Jimin awoke with a crick in his neck that was only made worse when he rolled over to his side. It took him a moment to remember why exactly he was on the floor of his kitchen with Taehyung half on top of him, squishing all chances of air out of his lungs. He tried to shift without waking up Tae but  with every limb intertwined he knew it was a fruitless endeavor.

     “Tae. I have to piss and I’d like to breathe at some point again soon.” Taehyung shifted and mumbled something that Jimin couldn’t understand but it actually put more pressure on his bladder than the previous position. “Tae, I’m going to shove you into the counter if you don’t move right now.” Panic had entered his voice because he was sure he’d piss himself if he didn’t get to the bathroom asap.

    He shoved Taehyung with a little more force than was necessary but it did the job and he was free in another moment. As he got up, he kept his head at the weird angle it had been forced into for the duration of the night so as to prevent any more pain in his neck. He’d deal with it once he properly woke up after relieving himself.

    He had to sidestep the mess he made the previous day in the bathroom searching for Tae’s inhaler but once he navigated the maze to the toilet everything about his day got a lot better. His tunnel vision lifted and Taehyung’s grumbling from the other room reached him through the open door. He couldn’t understand it but he was sure he was being cursed to the high heavens. Tae was more difficult than even Yoongi was to wake up and the rough greeting he got first thing probably put him in more of a funk than Jimin really wanted to deal with today but the situation had been urgent.

     He washed his hands and began trying to rub the crick out of his neck as he re-entered the kitchen to find Tae halfway inside of one of their cabinets.

     “What are you doing?”

     “I’m looking for the extra boxes of cereal I bought when they went on sale.” Taehyung was obsessed with sales and they had at least three of everything in their house thanks to the two plus one deals that seemed to crop up everywhere. Now wasn’t the time to call him out on it though.

    “We finished it the day before yesterday and my parent’s aren’t sending money again until next week.”

     “That’s okay. I get paid tomorrow.” Jimin felt a bit bad that Tae had to work so hard and it all fed into bills but they both wanted an upgrade after their last apartment and Jimin’s parent’s refused to send up more than what they had been. He picked up teaching classes at his studio and made a bit there but most of his money went into savings. He wasn’t entirely sure what he was saving for but Taehyung insisted that was what responsible adults did and refused any extra payments towards their nicer apartment. It was probably twice as big as Yoongi’s place and it was more open so you weren’t screaming through walls to get someone’s attention.

    “Tae, I wanted to say I’m sorry for last night. I knew how bad you get with being held down and it just kind of slipped my mind. Not that it was okay to-” Taehyung cut him off by flying across the room and landing a punch that caught Jimin’s right arm he had been using to massage his neck. “What was that for? I was apologizing!”

    “Well don’t. You know my policy.” Taehyung had several policies and each one was stranger than the last so Jimin wasn’t quite sure which he was referring to. “No saying sorry to each other. We don’t need that negativity in our lives.”

    “An apology is a way to make the negativity go away.”

    “No, it makes the person apologizing feel like . They feel the need to apologize to relieve their own guilt but what is the person accepting the apology getting out of it? Some empty promises? I hit you so we’re even. I don’t want to talk about or remember my dad right now though so if you would kindly accompany me to the store I would like some cereal or at least a breakfast bar.” Jimin just nodded and moved to go change his clothes before he was yanked from behind into a hug and then steered to their couch behind the bar.

“What are you doing?”

“I need to get your neck back in proper working order. I’d laugh at you if we went out in public with you looking like an ostrich.”

“Well thanks.” Jimin’s voice may have sounded put-off but he loved Taehyung’s massages. Somehow he found every knot and every kink and ironed them out with his talented fingertips.

“This is a thank you for taking care of me last night,” He began digging his fingers right into the source of Jimin’s pain and was rewarded with a hiss, “It was my fault you slept like that anyway.”

“I don’t know how you aren’t sore.”

“I can just take a bath later but I know how you are about baths.”

“They’re gross, Tae. At least shower first. Don’t just sit in a bowl of dead skin, water, and the remains of everyone you’ve touched that day.” Taehyung shuddered at the description but Jimin always had a way of making things seem so much worse than they actually were.

“You have such a way with words. One would almost think you’re a pessimist.” He got out the last of the knots under Jimin’s skin and stood up and walked around to face his best friend who was smiling up at him brilliantly. “That smile and those laugh lines give you away though. I don’t understand how you fell for someone as dark as Yoongi and so unmotivated. It’s bad enough I have no time for cleaning and helping out here. You don’t need another apartment to take care of too.” Jimin rolled his eyes.

“Yoongi isn’t like that. It’s just what he wants other people to believe.”

“Well he’s got me fooled. And don’t even try to deny that you at least did his and his roommate's laundry. I know you didn’t magically gain two more wardrobes and that friend of his wears some fancy clothes.” Namjoon did attempt to buy things that would impress people but the look fell short when it was marred with wrinkles and the knowledge that the articles of clothes had lived on the floor for a few weeks before being thrown on. Jimin didn’t quite understand how the two boys managed to get by without him doing everything for them. It wasn’t even that they were dirty or too lazy to do it, they just both got so caught up in everything around them that they didn’t make time to take care of themselves. When laundry was done, what was the point of folding them when it could mean the difference between a song being finished or homework completed? Why wash the dishes as they get dirty when they could just wash them as they needed them next? Jimin almost wanted to call Namjoon several times in the months after his and Yoongi’s fallout to try and sneak in and clean up without the mint-haired rapper there to ask any questions. He just wanted to take care of both of them. Namjoon and he were never too close but it still hurt that someone who was always around just wasn’t anymore. And he couldn’t even bring himself to blame it on Yoongi. “Come on, Jimin. Let’s go!” Taehyung pulled him off of the couch and pushed him towards his bedroom without another word before he darted back towards his own across the expanse of their living room.

Jimin grabbed his clothes out of his dresser that took up way too much space in the small bedroom but he couldn’t bring himself to ever get rid of it. It was the only piece of furniture Yoongi and he had picked out together and it had made the move with him. He was sure Yoongi meant it as a joke when they first picked it out because both of them knew it was never going to fit into Taehyung and his shared bedroom at the time but Yoongi insisted on it because it was the first thing on display and he wasn’t going to venture further into the store.

Little did he know it meant that he would be the one trying to cram it into Joon’s parents truck and then unload it when they reached the apartment. He ed about it for a bit, especially when it came to the stairs, but he smiled the whole time through the process and when they set the TV on it in the living room he puffed up with pride at everyone’s compliments.

Jimin walked out to the foyer and laced his shoes up before calling for Taehyung. They set off with the glinting sunlight in their eyes and Tae hung off of his shoulder like another limb for most of the cold walk.

“You know it should snow tonight?”

“Gross. Snow just makes everything wet and soggy.”

“I’m beginning to think you just hate water, Park Jimin.” Jimin scoffed and kept walking.

“I just hate the idea of being cold and wet.”

“Well I think it’s pretty.” Tae finally let go of his arm and ran into the store at a breakneck speed. Jimin ducked his head and followed a lot slower. Not only did he cause a scene last night but he was back with the king of making scenes. Eventually, one would think you would get over all the second-hand embarrassment Taehyung caused but even after years, Jimin struggled with keeping a straight face in wake of all the strange things Tae was okay with doing in public.

Jin made eye contact the moment Jimin looked up and he winced. He had been in here several times since the move and it felt like Jin lived here but he never knew his name or bothered to see him as anything other than the friendly clerk with nice hair. Now all he saw was the fact he was Yoongi’s friend and probably knew the worst side of him.

“Hey Jimin. Your boyfriend is quite rowdy in the morning.” Jimin felt the blush color his cheeks quickly and he turned to Taehyung who was waltzing back and forth down the small breakfast and snack aisle.

“He’s not my boyfriend and he’s usually a walking zombie in the mornings. I don’t know why he’s like this today.” Taehyung sauntered up behind him.

“It’s because I woke up tangled up with you this morning. I love feeling your body beneath me.” Jimin choked on air and he was sure he was red as a tomato but the boy behind the counter just laughed.

“Okay, not your boyfriend but someone who kisses you and wakes up wrapped around you. None of my business.” Jimin sputtered but couldn’t come up with a retort.

“I’m Taehyung! Not Jimin’s boyfriend and not his -buddy either. I just think he makes a great pillow. Now you on the other hand,” He looked Jin up and down, “you look like you’d fill out any of those three really great.” Jin let out a peal of laughter and took Taehyung’s outstretched hand.

“I’m Jin. It’s nice to meet you my bold friend.”

“I’d say you’re the bold one with all the questions but I did just proposition you. So what’d you say?” Jimin finally found his voice again and he butted in.

“Tae! Please stop doing things like this while I’m around! We came here for breakfast, not a -buddy and he’s Yoongi’s friend regardless.” Taehyung gasped.

“You saw my performance last night? How was it? Did I convince that bastard I loved my Jiminnie?”

“Insult Yoongi again and I’m sure I’ll find a way to make your life hell. And Park Jimin used him up and threw him away as soon as he caught feelings. Yoongi loved him back but it didn’t matter to your friend here. Feelings were apparently off limits in the ed up dynamic they established.” Taehyung cocked his head to the side and was going to let this sandy-haired cretin know his place but a group of customers walked in. Jin held his head high and Jimin just wanted to die right then. “I will stand by my friends through anything. I think you’re funny but Yoongi is more than that to me and you need to pay and leave before I really let you know what I think about the stunt you pulled that hurt Yoongi even more than the first blow did.”

They paid and left and Taehyung was eerily silent. Jimin didn’t want to break it trying to find his voice and he knew Tae was probably thinking about how mad Jimin was before his meltdown. It hadn’t ever really been resolved though they had made a mutual unspoken agreement to move on. Jin just threw it back in their faces and Jimin didn’t know how to deal with the information that was given to him.

They made it back to the apartment and Taehyung started tearing into his food with vigor. When he was done he turned the TV up loudly and tried to drown out his thoughts that way but Jimin just kept running over the words that Jin had said. Yoongi loved him back.

He couldn’t just sit around anymore. He had deleted Yoongi’s number from his phone but he still had it memorized. It used to be the mantra he would repeat before tests or important things he needed to focus on so that he could clear his head and also never forget about the numbers that were his last link to the man he loved. He wanted to hear what Yoongi had to say. He had to hear those words coming from him. He walked slowly into his room with his phone clutched between his hands and dialed it as soon as the door closed behind him, drowning out some of the show Tae had put on.

Yoongi.