Seeing Jimin at lunch was surreal. For Yoongi it felt like Jimin, the Jimin he knew, existed only at night like some form of a ghost or a star. In front of him was a Jimin that only looked like one. He was wearing full make-up and had expensive clothes on, not the Jimin he knew (his Jimin was wearing a black hoody and sweatpants and had no trace of make up on his face). He was smiling all the time and there was no trace it was the same Jimin that nearly cried while listening to his story.

They were in Seokjin’s office discussing the future album. Upon seeing Yoongi, Jimin just smiled and bowed to him, as if the last 2 nights never happened. It made Yoongi think that maybe it was his wild imagination and tiredness all along that made him think someone comforted him.

They both kept the professional act. There was only one incident that made Yoongi think that maybe all that did actually happen.

They were discussing the ideas for the MV since they wanted to have it all planed before they could actually start working on the music. The director suggested a cheesy fairytale-styled  MV. At the end of the MV, the king would catch the princess trying to kiss Jimin. Yoongi quickly looked at Jimin who was staring back at him looking like he barely kept himself from laughing. It made Yoongi chuckle and since it was highly uncharacteristic for him, the whole room turned to look at him. He quickly pretended like nothing happened. Jimin on the other hand, snorted and then pretended he was coughing.

That little .

After the end of the meeting they didn’t have time to talk. Namjoon and Hyojin dragged him back to the studio and the trio spend the rest of the day trying to come up with the title track.

Yoongi couldn’t wait until midnight.

 

  ***

 

 To be honest Yoongi was dead tired. The last 3 days he slept for only 5 hours in total and he finally started to actually do his job so he wished nothing more than the sweet  embrace of his bad. However, he knew for a fact there was someone who was waiting for him at night. There was no way he’d sleep.

“No offence but you already look dead, why are you still drinking coffee?” asked Namjoon worriedly.

“If you die, your stuff is mine,” added Hyojin not even bothering to look at their direction.

“Whatever.”

“Seriously Yoongi, this is your 6^th cup of coffee. You are gonna die. Stop drinking that and go to sleep. Or you want me to inform Jin about this?”

“Namjoon, if you haven’t noticed, we have a schedule we need to follow, not to mention the song I’ve been working on. I need to stay awake.”

“You also need to stay alive at least until the album is ready.”

“I’ll survive.”

Namjoon got quiet, which disturbed Yoongi a lot more than the scolding. Suddenly he felt the chair under him moving. When he turned around he saw Namjoon and Hyojin drugging him out of their shared studio to the resting room.

“The you think you are doing?”

“Saving our friend?”

“Namjoon, stop this right now before I kick your so hard you won’t be able to .”

“If you are going to act like a capricious kid, then we are going to treat you like one. So be a good kid and take your nap.”

“I’m older than you, you wad!” Yoongi shouted back.

They managed to drag him to the other room already. Yoongi would have tried to get out of the chair sooner, but he wasn’t entirely sure he wouldn’t collapse standing up, so he just decided to use the hyung card.

“I’m older than both of you. So it up and have some rest, ,” grumbled Hyojin as they stopped the chair in front of the sofa.

He really had no choice. He, however, had a reputation to maintain, so he turned around in his char to punch Namjoon on his .

Namjoon being the smart guy he was, knew Yoongi good enough to run out of the room as soon as they got him there. They closed the door after themselves.

“We will let you out before going home.”

“ you guys,” said Yoongi, which roughly translated to thanks a lot guys.

Yoongi put an alarm clock at 2:30am and went to get his well-needed rest.

 

***

 

The embarrassing poster of the trio that they made as a joke after their first successful album was the first thing Yoongi saw when he woke up. The dull pain in his forehead was gone and he couldn’t miss it less. He looked around for his phone.

4:00am

Oh, he still had time before the work starts maybe he could go to sleep again.  He closed his eyes and nearly slept again when the realization hit him hard.

4:00am

Jimin

He overslept. Jimin must have been so furious. What if he never speaks to Yoongi again?

Yoongi stood up so fast he got whiplash. He quickly grabbed his phone and basically threw himself out of the room straight to the stairs.

When he got to the studio, he felt even worse. The light was still on. Jimin was still waiting for him.

“Jimin, I’m so ing sorry! The s I call friends made take a nap and although I had an alarm set, it didn’t ring and I just woke up. I swear I didn’t do it on purpose.”

Jimin got startled by the voice and looked confusedly at Yoongi before registering who it was. Apparently he was sleeping when Yoongi entered the room.

“Yoongi hyung, you came,” he sounded so relieved, so happy.

Yoongi hated himself even more.

“I’m really sorry. I didn’t do it on purpose, I swear. But you should have left, why were you waiting for me?” Jimin’s willingness to wait for him even after being late for an hour was both endearing and annoying.

“I knew you’d come,” casually replied Jimin while rubbing his eyes.

Yoongi was at a loss of words.

This brat.

“Come here, sit beside me,” ordered him Jimin patting the spot beside him.

Yoongi gladly obliged.

“Today’s meeting was fun. I nearly lost it at the being caught part. Although your red cheeks were much more funnier.”

Yoongi just blinked back.

“Have you always been this spoiled?” he asked.

Jimin just winked.

Yoongi’s heart didn’t take it too well.

“You know, it was weird seeing you there,” suddenly started Jimin.

“You forgot I actually work here?”

“No, I mean. It was different from this. It felt like I didn’t know you? I don’t know how to explain it,” said Jimin rubbing his neck.

“It felt like none of this ever happened?” helpfully supplied Yoongi.

“Exactly! It was so different. I knew you were the guy I spoke to just a few hours ago, but at the same time it felt like I couldn’t talk to you like that. Like I wasn’t allowed to.”

“It felt like our connection only exists at nights.”

“It’s weird, isn’t it?”

“Not really?,” replied Yoongi, “I mean, at night we are a different versions of us. A braver, a more sentimental, a more open version. So seeing the other one – the one that had walls and walls of emotional repression felt like seeing someone else.”

“You do have a way with words,” added Jimin after a short pause, “But you are right. I had that exact feeling. Do you think that our friendship is weird.”

“Who cares. As long as it works, right?” asked Yoongi staring at Jimin.

“Yeah, you are right.”

“What are you going to do about your parents?”

“You really aren’t more subtlety, are you?” asked Yoongi taken aback.

“Not at nights at least,” shrugged Jimin. “So? What are you going to do?”

“Hell if I know. I’m pissed at them but not forgiving them makes me think I’m a bad person. They are my family after all.”

“Yoongi, if I’m not mistaken, they threw you out and didn’t care for you for 8 years. You think normal families do that?”

“You think I shouldn’t forgive them? You never seemed to me like the type that would be so unforgiving.”

“There are things that one can forgive like, I don’t know, a small argument, not letting to go to a sleepover, not letting to date, punishments for misbehaving, but not ing disowning. You gotta draw a line somewhere,” Jimin sounded worked up.

“What about the “give them the other cheek” thing?” asked Yoongi.

Seeing Jimin so angry for the things his parents put him through made Yoongi all warm and mushy inside. Jimin was an angel.

“You are neither Jesus, nor Buddha. If people you over that badly you don’t forgive them, especially if they don’t think they are wrong. They didn’t apologize, didn’t they?” Jimin had his small hands in fists.

“Not really. Also actually, I told them to off the day they called me,” admitted Yoongi.

“Then why did you pretend like you needed my opinion?”  

“I was interested in what you’d say,” shrugged Yoongi.

Jimin was at a loss of words and just shook his head.

“You sure have a lot of pent-up rage for someone that small.”

“Well, the smaller you are the closer you are to hell. You of all people should now,” nudged him Jimin.

“Hey, brat, respect the elderly!” retorted Yoongi mock offended.

“Plus I’m taller than you.”

“What, an inch?” asked Jimin not for a second believing him.

“A whole centimeter,” proudly said Yoongi.

“Wow, you are a giant, I’m intimidated.” deadpanned Jimin.

“What have I told you about respecting your elders, punk,” said Yoongi as he affectionately ruffled the younger boy’s head.

“How are you so sure you are taller than me?”

“I read you intro on our website.”

“Wow, hyung you read stuff like that. So lame. I regret all the time I thought you were cool,” tsked Jimin.

“That’s it, I had enough of your sass, .”

Yoongi tackled Jimin to the floor and started tickling his sides. The younger boy was squirming and giggling. The butterflies in Yoongi’s belly lost their last . Yoongi was so so so screwed.

He stopped when he noticed the tears forming in the boy’s eyes. Jimin began to control his breathing. Yoongi just admired the view in front of him. Jimin sprawled under him with his fluffy hair in different directions, the sweet smile on his face and the white shirt that got lifted after their mini fight. He could see Jimin’s sun-kissed skin. He gulped loudly and quickly got off the boy, before he’d embarrass himself.

“Remind me not to make fun of you again. You know where to tickle.”

“I had a lot of practice. It was the only way to get Hoseok to stop annoying me,” at the mention of the name Yoongi smiled a bitter-sweet smile.

Oh. Interesting.

“Do you mean Jung Hoseok? The chorographer before Hyuna noona?” inquired Jimin.

“Yeah,” Yoongi still seemed out of it.

Hoseok apparently had a lot of effect on the boy and damn Jimn if he wouldn’t get to the bottom of it.

“Was he someone important to you? Your boyfriend maybe?”

At that Yoongi snapped off his trace and quickly corrected Jimin.

“My best-friend of childhood. We were inseparable.”

“Where is he now? I heard he left company when I just got here. I’m not sure I even saw him, but everyone said that he was the best dancer this company had.”

“I don’t know really. We aren’t in touch,” replied Yoongi avoiding eye-contact.

“Why?”

“Curiosity killed the cat, Jimin.”

“Satisfaction brought it back. Please hyung, pretty please.”

He quickly came to stand in front of Yoongi doing the world’s most exaggerated aegyo ever.

Yoongi didn’t know whether to laugh or to be disgusted.

“No, Jimin, you already know too much. You, instead, promised to tell me you story. Speak up.”

“And you promised to be on time and yet…” pouted Jimin (how old was he? 4?) “You were late. You made me wait for you for an hour, an hour! You have to repay me. Tell me about Hoseok hyung!”

Jimin seemed like he wasn’t planning on giving up and sadly Yoongi was weak for cute boys.

“Fine, fine, just get off my face,” which could be translated as “get your pretty face off me before I do something stupid”.

Jimin obediently sat on his old spot but faced Yoongi this time and looked like a kindergartener waiting for a story.

“He was my childhood friend. We grow up together. When my parents disowned me he was there for me and let me stay at their place before I managed to afford a place of my own. We used to preform together at the underground bars – I would rap and he’d dance. Then we got recruited here. And worked and lived together before he found someone, moved with him and got a new job.”

“But why aren’t you in touch? You sound so close.”

“He decided it’d be better that way,” sighed Yoongi.

“How could it be better? Did you have a fight or something?”

“Nope. I was in love with him and he decided that if he would leave my life I’d get over him sooner.”

Jimin gasped.

“Has anything nice ever happened to you?” he asked genuinely concerned.

Yoongi just laughed.

“Does a well-paid job count?”

“Depends how well. Seriously though, Yoongi hyung, that’s so sad. It must have been so hard for you to move on.”

Yoongi didn’t reply.

“You moved on, right?” asked Jimin slowly.

Yoongi ducked his head.

“You gotta be kidding me.”

“Jimin, it’s not that easy. He was my first love and more importantly, I never confessed. I just blurted that to his boyfriend one day and his boyfriend told him and then he just messaged me saying that it’d be good for both of us. It’s hard to get over someone you never dated. I never dated him, I don’t know his short-comings as a boyfriend or the reasons why we wouldn’t work. I just have the idolized version of us in my head and no matter how much I tried to get rid of it, I couldn’t do it.”

“Then find someone better. I’ll help you!” Jimin nodded to himself. “Tell me what kind of guys, wait no, people you like.”

“Seriously?” asked Yoonig incredulously.

“Of course! I have many friends most of whom like boys. I can find you a good match and they’d make your life better, just wait for it! I’ll help you,” said Jimin excitedly.

“That’s cute, but seriously Jimin don’t bother yourself. You are helping me enough as it is.”

“There is no one that deserves happiness more than you, hyung. Let me help you achieve it. Tell me what you need.”

You.

The thought scared Yoongi only for a second. Sure enough, they knew each other properly only for 3 days, but he felt like he knew Jimin all his life. He enjoyed Jimin’s company and trusted him with his darkest secrets. He was never like this with someone, not even Hoseok. He wouldn’t mind getting his heart broken over him.

That thought was much scarier though.

“Hyung, just how long your list is,” Jimin waved his hand in front of Yoongi, “Just tell me the basics. Don’t go into details.”

“Jimin, I don’t know. Someone cute, reliable, someone with a warm smile?” asked rather than replied Yoongi.

“Huh.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” raised his eyebrows Yoongi.

“Nothing,” smiled Jimin all too sweetly.

“So you have someone in mind?”

“I might have,” hummed Jimin.

“And who is that may I ask?”

“You may not.” Jimin stuck his tongue out.

“.”

Yoongi ruffled Jimin’s soft hair again. He really took a liking to doing that. Jimin was cute and Yoongi was weak.

They stayed like that for a while, sometimes talking non-sense, sometimes just straight up bantering. At some point Jimin’s head landed on Yoongi’s shoulder. He tensed for a second before completely relaxing and putting his arm around the smaller boy. Jimin just snored lightly. He was asleep. His quiet breathing lulled Yoongi to sleep as well.