It was only the second day, and yet to Yoongi, it seemed as though school had been going on for weeks now. Then again this was normal. Days hardly ever passed by quickly for him. All the more so since Namjoon hadn't been around for him to talk to. Of course, Jimin talked to him, and it goes without saying that this did anything but help Yoongi, whose chest felt tight every time that boy smiled at him.

Yoongi had wanted to visit Namjoon today. Although once classes were all over for the day, he remembered that he was scheduled to work. Wonderful.

He stepped outside and paused by the entrance gate to check his phone--not that he expected his friend to have texted him in the past six hours, but he figured he would at least let Namjoon know what he was doing. Because he knew Namjoon cared.

Yoongi: hey. just to remind u i'm not heartless, i was gonna stop by to say hi, but i have to work

Joonie: i literally just woke up from a two hour nap lol i had a nice dream

Joonie: and it's alright, yoongs, when do u work till

Yoongi: 9:30

Joonie: thats not too late. we'll talk when u get home then. sound good?

Yoongi: sure

Namjoon always responded straightaway. A little thing that meant a lot to him.

Yoongi sighed as he slipped his phone into his back pocket, running a lazy hand through his hair and breathing in the crisp air. March 4th, it was, only sixteen days until spring and only five days until his birthday. And though he cared little for the occasion, his parents and Namjoon did love to make a big deal out of it. Just last year, his mom and dad took him out to a nice restaurant, and his good friend bought for him an expensive coat he had secretly been wanting. Well, it wasn't really a secret. Namjoon had seen how the coat had caught Yoongi's eye one time as they had passed it by being displayed in a store window. And Namjoon's skill and charisma at his part-time job earned him a pretty penny, which he had no issue with spending on others. He loved his job at the mall, too, so that made it even more rewarding.

Now Yoongi, on the other hand, worked at an ice cream shop several miles from that mall. He wouldn't particularly have said he hated working there, but he didn't really like it either.

The shop, called Busan Parlor, was quite popular among kids and teenagers in the area, with its bright attractive colors, and the pop music that constantly played for the customers' enjoyment. Not to mention the ice cream there was pretty good too. Even Yoongi thought so, and he didn't eat sweet things often.

One short bus ride later and he was there, standing in front of the transparent, red framed door through which he could see one of his coworkers cleaning tables. Not many customers were here now. But that would change before long. This was a popular hangout spot after all.

Yoongi pushed open the door and walked inside.

"Min Yoongi!"

His coworker, a short blonde girl who had on a new shade of lipstick every time he saw her, lifted her head to greet Yoongi eagerly. She tucked a washcloth into her apron and skipped over to him, smiling and looking a bit too happy for Yoongi's comfort. He took a step away from her.

"Yoongi, did you hear that some boy applied for a job here??" The girl, whose name was Jaeun, stared at Yoongi with sparkling eyes. He squinted at her.

"I didn't hear anything about it."

"Yeah, apparently he was interviewed the other day, and he got the job," she told him. Her voice bubbled with excitement. "He's starting today."

"...okay."

"Yoongi, he's so cute. Like, the cutest." She held her tiny hands up to her glossy pink lips. "He's in the back room right now."

Yoongi held his breath for a moment. "Does he have orange hair?"

"No."

Oh, thank goodness. It's not Jimin. He breathed out a sigh of relief. "Good for him. Now if you'll excuse me, Jaeun, I have a register to run--"

The door burst open. Not the front door, but the door to the back room, where the "new recruit" Jaeun was referring to had been till this very moment. He now stood at the doorway with his hands placed proudly upon his hips, thin red lips bent upward into an hopeful smile, round, pale cheeks puffed out. With his delicate-looking fingers he combed the barn red hair which hung neatly over a pair of light but ambitious eyebrows. He was wearing a school uniform, Yoongi noted, beneath their shop's blue and green apron. This boy was a student; moreover, a student who went to the same school as Yoongi.

"Hello!"

The new employee's sunny voice struck Yoongi's ears without warning. He pretended not to notice the boy waving at him, instead walking behind the counter to retrieve his apron and begin work. Unfortunately for him, however, this new guy was persistent.

"I'm Hoseok, Jung Hoseok, but you can call me..." He struck a strange pose. "...Hobi."

"Can I call you obnoxious and not talk to you for the rest of the day?"

"Aw."

Despite the rude comment, Hoseok wasn't offended at all--if anything he seemed to find Yoongi quite amusing. He opened his mouth, about to ask of the mint-haired boy's name, when all of a sudden he stopped and gasped as a new song began playing, one that Yoongi, oddly enough, recognized.

"Jin," Hoseok whispered. Jaeun gasped as well.

"You know Worldwide Handsome?"

"Everyone knows Worldwide Handsome," he responded, beaming. Then with a spring in his step Hoseok spun around, soon to dance his way back the way he had come so that he could actually start working. The door shut. Yoongi and Jaeun heard him start to sing, loudly. And while Jaeun found every action of Hoseok's adorable, Yoongi could already feel himself dreading the days to come.

----

"Good work today, Yoongi. You can go home now, we'll finish up here."

"Thanks, Mr. Kim."

At exactly 9:30, Yoongi handed in his apron and left Busan Parlor, catching the next bus that would pass by his house. He found an empty seat quickly and took this time to text Namjoon.

Yoongi: on a scale from one to ten

Joonie: 7. i'll be in tomorrow, yoongs, dont worry

Joonie: so how was work

Yoongi: my boss just hired a new guy, sad times for me

Yoongi: you'd love him, tho, he seems like a huge fan of Worldwide Handsome

Joonie: hey, just cuz Kim Seokjin is the love of my life doesn't mean I would get along w/ all his fans

Yoongi: u kinda have to don't u. i mean u practically lead his fanclub

Joonie: oh shutup ur a fan too

Yoongi: his music is okay i admit but at least I don't have a shirt with his face on it

Joonie: Yoongs wth u bought that for me

Yoongi: thats cuz u added it to ur amazon wishlist don't turn this against me

Joonie: whtvr u afjdslae

Yoongi: what

Joonie: sry i sneezed loool

As soon as Yoongi arrived home, he took a quick shower and went straight for the kitchen to make himself a very late dinner. His stomach growled with the empty feeling of not having eaten in nine hours, the last meal being the delicious, mouth-watering gimbap Jimin had made for him. Somehow, thinking about how good that had tasted made Yoongi's ramen seem like flavorless slop. But he ate it anyway, striving not to think of the boy as he went back to texting his friend.

Joonie: so whats been happening at school yoongs

Looks like he would have to think about him.

Yoongi: things

Yoongi: joon do u know someone named Park Jimin

Joonie: no

Joonie: ooooh did my yoon-yoon make a friend

Yoongi: no thats not it it's just

Yoongi: i don't know

Yoongi: he's

Yoongi: i don't know he made me gimbap and it was amazing, maybe im having trouble explaining myself cuz i keep thinking about it

Joonie: whoa whoa whoa hold up he made u gimbap

Joonie: who in the world is this park jimin and why would he make u gimbap

Joonie: yoongs does he have a crush on u

Yoongi: no u fool. he ran into me yesterday (quite literally) and insisted on making it up to me, so he asked if i liked gimbap or bulgogi better and i said gimbap and so thats what he made

Joonie: ok

Joonie: and

Yoongi: joon he's really pretty and nice and im scared

Joonie: i'll be in tomorrow

Yoongi: promise?

Joonie: promise

------

And he kept his promise. Though not in 100% condition, Namjoon felt decent enough to get out of bed and go to school, taking precautions, however, by bundling up in a thermal coat and thick scarf and wearing a face mask to prevent spreading germs. Yoongi walked to his house early in the morning just like usual. A wave of relief washed over him upon seeing his friend at the doorstep of his own house, sandy blonde bedhead, thin black glasses which he wore when he didn't feel like wearing contacts.

"Morning, Yoongs."

"Mornin'," Yoongi replied quietly.

"Did you miss it?"

"What?"

"Me going to school with you. I know ya missed me."

Yoongi scoffed, giving his cheeky friend a push on his way. "It's been two days," he muttered. "Don't get full of yourself."

Namjoon chuckled at Yoongi's reaction, a dry cough crawling up his throat, which made the other boy look back at him, concerned.

"I'm good, I'm good," he insisted. There was a pause. "...actually, can we stop somewhere? I could really go for a coffee right now."

Without uttering a word, Yoongi set their course for the quaint little coffeeshop conveniently located on the way to school. It opened early, early enough that they often made trips here in the mornings before things got too busy. It had a tranquil atmosphere, soft and relaxing music, and it always smelled absolutely delightful in there, with freshly brewed coffees and teas drifting delicately throughout the small store. Always quiet. Always peaceful. Yoongi loved it there.

"Jimin, I freaking told you! See?! It happened again! Who is buying me chai teas??"

The second he had opened the door a crack, Yoongi instantly regretted coming here. He knew that voice. It was Kim Taehyung's, and it just so happened that Yoongi's tolerance levels were considerably lower than normal in the mornings. He put a hand on Namjoon's shoulder.

"Let's go somewhere e-"

"Yoongi?"

Crap. That's Jimin's voice.

Next thing he knew, Yoongi was being guided into the coffeeshop by the hands of his best friend, who A.) really did not want to miss out on his coffee this morning, or B.) wanted nothing more than to spite Yoongi by forcing him to interact socially with the very people he was trying to avoid. Whatever be the case, Yoongi struggled to restrain himself from jabbing Namjoon in the side.

"Yoongi, good morning!" Jimin's cheerful words and pleasantly surprised tone made Yoongi shrink into himself. He avoided the boy's gaze, which shifted for a moment over to Namjoon. "You must be the friend he mentioned. Sorry," he laughed shyly, "I don't think he told me your name."

"Kim Namjoon" He shook Jimin's hand, then offered the same gesture to Taehyung, who squinted at him.

"Taehyung." He took a long, loud sip of his chai tea. "Don't remember seein' you around."

"I've been sick these past two days," Namjoon explained briefly, gaze wandering over to the counter where an unoccupied barista almost appeared to be waiting for him. He slowly peeled his hands from Yoongi's shoulders and started to walk away, but not before saying, "I'll be right back, Yoongs, baby, you be good now."

Yoongi wanted to murder his best friend. Just a little bit. Unfortunately, however, Namjoon had turned his back to him before catching sight of the death glare Yoongi fired his direction.

"You two seem close."

Yoongi made a face, clenching his fists as he pretended not to hear Jimin's warm, repressed laughter. "I guess so," he said, and he shrugged so as to fill the gap after his brief response.

"Yoongs, americano or espresso?!"

He felt his face grow a bit warm with embarrassment.

"Espresso."

"Okay!!"

As if Namjoon shouting at him from four feet away wasn't enough, the smile on Jimin's face had not yet faded, something Yoongi wished he weren't so observant of.