It was a gradual process that brought him to awaken at first. The soft buzzing of his phone on the cold-tiled floor beside him, the sensation of another's head weighing down on his shoulder, and most of all the abrupt discomfort in his back from the position in which he had fallen asleep.

Against the kitchen cabinet. Yoongi opened his heavy eyelids and lifted his head from the soft brown hair it had been resting against. He shifted his gaze. Taehyung had been the one to fall asleep on his shoulder, and Jimin on Taehyung's. It was a miracle to Yoongi that he hadn't just tipped over in the middle of the night.

Exhaling gently, the blond took his phone in hand to check the time. If he were lucky, he thought to himself, it was still early and he could afford to have breakfast with the others before heading to his nine o'clock class.

He turned on the screen and the numbers 10:28 flashed back at him.

His first class was over by now. The second would start in less than twenty minutes. If he rushed to get dressed now and took his car, he could possibly make it on time. But somehow, washing his tired gaze over the two boys beside him, Yoongi didn't feel anywhere near motivated to be punctual as usual.

He had missed messages from Jeongguk, too.

-

Guk
hyung where are youuuu

Guk
i was planning to surprise u by stopping by your computer class cus i got out early but i didn't see u?

Guk
are u not feeling well??

Guk
why wouldn't u tell me 😡😡

me
guk i'm fine i'm not sick

Guk
then why weren't u at class? and u didn't answer my texts till now :(

me
overslept

Guk
very funny hyung that's my thing not yours lol

Guk
but like i get it it happens

Guk
i know u have another class so do u wanna get smth to eat afterwards? i'm gonna be super bored cus i only had one class today and i don't work till later shdjsj

-

Yoongi stopped a moment and pulled his phone away from his face. Again, if he got himself around quickly, he could still probably make it on time.

He just didn't want to.

Outstretching his arm, Yoongi placed his hand against Jimin's forehead.

Warm - actually, too warm. Like the mild fever the dancer had developed yesterday flared up again.

Yoongi texted Jeongguk again.

-

me
don't think i'm going to class today

Guk
?? hyung what??

Guk
two classes in a row?

me
got some other things i gotta take care of

me
if you're that bored u can come to my apartment, taehyung's here anyway

Guk
YOONGI

Guk
WDYM TAEHYUNG'S AT YOUR APARTMENT

-

It was impossible for Yoongi to conceal his smirk after reading his friend's text.

-

me
he's sleeping on my shoulder

Guk
HYUNG W H A T

Guk
U RESLLY ARE A PLAYER R U KIDDNG ME RN

me
yup we cuddled last night and watched a movie ☺️

Guk
YOONGIESJSJD

Guk
no i know what this is you're teasing me

Guk
cruel you're so cruel hyung

me
yup

Guk
so you're really not going to your second class?

me
jimin's got a fever, gotta take care of him

Guk
wait yoongi are u actually telling me the truth

me
about this, yeah

me
he got sick yesterday probably from being hungry and dehydrated and i just felt his forehead and it's really warm so i don't wanna just leave

me
even if taehyung's here too

Guk
oh okay i see

Guk
ditching me for your boyfriends 😡

me
that's not it and u know it guk

Guk
yeah i'm just kiddin

Guk
i might stop by tho

me
that's fine

me
i'll ttyl

Guk
k bye

-

Yoongi dropped his arm to his side to set his phone down. For a moment, he contemplated if he should wake Taehyung so that he could get up, or simply push the boy's head to rest against Jimin's.

Fortunately, in a sense, he didn't have to make a decision. Taehyung stirred awake on his own.

"Yoon...Yoongi?" He hummed, rubbing his eyes sleepily before turning to look at the blond, then at his best friend sleeping on his other side. "Jiminie..."

Yoongi picked up his phone once again.

-

I was going to make breakfast. What do you two like?

-

"Anything." Taehyung nuzzled against Jimin's hair. "We're not picky."

"I'd imagine," Yoongi said to himself as typed another message.

-

Jimin's head feels warm. Do you wanna help him to the couch? I can get him a cold rag before making breakfast.

-

Unsurprisingly, the message alarmed the boy, and Taehyung made no hesitation to place his own hand over Jimin's forehead. He gasped softly. "Oh no, poor Jiminie..."

"Nnhh..."

Finally the dancer was brought to consciousness. Pale-faced, and Yoongi could see he was sweating now, which drove him to get to his feet and find a rag to soak in cold water. Soon he was kneeling in front of Jimin and pushing back his hair to hold the rag there.

"The...heck are you...doin'..." Jimin mumbled. For all of two seconds he attempted to reject the kind gesture. Evidently, he lacked the strength.

"Your fever's up," Yoongi told him. "C'mon, let's get you to the couch.

"Whattaya doin'...?"

"Helping you."

"Stop-"

"No."

With Taehyung's aid, Yoongi successfully transported the dancer from the kitchen floor to the couch, where his head was then supported by a small soft pillow.

Yoongi went ahead and started making breakfast after making sure Jimin was settled. He grabbed eggs, milk, butter, removed a pan from one of the cabinets, then placed it on the stove burner while he checked the fridge for anything else he could make for them. He found a small portion of chopped pork from a couple nights ago that he figured should still be good, so he took those and fried them along with some rice.

He heard Jimin sniffling. Yoongi hoped it was because he smelled food and not because of a cold or crying again.

"Yoongi, it smells good," Taehyung called into the kitchen at one point. Yoongi glanced over his shoulder and smiled, then turned off the burners.

In a matter of minutes he had everything set on the table, gathered on two large plates and with several empty, clean bowls to dish out servings for the three of them. He prepared a bowl for Jimin, set it aside, poured a glass of orange juice, and carried both the bowl and glass over to the boy lying limply on the couch.

Jimin's eyes lifted to the blond. He saw the bowl, the glass, and most noticeably of all the kind expression on Yoongi's face.

"Try to eat what you can."

The dancer frowned intensely - just for a moment, however. It seemed even that required more strength than he had enough to exert.

"Jimin?"

There was still a frown there, slight, on pouted lips, but rather than anger or annoyance, he appeared sad. Both Taehyung and Yoongi looked upon the dancer's face with concern.

"...Jimin? If you're too tired I can help you eat," the blond offered. "Or Taehyung can."

"I have to go to work...later," Jimin whispered.

"Yeah, later." Yoongi sighed and placed the glass of orange juice on the short table beside the couch. "If you're feeling better. And I can guarantee you're not gonna feel much better if you don't eat-"

"Shut up, I'm going, anyway, I have to."

"You don't." He rolled his eyes from Jimin to the ceiling, then down to Taehyung still knelt on the floor. From out of his sweatpants pocket Yoongi pulled his phone.

-

Go ahead and eat while it's warm. I'll make sure Jimin eats, too.

-

Although tentative, Taehyung nodded and softly thanked Yoongi before making his way to the kitchen table. He sat down and started eating. Yoongi knelt down and continued encouraging Jimin to do the same.

As it turned out, poking the boy's lips with chopsticks was adequate encouragement. Jimin soon took the bowl from Yoongi, annoyed, and began to eat.

Yoongi was pleased. Jimin was not.

"You don't have to be such a baby. I'm feeding you."

"No, I'm feeding myself," the dancer argued.

"With food I made you."

"I didn't ask you to."

"No, you didn't, which is why I did it."

Jimin's nostrils flared, thus causing Yoongi to repress a laugh.

"Is that how it is? You're just gonna do the opposite of what I say?"

"Maybe," Yoongi teased. He sported a playful grin, combing back his unkempt hair. Once again, Jimin was unamused.

After that moment, though, Yoongi decided to give the dancer a bit of space to allow him to eat in peace, as well as to join Taehyung at the kitchen table to have his own breakfast - a bit lukewarm by now. But it didn't bother him much.

It was as the blond was clearing and preparing to wash the dishes that a knock came from the front door, so he set the task aside to go answer it.

Jeongguk. Just as Yoongi expected.

"Here so soon, huh?"

The younger pursed his lips in displeasure. "Am I interrupting you and your boyfriends?"

"Yes, actually."

"Fine, I'll leave then-"

"Don't be a brat, I'm only kidding."

With that, Yoongi gently pushed his friend into the apartment and closed the door behind them. Then he went back to washing the dishes without at first announcing to the other two boys present that his friend had arrived. Jeongguk would likely engage conversation with Taehyung right away, anyway, he thought, and Jimin probably wouldn't even care.

And surely enough, that was what happened. Seconds after making eye contact and waving hello, Jeongguk joined Taehyung at the table and initiated some topic using his phone. Not even a full three minutes since arrival and he already had Taehyung smiling in some endearing sort of way.

With both their attentions occupied Yoongi didn't feel as bad walking past the two boys and over to Jimin once he finished washing dishes - the empty ones, that is. Jimin wasn't yet finished with his own, not the bowl nor the glass of orange juice, but he had made decent enough progress that Yoongi didn't feel the need to annoy him about it again. Rather, he simply knelt beside the couch, leaning against it.

Things were quiet for a short while as Yoongi stared thoughtfully into the kitchen.

"...what if our friends started dating?"

"No."

He choked a laugh. "That wasn't a yes or no question, Jimin..."

—

me = ceo of not knowing how to end chapters