(Cherry blossoms have always been a symbol of a beginning.)

Park Jimin holds – held – to the belief for sixteen years of his living years – up until this very second as he pushes his way around the crowd, the buzzing of congratulations, and let’s-meet-again and I’ll-miss-you and good lucks is well-masked by his own thumps of heartbeats, the pumping of his bloods as adrenaline kicks through his system.

(Cherry blossoms have always been a symbol of a beginning; but despite the fluttering petals, pink against the azure, cloudless sky, the dread that fills Jimin’s steps as he approaches the leaning figure feels nothing else but an end.)

For a moment he considers stopping, wondering if time would stop along, and retracing his steps, if the time would wind back to the very first day. Jimin thinks he’s probably fine not seeing the cherry blossom this year, or ever again, even – let’s just put everything into a loop of without this particular spring; this particular day.

But Jimin gets rid of the nonsense in his head as his legs swing their way towards the boy five metres apart; because the boy hates nonsense more than anything.

Another, last, step – and there stands Min Yoongi, his hair dyed black for the graduation, dancing slightly with the spring wind and all Jimin wants to do is to run his fingers along the soft locks, the navy blue with scattering tiny yellow stars necktie around the collar has loosened considerably, the first button of the untucked white shirt is popped open as if by default, all draped by a buttonless navy blue blazer.

(Cherry blossoms have always been a symbol of a beginning and sure enough there’s pink petals all around him, on his black, shiny shoes, contrasting with the dark blue on his shoulders and one has just landed on his jet black hair but everything of Yoongi screams a finale.)

“Jiminnie” he says with an ease, as if their meeting under the blossoming cherry blossom at the back of the school was scheduled beforehand, as if he is actually there waiting for Jimin, as if Jimin hasn’t walked around the school for almost half an hour searching for him – and Jimin hands him that last, tiny sliver of heart that Yoongi hasn’t yet to take on a silver platter.         

“Hyung,” Jimin mimics the easy-going tone the best he could, though a smile comes up more naturally, “Congratulations on graduating.”

Yoongi replies with a smile; it’s nothing more than a lazy grin but blinding enough for Jimin to dare taking in just a few two seconds of it, before he runs his sight down to Yoongi’s blazer instead.

He stops himself just in time before he starts to wonder where the buttons have all gone – Min Yoongi is the captain of the basketball team, after all; and Jimin is hardly the only one who wishes to keep the romantically sacred second button.

Nor he is hardly the one who could actually ask for it.

Jimin tries not to fret much about it.

Because this is enough; to be able being called ‘Jiminnie’ by Yoongi is enough, to be able to congratulate Yoongi on his graduation day is enough, to be able to see Yoongi smile at him is enough, to be able to talk to Yoongi for one last time is enough.

“Jiminnie,” Jimin didn’t think he has a heart left but something sure has leapt inside his chest at Yoongi’s raspy voice. “Hand.”

“Ain’t a dog,” he mutters with a pout and a strained blush; because the basketball team members has been calling him a Welsh corgi –Yoongi’s favourite breed- and all this while Jimin has fooled himself into believing that Yoongi doesn’t know that.

Yoongi clicks his tongue impatiently, his face easily falls to a frown that Jimin definitely refuses to see on the very last moment so the younger stretches out a hand for him.

It feels like a jolt of electricity when Yoongi’s hand brushes off his, but Jimin is more concerned about the item that has materialised on his palm – a button with their school crest engraved on it, unmistakeably from the blazer.

(Cherry blossoms have been always a symbol of a beginning; perhaps there’s something to start between Jimin and Yoongi, after all, in the midst of fluttering pink petals – if Jimin dares to hope; but he knows better not to.)

“Thought you’d like that – all those second buttons stuffs,” Yoongi says with that small smile tugging on his lips and Jimin wonders if he can kiss the smile off and get away with it. “So I thought I’d play along with the nonsense just for once and saved that for my favourite Jiminnie.”

Jimin dies a little inside but reminds himself that he has always been Yoongi’s ‘favourite Jiminnie’ – those times when Jimin does a particularly good shoot or an alley-oop and Yoongi ruffles his hair proudly, or when Jimin runs around getting drinks for everyone and never forgetting Yoongi’s preference, or when Jimin cleans the club room and Yoongi puts his arm around him the next day, patting his shoulder with a thanks.

He has always been the favourite Jiminnie, and that’s all he would ever be.

(Cherry blossoms have always been a symbol of a beginning but perhaps Jimin wants something to end, after all, in the midst of fluttering pink petals – it’s too painful.)

“Thanks, hyung – but I’d like you to keep it.”

The surprise is apparent on Yoongi’s face, clouded with mingling confusion as he stares from Jimin’s determined expression to his outstretched hand.

“You don’t want it?”

Jimin shakes his head; not entirely sure if it means, no, he wants it or no, he doesn’t want it. He’s thinking of something stupid, just another thing Yoongi would deem nonsense but this favourite Jiminnie of his wants to be selfish for once.

“I don’t need something to remember you, hyung,” and Jimin means it. “But you probably will forget about me soon, with college and stuffs, so keep this, please and remember who you’ve wanted to give it to.”

Someone else would probably assure Jimin that they wouldn’t forget him that easily, especially when they’ve known each other for years, when they’ve played in a team forever, when Jimin is their favourite Jiminnie – but not Yoongi; Jimin knows that too well.

Jimin knows Yoongi too well.

So this is the first thing Jimin has ever asked of Yoongi, and the last thing he would ever ask of Yoongi.

Jimin never doubts that Yoongi would take the button back but when the latter does, a gush of disappointment come over from nowhere, overwhelming him for a moment – because a second ago he had dared to hope that Yoongi wouldn’t take the button and insists Jimin to have it and have something to remember him by.

He had dared to hope that Yoongi would say he wouldn’t forget Jimin that easily.

But Yoongi takes the button back and pockets it, his expression returns to the default that is as unreadable as ever; and yet Jimin finds him falling in love over and over again just like each and every day when he paints the sky with neon light of his love of Yoongi and the senior pretends not to notice.

Helpless, and that’s all Jimin has been.

“I guess I should go now, Jiminnie. The guys wanna celebrate somewhere and I thought I would go; the last time and all.”

(Cherry blossoms have always been a symbol of a beginning but this rain of flushed goodness is the last time for Min Yoongi and Park Jimin.)

Jimin wants to throw himself to Yoongi, screams his love confession worth three years to Yoongi’s face so that Yoongi no longer could pretend that he doesn’t notice, or maybe he should carve the words on his wrist by a blade so that Yoongi could finally look and see; Jimin wants to ask where Yoongi is going and what he will be pursuing without his pride holding him back, Jimin wants to promise that he would go to the same university and they would see each other again and they probably would be seeing each other – Jimin wants Yoongi to do the same.

Jimin wants Yoongi to love him as well.

But instead, he smiles. He smiles the sunshine that he is; he smiles his eyes into a pair of crescent and his pain into nothingness and nods.

“All the best, then, hyung.” I’ll miss you.

Yoongi nods and walks away and Jimin couldn’t tear his eyes away from the distancing backside and hopes, prays, wishes that maybe, perhaps, Yoongi would turn back.

Yoongi does, and Jimin finds himself freezing in 15 degree Celsius of spring.

“I’ll keep the button, alright, Jiminnie?”

Cherry blossoms have always been a symbol of a beginning and Jimin starts to believe again as he waves an OK sign for Yoongi.

Cherry blossoms have always been a symbol of a beginning so he has forever to wait.

For the next year, cherry blossoms will bloom again.  

~~~

Author's note :

Hi, thanks for reading! Anyway, this is a one-shot that I suppose can stand alone by his own but actually it also serves as a background story for Yoongi and Jimin in a story I am currently writing. The story will show you Yoongi's perspective of the situation (because this is very Jimin-biased) and what happens (hint!) a few years after Yoongi's graduation. I hope you will keep an eye for the new story - I'm working real hard on it now but I am not quite sure when will it be completed but as soon as possible, I promise. Thanks again for reading and have a good day! =)