Yoongi didn't know what his parents had been doing back home. Either way, he had made up his mind. A roof on top of his head or even money in his wallet weren't the things he was most worried about. He knew his parents wouldn't be home on Sunday and he took that opportunity to grab some clothes and any small necessities that he needed for school on Monday. And thus, nothing felt any different as he attended school the next Monday on the first week of October. History was always a bore, recess was always spent at their favorite spot, Taehyung and Jimin were always whispering suspiciously behind his back, Yujin was always smiling softly whenever the two of them ran into each other, and Jimin-,

Jimin had always been there, spending their quality time together in each detention, whether it be cleaning the bathroom or raking the entire school field or even polishing the chairs. Jimin had always been there next to him under the dusk, even when seasons had changed and the day became shorter and shier, the sun hiding its face under the horizon.

He actually went back home on Tuesday, knowing that his parents would be there waiting for him in the living room. Either way, he had done giving any whatsoever, even as his mother begged him to stay, with his father sitting by the armchair, refusing to look or even acknowledge his existence. He simply took his stuff and said how he would try his best to empty his room as fast as he could before leaving again. Since then, he had been taking turns sleeping at his friends' houses. By this time all of their parents already knew Yoongi and they didn't have any problem of him spending a night there.

Yet, he hadn't stayed at Jimin's place, even though he knew that amongst the others, Jimin's grandmother would be the one that welcomed him the most, the same went for her grandson.

Of course, Jimin would be the one who welcomed him the most. How could he not?

Namjoon gathered the gang on Saturday not to play basketball but to study instead, their leader being the voice of reason, reminding them that suneung was a threat to reckon with. Jungkook who was actually free from the duty still decided to hang around, helping them with 11 ^th grade material that had supposedly left Yoongi's brain. He could barely remember what he had learned hours ago, let alone something that he had learned last year. The girls came by two hours into their self-study session, Minju arriving with a kiss to the cheek for Seokjin that was followed by the gang cooing and whistling afterward.

Of course Yujin came and somehow it got Yoongi tensing up, seeing as the girl giving him yet another soft genuine smile before she took her seat right next to him. He didn't know why, but the first thing that he did was to turn his head towards Jimin who sat in front of him, only to find the said boy focusing his attention at a certain math problem, completely ignoring or simply being oblivious to the scene that was unveiling before him. This shouldn't be a problem, he thought. Why did he think that Jimin would be jealous, just by having Yujin here? They were all here as friends and Yujin was simply one of them.

(And so did Jimin, right?)

They gathered until late at night, though the time spent for the actual study was over way before dinner. This time they laughed upon Seokjin's Mom's notorious homemade stew, all the while teasing Jimin for what he had said to Mrs. Oh the other day.

“We didn't expect you to say such thing at all,” Yuna said. “I mean, if it's Yoongi over here, we won't be surprised.”

“Why are you making me sound as if I'm the gangster of the school?” Yoongi said with a smirk at Yuna. “Don't believe all of them. If there's such thing as a role model, I'm definitely one,” he continued, pointing towards himself with a smug expression.

“Yeah right. Role model for delinquents and rule-breaker,” Seokjin said, smacking Yoongi lightly on the shoulder.

“But seriously, what has gotten into you, Jimin?” this time Namjoon asked.

Jimin answered their leader's question with a blush, turning his attention towards his own two feet instead. Yoongi who was sitting in front of him wanted to do the same thing, almost too comically, because of course he knew why Jimin did it.

“Hey, at least Jimin did what all of us is dying to do,” Taehyung said. “I mean, you have to be completely blind not to realize that mustache.”

“As a girl, I still got to say that it's a bit harsh,” chimed Yujin in.

“Oh please, she's oblivious about it,” he said, before another idea popped into his head yet again. He didn't know why, it just felt like the right thing to say or do. It felt like a running joke between the two of them, something that only Yujin would certainly understand. “Bet you 10.000 won that she would come to school with a lack of facial hair next week.”

Something flashed on Yujin's face, one that spoke of challenge. That was something that he liked about the girl and her next answer determined that entirely. “Oh Min Yoongi, are you dying to lose your money once again?” she teased.

“Well, at least this time I wasn't teaming up with Mrs. Oh behind my back like your bet last time with Minju-noona,” he answered.

“Oh please, you'll be robbed of another 10.000 won this time as well, Min Yoongi,” she said, sticking out her tongue.

He was about to remonstrate that, coming out with another comeback at Yujin to prove her wrong when this time Taehyung nudged him, asking him whether he ever encountered a headless figure on his cleaning duty before Hoseok shrieked in, finding the topic of conversation entirely disturbing for him. It got him off of Yujin for a while and at the same time it got him suddenly thinking about Jimin. He quickly turned his head towards the boy to find him grabbing Jungkook's arm in fear upon hearing the continuation of Taehyung's story.

And Yoongi still didn't understand himself, why did all of this start to matter to him. Why was he concerned about Jimin when Yujin was there? Yujin was indeed the reason why Jimin confessed to a lie of despising him. Just days ago Jimin was probably ready to run away again to a simple scene of him conversing with the girl right after school. Yoongi should have been pissed at that and he sure as hell did back then. What he didn't understand was, why did Jimin's feeling matter more to him at this point, instead of his own, as if the boy feeling troubled or sad would result in him experiencing the same thing.

It was during his gaze at the boy, Yoongi being deep in his confusion, that Jimin finally turned his attention towards him, smiling softly before raising an eyebrow and mouthing a 'what's wrong' from the other end of the table. Yoongi just mimicked the smile, shaking his head and quickly returning his attention to yet another stupid horror story of Taehyung's.

They genuinely had fund that day, exchanging laughter with a full stomach and smile decorating their face. All of them were happy that day without any exception and Yoongi, like always, decided to put any worry that he had into that little box inside of his head and rammed it close.

At the end of the day he could only think about how ridiculous his earlier thought about him experiencing the same emotion as Jimin, since him and the brat weren't certainly sharing the same heart.

(Let alone the same feeling)

+.-.+

It was Monday evening when Mrs. Oh came up to them with a lack of certain facial hair (Yoongi was going to be 10.000 won richer) after their daily detention, relieving them from the punishment starting next week until the Suneung was over, lecturing them once again about the importance of the said exam and how despite of their impudence, she was still a teacher above all else and would be the most satisfied to have them using their precious time to prepare for the exam instead of sweeping the classroom's floor.

Either way, the both of them were practically skipping through the school gate sometime around eight, realizing that the agony of detention was finally off of them even for only a few weeks . The sky was already dark this time during fall and the stars scattered above his head were already changed, the crabs replaced by the fish and the lion giving its throne for the bull.

It was Jimin's house that he ended up in, his feet once again bringing him there without his head's consent. The old Park welcomed the both of them with her wide smile, this time going as far as pinching Yoongi's cheek. By this time Yoongi had certainly forgotten how many time s had he spent his night sitting on the dinner table beside the two Parks. Jimin told him once how his 80-years-old grandmother really loved having Yoongi around. He told him as well in a hushed tone later on that them sitting on the dusty chairs of the dining table made the old Park felt as if she had her family back. In the back of his mind, Yoongi could only think about how sad it was for the old lady to eat her dinner each night alone before Jimin ended up living with her.

They talked in the kitchen with Jimin's grandmother telling the both of them the story of how she met Jimin's grandfather for the first time in their lovely little town of Yeoryang-myeon as Jimin and Yoongi washed the dishes together.

“And of course he took me down to the Songcheon River on one beautiful summer day and we sit there by the river upon the grass until he sun set. That was the first time he ever took my hand and I had to wait all day long until night fall, can you imagine that?” she ranted on, making Yoongi smile in return.

“That time, oh it was six decades ago. It was funny how I could still remember that night, sitting there on the grass. I could even still remember how the weather was like that day. It was the kind of warm that made your skin tingle, your hair constantly being blown by the summer breeze,” she said in a melancholic tone.

And Yoongi could imagine it alongside her as if he was there. The river would glisten underneath the moonlight, the trees would be green, whispering silently to the couple, telling them how they should end the night with a kiss, just like what the sun and the moon longed to do. Just a simple kiss between two lovers, one that would brighten up the day, making the stars danced and the moon smiled longingly from afar, envy for the love blooming under her watch.

“Your grandfather was a coward, Jimin. We looked into each other eyes and I know it was going to happen. I know it,” she said reassuringly, her eyes looking far away into the distance, remembering a scene that Yoongi bet meant the entire world for her, one that changed the course of her life. “We were leaning closer but he just had to stop, pulling his face back again out of fear. He was afraid, Jimin. Your grandfather. Afraid to kiss a girl. Can you believe that?”

“So did you two kiss or not?” Jimin asked.

The old Park let out a small smirk.

“Oh I was so disappointed. At that moment I was so so disappointed. You know what I do, Jimin? That exact moment I grabbed him by the face and I said, 'If you're not going to kiss me, than I am'.”

Jimin's mouth opened in an awe.

“So you did?”

She looked at Jimin teasingly, letting out a sly smile that made Yoongi want to laugh. “If I hadn't, you wouldn't be born in this world, my grandson.”

“Oh my god, I can't believe you did that!” Jimin said, looking genuinely surprised.

“Oh, your grandmother is someone who knows what she wants,” she said before this time turning her attention towards Yoongi. “And how about you, Yoongi? Did you have a similar story?”

Yoongi answered it with a laugh. He could tell her how his unchanging sky looked compared to her, how the beauty drove him to excitement but of couse with an absence of that certain someone for him to kiss.

“No,” he answered truthfully.

“Yet,” she quickly said as if correcting him, putting out her forefinger towards him in a lecturing manner that he oddly didn't mind. “Not yet.”

+.-.+

They talked until almost midnight and Yoongi certainly didn't realize it until the old Park walked slowly towards the living room, reminding them that she needed to take the extra bed sheet for Yoongi. He quickly said that she didn't need to bother herself with such thing.

“Why? You're staying over for the night, aren't you?” the old Park said to him.

Yoongi hadn't honestly thought about that. Most of his stuff was at Seokjin or Namjoon since their houses were the closest and the one they spent most of the time in after school. Since he left home he had spent at least one night at the others' place, but not Jimin. There was simply no reason behind it. Whose house he ended up in each night wasn't something he thought about too much.

“Well I-,”

Then why did he think too much about this one? Was he having a second doubt about staying the night there? Was he afraid? Why should he?

“It'll make Jimin happy. Aren't you, Jiminie?” this time the old Park said, turning her head towards her beloved grandson.

And Yoongi did the same thing, turning his head towards Jimin who was still standing by the kitchen door behind him. The boy had this small smile painting his face, a shy one, though his eyes somehow spoke of sadness, a longing that he couldn't really describe but was certainly there.

Was he afraid to spend a night with Jimin just because the said boy claimed to harbor feelings for him?

“Tell him, Jiminie,” his grandmother said, urging him to speak.

Jimin gulped down and Yoongi knew. Of course he knew. He knew what the boy had to say, knew what Jimin wanted so desperately. It was what he wanted himself that he didn't know. It shouldn't be a problem, half his brain said. Before everything, they were friends. He had spent a night at Jimin's place as well back then and it shouldn't be a problem. That was what half of his brain said and the other half just simply-,

“Well, will you, hyung?” he said slowly, his words coming out more like a whisper. “Will you stay for the night?”

+.-.+

The room was quiet. It was too quiet, he could even hear the clock ticking on the wall and the slow steady breath of his own that was entirely staged. He was even having trouble thinking how to breath. Should he breath like normal? Should he just pretend that he was asleep? How did normal people breath when they sleep? It wasn't certainly as hard as this, right? It was fall already but Yoongi found himself with a lack of air, sweat drenching his forehead and his throat feeling dry.

It was probably somewhere passed two in the morning, he couldn't really tell. He ended up spending his night at Jimin's place. Half of his brain told him that this was a good choice, reminding him that another twenty minute walk towards Namjoon house down the hill in the middle of the nightwasn't definitely worth it. Yet the other half just told him-,

Nothing. They told him nothing. Yet why couldn't he sleep? Why did he keep on fidgeting in his sleep, eyes opened wide in the middle of the darkness, staring at the ceiling above his head? Was it because he simply hadn't written his journal yet? Half of the time maybe it was the problem, though this time he somehow knew that it wasn't.

Turning his head slightly, he couldn't really see whether Jimin was awake or not, the boy sleeping at the other bed beside him. Cursing under his breath, Yoongi decided to just wake up already, giving what his brain claimed to need. He sat upright on his bed and walked towards his bag by the edge of Jimin's table to fish out his journal and the lamp by the table. Maybe it was indeed his journal that silently called out for him in the dark, the blank pages waiting to be filled with words, gasping to be inked with another series of swearwords and tedious mundane activity of the day. And of course after all of that he had to write about-,

I spent the night at the brat's house today.

“Hyung?” a voice called out to him. Turning his head, he could see Jimin sitting up from his bed.

“I'm sorry I woke you up,” Yoongi said, turning his attention back towards his journal, only to find that he actually didn't have anything to jolt down. He just simply couldn't fall asleep. Maybe it was the fact that he was sleeping in a new foreign environment (he had been doing exactly that for the past week and he could sleep just fine) or maybe today's weather being warmer than it should be (which he actually doubt). Whatever it was, he simply believed that maybe it was the universe, forbidding him from closing his eyes in peace.

“No, it's fine,” Jimin answered. The bed creaked and he turned his head only to see Jimin sitting by the edge of it, looking at him. “You can't fall asleep?”

Yoongi shook his head, closing his journal before putting it back into his bag. He turned off the light and walked slowly back towards his own bed, thinking that it was rude of him to disturb Jimin's sleep.

“Just go back to sleep, Jimin,” he said again, walking passed the boy before this time flicking his finger halfheartedly upon the younger's forehead.

Jimin let out a small 'ouch', rubbing his own forehead as Yoongi went back under the cover, turning around to face the wall instead and tried his best to fall asleep for the second time. He didn't hear another sound from Jimin's part and by this time he thought that he would just it through if he wouldn't be granted with such thing as sleep even until the sun rose in the morning.

“Hey hyung.” That was until Jimin called out to him.

Yoongi simply answered him with a hum.

“Do you want-,”

And Jimin paused. The boy paused before he got to say what really mattered, making Yoongi wondered what the half of the sentence would be. Because Jimin always did that, stopping midway, letting all sentences hang in the air. Yoongi turned around, facing Jimin, though in the midst of the darkness he could only tell that the boy was still sitting upright on his bed.

“Do you want to-,” he said again, his voice stuttering. “-guh-go stargazing with me?”

His answer was a curving eyebrow.

“What?”

“Do you want to, hyung? Right now. The school field, just like you love it,” Jimin said, his voice picking up excitement. “We could bring out stuff for tomorrow's school right now as well.”

He would probably answer Jimin with a question, asking the boy's sanity. But then again half of his brain reminded him that it wasn't such a bad idea. If he couldn't indeed fall asleep for the rest of the day, why didn't he spend it doing what he loved the most?

+.-.+

The autumn sky was different. Yoongi had already expressed how much the stars had changed, though he himself couldn't really tell if he had to point it out one by one. After all, he was nothing but an admirer, one that spent his time gazing at their beauty. They arrived at the school field dressed already in their school uniform, bringing their bags for tomorrow's class. Sometimes in the back of his mind he had to remind himself how stupid this was (which indicated that the two of them was indeed part of the bulletproof boys, since random act of stupidity was certainly a trait that the seven of them shared).

When they arrived, Yoongi just let himself fall to the ground, spreading his arms and legs wide on top of the carpeted ground. It was fall which meant that the sky was a bit chilling already, but with a jacket, at least they could still manage a night out.

“So how are you enjoying life as an independent man right now?” Jimin as the boy laid down next to him.

“I'm enjoying it a lot, thank you very much,” he said with his eyes closed, letting his other senses feel his surroundings. How the wind caressed his cheek, how the grass felt soft against his hand, how the cicadas filled the night with their orchestra, chatting towards each other with language he couldn't understand.

“Enjoy this while you can since you won't be having all of this in Seoul,” Jimin said.

Seoul. It was being definite now, wasn't it? With no home to return to, he wouldn't have any other option but to walk forward. Seoul wasn't going to be just a mere dream anymore. It was his next destination.

“No clear sky and beautiful sunset?” Yoongi asked, opening his eyes to find the stars scattered above his head.

“Nope,” Jimin answered.

“No cicadas?”

“Don't even dream about it.”

“How's the breeze there?”

“Awful. I recommend you to save up your money for air conditioner, hyung.”

Yoongi scoffed. “I'm changing my mind, then. I won't be going to Seoul,” he joked.

“Not all about the city is awful,” Jimin continued. “We have the Banpo Bridge. It'll look beautiful at night with the colorful lights.”

But everything there was simply man-made. It was a beauty that man had to chiseled out of some thousand ton piece of concrete. It wasn't the hill that they spent their summer in or the Songcheon River that glowed underneath the moonlight, both were made with nothing but the fingertip of god it self.

“We have the Namsan tower. Oh, you gotta love Hongdae. Everywhere you hear, it would be music. Then there's Apgujeong, the streets always bustling with people during the day.”

That was going to be his future. Concrete jungle with hundreds of thousands of faceless people walking beside him. It would be helicopter lit sky and grey water, snaking through the rundown buildings.

“There will be no more stars,” Yoongi whispered. “No more hills and fresh air.”

“No more green,” Jimin added.

“No more basketball on Thursday,” Yoongi suddenly found himself saying the words.

“No more recess on the top of the stairs.”

“No more Hoseok's shriek,” he said, letting out a small laugh.

“Oh, as annoying as it is, I think I'm going to miss it,” Jimin said, turning his head towards Yoongi. “But you know what I won't miss, hyung?”

“What?” Yoongi asked, still having his eyes at the sky.

“History with Mrs. Oh.”

Yoongi let out a genuine laugh at that. “That one I would be happy to leave at Yeoryang-myeon.”

“No more sitting with Taehyung. I would miss him.”

“No more Seokjin's homemade cooking.”

“No more stealing Jungkook's textbook.”

“No more seeing Namjoon deflating a basketball with only his touch.”

“No more going home each day after school with you, hyung,” Jimin said softly.

No more Jimin. No more walking down the road with the dusk above his head. That was the only certainty that he had each day, that he was going to spend it with Jimin under neath the scarlet sky. Each day could turn out different, but that was the single thing that would remain unchanging, an entry in his journal that would remain the same if he could keep it that way forever .

“Hyung?” the boy called out to him once again. “Will we last until spring?”

The elder curved his eyebrow, turning his head to see the younger having his eyes this time fixed at the sky.

“What do you mean?”

“Will we stay like this?” the boy asked. “At least until spring came.”

“That's absurd,” Yoongi said. “Of course we would.”

And at that moment Jimin turned his head, looking back into his eyes. His world broke right there and then, that little box in his head jammed open by force with nothing but a single gaze. There would be no more Park Jimin after this year, the Park Jimin who was his best friend, the Park Jimin who-,

“Do you still love me?” he said, he found the words being a brute, finding its way to his lips without his consent.

Surprise was clear in Jimin's eye and Yoongi thought that the boy would sit upright at that moment, running away from the question like he always did. But no, he quickly gathered himself together, determination flashing before his eyes. He never saw Jimin being this serious.

“Yes,” Jimin said.

It was only a single syllable. It was as easy as that, a simple yes. Yoongi didn't know why he asked about this, about something that was already clear for him.

“I don't ask you to love me back,” Jimin said calmly.

Jimin's words were crystal clear to him, but at the same time something else was flashing in his head. It was the old Park's story, somehow finding itself playing on repeat in his own mind with reasons he couldn't even figure out. It wasn't even a summer day. It wasn't even the Songcheon River they were sitting beside to. The warmth didn't make his skin tingle and his hair wasn't even blown by the breeze.

“I don't ask you for anything, hyung. I'm already happy with what I have.”

How about Yujin, then? He wanted to ask about that. Would it be okay if I speak with Yujin? Would it upset you? Do you want me not to talk to her anymore? It shouldn't be a problem, half of his mind thought. Jimin and him were friends and he was actually free to talk with whoever he wanted to. Still, he couldn't shake that feeling, imagining Jimin being upset. It would make him feel the same thing as well. Upset, that was.

“So nothing needs to change,” Jimin said, still looking into his eyes.

That were his words, one that he kept on repeating in his head. Nothing needed to change. Jimin was in love with him and nothing needed to change. That was the fact and that was how it was going to be.

“Yeah,” he whispered back.

Somehow it was the old Park's words echoing in his head again as he gazed into her grandson's eyes. And somehow Yoongi could imagine it once again. The river would glisten underneath the moonlight, the trees would be green, whispering silently to the couple, telling them how they should end the night with a kiss, just like what the sun and the moon longed to do. Just a simple kiss between two lovers, one that would brighten up the day, making the stars danced and the moon smiled longingly from afar, envy for the love blooming under her watch.

“Nothing needs to change.”

There was no kiss that day. No soul being molded into one. There were only two boys, staring into each others' eyes, witnessed by the thousands of stars above.

There was no kiss that day.

(At least just yet)