadness.

"So do you like your job now?" Taehyung tries.

Yes it keeps my mind off certain things

"Yes, it really keeps me on my toes"

"What do you do on your days off?"

Clean the house, make more space, in case he comes back…

"Oh just errands, or sometimes in bed all day, one of my dance classes are filled with kids so it really tires me out," Jimin forces out a laugh, but he knows Taehyung doesn't buy it.

They call their day a little bit earlier than planned, but that's okay, Jimin thinks. As much as he's thrilled to have Taehyung back and stay with him, he admits he needs a little time to himself, especially after everything they talked about. 

It's barely dark outside when Jimin announces that he'll be going to bed, and that he'll see Taehyung in the morning. Just before Jimin's completely out of sight, Taehyung calls out for him. "I'm sorry, Jimin, I said some pretty harsh things, I didn't mean to pry it out of you. I was just- I worry about you…"  Jimin turns to face him, giving him a tight smile. "It's fine Tae, probably need to hear it anyway. Night."

With that, he slips into his room and collapses face down on his bed, sighing heavily. Come to think of it Jimin hasn't really, truly thought of Yoongi lately. Of course he's still waiting, and he probably always will, but some of the things Taehyung had brought up got him thinking for the first time in a while. A million questions starts running through his mind. What was Yoongi doing? What happened to his record company? Did he ever think of Jimin too? Was he sorry? Has he move- Jimin blocks off his thoughts, and buries himself under his duvet, not allowing himself to even think about what he feared the most. JImin knows two years is a long time but against everything else, he still believes in in the man he fell in love with. 

Chapter Text

In the three weeks Taehyung's been staying with Jimin, things between them have more or less gone back to normal. The younger avoids the "y" word as he likes to call it, as much as possible at the risk of upsetting his best friend.

They're in some corner coffee shop waiting for their "extra hot" coffees, as Taehyung complains about how he’s no longer used to the iconic winter chill, to which Jimin scolds him for not bringing an extra coat. Their names get called and are about to leave when Jimin bumps into something, or someone for that matter, and soon enough he feels something hot on his back, making him wince. He turns around ready to apologise, despite him being the one drenched in a grande vanilla latte, but before he could, the culprit spoke up. "I. am. so. sorry" the stranger says as he grabs about a hundred paper towels and begins to wipe Jimin's jacket. "It's fine, really, partly my fault anyway, I wasn't looking properly " Jimin argues and is greeted with a troubled look wiped across the stranger's soft features. The stranger pulls out a pen from his pocket and starts scribbling on one of the dry paper towels he grabbed earlier. "Here," he says, handing Jimin the paper towel, "my number, just text me about the dry cleaning bill, no doubt that's going to stain." Jimin looks at the stranger in confusion and eventually says that it won't be necessary for him to pay for the dry cleaning, but he insists and extends his hand even further, leaving Jimin no choice but to accept it. "If you won't text me about the dry cleaning, then I suppose any message will do just fine." His earlier expression disappears and is now replaced with a soft smirk playing upon his lips. "I'm Jeongguk, by the way." With that, his tall figure makes its way out the door leaving Jimin gobsmacked at what just happened.

"Park Jimin you little minx," Taehyung smirks and Jimin knows to look away, wanting to avoid whatever teasing the younger has in store. "You should call him!" Jimin simply shakes his head no, and he hopes his best friend gets the message, but of course, he keeps insisting. "Oh but Jiminie it's been so long, and you deserve this, I mean, when's the last time you saw someone?" It doesn't even take Jimin a second to mentally answer Taehyung's question. How could he see someone when he was still waiting for Yoongi to come back, when he is still completely in love with him. But still, Jimin thinks it's nice to have been noticed after the longest time, and he can't help but smile a little bit.

But then Jimin gets home and his gaze immediately falls on the framed pictures on the wall, and his smile slowly falters. As Taehyung excuses himself to go wash up, Jimin remains, intently fixed on the many fond memories he holds so dearly. From that ski trip they took, to the one candid shot of them moving into the very house he was standng in, Jimin stood there reminiscing through all of it. He thought back to what had happened at the coffee shop and wondered what Yoongi would say about it if he were with him right now. Maybe Yoongi would tease him about it, maybe scold him for being such a flirt and Jimin would know that was just his hyung being jealous. Maybe Yoongi would remind him not just to accept anyone's number and Jimin would laugh at the scowling elder, purposely asking why. Maybe Yoongi would then ruffle Jimin's hair and say that he was "his" and that it's rude to lead people on. And maybe, just maybe, Jimin would steal a kiss from the older's lips and hum a soft "I love you."

Jimin doesn't even notice he's crying until he feels a cold drop on his hand, and that's when he lets it all out. He welcomes each new gush of tears that manage to escape his eyes and stumbles, sitting on the couch arm. He cried, wondering why Yoongi still hasnt come back, wondering why he chose to leave when he promised Jimin forever, wondering when it became so easy for Yoongi to walk away from Jimin. He thinks back to the very first, and most important time Yoongi ever gave in to him.

"C'mon hyung why can't you just give us a chance? What's the worst thing that could happen?" The younger softly pleads, looking down playing with their intertwined fingers.

"We get hurt." Yoongi argues, and Jimin couldn’t help but tighten his grip on the older.

"We might, but no matter how much it hurts, all this, it what makes us human, and you're only human, hyung…So why not? Live a little." Jimin finally breaks the silence, and Yoongi shakes his head, letting out a soft chuckle. "Since when did you get so philosophical huh, brat?" And Jimin knows he's won the older over.

He smiles softly at the memory, another wave of tears rolling down his cheeks. He doesn't know how long he sits out there fixated on the many photos, and flashes of moments he'd shared with Yoongi until Taehyung comes in. "Hey Jimin where do you keep your-" He stops in his tracks as soon as he notices Jimin sniffling and haphazardly wiping away his tears with the hem of his shirt. He follows where Jimin's stare was directed at, and he can't help but let out a deep sigh. He pads over to Jimin, pulling him into a hug, and Jimin just cries harder, burying his face into his best friend's shoulder. "You gotta stop this Jiminie….he's not worth it anymore. Deep down, you know that right?" As expected, Taehyung is greeted with silence and when an idea comes to mind to help the crying mess in front of him, he doesn't hesitate to suggest it. "Okay Jimin, you know what, let's take all these down yeah?" He gestures towards the pictures on the wall and Jimin's too quick to shake his head. "No, no, Jimin, it's time. These, they're all just reminders of…of, well of what could have been. You just get hurt looking them." Taehyung practically begs for Jimin to agree, and after a relatively long silence, Jimin gives a slow nod. Because Jimin knows he has a point, and he knows that's what's best for him, and he knows that he's holding on to a very thin thread.

And so they start taking it down one by one, Jimin handling each frame like the most fragile piece of china. Taehyung offers a comforting pat, knowing just how hard this must be for Jimin. Soft sobs fill the living room, neither one daring to speak or say anything and Jimin is thankful, but he's also glad that Taehyung's there with him, because God knows he'd be in a far more unstable state right now. All but one of the photographs are gone, and it's the one polaroid of Jimin lying down on Yoongi's lap, sleeping peacefully, and Yoongi looking away from the camera in his hands, and glancing down at the younger, lips curved into a smile so small that you could just about see it. It's not the best, artistically, but Jimin thinks its his favourite, and the hardest to let go of, because it was Yoongi putting Jimin above everything and anything, and it was the very moment he knew Yoongi really loved him.

He starts to seal the box and Taehyung points out that there's still one left. "No, not that one. Not just yet." It comes out as nearly a whisper and Taehyung doesn't push it any further. "You're going to be okay, Jiminie" Taehyung mutters to himself and watches as Jimin packs away the box, hiding it into the very nook of his closet.

:･ﾟ✧

Two weeks later, Jimin finds himself practically being pushed out the door by Taehyung, as he's about to meet up with Jeongguk for coffee. It was last week when Jimin decided to call him just to stop Taehyung's redundant lecture about how he should try and get out there, and besides, he thought he could really use a new friend right now. Which is why when Jimin did call, he made it clear that it they'd be going just as friends, and Jeongguk agreed but Jimin could almost see his smirk from the other side of the phone.

So Jimin goes, and he finds that Jeongguk is actually a lot of fun to talk to. He's interested in both dance and music, which takes up most of their time together as they discuss their different favourite dance groups and the different kinds of music they listen to. He also happens to be in one of Seoul's infamous underground dance troupes and Jimin practically begs Jeongguk to introduce him to his dancer hyungs, to which he says yes to despite the short amount of time they've known each other. Jimin learns that he's 2 years Jeongguk's senior but has seen more of the world than he has. By the end of it, Jimin actually comes to quite like Jeongguk, and so he invites him to hang out again when he can.

Of course Taehyung is beyond excited and happy for Jimin when he tells him how coffee with Jeongguk went. He goes on and on about how proud he is of him, when in fact all Jimin wants to do is go to bed. Socialising, he realises, is something he hadn't done in a long time and so he'd tired himself, getting too excited at mentions of Jeongguk's adventures in the States or at the underground dance troupe. He cuts Taehyung off from whatever he was talking about and heads to his room, face planting on the covers, hiding a soft smile for himself, because for the first time in a while, Jimin had a good day.

:･ﾟ✧

Maybe it's Jeongguk's surprisingly childish personality, or the way he always has fun with the younger boy, or perhaps its how easily the conversation flows between the two of them, Jimin's not entirely sure, but he's drawn in and begins to see him more and more.

As promised, Jeongguk takes Jimin along to one of his dance practices and the older can barely contain his excitement. It’s been so long since he’s been so excited for something and Jeongguk puts his hands on Jimin’s shoulders, holding him in place to calm him down.

“Seriously, hyung, chill,” Jeongguk scans Jimin’s face and chuckles softly, “I know you’re excited to walk in with such a legend like me, but-“ His arm is soon met with the slap of Jimin’s hand, “Yah!”

Jeongguk winks, and grabs his wrist, pulling him into the practice room, “Okay, okay, c’mon you’re going to make me late.”

When Jimin walks in, his jaw practically drops from the size of the studio. He stares at the hardwood floors, the mirrored walls, the sound system, and he feels intimidated as hell, they must be really good. He sees that most of the members have already started stretching and warming up, but they all get up, crowding around him and Jeongguk when they see that they’ve arrived.

“And who might this be, Jeonggukkie?” A smiley looking boy pipes up, managing to get Jeongguk into a headlock, ruffling his hair. He takes a step backwards, wanting to avoid whatever ruckus the two might cause. Sure enough, Jeongguk thrashes around attempting to escape the boy’s hold. Eventually he does, shoving the boy aside and shaking his head, smiling, “Sorry, Jimin-hyung, this is Hoseok-hyung, the most annoying one of all, but one of the best.” Jimin bows instantaneously, earning a laugh from Hoseok, “Aigoo, he’s so cute.” Jeongguk clears his throat at Hoseok’s comment, and Jimin feels his cheeks heat up almost immediately, it was probably nothing but he can’t help feel somewhat flattered. It occurs to him that the younger’s probably told them of him when Hoseok nods at Jeongguk, whispering a prolonged ‘right’ to himself.

“So, Jiminie, you any good at dancing?” Hoseok smiles, as if he already knows the answer. Jimin replies modestly, saying that he was alright, and Hoseok invites him to join their warm up circle. A familiar pop song starts playing, and Jeongguk is pushed forward to go first. Jimin’s bopping along to the beat, getting a feel of the rhythm, and before he knows it, Jeongguk’s turn is done and he’s been pulled forward. He feels everyone’s gazes burn a hole through his shirt, and he gets a little nervous. His eyes meet Jeongguk’s and his expression softens. He mouths, ‘Go, you can do it, hyung,’ encouraging him, and Jimin nods. So he slowly lets his body move with the music, not thinking about anything else, and soon enough his movements get faster, flowing naturally. He spots Hoseok giving him an approving nod, and he smiles shyly, pulling him into the centre to take his place.

The rest of the practice session goes well, a few of the other members commending Jimin on his natural talent and even teaches him a segment of their newest routine. While he’s in the corner, running through some of the steps, he catches Jeongguk watching him a few times even when he’s supposed to be practicing with the rest of the members. He continues pretending not to notice, but now he’s got a smile on his face, and he can’t believe how good he feels to be looked at like that again, full of endearment and fascination.

When it’s time to go, Hoseok approaches him, tells him that he should come more often, to which Jimin replies with an excited nod. They quickly say their goodbyes, and run to the station, hoping to reach the last train home. Fortunately they do, and Jimin falls asleep on Jeongguk’s shoulder in a matter of minutes. Jeongguk carefully shuffles in his seat to accommodate the older’s head. He catches himself watching Jimin sleeping soundly, and he’s never seen him so at peace. Normally Jimin wears a smile all the time, to the point that Jeongguk thinks it’s impossible for someone to be that cheery all the time. But despite Jimin’s disposition, he could still see the pain hidden behind it all, and he wants nothing more than to be the one to take it all away.

The conductor announces that their stop is next, and Jeongguk carefully shakes Jimin awake. “Rise and shine, hyung,” Jimin looks groggy for a second, but even when he’s tired he manages to put on a smile and it amazes Jeongguk. He offers a tight smile, when the train comes to a halt, and he instinctively grabs Jimin’s hand, guiding him through the sea of people rushing onto the platform.

They get outside and Jeongguk lets go of Jimin’s hand, noticing the perplexed expression on the older’s face. For a moment, they remain silent, and Jimin looks to the right, mentally mapping out his way home. “Well, I’m off this way,” he points towards the direction of his house, and Jeongguk nods as a goodbye. “Wait, Jeongguk-ah,” Jimin catches his arm just as he turns on his heel, “Thank you for today, seriously, it's been a while since I've- yknow.” Jimin chuckles lightly, and Jeongguk simply smiles down at him, “Anytime, hyung. You did really good too, by the way. They loved you.” Jimin looks down, a little bit flustered, and starts walking home without another word. But this time it’s Jeongguk who stops him, “Hyung?” He turns around, looking expectantly at Jeongguk wondering what he’s about to say. He’s surprised when no words come out of Jeongguk’s mouth and instead he’s slowly moving forward. Their faces are a mere centimetres apart, and Jimin realises where the younger is going with this. He panics on the inside, he has no idea what to do and something tells him that he should move away, but he doesn’t. He stays still and suddenly, Jeongguk’s lips are on his.

It feels…different. It’s soft and gentle, and it almost foreign to him, but he thinks it feels nice. And when Jeongguk pulls away, he finds himself wanting more.

“Been wanting to do that for awhile,” a smirk is playing on Jeongguk’s lips and Jimin is still quite speechless, “Goodnight, hyung.” He finally walks away, leaving Jimin dumbfounded and his hand makes its way to his lips, letting it all sink in. He walks home much slower than planned, leaving him to his thoughts, and Jimin knows it’s going to be a sleepless night.

:･ﾟ✧

After that night’s…event, Jeongguk acts as if nothing happened, and so does Jimin. They hang out a third time, a fourth time, a fifth time, and Jimin can’t help but notice the lingering touches, and the brighter days. By the seventh time rolls around, Jeongguk asks Jimin if he wanted to "try the whole dating thing." Against everything Jimin thought he believes in, he says yes, and before either of them knew it, it's been a month since he agreed to it, and things are going quite well. Sure Jimin still gets that ache, he still feels the pain of the gushing wound Yoongi left behind, but he feels better. Jimin, for once is actually happy in someone else's company and not in the midst of the still picture frames that surround him in that once empty flat, and Jimin thinks that this is what Yoongi would want for him too.

So now they're at a music lounge on a sort of date, seeing some up and coming band Jeongguk's heard about recently. The two find themselves seated in a sort of love seat as it was the only one left, not that Jeongguk minds because Jimin sees that well known smirk of his plastered across his face. Before the band's set starts Jeongguk talks about them and all the basic info. It's sort of loud in the music lounge and so Jimin often has to press himself closer to the younger, which of course Jeongguk makes fun of Jimin for. 

Jimin motions his head towards the bar area, silently asking for Jeongguk to get him something to drink, and so he goes. Jimin's eyes linger around the area for only a moment, and that's when he sees it. The familiar black, fuzzy bed hair, the gummy smile, the way the man's black suit accentuates the paleness of his skin. Jimin's whole being tenses up, and right now it feels like he's having an out of body experience, because right in front of him, less than a few feet away, was none other than Min Yoongi, his Yoongi. 

He doesn't even know what he should do, should he go up to him or, or- Jimin's been extracted from his thoughts because at that moment, Yoongi no longer had his head thrown back in laughter, nor was he nursing that glass of scotch in his hand,  but he's spotted Jimin and was looking straight at him. For the first time in two years, their eyes meet and all time slows. Yoongi, however, was the first to break whatever trance they were in, he turns to the people who had gone with him there and excuses himself, as he hurriedly makes his way out of the lounge.

Jimin panics and he feels like his head is about to fall out of its place, but before he could even begin to process what just happened, he's out the door running after Yoongi. He steps out onto the sidewalk, the cold winter air slapping him in the face, looking left and right for a certain mess of black hair, and he sees a figure starting to disappear into the shadows of the street lamps. So he runs as fast as he can to catch up to Yoongi, repeatedly calling out his name. "Yoongi! Yoongi, hyung!" He's yelling, and as he's getting closer he can see Yoongi picking up his pace. "Yoongi hyung ! Please..." Jimin cries out and he's pretty sure Yoongi hears the desperation in his voice, because he slows down and eventually comes to a stop, and slowly he turns around to face the breathless boy.

For a moment nothing rings in their ears aside from Jimin's heavy breaths and Yoongi's soft sniffling. But Yoongi also refuses to make eye contact, which is something Jimin never thought he'd do, especially not around him.

Of course it's Jimin who breaks the silence between them first, "Hyung, I, I didn't know you could run so fast." Jimin tries to say jokingly but it earns him a strained laugh, if one could even call it a laugh. "Jimin, hi," Yoongi finally builds the courage and it comes out as almost a whisper. Jimin looks at Yoongi, and he has a look of hurt smeared across his face, poorly hidden behind a tight smile.

Jimin has so many questions, he doesn't know where to start, what to say, or how to even speak to Yoongi, because truth be told, he never thought this day would come. This time its Yoongi who speaks up, "I-I'm sorry, Jimin. I'm sorry." If Jimin wasn't looking down he would've seen a tear roll down Yoongi's ever pale face, but he did't and the next thing he sees is the older turn on his heel and begin to walk away. If Jimin's learnt anything in the past two years, it's that he'll never let someone important walk away from him, no matter what. He manages to grasp Yoongi's arm, startling the older. "Hyung, you have a lot of explaining to do."

Chapter Text

They agreed to meet the next morning at the park a few blocks from where Jimin's building was. Before Jimin actually made it out the flat's front door he'd received a little talk from Taehyung telling him that it was a bad idea, but nevertheless, to be careful. To which Jimin argued that they were just going to hear Yoongi out, and that he deserves at least some explanation. Taehyung then finally let's him go and Jimin can't help but laugh at how maternal his best friend was being.

Jimin gets to the park a good fifteen minutes earlier than planned, and so he sits on a park bench while waiting. Since the previous night, he really didn't know how to wrap his head around the fact that Yoongi was back. He'd waited years for this to happen, and now that it has, his reaction to it hadn't been what he's imagined it to be. Jimin doesn't expect for them to get back together and live happily ever after off in the sunset, pretending that nothing ever happened, no. Though he really doesn't know what he wants either. Things have been going so great for him and Jeongguk, and he thinks he's happy. He wants to believe that he's truly happy, but one look at Yoongi, and he feels the ache that had been his security blanket all this time, and he's back to square one. He doesn't quite want Yoongi back, but he can't help but hold on to the very idea of him, just as he'd done with that stupid photograph still hanging on the wall. He lets out a deep sigh, frustrated from his thoughts, his feelings, and just about everything.

He's snapped out of his thoughts when he sees a pair of shoes appear next to his. He looks up and sees Yoongi, then immediately stands up. "Hyung," he says in a tone of disbelief, "you're here."  Yoongi shuffles backwards a bit, leaving some space between him and Jimin, not wanting to overstep. "Here I am." He smiles, and there's a brief pause before Yoongi asks if they could go for a walk around the park.

They walk at a slow pace, absorbing the sun, in contrast to the brisk winter chill slamming against them. It stays silent, nothing but the distant sound of children playing and the rustling of the trees to be heard. This time it's Yoongi who speaks up first. "Knowing you, you probably have a million questions running in that head of yours, huh, Jiminie?" Yoongi feels Jimin tense next to him as he waits for the younger's reply. "Where have you been, hyung?" There's a hint of sadness and hurt across Jimin's face as well as laced in his tone, and Yoongi realises this might be harder than he originally thought.

"Well, I went right ahead and started the record label. It was a struggle at first, of course. But things looked up after a while, just like I knew they would. And now we're almost up there with the big leagues, can you believe it?" He turns to look at Jimin, scanning for a reaction but he's looking down, hands in his pocket, listening intently to whatever Yoongi was saying. "These past two years have been the hardest I've ever worked in my entire life. You know after the night I left, I basically threw myself into nothing but work," He eases into the topic of that night, and Jimin nods, urging Yoongi to go on. "To- to try and forget what an asshole I was to you that night, to try and forget the look on your face when I-" Yoongi's voice started to crack, tears brimming his eyes. He takes a deep breath, and Jimin's now looking at him, with an expression on his face silently telling Yoongi that 'it's okay.' "When I left you." He continues, quickly rubbing his eyes. "God, Jiminie, you deserved none of it. I'm sorry…I'm so sorry" And it takes Jimin less than a millisecond to take Yoongi into his arms and hold him despite every bone in his body telling him no.

They stay like that for a bit, Yoongi repeatedly whispering 'I'm sorry' against Jimin's shoulder, and him stroking the older's nape telling him that it was all okay. "I'm sorry hyung didn't come back, I didn't, I didn't know how to face you, I was so ashamed with how I left things and-" Yoongi pulls away from Jimin, and stumbles backwards, tripping over his words as well. Jimin knows he should be at least a little mad at the older, and maybe if he completely stopped caring about Yoongi he would, but right now all he wants to do is make the hurting stop. He, out of all people knows how hard it is to get rid of.

Jimin tries to calm Yoongi down like he had so many times before, and he starts blabbering about his job at the dance studio and everything he's been up to. He continues up until Jimin actually gets Yoongi to laugh, and Jimin thinks he could get used to this again. They fall into an easy conversation, so much so that they almost stray away from the walking trail.

Their rather long talk gets interrupted by Yoongi's buzzing phone. He excuses himself and Jimin can't believe how much of a hold Yoongi still has over him. Jimin laughs softly to himself, but it quickly fades as Yoongi makes his way back to him. "Jimin-ah, I'm so sorry we're going to have to cut it a little short today, I'm being summoned for a meeting." Jimin senses the sincerity in Yoongi's voice and so he says it's okay, wishing Yoongi good luck, even though its just a meeting. But before Yoongi leaves, he's about to say something, though a bit apprehensive to do so. "What is it, hyung?" Jimin presses. "C-can I see you again?" Yoongi looks at him, uncertainty smeared all over his face, and Jimin just shakes his head, letting a smile creep onto his lips. "Of course you can, hyung." That earns Jimin a tight smile from the younger and a business card being haphazardly thrown in his direction as Yoongi hurriedly runs to the parking area. Jimin picks up the card from the ground, and he believes that things just aren't done between them just yet, that it hasn't ever really stopped, and he thinks he wants Yoongi back in his life in whatever way he can have him.

Jimin then gets home and is bombarded with countless questions from Taehyung ranging from, "How are you, my little Jiminie?" all the way to, "Did you yell at him? Hit him? Please tell me you did something?" To which Jimin replied with a shake of his head. "Okay, mom," emphasising, mom, Jimin teases Taehyung, "There was no violence whatsoever, we just, know, talked."

“You, Talked.” He blinks repeatedly in disbelief, disappointed in his best friend’s choices. Jimin soon receives a flick to the forehead and a very frustrated expression from Taehyung. “Park Jimin, this was the perfect opportunity to-“ He widens his eyes, and it’s like a million light bulbs just went off in his head. He turns to him, grinning, and Jimin is ultimately confused.

“Tae, what’s going-“

“Jimin! …You said you were with Jeongguk, right?”

“Yes?”

“Did Yoongi see you with Jeongguk?” Taehyung’s smile is hopeful, and he’s standing so close to Jimin he could feel him breathing.

“Um, I don’t know?”

Taehyung groans, and he begins to pace around their living room. “Okay, let’s just say he did. That’s good Jimin, you have to show him you’re not a crumbling mess like you were a few weeks ago.” He knows that it’s not right to dangle a person like that just to prove a point, but Taehyung only wants what’s best for Jimin, he wants his best friend to gain his pride, his self and his life back, which is honestly not a bad thing at all.

He looks down at Jimin, and he’s fidgeting with his phone in his lap. Taehyung raises an eyebrow at Jimin and he knows for sure that something is going on, but, he respects his best friend enough to leave it alone. When Jimin disappears into his room, eyes glued to his phone, he hopes it’s Jeongguk he’s waiting for, because otherwise, he knows things can go very badly.

That night, Jimin receives a text from Yoongi asking if they could continue their conversation from the park. They agreed to meet at a bar in the city, just like old times, Jimin thinks and he can't help but smile, remembering the last time they were in a bar, Yoongi had one too many and he had to carry the older piggy back style all the way to the bus stop, as well as the last block 'til home.

His thoughts are automatically flooded with Yoongi as he recounts their little meet up in the park. He thinks about how Yoongi is exactly the same from when he last saw him, but yet completely different. Of course his wit and lazy smile, and everything that makes him Min Yoongi was still there, but Jimin also saw a different side to him behind all that. He could see that Yoongi was thinner, more worn out, hurting, if he's really being honest. And Jimin thinks maybe it wasn't just him who went through hell and back for the last two years.

:･ﾟ✧

"Woah, easy there, hyung." Jimin gets to the bar, surprised to see Yoongi already there and about to take what looks like the second shot of the night. "Jiminie, you made it." Yoongi offers a lazy smile, and pulls out the bar stool next to him, prompting Jimin to sit down.

"And I see you've made it to your secon- I mean, third glass, huh, hyung?" Jimin nudges him as he takes his coat off, slinging it over the bar stool.

"Just wanted to relieve work stress, Jiminie." He smiles lazily.

"Oh, yeah, how was that thing you were called for yesterday? All settled?"

"Yep," he said, popping the 'p,' "Hey Jiminie, I wanted to apologise for the whole break down yesterday. I mean, I know it was kind of out of boun-" Jimin puts his hand on Yoongi's shoulder, trying to put him at ease. "Hyung, it's only me, you don't need to say sorry." Yoongi just looks at Jimin, shocked that the younger is so understanding, and he's confused because when he'd decided to move back to just outside of central Seoul, he expected to see Jimin, and he expected to get nothing but yelled at, cursed at, really anything but what Jimin's doing right now. Although, he shouldn't be surprised at it either, Jimin always had such a big heart, but after all this time it still continues to baffle him and that's what makes him so ashamed of what he did to the younger, so undeserving of any of it.

Because even when they were together, when Yoongi would come home late from the studio, he wouldn't even complain or get mad, instead he'd be greeted with Jimin's toppling hug and his ever so bright eye smile. It was so new to him and Jimin had just told him that even if it was late, they'd get to spend time together, and that was enough to make him happy. And Yoongi remembers teasing Jimin about how cheesy he was, making him smile a little.

"Yeah, well." Yoongi turns to Jimin and there's a certain look across his face, but he can't quite figure out if its sadness or awkwardness. So Yoongi asks him the one thing he knows will bring the life out of him. He asks him about his dance studio, and any new routines, and before either of them know it, the glint in Jimin's eyes is so bright and animated that anyone could feel it radiating off of him.

Jimin rambles on about how drained he is everyday because of students, but in the end he loves it, and he gets to do what he loves most as well as sharing it to other people. "Actually, that job started out as something to keep me busy, you know? I was drained everyday, and it was perfect, helped me through all those-" Jimin pauses, letting out a shaky laugh. "All those tough nights." Jimin doesn't know what compelled him to tell Yoongi the truth about why he took the job up, but he did, and he thinks maybe its the way Yoongi stares at him, so immersed in what he's saying that it makes him comfortable enough to tell him anything.

He feels Yoongi shift a bit, still cradling his drink in his hand. He offers Jimin an apologetic smile before he clears his throat. "But you're okay now, right Jiminie? You're with someone now right?" Jimin widens his eyes, looking at the older, unable to swallow the lingering alcohol in his mouth. Yoongi laughs, "I may have spotted you in that lounge before you even caught a glimpse of me." Jimin doesn't ease up, but he does manage to swallow the beer he had in his mouth, as well as take another sip. "You looked real cosy back there," Yoongi jokes, "but um, I'm happy for you Jiminie." Jimin slowly nods, and begins to spurt out all that crap about how Jeongguk makes him happy and whatnot, and he can't help but notice how the number of empty shot glasses in front of Yoongi has doubled. He should stop, actually he shouldn't have started at all, but Jimin argues with himself that it was Yoongi who brought it up, and maybe he felt like he was reassuring the older that he was okay.

The air between them definitely shifts, and in an attempt to make it better, Jimin presses Yoongi about his record label and if his productions are going well. Yoongi responds, propping himself up. "It's great, I have a whole producing studio to myself, the talent of some of my clients are out of this world, Jiminie." Jimin nods, then gives Yoongi an eye smile, and he feels so proud of the older. Even though the circumstances of his rise to success was painful on him for the most part, he's glad that Yoongi was able to do what he always dreamed to do. Jimin get startled by the slam of Yoongi's shot glass on the table. He hiccups and starts talking in a hushed tone. "The best part is I still get to wear sweat pants to work." Yoongi puts his hand Jimin's shoulder and his eyes begin to droop. "Oh no, hyung." The older then falls forward, his head landing on Jimin's chest, and Jimin let's out a heavy sigh. He looks around and realises, they're one of the only ones left.

He tries to shake Yoongi awake but it's no use and he decides he has no choice but to carry his hyung home. So he makes his way out the bar, with a fully grown 24 year old man on his back. The cold air slams against him instantly, and so does the realisation of the fact that he has no clue where Yoongi is living. Jimin jumps, shakes and spins around with Yoongi still on his back, in an attempt to wake him up long enough to tell him where he lives. He feels relieved when it works because Yoongi is groaning in his ear, telling him to knock it off.

"HYUNG! Quick! Where do you live? I can't take you home if you dont-" Jimin is silenced when Yoongi kicks his thigh.  He mumbles the directions to Jimin, and by some miracle he actually understands it. "Whew, okay, go back to sleep, hyung." Jimin whispers, and he starts to walk as soon as Yoongi tightens his grasp around Jimin's neck, knowing he won't fall off.

People, especially Taehyung, would think that Jimin's delusional for reuniting with the man who broke his heart, and they'd think even more so for carrying his drunk ass home 4 blocks in the middle of winter. And Jimin might believe that along with everyone else, but this is Yoongi, and no matter what Yoongi has done, he knows he'll always care for him and look out for him, just as the older had so many times before, almost like it's second nature.

After what feels like forever, Jimin finds himself in front of a snazzy looking apartment building. He makes his way inside and pads across to the reception, receiving a few strange looks from the people in the lobby.

"Excuse me, where is Min Yoongi's unit? Like what floor is it on?" Jimin asks, and the receptionist can't help but shoot him a confused look for a bit. But when she spots Yoongi's face as he lolls his head to the side, it's almost as if an imaginary light bulb blinks above her. "He's on the penthouse suite, very top floor." She smiles and Jimin thanks her, walking as fast as he could to the lift, because he feels as though his legs are about to turn to jelly.

Jimin's now in front of the penthouse suite and he bends downwards, balancing Yoongi in top of him as he fishes for the keys in Yoongi's pockets. He grabs a hold of them, and makes it through the door, and mutters an 'oh my god' under his breath, because this is a far stretch from their tiny flat.

He pads around the suite and finally finds the master bedroom, and very slowly sets the still sleeping Yoongi on the bed. He preps the older for bed, tucks him in, and by the end he's exhausted. But he watches Yoongi's sleeping figure, and mentally traces his soft facial features, and before he could stop himself, he cards his hand through Yoongi's fluffy black hair.

He stays for a little longer, not entirely sure of what he's doing. He decides to leave, afraid to seem like some sort of creep, and whispers just above his breath, and pads out not wanting to wake the older. "Good night, hyung."

Jimin finally makes his way home and all that's running in his mind is that he's screwed. It's 1:15 am and he's sitting on a bus bench waiting for his ride home, and he's got a full week's schedule of dance classes and private lessons, and no doubt more of Yoongi.

:･ﾟ✧

It's not even halfway through the week, and Jimin collapses on the couch, silently praying for the weekend to come faster. In between his hours at the studio and sleeping as soon as he got home, he hasn't really had the time to sit and relax. Hell, he's barely even spoken to Taehyung, especially since he got a part time job too. So, when someone cancels their schedule, Jimin gets to have an early day and he couldn't be more relieved.

He gets home, practically throwing himself on the couch, absentmindedly turning on the TV. The room is filled with sounds of a very intense scene on the screen, but is quickly interrupted by the notification sound from Jimin's phone.

4:30 pm

From: Kookie-ah~

Hyung! Stopped by the studio and heard you were let off early.

Mind if I stop by your house?

4:31 pm

To: Kookie-ah~

Sure thing, just knock when you get here.

(P.S. bring be food please your hyung is dying)

4:31 pm

From: Kookie-ah~

We'll see ;)

'This kid,' Jimin thinks. But Jimin still feels guilty about running out on Jeongguk at the music lounge. He left him there, only saying that Yoongi was back and that he needed to sort some things out, but he was thankful when Jeongguk didn't get mad or even storm out to punch Yoongi himself. Most people would've, but before they got together, Jimin had explained that a part of him still ached for the man with the seemingly cold heart and the most endearing smile he's ever known. He remembers Jeongguk saying that it was his job to lessen the impact and eventually Jimin wouldn't feel a thing. Which, to be honest, he looks forward to, but at the same time, is extremely terrified. And so Jeongguk remained calm, and gave him the space he needed to figure everything out, up until now, which of course is perfectly understandable.

His phone buzzes again just as he's about to drift of for a quick nap, and he's expecting it to be a message from Jeongguk asking what kind of food  he wanted, as he realises how he failed to tell him. So he's surprised to find 'Yoongi-hyung has sent you a message!'  flashing on the bottom of his phone screen.

4:45 pm

From: Yoongi-hyung

Oh my god...

I am so sorry, the receptionist just told me what you did.

How did you even-

You could've just like, called a cab or something.

Jimin you're such an idiot.

Jimin lets out a soft giggle, and he's smiling at Yoongi's messages because it's just so typical for him to blame everything on the younger.

4:46 pm

To: Yoongi-hyung

Welcome back to the land of the sober ㅋㅋㅋㅋ

"Thank you, Jiminie," "I can't believe you did that, I could've been mugged but I got home safely, wow thank you so much"

Gosh you're welcome, hyung !

4:47 pm

From Yoongi-hyung

-_-

Okay enough with the teasing… thank you

You happy now, brat?

4:48 pm

To: Yoongi-hyung

Very ^^

4:49 pm

From: Yoongi-hyung

Okay, good. Because I may need to ask a favour :D

4:49 pm

To: Yoongi-hyung

Mm, what is it hyung?

4:50 pm

From: Yoongi-hyung

Could I stop by your dance studio tomorrow? I need to look for some back up dancers for a music video…Any of your kids good?

4:51 pm

To: Yoongi-hyung

As it so happens, I've got a full schedule tomorrow, so scout away! And yes of, course, they're learning from the best psshh ;)

4:52 pm

From: Yoongi-hyung

Flatter yourself much? But, yeah, thanks…I'll stop by around 9 am tomorrow?

4:52 pm

To: Yoongi-hyung

I'd like to think I'm great at what I do, thank you very much.

But anyway, sounds good!

See you tomorrow, hyung!

He puts his phone down, and he doesn't realise the smile that's been on his face for the longest time until Taehyung points it out, walking into the living room, plopping himself down next to him. "What's got you so chirpy?" He questions, and his eyes land on Jimin's phone. And before Jimin can stop him, he's already scrolling through his previous messages.

"…What did you do that's got Yoongi so embarrassed? And why are you texting Yoongi?" Taehyung widens his eyes at him and he's got his phone up in the air, refusing to give it back.

"Fine," Jimin caves, and tells him about their drink, and Yoongi's one two many shots and how Jimin carried him home, and at that point, Taehyung's shaking his head profusely.

"Jimin…what happened to being careful, and what do you think Jeongguk, your boyfriend, might I remind you, will say about this." He gets up and runs to the kitchen, gulping down a glass of water to relieve the stress his best friend his causing him.

"Nothing! Jeongguk knows about my past, and that was me just looking out for…an old friend, if you like." Jimin reasons, and Taehyung's not buying it, responding by simply rolling his eyes. Taehyung wants to trust Jimin with what he's saying, because from his tone and expression, he could tell he was sincere, and he could see how happy he is around Jeongguk, but he also knows that Min Yoongi is his best friend's deadliest weakness. He's about to say something, when there's a knock on the door, and Jimin has never been more thankful for Jeon Jeongguk, because he really can't listen to one of Taehyung's ridiculous 'moving on' conspiracies.

Jimin is greeted with a soft kiss to his forehead as he opens the door, and a paper bag with ramen and all of Jimin's favourite snacks, as Jeongguk proudly explains. Taehyung says a quick hello and silently retreats back to his room, leaving them alone.

"So, what brings you over, Jeonggukkie?" He asks, setting up the found on the living room table. "Well, I wanted to check in on you, and I thought we could stay in, and watch a movie or something," Jeongguk shrugs, and pads over to him, tearing the paper bag open, unable to look at Jimin struggling any further, "you seemed kind of shaken up from the other night, hyung."

"Yeah, well you know how it is…Sorry, I had to cut that one short, though," He joins Jeongguk, who was now sitting on the couch, holding a bowl of ramen. Jeongguk tells Jimin it's fine and only worries about him falling into the Yoongi's grasp again, to which the older responds by reassuring him that all he wants is "right here" and that it's just him getting a well-deserved explanation.

As if on cue, Jimin's phone buzzes. It's Yoongi, and he freezes as he feels Jeongguk's gaze fixed on the phone screen.

5:27 pm

From: Yoongi-hyung

Oh. Don't forget to text me the address, Jiminie!

Jimin types a quick reply, and turns to face Jeongguk, who has his eyebrow raised at him. He explains that Yoongi is just scouting for people at the dance studio. Jeongguk eases, and Jimin notices how his grip around his shoulders tightens a little bit.

Quickly forgetting about the slight tension earlier, they spend the rest of the night going on a movie marathon, with Jimin pressed up against Jeongguk all snug. They cuddle and talk through some of the movies, curious about what's been going on in each other's daily business, especially since the younger has a major competition coming up. As they're talking Jimin thinks that he's really flat to have met the younger. No one would ever take up a hung up idiot like him, but by some stroke of luck someone did, and it's been an uphill battle, but Jimin is finally getting on, and in that moment, he holds on to Jeongguk just a little bit tighter.

They end up asleep by 9, clearly drained by their vigorous schedules, and Jeongguk stays the night for the first time.

:･ﾟ✧

It's 8 am when Taehyung finds them both asleep on the couch, still quite wrapped up in each other.

"I HATE TO BREAK THIS PARTY UP, BUT CHIM CHIM GET UP, YOU HAVE WORK." Taehyung yells, leaving only a few centimetres between him and Jimin. He jolts awake, barely startling Jeongguk, who was still sleeping soundly next to him. Jimin is so awake, and really all he wants to do is hit Taehyung, but he catches a glimpse of the time and before he knows it, he's running to his room to change. He puts on the first shirt he sees, grabs a banana from the countertop, and rushes out the door. He turns to Taehyung and motions to Jeongguk's sleeping figure, and he simply nods, ushering Jimin to leave saying he'll "handle it."

Jimin practically sprints the whole way to the studio, and he's thankful that it's not that far. He gets there at half past eight, leaving him enough time to stretch and warm up. He opens up the studio, plugs in his iPod, putting it on shuffle as he begins to do his morning routine.

Three songs go by, and he's already panting and covered in sweat. He takes a break, but is quickly interrupted by someone clearing their throat. He looks up and sees none other than Yoongi standing stiffly by the door, and he almost lets out a laugh as he sees him so bundled up, his scarf almost blocking half of his face.

"Hey, hyung," Jimin glances at the time, "there's still ten minutes 'til nine." He states, but it comes across as a question and Yoongi makes his way over to where Jimin is sitting. "I don't know, I just happened to be ahead of schedule." Jimin lets out a surprised sound at the mention of the word, 'schedule' as the older was never one to be on time. But, he guesses that'a just one of the other aspects Yoongi's changed in.

"Nice studio you've got here." Yoongi looks around, running his hand over the dance bars at the side. "Yeah, I got offered the job and when I heard they'd give me my own studio I couldn't say no." Jimin brightens up, and although this place had been his distraction for the most part of two years, he still loved it.

"Guess it's really working out for you the, huh, Jiminie?" Jimin immediately knows what the older is talking about. His 'go with the flow' attitude. It was never a problem for them, and it's one of the things that makes Jimin, well, Jimin. But, it had been the cause of their fall out, and if Yoongi wasn't so amazed by the room, he would've seen Jimin frown at the thought of it.

"Just continue what you were doing, don't mind me." Jimin nods and he positions himself in the middle of the space, waiting for the next song to start.

Yoongi watches him dance to the techno beat playing, moving around so effortlessly and he can't help but be entranced. He's staring at him so intently that he thinks he might just burn a hole through Jimin's shirt. He was never one for a lot of words, but Yoongi's left really speechless as he continues to watch the younger. He had forgotten how much he loved watching him dance, watching Jimin do anything, really and Yoongi thinks he's screwed.

A familiar beat starts to play, and him and Jimin lock eyes for a moment. It's the song that Yoongi had written and sold to a major record label before he started his own. It was his favourite, still is, and he regrets ever selling it but it was needed at the time, they were falling behind on rent and it was the only possible solution.

A smile begins to make its way onto Jimin's face and he holds out his hand towards Yoongi. He's reluctant, but he let's out a shaky laugh and rises from his spot, taking it in his. Jimin moves aside, making space for Yoongi and as soon as the chorus starts, they both start moving in perfect sync.

Despite it being so long ago, Yoongi keeps up with the beat, and remembers every step. And how could he not? Jimin had choreographed the whole thing claiming that it was the perfect beat, fitting into the style of genre his mentor had made him try out.  And once he did, he basically pleaded the older to try it with him, knowing he had done a little bit of underground b-boying himself. He learned it in a struggle, but he remembered thinking it was all worth it when he saw probably the biggest smile on Jimin's face. And if he was delusional to think it wasn't back then, Yoongi thinks it's definitely worth it now.

The song fades out, and the studio is filled with nothing but the sound of their heavy breathing, panting, in Yoongi's case. Their faces are a mere centimetres away, as they're still frozen in the dance's final position. They hold each other's gazes and they continue to stay like that, as if everything around them has stilled and it's just Yoongi and Jimin.

Yoongi finds himself scanning Jimin's face. It's still the same baby face he remembers from before, except it's more defined now and Yoongi can't believe he let himself miss it. But if there's one thing that hasn't changed one bit, it's Jimin's lips. It's still so full, and soft, and plump, and he can't believe the amount of restraint he's capable of in that moment. He remembers every word, every sound that's passed Jimin's lips and he can't take it any longer, because all he really wants to do is feel Jimin's lips against his.

So he begins to inch forward, and time around them is going incredibly slowly. He says a silent prayer hoping that Jimin won't push him away, won't object and just choose to exist in this moment. But, it all goes downhill very quickly when Jimin turns his head to face the mirrors of the studio, getting up from his position. He shuts his eyes and lets out a deep sigh. "Hyung, we- we shouldn't."

Yoongi slowly nods, and begins to get up when he hears a collective shuffling of feet. He turns to see a bunch of Jimin's students make their way in, and he proceeds to go to the chair in the corner that he assumes Jimin set up.

He watches as Jimin instruct his class and he decides to focus on scouting despite being rejected only moments ago. He spots four very talented dancers and pulls them aside during their quick water break. Excitement flashes across their faces as they dictate to Yoongi their respective contact details. He shakes their hands and bows, then makes his way back to his corner. Technically, he can leave right now, but he decides to take advantage of being in the same room as Jimin, because he fears that it may be limited from now on thanks to what he just pulled.

By lunch, Jimin gets off for break, and he looks surprised as he sees Yoongi still seated in the corner. "Hyung, you're still here. Did you get everything you needed? I saw you list down some of the students’ names." Jimin tilts his head, expectantly waiting for the older's response.

"Yeah, I did, I just thought I'd stick around here for awhile...hope you didn't mind." He starts packing up his notepad and stuffs his pen in his pocket, quickly shuffling to his feet.

"No, not at all, it's just," Jimin purses his lips and looks around, not knowing how to continue. "It's just, earlier- I kind of just wanted us to be friends, y'know? Nothing complicated," Jimin begins to trip over his words, "just, I want you in my life, hyung, just not...in- I mean how it used to be..." He looks down, refusing to meet the older's eyes.

He waits for Yoongi to say something, but instead he's ruffling Jimin's hair. "I know, you rascal. I was just caught in the moment is all." Yoongi laughs, and the older almost believes his own lie.

Jimin shakes his head, and invites Yoongi for a lunch out, but he declines as his schedule is fully packed for the rest of the day. But he promises to message Jimin when he's free, cursing himself for agreeing to the whole "friends" thing because he knows sooner or later, it's just going to blow up in his face.

*:･ﾟ✧

The weeks fly by and ever since that day at the dance studio, Yoongi and Jimin spend more and more time together. From Yoongi offering rides home to their late night convenience store runs whenever either can't sleep, they fall back into some sort of comfortable routine and it's like all has been forgotten.

Jimin knows that Taehyung's noticed it, of course, and for once, he remains silent about it all. But he tells Jimin that he worries about him and warns him of what might happen when it all doesn't work out, because at the moment, the dates with Jeongguk have decreased as Jimin sees Yoongi more and more.

Just as predicted, when Jeongguk comes over, asking if he could stay the night, and Jimin says no due to Yoongi coming over the next day, Jeongguk loses it.

"Dammit, hyung. Don't you see how hard this is for me? To watch you be friends with that guy who destroyed you, might I remind you." Jeongguk raises his voice, and his body is visibly tense. Jimin simply looks down, and swallows hard. "Hyung, it hurts, okay and I can't take it anymore. Stop seeing him." Jeongguk stares intently at Jimin, his hard eyes piercing through the raven black hair sprawled across his forehead.

Jimin finally looks up, "I can't just stop seeing him Jeongguk. And besides we're just friends!" He didn't know where he got the courage to speak up, but he did and he's starting to regret it. An expression full of fatigue rests on Jeongguk's otherwise hard features. "Then we should just end this, hyung. It'll always be him," he lets out a laugh, and it comes out as almost cynical. Jeongguk turns on his heel, and starts making his way towards the door, when Jimin desperately hugs him. "Don't. Please don't. I'll see him less just, please." Jimin's begging, and he almost gets to his knees to show how sincere he is, but Jeongguk breaks away from his grasp and whispers that he'll think about it, finally making it out the door.

He is left with the sound of his own sobbing and he can't process the fact that he's just gone through another walk out. He grabs his coat, and his legs automatically take him to the bus stop he's been waiting at a lot lately. He gets on the bus, and he allows himself to silently cry since no one was on board.

The bus pulls up to the familiar apartment building and he runs into the building, pressing the lift button as mush as he can because honestly, he just really needs to see Yoongi right now.

So there he is standing in front of Yoongi's door at around eleven at night, and he has no idea what to do or what to say. The door swings open, finally, after Jimin's non-stop knocking.

"What the hell-" Yoongi's about to yell, but when he sees Jimin instantaneously break down into a fit of tears in front of him, his facial expression falls and instinctively takes the younger inside, into his arms. They retreat to the couch and Jimin's holding onto Yoongi for dear life. The older is heartbroken, because if there was one thing Yoongi could never take, it's to see Jimin crying.

He repeatedly strokes Jimin's back helping him calm down, and leaves kisses on Jimin's head. When Jimin finally calms down, his eyes have lost their normal vibrance and are instead filled with so much sadness. "Shh, sh, what happened, sunshine?" Yoongi lets the familiar name slip, and Jimin tries his best to get himself together enough to explain what had happened.

"He- Jeongguk- he, we, we had a fight" Jimin manages to say in between soft sobs and sniffles. Yoongi doesn't pry any further, because he knows that's just something between them. And if he finds out that it's Jeongguk kid's fault, there's no telling what he'll do.

"He said that I should stop seeing you. But I explained it, hyung I didn't- it wasn't-" Just like that, the younger was crying again. Yoongi holds him tighter, and they stay like that for awhile as he allows Jimin to calm down. His blood is boiling at Jeongguk, but he supposes it's his fault too for not thinking of the consequences. But for now he focuses on Jimin, releasing him from his arms and cradles the younger's face, wiping his tear stained cheeks.

"I know, I know," Yoongi doesn't know what possess him to move forward and press a kiss to Jimin's forehead, but he does knowing it'll help stop the tears. "He'll come around, I'm sure." He continues, and proceeds to leave a kiss on his nose. Jimin remains motionless, and speechless, as he stares at the older, anticipating what he's going to do next. Yoongi's about to close the space between them with his lips, but he stops, not wanting to take advantage of Jimin at a time like this. But Yoongi is startled when it's Jimin who moves forward and connects their lips together. He kisses him almost hungrily, and full of desperation. Yoongi's willing himself to stop, before getting into something that they'll both regret and so he slowly pushes Jimin away from him.

"No, no, hyung, let me." His eyes are pleading at Yoongi, and the older was never one to say no to Jimin. So they go on, and this time Yoongi's deepened the kiss, and things begin to get heated. He gets a hold of Jimin's hair and gently fixes his grip on it, causing him to let out a strained moan. By force of habit, Yoongi finds his hands underneath Jimin's shirt, feeling every inch of his soft skin. They've fallen backwards on the couch and Jimin breaks the kiss for a moment, removing his shirt, and in turn, begins tugging on Yoongi's sweater. He takes it off, and Jimin allows his eyes to wander at the sight in front of him. "Wow, hyung." He breathes, and grabs the older's nape pulling him in for a more lustful kiss than the previous one. Jimin pins the older's hands to his side, as his lips make their way to Yoongi's neck, sucking hard enough to leave faint love bites against his pale skin. Yoongi can feel things escalating quickly just below the belt, so he finds Jimin's hand and pulls on it prompting him to get up, while pecking the younger's lips with soft kisses.

They both get up, breathless, and Yoongi's leading him towards the bedroom, and neither one thinks of what's going to happen the next morning. All they know is that they need each other in this moment, pushing every possible consequence to the back of their mind.

But eventually, morning comes, and the sun peeks its way through the opaque, black curtains cloaking the room. Jimin winces slightly at the sudden burst of light, but he eventually lets it settle and he's now fully awake. He realises where he is, and lolls his head to the right to see a sleeping Yoongi next to him. The light from outside just about hits his face, and Jimin thinks that Yoongi looks almost angelic. He smiles softly and presses a kiss on his cheek, whispering a soft 'thank you.' Yoongi stirs a little but he's still under a deep sleep, which Jimin is very thankful for. He slowly removes Yoongi's arm, which is currently wrapped around his waist, securing Jimin next to him. Without a sound, he escapes from the covers and begins picking up the discarded clothes off the floor.

He'd love nothing more than to stay and wait 'til Yoongi wakes up, still wrapped up in each other as a new day comes, but he's afraid he might get roped in more than he already has. Then again, there's realisation of the fact that he basically cheated on Jeongguk dawns on him, and he rushes out the door while clumsily putting on his clothes. On the lift down, he believes that echnically, he didn't cheat, Jeongguk basically walked out on him, and based on past experiences, he's pretty sure it's permanent. So he doesn't even bother to fix himself up, all he knows is that he really, really needs to get home, lay low from Yoongi for a while, even if it was him who was standing outside his door near the middle of the night. 

He fidgets, and taps his foot impatiently the whole way home, and when he finally sees his apartment building, he lets out a relieved sigh. He unlocks the door, softly muttering a 'thank god' and slowly swings it open. He was careful not to wake a possibly sleeping Taehyung up, but his face drops when he sees Jeongguk sitting on the couch, clearly waiting for Jimin's appearance.

Jeongguk stares at Jimin for a moment, eyes travelling from top to bottom, and he stays dead still. Jeongguk shakes his head, and a shaky laugh fills the otherwise eerily silent room. The older doesn't have a clue of what's going on, so he pads over to the mirror by the door and mentally curses as he realises what he looks like. His hair is all dishevelled, his shirt's all wrinkled, his pants aren't even buttoned all the way, his lips are swollen and of course, the big blunder, there are faint red marks on his neck. Basically, he looks like every definition of freshly fucked, and Jimin knows it's only going to get worse. He wants to explain, say it meant nothing, but no words are coming out of his mouth despite the million thoughts running through his mind.

Jimin buries his face in his hands, and he hears Jeongguk get up from the couch, walking to where he was. He dares to look up, and is greeted with a look of utter defeat. Jeongguk glances over his shoulder, and he's walking towards what ever he had his gaze set on. Jimin shuts his eyes, and he knows just what it is the younger spotted. Jeongguk picks up the frame, and he stares down at it, thinking how it was possible for Jimin forgive and forget so easily.

"This photo, it's still up for a reason, hyung." Jeongguk breaks the excruciatingly long silence and Jimin finally turns, facing the crushed young boy. “I just don’t get it, I thought that you started to see you and me like how I see it. But, I guess it’s just all delusion, huh, hyung?”

He doesn't know what he could say, or what he could do, to even begin to apologise, instead tears start flowing from Jimin's eyes once again. Jeongguk puts the frame back in it's place, grabs his jacket slung on the couch, and just as he's about to leave for good, he places a soft hand on Jimin's shoulder. "Like I said," he says, "it'll always be him. Goodbye, hyung," with that, he leaves without another word, and Jimin is left with the sound of a slammed door and his muffled sobs.

He runs to Taehyung's room, barges in and plops himself on the bed next to a newly awakened Taehyung.

"Jimin I swear to-," he stops when he hears the sound of Jimin's sniffling and instead pulls him in for a hug. And after a long time of sobbing, Jimin gets himself together and tells him everything that happened.

By the end of it, Taehyung doesn't know whether he wants to slap his best friend or to comfort him. He swears he causes him such a headache sometimes, well with his wonderful life decisions, how could he not.

He, of course, tells Jimin he's an absolute idiot for screwing up his relationship with Jeongguk, especially because he was one of the main reasons Jimin was genuinely smiling again. The lecturing only goes on for a bit though, because they spend the rest of the day eating ice cream on the couch, watching random movies, neither wanting to get up.

But night time rolls in and the TV has been shut off, the two immersed in a rather deep conversation. "I think I'm done with people, Tae," Jimin sighs, which gains him quite a laugh from Taehyung. "Ah c'mon Jimin, don't be too hard on yourself," he pats his head, accidentally messing up Jimin's hair, "you just have to distance yourself from Yoongi, s'your fault for being all 'buddy buddy' with him." Jimin simply nods, agreeing and thinking that his best friend's right.

So for the next few weeks he doesn't see, text, or call Yoongi. It's total radio silence, and Jimim immerses himself into his work, exhausting himself, because quite frankly, he's done thinking.

He receives a number of messages all coming from Yoongi over the course of Jimin's attempt at the silent treatment and the whole "distancing" thing. It ranges from Jimin, I'm sorry to Please text back so I know you're okay and all the way to Where are you? I miss you, you brat. Jimin knows Yoongi was never one to openly express his worries and his affections, so the younger's touched at Yoongi's efforts to reach out to him. Still, given the temptation, he ignores it and goes to work like any other day. But he realises that since he's moved back closer to their old suburb, sooner or later, it's inevitable to run into Yoongi. And sooner is earlier than Jimin's anticipated.

 *:･ﾟ✧

Taehyung happens to be in the area of Jimin's dance studio, when he decides to wait for him to commute home together. He shoots Jimin a quick text saying he'll be outside and he proceeds to wait. It hasn't been five minutes, when a sleek, black car pulls a few metres away from him.

When he sees who gets down from the car, his entire body tenses, because it's Yoongi stepping out, dressed in a clean-cut suit, looking all prim and proper. Taehyung has half a mind to walk over there and just punch him, but he withholds, approaching with caution and interrogating him instead.

"What are you doing here?" Taehyung spits, and his despise is practically radiating off of him.

"T-taehyung?" He stutters, and he's clearly been caught off-guard. Taehyung nods and silence falls between the two off them, the tension is so thick it could be cut with a knife.

"He waited for you, you know?" Taehyung takes a deep breath, and releases a shaky laugh. To this day he's still baffled as to why Jimin even gave him the time of day. They were so different and he’s always believed that it was only a matter of time before they fell out and it'll all be a thing of the past, but Yoongi's still very much in the present.

Yoongi looks at Taehyung expectantly, not sure of what to say. "He thought he was ready to move on, but he wouldn't even let that one stupid photo go, much less the very thought of you," Taehyung tells him of the excruciating details what Jimin had to go through, and Yoongi bites on his bottom lip hard enough to stop the tears.

"I- I never meant- It was never my intention to hurt him. I didn't think that he would-" Yoongi finally builds the courage to speak up, but it comes out more shakily than expected.

"Yeah, well," Taehyung wraps his coat around him tighter, then stands directly in front of Yoongi, wanting his full attention. "Look, I don't know what's been going on between the two of you, but it cost Jimin his chance at a new start, so either you get yourself together, or you walk away, Yoongi. Don't get his hopes up, when you're going to do is leave him again." Taehyung's tone is flat, dead serious, and he feels Yoongi tense in front of him. He checks his phone for the time, and Jimin's just about to get off work, so he turns sharply and heads inside the studio. Yoongi's unable to move, his feet are frozen in place, but he realises that he should leave for Jimin's sake. So he calls his car back and leaves without a trace, or so he thought. Because as the heated conversation between him and Taehyung transpired, they both failed to catch a glimpse of Jimin coming out of the studio, catching the two talking.

 Jimin pretends to have just "Was that?" Jimin doesn't finish his sentence, hoping that Taehyung fills him in. "What? Oh, it was just someone asking for directions," Taehyung lies, and obviously changes the topic, asking Jimin about absolutely everything he did today. Jimin plays along with the charade, but lets his mind wonder about the conversation between Taehyung and Yoongi.

If Jimin wasn't curious about what they talked about then, he certainly is now. Days after he saw the exchange between Yoongi and Taehyung, he receives a text just as he's about to go to sleep. He groans while pulling his phone out, because all he really wants to do is bury himself in his duvet.

6:30 pm

From: Yoongi-hyung

Meet me at the old courts. I want to see if I can still whip your ass at basketball ;)

Jimin blinks repeatedly at the screen, quite dumbfounded. It's almost eleven at night, and he picks now, of all times to meet. Jimin would be lying if he says he isn't a little bit curious. So, despite every single muscle in his body willing him not to move, his mind is saying otherwise, and he's already quietly making his way out of the house. He throws on the most basic basketball gear he has, and dressing it over with a thick coat, protecting himself from the nightly chill.

It doesn't take him long to get to the courts, as it's a route he knows like the back of his hand. They used to go there all the time to relieve tension between him and the older, as well as to relieve work stress. Jimin would be damned if he ever forgot about it, because after all, it was where they first met.

He steps onto the court, looking for any sign of Yoongi, but found none. He grumbles, and pulls out his phone to send a very irritated message when the lights suddenly turn on. He looks around very cautiously until he's startled by Yoongi's voice. "Jimin-ah! Think fast!" Yoongi throws a basketball at Jimin, and he catches it just in time, thankful for his rather quick instincts. "Jesus, hyung," he mutters, and Yoongi finally comes into full view, displaying his gummy smile, something Jimin hasn't seen in the longest time.

Jimin sets the basketball down, and Yoongi is nervous as hell but he knows he has to say something before he really loses the younger for good. "Been avoiding me, Park?" Jimin looks down guiltily, and stuffs his hands in his coat pocket, "That obvious, huh?" Jimin fidgets at his feet because he really doesn't know how to act.

Yoongi senses the uncomfortable atmosphere, and moves closer to Jimin. "I- I know you didn't really call me here to play, hyung. Just say what you have to say," Jimin demands, as the anticipation was getting too excruciating. The older is taken aback by Jimin's tone, and he doesn't know how or where to start despite how many times he's thought about it, so he decides to let the chips fall where they may.

"Look, Jimin, I know I hurt you, in more ways than I ever thought I was even capable of. But, the last two years- Fuck, Jimin you don't know how many times I wanted to come back to you, but you were always the fearless one between the two of us, right?" A shaky laugh escapes from Yoongi's lips and Jimin's looking at him, his eyes silently willing him to continue. "But the day I permanently moved back here, I knew I'd see you, and I did, and am I thankful for that curious mind of yours for running after the cowardice me that night at the lounge." Yoongi pauses, and presses his lips into a tight line. Jimin's gaze softens, because anyone could see just how much the older is struggling with this.

"To be honest, Jiminie, I thought I could handle being 'friends' because I'd rather have you back in my life as a friend than not have you at all. But then we became reckless, it was you and me against the world again with all our little adventures, and I ruined your second chance at being happy with someone else." Yoongi realises how shaky his voice was becoming, so he looks away and soon feels a tear rolling down his cheek. "And I know I should feel bad for it, but I'm selfish, I'm selfish and-" Yoongi doesn't know how he's held it together all this time but he couldn't do it anymore, so he cries. Tears fall profusely, staining his normally blank face.

"I just want you back, please come back to me, sunshine," He whispers, and all he really wants is for Jimin to come back, and when he's met with nothing but silence, it feels like a massive stab in the chest. Yoongi takes Jimin into his arms, whispering against Jimin's ear, "Please…" He feels the ache in Yoongi's voice, and he hesitantly wraps his arms around the older's waist.

Jimin breaks the deafening silence between them after what feels like an eternity for Yoongi, "I'm scared, hyung"

Yoongi pulls away, and by now his tears have stopped. He understands where Jimin's coming from, and he almost feels guilty for instilling this fear in him, but he's not going down without putting up a fight, something he should've done a long time ago.

"I know, and so am I. But the pain, the happiness, and all those stupid feelings in between, its something I'm willing to go through as long it's with you." Yoongi can't believe how cheesy he's sounding and he almost wants to die from embarrassment but he's going to fight for Jimin, no matter what.

"It's these things that make us alive, and God, Park Jimin, am I ready to come back to life." It comes out as almost a laugh, and he puts his hands in his pocket as he awaits Jimin's reply.

It's dead silent, and a few moments later, he sees a smile slowly make it's way across Jimin's lips, "And just where did you get that awful advice, hyung?" Jimin jokes, and the older wants to jump, scream, and do just about everything, because he knows, he knows that their story is far from over.

Yoongi laughs, and a few tears manage to fall as he squints his eyes. "Some guy I used to date, said it once or twice."

"It's good advice. He sounds like a great guy."

"He was, still is. I might still be just a little bit in love with him." Yoongi takes a step closer and all he really wants to do is close whatever little space there is left between them. "I'm screwed, aren't I?"

"Very," Jimin smirks, and just as he’s about to kiss him, he retreats and starts running out of the court. Yoongi sighs, but there's a smile on his face, and he thinks he doesn't mind running after Jimin at almost midnight in the brink of winter, as long as he ends up next to him at the end of it all.