You step out onto the balcony, the wind immediately invading any available space between you and your coat. You see Yoongi leaning against the railing, swirling his sparkling cider thoughtfully as he gazes out over the equally sparkling city.

        You pull your jacket tighter as the frigid wind picks up. Now you know why he always said you would never make it in his home city, you could never live anywhere other than the desert for very long.                 

        “Hey.” You greet as you move to stand beside your contemplative friend. A shiver shudders through your body as another burst of wind slices through your many layers of fleece.

        He doesn’t take his eyes off the city view, but he moves over slightly so you have a spot on the rail and grunts out a barely intelligible “Hey.”

        “You still don’t like parties, huh?” You ask. Though, it isn’t really a question. You know for a fact that Yoongi loathes anything that even resembles social interaction, and Seokjin’s swanky New Year’s party definitely fits the bill.

        Yoongi knows that you know all of this so he just grunts an affirmative.

        You turn your eyes to look out over the city. Having grown up and spent most of your life in an fairly isolated part of the desert in Arizona, it’s hard to imagine that so many people could live in one space. But, as you look out over the New York Skyline from the little balcony, you see the appeal of living in a place like this. The feeling of being so small in comparison to the massive skyscrapers, the feeling of being on top of the world from the 80th floor, the anonymity that comes with being just one among the throng of people crawling over every inch of the city below, and the reassurance of the thousands of lights surrounding you on all sides. You wonder if this is what Yoongi used to feel like all of the time.

        It seems a little lonely.

        You hear the others say something about “two minutes before the ball drops” and you lean over to knock your hips against Yoongi’s, enjoying the burst of warmth the brief contact provides . “So I’m assuming that means you won’t be coming back in for the ball?”

        He doesn’t reply, but his silence, to a practiced eye like yours, says a lot. So does the slight tightening of his grip on the wine glass full of fancy grape juice.

        Yoongi won’t be going back inside for a while.

        You sigh quietly, but say nothing. You sense his dark eyes dart over to look at you before he shifts uncomfortably. “You know...you can go have fun with the others. I-” He pauses like he is searching for words, then he continues. “I just can’t go in there right now.”

        You turn and give him a comforting smile, “I know. And that’s why I’ll be out here. I can’t let my best friend spend New Year’s eve alone.”

        His eyes search your face for a minute before he turns back to the city.

        Inside, the others begin to count down. “Five...”

        You turn back to the city as well, mentally counting along with your friends. “Four...three…”

        You can feel that Yoongi is watching you again. You turn to meet his gaze, “What?” You ask as the others chant 'two'.

        His cheeks, pink from the cold, darken slightly and he doesn’t answer.

        “One! Happy New Year!” They shout inside.

        “Happy New Year, Y/N.” Yoongi whispers before leaning down and gently kissing you on the cheek.

        You stare up at him with wide eyes, but he has already turned back to the city.