It certainly wasn't what Yoongi saw himself doing that day.

Sitting inside a McDonald's at 11:45 with a nearly deaf boy named Taehyung who had just about run him over with a bicycle some twenty minutes ago.

But here he was. A burger and Coca Cola in front of him, not quite sure of how to make conversation with someone who couldn't even hear what he was saying. Luckily - well, Yoongi wasn't quite sure if he could call himself lucky - Taehyung had no issue with filling the silence. And Yoongi had his phone at the ready in case there was anything he needed to reply to.

"I really am sorry about running into you." For a little while the boy appeared to have difficulty making eye contact with Yoongi. "I haven't...used my bike in a while so I wanted to go out, but I guess I've just been excited and distracted 'cus of Christmas, I wasn't even looking where I was going..."

Out of habit Yoongi opened his mouth to respond, rolled his eyes at himself, then unlocked his phone.

—

It's okay, I understand. Not about being excited for Christmas but we all make mistakes.

—

"You're not excited for Christmas??"

The clear-cut shock in Taehyung's voice took Yoongi aback. He squinted, shaking his head. The other boy looked even more dismayed.

"Why not?" He asked in a whiny tone. "It's Christmas! You have...family or friends, right?"

—

It's just not for everyone. But yeah, I have friends. Don't care much for my family, though.

—

"Oh..."

Taehyung's look of disappointment blended with a noticeable hint of sadness as he read the message. Sympathetic eyes lifted to lock with Yoongi's.

"I'm sorry," he said. For the third time, the boy repeated a circular motion over his chest with his fist. "I'm...pushing personal matters, aren't I? I'm sorry..."

—

It's fine. It doesn't bother me, you can stop apologizing so much.

—

"You're very kind."

The slightest smile slipped onto Taehyung's face. A very pleasant and charming face, Yoongi thought, cursing himself right after. I gotta stop this.

"If it...means anything," the boy continued which snapped Yoongi back into focus, "I don't...have family, either. Well, I do, but he's not family family. But...he's family. You know?"

Struggling to resist the urge to laugh, Yoongi nodded and bit back a smile of his own.

—

You mean a friend?

—

"Yeah!" Taehyung blurted immediately after reading. "Jiminie. He takes care of me. I love him."

—

Oh, are you in a romantic relationship with him?

—

"Romantic?? No, no!" He shook his head vigorously. "Friends, best friends. Like brothers."

Again, Yoongi nodded. He took another bite of his burger before reaching for his phone.

—

So I'm guessing you live together, then. Do you like living with someone?

—

"Definitely." Taehyung's expression softened. "I wouldn't...I don't think I could live without Jiminie. Like I said, he takes care of me, 'cus a lot of things aren't easy for me."

Yoongi's curiosity was acting up again - curiosity, teamed up together with sympathy, just as he had experienced witnessing Neon hungry and shivering on the side of that busy street. At this point he was beginning to presume he had a weakness for handsome, misfortunate boys with sad backstories.

There's gotta be something wrong with me, I swear.

—

Forgive me for asking, but are you unemployed?

—

The boy's smile shifted from fond to dispirited in a gradual manner. "Yeah," he replied. "I've tried to...find work before, but...not much luck. And besides, Jiminie didn't want me to...I think he babies me too much, though..."

—

Must care a lot about you, huh?

—

"He does." The smile changed back again. "Jiminie's the best. He works for the both of us, never complains about it, always makes sure I...have everything I need."

—

Sounds lovely.

—

"He is!" Taehyung said with immense excitement, instantly reminding Yoongi of Jeongguk when the boy had discovered someone sharing his interest in anime. "He's so lovely. He's a great dancer, too, gets shy whenever I tell him." He giggled.

And Yoongi's brain froze up for a moment. Conclusions. He was just jumping to conclusions, he knew that, he had to be, but hearing that word, despite how common it was in a city of idols, triggered a memory in his head. Lots of people were good dancers. There was no conceivable way this conversation had even the slightest connection with Neon. Taehyung was just some stranger.

Then again, so was Neon.

Acting on impulse, Yoongi took his phone in hand.

—

He dances? Does he do so professionally? Or just for fun? What does he look like?

—

"If you're so curious about him, I can introduce you," Taehyung said, clearly in a teasing manner as indicated by the soft giggle and shaking shoulders. Yoongi promptly regretted typing out the barrage of questions. He could feel another blush threatening to surface on his cheeks.

Going on a hunch, Yoongi placed his fist over his chest and moved it in a circle, just as Taehyung had done several times by now. Surely enough, the boy reacted to it expressively.

"Oh, you don't have to apologize!" He said in a delighted tone. "I don't mind, you're...easy to talk to. I just hope I'm not too hard to listen to." A somewhat downhearted laugh followed his words. Yoongi felt his own heart sink. He typed his next message quickly.

—

No, you speak really well, don't worry. I can understand you just fine, otherwise I would have said something.

—

"So do you want to meet him?"

"What?"

The question came unexpectedly, so Yoongi didn't have time to use his brain and instead responded verbally - then again, even he knew his expression could convey his puzzlement adequately, perhaps even better than words.

"You could come visit!" He beamed with this air on innocence about him that made Yoongi regret every unkind thing he had ever spoken. "Our home isn't super far from here, and we've never had guests over before, so it could be fun."

Yoongi mouthed the word 'fun' as his forehead creased enough to create wifi bars. In response, the other boy nodded enthusiastically.

"I could introduce you to Jiminie, like I said," he went on to explain. "I'm sure he wouldn't mind. It's just me and him all the time. He doesn't ever say it, but I'm...sure he gets...lonely, sometimes. So maybe a surprise guest could make him smile!"

It was so bizarre to Yoongi. First this boy ran into him on his bike, practically demanded to buy him lunch, and now he was inviting him over to his home? This is either the plot of a really bad horror movie or How I Met Your Mother.

"If it makes you...uncomfortable, I understand," Taehyung said, making Yoongi think the boy must have noticed his tentative attitude towards the idea. "I guess I'm just too friendly. Jiminie...warned me of that, too." He forced a smile and again managed to tug at the other's sensitive heartstrings.

Nice list, Santa. Swear on it.

With a great but manageable force of reluctance, Yoongi typed out the following message and showed it to Taehyung.

—

I don't mind. I can't guarantee I'll stay long, but a short visit wouldn't hurt I guess.

—

"Really?!"

Not a second after the boy had read it, his expression became painted over with more joy than Yoongi believed anyone should ever experience upon inviting a stranger to their home. But then he considered Taehyung's words, as well as the likelihood that this "Jiminie" was the only friend he had, surprisingly despite his extremely friendly nature. Yoongi didn't know the half of the boy's background and he was aware of it. There was probably a reason for his behavior, his eagerness to right his wrongs and leave more than just a good impression. Or something...or maybe, yet again, Yoongi was just being persuaded all too quickly by his curiosity.

Meeting a beautiful, masked dancer, losing him, and now meeting a handsome, hearing impaired boy who happened to be one of the nicest people Yoongi had ever known, and he had known him for...one hour?

Min "Snuggles" Yoongi, Hoseok was right, you really are the world's biggest softie.

So to make a long story short, Yoongi's plans to get his tiny Christmas shopping list done and taken care of ended up out the window, which was precisely where Yoongi felt like being thrown the second he said - or, wrote, rather - to Taehyung, 'Yes, really, I'll go to your home.'

Maybe I'm insane. Maybe that's it. Maybe Taehyung is just acting, maybe he's not deaf, and this is all just a setup to lure me, the second most gullible idiot next to Jeongguk, to his death.

Dear Neon,
If I never see you again, I would just like to say, we could have made a lovely Nicolas Sparks novel together.

"I just remembered I never asked for your name?"

"Oh, it's Yoongi."

No, actually, it's "Moron". M-O-R-O-N.

—

Yoongi.

—

"I like your name."

Of course you do. You'd probably like my name if it were actually Moron, wouldn't you? You seem like the type who'd be like "oh, Moron! Is that French??"

"We can...leave whenever you're finished eating. No rush, though."

Oh, there's gonna be a rush, alright. A rush of blood gushing out my head when we get to your home and you whip out the machete hidden underneath your pant leg.

—

You're very nice.

—

"Thanks!"

—

end of chapter four.

a/n:
my writing is getting lazy this whole thing was a mess lmaooooo