It became a nondisclosure agreement. They would always return back home together, though most of it was in favor of their little band of friends, spending time someplace else first. At one time they spent the evening after the practice at Hoseok’s, watching some horror. More like forcing the poor host to melt his own eyeball. Poor Hoseok kept on screaming at the top of his lungs and Yoongi found it really amusing. Other time they went to Taehyung and poisoned the mind of both his sister and brother.

Either way Yoongi ended up going back home with Jimin. Sometimes Yoongi brought his bicycle and Jimin would ride behind him, standing on the bike with his hands grasping his shoulder firmly.

The next match came a week after their first one in Jeongseon-eup and this time they were less nervous than they were. Slaying their opponent yet again, Yoongi managed to see Jimin’s face lighted up in happiness, his grin wide and eyes literally sparkling when they won. It was probably the happiest Yoongi had seen the boy. That night he ended up writing a ‘The brat’s smile’s so big today I felt like puking’ in his journal with a smirk on his own face.

That day Minju and the girls came to the match to cheer on them as well. The idea was the twelve of them to spend the day in the town afterwards and celebrate.

Seokjin and Minju were practically glued to each other for the remains of the day, giggling to one another oh so disgustingly. Every time Seokjin and Minju started to get on their nerves for being too lovey-dovey (despite them not being a couple or rather, not yet), Hoseok and Taehyung would do a charade that was even more disgusting to watch.

They spent the day in a nice café in town after the game. The two groups went along nicely, since both had gone out from time to time. Namjoon did his horrible part of thinking that he was a matchmaker of some sort for always pushing him towards Yujin. The girl ended up sitting next to him in the café that day, shy and quiet, and definitely realizing the unwanted attention that Namjoon gave them.

In the midst of cacophonous conversation, Yoong somehow ended staring at Yujin next to him. It wasn’t that he got a crush on the girl. Yoongi didn’t even think much about girls. His only history with a girlfriend was someone back in 1^st grade and it was enough to give him a headache.

The girls from Minju’s group were definitely the closest that he got to female friends. Minju was definitely Seokjin’s no doubt about it. Suji was just too beautiful and such a ray of sunshine he didn’t think she would suit him. After all, seeing how the girl sat next to Jungkook and having such fun conversation with the latter, he thought that something would definitely happen between them like his own cousin with their oldest hyung. Yuna was more of a bro to him rather than a girl (on top of that she really liked wearing converse and Yoongi couldn’t stand them) and Jaein was just too young for him (two years difference shouldn’t be a problem, actually). He felt a bit stupid thinking about his friends like this as if he was going to find a perfect girl to marry.

Yoongi shook his head. He stared at the caramel macchiato that he ordered before looking back at Yujin next to him. She was shy and quiet, and Yoongi thought maybe that was the type of a girl that he would fall for. Shy and quiet. Other than that, she also had this chubby cheek just like the shy and quiet-,

“Jimin-ah, tell us about your life back in Seoul. Why do you even move here?”

Yoongi quickly diverted his gaze before Yujin managed to realize that he’d been staring. He ended up looking towards Jimin who was giving them this weird look, the one that always popped out whenever the topic of Seoul came into conversation.

It was Minju who asked and the other went quiet, waiting for an answer everybody was so curious about. Jimin never talked about it properly with the boys and the other never really asked about it anyway.

The boy gulped.

“Seoul is nice,” he said with a small smile, trying to avoid the other’s eyes. He had gone back to being the pathetic Park Jimin that he was. Always when it was about Seoul did he retrace back to this cocoon of his, looking back towards the ground he had grown to love.

Yoongi knew that he was lying. He clearly remembered the boy’s words that day. ‘Everything in Seoul is sad.’ Whatever happened there, Jimin didn’t really find the need and intention to share it with them. Not yet, maybe.

“And you’ve found our town to be even nicer and greater, right?” Yoongi said.

Jimin raised his head as he heard Yoongi’s voice.

“Yeah, of course.”

He looked back at Yoongi’s eyes and he could make out the ‘thank you’ said nonverbally there.

+.-.+

They decided to watch a movie together since there was no such thing as a cinema back in Yeoryang-myeon. Yoongi wasn’t really up for it since he was not a fan of something he called ‘spending money when you can simply watch them on the internet for free later on’. Seokjin and Minju were the most eager one and Yoongi didn't even need to ask why.

"I think I'll pass. I can't stand watching either the two of them-," he said, pointing at Seokjin and Minju, "or them," this time pointing towards Hoseok and Taehyung.

"Come on, Yoongi, don't be such a party pooper," said Hoseok.

"After all, Yujin would be disappointed," this time Namjoon added in. Yoongi elbowed him in return. Hard.

In the end they all huddled together in front of the cinema, choosing a movie to pick. Even making up their mind together proved to be troublesome Yoongi couldn't stop but rolling his eyes.

"You’re really not going to watch the movie with us?" this time it was Yujin herself that asked, her eyes looking nice and every bit of soft and shy.

Namjoon cooed in before adding a, "Don't tell me you're planning on catching the train and going home yourself." Okay, actually a part of him had proposed such idea and Namjoon just saw right through that.

“Tell you what, you all just go watch the movie and I'll hang around," he said, sighing.

“You seriously love your wallet more than us?” mocked Hoseok.

“More than you, that much is certain,” Yoongi answered, smirking.

He watched as his other friends entered the cinema after purchasing the ticket. Yujin gave him a look he couldn’t figure out the meaning of before grabbing Suji by the waist and went inside. He thought about bailing on them for real when Jimin just stood there in front of him with face grinning.

“And you?”

“I’m here to make sure you won’t bail on us, hyung,” he said, almost too proudly. He got his hand on both his hips, looking smug and ridiculously excited.

They ended up going to the nearest fast food restaurant because Yoongi indeed loved his wallet more than his friends. He had purposely chosen the window-seat at the second floor just so he could see the sun setting. It was nearing 6 and usually he would be spending it on his way home or the court, practicing. Resting his chin against his palm, he let his eyes darted outside, seeing the scarlet seeped into the sky in between buildings and shops.

Jimin was sitting in front of him, hands crossed on top of the table, that ridiculous grin still painting his face.

Yoongi snorted, decided to make some small talk. “What do you think about Minju and her friends?” he asked, changing the topic. Talking about the sky would only bring out the melancholy in him. “Aren’t they beautiful?”

Jimin shrugged.

“Of course they are. What? You want to date them, hyung?” he said, teasing.

Yoongi smirked. “Who doesn’t want to?”

Minju was deemed as the prettiest girl in school. Suji, who was one year younger than all of them would easily replace the title as soon as they graduated. Sometimes he found it to be silly to see who would hook up with who, but in term of placing bets together with Namjoon, rumors sure turned out to be something a bit fun.

Jimin gave him a weird expression before answering, a mixed of disappointment and guilt and something more that he couldn’t make out. He answered timidly, the smile wiped out from his face.

“Me?”

“Yah Park Jimin, there’s something seriously wrong with you then,” Yoongi said jokingly.

Jimin just gave him a shy smile in return. There was a hint of sadness in his eyes but Yoongi quickly disregarded that as the boy himself avoided his eyes and turned his attention this time towards the window.

(Later did Yoongi realize that he should have known all along)

+.-.+

“Nobody screams as loud as you do, Hoseok,” said Namjoon with face looking unamused. “I’m practically embarrassed to be sitting next to you in the cinema.”

“Hey, don’t insult my hobi. Poor hobi is scared,” Taehyung said, caressing Hoseok’s hair in manner that hurt Yoongi’s eyes.

The train ride back home was as embarrassing and loud as it could be and Yoongi regretted for not bailing on his friends when he got the chance to. Travelling with them meant certain things. Dignity was something long forgotten when Hoseok and Taehyung were added to the equation.

“For your information, what kind of a family movie got a bloody woman with a missing head, trying to look for her lost children?!”

“It’s exactly that kind of a family movie. Don’t you get it, hyung? The poor ghost was still searching for her children. A mother’s love for her children. See? Family movie,” said Jungkook.

“You’re definitely framing me to watch that. You know how scared I am for those kinds of movies.”

“And that’s exactly why we watch it,” chimed Seokjin.

The eldest hyung was probably enjoying every minute that he got from it since he would have some close proximity moment to spend with Minju.

“Hey, hey, have some mercy on Hoseok,” Minju said. “Next time we’ll watch something else.” She took a look at Yoongi before adding in. “And next time you have to come too, Yoongi.”

He rolled his eyes and snorted.

“Only if the movie’s so scary Hoseok’s going to piss his pants.”

+.-.+

Their third match would come in another week on Tuesday and they’d been preparing themselves for it. If they managed to  pass that one they would go on to the semifinal. Rumor said that at this one they would be fighting against a team who wasn’t going to be as easy as the two they’d defeated already. They even practiced on Sunday in their gym, their teacher finally allowed them to use the gym most of the time. Namjoon had pretty much hold the key to their gym and he even did a stupid thing as hid it in this certain pot in front of the building like he had shown Yoongi yesterday. Even if they didn’t end up there, they would practice at the outdoor basketball court of their small town, somewhere near Namjoon’s house. 

Sometimes Yoongi didn’t even know whether they met each other this constant for practicing, or simply a game of basketball had been a habit of theirs almost each time they were together.

With practice dawning on them every single day, Yoongi asked for a day off in Wednesday, thinking that he needed some time to be alone as well. He did that as a habit, spending days where he was completely alone in his room, away from Taehyung’s stupidity and or Namjoon’s philosophical . Sometimes he needed a rest from society and found himself doing nothing on top of his bed, rolling around aimlessly. On another more productive day, he would make some beat and record whatever he could from the equipment that he got in his room, having to stop pre-recording and redo the whole thing when his mother accidentally called from downstairs for lunch or when the others stopped in front of his house and called him out to play.

This Wednesday should be all about relaxing for a bit. The others had their own plan, Yoongi didn’t bother to ask what. He thought about going home as fast as he could when somehow he got held by their teacher instead, being asked to do some chores and brought some boxes to the teacher’s lounge like he did once before. Muttering under his breath he did so as quickly as he could.

It was when he jogged slowly towards his own bike, did he see Park Jimin, lounging at the school gate as if waiting for something. His face lighted up as he saw Yoongi walking towards the exit.

“Hey hyung,” he said, face beaming with excitement.

“What are you doing here?” he asked, almost too blatantly.

Jimin raised an eyebrow. “Waiting for you.”

Yoongi got on his bike and sighed. It indeed had turned into a nondisclosure agreement.

“I thought we only do that during practice,” he answered back, sounding so cold.

“What?”

“Going home together.”

Jimin made a small ‘oh’, the excitement that he harbored being wiped out as easily as that to Yoongi’s words in an instant. Yoongi looked at Jimin and noticed how sad the boy looked, his mouth forming a small pout. He got his eyes on the ground again already.

Yoongi chuckled. “All right, I’m messing with you. Stop looking so pathetic,” he said with a smirk.

It humored him to see how easy it took for Jimin to look so excited yet again. The grin that Yoongi had known all too well now was smacked once again across the boy’s face.

The boy got on his back, the weight felt all too familiar to Yoongi at this point. Even during the ride, he had gone accustomed to the fingers gripping his shoulder. Jimin had fallen into his own rhythm, without him realizing. And here they were spending each day together on the road.

“Why do you wait for me today?” he asked absentmindedly.

“I don’t know. I’ve always gone home with you, hyung,” Jimin answered, sounding as sincere as he was to Yoongi’s ear.

The elder simply nodded. Funny. At this point he tried to remember since when did this become a habit.

“Besides, how could I pass a free ride home when there’s one lying around?” Jimin said, giggling.

Yoongi felt a smirk building on his face.

“You brat.”