Yoongi was sitting in last period, waiting impatiently for the last bell to chime and give him permission to go home for the weekend. He was trying to manage three more algebra questions so he wouldn't have to do anything at home that weekend, his grades were average and he wasn't really the studying type. Yoongi sat back on two legs of his uncomfortable and generic, orange chair, plastic digging into his back relentlessly. 'Five more minutes.' he thought to himself. 'That's only one minute, five times.' The back of his pencil tapped impatiently on the looseleaf pile in his binder as he stared out of the window beside him in the back of the class. He saw Jimin standing below the second story window, already waiting for the bus. Jimin noticed Yoongi in the window and waved his entire arm, a smile spread noticabley on his face.
Jimin was without a doubt, Yoongi's second half. He didn't do anything without Jimin and vice versa. Within their circle others knew that if Yoongi was going to be there, Jimin was going to be there too. They were like a package deal, you don't get one without the other. Their friendship stemmed from early in their youth. Jimin was three years younger than Yoongi, putting him in the tenth grade and Yoongi in the twelvth. They met in elementary school, Yoongi was the type to play alone, catching jacks or throwing sand out of the sandbox pointlessly, carrying around his mothers mini casette player on his hip during every recess period. Jimin was the type to please everyone and make them happy, or at least try. He was a social butterfly. Those two children that were polar opposites came together the day Jimin stumbled into the sand box, accidentally tugging the headset from Yoongi's ears and snapping the plastic coated wire.

Yoongi looked up, completely enraged and ready to hit the kid that fell on him until he noticed it was the social butterfly from the first grade that he recognized as Park Jimin. Yoongi looked around, young, naive and trying to understand the situation as it unfolded. A handful of fourth graders stood above the sand box, the biggest one bickering and reaching for the collar of Jimin's shirt. Yoongi stood up abruptly and shoved one of the fourth graders back, casuing the older to trip on the wooden barrier of the sandbox and fall onto his back in the grass.
"Go away, leave him alone!" Yoongi yelled as loud as his small voice would let him in the school yard.
The oldest scrambled back to his feet and towards Yoongi and Yoongi was sure he was dead, Jimin quickly pushed himself behind Yoongi in the grainy sand and covered his head with his arms for protection. Just as the oldest child yelled and lunged at Yoongi, a school supervisor pulled at the back of his shirt.
"Yoongi and Jimin, you stay on your side of the school, the rest of you go back to your side. We separate the older kids from the younger ones for a reason." The adult spoke matter-of -factly as if this bunch of five to nine year olds would understand what she was even talking about. "If I catch you two fighting again, you'll be thrown in detention."
The older kids scoffed at her and left Yoongi and Jimin alone, making their way back to the other side of the elementary school.
"Get out of my sandbox and get off of my headphones." Yoongi said rudely to Jimin who was curled in on himself. "What's wrong with you." Yoongi said, unphased. He squinted and crouched next to the smaller boy, pulling at his arms. "Are you crying?" Yoongi asked completely stunned. He had never seen anybody else cry before. Yoongi did what his mother would do if he was crying and he wrapped his tiny arms around the other.
Jimin looked up from his arms at Yoongi who was weakly wrapped around him and smiled an innocent smile. "My name is Jimin. Thank you for stopping those bullies. I'm sorry I wrecked your sand castle and broke your headphones."
"I'm Yoongi." Yoongi had answered.
Every day after that, Jimin would meet Yoongi in the sandbox and play jacks and take turns listening to Yoongi's mothers tapes. Locking hands whenever they walked, like the other children did. They were inseperable.

Yoongi smiled to himself and leaned back out of the window, sighing just as the bell rang. He slammed his binder closed and zipped it up running out of the room, not even bothering to put it in his bag as he jogged down the hallway and met Jimin outside. He stopped next to Jimin, shoulder to shoulder without a second thought almost like a magnet to a fridge except Jimin was the fridge and Yoongi was the magnet.
"How was math?" Jimin asked, he was dressed in a loose long sleeved shirt that was longer than his arms, a pair of tight ripped jeans, black boots and a beanie.
"Boring." Yoongi replied, in the fresh air and sighing, fixing his backpack higher on his grey sweater. "How was history?"
"I ditched."
"Again? How are you even passing that class?" Yoongi laughed.
"I'm not. Don't tell my mom." Jimin laughed, flicking the hair out of his eyes. "Do you want to walk home today?" Jimin asked. "It's nice out."
"Sure." Yoongi agreed.
Jimin took his phone out of his back pocket and dailed in a number. "Hey mom, I'm going over Yoongi's, I won't be home until later." A few more words were exchanged and then Jimin hung up, stuffing his phone back in his pocket.
"You didn't even ask if you could come over." Yoongi looked at him, pretending to be annoying.
"Can I come over?"
Yoongi nudged him with his shoulder and rolled his eyes. Jimin smiled a toothy smile and reached for Yoongi's hand. They locked their pinkies together instinctively, so used to it after all these years as they headed into the trees.
The leaves on the trees were falling this time of year and there was a comfortable chill in the air even as the sun shone on them. The trees were a vibrant mixture of orange, yellow and red leaves while brown decaying ones littered the ground and mixed in with fallen twigs and branches. They walked, talking about their few hours spent apart, leaves crunching and twigs snapping under their heavy boots. Jimin was always a step or two ahead of Yoongi as Yoongi enjoyed the sound of the wind and the fresh air. He closed his eyes and looked up, letting the sun shine on his cold cheeks, he untrusted Jimin to lead the way with their fingers twisted between them like habit. This turned out to be a mistake because only seconds later Yoongi's foot got hooked under a heavy branch and he tripped, falling into Jimin's backpack, opening his eyes fast. Jimin reached behind himself and held onto Yoongi to steady him against his back so he wouldn't keep falling forward.
"Good one." Jimin laughed loudly after Yoongi steadied himself again and began walking beside Jimin in unison, their pinkies routinely together again in the seclusion of bright trees.
Yoongi looked so crossed which made Jimin laugh even louder, unable to hold it in he laughed from deep in his chest and he doubled over on himself. Yoongi looked at Jimin and shook his hand free, crossing his arms in front of his chest, walking nearly five feet ahead now.
"Are you mad at me?" Jimin yelled playfully. "Yoongi." He whined, stretching out the syllables and jogging after him.
Yoongi looked back and saw Jimin running and he naturally sped up, running further away as they both laughed hysterically. Yoongi tripped again, this time falling completely onto his back side, Jimin sped up to him nearly scream laughing by the time he got to Yoongi. He held out a hand to help him up, his smile stretched ear to ear.
Yoongi took the others hand easily, looking Jimin in the eyes and grinning with his eyebrow raised.
"No, no, no!" Jimin yelled, sensing what Yoongi was thinking. He used all his weight trying to free his hand as Yoongi pulled him down to the ground beside him in a pile of leaves.
Jimin rolled over fast and pinned Yoongi to the ground with his legs thrown over his waist and his hands pressing Yoongi's own back down into the leaves, leaning in close to his face.
"." Jimin whispered.
Yoongi flushed red and tried to toss Jimin off of himself angrily but Jimin held on. Their breathing heavy from running, small bits of crunchy brown leaves still stuck in their hair.
"Yoongi?" Jimin asked, still holding one of his hands as he used his free one to brush the leaves from Yoongi's hair.
"Yeah?" Yoongi answered, their breathing nearly even now.
"Can I kiss you?" Jimin asked, his heart pounding relentlessy against his ribs.
Yoongi gulped and he was sure Jimin could feel the violent thumping of his heart against his chest. He blinked a few times and nodded cautiously, holding his breath and closing his eyes. Jimin looked down at the others lips and hesitated for only a moment before leaning in and pressing their mouths together. It was short lived and innocent but Jimin felt like his lungs were on fire. He cleared his throat and stood up, offering his hand to help Yoongi to his feet. They awkwardly intertwined their fingers again and kept walking to Yoongi's house in silence, their minds clouded and jumbled.
When they were close they let eachothers hands go, not wanting anyone to get the wrong idea about their friendship. Yoongi opened the front door of his house and stepped inside, kicking off his shoes and pushing them in the general direction of the shoe rack his mother had set in the porch.
"I'm home!" Yoongi yelled and his mother shouted a greeting back. "Jimin's here!"
"Is he spending the night?" She yelled back and Yoongi looked over at Jimin with hopeful eyes. Jimin nodded and Yoongi yelled back.
"Yeah! We're going upstairs now."
"I'll call you down for dinner when it's ready!" She raised her voice a final time and their conversation was over.
Jimin jogged up the stairs first, familiar and comfortable with the setting after hundreds of times of being here. He opened the door to Yoongi's room and sat on the edge of his bed, pushing his way to sit against the headboard. For the first time ever, Yoongi was self conscious about changing infront of Jimin as if they hadn't seen eachother stripped down to their underwear in gym class or changing after school, like he was now, a million times before. Yoongi hung up his sweater and changed out of his skinny jeans into a pair of baggy plaid pajamas.
"Your pajamas are in the top drawer." Yoongi said, learing his throat again as if he couldn't breathe. He couldn't stop thinking about Jimin's lips against his own.
"Yoongi, I'm sorry. I-" Jimin tried to explain shaking his head.
"Jimin, I like you." Yoongi interrupted and spoke quick. "I don't want to ruin what we have going here."
"Things aren't going to be weird between us are they?" Jimin stared at his hands that were placed in his lap, his thumbs picking at the skin around his nails.
"No, it's okay. We can pretend it never happened." Yoongi said sitting in bed beside him knowing very well that he wouldn't be able to forget what happened.
Yoongi felt like he'd been waiting an eternity to have his feelings validated by the one and only person he has ever even had feelings for and now he was telling Jimin to forget about it. It killed him but he knew it was best to stay just friends. He couldn't lose Jimin, he loved him too much. Yoongi laid his head on Jimin's shoulder and acted as he usually would but he felt in his heart that something had changed, something was set in motion, he pushed the thought away and sighed.
Jimin was fiddling with his phone and humming contently, his head rested on Yoongi's when Yoongi took his out to check his missed messages.
"Hoseok messaged." Yoongi announced, tapping away at the glass screen of his smart phone. Yoongi clicked the button on the side of his phone, turning the screen black and laying it on his lap. He twisted up to look at Jimin, taken back back how close in proximity their faces were. It wouldn't have bothered him much before today.
"He said his friend said yes and he'll buy us alcohol for tonight." Yoongi whispered carefully so his parents wouldn't hear.
Jimin nearly squealed with excitement, squeazing Yoongi's body to the point of Yoongi gruntng.
"You're crushing me." Yoongi grunted out.
Jimin laughed again, sporting that crescent eye smile that Yoongi loved. Jimin completely caught Yoongi off guard when he reached behind his back, grabbed his side and threw him right off of the bed onto the floor.
"What the , Jimin!" He yelled, rubbing at his shoulder.
"Min Yoongi, watch your mouth!" Yoongi's mother yelled from the main floor and Jimin went into a fit of laughter, pointing at Yoongi and wheezing.
Yoongi lunged over towards the other side of the bed to catch Jimin but Jimin ran around him, avoinding his grabby hands.
"Yoongi stop!" Jimin was laughing so hard he had tears in his eyes while Yoongi looked rather frustrated. "How else was I supposed to get you out of bed to get ready for tonight?"
Yoongi finally caught him, wrestling him down to the carpet "I'll kill you." Yoongi threatened.
"Will you?" Jimin said, flipping him over with ease from his strong arms. "Don't think so." Jimin laughed, getting up from the floor. Yoongi's phone lit up again.
"He wants us to be ready in an hour. His friend will pick us up, buy it and drop us off." Yoongi filled Jimin in. "Take you bag in the car when we go, I'll tell my mom we're borrowing notes from a friend."
Jimin hooked his phone up to Yoongi's speaker and put on his playlist, emptying important things from his bag onto Yoongi's bed and throwing one of Yoongi's t-shirts inside to wrap the glass bottle of booze when they got it.
"I only have this." Jimin said pulling at his long sleeve by his stomach. "Can I borrow a sweater?"
"Why are you even asking?"
"True enough." Jimin shrugged, opening to door to Yoongi's small closet, jab packed with CD's, hoodies and retro games.
Jimin and Yoongi were different builds, Jimin's body more defined and Yoongi's a bit lankey, but they shared clothes all the time. Their sizes were nearly the exact same when it came to shirts and sweaters. Jimin pulled a dark blue zip up sweater off of the hanger and tried it on.
"How's this?" Jimin asked, modelling it.
"Ugly." Yoongi answered, not even spinning around to look.
"Love you too." Jimin replied sarcastically, zipping the sweater up halfway and fixing it on himself comfortably.
The atomosphere was comfortable again after the speed bump they experienced in the woods earlier in the day. Yoongi held Jimin's phone in his hand, leaning back on his heals and looking through Jimin's playlist to tap a song he liked. Yoongi's phone lit up with an incoming call from Hoseok as he was trying to pull his tight black jeans up. Jimin picked up Yoongi's phone and swiped to answer the call while Yoongi finished getting dressed.
"Hey." Jimin answered.
"Jimin can you politely tell Yoongi to answer my damn texts?" Hoseok said annoyed.
"Sorry Hope, trying to get the 'D'" Jimin said jokingly and Hoseok heard Yoongi yell ' you, Jimin' in the background, making them both laugh.
"Seriously, Jimin, Seokjin's been sitting outside in his car waiting for you for the last five minutes. Get your asses outside.
", sorry." Jimin said hanging up the phone and sliding it in his pocket, throwing backpack over his shoulders. "Come on, Jin's downstairs." Jimin explained.
Yoongi pulled Jimin's phone from the aux cord and jogged down the stairs yelling to his mom to let her know he was going to 'borrow some notes'. When they were outside they switched their cellphones back and got in Seokjin's car, Jimin sitting in the front. To this day, he was still the social butterfly Yoongi always knew and adored.
"What am I buying?" Seokjin asked when he put the gear in drive again, one hand on the wheel and the other resting in his lap.
"How much did you save?" Jimin looked back at Yoongi.
"About twenty-five." Yoongi said flicking through the five dollar bills he'd saved from his lunch money.
"I have fourty." Jimin said, pulling out four wrinkly ten dollar bills. "What can we get with fifty-five dollars?" He said, handing Seokjin ten dollars for the run.
"Two quarts."
"Is that enough for all seven of us?" Jimin asked.
"Jesus, Jimin. How ed up do you want to get?" Seokjin asked, switching between looking at the road and looking at Jimin in disbelief.
"Very." Jimin answered.
They pulled into the lot of the liqour store and handed Seokjin the bills.
"Vodka?" Seokjin asked and Yoongi nodded.
Seokjin went inside to buy booze as Yoongi and Jimin went to the corner store across the street. Yoongi pulled out another ten he saved to buy something to chase the harsh tasting alcohol with. Jimin carried two jugs of cheap peach juice to the counter while Yoongi grabbed a bottle of coke, a box of orange juice and a big bag of skittles. They paid with the remaining cash they had and went back to the others car.
Jimin managed to fit the vodka and one bottle of peach juice into his half empty bag to sneak into Yoongi's house passed his parents, the rest they left in bags under the steps of Yoongi's outdoor porch. Jimin brought his bag up to Yoongi's room and came back down to eat dinner with his family. When they were done, Yoongi emptied his bag, Jimin slung his on his shoulders and they left, filling Yoongi's bag with what didn't fit in Jimin's. They locked fingers and walked through the thick path in the woods again, holding their small fingers together like nothing happened even though their hearts were pounding painfully now.
They strayed off of the path and walked through the trees at the side for about twenty minutes before they could see the bonfire where everyone sat waiting for them, fifteen more before they arrived. They broke hands when they got there so they could take off their bags and empty the contents. The other five boys were hooting and shouting in applause as Jimin and Yoongi cracked open the seals on both bottles, clinked the thick, clear glass before taking big mouthfuls and passing the bottles through the circle. Jimin winced and opened a bottle of peach juice, gulping back a generous amount before passing it to Yoongi. They took a seat between Namjoon and Taehyung, they were both from Jimin's astrology class. Hoseok and Seokjin were also there, sitting across from Jimin and Yoongi while Seokjin played with Jungkook's hair. Jungkook was the youngest of the bunch, barely turned fifteen.
"You shouldn't drink." Jimin said loudly and pited at Jungkook with a half empty bottle, already half out of the bag. "You're only fifteen!" he yelled at Jungkook.
"So are you!" Jungkook yelled in protest.
"Yeah but I was born first." Jimin said smiling, his cheeks red by the fire. "More?" Jimin asked, or more so told Yoongi as he liften the bottle to Yoongi's mouth, clinking the glass on his tooth.
Yoongi whined in pain and Jimin sat up quick, cupping Yoongi's face and apologizing in slurs before hugging him.
"I'm too sober for this." Yoongi complained, taking a big drink. The truth is, Yoongi was so intoxicated already that he didn't even reach for a chaser, he either couldn't taste anymore or was too drunk to care.
When everyone was completely loaded up with alochol they threw the empty bottles into the trees and sat by the embers of the dying fire.
"Let's play a game." Jungkook suggested.
"We have no alcohol left." Jimin whined with an apparent pout on his lips, his head resting sleepily on Yoongi's shoulder.
"So?" Jungkook protested. "We have a few hours to kill before we can go home to our parents, let's play truth or dare."
"Jungkook that's too boring." Namjoon complained, he was laying in the leaves on his back with head in Seokjin's lap where the eldest of the group was twirling fingers in his hair.
"Fine, we'll play never have I ever but instead of taking shots we raise our hands."
Everyone groaned.
"You're all old and boring." Jungkook complained and Jimin rolled his eyes, sitting up.
"Okay, let's play." Jimin said, pulling Yoongi up from his slouch.
"Never have I ever failed a test." Yoongi said as Jimin and Taehyung both raised their hands.
"Never have I ever had ." Jungkook said and Namjoon, Seokjin and Hoseok all raised their hands. "Together?" Jungkook teased but they all just rolled their eyes and dismissed him.
"Never have I ever had a crush on anyone in our circle." Hoseok asked and Namjoon, Jimin and Yoongi all raised their hands.
"You like me back?" Jimin yelled in surprise, shoving Yoongi. "I ing knew it, Yoongi. Why didn't you say so."
"I did!" Yoongi yelled at Jimin.
"I thought you meant as a friend!"
"Jimin, I let you kiss me." Yoongi said out loud, forgetting about everyone else in the room in a sleepy, drunken haze.
Jimin stared at him, mouth agape and eyes wide. When Yoongi realized what he'd exposed his jaw dropped and he covered his mouth, turning to look at everyone else who was staring at them in the same state.
"." Yoongi said. ", , !" He repeated, grabbing his empty bag to sling over his shoulder and speed walk away.
Jimin scrambled to his feets, tripping as occasionally as he yelled to Yoongi trying to catch up to him. "Yoongi, I'm sorry, please come back, I take it back." Jimin said right before he tripped between the dark trees and busted his knee on a rock. He let out a loud ssound when he fell and Yoongi stopped walking and picked up into a full run towards Jimin instead of away from him.
"Jimin, you're bleeding a lot." Yoongi said panicking, wiping pieces of dirt out of the wound in his ripped jeans.
Jimin pulled Yoongi's hand off of his leg and held it, standing up to face him.
"If you didn't want to kiss me you should have said so." Jimin said, the hurt audible in his voice. He let go of Yoongi's hand at walked out of the woods back towards the street.
"Where are you going?" Yoongi said from behind him.
"I need some air.. to figure things out."
"Jimin, please." Yoongi begged, following after him. "Jimin, please don't leave me." Yoongi was audibly crying now. "Please slow down and talk to me."
"Talk about what?" Jimin said, spinning around to look at Yoongi.
Yoongi threw himself at Jimin, wrapping around him in the middle of the street.
"Don't leave." Yoongi sobbed into his chest.
"Yoongi, you're drunk. I'm not leaving you forever, I just need a few minutes to clear my head." Jimin said one arm wrapped around his waist, the other his hair. "Relax, Yoongi. I'm right here." He said, holding him firmly. In their approximate ten years of knowing one another closely, Jimin had never seen Yoongi like this and his heart ached so much that he had to fight himself back from the verge of tears with little success. He wanted to cry with Yoongi, he wanted to share those moments. He never wanted him to cry alone. So he did, he let go and he cried with Yoongi in the middle of the street.
"I don't know what to do." Yoongi confessed into the fabric of Jimin's sweater than belonged to Yoongi. "I don't know how to feel. Why did you have to ask me, Jimin." Yoongi sniffed back tears. "Everything was already so perfect."
"Because, Yoongi. Do you know how hard it's been to hide my feelings for all these years? I was selfish, I wanted more from you then just friendship. Do you not want more from me too?"
"I do." Yoongi said, rubbing at his wet eyes with the back of his sleeve.
"Then whats the problem?" Jimin asked.
"Couples break-up. I don't know how I would live without you. You've been in my life twice as long as you haven't been."
"I won't leave." Jimin promised.
"Everyone does."
"Have I ever?" Jimin questioned and Yoongi couldn't argue. He wasn't crying anymore, he was just enjoying Jimin's warmth in the autumn weather.
"Not yet." Yoongi was still arguing quietly, it was part of his personality to never let anyone else get the last word after an argument.
"Not ever."
For the first time, Yoongi didn't get to say the last word because Jimin was silencing him with a kiss. An open mouth kiss that he craved for as long as he could remember, tongues dancing in unison and cold hands gripping at the side of one anothers faces. When pulled away and Yoongi chased after him, placing one last kiss on his lips before Jimin got a good look at him. His cheeks were pink and burning hot, his lips puffy and parts of his face still wet with the remainents of tears. Jimin pulled the sleeve of the sweater he wore down over his head and used it to dab at the wetness on Yoongi's cheeks.
"I need to go back and get my phone, will you come with me?" Jimin asked and Yoongi nodded, lacing his pinky finger with Jimin's. A symbol of affection that would never waiver, no matter the circumstance.
When they arrived back at the fire they'd found that the other gathered more sticks and dry leaves to give the fire life again, Seokjin also walked down the block to his apartment where he recovered another bottle of alcohol that was almost full. Everyone shot a concerned look at the two and Yoongi held his hand up, showing his pinky with Jimin's.
"We're okay." Yoongi reassured them.
They decided to stay and drink with everyone again until they all left one by one. It was nearly three a.m. when they got back to Yoongi's and snuck up to Yoongi's bedroom. For the first time, Yoongi didn't build a pillow wall between them on his bed, though it was not the first time they'd wake up tangled together. They talked, facing one another under the covers just like old friends do and that's when they realized nothing was going to change between them, they would only strengthen one another and grow without useless restrictions in their relationship.
Yoongi was always different with Jimin. If anyone tried to touch or hug him he would complain and swat them away but with Jimin it had always been different. He used to blame Jimin becuase he was so affectionate, but he was different with Yoongi too. They had a special and comfortable bond that they shared silently.
Yoongi was soft with Jimin while he acted tough around everyone else. Yoongi not only allowed Jimin to hold him but also intiated it himself. Yoongi never told anyone if he was struggling in a class or missing an old friend, but he told Jimin. He relied on Jimin and he trusted him fully and Jimin could see that he was special to Yoongi.
Jimin didn't remember falling in love with his best friend. Maybe it was when his first girlfriend left him and Yoongi held onto him until the early hours of the morning while he cried. Maybe it was the time Jimin caught a bad flu bug and Yoongi risked being with him anyway because he just couldn't listen to their favorite bands new album without him. Maybe it was everytime Yoongi held his hand first, or wore his exceptionally baggy sweaters, or woke up with tossled hair that Jimin loved to make fun of on the mornings after full nights of heavy drinking when he'd wake up trapped under Yoongi's dead weighted arms and legs. Maybe, he thought to himself, it was just simply meant to be. It was his fate to be with Yoongi and Yoongi's to be with him. Maybe it was the way the planets aligned or a bursting supernova. No, Jimin couldn't quite remember exactly what it was that made him fall in love with his best friend but it didn't really matter because whatever that deciding factor was he was truly, madly, vibrantly in love.
Nine times out of ten, that love is unrequited. Jimin and Yoongi were the lucky ones. So, as long has they were together the starting point didn't matter, it was too far in the past to see anyway. They stopped trying to find the reasons to justify how they felt and finally accepted this fate that they've been dealt and loved eachother without anymore question or concern. Letting the future come as it would and as it always has, standing side by side, pinky fingers connected.