Archive of Our Own ^beta

jeongguk"s living room is starting to suffocate with the crowd that’s gathered inside staggering around half drunk when it’s only eleven. jimin is barely aware of the tight grip on his wrist as taehyung navigates in between the hoards of people dancing. it’s sweaty and loud and there’s cheers and yelling and he’s not quite tipsy enough for this yet. 

"thank god," taehyung breathes a sigh of relief as they burst through into the kitchen, which is thankfully empty. the cool air is relieving as jimin jumps on top of the counter, pulling up his legs as he reaches for water bottles. 

he throws one to taehyung. "hydrate yourself, dork."

the dark haired boy laughs, running a hand through his messy curls. "we don’t want a repeat of last christmas, do we jiminnie?"

jimin giggles, shaking his head as he fondly recalls waking up on the roof of their dorms half undressed after that wild night. 

"never again," he agrees, taking another sip of water. some of it runs down his neck, wetting the front of his v necked silk shirt, but honestly it’s a welcome coolness after that heat. 

"god I can’t believe us," taehyung is still talking, learning against the fridge. "namjoon hyung was right when he said you’ll be a jaded fourth year by the time you graduate." 

"it’s eleven and you’re already hiding in the kitchen," another voice scoffs. "fucking losers." jeongguk pops in, grinning. he’s in all black (as usual), jeans clinging to his thighs, and a leather jacket draped across his arm that he throws in jimin’s face. 

"you absolute brat!" he yells out, narrowly dodging it. 

the boy only laughs as he makes his way towards taehyung, who pulls him in by the waist. "how dare you call your boyfriend a fucking loser, babe." taehyung murmurs, feigning disappointment. jeongguk only grins in that infuriating way of his, before reaching forward to kiss him. 

jimin gags dramatically, looking away. they’re cute, just excessive with the pda that serves as a reminder that jimin is dreadfully single. he makes eye contact with the guy that jeongguk had brought into the kitchen with him. he’s been quiet so far, but wears a similar disgruntled expression as he watches jeongguk shove taehyung against the cabinets. the florescent lighting makes him look pale, and his silver hair almost seem to glow. that black turtleneck hugs his body just right and maybe jimin is checking him out for a lot longer than necessary. 

thankfully he looks away just as the guy turns to him. "are they always like this?"

oh okay so they’re talking. jimin can do that. just some nice, casual conversation.

"in all the two years they’ve been together... yes." he makes a face. "don’t know what I didn’t in a past life to have both my best friends hook up with other other and make every hangout a date." 

cute stranger laughs as he moves closer. jimin can see the highlights in his hair and the watch on his wrist. is that a Rolex? he gulps. 

"at least you’re not related to one of them." he says. “clearly my brother has a lot more game than i do."

jimin laughs, mostly out of shock. taehyung is the eldest in his family so this must be—“

"ohmygod you’re jeongguk"s yoongi hyung!" he says with a gasp, hands coming up to cover his mouth. his reaction is enough to separate the lovebirds as well. 

"oh I should probably introduce you guys!" jeongguk springs forward. "yoongi hyung, this is taehyung and the one on the counter is jimin. guys this is my brother. boom introductions done." he claps his hands, all too proud of himself. 

"wait, park jimin?" yoongi turns back to him. "shit it’s been a while. I think we had a general course together three years ago." he explains, running his eyes all over jimin’s face... and body. "wow"

jimin blushes at that. is that a compliment? he probably means it in reference to how long it’s been since. yeah probably. 

"i think i remember? our professor was really, really old...“ jimin tries to recall and not be distracted by the boy"s delicate features; sharp eyes, a soft nose he kinda wants to boop and chapped lips that seem to be permanently pouting.

yoongi nods, pleased. “those huge flowery skirts, and I think grey hair—“

"like yours hyung!" jeongguk interrupts. his gaze is mischievous. 

"oh shut up," taehyung elbows him, his mouth stretching into a lazy smirk. "i remember your reaction when my hair was that colour... in fact I remember your exact words—“

"OHMYGOD, LOOK AT THE TIME!" jeongguk yells, his face bright red as he grabs taehyung. "IM TAKING TAE HOME, BYE YOONGI HYUNG AND JIMINNIE HYUNG!" and he’s gone. 

the two of them burst into laughter. "that’s maybe the first time this year the brat has called me hyung." jimin admits between giggles. 

"but he’s so endearing, you don’t even mind." yoongi admits, and the two start laughing again.

all in all, the party isn’t terrible. jimin and yoongi hide in the kitchen and catch up for a while. apparently yoongi transferred his credits to a university in the states and graduated from there. and now he’s back in seoul, working as an music producer. jimin tells him about how he’s about to graduate soon too. his major isn’t in anything exciting — Finance, something his younger self would’ve laughed at. but he’s good with numbers and it works for him. he tells yoongi that much. 

the boy agrees. "a lot of people look down on those that don’t study the arts, like they’re missing out. it’s easy to forget that people like me are lucky our passions can be our jobs, but we all still have to work our asses off regardless."

"i know right!" jimin exclaims, pouring him a shot. "i love to dance but I need something that stays as my hobby that I can come back to."

yoongi smiles, and it’s such a sweet smile that jimin is flustered for a bit. the silver haired boy thankfully keeps talking, about his best friend who’s supposedly a dance instructor and choreographer. and jimin tries to listen, truly, but he’s drunk now and yoongi"s eyes are so shiny and then he starts feeling so so sleepy... 

He holds back a yawn, but the silver haired boy is quick to notice. he gently places his glass on the counter top, moving closer to inspect the underlaying shadows underneath jimin’s eyes. “hey you look exhausted, jimin.” he pauses for a moment, as though choosing his words carefully. “i can take you home, if you like…?”

its sweet. 

but jimin doesn’t want to go home. he likes it here, its quiet and peaceful and talking to yoongi is so nice even though the boy has been sitting on the barstool for almost two hours now while jimin is perched across the countertop, his legs hanging off one side. its nice because yoongi’s stare is so warm and intense while jimin is talking and its so easy to hold a conversation. Its so nice because yoongi is gorgeous and maybe jimin has a small, small crush. and anyways—

“taehyungie and jeonggukie just sexiled me in front of you!” he whines instead. “every time his roommates throw a party, the two like to sneak off to our flat. i’m stealing gukkie’s bed for the night, I suppose.” jimin shrugs, rubbing his eyes. And honestly, he doesn’t mind. he gets wanting time alone and its nice to have a bed to fall into five feet away anytime he feels like getting flat-out drunk. 

yoongi is chuckling again. “It is so nice to be back.” he admits, his tone a little sad. “my little brother really has grown up so much.”

“but you really should sleep, jimin.” oh, jimin likes the way his name sounds coming out of the elder’s lips. 

jimin pouts but yoongi is resilient. the boy jumps off the counter with a sulk. “i’m so glad i have no class tomorrow morning. or work.” he catches the grimace on yoongi’s face and laughs. 

“i have a meeting early morning.” yoongi reveals and he’s the one pouting now as the leave the kitchen. 

much of the crowd has started to leave by now, thankfully. yoongi decides to head home too and jimin sees him off till the front door with a sleepy smile. he"s still smiling when he falls into bed and lets sleep overtake him 

jeongguk and taehyung treat him to breakfast the next morning and all is forgiven. jimin’s minor crush is shoved aside knowing that its unlikely he’ll run into yoongi again. jimin is in his last year of university, he’s going to be pretty busy. and, he reasons, yoongi is an actual in demand music producer. just because he’s jeongguk’s brother doesn’t mean they’ll see each other often. right? 

he doesn’t even have time to overthink it, completely bogged down by quizzes and assignments. he’s in the middle of a study session when jeongguk barges into their apartment and begs for help for his presentation. 

“please, hyung.” he pleads, his eyes wide. “you had professor ahn too, you know how she grades her students.”

“fine!” jimin sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose, gesturing to the mess on his bed. “sit and show me your notes.”

with a shake of his fluffy hair, the boy plops down. jimin runs through the entire thing with him, making pointers in between. “this is pretty solid work, good job, jeonggukie.” 

the boy smiles at him, all doe eyed and toothy and jimin resists the urge to scoff. he genuinely feels like jeongguk is his own younger brother. he really wouldn’t do all this for just anyone (maybe besides taehyung). 

he goes over the ending notes again, barely aware of jeongguk getting up. suddenly the front door is opening and jeongguk is greeting someone. jimin stands quickly, halting in his tracks when he sees yoongi in his living room. 

this can not be happening. not when jimin is dressed in his old sweatpants and a baggy sweater that’s probably taehyung’s. oh god.

“oh i invited him up, jiminie.” jeongguk explains with a bright smile. “let me just pack my things and then we’ll go, okay hyung?”

if yoongi is surprised, he doesn’t show it. he makes eye contact with jimin instead, an easy smile on his face. “you can join us for dinner too, jimin.” he phrases it like a question. 

“oh no, i shouldn’t intrude—“

“you’re not!” jeongguk is back with his backpack. “consider it a thank you for today. come to dinner with us.”

“you guys should bond—“

“you mean argue constantly?” yoongi laughs. “you can play the peacemaker.”

ugh, curse these brothers and their matching pouts. jimin gives up, ignoring the way they high-five. he quickly changes into skinny jeans and a sweater that actually fits him, opting to leave the glasses on. he doesn’t want to look like he’s made too much of an effort. he hesitates by the bedroom door, fingers itching to reach into his closet and pull out his favourite Chanel belt. it’s this thing taehyung and him have. they’ll save up all year and put aside birthday money and all those little extras so that once a year maybe if there’s a sale, they can afford designer products. so far, jimin has his belt and a tiny pendant, while taehyung has Gucci loafers he only wears in the vicinity of their apartment and sunglasses. 

jimin gives in. the belt will probably bring him good luck anyways. gods of Chanel, bless me, he prays as he walks out of his bedroom. 

he pulls out his phone to text taehyung as they leave his apartment. 

when is your shift ending :( jeonggukie is dragging me out to dinner with his hyung

the reply comes in almost instantly 

ohhh u get to see yoongi hyung again aww

okay so maybe jimin told taehyung about that night. maybe the giggled over it and stalked young’s instagram. its how they bond, okay. another message pops in immediately. 

my boss convinced me to stay overtime so another three hours

jimin pouts unconsciously. 

ill get u leftovers dw boo 

he slips his phone in his back pocket. the two are bickering again. 

“my car.” yoongi says with a small glare. “i drive.”

and then he smirks at jimin. “and jimin is sitting besides me, so you"re in the backseat gukkie.”

jimin bursts out laughing, running to quickly slip into the passenger seat before the younger boy can protest. he ignores the small voice in the back of his head gleefully reminding him that he’s sitting next to yoongi and yoongi asked him too.

they talk about all sorts of random things on the way to the restaurant. apparently they’re going to some lamb skewers place that used to be a regular dining spot for the two back when jeongguk was still in high school. jimin still feels bad about ruining their “bro time”, but he can’t deny that its fun hanging out with them. jeongguk has always been easy to talk to once you broke down his initial barriers, but yoongi… there’s just something magnetic about him. 

jimin notices all the little things. the way he rolls up the sleeves of his blue hoodie when pouring a drink, how soft and fluffy his hair looks when he pulls the beanie off, the way he laughs — a soft, deep rumble, how he keeps giving the biggest pieces of meat to jimin and jeongguk instead of keeping them to himself. 

the conversation keeps flowing until jeongguk gets up, his chair screeching against the wooden floors. "i should probably go and order something for taehyungie." jimin had mentioned it to him in passing, just as a precaution in case he himself forgot. 

he realises that this leaves the two of them alone. 

"it"s nice to talk to you sober." he admits with a laugh to yoongi. "i"m sorry we met like that."

yoongi shakes his head, but he’s smiling. "its nothing, you were still great company. you still are. you know, you really don’t look like a sleepy drunk."

"oh i"m not actually." he admits with a giggle. "I’m more of a happy drunk. that day i was just really really tired. i had a shift i"d just come from and classes too. friday"s are usually like that for me."

"oh yeah, i remember the daily grind of being a student. not to mention you’re in your last year. you must have job interviews soon."

"i have one next week actually." he reveals, wringing his hands together. "i"m a little nervous cause I’ve been getting offers but it’s so hard to know which one to go for. i mean, how do I know that the firm I choose won’t just fire me a few months later or that the work environment is actually terrible or it’s just really dull and I never move up from clerk—“ jimin trails off, aware he’s rambling and that his job anxiety is the last thing yoongi would probably like to hear him cribbing about. 

but yoongi nods encouragingly. "i get it. i work freelance and sometimes I’m terrified of getting bad deals and signing terrible contacts. it happens, because people can be cruel and self motivated."

he leans forward, fiddling with his glass so that his fingers are almost next to jimin"s, maintaining eye contact. "amongst all these job offers, look for those that have clearly defined your role for you. look for those that genuinely seem to care about their employees, don’t get blindsided by their size. sometimes small companies are bringing in millions and have better work environments than large corporations."

jimin nods, focusing intently on his words. "how do you know all that?"

yoongi laughs, blushing slightly. his scratches the back of his neck. "my roommate back when I was in the states was a business major like you. you can’t live with someone and not pick up on all kinds of stuff about management and economics and all that. it’s been useful for me so far."

"so don’t worry okay. it’s all gonna go great." yoongi reassures him a warm smile. he sounds so sincere. "you have another interview soon, right? lemme know how that goes."

wait that’s the perfect opportunity. jimin bites his lip, putting his phone on the table. 

"your number." he manages to say with a straight face. "so I can let you know how it goes." he adds cheekily. 

yoongi is blushing again. just a little. but he’s also smiling, which jimin notes as a good thing. numbers are exchanged and they’re both grinning a bit. it’s great. 

"okay maybe it’s more than a little crush." jimin admits, snuggling into the blanket. they’re in taehyung’s bed, curled up together listening to music. honestly there are very few things as relaxing as cuddling with his best friend after a long day. 

"you guys look adorable jiminnie." taehyung coos, zooming in on the selfie they took with jeongguk just outside the restaurant, so that only yoongi and jimin are in the frame. "he’s small and squishy, you’re small and squishy ah—“

jimin elbows him. "I’m taller than him."

"you’re really not."

"taehyungie."

"jiminnie, no matter how high your insoles are—“

taehyung breaks off laughing as jimin elbows him again. 

"another word and i’m going back to my own bed." the boy vows, narrowing his eyes at his best friend. taehyung only laughs harder. 

jimin texts yoongi about his interview later on, surprised when the elder quickly responds. he seems genuinely interested in hearing about it, and they end up talking for an entire hour before yoongi apologetically cuts their conversation short because he has to take an important call. 

at that, jimin glances at the time, realising with a start that he’s late for work and barely manages to convince his manager to not dock his wages when he arrives in a flurry at the restaurant. he checks his phone again on the way back home, finally having found a seat in the subway, surprised to see yoongi having shared a picture of baby jeongguk sitting in a bathtub with bubbles in his hair. 

it’s adorable. jimin tries very hard to not laugh. 

‘saw this earlier and you’re the only other person I know who would find this funny’ 

jimin is quick to respond and yoongi keeps him company with more stories about his younger brother until he reaches his stop. 

despite their busy schedules they fall into a routine. 

if taehyung notices jimin spending more time smiling at his phone, he doesn’t say anything. it’s a relief. jimin isn’t sure how he would describe their relationship. yoongi and him aren’t exactly friends, but neither have they ventured into that flirty, fun type of texting. he isn’t even sure if yoongi is interested in him beyond that onceover jimin thinks he saw yoongi give him back at the party. and even if he is interested... what then? that’s when his train of thought starts to get messy and jimin puts a full stop on it completely. just talking is easy. it’s fun and simple and relaxed. it’s fine the way it is. 

it’s an exhausting day at university and to make it worse, he has a shift immediately after.. he’s already yawning as he pins the name tag to his shirt and takes his position behind the cash counter. it’s a weekday and the crowd is manageable, thank god. his manager lets him clock out at half past eleven, thanking him again for taking an extra shift. jimin smiles politely as he slips on his coat and ducks outside. he’s already imagining the ride home on the subway. hopefully he’ll find a seat—

"jimin?" it’s yoongi, standing a few feet away in front of a fancy cafe. his coat is folded across one arm and he’s wearing a black button down that makes his collarbones sparkle from the streetlight above them. 

for a moment jimin believes he’s hallucinating. 

"oh, yoongi hyung, what a surprise." he manages to splutter out, very aware of the dark circles under his eyes and the mess that is his hair. 

"I was just meeting up with some friends. what about you?" jimin glances up and suddenly yoongi is besides him, slouching a little so jimin feels taller. 

"i just got off work." 

yoongi is staring at him, dark eyes swirling with intensity. jimin gulps. the air between them is tense, crackling and almost suffocating. 

"let me take you home. the subway is gonna be insane right now." the smile on his face is softer, his eyes imploring as he jangles his keys. 

jimin is a goner. he never stood a chance, he admits to himself as he nods, trying to quell the giddiness he feels. 

"didn’t you have lectures all morning? i remember you ranting about it last night." yoongi chuckles as he starts the car. 

"yeah, but I promised my boss I’d help out right now." jimin admits, sneaking a glance at him. 

"you"re twenty three park jimin, you should know your limits." yoongi chastises him, his eyebrows scrunched with worry. "take care of yourself."

jimin feels warm, a small smile on his face. the lights change as they stop at a red light, and jimin’s eyes wander towards yoongi’s wrist, the silver of his watch glinting as he rests it against the steering wheel, the veins on his hands running up his exposed forearms. he quickly diverts his attention back to the road. temptation takes ahold of his mind and he quickly sneaks another glance at yoongi’s face, eyes widening as he catches the silver haired boy also staring at him. 

did he notice my ogling... oh god no, this can not be happening... 

yoongi’s gaze slides down to his lips.

jimin feels frozen in the moment. he wants to lean forward but the thought of being rejected makes him hesitate. his mind has turned to mush. there’s no way yoongi wants this too, right...?

the light changes to green and yoongi"s eyes are back on the road. jimin lets his head fall against the headrest, closing his eyes as he tries to will down the flush on his cheeks and the adrenaline coursing through his veins. the image of yoongi’s heady stare and soft lips is permanently plastered against his eyelids. 

they stay silent until yoongi is pulling up outside his apartment building. "thank you so much, hyung." he says, clipping off his seat belt. "I know this must have been really out of your way, but I’m really grateful."

yoongi only smiles. "anytime, jiminie."

jimin feels like he’s floating as he climbs up the stairs and enters his apartment. what an unexpected night... "god, I want to kiss him so bad!" he mumbles to himself. 

he’s rushing out of the bathroom, quietly having changed into something more comfortable, aware that taehyung’s asleep when he notices the thunderstorm outside. 

hope you got home safe. he texts quickly before he can change his mind. 

he’s half asleep when he gets a text back. 

yeah I did, don’t worry jiminie

get some rest, you must be exhausted 

jimin wakes up in a ridiculously good mood the next day, and not even taehyung’s desperate plea for food at five pm bothers him - when normally after an exhausting previous day and an afternoon full of lectures he just wants to snuggle into bed and sleep for fourteen hours. he picks up takeout from their favourite place and makes the twenty minute trip to taehyung"s studio.

“oh my god jiminie you are an absolute lifesaver!” taehyung pulls him into a hug immediately after opening the door. jimin wants to snuggle in, his best friend gives the best hugs, but the takeout he has meticulously carried all the way here is being absolutely squashed between them. 

“gentle, gentle with the food taetae.” he laughs as he pulls away, setting the food on the only available space in the room - a footstool. the entire studio is very taehyung, lights carefully arranged, cables everywhere, a colourful backdrop, an entire mountain pile of props, a gorgeous model—

“ah, this is another hyung jeongguk got me in contact with,” taehyung gestures to a man dressed in a very casual hoodie that accentuates his shoulders, the snapback on his head making him look effortlessly young and a gentle smile graces his face. “kim seokjin. he’s a natural at this, I’m telling you. if i ace my project its all because of you, hyung.”

“i"ve told you to stop thanking me taehyungie.” seokjin admonishes, “you can return the favour by coming to dinner next week. and you can bring your friend whom you’ve yet to introduce me to.”

“oh, um i"m park jimin—“

“oh this is the soulmate!” seokjin gasps, his eyes filled with mirth. “oh now you absolutely must come to dinner.” then he leans forward, almost conspiratorially to add, “yoongi will be there.”

jimin colours instantly, barely aware of taehyung"s laughter in the background. 

“i—i don"t, um, you know yoongi hyung?” is what he finally spits out after a lot of sputtering. 

seokjin seems to take pity on him and backs away. “he would never admit it, but we’re best friends. and besides that, I’ve head so much about you from jeongukkie and tae, we were bound to meet.” his smile morphs into a pout. “you’ll come won’t you?"

and jimin can only nod as the man smiles at him, eyes scrunching up into little crescents, patting him on the shoulder as he takes his leave. 

"I—I’m really confused, what just happened."

taehyung throws a used up napkin at him instead with a glare. "aren’t you the one who should be telling me what happened for you to react like that?"

jimin groans.  

despite the prospect of getting to meet yoongi soon, the rest of week kind of sucks for jimin. yoongi goes cold, with hurried excuses of meetings and last minute changes keeping him busy. jimin is lucky if he gets more than two texts a day. 

but it’s okay. he understands. real life is like that. people get busy sometimes. after all, it’s not he’s yoongi’s best friend, like seokjin or related to him in any way. they barely know each other, his mind likes to remind him. we just text sometimes, that’s all. he pouts a lot that week, glaringly aware of fact that he wants more now. it’s almost become a habit at this point to whip out his phone and text yoongi when something funny happens, or check his phone when he’s on break and see a text from yoongi that makes him smile unconsciously. 

so this just feels... strange. it plagues his mind at the worst of times, during the lull at work in between customers, during the walk to class, just before he falls asleep at night... 

"you’ve got it bad my friend." taehyung calls out from the backseat. they’re in jeongguk’s car, stuck in traffic on their way to seokjin’s apartment, located in a fancy upper scale neighbourhood. jimin’s palms feel weirdly clammy. he’s quite okay with meeting new people, but with yoongi in the mix… regardless he steels himself, because he is park jimin and no one can make him feel weak, not even a pretty boy with a gummy smile. 

“i do not!” he snaps, throwing a worried glance at jeongguk. he’s never really gotten around to discussing his crush with the boy, given the fact that they’re related. 

jeongguk scrunches up his nose with mild annoyance. “the two of you together would be absolutely terrifying.” he catches jimin’s eye, lips pulling up in a toothy smile. “i’m not blind hyung, both of you have made zero effort to be subtle about your heart eyes.”

jimin smacks him on the shoulder. “not another word.” he hisses. the two of them only laugh. what a sickening couple, honestly. 

ugh. 

seokjin is lovely as always, all laughter and smiles, talking to them with genuine interest, gleefully introducing them to his tall, dimpled boyfriend namjoon and hoseok, another very close friend. they’re all very easy to get along with, and jimin feels comfortable perched on the counter laughing with hoseok and jeongguk as they take turns stirring the lemonade jug seokjin thrust in their hands before running to check on their food. 

“why are you always sitting on counters every time i see you, park jimin?” yoongi calls out from the doorway. wait no jimin is not mentally prepared for this. 

“hyung! you’re late!” hoseok calls out, saving jimin from having to answer, and once again he’s struck by the glorious visual of yoongi in jeans and a leather jacket. yummy. 

he’s barely aware of their conversation until its just yoongi standing in front of him, hands in his jeans pockets, staring right at him. 

“seokjin hyung invited me.” jimin starts, fiddling with the spoon in the jug. its awkward. 

“i had no idea you guys were close.” yoongi quirks an eyebrow. “that could be dangerous.”

“we’re not!” jimin insists, waving his hand. “why would that be… dangerous?”

“seokjin knows too much about me.” yoongi laughs. 

“embarrassing stuff?” jimin teases. 

“wow aren’t you excited at the prospect.”

“well its not like you’re going to spill all the gory details. seokjin hyung is the only one who can tell me about all the accidental hookups and the drunk shenanigans and bathroom dye jobs.”

“i can’t believe you said shenanigans, geez… also how do you know about bathroom dye jobs.”

jimin bursts out laughing. “oh my god, really?” he inches forwards. “tell me everything!”

and yoongi does. 

at some point, they move from the open kitchen to the couch, scrunched up with taehyung. even when his best friend gets up to grab a drink, the two stay pressed together.

“wow aren’t you two looking cozy.” it’s jeongguk, a shit eating grin on his face. jimin wants to shove the boy’s head into the salad bowl. “its time to eat.”

the two have no choice but to follow, yoongi awkwardly scratching his neck and jimin trying to not seethe. regardless, dinner is great - both the food and the company. they’re all so easy to talk to, and have similar senses of humour, something that became obvious when namjoon was detailing a ridiculous story involving a banana and a bowl of ramen and they all instantly burst into laughter. its fun. 

jimin would love to do this again sometimes. 

numbers are exchanged at some point and a group chat is made, and taehyung immediately takes a picture of seokjin from underneath the table, capturing his chin and little else to send to all of them. yoongi’s phone rings at some point, the boy shooting them an apologetic glance before taking it. immediately his expression turns serious, eyes cold, mouth set in a grim line. the call is brief, but he still gets up, gathering his jacket. 

“call from the studio.” yoongi sounds sorry. “i really should get going.”

taehyung pulls himself up, knocking over hoseok"s legs that has been perched precariously on his lap. “same here. lets go?” he glances at jimin, who nods. jeongguk is already rising, hugging yoongi, who bids them all a hasty farewell. more hugs are exchanged and promises to meet up again. seokjin insists they take leftovers, shepherding taehyung into the kitchen with him. jeongguk throws his car keys towards jimin.

“do you mind warming up the car, hyung? i’ll go help tae.” normally jimin would tease him, but the boy sounds so sincere. somethings up, jimin is certain, but he lets it go. 

he almost stumbles right into yoongi in the carpark, who’s pacing while on another phone call, his voice loud and expression fierce. 

“fucking idiots, all of them.” he mumbles as he hangs up. “sorry about that.”

jimin shakes his head. “its all okay. a-are you okay?”

yoongi sighs, running a hand through his hair, obviously frustrated. “its just work. its always work.”

jimin can’t help but place a sympathetic hand on his arm. “it"ll work out, okay. you’re min yoongi, genius producer.”

yoongi laughs at his terrible imitation of the elder’s voice. “i’ll keep that in mind, jiminie.” and he says jimin’s name with so much emotion and adoration that the boy blushes. 

yoongi’s still looking at him, his gaze amused as he moves closer. jimin refuses to glance up, his cheeks still too warm. a beat passes, and yoongi’s hand gently comes forward to clasp his chin, bringing them back to eye level. 

they’re so so close. it’s just like they’re back in the car, faces inches away from one another, highly aware of the other. it would be so easy to just lean forward…

jimin’s body betrays him as he darts forward, brushing his lips against yoongi’s. he quickly backs away, colouring immediately, eyes wide. “i-i didn’t mean to, I’m sorry—“

yoongi surges forward, grabbing him by the shoulders, gently pressing their lips together. jimin stills for a moment, before letting himself kiss yoongi more deeply. he lets his palms slide up yoongi’s neck, carefully allowing his fingers to entangle with soft grey hair. yoongi licks his bottom lip, and jimin shivers, a thrill running down his spine. this feels so much better than what he he imagined. he can’t believe he’s finally getting to kiss yoongi, feel his soft lips against his own, his long fingers sliding down his shoulders to firmly hold onto jimin"s waist. 

jimin pulls away, leaning forward to press a light kiss against yoongi’s lips. and another one. yoongi is just too tempting. 

yoongi gently pushes him back, until he’s leaning against the side of the car. a small smile plays on his lips. 

jimin can’t help the giggle that erupts from his mouth. he feels giddy, utterly pleased as though he’s floating on clouds. yoongi shuts him up with another kiss, a longer one. jimin feels him sliding his tongue across his, and then a loud ringtone interrupts them. 

yoongi groans, letting his head fall onto jimin"s shoulder. “right now, seriously, right now?" he moves away to takes the call, rolling his eyes, assuring the other person that he’ll be there in five minutes. 

“i"m so sorry to leave like this.” he admits, his tone guilty. “but i really have to go jiminie.”

jimin can only nod, a small smile on his face as he watches yoongi drive off. the sound of footsteps jolts him out of his very pleasant daydreaming, and he quickly starts the car, sliding in and turning on the ignition. jeongguk and taheyung don’t show up for a few more minutes, giving him plenty of time to sort through his thoughts. 

“i just kissed min yoongi.” he mumbles to himself. “i made out with min yoongi in a carpark. oh my god, i just did that, what is wrong with me!”

embarrassment aside, he’s pretty gleeful. yoongi definitely wanted to kiss him. but does he like me? the way i like him? jimin sighs. its going to be another night of overthinking. 

if taehyung and jeongguk notice his silence throughout the car ride, they don’t say anything. he’s barely aware of them hugging goodbye as he gets out of the car, eager to be back in his safe space. 

he’s cuddled up on the sofa, decked out in sweats, a blanket swathed around him, another on his head when the front door opens. 

“oh dear, you even brought out the wine.” he hears taehyung in the background, before the boy jumps on top of him. despite jimin’s squealing to get off, the two manage to wriggle around until they’re curled up on the sofa together, jimin the small spoon for once. 

“you wanna talk jiminie?” 

“do you think yoongi hyung likes me?” jimin mumbles, glancing at him. “like seriously? because we made out in the carpark and then he rushed off to work and now I’m just— what do i do? do i do anything? isn’t their any protocol for oh i kissed my crush but now i don’t know where we stand, does this mean he hates me?”

“text him.” taehyung says straightforwardly. “tell him you wanna talk.”

jimin pouts. “are you sure?”

“yes. talk to him, tell him how you feel and more importantly, what you want. the sooner, the better.”

jimin knows taehyung is right. he’s been stuck in his weird limbo with yoongi for a while, teetering between friends and something more. and jimin isn’t interested in being friends that kiss occasionally. he wants more. so he makes sure to text yoongi before going back to cuddle with his best friend. 

he wakes up to a text asking him to call. jimin glances at the time, its only nine, but yoongi sent this two hours ago. there’s a chance he’s probably awake. 

jimin risks it, pressing the call button. after three agonisingly long seconds, yoongi picks up. 

“hey, i hope i didn’t wake you.”

“oh no, i"ve been at the studio all night.”

“oh, i wanted to talk about yesterday, but if you’re tired—“

“no, i want to talk. this is important to me.” yoongi’s words light a small flicker of hope in jimin’s chest. 

“but not like this,” yoongi continues. “can you meet me?”

“i have classes until twelve, but I’m free after that?”

“twelve thirty?” yoongi confirms. “there"s this cafe across my studio. i’ll send you the location. is that fine?”

“yeah. see you then.” jimin hangs up, a small smile on his face. yoongi wants to talk. hopefully this means something good. 

he’s sitting there, twiddling his thumbs when jimin arrives. 

“hey.” he greets. “sorry I’m late.”

yoongi shakes his head. he looks exhausted, slight dark circles and the smallest crease on his cheek that jimin knows from experience is from falling asleep on sheets of paper. 

“oh no, I’m early. i just… needed a break from the studio.”

“oh.” jimin sits across from him, unsure of how to approach the topic at hand. 

“i didn’t mean to kiss you.” yoongi blurts out. jimin startles, feeling a cool sensation running down his body. his eyes narrow, lips pressed together tightly.  

“no no, i mean… i wanted to do it properly.” yoongi continues quickly, noticing his cold expression. “i saw you at jin’s and i was so surprised, because you’re all i’ve been thinking about all week and there you were — looking so gorgeous, right in front of me. i didn’t know - i had no idea how to act. you make me nervous, park jimin.” he breaks off with a chuckle, shy now as he drums his fingers on the table.

“i wanted to ask you out properly, woo you - i can’t believe I’m saying this… do it right, but — I’ve learnt that I’m a weak man when it comes to you jimin.” he’s looking him in the eyes now. “i like you. a lot. and i want to take you out on a date.”

oh 

jimin is torn between laughing and crying, because god if that isn’t the sweetest thing he’s ever had a guy say to him… i’m a weak man when it comes to you. the words are flattering, but also genuine. jimin can feel his cheeks heat up as he meets young’s flustered expression.

summoning his courage he reaches forward and places his palm on top of yoongi’s. 

“i would love to go on a date with you, hyung.” he admits, locking eyes. 

yoongi’s hands are warm as he entangles their fingers together with a small smile. “really?” he asks, his tone mildly surprised. 

jimin can’t believe the guy is that oblivious. “i like you.” he rolls his eyes, giggling in spite of himself. “why do you think i kissed you?”

yoongi just chuckles, eyes low as he blushes. “i didn’t want to give myself false hope, okay? more importantly… are you free this weekend.” his eyes light up mischievously, all tiredness gone from his face. 

jimin balks for a moment. “um my final exams start in two weeks so i need to be studying… but this weekend I’m free yeah.” he grins. “friday night?”

yoongi pouts at that, shaking his head. “i have a company dinner. sunday?”

its jimin’s turn to pout. “i have an evening shift.” what is happening, are they really too busy to schedule time for a date? their first date.

“i might be free saturday—“

“i have lectures till late afternoon.” jimin groans, untangling their hands to let his head fall down on the table with a thunk. “ugh, why does the universe hate us!”

wearing matching expressions of disgruntlement, they eventually decide on the day after jimin’s final exams. yoongi even goes so far so as to book a reservation at a nice restaurant there and then, despite jimin’s insistence that it"s too soon. 

“oh shush, i don’t want anything to go wrong that day.” yoongi glares at him. 

jimin softens at his words, resisting the urge to coo. 

they rise from the table hesitantly, fingers naturally linking together as they leave the shop. 

“text me when you get home.” yoongi murmurs softly as he reaches forward to wrap his arms around the younger. jimin all but sinks into his chest, smiling into the fabric of yoongi’s shirt. 

he pulls back, letting his arms linger around yoongi’s waist. “of course. and you, you better get some sleep tonight okay?” he can’t help but nag. “i see these dark circles. don’t sleep in your studio or i swear to god i’ll come and drag you home myself.”

yoongi gently grasps jimin’s fingers that are pointing at his face, with a fond smile. “i would quite like that actually. park jimin bursting into my studio.”

“damn right. i’ll even yell at your boss at you expense.” jimin continues, a cheeky smile on his face. “don"t tempt me.”

yoongi only chuckles, finally pulling away completely. they bid their goodbyes and head off in opposite directions, matching grins on their faces. 

"soo, how did it go?" taehyung calls out from the sofa as soon as jimin enters their apartment. 

jimin is quick to throw off his shoes and jacket, tumbling onto the sofa to snuggle into his best friend. "guess who has a date?" he grins, his tone smug. 

"did my brother finally confess?" jeongguk runs out from their tiny kitchen, eyes wide. he’s quick to jump on to the sofa on jimin"s other side. "tell me everything."

jimin wants to laugh. his best friends are squished on either side of him, wearing matching pouts, their eyes expectant. "it’s not for another two weeks." he ignores their groans. "hyung is wrapping up an album for a big client and I have exams soon. i don’t mind the wait." 

their gazes turn knowing and jimin feels himself blush. "what!?" he yells out, feeling self conscious. 

"so far did you two go in the parking lot yesterday?" jeongguk asks, giggling as he ducks away from jimin"s fist. 

"jeon jeongguk are you really sure you want the in-depth details of your brother"s love life." jimin grits out, his arms restrained by chuckling taehyung as jeongguk flails away from his grasp.

"jiminie please don’t hurt his face," taehyung intervenes, his tone serious. "i like that face." 

"um duh, i need dirt on him." jeongguk fires back. in his haste, he loses his balance tumbling down with a high pitched shriek. 

taehyung bursts into laughter. jimin takes the opportunity to shove him off the couch as well. 

jimin fully expected to not see yoongi until their date, forcing himself to be content with texts and occasional phone calls which made him feel elated and gleeful. he’s walking out of his last lecture of the day that weekend when yoongi calls him. it feels sudden, especially since its already evening and he remembers the elder mentioning he had a meeting at that time. 

"hey hyung." he answers, feeling the corners of his lips instinctively turn upwards as he walks down the pathway. 

"hey jiminie, how was your day?" just the sound of yoongi"s voice makes him feel like butterflies are swarming in his stomach. 

"good, just got out of class actually. didn’t you have plans, hyung? is everything okay?"

"they got cancelled." yoongi laughs. "i"m actually in your area. if you’re not too busy. do you wanna meet—“

jimin can’t help but laugh, feeling flustered but also extremely pleased at the thought. "i would love to. pick me up from uni please?"

yoongi breathes what seems to be a sigh of relief, before telling him that he"ll be there in about five minutes. 

jimin braces himself, quickly checking his reflection in a nearby window. black jeans, his favourite black sweater with baggy sleeves and a bright red beanie. he’s thankful he washed his hair yesterday, imagining the horror he would have felt at hanging out with yoongi with his hair a greasy limp mess. they were not at that stage in their relationship. 

yet, his traitorous mind supplies. 

a familiar black jeep stops near him with a loud horn, yoongi smirking behind the wheel. jimin rolls his eyes, hiding a smile as he hurries inside. yoongi is dressed slightly formally, black slacks and a black jumper. jimin spies a long black coat in the backseat. yoongi looks good. the realisation that jimin can actually compliment him as much as he wants to now is sudden but not unpleasant. 

yoongi notices the blush, turning to stare at him. "what?" his voice his too fond. 

"you look nice. really nice.“ jimin blurts out, his face warming up.

"so do you, jiminie." yoongi is leaning closer. "in fact, aren’t we matching?" 

"oh my god no, we’re going to look like one of those couples." jimin rolls his eyes. he belatedly realises his mistake. he had called them a couple before they’d even gone on one date. splendid job. 

"i think it’s cute."

jimin gawks at him. "you would willingly plan outfits with me to match?" he asks incredulously. 

it’s yoongi"s turn to blush. 

jimin laughs at his lack of response. "oh my god, you’re so adorable." he coos, quickly leaning forward to brush his lips against the elder"s cheek before he chickens out. 

yoongi pouts. "you tease me and then that’s all I get?" he grabs jimin"s hand, gently bringing him forward. "unlike the last time when we were in this car together, you don’t have to hold back." 

"are you teasing me, min yoongi?" jimin quirks an eyebrow.  "you were staring at me just as much!"  

"i don’t deny it." yoongi relents with a chuckle. "it’s hard to not stare when you’re around, jimin."

and jimin just melts because of course yoongi is a ridiculously smooth talker who’s set to kill him with diabetes. "i kissed you first last time." he whines, leaning forward. "you’re the one who left me."

"i am really sorry about that." yoongi admits, lowering his eyes. 

jimin is quick to gently cup yoongi"s cheek with his other hand. "it"s okay hyung. we both have busy lives, but you still take out time for me everyday. thank you." he mumbles, locking eyes with him. 

yoongi closes the gap between them, kissing him softly. jimin sighs into it, feeling warm all over. yoongi doesn’t let the kiss turn less innocent, pulling away to pepper kisses all over jimin"s face. with a final kiss on his nose, the elder pulls away. they’re both blushing slightly, smiling like idiots. jimin feels like he could float right now. 

yoongi finally remembers that they’re still inside the university and quickly does a u-turn to leave the premises. 

"so," jimin clears his throat as they pull up on the freeway. "where are we going?"

yoongi"s wide eyes and slack jaw are comical. "um, I didn’t plan that far." he admits, embarrassed. 

jimin can’t help but laugh. "is it too soon for dinner?" he checks the time, it’s really only seven. 

yoongi hums, tapping his fingers against the steering wheel. "we could order takeout? and go back to yours?" he suggests. "or mine. i"m okay with both."

"taehyungie is probably home." jimin realises. "he mentioned working on a project, so I wouldn’t like to disturb him. do you really not mind if we go to yours?"

"why would I mind?" yoongi smiles at him. "i would love that."

at the next red light, yoongi opens up a food delivery app on his phone and hands it to jimin to order from. neither of them are particularly picky, so dinner is decided on pretty quickly. they quickly pull up into the parking lot of the building and by the time jimin has freed himself from his seatbelt, yoongi is already opening the car door for him, hand out to help him out. 

"oh I didn’t think you were chivalrous type," jimin teases, grabbing his hand gratefully. a pleased thrum runs down his spine when yoongi doesn’t let go, entangling their fingers as he leads them towards the lift. 

"oh I almost forgot. do you have a roommate?" jimin asks with a jolt, not mentally prepared to socialise with a stranger so suddenly. 

"oh no," yoongi laughs as he presses his floor number. "no more roommates. jin hyung was the last roommate i had — back when I lived the states."

"jin hyung studied abroad too?" jimin asks, surprised. 

"he was doing his masters while I was trying to finish up my degree and graduate. that’s how we became close. and when I moved back to seoul, he helped me find an apartment and everything."

"oh," jimin nods in understanding as they step out of the lift. "and how did you meet the others?"

"namjoon and I used to go to school together and we reconnected when I got back. jeongguk introduced me to hoseok and we all just clicked, I guess." yoongi explains with a nostalgic smile as they walk down a corridor only to pause at the door at the very end, quickly punching in his passcode and ushering jimin inside his apartment. 

after they’ve slipped off their shoes and pulled on some slippers, jimin allows himself to take in the apartment. it’s an open plan space with large windows and minimalistic interior but there still seem to be some very yoongi elements to it — a colourful assortment of coffee cups in the kitchen, mismatched photograph frames on the shelves, fluffy blankets on the couch. it’s nice. 

"wait so you knew namjoon hyung and jin hyung before they were a couple? you saw them get together?" jimin gets back to the topic at hand, letting himself plop down on the sofa. 

yoongi bursts out laughing, one hand against the wall less he lose his balance. "Oh my god, that was — I need a minute, oh it was hilarious the first time they ever met." 

he seats himself down next to jimin, taking deep breaths to calm himself. 

"okay so jin hyung has always been this massively calm, cool person, like nothing fazes him. nothing. think of those k drama male protagonist that are like... ceos and everything, yeah that’s jin hyung. and namjoon, oh god, joonie is like, very confident, very extroverted, great with words... just all around good at social interactions. and the moment I introduce them to one another they just go silent. like absolute silence for three awkward minutes. and then jin hyung just trips on nothing and bumps into the wall and joonie drops a plate in the exact same second." jimin bursts into giggles, eyes curving up into crescents as he imagines the two very well put together men losing their cool.

"i can’t even describe the details because god it was mortifying, like every interaction they had they would just be making heart eyes at one another and getting tongue tied." yoongi continues with a chuckle, "and when they eventually got together, like a few months ago, it was like a switch had flipped. their personalities are very complimentary. somehow they have the exact same terrible sense of humour. i walk into a room and it’s silent and they just start laughing a nothing at all. nothing! but they’re really good together. surprisingly."

"taehyungie and jeonggukkie are like the too." jimin wheezes, sliding down the couch to get more comfortable. "same ridiculous sense of humour."

"oh how did they even get together?" yoongi turns to him curiously, a smirk on his lips. "my brother gets strangely shy whenever i ask him about the details."

jimin groans. “okay so, i the one how unfortunately introduced them and just — since then they were attached to one another. the bestest of friends. and then they would come up to me separately and gush about the other. it was absolute pining for months until taehyung picked up the nerve to ask out gukkie and they’ve been nauseatingly in love since."

"us dating is great revenge on our best friends who loved to shove their love lives down our throats, to be honest." yoongi mutters exaggerating a grimace. 

"i love the way you think." jimin smirks. "if you went to hogwarts, you would’ve been in slytherin for sure, hyung."

"hmm, I could say the same about you jiminnie." yoongi teases, brushing their lips together before pulling himself up. "i"m not drinking tonight, but you’re still my guest so my stash is open to you. what would you like?"

"oh wait, why aren’t you drinking?" jimin rises as well, head tilted in curiosity.

"need to stay sober if I’m driving you home." yoongi admits gruffly.

"hey, what no, I’ll take a cab.” jimin exclaims, feeling extremely flattered at yoongi’s thoughtfulness.

"what no, it’s fine really."

"hyung no, I insist."

"fine, then I’ll call them and ask them to deliver at your place and I’ll take you there right now." yoongi raises an eyebrow at him. 

"what no, ugh it’s fine, it’s fine, I swear.” jimin backtracks. “okay but then I’m not drinking either."

“jiminie." yoongi glares at him.

"yoongi hyung.” jimin glares back, smiling inspite of himself. 

and that’s that. the food arrives almost immediately after that, and they get busy eating and just talking about all sorts of things. they could be talking abut the most menial of stuff, but jimin knows he’ll be just as invested. at some point they move to the couch, cans of soft drinks in their hands as they turn on some ridiculous variety show.

jimin just feels nice and comfortable, squished against yoongi, laughing as the elder makes fun of the hosts on tv. he lets his head rest against yoongi’s shoulder, scrunching his nose as he gets a whiff of citrus. 

“hyung.” jimin glances up. “why does your hair smell like a hair salon?”

“a hair salon?” yoongi sputters. 

“yeah like, lemon and citrus, and…” another sniff. “vanilla?”

“i haven’t been to the hair salon in a month.” yoongi tells him incredulously. “my hair dresser gave me this special shampoo to protect my hair because I’ve been dyeing it for almost two years.” He admits, running a hand through his hair which, in jimin’s opinion looks extremely healthy. 

“the last time I went to a salon, my hair dresser told me to not to come back unless im dying it back to black!” jimin whines. “how did you last two years?”

“i’ve been very careful.” yoongi says with a laugh. “you know, I can’t imagine you with black hair.”

“me neither!” A pout makes its way onto his face. “i’ve tried pretty much every colour—“

“so have i!” yoongi’s eyes light up. “you know what, next time we’ll go together. go from silver to black, actually let our hair breathe.”

his words make jimin feel extremely soft but he wills himself to not blush. An image of the two of them walking out of the hair salon with black hair whizzes through his mind. The words are out of his mouth before he realises. “you would look really hot with black hair hyung.”

and it’s true, the dark hair add a layer of mysteriousness to yoongi, the kind that makes him look unfairly sexy. jimin gulps.

yoongi is looking at him intensely as though aware of the thoughts running inside jimin’s head, and the little space between their faces seems electrified. their lips meet messily, but it feels so good to just kiss without a care. 

and suddenly it’s not enough. Jimin wants to be closer. he pulls away regretfully, taking yoongi’s drink from his and reaching forward to place their cans on the coffee table. he turns back and with a smirk plants himself onto yoongi’s lap, letting his hands fall around his neck. 

jimin presses their lips together confidently, his new position allowing him him to be closer to yoongi. their tongues slide together eagerly, and yoongi lets out a soft moan as he pulls away to kiss against jimin’s jawline, gently sucking at the piercings in his left ear. he moves down to the column of jimin’s neck, lavishing it with kisses. 

jimin’s hands find their way to yoongi’s hair, roughly tugging at the strands as heat courses through his body. he lets out another moan as yoongi sucks harshly against his neck. 

“h-hyung,” his voice is already raspy, and it brings yoongi’s attention back to his lips. 

“we should,” jimin mumbles between kisses, “we should, ah,” another kiss, “ah, hyung,” another one, deeper this time.

“we were supposed to be taking it slow.” yoongi’s voice is just as raspy, and somehow deeper. jimin feels a rush of arousal at that, the point he was trying to make forgotten as he presses their lips together again. 

“jimin,” yoongi hisses as the younger tightens his hold on his hair. “baby, we should stop before this escalates.”

it’s that word that knocks jimin back to his senses, and he’s quick to roll off yoongi’s lap and shuffle to the side. They stay like that for a while, panting, refusing to make eye contact. 

“hyung,” jimin turns to him, a dopy smile on his face. “you called me baby.”

“ah, did you not like—“ yoongi colours immediately. 

“i did.” jimin whispers softly, letting his head fall back against the sofa. “i like it hyung.”

“i like you, a lot.” yoongi admits, shyly glancing at him. “and I don’t want to mess up anything between us.”

“neither do I. we’ll be fine, hyung, as long as we’re communicating with each other.” jimin reassures him, reaching forward to hold his hand. 

yoongi only nods, bringing jimin’s hand up to his lips to gently press a kiss on his knuckles. jimin can’t believe how easy this is, what they have. yoongi and him come together so naturally.

yoongi drives him home after that, the car ride silent in a soft, fuzzy way and even walks him all the way up to his apartment. 

“i really don’t want us to become that couple that doesn’t do anything exciting on dates, but I really do like just hanging out with you.” yoongi admits, leaning against the wall. “simple can be good.”

jimin nods, a smile on his lips. “neither of us are the voraciously exciting type, if i’m honest.”

they kiss goodbye and then yoongi’s gone. jimin slowly slips inside, softly gasping at the sight of taehyung curled up on the couch, asleep. his laptop is balanced on his chest and his glasses are falling into his hair. 

jimin smiles fondly. 

he pulls off his shoes and tiptoes towards the sleeping boy, carefully saving whatever he was working on before gently placing his glasses on the table. he swiftly places a blanket on top, pressing a soft kiss onto taehyung’s forehead as he departs to his own bed to sleep. 

today was such a good day, just thinking back makes jimin feel ridiculously warm and fuzzy. his mind flashes back to the feel of yoongi"s hands against his waist and his lips against jimin"s, and suddenly he’s feeling warm for an entirely different reason. 

the next few days go by in a blur of classes and studying and reports and assignments. one thursday, jimin gets a text from hoseok asking him if he’d like to meet later that day since he’ll be near jimin’s apartment. they seven of them have all been texting pretty regularly, and with how much they’re all interconnected, its no surprise that they get along so well. jimin"s class is about to start but he agrees, knowing that he deserves a break from everything university related. 

seokjin and hoseok wave from where they’re already seated, smiles on their faces when he arrives at the cafe they recommended. jimin can feel himself already grinning as he greets them, taking his seat — they’re so cheerful to be around. 

they all quickly order lunch, discussing everything from the dance classes hoseok teaches to the meetings seokjin has to attend to jimin’s impending graduation. 

“i would love to join for a few classes!” jimin exclaims. “maybe after graduation when I actually have time…”

“enjoy it while it lasts,” seokjin tells him, wiping fake tears from his eyes. “the corporate world is cruel.”

jimin laughs, unzipping his jacket and letting it fall off his shoulders. it"s way too hot nowadays in his opinion. he belatedly takes note of the way their eyes immediately turn to his neck, feeling himself flush at the hickies that still haven’t faded away (he’d complained to yoongi the morning after their impromptu date about how darkly they stood out against his pale neck but the boy only laughed infuriatingly).

still, jimin doesn’t shrug his hoodie back on, choosing to meet their glances head on. 

“aww jiminie. we didn’t know yoongi hyung was a possessive one.” hoseok jumps at the chance. 

“yah,” seokjin elbows him. “its been so long since we’ve seen yoongi like this, we can’t help the teasing.” he explains to jimin, eyes twinkling. “oh the heart eyes when you two came over, reminded me of —“

“namjoon hyung and you?” jimin quetions with a knowing smirk. “when you first met.”

seokjin colours at that. “oh my good, min yoongi is such a shit.” he mumbles into his hands. 

the other two can’t help but laugh. and so their lunch continues, with lots of stories and teasing and easy banter. it’s great.

the second time yoongi and jimin meet, it’s completely an accident. jimin has a long five hour gap between his two exams that day, so he decides to study at the university coffee shop in between. finding it full to near bursting with students given the busy time if the year, he heads off to the coffee shop near yoongi’s studio, mercifully finding it to be far more peaceful. 

jimin spends the first hour peacefully, a cup of coffee by his side and his notes spread out in front him. he glances up at the sound of the door opening, jaw dropping as he locks eyes with yoongi, dressed down in his usual hoodie, a laptop bag on his shoulder. 

yoongi smiles as he walks up to his table. “hey jiminie, what a surprise.”

jimin gestures to the empty seat in front of him. “hi hyung, oh yeah I just needed some place quiet to study. do you come here often?”

yoongi nods, placing his bag on the table. “sometimes the studio gets overwhelming so I like a change a pace. do you mind if I work here?”

“of course not!” jimin insists. yoongi gives his hand a quick squeeze before pulling out his laptop and a large pair of headphones, quickly getting to work. jimin does the same, enjoying the fact that every time he looks up from his notes, he’s greeted by the view of yoongi adorably pouting at his screen as he focuses. jimin guesses it"s a habit. 

at some point yoongi gets up to go to the counter, bring back a cup of coffee for himself a slice of chocolate cake which he places in front of jimin silently. jimin smiles gratefully, mouthing a silent thank you. He really is dating someone who’s incredibly thoughtful and considerate. 

yoongi leaves a little while after that, pressing a kiss against jimin’s cheek and whispering a fond good luck. jimin sighs happily, forcing himself to not get distracted by his adorable boyfriend. 

.

jimin passes all of his exams with flying colours (he hopes) and then its the day of the big first date. he reflects on the fact that he doesn’t feel nervous about tonight as he slips on a silky white button down, tucking it into his dark blue slacks. he"s styled his hair away from his forehead, and bothered to do his makeup - concealer, smoky eyeshadow and his favourite lip gloss. silver glitters in his ears and hands. 

jimin looks good and he knows it. 

he slips on a pair of loafers as he grabs his coat. taehyung wolf whistles from behind, a smug grin on his face. 

“well, well, well, you clean up nice, park jimin,” he teases, reaching forward to pop the first two buttons of his shirt open. “much better.”

“taehyungie…” jimin warns, but he makes no move to redo the buttons. 

“i fully expect you to not come home tonight.” taehyung continues primly, crossing his arms against his chest. “have fun!”

jimin all but races out the door, heart thumping in his chest as it dawns upon him. the idea of actually going to a fancy place makes him feel something akin to nervousness, but its not unpleasant. 

jimin doesn’t really date people a lot. he’s always so focused on maintaining good grades and having a social life and just having time for himself that he’s never actively tried to seek out a romantic relationship. he’s gone on dates, had brief flings, hookups sometimes, but relationships? he never really gave it much of a thought — a firm believer that he"ll be ready for a relationship when it’s time. 

as he flashes a smile at yoongi — who’s leaning against his car dressed in a black button down paired with cream coloured trousers, rolex ever present on his wrist — jimin thinks maybe it is time. 

"you look," yoongi gulps audibly, eyes darting from fitted slacks to exposed collarbones before finally meeting jimin"s. "beyond stunning."

"speak for yourself," jimin murmurs, running a hand down yoongi"s arm. "are you sure we need to go to a restaurant. we could just stay here and —“

yoongi wraps his hands around jimin"s waist, pulling him closer. jimin cocks his head to the side. this really is becoming a frequent habit of yoongi"s, he wonders to himself, pleased. 

"let me take you to a nice place and spend money on you." yoongi whispers against his lips. "because you deserve a fancy dinner and more after all that studying and hard work. next date is all on you, baby."

jimin shivers, still not used to the pet name. he knows he’s good looking, but the way yoongi stares at him makes him feel desirable. he likes that a bit too much.  

yoongi pulls away despite jimin’s whine. "if we start kissing outside your building, there’s no way we’re making it to the restaurant anytime tonight." he vows, eyes transfixed on jimin"s glossy lips. 

jimin is quick to get in the car, pulling on his seatbelt, a flush on his cheeks. they delve into safer topics, and the mood changes from heavy to almost playful. they pull up to the restaurant and yoongi quickly gives the keys to the valet, hand resting on jimin’s back as he leads him inside. 

they’re seated on a small table in the balcony, and jimin immediately feels cozy with the flickering candles and soft breeze. they’re quick to order and then settle back into conversation. 

"i can’t believe the first time we ever met was all those years ago!" jimin exclaims. "i was barely a freshman."

"it seems like forever ago doesn’t it? i think it was some general course I had to take to transfer my credits to the american university i wanted to attend. i remember you though.” yoongi"s eyes are fond. "you were all fluffy black hair and soft cheeks back then. i thought you were cute."

jimin sputters. "you thought I was— yeah, no hyung. just no." his grows quieter as he mulls over the memories. "I’m in a much better place now, I like myself a lot more."

"I"m glad." yoongi responds with an encouraging smile. jimin appreciates him so much for not asking for any details. that’s chapter he closed in his life a long time ago. 

their food arrives and the moment is broken. yoongi entertains him with his stories of working under an american record label for a year. “my boss was absolutely insane. insane. worked us all to the bone with her impossible deadlines and last minute adjustments. a perfectionist really. but she instilled really good work ethic in us so..."

"you miss her?" jimin picks up the longing in his tone. 

"i try to keep in contact but yeah sometimes." yoongi admits. "haven’t you ever had a teacher or supervisor who’s big on tough love but is actually genuine underneath all those harsh words?

"reminds me of my mother actually." jimin chuckles. "wait a minute, they’ll be here next week for my graduation. a-are you going to be there? what do I introduce you as?"

he starts to panic, setting down his chopsticks with a smack. "hyung I really like you, but I’m not ready to meet your family yet or have you meet mine. it’s not that I’m embarrassed or ashamed it’s just—“

“jimin, I agree." yoongi is warm and placating and gentle as he grabs jimin"s fingers. "your graduation is about you. you can tell your parents I’m your friend or that I’m jeongguk"s brother or whatever you’re comfortable with, okay?" he rubs his thumb against jimin"s palm gently. 

jimin breathes deeply. "I’ll think about it. but thank you really, for being so understanding. I’m not — I’m not offending you by this, am I?" 

yoongi shakes his head, voice firm. "absolutely not. take your time, baby."

briefly jimin wonders if yoongi has any idea how much a simple pet name can affect him, and how he could possibly retaliate. worries about his parents at bay, he just smiles at yoongi and goes back to enjoying his dinner. 

in the short time it takes for them to pay the bill and get the car from the valet, it starts to drizzle. 

"there was absolutely no rain in the forecast." yoongi complains as he fiddles with his seatbelt. "believe me I checked." 

"it’s fine, it’s probably going to stop soon," there’s a lightening strike at his words and jimin pales. 

"my place is nearby, do you want to wait it out there?" yoongi asks, switching on the windshield wipers. 

jimin sighs, relieved. "yes please."

a proper thunderstorm is raging by the time they make it to yoongi"s apartment. yoongi doesn’t even hesitate as he shuffles into the kitchen and brings out a bottle of wine and two glasses. 

"you know," yoongi"s looking at him, all expectant. "the rain doesn’t look like it’s going to stop anytime soon. stay the night."

and here’s the thing, jimin knows that he doesn’t mean it the sexual way. he also knows that he could say no and yoongi would immediately take him home. but jimin feels comfortable and happy and he kinda wants to get tipsy with yoongi so he nods. 

they change into comfortable clothes — jimin is in love with how yoongi"s hoodies seem so baggy against his slender frame. the wine is lovely and the rain is beating against the windows but jimin feels warm and soft and fuzzy. yoongi is wearing a matching dopey grin on his face. 

yoongi gets even more adorable when he’s drunk, jimin realises. he’s gleeful and loud and laughs easily and jimin likes this so much. they’re both giggly drunks and keep falling off the sofa, which gives yoongi a brilliant idea as he grabs the bottle of wine and jimin"s hand, dragging him to his room. 

jimin barely looks around, eyes zeroing in on the fluffy bed. he jumps, landing face first directly in the centre. "I. Love. Your. Bed."

yoongi laughs, taking a sip. "i love it too."

"no really," jimin yawns. "I’m sleeping right here."

"okay," yoongi agrees easily, setting the bottle on his bed side table. he lies down, curling up next to jimin. "me too."

jimin smiles at him, blinking drowsily, "I"m really glad you came to that party hyung."

yoongi’s eyes are shut, but jimin is certain he hears a reply. "I’m really glad too, jiminie."