If It Ain't Broke
No Fixed WayThere's really no fixed way to tell if someone likes you. From Yoongi's personal experience, it can be quite messy actually. He'd gone all of fourth grade losing pencils, newly bought, borrowed or given to him by his classmates-- all of them somehow gone from his grasp by the end of every school day. He'd only found out that some girl took it, took every single pencil, because she wanted Yoongi to ask to borrow hers. I like you, she says as she clutched a backpack full of pencils. Yoongi was not proud of how he'd yelled himself hoarse, of how tears had trickled down her pudgy cheeks as she stood there in shock-- Yoongi liked to believe his mother raised him better than that.
It got a bit more obvious and less bothersome as he grew older. A note that says I like you in flowery, cutesy handwriting. Yoongi liked receiving the ones with perfume on them. You can tell a lot about the other person by the smell of their cologne. He read every letter, but he never showed at the confession spot they'd ask him to go to. Yoongi wasn't much interested in silent admirers. How did they expect him to build a relationship with them when it was obvious he might never catch up? Its like cheating, to know so much and like another person without ever interacting with them. (Yoongi was very picky. And he was also stubborn as a teenager.)
Yoongi just wants to laze around their sofa, eating chips and watching tv all day.
Instead he's sitting at the lounge at Student Affairs, head buried on his crossed arms, listening to Jimin yap about a dance competition. Or maybe he meant proffessor's congregation? Yoongi doesn't really care.
But Jimin stops, cutting off in the middle of his sentence. He sighs, sounding exasperated, "You're not listening anymore, are you?" Yoongi keeps quiet.
.
There's really no fixed way to tell if someone likes you. Yoongi supposes that he's more sensitive to these sorts of things than most people are-- he pays close attention to people within his bubble, he just acted like he didnt give a .
He does. And Jimin lets out a shuddering breath, adam's apple bobbing as Yoongi pulls away, lower lip caught between teeth. He follows the blush spread to Jimin's collarbones and down below where Jimin's tank top blocks his view.
.
There's really no fixed way to tell if someone likes you. But that wasn't really what was important anyway. What's important was for Yoongi to know of a fixed way to tell if he liked someone.
"You like him."
"No. Jimin likes me."
With a sharp flick of a wooden spoon, Yoongi's hand is off the bowl of chips. "And I guess the reason why you're eating all my dip is 'cause you're not sulking. Not sulking about the guy you don't like, who you think likes his bestfriend which doesn't bother you at all because--"
"I ing like him, can I get some ing dip now." Yoongi spits, anything to stop Seokjin from dangling his all knowing smugness at his emotionally constipated . His hand gets slapped away a second time. "No," Yoongi groans, asking why. "Because you interrupted me, again."
.
There's really no fixed way to tell if someone likes you. But Park Jimin must have liked him a whole lot. It's been nearly four months and a half. (Not that Yoongi kept count.)
They've kissed more times than they'd ed. Fell asleep to the sound of each other's snores. Held hands without concious thought. He'd even chocolate off Jimin's cute for White Day and spent the summer over at Jimin's family home in Busan.
Maybe Yoongi liked Jimin a whole lot more than he thought. Maybe.
.
Yoongi doesn't react well to the thought. He starts breaking his own self-set rules. He comes over Jimin's shared dorm as much as possible, bearing dvds and food as bribe so they'll keep taking him in. He makes sure to coincidentally be near the area where Jimin would plan to hang out with-- my bestfriend! Taehyung!-- his definitely-not platonic soul mate. (Yoongi still cannot believe Jimin had said soulmate to refer to Taehyung, as if he wasn't holding hands with Yoongi on their date.)
Jimin has always been gullible, so he doesn't question Yoongi's sudden clinginess. And while Taehyung gives him weird looks sometimes, he doesn't say anything otherwise. The smug curve of his lips itch at Yoongi most of the time though.
.
There's really no fixed way to tell if someone likes you. But Jimin acting like he's perfectly fine after their quiet break up...well that's a sign that's good as any. Jimin didn't like Yoongi as much as he thought he did.
That night, Jimin had pulled away. What, he asked. Yoongi didn't answer because he knew Jimin heard. So he gets up and leaves.
He wakes up to a text the following morning. We can still be friends, right?.
Yoongi snorts, we could still be friends my . And like the little Jimin was, he showed up to lunch with the same smile and same cheery hyung! He doesn't sit beside Yoongi though.
So that same Tuesday night brought him here. In a party filled with drunken RAs and Undergrads ed up enough to get turnt on a Tuesday.
"Isn't that Jimin?" Namjoon asks. He sloshes around mysterious blue liquid in his solo cup as he points to where Jimin is grinding with some on the dance floor.
Yoongi swipes the drink from Namjoon, it. "Jimin who?"
Namjoon makes a perplexed face when Yoongi throws his keys at his drunk face. "I'm getting laid tonight. Don't bother waiting up."
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There's really no fixed way to tell if someone likes you. But Yoongi should have known why Taehyung's smug smiles got to him.
Granted it wasn't really the best time to realize when he's got Taehyung pounding into him like an absolute animal.
Taehyung's leaving bruises around his neck and he cant remember if he told him not to leave marks but it feels so good. And he wants to hurt. Wants to hurt him just as bad. So he nips at his jaw, bites at his clavicles deeply, draws sweet blood from his neck. It looks like a murder scene but Taehyung keeps going and to Yoongi, it looks like a masterpiece.
.
There's really no fixed way to tell if someone likes you. But the way Taehyung clung to him afterwards has Yoongi rethinking all that he knew about and relationships.
It's pretty ed up to use your bestfriend's ex as your re-bound.
But still, there Taehyung was, come Monday morning, wrapped around Yoongi, another hickey onto his neck as if the other ones he'd left had time to fade away. And there was Jimin, sitting right across from them.
", Yoongi when did you pick up a vampire?" Jackson guffaws.
Yoongi doesn't try to hide his smile. Jimin's laughing but wouldn't meet his eyes.
(If he can't have Jimin, then Jimin can't have Taehyung. Fair's fair, right?)
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