But still, Jimin held his hand, and it was all okay for just a little while. 

 

"We did it," Jimin breathed, a smile twitching at the corners of his mouth as the words failed to register despite the fact summer break ended tomorrow.

"We made it out of high school alive."

 

Yoongi just nodded. He was, or he could be, free now. Well, that was the mindset the rest of the world shared. 

But there were so many things he couldn't control. Like responsibilities, growing up.

Like losing his best friend.

 

"I guess we did, huh?"

 

The walk to Yoongi's battered truck and Jimin's little car was quiet, the crunch of the premature snow underfoot and the buzzing of the orangey streetlights the only sounds in still, wintry air. Though it was only just autumn, the snow had come like lighting from a blue sky; completely unexpected. Still, that hadn't stopped the two from making the most of it, slipping and sliding all over and sledging down the hill together, mostly falling off and landing in a drift of icy coldness and laughter.   

 

Jimin pulled Yoongi in for a crushing hug, and things felt like they would fall apart just then.

 

But of course, Yoongi was never one to cry. Or at least, he tried his best to be. So he just held on to Jimin, breathing in his smell of cinnamon and tobacco, a smell that reminded him of the summer spent on rooftops and cigarettes hanging between teeth in some battered smoking shelter as they laughed, even though they'd been trapped in there by the rain. 

He hoped that smell didn't come to remind him of being left behind.

 

"Promise me you'll text me?" Jimin whispered, and Yoongi could not only hear but feel how very trembly and broken Jimin's voice sounded. There was a lump in his throat, so he just nodded.

 

Jimin pulled away and wiped his eyes, nodding with a sheepish smile. He was such an idiot, this boy he'd watched grow up, but maybe that was what made him so charming. 

"Love you," Jimin said, in that awkward and offhand way they'd said it a couple of times. Telling a friend you loved them was a little awkward.

"Love you too," Yoongi mumbled, voice barely above a whisper. Jimin patted him on the arm somewhat awkwardly. 

 

"Let's meet up soon, yeah?" Jimin was opening his car door, and Yoongi felt only panic, because he could stop him, should stop him. But that would be so unfair.

So he just nodded a little dumbly.

 

Jimin climbed in, and gave a little wave. The car rumbled to life around him, and he cautiously drove the car along the icy roads.

Yoongi waved back slowly until all that was left were tyre tracks.

 

Park Jimin wouldn't be the same when he came back. If he ever did.

 

Yoongi wasn't a crybaby, refused to even shed a single tear when in excruciating pain, but this was too much. Tears came and rolled down his cheeks, fell and froze onto the tarmac, falling to a crouching position because it was like his whole life had fallen apart, like his only family had left him. 

 

Because everyone talked about how lovers can break your heart, but never mentioned how best friends can do the exact same thing.