Neon wasn't there when Yoongi's classes were over.

And he wasn't there the following day. Nor the next. Nor for several weeks.

The holiday season was in full swing now. The lights, red, white, and green everywhere, advertisements for toys and other Christmas gifts playing and repeating in Yoongi's head because it was impossible to escape them, regardless of where he went. Even if he were just inside, trying to watch YouTube, the ads always had something to do with the Christmas season. And he wasn't bitter, per say, but Yoongi had never cared much for the holidays and the overexposure was practically suffocating.

Luckily for him Yoongi didn't have a family he felt obligated to visit over the holidays. He did have one, still, but several cities over in Daegu, and he knew they wouldn't care if they ever saw him again.

Jeongguk was more important to him, anyway. Despite not seeing the big deal of Christmas, if it made his friend happy, then he could at least be thankful for that.

Except there was one issue. Christmas was less than a week away now, and Yoongi had yet to get Jeongguk and Hoseok a gift. Hoseok was the easiest person in the world to shop for, Yoongi could literally buy him a lamp shade and Hoseok would say, "just what I wanted!" every time, and with such a genuine attitude about it, too, so Yoongi wasn't really worried about him.

Jeongguk, on the other hand, could be just as stubborn as Yoongi.

"Christmas? Oh, hyung, it's fine, you don't have to get me anything. Treat yourself to something this year!"

Headache in a dessert shell. Was it really so hard to just pick something? Anything??

Of course, Yoongi knew Jeongguk would be equally as grateful as Hoseok to receive a lamp shade, but as the boy's best friend, he felt a greater desire to get him something special - as cheesy as that sounded.

So he always tried. Even though it was rarely easy.

One Saturday morning when Yoongi didn't have plans for the day, he made plans, and those plans were to go to every store in Seoul if necessary to find his stubborn friend a gift - out of spite, naturally.

There was a mall relatively near to his apartment building. Again, despite the cold, he urged himself to walk as it was the only exercise he ever got - gyms intimidated him. The expenses, the equipment, the men and women and their toned bodies, everything. So walking and the occasional sit-ups were it for Yoongi.

He left his apartment around eleven that morning - he'd get lunch while he was out. The temperature fell just a few degrees below freezing, so Yoongi took precautions and bundled up in two pairs of socks, a heavy sweater underneath his jacket, and the red wool scarf Hoseok had given him back in March for his birthday - made it himself, apparently.

And he needed it. It was only supposed to get colder this upcoming week, including Christmas day, where the temperature was expected to go down to -6°C (21°F). Could be a lot worse, he thought, but that didn't change how he wasn't fond of the cold weather.

Yoongi also wasn't fond of the fact that he couldn't quite put his thoughts of the neon dancer behind him. In this weather, especially, it bothered him. Because he kept thinking back weeks ago when he had found Neon sitting on the side of the street, unarguably underdressed for being outdoors this time of year.

Cold and hungry, Yoongi had found him. For all he knew Neon could still be that way.

It shouldn't have concerned him as much as it did - or, Yoongi should say, he wished it didn't concern him as much as it did. They were still strangers to one another. Just strangers. Neon was just a stranger.

A stranger about whom Yoongi had a lot of questions. Except Neon had made it very clear during their brief talk that he had no intention on answering any questions; however, such a thing had little success in quelling curiosity.

So Yoongi still wondered. Hated to do so, but he wondered. Where Neon might be in this bitter cold, out on the streets again with no food...

It didn't make sense to Yoongi.

The dancer had to have some money at least. Quite a few people had dropped in coins and bills into that case at the club, so he couldn't be entirely broke. Then again, Yoongi did consider the boy could be dealing with an addiction, prioritizing drugs or alcohol over food - as ridiculous as that sounded to someone like Yoongi, but it was a sad reality for some people. He hoped it wasn't the case. He wouldn't wish that upon anyone.

Struggling to push these thoughts aside, Yoongi attempted to focus on the task he had set for himself - buying a present for Jeongguk and Hoseok, who he actually knew, unlike Neon.

In his mind he cycled through previous years, recalling what he had picked out for his friends so he wouldn't get the same thing again. Last year, Yoongi had bought Hoseok a new coat and Jeongguk a new video game he had heard the boy mention on several occasions. Sadly, this year there was no such game so Yoongi had to try a little harder.

Again, not the easiest thing when it came to Jeongguk. That video game had been a lucky break.

Wracking his brain for ideas, Yoongi turned his face towards the ground as he walked down the sidewalk. He'd lift his head again upon reaching the crosswalk but right now it didn't seem like an issue to him that he wasn't entirely watching where he was going. He wouldn't run into anybody. He could see enough to manage that.

However, this didn't mean that everyone else watched where they were going.

Yoongi was too mentally preoccupied to take notice of the cyclist coming towards him.

They had been trying to pass by on Yoongi's side, clearly, but failed miserably and gave the unsuspecting male a harsh shove to the ground after "brushing" by a little too fast.

Yes, brushing was quite an understatement.

The impact itself was almost enough to give Yoongi a heart attack. Hitting the sidewalk didn't make him feel any better, bare hands scraping across its surface, one drawing blood while the other came out with just a faint mark. It hurt like the dickens, though, and Yoongi was sure he'd find bruises on himself later.

Now as for the person who had struck him...

Once he calmed his rapidly beating heart Yoongi soon found himself staring at the ghostly pale complexion of a handsome young man with honey brown hair crowning his forehead, eyes opened to their full capacity and flooded with regret. He outstretched his trembling hand and seemed to beg silently for Yoongi to take it. Yoongi did so with hesitance. Almost every nerve in his body urged him to lash out but the mature side of him evened out the impulsive rage with strict rationality.

The cyclist had thrown his bike to the side and now stood in front of Yoongi, his mouth gaping as he started making circular motions over his chest with his fist - then he stopped suddenly, shook his head, and started to speak.

"I'm, I'm so sorry, didn't pay attention...so sorry..."

His voice sounded a bit odd - unnatural, even. Yoongi squinted at him.

"I can tell," he said. "You should really ride your bike on the road, though. There's a bike lane for a reason."

The stranger froze with his mouth open. Soon, he pointed with one hand to his ear and shook his head again.

"Can't hear well," he explained after a moment. "Sorry." He repeated that earlier action of moving his fist over his chest.

"Oh." Yoongi nodded in understanding. "Uh..." Crap, I don't know any sign language...

"Uh, I feel-" The stranger held up his hand so as to get Yoongi's attention. "I feel bad," he said, brow furrowing as he pulled down the hem of his turtleneck. "I want to...make it up to you. Can I...uhm...buy you, uh, lunch? Somewhere?"

"T-that's not necessary-" You idiot, he can't hear well, why are you speaking??

"Please?"

It seemed the boy had gathered what the other was trying to say. Either that, or he felt the need to express his thoughts again while staring with even more intensity.

Burning intensity.

Yoongi swore there was a spotlight beaming down on him in that moment, cameras everywhere, the press surrounding him and watching his every move - 'is he gonna say no? Is he really going to turn down such a sweet offer? He'll break the boy's heart. Is this cold, heartless person going to turn down a handicapped individual who probably already struggles with life on the daily and now will have to suffer the guilt of knowing he ran into and injured someone??'

I'm not cold and heartless, Yoongi argued with the nonexistent press. Shut up.

Conflicted and angry with himself more than this boy, he dug into his jeans pocket to take out his phone, then typed out a message for the other to read.

—

If it makes you happy, then fine. But it's really not necessary.

—

He held his phone out to the boy - without realizing it, using the same hand that was now bleeding thanks to his collision with the sidewalk.

"Your hand!"

"It's fine, just needs washed off-" Really? Again? How dumb are you, Yoongi? He tore his phone away to type out what he had just spoken. Even still, after reading it, the other boy didn't appear any less uneasy.

"Bathroom, to wash it off, let's go."

There was a McDonald's just across the street. Without waiting for Yoongi's approval, the boy picked up his bike from the ground, took hold of Yoongi's wrist, then began leading them both towards the restaurant. Just outside the building he locked up his bike as hastily as possible - Yoongi could see the lock code was just 1234 - and rushed inside, making sure the other was still following him.

I can wash off a scrape myself, does he really need to go with me?

Again, the nonexistent press in his mind guilt-tripped him to simply go with it. So he said nothing as he ducked into the bathroom and immediately held his hands under running water. Really, it was his own fault for not wearing gloves. Yoongi had gotten into the habit of going without them, because taking off his gloves to use his phone was annoying and he couldn't find a pair of nice, cheap touch-screen ones anywhere.

"You okay?" The stranger's voice bled with more concern than Yoongi's hand did with blood. "It hurts, right? I'm sorry, so so so sorry..."

The scrape wasn't bad. Something a child would cry about for five minutes, then get over like it never happened.

Turning to the boy, Yoongi emphatically mouthed it's fine before tearing a paper towel from the dispenser to hold over the scrape.

"I'll buy you lunch."

He seemed so set on it. So determined, as though shame and regret for his carelessness would literally kill him if Yoongi didn't allow him this simple favor. So Yoongi nodded.

And straightaway the stranger's face lit up with this childlike joy that drew a sigh from the other.

If I don't get put on the nice list for this then Santa must be on something...

With that, the boy, who introduced himself then as Taehyung, eagerly held the bathroom door open for Yoongi to exit, then asked with the biggest grin on his face where Yoongi wanted to eat.

And he had to stare at the boy. "Here is fine." He gestured at the cashiers in case his lips weren't readable. Taehyung shook his head in opposition, expression turning sour again as he instinctively started to communicate in sign language before struggling with words.

"No, you don't...anywhere is fine." He turned his gaze towards the transparent windows. "I don't...uh, Jiminie didn't give me a whole lot to spend...now, but...he'll understand, 'cus I'm doing something for someone."

Resisting the urge to roll his eyes, Yoongi took out his phone again to type another message.

—

I want to eat here. This place is fine with me. I'm not too hungry, so just a burger is enough.

—

Taehyung read the message with saddened eyes. Lips pouted, he gave a brief nod and trudged dejectedly over to the front counter to wait in the short line.

A child, is he a child? Yoongi wondered. Even as the boy arrived to the front counter Taehyung glanced over his shoulder just to stick his bottom lip out even more. Then he called out.

"Do you like Coca Cola?!"

Yoongi felt his face burn with embarrassment as numerous pairs of eyes turned to him. He gave a thumbs-up and collapsed at a nearby empty booth.

Curse every kind bone in my body...

—-

end of chapter three.