Chapter 9: like we're dreaming

It must be true love

No one else can break my heart like you

The next time Yoongi sees Jimin, it’s a Sunday morning and the sun is just starting to peek out behind the clouds, casting a myriad of pastel colours and a soft glow in the sky. Yoongi taps his feet impatiently while leaning against a pillar, glancing at his watch over and over again and frowning when he still does not spot the younger boy. If he’s ten more minutes late, they will not be able to catch the bus.

Just as Yoongi is about to pick up his phone and call Jimin to ask him where he is, he hears a loud and familiar voice calling for him. He spins around and sure enough, he sees Jimin sprinting towards him, cheeks flushed from all the running. He almost collides into Yoongi and the latter catches his arm to steady him, an amused smile flickering on his face. He can never get mad at the boy after all.

“Sorry for being late, I was helping an old lady find her way,” Jimin apologises sheepishly, his hand running through his dark hair while panting profusely. Yoongi takes his arm before taking off towards their bus, earning a shriek from Jimin because he was not expecting that, but then again the bus driver is honking impatiently, signaling for any last passengers to board the bus. Yoongi silently slips his hand into Jimin’s.

They enter the vehicle, a gush of wind greeting them, a cool relief from the rising heat outside. Yoongi chooses two seats at the back of the bus and promptly sits down without releasing his grip on Jimin’s hand. When Jimin looks down at their intertwined hands, he cannot help the heat slowly rising up to his cheeks. “Hyung…” he whines softly while gesturing towards their hands.

“Why? You don’t like it?” Yoongi asks while gazing down at him.

Jimin shakes his head, muttering a soft “I like it” but continuing with “People might look.” Yoongi notices the way his cheeks are turning pinker and pinker each passing second. He lets out a quiet chuckle and reaches over to bop the younger boy on his nose.

“You worry too much,” Yoongi replies and looks out of the window as the bus drives off.

Jimin is so glad to have Yoongi by his side during this four hour long ride to Busan. He has always been going home by himself and sometimes the bus rides can get lonely, with nobody rubbing the back of his hand like Yoongi is doing now.

He lets his mind drift back to Friday night.

(“So what are we now hyung?” Jimin asks innocently as Yoongi holds him in his arms.

“Something that starts with boy and ends with friend?” Yoongi answers matter-of-factly and Jimin can feel the corners of his lips tugging upwards. He’s not sure if it’s the feeling of Yoongi’s jacket wrapped around him or Yoongi’s words that make him feel exceptionally warm in this cold night.)

He can’t help but snigger at the thought of it. “What are you laughing at brat?” Yoongi mumbles into Jimin’s ears and the latter squirms at the feeling of his breath tickling his skin. He shakes his head and chooses to lean against Yoongi’s shoulder, his shoulder blade poking into him but Jimin doesn’t mind, not one bit, because Yoongi feels so warm and gives off a sense of security.

Eventually, Yoongi slips his arm around him and pulls him in closer to himself. Jimin dozes off to the whirring of the bus engine and the rhythmic breathing of his boyfriend.

The sun, having risen over the horizon, shines on them and illuminates Jimin’s soft features as he lets out gentle snores. Yoongi wonders what he has done to deserve this angel beside him and leans down, about to give him a kiss on the forehead, when he realises that they are on a bus and maybe this isn’t such a good idea. He pulls away and brushes away the stray hair that has fallen across Jimin’s eyelids instead.

The bus comes to a complete stop and Yoongi hears the doors opening. He forces open his eyes and watches as the passengers alight one by one. Jimin is still sound asleep, mouth slightly agape. Yoongi smiles and shakes him lightly, causing the younger boy to stir. He stretches his rigid limbs while trying to suppress a yawn.

“Good morning sleepyhead,” Yoongi greets and earns a grin from Jimin. He flicks his forehead playfully and gathers his things before standing up, Jimin following right behind him.

They step out into the warm noon and Jimin’s face lights up immediately as he takes in his surroundings, his hometown Busan. He hasn’t visited in weeks and he feels adrenaline rushing through his veins as he half-walks, half-skips to the subway station.

They alight at Seomyeon station and Yoongi can practically see the sparkle in Jimin’s eyes as he babbles away about his life in Busan. Yoongi tries to listen as intently as he can, but he finds himself getting distracted by the way Jimin changes his expressions as he recounts his experiences and the way he moves his hands around as he speaks.

Jimin loves Busan, he really does.

They finally stop in front of a small bakery and Jimin pushes the door open, the smell of bread and other baked goods wafting in the air. Yoongi looks around the shop and already feels at home with its cozy interior. Varieties of pastries line the shelves and all of them are mouthwatering; Yoongi is so tempted to buy one then and there.

“Ma!” Jimin shouts and a middle-aged woman appears from behind the curtains, her face blossoming into a warm smile as she rushes forward to catch him in her arms. Yoongi would be lying if he says he isn’t slightly envious of Jimin but he quickly suppresses these feelings, burying them deep down in his heart. He watches as mother and son hug each other and spin around in circles, giggles escaping Jimin’s lips and his eyes disappearing behind his smile.

When they finally separate, Jimin steps forward to take Yoongi’s hand and brings him to his mother. “Ma, this is Yoongi. Yoongi, this is my mother,” he introduces them to each other. Mrs. Park sends him a very kind smile and Yoongi reciprocates with the nicest smile he can muster. His boyfriend snickers beside him because Yoongi looks so, so awkward.

“Hello Mrs. Park, I’m Yoongi and I’m Jimin’s…” he glances at Jimin for a confirmation.

As if Jimin can read his mind, he places an arm around his waist and completes Yoongi’s sentence, “Boyfriend. He’s my boyfriend Ma.” Yoongi’s eyes widen to twice their original size. He was expecting Jimin to call him a friend or a classmate in school, or his professor if he wants to be more honest, not his boyfriend - even though he secretly wished he would do that.

How will Jimin’s mother react to this?

“Your boyfriend! He seems like a really nice guy,” Jimin’s mother gushes and her smile never leaves her face, shocking Yoongi. “Please take care of Jimin well, he can be quite a handful sometimes.” Her laughter tinkers in the shop and Yoongi realises how much Jimin resembles his mother when they laugh.

“I-I will,” Yoongi fumbles over his own words, still shocked by Mrs. Park’s reaction.

Does she already know about Jimin’s uality?

She excuses herself to the kitchen, complaining about how she still has batches of doughnuts waiting to be iced. Jimin takes Yoongi to his house upstairs and when he closes the door behind them, Yoongi asks, “Your mum is okay with us?” Jimin nods his head and envelopes Yoongi in a hug.

“You don’t have to worry about my mother, she accepts me for who I am and said as long as I’m happy, she is happy,” Jimin says and rubs his hand up and down the older man’s back. Instead of feeling relief wash over him like warm ocean waves, Yoongi feels this sick tightening in his chest and a growing knot in his stomach. He hides his face in Jimin’s shoulder and tries not to think about how things are so different for him.

If only he can be understood too.

He only manages a weak “I’m glad” before he pushes himself away from Jimin and braves a smile, deciding not to let his selfish insecurities affect them. 

“So, is there anywhere you would like to bring me?”

Jimin has so many places he would die to bring Yoongi, but unfortunately they only have half a day left and it started pouring outside. With an umbrella in one hand and Yoongi’s hand in the other, Jimin strolls down the quiet streets of Bujeon-dong. Occasionally, Yoongi will raise the camera he brought along and snap a few pictures of whatever captures his attention, be it the toddler they met who had the cutest pigtails, the rows of trees along the roads or Jimin manoeuvering around.

They slip into the Bujeon market nearby, the smell of seafood and fresh produce everywhere. Being used to city life, Yoongi chokes a little on the overpowering smell but Jimin looks like he belongs there, even greeting some of the stall vendors with that bright smile and cheerful voice of his. 

Yoongi has never seen this side of Jimin and he finds himself smiling along with the younger boy as he tugs him through the various stalls. He watches as Jimin bargains successfully with the shopkeepers, a triumphant grin spreading on his face every time he gets a good deal. They end up leaving with bags full of meat and vegetables for dinner.

As Jimin goes on and on about how his mother would love the yellowtail he bought and how she would praise him for choosing the freshest vegetables, Yoongi cannot help but think about his own mother and how they have never done things like this before. He feels the same tightening in his chest as he thinks about her poker face and her cold words, so unlike Mrs. Park.

He doesn’t realise that he has tuned out of their conversation and Jimin is staring at him as they walk side by side. He huffs and waves his hand in front of Yoongi's eyes, snapping him out of his trance.

“What’s wrong? You seem really out of it,” Jimin looks at him tenderly, worry apparent in his eyes and this makes Yoongi feel guilty for allowing himself to be distracted by thoughts of his own hometown. They probably don’t care anymore, he thinks bitterly to himself.

“Nothing’s wrong Jiminnie. I’m fine,” Yoongi assures him and swoops down to take one of his bags. Jimin smiles gratefully at that.

“If anything happens, I’ll always be your listening ear hyung,” Jimin says and gives him the sweetest smile he has ever seen. This makes Yoongi forget about everything that was on his mind and they continue their way back home, their loud teasing and breathy laughter echoing down the streets.

They leave Busan after having dinner, with quick promises to be back again and a teary-eyed Jimin hugging his mother so tightly, as if he never wants to let go. Mrs. Park has to pry her son away from herself, yelling about him missing the last bus and not being able to return home before he finally bears to part from this mother. They wave for a last time before turning the corner towards the subway station.

True enough, they almost miss the last bus if it isn't for Yoongi running as fast as his legs can carry him to stop the driver from leaving the bus terminal. They climb onto the bus and drop their weary bodies onto their seats.

As he drifts into sleep, Jimin thinks Busan is still the best place on Earth, and a little better with Yoongi beside him.

When Yoongi looks through his pictures, he finds that out of all the sights and scenery Jimin has shown him, Jimin's smile is still the prettiest.

a/n: i haven't updated in forever and i apologise for that, it was because i had a huge writer's block plus school is really stressful now since my exams are coming up next week and i haven't done any revision. i know that shouldn't be an excuse for this long hiatus, so i'm sorry! (´;︵;`) 

anyway, this chapter is the first chapter in which yoonmin is officially a couple and i was so happy writing it. (๑꒪▿꒪)* idk why but there's just something so intimate about bus scenes that i love and i really enjoyed writing this chapter!! overcoming writer's block is so rewarding. i tried to focus on their personal lives in this chapter too. kind of a foreshadowing i guess? 

i'll probably be going on another hiatus again, maybe until the end of august because i have tons of exams coming up and i'm really bad at juggling my responsibilites. in the meantime i'll still think about this fic and i'll update as soon as i can!

i hope you liked this chapter, sorry for the long wait~ (๑•́ ₃ •̀๑)

as always, i welcome comments with open arms!!