“Dinner?”

“Yes, an actual in a restaurant dinner. Oh, come oooon! Stop with the suspicious looks, I’m saying it’s my treat so why are you even thinking about it? Just say yes.”

“But why so suddenly?” Yoongi asked. It’s been eight months since they knew each other, yet Park Jimin managed to surprise him or leave him speechless almost every single day.

“If an actual reason is that important to you, let’s say I’m just bribing you for future sudden photography trips that might occur. Or something along the lines.” Jimin said nonchalantly and slurped soundly from his coke.

“So there’s no real reason, you’re just feeling generous? Why not invite Hoseok or your course mates?” Yoongi raised an eyebrow and finished his own drink.

“And why are you asking so many questions? I just want it to be with you, not Hobi, not my classmates, period. You’re making me feel as if I’m forcing you to commit a crime with me.” Jimin deadpanned and abruptly stood up from the table, taking his camera bag along. Sometimes Yoongi made no sense to him too.

“Wait, wait, where are you going?” Yoongi whispered, trying not to attract attention to them. He knew when Jimin was pouting and sulking and right now it was such a moment.

“Oh, now you care?” Jimin retorted, stomping his way to Heaven’s door exit.

“I’m sorry, it was just too sudden and you know I’m not used to that, so stop sulking.” Yoongi said apologetically and grabbed Jimin’s wrist to stop him before he leaves. “Let’s meet in front of my dorm room at 8, yeah?”

Jimin finally stopped sulking and turned his head around to lock his eyes with the older, a huge beaming grin tugging on his lips.

“Now that’s an answer.” He nodded approvingly and waved goodbye, leaving a mentally and physically exhausted Yoongi, who was still confused at everything that was Jimin.

But it wasn’t Jimin’s sudden invitation that confused Yoongi. He knew really well that tomorrow was actually his birthday, so what made him feel puzzled was the reason why would Jimin lie and say that there is no real reason for that ‘more than usually official” dinner? He thought about this for the rest of the night while wiping the tables and mopping the floor. Knowing Jimin, there must be a reason behind this act, but since he insisted that there was nothing tomorrow, he probably didn’t want Yoongi to know or thought that he didn’t, so the older decided to get to know before tomorrow.

--

It was barely 11am, but “Heaven” was really packed and lively, and Hoseok barely found a place to sit, but he didn’t mind sharing a table with three other elder ladies, who on the other hand really liked his presence. Hoseok was madly handsome, his charm was appealing to people of all ages.

“What’s up Yoongi? It’s unusual for you to invite me here.” Hoseok asked after he was finally able to tear himself away from the ladies beside him, who had way too many questions and praises stocked for him.

“I thought that it won’t be appropriated to ask via messages.” Yoongi explained and placed a cup of Hoseok’s favorite cappuccino with a mountain of whipped cream on it, which made the older of the two smile like a child.

“Something about Jimin?” Hoseok suggested and smiled a little after seeing the guilt appear on Yoongi’s face. “Don’t worry, I don’t mind if you ask me. So what’s up?”

“Well to make it short he asked me out to dinner.”

“And that… is something that worries you?”

“Normally it wouldn’t, but it’s today and he insisted that there is no reason for that.”

“Oh, that.” Hoseok nodded and looked like he had understood the entire situation and Yoongi was relieved that he decided to talk to him first. “You don’t seem like a superstitious person and neither am I or Jimin, but he was born on a Friday 13^th* and he really doesn’t like his birthday. He had broken his arm, fallen ill, lost important things to him and we even fought for the first time and didn’t talk for more than two months all on the date of his birthday throughout the years. So he long gave up celebrating it and just ignores it, trying to escape possible unfortunate accidents. I usually give him a present later on when I have another legit reasoning why am I doing it so he accepts it, otherwise he won’t.” Hoseok laughed at the memories of Jimin’s previous birthdays and his eyes crinkled, making the elder ladies coo at him. There was more that had occurred on his birthday, but Hoseok thought it wasn’t his place to say.

Yoongi didn’t know what to say. Definitely not what he expected, but at least it’s not something worse. He just had to think of an excuse to give him his present.

“Jimin is just unpredictable.” Yoongi concluded and rested his back on chair, sighing a little.

“Tell me about it, it took me years to fully get him, although I probably don’t even now. But don’t worry, I don’t think he’ll get angry at you even if you congratulate him. He just doesn’t like attention focused on him, except when his photos are involved.” Hoseok said reassuringly and finally was able to finish all of the whipped cream and taste the actual cappuccino, which was really good.

They didn’t talk much after that because Yoongi had to return to work and Hoseok got a call, but he was glad that they did, really. Hoseok was older than both of them and in contrast to his sun-like personality he knew how to handle situations like an adult and often helped him a lot.

--

“You look the same.” Namjoon said while trying to suppress a yawn, having given up on trying to sleep, because a certain someone was suddenly not satisfied with a single piece of clothing he possessed, even though all of them looked similar anyways. Yoongi wasn’t really a fan of shopping or of colors for that matter. He preferred comfort. And Namjoon was really interested since when did Yoongi started caring about how he looked? Clothes could barely get someone’s attention off his face features, Namjoon, just like Jimin, was convinced that Yoongi could easily be a model if he tried to, although Yoongi never once thought about it.

“Shut up, when was the last time I ever went to a restaurant? I could at least try not to embarrass myself.”

“That’s cute.” Namjoon hummed and pretended to be really sympathetic towards to the situation, although all he wanted to was to sleep. But he tried, since it was the first time he was seeing Yoongi care about minor things to actually put effort into them.

“Lend me a white shirt.”

“What, you don’t want my whole black suit? I still have my graduation one!” Namjoon teased and felt a pair of eyes strongly glaring at him, so he just tossed a white shirt at him from one of his drawers.

Yoongi just paired it with a black blazer and some jeans and gave up. The other thing he was slightly worried about was how to pass his gift without it being obvious that it was for Jimin’s birthday. The younger was, of course, fully equipped on lenses and he wasn’t complaining from his camera, so Yoongi knew that those wouldn’t be of help. He had purchased a Bokeh kit* a while ago when they came back from Busan and was waiting for the appropriate moment to give it, so that was one of the things, but that wasn’t the main ‘present’. Jimin never went out without a watch, Yoongi could say that for the eight months they’ve been friends, he had almost never seen him without wearing one and he always used it. But awhile back he lost his favorite one and didn’t stop sulking about it for more than a week, and Yoongi just succumbed and bought a similar one, so he could please the younger, just like the caring hyung he was. And he dared to say that Jimin was cheesy.

“Wow hyung, you look nice! Except your face, that looks as if you’re constipated.” Jimin cheered and Yoongi wanted to just turn around and go back into his apartment, but he endured. Curse you Park Jimin and your charm.

“Shut up.”

But Jimin didn’t. He talked a lot for everything and nothing really important, for their childhood moments with Hoseok, for past assignments for his course, for future plans and all that. He really talked a lot and Yoongi listened carefully, throwing in a response or two here and there. Jimin looked happy and Yoongi even agreed on sushi to add to that, seeing that the younger didn’t really mind being the one talking a lot, just like every other day.

Yoongi still wondered why did Jimin choose him and not his family or best friend or just other friends, who Yoongi knew he had a lot. Many people liked Jimin and probably many more would’ve congratulated him if they knew today was his special day. But now they were only the two of them.

At the end of the night, after getting out of the restaurant, Jimin exclaimed that he wanted to drink and he didn’t really ask Yoongi if he wanted to, he just dragged him to the nearest convenience store, got a few cans of beer and made them sit on the nearest bench in some park. Yoongi noticed that whatever Jimin was talking about wasn’t all that happy anymore. His eyes lost their smile, his mouth wasn’t curving anymore and his voice had calmed down a few notches. The older wondered if there had actually been something bothering him the entire time and he was just trying to cover it up with the overly happy attitude and the sudden drinking, but he didn’t argue. They had never drank together before and Yoongi noticed that Jimin wasn’t actually that big of a drinker, because he started making no sense just after the second can.

“Jimin, come on let’s stop here and go. It’s getting late and cold and you’re drunk.”

“So what? I can’t drink? You’re going to act like mother Teresa now?” Jimin spat out with in a way that made Yoongi sober up completely. There was a distinct coldness in his tone and a twisted half smile on his place. It was nothing like Jimin.

“You’re drunk Jimin, let’s go.”

“Yeah, that’s right, go and leave me alone. You’re the same.”

“What are you talking about? I’m not going anywhere that’s not your apartment.”

“That’s what you say now, but you’ll leave and just dump me aside.” Jimin laughed bitterly and threw away the can he was holding, averting his gaze from Yoongi.

The older remembered what Hoseok had told him last month. That at times Jimin just broke down for reason that were known only to him and he refused to explain them and maybe the alcohol had triggered something similar. He furrowed his eyebrows in worry and approached Jimin slowly, wrapping his arm around his shoulder before calling a taxi. Jimin was quiet on the way home, but he never let go of Yoongi’s arm. The older wondered what had happened in the past to make him talk like this and who had made him feel scared of being dumped and thrown away, even from Yoongi.

He unlocked the door and led Jimin to his room, helping him lie down in his bed, and threw a blanket over him. He placed a bucket next to his bed in case he needed to puke out his everything in the middle of the night and reassured him that he was going to call him tomorrow morning, even though Jimin already looked asleep.

Yoongi remembered about the present and placed it on the table in the living room, adding a subtle ‘it’s-not-a-birthday-present’ note to that. He filled a big glass of water and brought it to his room, but when he was about to leave he felt a gentle tug on his elbow. He turned around and saw Jimin weakly trying to hold his arm.

“Don’t go… Don’t leave me too.” He whispered quietly and so softly that Yoongi thought he was talking in his sleep, but something made him stay. He rested his back on the side of Jimin’s bed and promised out loud that he wasn’t going anywhere, drifting to sleep slowly after.

A/N Hello! Allow me to add a few notes here ;;

* - Yes, actually I wasn't making it up and Jimin was indeed born on Friday the 13th, although in October! Here is a picture for reference ;;

** - A Bokeh kit can turn out to be a great source of fun – or frustration – to the receiver. While the verdict is still out on what makes for a good Bokeh, thank, or prank, your friend with this 21-cut-outs kit for the Bokeh enthusiast. (source) - It's a reference to one of the previous chapters where Jimin praised Yoongi's Bokeh skills and said he could work on his ;; (And yes I actually googled what are some good gifts for photographers don't laugh)

I hope that clears things up and thank you for reading ♥