“Stop hiding and just go back to the register!” Taehyung hisses into his ear. “You look absolutely ridiculous.”

Jimin has to agree because he feels just that squatting behind the coffee counter.

“Is he still looking over here?” he whispers back to Taehyung.

Taehyung straightens up and shakes his head. “He’s not.”

He cautiously peeks out from behind the tall counter to make sure the blonde boy with his leather jacket wasn’t there anymore. He lets out a sigh of relief and takes his place behind the register, acting as if nothing had happened.

The look Jin levels at him tells him the older man had seen everything.

He shoots a sheepish smile at Jin before smiling at the group of teenage girls in front of him. They titter and giggle before they tell him their coffee orders.

He distractedly passes Taehyung the cups as he slips another glance towards the back of the coffee shop where the attractive blonde man had sat down.

Jin comes up to him as soon as the group of girls get their drinks and the coffee shop becomes relatively idle again. “If you look at him anymore, everyone in the vicinity will know about your crush.”

“Not that it wasn’t obvious in the first place.” Taehyung supplies unhelpfully.

“He’ll hear you.” He groans softly at his friends. “Just look at him though, he’s Min Yoongi and I’m the barista who can’t even get his coffee order right.”

He recalls the first time he saw Yoongi when he was a freshman, he had been so surprised to see one of the most talked about boy in their university come through the coffee shop doors, he had barely been able to stutter out a word. Without looking at a mirror, he knew his cheeks were probably bright red. Yoongi had pierced him with an intense stare and spit out his coffee order and left as soon as he’d gotten his coffee.

It was safe to say it wasn’t one of his best moments in life.

The next few dozen times weren’t any better.

As a sophomore now, he’s still no better.

“Why don’t you go say hi when you refill his coffee?” Jin suggests.

“Isn’t that Hoseok from your dance club?” Taehyung blurts out, lifting his chin towards slightly towards the door.

The three of them watch as Hoseok practically skips straight towards Yoongi. A look of mock annoyance adorns Yoongi’s face before it softens into something akin to adoration.

Something feels as if it’s lodged in his throat as Yoongi’s usual impassivity turn into a gummy smile at something Hoseok said.

Jin nudges him from across the counter. “As your boss, I order you to ask if Hoseok wants coffee.”

“Is there a way I can say hi without it yelling ‘Hello, I'm Park Jimin, and I'm hopelessly in love with you’?” He asks his friends jokingly.

Taehyung rolls his eyes and gives him a gentle shove in Yoongi’s general direction.

That’s the only nudge he needs before he practically flies over to their table.

“Jiminie!” Hoseok shrieks when he notices him first. “I never knew you worked here!”

“Hobi!” He accepts the hug the other boy pulls him into. “I can’t just rely on my parents to give me money, so I thought I should work to lessen their burden, just a little.”

Hoseok pinches his cheeks. “Always such an angel.”

“Hobi,” he whines, trying to get away from the pinching.

Hoseok laughs and pulls him towards Yoongi watching them carefully.

“Yoons,” Hoseok pulls Jimin even closer. “This is Jimin, the dancing prodigy I was telling you about.”

“That’s not true.” Hoseok’s indirect praise makes him shy, paired with the intense stare Yoongi has on him. “I’m not as good as you.”

Hoseok ruffles his hair and gestures towards Yoongi. “This is grump is Yoongi, he’s a fourth year.”

He knows all of that already, after all, who didn’t know about Min Yoongi.

“It’s nice to meet you, I’m Park Jimin.” He offers Yoongi a bright smile.

Yoongi grunts and nods in his direction before turning back towards Hoseok. “Hurry and get your drink ‘Seok-ah, I have class in 15 minutes.”

He deflates a little at Yoongi’s response to him. He chalks it up to the awkwardness of the first time they’ve been officially talked to each other.

“Alright, alright.” Hoseok grins at Yoongi before turning back towards him. “Jiminie, can I have a caramel frap?”

“Of course, hyung.” He gives both of them a smile.

As he’s walking back, he catches snippets of Hoseok and Yoongi’s conversation.

“I don’t understand why you drink that sweet .” Yoongi’s distinct lower voice grumbles.

“Not everyone likes to drink coffee as bitter as your soul.” Hoseok snips back with a laughter in his tone.

He hurries back towards Taehyung and Jin who’ve probably watched the awkward moment attentively.

Taehyung outright laughs at him while Jin gives him a small pat on the back.

He rubs a hand over his face, at least he tried.  

The next time he meets Yoongi, he literally crashes into him.

He’s standing in front of their dance studio with a cup of coffee in his hands.

“I’m so sorry.” He quickly apologizes with a bow. “I wasn’t watching where I was going. I hope I didn’t spill your coffee.”

“It’s fine.” Yoongi’s voice is low and gravelly. It has him wondering what it would sound like saying his name. “I drank some earlier so it didn’t spill.”

“Are you waiting for Hoseok?” he asks, wanting to lessen the awkwardness between them.

Yoongi nods. “He said the dance competition was coming up soon, so he wanted me to bring him the fixed version as soon as I could.”

“You were the one who composed the music we’re dancing to?” He gasps and Yoongi gives him another small nod. “That’s amazing. I love it so much. I always wanted to know who made the music but I keep forgetting to ask Hoseok about it.”

He continues to ramble and he’s so exhilarated by Yoongi that he barely remembers what he’s said.

A small snort comes from Yoongi before he cuts off his continuous blabbing. “Is Hoseok in?”

“Hoseok doesn’t come in until 15 minutes after because he has class right before this and the others don’t come in until an hour later.” He gestures towards Yoongi. “Why don’t you wait inside?”

Yoongi nods and follows him inside the mirrored practice room.

“Thanks.” The blonde boy in front of him frowns, eyebrows pinched. “Jimin.”

He ignores the question mark Yoongi tacks on behind his name because having Yoongi say his name was even better than he expected.

“Take a seat wherever you want.” He smiles to Yoongi. “I hope you don’t mind if I begin practicing, I need as much practice as I can get before the competition.”

The other boy nods and settles down on the side of the room.   

As soon as the music begins, he tries to forget about Yoongi, tries to forget that the boy he’s been half in love with since freshman year will be watching him and lets his body follow the beat of the music.

As the music stops, he drops his hand and takes mental notes of the places where he has to fix. The gasp he lets out when his eyes meet Yoongi’s in the mirror slips out before he can stop it.

Were Yoongi’s eyes always this piercing?

His stare was so intense, Jimin fights the urge to squirm in his spot.

“You’re a contemporary dancer?” Yoongi asks after a while.  

He clears his throat. “Yeah, I like hip hop too but contemporary is more of my style.”

“Cool.” Yoongi nods and they lapse into silence once again.

He goes back to practicing, this time he focuses more on his steps instead of Yoongi’s stare.

He pushes everything out of his mind but his steps and the music flowing from the speakers.

Yoongi doesn’t notice when the doors open, so when Hoseok pulls the drink out of his hand he’s more than surprised he didn’t notice him come in.

“Ugh.” Hoseok hands him back his coffee. “It’s so bitter.”

“You woke me up at 8 in the morning, I need it.” He grumbles as he pulls out a usb from his pocket. “I fixed the song.”

“You’re the best, Yoon-Yoon!” Hoseok leaps towards it with a smile and pulls him into a hug.

Anyone else, he would have thrown them off of him without a second glance but it was Hoseok, so he lets him just for a while before he shoves him off.

He turns back towards Jimin only because it’s hard to look away from the flash of pink hair. He catches Jimin eye in the mirror once again. There’s something unreadable in his gaze as he stares at the two of them. The younger boy blinks before he turns towards them.

“Hobi!” Jimin skips towards them. “You’re here! Can you help me with my spin, it feels a little off.”

“Of course!” Hoseok jumps up

Jimin’s gaze flickers towards the cup in Hoseok’s hand then back to him.

He doesn’t know when the irritation crept up on his face but the uncomfortable expression on Jimin’s face tells him he can see it as clear as day.

“Uh, it’s fine, Hoseok.” Jimin quickly waves his hands with a smile on his face. “I’ll figure it out on my own. Why don’t you talk to Yoongi for a little longer since he came over to meet you. I’ll just practice a little longer on my own first.”

“That’s nonsense.” Hoseok puts down the coffee before he shrugs off his jacket. “I need to start warming up before the others come in.”

Jimin gives him an apologetic look. “I really didn’t mean to intrude.”

He just shrugs. “It’s fine.”

Somewhat.

“Can you pick me up after this?” Hoseok turns towards him. “It’s going to be a short practice today because the freshmen have some orientation thing to get to.”

“Sure.” He shrugs. It’s not like he has anything better to do. “2 hours good?”

“Yeah,” Hoseok says. “Bring me back coffee afterwards?”

He shuffles out the door to Hoseok and Jimin discussing the new choreo.

He comes back exactly 2 hours later, not because he’s whipped as Namjoon says but because he’s a person who values punctuality.

Hoseok is laying on the floor when he walks in, with the sweet he always drink, in his hand.

He slides down against the wall beside Hoseok. Jimin is the only one still in the room practicing so he watches him since he feels like a creep watching Hoseok panting.

“He’s good isn’t he?” Hoseok asks with a small smirk on his face when he turns away from Jimin.

“You’re better,” he says gruffly.

His eyes connect with Jimin’s and he knows the younger boy heard him.

A flash of hurt crosses the boy’s face and when he blinks, it’s gone.

He feels a flicker of guilt in his chest, but he ignores it and turns his attention back towards his friend.

“Anyways, move your . I need to head back to the studio.” He prods at Hoseok still laying on the floor.

“I’m just going to get changed first.” Hoseok rolls towards his bag and before loudly complaining about his sweaty shirt and how tired he is.

He rolls his eyes at Hoseok’s antics but nevertheless helps him stand up and pushes him towards the changing room.

He wishes that Hoseok would hurry his up because it’s so damn awkward now that it’s just the two of them.

“It was nice to meet you, Yoongi.” Jimin says quietly, slipping out of the room when he doesn’t say anything in return.

“What did you do to my poor Jiminnie?” Hoseok asks once he returns to the studio. “He looked like a kicked puppy when I saw him.”

He huffs in return. “I didn’t say anything to him.”

Hoseok picks up the coffee he’d bought him and heads towards the door. “The poor boy adores you, y’know?”

He splutters. “What?”

“Yeah,” Hoseok shrugs, it’s purposefully careless. “He’s asked about you before, you should have seen his face when I mentioned your name, it lit up like a lantern. He spent practically the rest of the practice gushing about you. Be nice to the poor boy, at least be polite to him.”

“I am polite.” He latches onto the only thing he has an automatic response for.

“You practically ignored him when he introduced himself in the coffee shop.” Hoseok scoffs. “Just be nicer to him next time, since he’s friends with Namjoon too, it will be awkward for the rest of us if you treat him so coldly whenever you see him.”

“Yeah, fine, whatever.” He waves it away. “Just get your in the car before I freeze my fingers off.”

Hoseok grumbles but gets in.

He spends the rest of the car ride absently listening to Hoseok talk about the competition.

It’s just like Hoseok says, he meets the boy with the pink hair again a week later.

He’s talking to Namjoon animatedly with a bunch of hand gestures and a wide smile on his face.  

He watches the boy that has Hoseok talking about him almost every day. Gone was the shy, self conscious way he held himself when he was near.

Under observation, the younger was a  good looking guy, strong jaw, sparkling eyes and a nice body. He would have liked him if Hoseok hadn’t spent half his time talking about him.  

It doesn’t escape his attention that Jimin was probably an even kinder version of Hoseok. He thought that wasn’t even possible but the boy in front of him said differently. He wasn’t as loud or as hyper, which he saw as a good thing.

Namjoon ruffles the boy’s hair affectionately and the grin on the younger boy widens even more.

“That’s fine, Jimin-ah.” He hears Namjoon say as soon as he moves closer towards the pair. “It’s not much more work.”

“Thank you so much, Joonie.” Then a mischievous smirk plays across Jimin’s face. “You should come to the cafe more often, Jin has been wondering why you don’t come over anymore.”

“I-I…” Namjoon goes bright red. “Tell him I’ll come over soon.”

Jimin’s eyes almost disappears when he smiles. “I’m sure he’ll be really happy to see you.”

He’s never seen that smile when he was around.

He clears his throat and the other two turn towards him.

“Hey Yoongs.” Namjoon greets him with a pat on the back. “Working extra because you spent too much time with Hoseok’s song?”

He grunts a nonreply.

“Hello Yoongi,” Jimin says with a shy smile. “I didn’t know you and Namjoon knew each other.”

Hoseok’s annoyingly loud voice reminds him to be nice so he tries. “Yeah, Joon and I’ve been friends for give or take 2 years.”

The beaming smile Jimin gives him is the brightest he’s seen when he gives him a proper response.

Namjoon chuckles. “I tripped over a wire and broke his glasses when we first met.”

“I can imagine that happening.” Jimin’s giggle is light and happy. “That seems to be a recurring theme with you.”

Namjoon shakes his head, trying to defend himself. “That’s not true.”

“Yes it is!” Jimin turns towards him, Namjoon still trying to deny it in the background. “Namjoon broke my pen when I lent it to him in class and when he first met Jin, he broke 2 cups  just because he was staring at him.”

He can’t help but laugh at his friend, the walking disaster. “Joon, the day you stop breaking things will be the day I start going to the gym, voluntarily.

Jimin giggles again and he feels a small smile creep on his face.

“Do you want some coffee?” Jimin offer him the cup of coffee in his hands. “I usually bring extra when I bring Namjoon some.”

He frowns. “Why?”

“Why?” Jimin repeats the question hesitantly. “Why I’m offering you coffee?”

“No.” He takes a seat in his usual chair. “I mean why do you have extra coffee?”

“Oh.” Jimin runs a hand through his pink cotton candy hair. “It’s because Namjoon always tells me about this perpetually tired friend he has in the studio who needs coffee as much as he does so I thought it’d be a good idea to bring some.”

“He’s the friend I’m talking about Jimin.” Namjoon says with a laugh.

“Oh.” Jimin lifts the cup in his direction again. “It’s your usual order then, minus the 4 shots of espresso.”

“Thanks, Jimin.” He gives him a brief smile and turns towards his computer.

He lets Jimin and Namjoon’s voice fade to the background as he focuses on the computer in front of him.

A tap on his shoulder forces him out of his work induced daze.

“I’m going now, thank you for letting me stay here and good luck with work.” Jimin waves at him, sweater paws and all.

“I should be the one thanking you for the coffee.” He returns graciously, well as graciously as he can.

“It wasn’t a big deal.” Jimin stops right before he doorway. “I’ll get you some coffee next time when I bring Namjoon some.”

With another smile, he’s gone, closing the door softly behind him.

“Nice kid, isn’t he?” Namjoon says softly.

“Yeah, he is.”

“A bit too kind.” Namjoon spins in his chair to face him. “He’s too sweet to everyone, I’m afraid someone is going to take advantage of him one day.”

“Then just make sure no one does.” He answers simply.

Namjoon rolls his eyes before turning back to his own computer. “You know as well as I do, that it isn’t possible. Just like you can’t watch Hoseok 24/7.”

“Shut up.” He waves a hand at Namjoon’s general direction. “Go back to work.”