Yoongi’s apartment was small and neat. The room was nearly vacant, with every belonging pushed to the perimeter. Every surface was clear, and yet every light bulb had a thin sheet of dust coating it.

“Just drop your here and we’ll head upstairs.”

Jimin didn’t see any stairs. “Upstairs?”

Yoongi grabbed a keyring out of his bag. “Yeah, we’ve got a studio space on the floor above. It was an empty room for years and the landlord just said we could have it. I’m never here, really. Usually just there.”

He couldn’t imagine what he’d do with his own studio space. A new studio, a new floor or barre to dance on—Jimin imagined it was the same as when an artist had a blank sheet of paper in front of them. Not a canvas; that was the stage for Jimin. A studio was comfortable; it was just…sketches. And if Yoongi had a studio, Jimin wanted to get up on the second floor as soon as possible.

The man led him into the hall and up a narrow set of stairs, to an ominous iron door Jimin never would have entered alone. Muffled music was coming from the inside, just a beat seeping out from under the metal. Yoongi unlocked it, opened the door, and Jimin was greeted with bright lights. There was a lanky man in the room, who Jimin recognized as Jung Hoseok, and he didn’t pay Jimin or Yoongi any mind. He flowed with the obscure beat, something Jimin never thought people could dance to, making it his own. It was the first time he’d seen the dancer in action, and he wondered for a moment how someone could move like that. Hoseok danced like a machine, in a way that far surpassed any hype Jimin had ever heard about him.

Then Jung Hoseok started screaming, a high-pitched noise that seemed to run through his body and stop his dancing entirely. Jimin thought the man was hurt, but the unamused expression on Yoongi’s face said otherwise. “Ahhhh! Welcome, welcome! Look who it is, it’s Min Suga! And is this a friend? I didn’t know you had friends, how exciting! Wow! Come in, come in!”

It was unexpected. Hoseok had obviously been dancing for an hour or so; his breathing was heavy and hair matted with sweat, yet his energy levels were insane. Jimin’s opinion of Jung Hoseok changed in an instant as he began to see him as simply an enthusiastic, affectionate person. Yoongi, however, looked less than enthused. “Geez, Hoseok, let him breathe. This is Park Jimin, he’s a dancer at your school, and we might potentially do the showcase thing because your crusty can’t dance ballet.”

Hoseok’s eyes widened. “Ballet? Wow wow, I couldn’t do that in a million years!” He took a sip of water and wiped the sweat from his brow. “Well I won’t disturb you any longer! Have fun and don’t let Yoongi’s mean face scare you away! Bye-bye!” And then he was gone with the loud slam of a door.

“He’s very energetic,” Jimin mostly said it to himself. “Also, ‘Min Suga’?”

Yoongi sighed and cradled his head in his hands. “It was from when we were like five, okay? And he’s not just ‘energetic’, he’s a ing glow stick. You shake him up a bit and then he never stops. And he’s probably radioactive.”

Jimin laughed and looked around the room. It was essentially a low-budget version of the university’s studio: worn wood flooring, a water tank in the corner, and a keyboard against the wall. There were just more cracks in the mirrors and more creaking in the floorboards.

“Play something for me while I stretch.” Jimin pulled off his shoes and jacket, then made for his water bottle.

Yoongi grinned and Jimin pretended not to notice. “So demanding,” He sat down at the keyboard anyway, “At least you’re giving me this lovely ,” It made Jimin choke on his water. “Debussy’s ‘Rêverie’. Is that good?”

It was more than good. He began stretching, sprawled out on the studio floor until Yoongi started playing. Within the first few measures, Jimin was sold. For someone whose exterior was so thick, so tough to crack, the emotion in his song was astounding. It was like he saved any passion just for when he was playing. There were parts of the piece where Jimin felt like crying. The man was a musical genius. It was beautiful—the sound of it, the way it rang in the room, and even Yoongi was beautiful. He sat relaxed, like there were no problems in the world. He didn’t have any sheets in front of him, and would close his eyes every few seconds as if falling asleep. His long fingers, the ones usually curled around a cigarette, lightly brushed the keys with such purpose that Jimin forgot about stretching and just watched Yoongi’s hands instead. About three-quarters of the way through, Jimin resumed his stretching just so Yoongi wouldn’t know he’d been staring. His eyes still followed the hands as they pressed every key. The last note vibrated off the walls and straight to Jimin’s ears. “Alright, now you have to dance.” Jimin wanted to hurt him for writing off such a performance like it was nothing.

“That was amazing. I mean it.” Jimin didn’t know how to express it deeper than that.

“Yeah, yeah, quit stalling.”

Jimin pouted as if that would sway Yoongi. “You’re not accompanying me?” He just wanted to hear the man play piano again.

“ no,” Yoongi scoffed, “I can’t play and watch you dance at the same time.”

Jimin connected his phone to the speaker Hoseok had been using. He chose Saint-Saëns’ “Aquarium”. When the music began, he gave himself some time to adjust and then just started dancing. It was a mysterious piece, something Jimin tried to express in his motions. He looked in the mirror and imagined, just like hundreds of times before, that there was a crowd in front of him. And then Jimin remembered Yoongi was actually in the room, and it was the first time anyone had just sat and watched Jimin dance because they wanted to. He became nervous, perhaps because he was dancing for Yoongi and not some stranger. Jimin still managed to keep his lines steady throughout, ending softly yet strongly. The final beat barely finished before Jimin straightened up and asked, “So what did you think?”

His audience bit his lip and nodded. “I think you can dance. You can dance. And I think I’m lucky.”

He said he’d stay over at Taehyung and Jungkook’s for the night, but it was hard when he’d forgotten his phone at home. Jimin finished at the dance studio very late; he couldn’t imagine that Jin was still there anyway. Either the couple was out on a date or Namjoon had screwed something up and she left. So Jimin decided there was no harm in stopping by to grab his phone; he’d just pop right in and then be gone.

The lights were all on when he opened the door. At first, Jimin didn’t notice anything odd, he was just focused on going straight to his bag, but then he heard it: the soft, unmistakable sound of kissing. And suddenly his midnight mission turned into an opportunity to catch Namjoon with his girlfriend. He peeked his head cautiously around the doorframe, and there was Namjoon, in a lip lock with someone Jimin had never seen before.

It seemed at first like the girl was small, but then Jimin remembered anyone would look small pressed against Namjoon and she was actually very tall for a girl. The Jimin noticed her pale hair was cropped short, close to her scalp. Her style wasn’t feminine; she wore a pink shirt but Jimin would have worn the whole outfit himself. And then it became clear that her jaw was too sharp and her hands were too large and her shoulders too broad. And Jimin realized this wasn’t a girl at all.

He’d intended to leave quietly without disturbing them, but Jimin couldn’t do that anymore. Not when Namjoon was fooling around with a man the same night he met his girlfriend. There was something that started then, something not quite at the level of hatred but past the mark of disappointment. He’d thought Namjoon better than that, more loyal and honest. Jimin cleared his throat very loudly, and saw both Namjoon and the other guy freeze in their tracks. They separated and when Namjoon’s eyes caught Jimin’s, he looked nauseous. “Jimin,” he swallowed visibly and put his hand on the man’s back like it was natural. Jimin wondered how long he’d been doing this, how long he’d been cheating. “Why are you here? You told me you’d—”

“Shut up. I just came back to get my phone. I wasn’t even gonna bother you guys. I’m glad I saw this, though. How long have you been cheating on her?”

“Cheating…” The strange man trailed off. He was a pretty boy, all fine lines and sweet voice and wide eyes and just-kissed lips. The way Namjoon looked at him for a second, the raw adoration, made Jimin’s stomach turn over. “Is this the room-mate?”

Namjoon closed his eyes and took a breath. He looked physically ill, drained of energy in a matter of seconds and sweating a bit from his brow. “Yeah,” he cradled his head with one hand and gripped the other man’s hand with his other. “Go ahead, introduce yourself. Geez, I can’t even be mad. I deserve it.” 

The stranger extended his hand to Jimin and sighed when Jimin didn’t take it. “I’m Kim Seokjin,” he said, “Namjoon and I have been together for six months now. There is no girlfriend.”

It took a few minutes for the news to sink in. This was Jin? Jimin had never considered the possibility that Jin would be male. “I’m…I’m really sorry,” Jimin began apologizing profusely, “I really didn’t know!”

“I know you didn’t,” Jin’s smile was warm. “Now hurry up and shake my hand before I think you’re kicking us out.”

Jimin couldn’t help himself; he laughed. Things turned out a lot better than he’d thought, and it was funny. He shook Jin’s hand and turned to Namjoon. “I’m sorry I came home when you told me not to. I really did forget my phone here. Also, I’m sorry I thought you were cheating.”

This time it was Jin who laughed, and wrapped an arm around Namjoon’s waist. “Of course he’s not cheating.” Namjoon rolled his eyes and looked like he was hiding a grin. “If he were, I’d find out immediately, kick his , and then leave him for someone more attractive and richer.”

Jimin decided he liked Kim Seokjin. He didn’t seem to take nonsense from anyone, and evidently had Namjoon wrapped around his finger. “I’m actually kind of relieved, Jimin.” Namjoon admitted, “It was a huge weight on my shoulders. I was fully prepared for you to banish me from Seoul or something.”

A thought occurred to Jimin then: “Wait a minute, I’m a bit confused. I mean, I’ve always joked about your ‘girlfriend’ and you never corrected me.”

“That’s your fault for assuming. I warned you not to make assumptions. Never once did I use the word ‘girlfriend’; I was very careful. So now you’ve learned, I hope, that assumptions are—Ow.”

He was cut off by a sharp slap to the chest. “Kim Namjoon, let your friend live. It’s not his fault you were too scared to say anything.”

The two argued briefly, in a light, teasing tone, and Jimin spotted his phone on the table. When he glanced back at the couple, they looked so together. Like they didn’t have anything to care about anymore besides each other, like they’d been through everything, like they knew everything about the other person. Jin was someone he’d have to get used to, but he wasn’t against it at all. It made Jimin smile. “Um, excuse me,” he interrupted, “I’ll be leaving now. Sorry again. And Jin, it was so nice to meet you.”

Jin looked genuinely grateful. His grin went all the way to his eyes and when his hand found Namjoon’s it seemed like second nature. “Thank you, Jimin. Namjoon’s lucky to have a friend like you.”

Jimin left for Taehyung and Jungkook’s with a smile on his face and a heaviness in his heart.

---

Jimin had never sat at a piano bench before. It was almost discouraging, seeing all the keys lined up in front of him all in a row. He tried to keep his back straight but his hands folded in his lap without direction.

“Just test it out, bang on some keys or something. You could have a natural talent, who knows,” Yoongi stood behind him, evidently amused by how Jimin fidgeted on the leather bench. “Also, relax. You’re gonna pull a muscle without even playing.” Jimin felt two hands on his shoulders then, pushing them down, but the touch only made Jimin more tense.

Slowly, he brought his fingers to the keys and gave one an experimental tap, then another. When he hit them both at the same time it sounded ugly. He heard Yoongi sigh. “Don’t collapse your fingers. Here,” And suddenly Yoongi was hovering right by his back, his arms on either side of Jimin’s body to reach the keys better. “Invert your wrists a bit this way,” His voice was low and too close to Jimin’s ear. It made his neck warm and shiver at the same time. The man’s fingers found Jimin’s wrists, brushing the pulse, and turned them in slightly. Yoongi dropped one of his hands only to press his palm against Jimin’s back. “And sit taller.” Everything was too hot and Jimin didn’t know what to do, because a part of him wanted to lean back into Yoongi, a part he couldn’t ignore. Yoongi was almost whispering because of the proximity. He didn’t say anything for a while, then, “Are you paying attention?”

He wasn’t. He wasn’t thinking about anything. All he could concentrate on was the thumb on the inside of his wrist and the palm at his back and the breath in his ear. “Sorry, I’m a bit distracted today.”

Yoongi distanced himself from Jimin as quickly as he could, because he knew it was more than distraction. In his peripherals, Jimin saw the man his lips subconsciously. “Well I’m sorry if I was distracting you.” His voice was like sand.

Jimin swallowed and finally felt he could relax his shoulders. He didn’t say anything to Yoongi, just turned his head back to the keyboard and started poking the keys until he got some combination that sounded okay. He smiled to himself. “Does this mean I can give you a crash course in ballet?”

The pianist chuckled a bit. “You don’t want to see me dance. I look like an idiot.”

“How is that different from normal?” It was something to break the air up a bit.

He felt his weight shift to the edge of the bench as Yoongi sat down on the other side and slid over. There was barely enough room for two people; their hips touched in the middle of the bench. Yoongi began playing a beautiful song Jimin had never heard before, and he was captivated just like every other time Yoongi played. “You’re ruthless, Park Jimin.”

In the end, he never said no.

---

He could tell there was something on Namjoon’s mind. Jimin had caught the man staring at the blank wall or the blanker ceiling too many times. Finally, Namjoon let it out: “So you don’t care?”

“Hm?”

“You don’t care? That I’m…That I like guys?”

Oh.

Jimin had thought about it. Not just recently, but his whole life. His parents had avoided the subject, acting like it didn’t exist, but Jimin’s classmates were sure to slip in their two cents. All it took was for Jimin to say, “I do ballet,” and he’d be called ‘gay’ by a good number of boys. So Jimin grew up thinking it was something negative. But sometime in high school, Jimin realized the world would change soon and love wasn’t anything to be ashamed of. “I do care,” he said, “I mean, you’re my friend. I care about your life. But I don’t mind. It was unexpected, but not in a bad way. You seem to really like Jin, so I can’t be against that.”

Namjoon nodded. “That’s good to hear. I didn’t tell you because I live with you. I didn’t want you to think I was into you or something.”

That made Jimin laugh. “I’d never think that if you had a boyfriend.” It felt weird on his tongue, the word ‘boyfriend.’ “Does anyone else know?”

His room-mate was quiet for a moment. “My sister does. I needed to tell someone, you know? It was eating me alive. I trust her not to tell our parents. I have no idea how they’d react. My sister just said she’d only support us if Jin treats me well. She made me text her a photo, called me ‘lucky’, and then decided she wants to meet him. So I think we’re cool.”

They dropped it after that, the whole subject. That didn’t mean it wasn’t on Jimin’s mind. He wondered how Namjoon figured it out, that he liked men. He wondered how Jin figured it out, and how they got together. He wondered if Yoongi liked men as well. It made Jimin almost shy; Namjoon wasn’t straight and it wasn’t a problem, but with Yoongi, Jimin felt everything would change. He fell asleep like that, and the thoughts in his head didn’t leave the next morning or the day after or for a very long time.

Hello! Just wanted to share the music I used in this chapter. I loooove classical music. 

Rêverie – Debussy 

Aquarium – Saint-Saëns

And let's imagine the song Yoongi played that Jimin didn't know was this one:

Armellodie – Gonzales