YOONGI DIDN'T HAVE SHIT TO DO. In fact, he laid on his couch for an hour wasting away waiting for Jimin to show up at his door.

It was 4:30 and he felt as if his spine had become one with the couch. His eyes glued themselves to the popcorn ceiling in his apartment and his fingers picked at one another like feral dogs in a fight. Yoongi was nervous, he wanted him and Jimin to work out, to be friends and though he didn't know why, the need to be near him had begun to creep up on Yoongi. It sent shivers down his spine.

Sure, at the moment Jimin was insufferable. Rude, a little arrogant, and all-around just a jerk. But he had his moments, like when he gave Yoongi half of his lunch so he wouldn't have to pay. Yoongi was well aware now that Jimin's tough-guy attitude was a front to keep himself from getting hurt, to keep himself protected.

And honestly, Yoongi felt like a hypocrite to blame him for it. He used to do the same thing. He'd push people away when he really needed help and it almost ruined him. Life long abuse from the people who were supposed to love you the most, in every case, is detrimental. Yoongi hated the fact that it had happened, but there was nothing left to do about it now. His parents were in jail, probably for the rest of their lives and that thought alone was enough to put him to sleep at night.

For the most part, he had healed.

Now that he was better, at least a little better than before, he can see himself so easily through Jimin's eyes. It was like holding up a mirror to reveal an old version of yourself. Yoongi didn't like his reflection very much, so he wanted to help.

Sometimes helping people heal is just as healing for you as it is for the other person.

He just hoped Jimin would let him in enough to see the real him. The chance of getting to know who Jimin was at his core was too valuable to just discard.

Yoongi peeled himself from the couch with a groan, planting his feet on the carpeted floor and walking towards the kitchen. He curled his hands around the fridge handle before pulling it open to reveal the bare contents. He only had his abundance of fucking apples.

They were cheap, 5 cents an apple actually and when Yoongi had bought them he only had a couple of dollars to spare. So Yoongi's fridge was really just an apple stand at this point.

He wished he had enough for real groceries. Yoongi's new job has been iffy, the paychecks aren't great (he's a pizza delivery boy, what did he really expect)  and the boss is greedy with tips even though he does none of the work. So Yoongi is really just stranded eating apples and old pizza at work until he can find another job. He has to provide proof of employment every month or else he's at risk of losing his apartment and Yoongi isn't ready to stand on his own two feet just yet.

He'll chop up some apple slices and call it a fucking day. Jimin will just have to deal with it.

Yoongi set the plate of freshly cut apple slices on the table along with two tall glasses of water. He was shit poor but at least he wasn't a bad host.

There was a loud knock on the door that rang through the bare apartment, Yoongi's eyes lifted at the sound. He stood up straight and walked towards the door, stopping to check his reflection quickly before he opened it to reveal Jimin standing on the other side.

Jimin's hands were stuffed in his pockets, his eyebrows furrowed as he looked anywhere but Yoongi. The older smiled. "Hey Jimin. You're early."

"I'd rather be early than late," Jimin mumbled, the two boys stood there for a few moments. Jimin's eyes met Yoongi's and Yoongi almost felt as if gravity had lifted. There it was again. He saw himself and the world in Jimin's eyes. His eyes were withdrawn and shy, yet, also fierce and brazen. Jimin was definitely an interesting person. Yoongi wondered what the other boy saw in his own eyes when Jimin looked at him.

Warmth, Jimin decided. He had lost all and every type of focus the moment he set his eyes on Yoongi's. He could feel his hands begin to sweat in his pockets as Yoongi looked at him with the utmost warmth and love. Yoongi looked at Jimin as if he's known him forever and as if they had done this before. Maybe they had.

Jimin felt a familiar itch in his chest. His heart beat rapidly and his ribcage began to feel too small to keep his lungs in. It was suffocating and it felt good. His heart clawed at his ribcage much like it did the first time he set his eyes on Yoongi in class and much like the last time Jimin decided to ignore it.

"You gonna let me in? Or what." Jimin asked, his eyes peeling themselves off Yoongi's and suddenly taking an interest in the door knob the older was holding.

Jimin had to remind himself again and again that this was wrong. It was a sin, absurd and disgusting. His father would've been disappointed, Jimin thought. His mother would be furious.

"Right!" Yoongi brightened up, stepping aside to let Jimin into his apartment. "This is my lovely, empty apartment!"

Jimin stepped inside, taking off his shoes and stripping his jacket before walking into the living room. It was nice, Jimin thought to himself. Quiet, and didn't reek of booze as his house did. "It's nice," Jimin said, his voice was bare and emotionless. Yoongi dropped his shoulders at the sound.

"Thanks," Yoongi replied flatly. He sat next to Jimin on the couch and took his notebook from his bag before flipping it to a new page. "Let's get started shall we? There are rules to this assignment, after all, this is supposed to be gradual and natural. So if we feel uncomfortable about a question that is asked, we're allowed to pass."

"Whatever." Jimin started, "I'll ask the first questions."

Yoongi had begun to answer every and any question Jimin had asked him. Not only wanting to complete this part of the assignment (as they were now a little behind the rest of the class) but to also give Jimin a chance to trust him. Giving up parts of his life and who he is should encourage Jimin to do the same, at least that's what he thought.

When it was Yoongi's turn to ask the question. Jimin began to get tenser and tenser as they pursued. Yoongi could feel himself getting more irritated as time passed. Yeah, Jimin was allowed to pass any questions he felt were too tough or invasive, but this was getting ridiculous.

"Date of birth?"

"Pass."

"Mother's name?"

"Pass."

"Father's name?"

"...Pass"

"Favourite colour?"

"Pa-"

"Oh for god's sake!" Yoongi bursts. "How the hell are we supposed to get anywhere with this assignment if you don't tell me shit?"

Jimin stared at Yoong, who had already stood up from the couch, his chest heaving slightly. The paper Yoongi had been holding was now clenched in his hands as he stared at Jimin with pointed eyes.

"I-." Jimin deflated, he felt himself getting to tired to argue. "I'm sorry."

"What's going on with you?" Yoongi asks softly, "Do you hate me enough to not want to share your favourite fucking colour?"

Yoongi thought back to his conversation with Jin and he was absolutely right. He can already hear Jin's "I told you so." in the back of his head. Jimin was the one standing now, he closed in on Yoongi and they now stood close enough that one more step would land each other in an embrace.

"I told you." Jimin seethed. "I don't fucking hate you."

Yoongi rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest. "Oh really? Well, you sure act like it. How the hell is it that I'm giving you everything there is to know about me and you can't even tell me when your damn birthday is?"

Jimin sighed, shaking his head. His eyes landed onto Yoongi's again and he could feel himself getting warmer, sinking deeper and deeper into the ocean that was the older's brown eyes. He wanted to tell him, he tried. But every time Jimin was about to come up with an answer his throat would close in on itself and his head would feel fuzzy. The reminder that anyone he'd ever tried to open up to always ends up leaving. Jimin hasn't made a new friend since elementary school and every time he tried, he ended up pushing them away without even realizing it or they end up getting sick of him enough that they decide it's better to walk away.

"I'm sorry, okay?" Jimin said. He didn't want to be angry right now, he knew that if he let his anger get the best of him there'll be no going back for either of them. He took a deep breath. He began to think, no matter how many times Jimin had tried to push Yoongi away, there was always something pulling them back. When he was alone he thought about Yoongi, when he was with his friends he thought about Yoongi. When he was with Yoongi, well, he thought about him then too.

It was weird and Jimin couldn't understand it. But regardless, he has to keep trying. Keeping Yoongi as far away as possible was going to be hard, especially with this "Friendship" assignment but he'll have to keep trying.

Jimin hadn't even realized how long the two were standing there before he felt warm arms wrap around his shoulders. Very suddenly, the scent of french vanilla began to shroud his senses, taking over his mind like a thick fog along a narrow street. Yoongi's chest was pressed against his own, his chin on his shoulder and his lips close to Jimin's ears. All the tense muscle in Jimin's body had turned to jello and he could almost feel his knees buckle. When was the last time someone touched him like this? For now, even though he knew it was wrong, he let his body melt into Yoongi's embrace and for the first time, Jimin's mind was completely clear.

"I know you're afraid of trusting people because you think they'll hurt you, or you'll hurt them. I used to think that too." Yoongi whispered into Jimin's ear, his hands weaving through the soft black hair at the back of his head. "But Jimin"
Wow his name sounds really good coming out of Yoongi's mouth
"-you have to understand that pushing people away gets you hurt too."

Jimin sighed, his head falling on to Yoongi's shoulder, his cheek resting on his collar bone. His voice was like wind chimes on a breezy day, a candlelit in darkness, a fireplace on a cold winter's night. It was everything safe and dangerous all at once. This was a bad idea, and letting Yoongi this close to him is not good for his health but maybe he should  let Yoongi have this one.

He hasn't had this good of a hug since his father-

Oh god.

Jimin gasped, taking his hands and placing his hands on Yoongi's chest and pushing away. This was bad, what kind of man lets another man hug him so closely, so intimately.

His mother would hit him for this behaviour. This was gross, unmanly, and fucking gay.

Jimin wasn't gay.

and he never will be. He can't believe he let Yoongi so fucking close to him. What the hell is wrong with them?

"Jimin?" Yoongi asked, looking concerned.

"Um." Jimin said, backing away slowly, his arms wrapping themselves across his chest. A defence mechanism he didn't even know he had. "We made some progress today. I think I'm gonna go."

Jimin turned around quickly before speed walking towards the door, not even bother to put on his shoes as he picks them up along with his jacket when he walks out the door. Yoongi sighed, plopping himself on the couch and taking a long hard stare at the empty plate of apples and water glasses on the table that was now half empty.

He leaned himself back, closing his eyes and recalling how Jimin smelled and felt against him in his memory.