Work Text:
3:00 pm, don’t forget!
Jimin stared at the message his sister sent him that morning, as he rushed into the afternoon subway traffic to get to the fire station. Of all days his sister needed him for a favor, it had to be today.
Jimin hadn't gone on a date in a while, ever since his last break up a year ago as he felt he needed time to reconnect with his inner self. His past relationship ended badly, slowly, like a rock dwindling under a gentle stream. Jimin knew they were never meant to be but they had been together since high school and he felt like he owed it to his younger self to try and make it work.
Now five years older and one year single he was finally ready to let himself go on a blind date and his sister decided it was time to ask him to pick up his nephew from a field trip. Which meant he risked the chance of being extremely late for his date.
As soon as he was able to, Jimin shot a message to his best friend and blind date orchestrator, Tae, letting him know he was going to be late. That Tae should let the guy from the blind date know that he may be late or not make it at all.
Jimin took a turn at the corner and the fire station came into view, he checked his watch and let out a long breath; ‘3:01’, He was not late.
The closer he walked he could see a group of 4 year olds and their teachers surrounding two men, who were clearly handing out things to them. The rest of the parents were waiting for them to finish on the side, so Jimin opted to join them.
Standing there Jimi let himself catch his breath and finally took a look around the place. The two men surrounded by the children, presumably firefighters, struck out as very familiar to Jimin, though all he could see was their backs.
As soon as the teachers announced the end of the field trip, the kids started to scout around, trying to find their parents.
“Uncle Minnie!!!” Jimin smiled at the sight of his 4 year old nephew running towards him, he looked so happy.
He crouched on one knee to receive the little man in his arms. He would never say this to his sister’s face, but giving birth to this little bundle of joy was the best gift she could have ever given him.
“Seungie!! How is my little overachiever?”
The little boy giggled in his arms and started pointing everywhere.
“We came to see the fireman Minnie! We saw where they work and train and the captain even gave me his hat!”
“Oh did he? That’s… I'm not sure we can keep that, bub一”
“Really he did! He also showed us what to do in case of a fire! And we saw a video of them, Captain Min is so cool!!”
“That’s awesome! I'm so glad you had so much fun! We should be going though, you’ve got everything?” He took another look at his watch, maybe he can make it to the date afterall.
“Seung-ah!” Both Jimin and his nephew turned to the voice calling out for the little man. “I believe this is yours, you can't be a firefighter without it!”
Jimin froze in place, eyes stuck on the man’s face as he gave his nephew a jacket with the firefighter logo that said ‘I survived my first firetruck drive!’ on it. It was a tiny version of the uniform firefighters use, it was adorable and Seung clearly loved it.
But all Jimin could do was look in shock at the man in front of him, same feline eyes, heart shaped lips, same gummy smile, same fit body, only now it looks like he works out every single day and not just for basketball practice. His shoulders wider and his hair longer, tied in a half bun. But it was him, Jimin would recognize him anywhere.
Min Yoongi, basketball captain of his high school team, two years his senior. Jimin’s first crush and first kiss. It was a short fling right before Yoongi graduated, they hung out together a lot, made out a lot. But they never made it official.
Jimin had never said it out loud, but he always felt he had unfinished business with Yoongi, he felt heartbroken. Even if it was a mutual agreement, what he felt for Yoongi in that short period of time, he had never felt it again. Not even with his ex.
Yoongi was too occupied with his nephew to look his way, and all of the sudden Jimin felt the need to run. Run far away so he wouldn't have to face that cruel rejection again.
“Uncle Minnie see? I can be a firefighter now!” Seung said and Jimin felt the instant Yoongi’s eyes lay on him.
Yoongi held his breath for a brief moment. As if he couldn’t believe his eyes, as if he couldn’t believe Park Jimin was standing right in front of him holding that little boy’s hand. His eyes seemed to scan Jimin's every detail, his hair, his clothes, his eyes framed by his glasses, the shock in his expression.
“Jimin?” Yoongi's voice was deep and rough. “Park Jimin?”
“H-hey, Yoongi-ssi? H-how? Wow I didn't know you were back in Seoul and that you were a firefighter!”
“Well, yeah… I ehm…” Jimin realized that Yoongi was equally lost for words, this meeting catching them both by surprise.
Jimin was under the impression that Yoongi left for Seoul to pursue his father’s dreams of him inheriting the business. That was one of the main reasons they let their kindling affections be put out, as they were destined to live in completely different worlds. To meet Yoongi again, not as an entrepreneur, but as a firefighter, was a shock.
Their moment was filled with searing silence, Jimin’s head filled with many questions and Yoongi looking like he wanted to crawl away in shame, until一
“Uncle Minnie, you know Captain?” A little voice brought them out of their stupor, it was like a breath of fresh air for the two men.
The boy was looking at both of them with curiosity, which made Jimin smile.
“Actually, we went to high school together.” He said to his nephew with a smile that didn't reach his eyes. “Captain, eh?” Jimin smirked, he couldn't help himself, old habits die hard; he always loved teasing the older.
“It's a long story…” Yoongi said, averting his eyes, seemingly lost in thought. Jimin could understand, a reunion like this probably wasn’t in Yoongi’s cards this year. But Jimin couldn’t help but be hopeful, maybe this is a sign.
Maybe he should ask him to meet him after his shift so they could talk, so they could catch up, blind date be damned. He had so many things to tell him, so many things he wished to ask and he hoped Yoongi felt the same way too.
A notification sounded from Yoongi’s watch, after quick deliberation the older man started excusing himself, citing he had somewhere to be after his shift. All ideas of inviting Yoongi died in their tracks for Jimin. Maybe not…
“I see…” Jimin said, frozen in his spot, giving no sign of him wanting to leave, unsure what to do next.
Everyone had either gone back home or were back inside the station. Yoongi couldn't stall much more, especially since he had a previous commitment to attend right after work. Jimin understood Yoongi had to complete his shift if he wanted to be there on time.
Still…
Jimin took a deep breath, and gave Yoongi a smile. Before Jimin could say anything he was interrupted by a phone call from Tae. His friend is probably ready to scold him over entertaining the idea of cancelling on his blind date. Jimin was a bit conflicted, he knew he had to leave, but at the same time he wanted to talk to Yoongi more, to catch up with him, to ask him if he still…
“You should get that,” the firefighter said, his face neutral but his voice uneven.
“Yeah, I probably should…” Jimin said almost in a whisper. He couldn’t take his eyes off Yoongi, and the older clearly couldn’t take his eyes off him either. They stayed like that for what seemed hours, just looking into each other's eyes, trying to find something in there neither of them was ready to find.
“Uncle Minnie, I’m hungry!” The little voice of his nephew brought Jimin back to reality.
“W-what? Oh yeah right sorry, Seungie, yeah we gotta go!” Jimin gave his nephew a reassuring smile and turned to Yoongi. “It was great seeing you again, Yoongi-ssi.”
Yoongi shook his head, snapping out of his trance. “Yeah, likewise Jimin-ssi,” He turned to the little boy and ruffled his hair, “Nice meeting you today Seung-ah, be good to your uncle.” He waved at them and turned away.
“Yes Captain!" The boy said with joy.
Yoongi was walking slowly, his head lowered seemingly lost deep in thought. Jimin couldn’t help but giggle, finding the scene endearing and familiar. Jimin couldn’t help but wonder if Yoongi was thinking about him, alas he can’t ponder over it any longer, he had to get moving.
Then Yoongi abruptly turned around and called out to him, “Jimin-ssi.”
“Yeah?” Jimin turned around faster than he should have. In truth Jimin didn’t want to leave, he didn’t want to go on a blind date.
Seeing Yoongi again woke up something in him he didn’t know he had; curiosity, he wanted to know about the older man's life, what he had been up to all these years, if he was seeing someone, if he had a family. Why was he a firefighter and not a business man running his father’s company abroad like he said he would. Why did he leave? Why didn’t he fight to be with him as much as he claimed to want him? Why did he walk away?
Jimin’s eyes roamed all over Yoongi’s face, searching for something that would say stay. All the older needed to say was one word and he would drop his nephew home, and get back here to meet him. The phone rang again, and Jimin cursed to himself, fuck his blind date and his friend for setting it up.
Yoongi’s eyes were full of warmth. They moved softly from his face to his pocket and instead of saying what his eyes were reflecting, Yoongi smiled. “You have a wonderful nephew, Jimin-ssi, see you around.”
And with that he went inside the station. Jimin watched him disappear, his feelings reminiscent of the same way he felt all those years ago.
Heartbreak.
He let out the breath he didn’t know was holding and gave Seung the sweetest smile he could come up with.
“Let’s go bub, I gotta get ready for dinner and you need to get home.”
********
“I think I’m just going to leave, I don’t feel like going in.”
“It’s just one date, it doesn’t need to mean anything, just see it as getting free food!” Tae said on the other side of the line.
Jimin had been doubting the whole date ever since he saw Yoongi that afternoon. All that he could think about was the firefighter, his long hair and how he let him walk away again.
“I just don’t think I want to meet anyone today Tae, I told you seeing Yoongi again was…”
“Yeah, yeah, mindblowing! I get it, he was your first love, the one who got away and you need closure. Perfect! You can still go on a date with this guy and meet up with Yoongi-ssi another time, you know where he works!”
“That’s not the point Tae! Why do you want me to go on this date so much, what’s in it for you? Do you even know the guy?”
“Mmm not really, now that I think about it Jungkook never showed me a picture or anything. He only said it was a very nice guy who works with him and he seemed very lonely…”
“So your boyfriend just tells you someone is nice and you automatically believe him? I thought you knew the guy Taehyung! What if he’s a psychopath? I’m leaving!”
“I know! I’m sorry! Please, please, at least take a look at him so I can tell Jungkook you tried! Please! I promised I would help him out, I don’t want to disappoint him! Don’t be such a scaredy cat, it's only dinner! …If he tries anything funny, just run!”
“Uggggh, you are so infuriating sometimes! Fine!” Jimin adjusted his coat, and walked inside.
His best friend could be a pain in the ass sometimes, but he was his pain in the ass, and he found saying no to him very difficult. Especially since he knew that deep down that Tae was right, dinner wouldn’t hurt anyone.
“And? Do you see him?” Tae’s voice was impatient, “is he actually a psycho? Does he have a knife? Why aren’t you answering???”
“I’m just trying to find the booth, which one did you say it was?”
“He said he was going to wait in the booth on the far right corner, the one next to the window with the eagle on top.”
Jimin looked around and found the table, he started walking towards it, but he froze midway when a waiter that was blocking his view moved away. “Are you sure that’s the table? Did he say anything else?” Jimin’s voice was shaking.
“He said he was going to wear black suit with a light blue shirt and he will be holding a book about cats, why? Are you okay? Is he a serial killer?? Jimin!?”
“I’ll call you back,” he hung up and with shaky hands he walked to the table. There on the booth next to the window with the eagle, wearing a black suit, with a light blue shirt, holding a book about cats was none other than Min Yoongi himself.
Jimin was shocked, what were the odds? Maybe this was a fun way for the universe to tell him that he has a second chance at something he missed many years ago. He had two options, walk away or take the chance. Jimin took a deep breath and as smoothly as he could he slid inside the booth, sitting right in front of Yoongi.
‘Taking a chance it is!’ He thought.
The moment he went in, Yoongi's eyes lifted from the book and he looked at him with a mix of shock and confusion.
“What?” He said but Jimin was faster.
“Hey, Yoongi-ssi, two times in the same day, it must be fate!” He put his best teasing smile as he looked at the older man getting more and more confused.
“Jimin? I… What are you doing here?” Yoongi was looking around nervously while Jimin tired to conceal his amusement.
“I’m trying to find my date.” He said nonchalantly, leaning back on the seat of the booth without taking his eyes off the firefighter.
“Oh…” Yoongi’s voice was tinged with disappointment, Jimin could tell by the way his eyes looked down to his hands.
“You haven’t happened to see him around, have you?”
Yoongi frowned at him.
“How would I know him?”
“Well… All I know is he was going to be here, somewhere…” The younger was looking around and Yoongi didn’t know how to feel about this whole thing.
Yoongi watched him, taking in Jimin’s appearance: his black hair combed smoothly, he had taken off his coat, wearing a black and green plaid shirt. Yoongi’s expression was scrunched in what Jimin assumed to be mild annoyance, he always found the older’s expressions hard to read.
“Do you know if he is wearing something in particular?” Yoongi asked, though his tone had a cutting edge to it.
Jimin looked at him and pursed his lips, leaning a bit closer over the table. “Well… He did say he was going to be reading a book about cats,” Jimin brushed his fingers on the book Yoongi was holding. “You don’t happen to know anyone fitting that description, do you?”
Noticing Jimin’s sly expression, Yoongi froze, narrowed his eyes and pulled the book back, looking at it with an accusatory stare.
“How did you一? Wait… Does that mean you are一”
Jimin nodded and pointed at his ear, Yoongi followed the movements and came to a pause. One of the descriptive features Jimin gave to Tae to tell his date; he’ll be wearing yellow dog earrings. Yoongi’s eyes widened in surprise.
“The yellow dog…” He muttered and faced Jimin’s smug smile. “You are my blind date?” Yoongi’s voice raised in what Jimin thought was surprise, the corners of his mouth slightly quirking up.
Jimin nodded, “it looks like it, so you work with my best friend’s boyfriend?”
“Jungkook is dating your best friend?”
“Yep, do you remember Tae?” Jimin scoffed after Yoongi nodded, “he’s going to have a field day with this…”
Jimin sighed after he noticed Yoongi was lost in his thoughts again. Maybe he was disappointed that it was Jimin in front of him and not some other man. The thought of that only made him feel more anxious and all of the sudden the confidence he had gained disappeared in a flash.
‘What was the point of going on with this date when it was clearly not meant to be, they had their chance once, and he let him go…’
“So…” Jimin said ready to leave if needed, Yoongi seemed completely lost in thoughts, he was probably thinking of ways to ditch him. “I guess we can tell our friends this was a total failure and laugh about it.”
Those words seemed to bring Yoongi back from where his mind had wandered and looked at Jimin confused by Jimin’s abrupt change in demeanor. “What?”
“Yeah… I mean you don’t have to go on with this ‘date’ if you don’t feel like it,” Jimin made quotation marks with his hands to emphasize his point. “It’s ok, I understand… And so will they.”
“Do you want to continue his date?” Yoongi asked, his voice uncertain.
Jimin couldn’t help but bite his lower lip, his finger drumming on the table anxiously. He was nervous. Not angry, or annoyed, just nervous.
“Does it matter?” Jimin whispered, but Yoongi caught onto the sadness in his voice.
“It does to me…” Yoongi replied, reassuring him, his gaze blazing with determination. “Ever since you left this afternoon, I’ve been thinking about you.”
It was straight forward, there was no filter in Yoongi’s words and Jimin's breath hitched.
“Y-you have?” Was he hearing this right? Or did his imagination make it up?
Yoongi scratched the back of his head nervously. “Yes… I…” He took a deep breath and looked straight into the younger man's eyes. “I'm not gonna lie to you, you just look so… Well… Great! And I regret not asking for your phone number at that moment, I wanted to catch up, I wanted to ask how you’ve been and maybe have a drink together… For old time sake.” He took the menu from the side and handed it to him, “so if you don't mind一 If it wouldn't be awkward for you, would you care to stay?”
Jimin looked at the menu in Yoongi's hand, hesitant at first. He wasn't entirely sure of what to do, what to make of their sudden encounter, after all this time, after so many years with no contact.
But Jimin didn't believe in coincidences. Crossing paths with the man twice in a day; one of which was a blind date… It had to mean something. So he took the menu from Yoongi's hand with a smile and relaxed into his chair while opening it.
“So, tell me… How did you end up being a firefighter?”
Yoongi returned the smile, posture more lax as he started recounting to him everything that had happened to him that led to his current situation.
They spend the evening like that, eating good food and talking about their lives. What they have been up to after they parted ways in high school, their victories, their losses, the good, the bad. They even reminisced on their time together, when they were younger.
When they finished their meal, they decided to walk instead of taking a taxi, neither ready to part ways yet.
“This was nice… I’m glad I didn’t cancel on you,” Jimin said as they walked towards the bus station.
Yoongi smiled at him with warmth that made the younger’s legs go weak.
“It was…I will need to thank Jungkook and admit his idea was a success, his choice of date was better than Namjoon’s,” he chuckled.
“Well technically…” Jimin turned to look at him as he walked backwards, “it hasn’t been a success yet, as far as we know this could be the first and last date!”
He was teasing, he knew he was, but Yoongi’s frown made him panic. What if the man didn’t reciprocate his feelings? What if he misread the atmosphere and the hints he was throwing Yoongi’s way were for naught? Did he get ahead of himself?
Yoongi grabbed both his wrists tenderly,causing Jimin to halt in his steps. “It doesn’t have to be.” Yoongi’s voice was calm, collected, and serene.
Jimin felt his heart beat faster, a rush of blood going straight to his ears and cheeks. The simple touch and the way Yoongi’s eyes were sweetly looking with a bit of reassurance made his heart melt.
“Yoongi…” Jimin whispered, voice a bit cracked and heart still beating fast. The elder seemed troubled, he clearly wanted to say so much and was struggling for the right words.
“Look Jimin,” he finally said, “it might be crazy what I’m about to say… but I cannot let you go back home without me saying it.”
“Okay…” Was all Jimin could say, not really sure what Yoongi wanted to say, all he could feel was dread laced with hope.
“I didn’t lie when I said that you have been on my mind ever since I saw you this afternoon, and after spending time with you tonight… I keep thinking that I was such an idiot back then.” He moved his hands from Jimin’s wrists to his hands, enveloping them. “I should have asked you out properly, took you on dates, cherish you the way you deserve and I was just一”
“You were 18 Yoongi, you were young and leaving for college abroad. It was hard for me, but I understand一”
“Still! I should have tried to be better, a part of me always knew that leaving you was a mistake, so please…” Yoongi smiled softly at him. “Please give me the chance to go out with you again, properly. Give me a chance to make it up to you, go on another date with me, Park Jimin.”
Jimin stood frozen for a second, fighting to reel in his 16 year old self who desperately needed to hear this from Yoongi back then. He closed his eyes trying not to let his emotions cloud his judgement.
The last time he jumped into a relationship without getting to know the other person better, he ended up with a 4 year toxic relationship, with an ex who wouldn’t support his dreams and paraded his looks in front of his business friends, like a trophy.
And yes, maybe Yoongi wasn’t a stranger like his ex was back then, but they haven’t seen each other in 7 years, they had changed. They grew up, they were not the young teens fooling around and exchanging kisses in the locker rooms anymore.
Even though he couldn’t deny he was still attracted to the man, he needed to take this slow, to think things through before acting on them. He didn’t want this to be another regret.
“Yoongi…” Jimin said with softness in his eyes as he let go of the other man’s hands. “You have no idea how much I hoped for you to come back and say something like this 7 years ago.”
Yoongi’s smile faltered the moment he realised what Jimin was saying.
“Oh…” He whispered, Jimin could see the pain in his eyes but he kept talking anyway.
“Look, I had a great time tonight. And I won’t deny that I think you are hot as hell, clearly the training has done you good,” He winked and Yoongi chuckled at this compliment. “But my last relationship started fast and it didn’t end so well. If I’m going to start dating someone, I want to take the proper time to get to know them.”
Yoongi frowned at that. “I’m sorry but didn’t you just go on a blind date?” He put his hands in his pockets and looked at Jimin with a pout on his lips. The younger found him adorable.
Jimin rolled his eyes at his question.
“I was just trying to put myself out there. I really didn’t expect this date to go well, and I certainly didn’t expect you.” Yoongi scoffed at that. “Just hear me out, we are not the same as we were 7 years ago. I’ve changed; I’m sure you did too, life happens and we’ve grown. I don’t want to jump into something with you while having 18 year old Yoongi in mind, because that’s not you anymore, and I’m not the Jimin you remember either.” Jimin sighed, “I’m not saying no to you一”
“It sounded like a big no to me.” The firefighter interrupted him with a shrug. Jimin just shook his head.
“Now don’t be petty,” Jimin bit his lower lip, agonizing over the words he should say. “I’m not saying no, I’m saying maybe.” He looked at the elder cautiously and when he noticed his words piqued Yoongi’s interest, he continued. “Let’s get to know each other, this version of ourselves we just met and see where it takes us…”
“You want us to hang out as friends?” Jimin nodded. “Even with all this tension we’ve been having?”
“Yes, right now that’s all I can give you.”
Jimin waited, he knew there was a chance that Yoongi wouldn’t want to move forward with this, and then that would spell the end for them. But if Yoongi agreed, maybe there was still hope. He looked at the man as he took his time to think, looking at Jimin with so much intensity it made his cheeks burn.
Yoongi took his hand out of his pocket and handed Jimin his phone.
“Save your number there, Park Jimin… Let's hang out sometime,” he said with a soft smile. Jimin took the phone and he smiled widely.
Maybe there was hope after all.
*******
Jimin closed the door to his apartment with a goofy smile plastered on his face. He had just ended his now regular phone call with Yoongi, his mood more cheerful than when finished his work.
Ever since that night, when they decided to hang out as friends and get to know each other, a new routine started to form in his daily life. It started with simple ‘good mornings’ and ‘how was your day?’ sent through text. Now, after two months they were talking almost everyday. Sometimes, when Jimin agreed to it, Yoongi would go to pick him up from the dance studio where he works and they would go grab dinner or lunch depending on when the other was free.
It was nice.
Jimin found himself looking forward to spending more time with Yoongi and couldn’t wait until the next time they met. They also started to hang out as a group with Taehyung, Jungkook, and their other friends. Namjoon and Jin were old friends Yoongi met abroad during his time at college. Hoseok was Jimin’s co-worker and one of his close friends.
Hanging out with Yoongi alone was great but getting to know people who knew Yoongi during the years they were apart was refreshing. It was like glimpsing into a part of Yoongi he didn’t know, like the older was telling him: ‘Hey this is me, this is what you’ll get.’
As for the tension between them, it only increased. There were moments, especially when they were alone, where they caught each other glancing at each other’s lips, a gentle brush of the hand. Intense stares when they had a bit too much to drink, especially in the club and they were dancing on the dance floor. Jimin had to hold himself back from jumping into the man’s arm and kissing him senseless more than once, putting distance between when things got too heated.
Yoongi was not subtle either, he wouldn’t hesitate to flirt with him if he found the opportunity, always catching Jimin off guard. Looking back, Jimin was always more flirty than Yoongi when they were younger, but it seems their roles were now switched. At any given chance, Yoongi showered the younger with affection without hesitation, something that Jimin found himself liking.
He liked it a lot, actually.
That was not the only thing he liked about Yoongi, as time passed he noticed that most of the traits he loved about him back then were still there, some of them enhanced. He was still a night owl, but now he would be working night shifts instead of doing his homework, or writing essays. He still liked his coffee black, and loved listening to hiphop. He would still crack jokes and make comments at people that didn’t know they needed them.
Yoongi was not only hot, and fit because of his current job, but he was also sweet and caring. Kids loved him, he confirmed this after he took his nephew and two of his friends to visit the fire station outside of school time. It made Jimin’s heart beat fast every time he remembered that visit.
One of the sweetest things he had done was probably the day before. They were in one of their one-on-one hangouts, at a cafe this time as they both had their Saturdays free.
Their conversation had gone to places Jimin knew they would go eventually, but he was not sure yet what to do. When he expressed this to the elder, as they were saying goodbye in front of his apartment, Jimin saw the disappointment in his eyes. However, Yoongi just smiled and told him he would keep waiting.
“You are worth waiting for, Jimin-ah,” he said, presenting a small bouquet of wild flowers. “I’m not gonna give up, even if you can only give me ‘just friends’, I’m okay with that.” He left right after, leaving Jimin with an ache in his heart he hadn’t felt in a while.
He could barely sleep that night, his mind kept bringing up every moment he spent with Yoongi in the last two months and his heart jumped in happiness. That was until he realized Yoongi wasn’t with him, leaving him yearning. That night Jimin realized he missed when they were with each other, it’s been like that for the past 2 weeks.
They agreed to meet the next morning, have breakfast together, leaving him giddy after their call. Jimin was ready to move a bit forward. He was going to finally tell he was ready to take the next step forward in their relationship and see how it went from there. He went to sleep with that same smile on his face, thinking about the flowers and how he couldn’t wait until morning to see that gummy smile again.
*******
Jimin woke up unusually early for a Sunday, he kept trying to convince himself that it wasn’t because he was nervous, he just needed to take his time getting ready. He stared at his reflection in the mirror one last time and he smiled, content at how he looked and grabbed his things, leaving his apartment with a content smile.
The restaurant wasn’t crowded, it was a nice brunch place in between their homes, so they could meet each other halfway. It was also a beautiful area to take a walk after, perfect for Jimin to bring up the topic he blew off the day before with his fears and insecurities. He sat on a table and told the waitress he was waiting for someone. Yoongi was never late and Jimin needed to get rid of his nervousness, so he arrived 5 minutes before to give a moment to himself. He took a deep breath and kept repeating to himself that everything was going to be alright.
Except it was not alright… It was not alright at all!
He took a look at his phone for the 10th time and still nothing! An empty coffee mug stood on the table mocking him, it had been almost 30 minutes since he arrived and still no sign of Yoongi. No call, no text message, nothing. Jimin got to the point where he started biting his nails if he should call him or not. When the clock told him another 10 minutes had passed, he had enough and dialed the elder’s number, but it went straight to voice mail.
“What is going on?” He murmured to himself, “why would he stand me up like this…?”
He was suddenly annoyed, at Yoongi, at the universe and mostly at himself. It didn’t make sense, they were fine the night before, they talked on the phone, Yoongi didn’t sound upset or angry despite his rejection. He had given him flowers for God’s sake!
That’s when it hit him, maybe he got tired of him. What if, like Jimin, he kept thinking about them last night, but instead of coming to the conclusion Jimin did. Maybe Yoongi realized how tiring it was waiting for Jimin, how he could be dating other men that would want to be with him and not be a coward like Jimin. Maybe he is regretting everything right now, maybe he doesn’t know how to tell Jimin he is done waiting.
But if that was the case, why the radio silence? He knew Yoongi, he wouldn’t run away like this, he would be straight forward about it and tell him he is done waiting.
So why…?
“Why aren’t you picking up the phone?” Jimin said as he dialed him again and got sent to voice mail. He saw an incoming call from Jungkook, but he ignored it and kept calling Yoongi, only to be sent to voice mail again and again.
“Damn it!” He cursed, rolling his eyes when he saw Jungkook’s incoming call again. “What?” He snapped at the younger, a little more aggressive than he should have. “I’m trying to make a call, Jungkook, what do you want?”
“Hyung…” Jimin froze when he heard the tone of his voice. He sounded raspy and a little bit out of breath. “T-there was an a-accident… Yoongi-hyung… He….”
Everything around him vanished, he could hear Jungkook’s voice but he could only recognize a few details; Yoongi was in the emergency room and the name of the hospital.
Without even noticing he was moving. Everything was a blur after, he doesn’t remember catching a taxi and giving the driver the address. His hands were shaking, he couldn’t hear, he couldn’t breath, he could only feel his heart hammering through his chest to his throat, threatening to choke him.
“Please…” He begged no one in particular as tears pulled in his eyes, “please be okay…”
Yoongi’s job was risky, he knew that firefighters were always risking their lives to save people. As much as Jimin admired him for it, it was something that neither of them brought up for discussion. Why would they? Why would Yoongi want to discuss his life being in danger with someone he wasn’t dating? Why would he discuss that with someone who was not ready to take that step with him?
It all came crashing down on him in waves of emotions, all of the sudden he was sobbing. He didn’t want to lose him, he couldn’t. The idea of not seeing Yoongi ever again scared him more than getting his heart broken. The idea of him leaving this world without knowing how much he means to Jimin, him thinking he was not enough for Jimin to love him the way he loved Jimin, was breaking his heart more than anything else.
It was there in that taxi drive to the hospital that Jimin realised he was in love with Min Yoongi, maybe he had always been. He was just too afraid to chase it.
The moment the taxi pulled over at the entrance of the hospital, Jimin paid the driver and jumped off of it, almost running to the emergency room. He saw several firefighters there, all in uniform, some were being checked, others just sitting there. But he couldn’t see Yoongi or Jungkook.
“Excuse me, I’m looking for Min Yoongi,” he said to the receptionist on the front desk, the lady looked at him up and down. Jimin knew he probably looked like a mess, his eyes all red from crying and out of breath from the running. “He is a firefighter. He was brought in after the collapse of the building. I need to see him, is he okay?”
“And your name, sir?”
“Park Jimin,” he said, fast and clear. The sooner they let him see him the better
“Mmm I don’t see your name in the emergency contacts…”
Of course he is not an emergency contact, why would he? But still…
“I know, but I really need to see how he is. Please, can you tell me where he is?” Jimin was getting anxious.
“I’m sorry, sir, but according to patient confidentiality, we can only disclose information with family members and significant others.”
“What do you mean? Please, I need to know he is ok,” Jimin was at the edge of tears again. Every second away from Yoongi, without knowing if he was alive or not, was tearing him apart.
“I’m sorry, but like I said only family members and一”
“I’m his husband, okay?!” He blurted without thinking, he didn’t care anymore, he needed to find out.
“Jimin-ah?”
Jimin's whole body came to a halt when he heard his voice.
He turned around slowly, and let out a sob when he saw Yoongi emerge from the corridor that led to the recovery room area. Yoongi had bandages on his head, his left arm was in a cast, holding a clear bag filled with what looked like medications and paperwork. Despite his wounds, he didn’t seem to have any issues walking towards Jimin.
All the anxiety and heartache Jimin had been feeling seemed to drain out of his system in an instant, a wave of relief taking over him.
“Yoon… You are okay…” He said as the elder walked closer. Yoongi gave him a small smile, his face was a little bit bruised. Jimin had to refrain himself from caressing his cheek.
“Well… A little beat up, but I’ll be fine, I just got released.” Yoongi looked around and pointed to the door, “Wanna take a walk, we can talk more in private?” They were standing in the middle of the waiting room after all, surrounded by Yoongi’s coworkers and other patients. But…
“Are you sure it’s okay for you to take a walk right now?” Jimin asked with concern.
“All in the clear! The doctor recommended catching some fresh air to clear out the lungs, so let’s go.” Jimin nodded and followed him outside, right after bowing to the receptionist who was staring at him skeptically.
They walked for a little while until they found a nearby bench to sit down on. Jimin couldn’t find anything to say, he was embarrassed at the way he conducted himself. As always his mind would make him jump to conclusions and from what Yoongi was saying, if he had just listened to Jungkook, he would have known his injuries weren’t deadly.
He felt so ashamed he couldn’t even look the elder in the eyes. Why was he always acting like this?
As if sensing how Jimin was feeling, Yoongi nudged his side with his good arm, making the younger look at him.
“So… My husband, eh?” Yoongi was smirking at him, and Jimin rolled his eyes trying to hide his reddening cheeks.
“Yah! I was panicking, ok? I didn’t know what else to say…! I…” Jimin looked at his hands while Yoongi giggled at how successful he had been to break the silence between them.
“I know…” He said after the giggles died down. “You looked worried.”
“I was…!” Jimin turned to look at Yoongi straight in the eyes, “you didn’t show up to our date, and then I heard the word accident and I just panicked… I… I thought I lost you.”
Yoongi tensed while Jimin was speaking, he noticed that. He was looking at him with a brightness in his eyes that Jimin hadn’t seen in a while.
“Date?” Yoongi said cautiously, and Jimin looked at him with confusion.
“Yeah… We were supposed to meet for brunch? You didn’t showed up, I一”
“I didn’t know it was a date,” Yoongi’s ears were bright red, Jimin realised then what he had just let slip.
“Ah…” Jimin could deny it, say it was a mistake, but he had enough of lying to himself. He took Yoongi’s hand in both of his hands and smiled at him, “it could have been… I was ready to turn these friendship hangouts around… I-I wanted to get to know you as more than just friends.” Jimin sighed as he took in the way Yoongi’s eyes grew wider, “I was going to tell you this at breakfast.”
“You are talking in past tense, d-did you change you have a change of mind?” Yoongi’s voice was trembling, like he was unsure of the turn of events, all the fire and confidence before vanishing like steam. Jimin recognized his worries, so he moved his hands and cupped Yoongi’s face with them. Yoongi froze at this bold gesture, Jimin just smiled sweetly at him.
“I spoke in past tense because I don’t want to get to know you anymore. I want you, all of you, no more hangouts or dates to know each other better, I let you go once… I don’t wanna do it again.” They were so close, their noses almost touching, “I want it all as long as you will have me.” He lowered one of his hands to grab Yoongi’s and put it on top of his heart, “as long as it’s with you, my heart is safe…”
Yoongi’s eyes welled up with tears, and so did Jimin’s, the hand that was on Jimin’s chest was moved to caress the younger’s wet cheek. Jimin felt the happiness in those tears, and the love in that touch.
Yoongi sighed, brushing their noses together with his eyes closed. “Jimin-ah,” he whispered, “I’m going to kiss you now.”
Jimin chuckled and nodded eagerly, “please do.”
Without further ado, Yoongi closed the small distance between them, smashing their lips together for the first time in years. It felt like fireworks were exploding in Jimin’s chest.
The kiss was slow and full of emotions, emotions they hadn’t been able to convey for a long time. All the tension and unsaid words melted away with that kiss, turning them into passion and love, and Jimin felt so much love. When they broke apart they were both a little out of breath, but smiling nonetheless.
“God… Am I dreaming? Or maybe I hit my head so bad I'm starting to hallucinate…” Yoongi said as he caressed the younger’s lips with his thumb.
Jimin giggled and kissed him again, then moved his arms around the elder’s neck. “Oh this is very real, trust me,” Jimin was overjoyed.
“Really? I think I need more proof. It seemed too good to be true,” the teasing tone in Yoongi’s voice made Jimin roll his eyes.
He pecked Yoongi on the lips. “Is this proof enough?” The younger asked, but Yoongi shook his head.
“I think I might need another one, I still think I’m dreaming.” Jimin laughed at that but gave him another kiss.
Yoongi kept fooling around until they had shared enough kisses that their lips turned red. They walked back to Yoongi’s home, as he held the elder’s hand in his, Jimin couldn’t help but thank the universe for giving him the chance to realize that it is okay to love without fear and let yourself be loved.