NAMKYU HOPPED ONTO onto the stool Jimin had set by the counter, shuffling in closer with a grin as he got small bits of flour on his long sleeves.

"Hyung," the eight-year-old chirped, watching the older man whiz around the kitchen to place away his utensils before joining him at the bench, "We're doing fractions."

Jimin groaned, "Fractions? Oh, God."

"I'm starting to think that you're not as good at math as you let on," the boy raised an eyebrow, and he chuckled, ruffling his hair.

"Slow down there, firefly," he leaned in closer, "These are easy; I can do these."

"That's assuring," he giggled, "Namjoon hyung was a lot less confident in your ability."

"Excuse me?" Jimin gasped, feigning hurt as he held a hand over his heart, "So much for being my best friend."

"In all fairness," Namkyu shrugged, "my brother can't add numbers even if his life depended on it."

"Yeah," he joined in as they laughed, "that huge brain of his is good for everything but math."

The boy sighed again, frowning at his book, "Mr Hassan didn't teach us this properly; I don't know how to turn this into a six."

Raising an eyebrow, Jimin took a seat beside him, "Mr Hassan didn't teach you guys this?"

"Well, not properly," he exhaled an exasperated breath, "I remember him saying something about multiplying both numbers before Zahra asked me what my favourite colour was."

"What impeccable memory you have there," Jimin narrowed his eyes at him, "What's this about Zahra? Who's Zahra?"

"My friend!" Namkyu chimed again, a huge beam breaking out on his face as he did so. Jimin's own smile got infected then as he envisioned his best friend in his brother. The dimple popping from his cheek and the adorable button nose were his favourite family trait. "She's so cool. She loves plants, and animals, and reading, and writing—"

"Just like you!"

"Just like me!" he nodded enthusiastically, "And she's so funny and so kind. She loves to talk about her parents and her grandmother. They seem super cool too. Her favourite colour is silver, but she loves lavender flowers, it's so funny."

Raising an eyebrow, Jimin tilted his head at the kid, wondering what exactly was so funny about the situation. But he couldn't help chuckle at his words, wondering if the little boy had a crush on this Zahra instead.

"That's wonderful, firefly," the man pinched his nose, "but you know what would be helpful? Listening in class."

"Hyung, I try," he whined, "but it's so much more fun to play with Zahra," suddenly, his eyes lit up a thousand shades brighter as if he'd just remembered something, "Last time, we played ultimate tic-tac-toe, and I won!"

Jimin giggled, finding the boy so endearing at that moment that he couldn't help himself before placing a small kiss on his head, "We're going to need to have a quick crash course on fractions now that I know you're paying way more attention to your crush than on Mr Hassan."

"She's just so much more interesting, I love—Hey! I don't have a crush on her!"

"You don't?" Jimin raised an eyebrow, nodding as he clearly didn't believe him, "Right."

"It's true! I don't!"

"Of course, firefly. You just get distracted, that's all."

"Yeah," he puffed out his cheeks, crossing his arms over his chest, "That's all."

"THANK YOU FOR looking after my brother, Jimin," Namjoon said as he waltzed into his home, reaching down and enveloping Namkyu in his arms.

"Oh hush," he replied, holding a hand up, "You know he's as much my brother as he is yours."

The older man grinned, a smile that had his dimple on full display.

"Hyung! Jimin hyung helped me finally understand fractions."

"He did?" he looked over at his friend, "Well, I could have done that too, you know."

"As if," the child snorted, before sprinting away from Namjoon's playful slap, "I'm going to my room!"

The two left in the kitchen chuckled at Namkyu's back, attention turning to the front door as a middle-aged woman stepped in. Jimin's lips parted in greeting, a bow following as if by instinct.

"Good evening," he grinned at Namjoon's mother, watching her smile back gracefully, placing her bags by the entrance and swiftly walking over to them. He wondered where Namjoon got his clumsiness from when his mother was this elegant. The thought alone had him stifling a laugh.

"Hi, sweetheart," his mother pinched Jimin's cheek, "How are you? I've been missing having you around recently; I'm always too late to catch you."

"I know," Jimin said, "I've also been a bit preoccupied, so I'm coming over less often. I'm glad I got to see these two misfits today at least."

"Preoccupied, you say?" the woman raised an eyebrow and nodded to herself, a knowing smile gracing her features, "Well, please tell your preoccupation that they're allowed to come over any time as well."

His eyes widened for a second then, a blush instantly biting at his cheeks. Did he make it that obvious?

"Right," he cleared his throat, desperate to change the topic before she noticed. Looking over at his friend, he asked, "Should we get going?"

Namjoon grinned, picking up a jacket that had been thrown over a chair, "Don't wait up, mom," he called to his mother as he walked over to the door, "I'll have dinner before coming back."

"Alright, children," placing a quick kiss to both their cheeks, she waved them off, "I'll see you guys later then."

And then they were off, Jimin holding onto his small basket filled with the baked goods he'd prepared for dinner.

Namjoon started to list off the things he'd done in the past week, tutoring at the palace, taking his brother to and from school, reading more and more Latin literature.

Jimin had no idea how he did it.

But he did seem to get the hint that something had been bothering his friend. Something was poking at him from the back of his head, and he made a mental note to bug him about it until he spilled it later.

They finally reached their favourite spot in the village, a small hill overlooking not only the city but also with a clear view of the gorgeous night sky blanketed over them.

The pair immediately got comfortable, both lying flat against the grass with their arms folded behind their heads.

"Thank you for looking after my brother today, man; I know you probably had a lot to do."

"Are you kidding?" eyes not leaving the stars above them, Jimin replied, "You don't have to thank me, how many times do I have to tell you? I love looking after that kid, and he's my brother too, alright?"

Namjoon chuckled, "Yeah, I know. But still, thank you."

"It's fine, hyung," he sighed, knowing his friend wouldn't stop being grateful for these little things, "It was nice to get out of my head today, though. So I want to thank him too."

"Get out of your head?" Jimin heard his voice shift and saw Namjoon turning to look at him from the corner of his eye, "You alright?"

"Yeah," he groaned, "I'm fine. I think. I don't know."

"What's going on?"

"I just," he let go of a small breath, "I feel so small, you know?"

"You are small."

Jimin rolled his eyes, a soft laugh escaping him, "Recently, my mind's been filled with all these annoying thoughts; I don't really have much to offer to others."

"Huh?" he heard the confusion in his friend's remark, "What?"

He groaned, "What do I even have to give, hyung? I don't have much money, I have a pretty bleak job, I don't have family. I'm no one special."

"Jimin," Namjoon slowly turned to his side to properly look at his friend, "Jimin, where is this coming from?"

"I don't know, hyung," he sighed, "I just don't want people wasting their time on me when they deserve better, you know? That goes for you too. You could be friends with the greatest people in this country, yet you spend your time with me? It doesn't make sense."

"Because you're my friend, Jimin," he could hear the surprise in his voice, "You're my friend, and I value everything you've got in you to give me. Your heart, your humour, your serenity, your maturity, your talent. You're right, I could be friends with so many other people, but I'm not. Because they're not you, Jimin, and I want you."

"I just, I don't get it. How could I expect someone to do that? How could I expect someone to throw away their status, their riches, their name and settle for a nobody like me? I'm not good enough for that. Not one bit."

Now it was Namjoon's turn to sigh, eyes fluttering back to the night sky.

"And what about them?" he asked, pointing his chin above.

"Huh?" Jimin followed his gaze, "The stars?"

"Yeah, that one's light is overpowered by that one, you see?" pointing at two different dots above them, Namjoon continued, "But would you ever tell the dimmer one that it's worthless? That it wasn't special? That its light isn't needed?"

"Hyung—"

"It might be dimmer now, but it still shines bright enough to be considered an integral part of the Leo constellation. It might not seem special, yet it's one of the stars that the others circle around. Without it, the constellation wouldn't even exist. Without it, people wouldn't be able to navigate their way through the seas, over land, through deserts."

Jimin frowned, sniffing as a tear threatened to surface, not knowing how to reply.

"You might think that, Jimin. You might think that you've got nothing to offer when compared to the other stars around you. But that's not how others view you. Wealth? Riches? That's all nothing when it comes to your heart. I promise."

"I hate that you always know what to say. Can't you just let me lose myself in my thoughts?"

"You know me better than that, idiot."

"Yeah," he sat up then, spinning in his spot as he crossed his legs. "Now it's your turn."

uwu just a minimoni scene for you guys because oh my goodness these cuties

how is everyone?

sorry it's been a while since i updated! but i'm back to the grind (hopefully!)

what's your favourite ice cream flavour?