Chapter 15

Midterms were coming up and Yoongi was stressed. Sure the boy was stressed, he has no time to study since he has a job!

He nervously tapped his shoe, he doesn't know how to manage his time. Jimin, who was sitting beside him, was curious at the nervous boy. "What the hell are you nervous about?" Said the curious boy.

"A-Ah nothing, really." Yoongi tried to brush it off and looked away.

"Just tell me, it's okay. It's not like I'm listening to the lesson, anyway?"

"Aih, it's just... the midterms are coming up and i dont think I can study since I have work." Yoongi trails off.

"O-Oh? Then don't go to work-"

"That's not how it goes, Jimin. You're lucky you don't get to experience things like this." Yoongi remarks, crossing his shoulder letting his body sink on his chair.

"Well, how lucky me I get to experience shits before experiencing paradise, huh? What a great gift from God." Jimin said, slightly offended by his statement. There was a hint of annoyance and sarcasm in his voice.

Yoongi's heart sank, he realized his words were a bit off to him. He just looked away and pretended nothing happened, whereas the other, he was still furrowing his eyebrows wondering how could the other say that when he was just trying to help? How could Yoongi say that when he already know all the whole story to Jimin's life?

****

The cafeteria was buzzing with the usual lunchtime chatter. Yoongi and Jimin sat at the long table with their friends, but there was a noticeable tension between them. The rest of the group could sense it immediately.

Hoseok, always the jokester, decided to break the ice. "Hey, Jennie, did you hear about the math teacher who’s afraid of negative numbers?"

Jennie raised an eyebrow, playing along. "No, what about him?"

"He’ll stop at nothing to avoid them!" Hoseok said with a dramatic flourish.

The group erupted in laughter, except for Yoongi and Jimin, who exchanged quick, tense glances before looking away.

Namjoon, ever the observer, leaned in and whispered to Jin, "I think our dynamic duo is having a spat."

Jin smirked, whispering back, "Couple fight?"

Namjoon nodded. "Definitely a couple fight."

Taehyung, sitting across from Yoongi, decided to stir the pot. "Hey, Yoongi, pass me the salt."

Yoongi, lost in his thoughts, didn’t respond immediately. Jungkook nudged him. "Yoongi-hyung, Taehyung asked for the salt."

Startled, Yoongi handed over the salt shaker. "Oh, sorry, Tae."

Jimin rolled his eyes, his irritation palpable. "Can’t even pass the salt properly now?"

The group fell silent for a moment before Hoseok, always the one to lighten the mood, jumped in. "Ooooh, did you guys hear that? Sounds like someone’s sleeping on the couch tonight!" He joked. (This is just an expression, Yoongi and Jimin are not living in one roof in case you're confused)

Jennie giggled. "Couple fight! Couple fight!"

Jimin glared at Yoongi, who just sighed and looked away. The rest of the group exchanged amused glances.

Jungkook, trying to help, said, "Come on, guys, it’s just a little disagreement. No need to make it awkward."

Taehyung chimed in, "Yeah, let’s talk about something else. Like, did you guys see Jin’s latest dance moves on TikTok?"

Jin’s eyes widened. "You saw that? I thought I deleted it in time!"

Namjoon chuckled. "Too late, man. Once it’s on the internet, it’s forever."

The group laughed, and even Yoongi and Jimin cracked small smiles despite themselves.

Jimin, trying to shift the focus, said, "So, Yungmin, any new tattoos planned?"

Yungmin's face lit up. "Actually, yes! I’ve been thinking of getting a dragon wrapped around my arm. What do you guys think?"

The conversation flowed naturally from there, with everyone chiming in with their opinions and suggestions for Yungmin's new tattoo. The mood lightened, and soon the whole table was filled with laughter and banter again.

Hoseok, sensing the tension between Jimin and Yoongi was still there but lessened, decided to poke fun one more time. "Hey, Yoongi, Jimin, you guys need to kiss and make up already. It’s killing the vibe."

Yoongi blushed slightly, and Jimin rolled his eyes, but the edges of his lips twitched upwards. "Yeah, yeah, Hoseok. We’ll get right on that," he joked.

"Yah! Don't even think about it, punk," Yungmin butted in and smacked Jimin as he just laughed.

"I was just joking! We're both guys, for crying out loud," he said, trying to explain.

"Oooh, Yungmin's getting all protective of his brother," Jin teased as the other scoffed.

"Come on, that's just disgusting, guys. Two boys? Kissing and doing stuff like couples do?" Yungmin made a disgusted face as the whole group could only laugh awkwardly.

On the other hand, Yoongi hung his head low, guilt starting to succumb him. His own brother, who had known him since diapers, was against guys being together. I mean, what was wrong with that?

****

Yoongi looked at the clock again as he muttered a curse. He'd be late for work, again! He grabbed anything valuable and headed out. He stopped as soon as he stepped out of the building; Jimin's car was perfectly parked there!

"Why would he come here—" He was cut off by a voice beside him.

He looked to see who it was; it was Jimin who was leaning against the wall with crossed arms, still with angry eyes. "Come with me."

"What? No way! I'm late for work!" he said, walking off, but Jimin grabbed his hand and yanked him, pulling him closer.

"Come with me. There's an extra t-shirt in the car; change there," he said, looking into the other's eyes.

"W-what? Let me go, Jimin. I'm gonna go to work. I have to make money—"

With that, Jimin carried him by his shoulders, making Yoongi yelp. "HEY! PUT ME DOWN! AAAHH! HELP!!!" Yoongi tried to scream and smack the other's back.

Jimin put him in the shotgun seat, closed the door, and hurriedly went to the driver's seat as he locked all the doors. Yoongi could only cross his arms and pout. "Fucking kidnapper."

"A handsome fucking kidnapper," Jimin said, correcting him.

****

"We're here!" Yoongi woke up from his sleep when he heard Jimin scream. He jolted and looked at the surroundings.

"Library?"

Jimin went to the back to get their books from school, their handouts, and some school supplies. He carried them and gestured for Yoongi to go inside, and the other obliged.

As they stepped in, they were greeted by a strawberry mixed with a paper-like scent. They soon found a place to sit as Jimin placed their things on the table.

"What about work? I won't get paid, my rent is due and—"

"Such a rapper. Don't worry about it. You'll still get paid even though you won't go."

"Hello? How does that happen?"

"I'm your boss, dumbass."

****

They settled into their seats, books and handouts spread out before them. Yoongi couldn't help but feel a little overwhelmed by the sheer amount of material they had to cover.

Jimin started flipping through his notes, already focused on the task at hand. "Alright, let's start with math. We need to go over these equations."

Yoongi nodded, trying to concentrate. "Yeah, okay."

For the next hour, they worked in relative silence, only breaking it to ask questions or clarify points. Yoongi couldn't shake the lingering guilt from their earlier argument, and it was eating away at him. He finally took a deep breath and decided to address it.

"Jimin, I'm sorry about what I said earlier," Yoongi said quietly, not looking up from his notes.

Jimin paused, his pen hovering over his paper. "It's fine, Yoongi. Let's just focus on studying."

"No, it's not fine. I know I hurt your feelings, and I didn't mean to. I just... I'm stressed out about everything," Yoongi admitted, finally meeting Jimin's eyes.

Jimin sighed, leaning back in his chair. "I get it, Yoongi. We're all stressed. But you can't just say stuff like that. It hurts."

"I know, and I'm really sorry." Yoongi asked, his voice soft and sincere.

Jimin looked at him for a moment before nodding. "You owe me a lot of snacks."

Yoongi chuckled, relieved. "Deal. Now let's get back to these proponents we have to review."

"We should come here more often when exams are coming. This is such a big place. How'd you find this library?" Yoongi asked, looking at Jimin in amusement.

"You seriously never went here before? This place is hella famous. You've been living under a rock," Jimin said, smacking Yoongi's head with a pen.

"H-Hey! I have not! I'm fun!"

"Sure you are, muffin," Jimin said, making Yoongi blink slowly in disbelief and make a disgusted face.

"What the hell did you just call me?"

"Muff—ahh!" Before Jimin could finish, Yoongi wrapped his arms around Jimin's neck playfully, pulling him close. "Who's the muffin now, huh?" he teased.

Jimin, being stronger, easily tackled Yoongi, their faces ended up just a few inches apart. They both froze for a moment, the playful banter forgotten as they stared at each other.

"Uh, ehem?" someone nearby cleared their throat, snapping them back to reality.

They quickly separated, both blushing furiously. Jimin awkwardly scratched the back of his head while Yoongi tried to regain his composure.

"Let's, uh, get back to studying," Yoongi mumbled, trying to hide his embarrassment.

Jimin nodded, still a bit flustered. "Yeah, good idea."