The streets of Hawaii were beautiful and bright. The people wore bold colors with patterns and designs.

Jungkook and I looked around for any stores that'd be of mutual interest. My first thought was a video game store, but this didn't seem like the place for one of those. There were many shops displaying swimsuits and beach-themed t-shirts in the windows. I wasn't too thrilled by those. After all, I didn't want more clothing to pack up and take home by the end of the week.

The two of us walked silently side-by-side, until I stopped to glance at a strange little boutique. It had an earthy forest theme going on; the front window had a display of leather satchels, colorful glass bottles, and other fantastical accessories. It was certainly my kind of department, but I reluctantly kept moving forward -- I didn't want to drag Jungkook along to gush over nerdy knick-knacks.

Jungkook caught me staring.

"You wanna stop in there?" he asked. I was a bit startled by the question.

"It's just a really nice store," I tried to explain, "We don't have to go in." I didn't convince him, because he started walking in that direction.

The products inside did not disappoint; they matched the magical aesthetic from the front display, and it was impossible not to fall in love with everything. Shelves were packed with leather bound books. Gemstone necklaces hung on display pegs. There were steampunk fashioned keys laid out on a little stand in the middle of the shop. Each were intricately designed, and I wondered how much they would go for.

My heart dropped when I checked the prices. The least expensive key was 30 USD, and I wasn't willing to spend that kind of cash on a souvenir. A black-plated key embellished with red garnet gems stood out among the rest. My heart sunk further; it cost 48 USD. I turned away from the key stand.

Although I wanted to live out a nerd's fantasy dream, nothing in the shop fit my budget. The store was, after all, very out of place in this area. I figured it must be a small business, so the merchandise is not mass-produced.

After I perused the entire selection, I stepped out onto the bustling sidewalk. It only took a minute or so for Jungkook to follow.

Our "date," as Jungkook was delightfully calling it, went well, all things considered. We ate delicious food, visited stores, and admired the neighborhood. A few hours passed and our feet grew heavy. We were exhausted.

On our way back to the house, a child ran up to us. He looked about 5 years old, but it was hard to tell past the crying. Yes, crying... a lot of it. He clung onto Jungkook's leg.

"Hey, hey," Jungkook knelt down to speak to the boy. "What's wrong?"

He got no reply save for incessant sobs.

"He doesn't know Korean," I guessed. I figured Jungkook hadn't considered that yet.

"Well, it's a good thing we have you here. Go on, show off your excellent English speaking." 

I hate it when he gets sarcastic.

"Now is not the time to joke around, Jeon Jungkook." I felt a twang of guilt for bragging about my poor English, now that it's of no use.

Jungkook calmed the child enough to ask about the problem, this time in English. The boy, Nathan was his name, got separated from his older sister.

—

Everyone was doing their own thing, but Jimin was bored. And it was too hot. Where was Suga, again?

The frustrated boy figured it was about time someone used the pool outside. He went to his room to change into swim trunks. (I 100% added the pool just now cuz I'm abusing my power as the author <3) Taehyung was in the room watching TV. 

"What are you up to, Jimin?" Taehyung asked.

"Going for a swim outside," Jimin said. 

"Ah."

There was an awkward silence.

"You want to come along?" Jimin asked. Taehyung seemed to consider it. "I was going to ask Suga to join me."

"Oh," Taehyung smiled. "I'll pass. I'm enjoying this episode." Jimin didn't think he looked all that captivated but wasn't going to argue.

Jimin had to cross the building and go upstairs to Suga's room. He knocked, waiting until Suga replied to open the door.

"Hey, you busy?" Jimin asked.

"Not particularly, why?" Suga set down his phone and sat up on the bed.

"I was going to hop in the pool for a bit. Want to join?" he smiled. Suga checked his phone. "You don't have to if you're busy."

"Sorry, I just received a message from Y/N. She and Jungkook had to take a lost boy to the police station and are going to be back a bit late."

Well, that was unexpected.

"Everything is okay, though?" Jimin asked.

"Yes, I suppose so," he sighed. He seemed worried. Fair enough; his best friend who's a girl has to take unfamiliar roads to a police station where people speak a different language. Maybe Jimin should have felt more concerned for his best friend, too. But he knew Jungkook and Y/N would be alright. They could always call if they need help.

Jimin turned to leave. 

"Give me a minute," Suga said.

"What?" Jimin looked back.

"I'll be right out after I change. Close the door, would you?"

"Uh-" Jimin blanked for a second. Suga was grabbing his swim trunks from his bag. "Oh. Oh! Right, sorry." 

A few minutes later, and the two boys are jumping in the pool. Well, more accurately, Jimin jumped in the pool while Suga sat on the side with his feet in the water. 

The water was the perfect temperature for a hot night. 

"Are you waiting for a divine sign or something?" Jimin teased with a smile.

Suga looked at him, confused.

"Well, here I am, so why don't you jump in?"

"You don't make any sense," Suga shook his head, but he was smiling, too.

There was a long moment of silence. Suga pulled out his phone. Jimin watched him. He was responding to a message. Jimin looked away. After another long moment, Suga broke the silence by playing some ambience music.

"Are you worried?" Jimin asked.

"Sorry?" 

"About Y/N," he clarified.

"What? Um, she's keeping me posted about what's going on. They got to the station alright, but I guess I'm worried some. Are you?" Suga looked up at Jimin.

"Am I...?" Jimin made eye contact.

"Worried."

"Oh," Jimin averted his gaze, mentally cringing. "I'm not worried, no. Um, and you don't need to be either. Jungkook speaks English well. And the police will handle the rest." He smiled to be reassuring, but Suga just shrugged.

It was frustrating for Jimin. He already knew it before got to know Suga; that Y/N is the most important to him. How did they get to be as close as they are now?

"How long have you known Y/N, Suga?" Might as well ask questions if he wants to know more about the guy.

"We met in middle school," Suga said, "but we didn't become friends for a year or so."

Jimin nodded. "So, what happened? Why did you decide to be friends? There must be some grand story."

Suga laughed. It was a beautiful sound to Jimin.

"Our history teacher was an asshole, right?" Suga smiled, recalling the past. "One day, after handing back our graded tests, he wanted to make a fool of me for my poor scores. He told me I didn't have a bright future because I'm not hard-working. So, he asked me what my dream job was, hoping to tell me I could never achieve it with my lazy attitude. I told him I wanted to be a stripper at a gay bar. 

It was a joke of course, but I got the reaction I wanted from him. He even berated the job industry itself, along with insulting me for wanting to work in it. I thought it was hilarious. But in the midst of it, Y/N spoke up. She defended me in front of everyone; told me I could accomplish anything if it was important enough to me. We became fast friends from then onward."

Jimin laughed, finding the story to be every bit as amusing as Suga anticipated. 

"Who approached who after that?" Jimin was curious. 

"She did, though if she hadn't approached me, I was going to go to her," Suga continued, "At lunchtime, she wanted to reassure me that my dream job was every bit dignified. I told her I was joking about wanting to be a stripper. She was so embarrassed!" They both laughed. 

After a moment, the two boys caught their breath and calmed down. 

"Well," Jimin started, "it's not as exciting a beginning, but do you think you and I could be close, too, from now on?"

Suga was taken aback for a moment, but he smiled and said, "Sure, I mean, a free vacation in Hawaii in the middle of the school year is as good a time to start a friendship as ever."

"Ohh, well," Jimin scoffed, "I didn't mean like friends, that's a bit boring wouldn't you say?" he laughed as if joking around, and Suga laughed too. 

But he wasn't joking at all.

A/N: LMAO I LITERALLY CANT BELIEVE IM PUBLISHING ANOTHER CHAPTER TO THIS. It's comical at this point that I still come back to this and keep writing. I just can't help myself sometimes. I get in the mood to write (especially because typing on my laptop is satisfying <3) but it's a lot of work to start a new story, so I just come back to this to proofread previous chapters or add some new material. 

I'm also painfully aware of how poor my writing used to be, so it'll be jarring for new readers to see how much the writing style changes thru the chapters lmao. But I don't think I want to fix my earliest chapters, because they're funny bad, y'know? Cringey, but funny.