The pictures took longer than he would have liked. Much longer. But Yoongi didn't have it in him to turn his aunt down this time, especially since she seemed so ecstatic he had approached her about the pictures in the first place. So he endured them. As agonizing a process as it was, Yoongi endured it for Sunggi's sake, he endured the flashing cameras, the plethora of repetitive comments the people nearby threw at both him and his aunt, he endured all the stories his aunt told about him, and the subtle ways she bragged about her nephew and how great and wonderful and talented he was...

Sometimes, he appreciated the kind remarks. But it was just too much. And he was too tired.

After what felt like hours later, Yoongi finally found just the right selection of words he could use to kindly excuse himself without his aunt drawing him back again. And as he made his way over to the food bar--it was surprisingly vacant at the moment--Yoongi took out his phone and glanced at the screen.

No new messages. And the time was 8:54 PM. It really has been hours...

Sighing for the hundredth time that evening, Yoongi took several steps over to where the desserts were and picked up a small piece of fudge. Then several more. Then he figured he might as well just make up a plate of desserts. He was starving, and despite not typically being a 'sweets person', they sounded awfully tempting right now. So he sluggishly scanned the dessert tables and began to pick a small variety of things to satisfy the hunger in his stomach. And it was a deep hunger. And he was exhausted. And so very thankful there wasn't a crowd of people at the food bar right now, because he was not in the mood to talk to anyone, not now, not for the rest of the night.

But just as he had started reaching for the chocolate covered something-or-other, Yoongi's ears picked up the faint sound of footsteps from behind him. And he just knew it, he knew that whoever this person was was here for him, to talk to him, to ruin his peace, to drain the last bit of energy he had left in him. So before that could happen, Yoongi spoke up. To save himself.

"Listen, I'm sorry, but I'm absolutely exhausted, so if you're not here for the food I'd appreciate if you would just leave me alone for now."

"Well, if you really want me to..."

It didn't sink in right away. That voice. But when it did, it sank deep, and the realization struck Yoongi like a blow to the head, and he spun around only to find none other than Jimin standing a mere few feet away. Park Jimin, dressed fully in his formal attire, suit, tie, glasses, the whole deal, was here. Jimin was here. And Yoongi didn't question it. No, he was so abruptly overwhelmed by relief and the sheer joy at the fact that Jimin had come to save him, that he didn't bother to question, at least not yet. He simply took those few steps that lay between them, and with his hand already outstretched Yoongi drew Jimin in for a kiss, crashing their lips in a way that made the use of words unnecessary. Jimin could so vividly feel everything Yoongi wanted to convey, and so he just let go of everything. He allowed Yoongi to hold him so tightly, pressing their bodies together, moving his lips against Jimin's own, and at one point, Jimin didn't even realize it at first, but Yoongi had slipped his tongue into his mouth, thus deepening the kiss and making Jimin's heart beat faster than it already was. It truly did catch him off guard. But he didn't mind. No, he just continued to melt into it, continued to melt into Yoongi, even as he felt his face catch fire.

They both needed to catch their breath at some point. So Yoongi finally pulled back, and with his own face quite red, he looked into Jimin's eyes. But the boy was still quite dazed. He didn't register Yoongi was now staring at him, and with quite a bit of concern, too.

"I-...I'm sorry, Jimin, was that too much?" He swallowed his breath nervously. "O-...oh, jeez, Jimin, your face is so flushed right now, I'm sorry..."

He really did feel guilty. Because he wondered for a moment if he were simply imagining it, or if Jimin's legs really were shaking right now. Regardless of the case, Yoongi decided it was best that the both of them sit down, so he took the boy's hand and guided him over to the nearest empty table. And Jimin immediately dropped his head against the table's surface. This, needless to say, startled Yoongi, and instinctively he reached out his hand to the boy, but he stopped upon hearing Jimin's muffled whine.

"Oh my gosh...you're trying to kill me..."

He tried not to laugh. But for whatever reason, Jimin's words and seemingly dramatic reaction were found by Yoongi to be quite amusing as well as adorable. He covered his mouth. However Jimin, in the midst of his embarrassment and distress, heard that soft laugh Yoongi had uttered and lifted his head to fire him an indignant glare. But then he saw Yoongi's fond smile peeking out from behind his left hand, and that quickly, the glare transformed into a soft gaze, and though he fought it a smile slipped its way onto Jimin's face.

"Jimin..." Yoongi paused for a long moment before continuing. "Why are you here? I mean, I'm not complaining, but what about those cousins of yours you were supposed to be babysitting? You didn't leave them alone, did you?"

Jimin's eyebrows raised suddenly, and he shook his head from side to side in strong opposition. "No! No, of course not, I wouldn't do that... Tae's there now. And Jungkook. I...I asked my uncle if he would mind if they took over, since there was somewhere I wanted to be, and he was okay with it. He knows Tae and trusts him enough to look after the kids. So then...well, Jin picked me up-"

"Seokjin did??"

"Yeah. He offered."

"What do you mean he offered?"

"Uh, w-well, it was Namjoon's idea in the first place for Tae to take my place, so I guess he told Jin about it and since Jin brought his car here he was able to...come pick me up."

Yoongi's eyes drifted away from Jimin and over to the table where he had last left Namjoon. Surely enough, as he expected, the blond was already looking in his direction, smiling widely and proudly. Yoongi furiously tore out his phone.

Yoongi:
u slimy son of a gun

Joonie:
what, no 'thank u joon'?
'i love u joon'?
'u da best friend eva joon'?
'i bestow upon thee my sincerest and utmost appreciation for the kindness thou hast shewn against me, joon'?

Yoongi:
i cant believe you'd do smth like this behind my back

Joonie:
r u mad at me??
i can't tell lmao
wait on second thought
nah u cant be mad

Yoongi:
dont sound so sure of urself

Joonie:
boi i saw u lmfao
guess that tongue of urs is good for more than just sassing tf out of me

Yoongi:
im deleting ur number

Joonie:
ngl it was kinda hot

Yoongi:
at the stroke of midnight im murdering u be prepared

Joonie:
mmm kay luv u mwah <3,,

In reality Yoongi wasn't mad at all--embarrassed, sure, especially knowing that Namjoon had seen him, had seen that, and probably Seokjin, too, and who knows who else, but he couldn't be mad. Namjoon had once again outdone himself for Yoongi's sake.

Scarcely withholding the urge to sigh again, Yoongi put his phone away. Jimin watched as he carefully slipped the device into the pocket of his suit jacket, then lifted his gaze to meet Jimin's. Tenderly. Yoongi smiled.

"You look absolutely beautiful, Jimin." He placed his elbow on the table, resting his chin in the palm of his hand. "And the blush on your cheeks. It's cute. It's really cute. Have I ever told you how much I love you? Gosh, I missed you so freaking much. No offense to my aunt but this night has been hell and you're just this heavenly light that eliminated my foul mood. I honestly can't put into words how glad I am that you're here right now."

"Yeah, you found another way to get the point across," Jimin spoke softly, shyly, as he glanced away. When he looked back again, he found that Yoongi's cheeks were now a noticeable shade of red, but his smile was still there, and perhaps even brighter now. And his eyes...Jimin could feel the affection pouring out of Yoongi's eyes and straight into his own. It was as though everything, everyone else had been pushed to the back of Yoongi's mind. Suddenly, however, he flinched and his gaze was diverted, as his phone had vibrated unexpectedly in his pocket. He let out a slow breath of annoyance and took out the device.

Joonie:
ive never seen someone so in love

Yoongi:
leave me alone and give seokjin attention u obnoxious walnut

Joonie:
we're actually gossiping about u rn
oh and he told me he caught u doodling jimin's name in your notebook one time in class lmfao i never thought u were the type
thats such a middle school thing to do

Yoongi:
he made that up
he was the one doodling ur name

Joonie:
awwwwwwww
even better
ok i'll leave u alone for now lmao

Yoongi was about to put his phone away when he received another message.

Handsome_face:
I CANT BELIEVE U SNITCHED ON ME

This time he turned it on airplane mode so that no more messages or calls could interrupt. With Jimin here, he no longer wanted any other distractions.

"Do you have any New Year's resolutions, Jimin?"

Jimin raised his eyebrows, taken aback at the fact that Yoongi of all people had asked him this question. But he found it oddly sweet. "Kind of," he said tentatively. "I mean, I didn't write a list or anything like some people do, but I have some things in mind."

"Such as?"

"Well, getting my license, for starters. And maybe going out to eat more. I usually just cook my own stuff but there are a lot of restaurants I kind of want to try...with you, of course. And some other things, but they're boring, so it's not important."

"You could still tell me-"

"So what are your New Year's resolutions?"

"I'm going to try dyeing my hair."

"Seriously?!"

Though he had jumped so quickly at the bait, a large part of Jimin honestly expected Yoongi to laugh and clarify that he was merely joking. Not so, it seemed, for he soon found the boy to be nodding his head in confirmation.

"Yeah, seriously," Yoongi said quietly. "I mean, I thought about it before, and I took time to consider it, and I thought, it's just something I wanna try. If I like it, I'll keep it, if I don't, I could always dye it black again. But while we're on the subject, what do you think?"

"About you dyeing your hair??"

Yoongi stifled a laugh at the strong reaction. "Yeah, what else?"

"W-well, of course I'd support you," Jimin stated firmly, giving Yoongi an equally firm nod. "Ah! But the important question now is what color..."

"I'll figure that out later," Yoongi whispered. And once again he slipped into the state of getting lost in Jimin's eyes. He couldn't help it. Jimin made it so easy to forget about everything else. And lose track of time. And not take notice of the fact that undesirable company was approaching at an undesirable rate.

"Well, color me impressed, Min Yoongi is having a conversation with someone other than his childhood sweetheart."

It was such a regrettably familiar voice, and the sound of it alone was enough to make Yoongi's stomach shrink in on itself. He pursed his lips and turned gradually to face the one now hovering over the table. A tall fellow, well-dressed, just like everyone else at this party, but his slicked back hair was especially nice however only to some people, while Yoongi just found it awfully douchey-looking and wanted to shave it off so that he never had to look at it.

"Jaeseong."

"Ah, so you remember my name?" Jaeseong placed a hand over his heart. "I'm touched. With how many people try to get your attention at these parties, I wouldn't be surprised if you forgot most of them. Especially someone as uncaring as you. So I must say, I'm honored you remembered mine. Have I left an impression on you, dear Yoongi?"

The blatant sarcasm oozing from the man's voice was nothing short of obnoxious, and knowing that it was intentional made it worse. Yes, by now Yoongi was more than aware of Jaeseong's unfavorable opinion of him. Did he care? Not one bit. But did the man still annoy the living daylights out of Yoongi? Absolutely.

"Why don't you go bother someone who's got time to waste on you? I'm busy, can't you see?"

"Busy?" Jaeseong gave a harsh scoff. "With what, might I ask? Or rather, who? Who is this new face with you?"

"Mm. Hardly any of your business."

"Such a child, you are," Jaeseong said with a frown, but as he turned towards Jimin a smile became perched upon his lips. "You're quite handsome. Are you a relative of Yoongi's I don't know of? I don't believe I've ever seen you at any of Miss Sunggi's New Year's parties before."

"That's 'cause he's never been to one before."

"I was asking him, Yoongi. Or can't he speak?"

"I can sp-"

"He's mute."

"I'm not mute, Yoongi-"

"Just pretend you are, Jimin, it's for the b-"

"Ah, so Jimin's the name, is it?" Jaeseong hummed softly to himself, feeling rather pleased his ears had picked up that quiet whisper. "So then, Jimin, what's your relationship with Yoongi? Is he paying you to sit with him so he doesn't have to socialize?"

"Paying me?" Jimin found it in himself to chuckle at this comment. "Hardly. He'd have to pay to keep me away, honestly."

Jaeseong furrowed his brow, visibly discontent with the response he received. He had hoped for an immediate agreement, or something close, but nevertheless he wasn't about to give up in his efforts and dug deeper.

"Charming. Say, why isn't Namjoon with you, Yoongi?"

"He's busy."

"Busy?" He glanced over his shoulder and peered behind him at the table located afar off yet within sight, where the man in question was currently engaged in what appeared to be a riveting conversation with Seokjin. "And who is that fine specimen with him?"

"Don't be a creep," Yoongi scowled, "that's Namjoon's boyfriend."

"Boyfriend??" The faintest of laughs escaped Jaeseong's mouth. Though the words that followed made it clear it had been coated in spite. "He abandoned you, huh?" Shaking his head apathetically, the man clicked his tongue against his teeth several times. "What a pity. Can't say I'm surprised, though. Namjoon always did seem like an intelligent person. I was wondering when he'd leave you."

Jimin couldn't believe his ears. More than that, he hated to believe his ears. Hated to think that someone would think such terrible things about Yoongi, and about Yoongi's best friend, who he honestly wished were here at this moment to stand up for Yoongi, because it was clear Yoongi wasn't about to defend himself on the matter. But since Namjoon wasn't here, Jimin knew it was up to him. Even if he didn't have to do or say anything, he wanted to.

"I guess you don't know Yoongi very well," Jimin said with a forced smile, which triggered Jaeseong to turn towards him another time. "He's a sweetheart once you get to know him. Right, Yoongi?"

"Jimin, you don't have to s-"

He was shut up instantly once Jimin boldly leaned over to him and kissed him--a short kiss it was, but sweet, and this inexplicable confidence of Jimin's was undeniably attractive to the point where Yoongi couldn't hide his blush even if he tried.

And Jaeseong's reaction. Oh, Jaeseong's reaction made the whole thing a million times sweeter.

The man's eyes were opened almost to their full capacity, mouth ajar in unadulterated shock at what he had just witnessed, what he was doubting he had just witnessed.

"Y-...no." Jaeseong's eye twitched and he shook his head in disbelief. "You're messing with me. You really are paying him, aren't you, Yoongi??"

"You and I both know I'm not that desperate."

"Yoongi, what's that supposed to mean??"

"No, Jimin, I wasn't insulting you, I just meant I'm not that desperate for affection that I'd go as far as paying money to get it."

"Oh." Jimin chuckled at himself for the misunderstanding and his smile returned in full. "Yeah, you wouldn't have to, anyway. You could be the poorest man in South Korea and I'd still have fallen for you."

In order to adequately describe just how satisfying it was to see the look of complete and utter defeat on Jaeseong's face, it would have taken him all night, and possibly a little longer still. In the past, Yoongi had managed to make several comments to Jaeseong that had left him at somewhat of a loss, but nothing, nothing could compare to the sheer level of speechlessness Jimin had rendered him now. It was priceless. So priceless, in fact, that Yoongi was tempted to pull out his phone and snap a picture of Jaeseong's face. And he yielded to that temptation.

"Oh, this'll be great to show Joon. Jimin, take a look at this."

"Ooh, the camera quality is great."

"Isn't it? Apple technology has come far."

"Wait, you have an Apple phone? I could've sworn you told me it was Samsung."

"No, I've never owned a Samsung phone in my life. Maybe you're confusing me with Taehyung."

"Nah, Tae uses Apple, too. He's hated Samsung ever since Steve Jobs died."

"...does Taehyung blame Samsung for Steve Jobs's death or something?"

"Yeah. I don't know how to tell him Lee Byungchul is innocent."

"He's so strange..."