Being December, the sky grew fairly dark before evening came around, and at around five p.m. Yoongi found himself pacing around his living room wondering if it were too early to head to Jimin's.

Once again, no specific time was provided.

Had he meant as soon as it started getting dark? Or had he meant when it started getting late, which could be an arguable topic considering the circumstances. As he had no where to be, Yoongi wouldn't consider the time as "late" until at least eleven p.m. or perhaps when he finally decided to go to bed.

Jimin couldn't have meant that late, though. Could he...?

He decided to play it safe and wait a bit longer, but not too much longer, should going early or otherwise anger Jimin.

Breathing without that boy's permission seemed a risky card to play sometimes. At the same time, Yoongi didn't want such thoughts to control him, so he set out confidently at 7:30 to pick Jeongguk up from his part-time job and planned to head directly to the dancer's house afterwards. Typically Yoongi would be at his own job at this time but again, his work was temporarily closed, so he could afford to lounge around till the evening.

The diner Jeongguk worked at was close to their college campus. That being said, it was also close to their apartment building, but Yoongi didn't love the idea of walking when it was dark, even if he could use his physically capable best friend as reassurance of his own protection.

He drove the short distance to the diner, called Golden Spoon, and pulled up to the nearest empty parking spot to wait for Jeongguk. The boy texted Yoongi not long ago, claiming he'd be out as soon as he picked up his check from his manager - which apparently was not for another fifteen minutes.

Jeongguk opened the door to the passengers side and climbed into the vehicle. He beamed at his friend with pride.

"Holiday bonus."

Yoongi rolled his eyes as he started up the car. "Good for you. I don't even work till January 2nd."

"Well, that's good, right?" Jeongguk asked innocently. "You get a double vacation. No classes, no work."

"It's boring, Guk, what do you think I have, hobbies?"

"You should get one."

"I'm not working out with you."

The younger snorted with laughter. "I wasn't gonna suggest that. Ooh!" He slapped Yoongi's shoulder. "I just remembered! I forget to bring-"

"I grabbed an extra blanket, Guk."

"Please tell me it's the one with the dangos on it."

"No, that's mine."

"Hyung, you're 23!!"

"And you're 21. Glad we've established our ages, I forgot for a minute."

Despite the intense pouting that followed their minor "argument", Jeongguk let out a short burst of giggles soon after and enthusiastically cheered Yoongi on toward their next destination: Jimin's and Taehyung's house, which, Yoongi now recalled, Jeongguk had not yet seen. Not that the boy really needed to - they would only be stopping by to meet up with the other two and walk to the park. Jimin probably wouldn't enjoy having another near stranger come to his house again, anyway.

He drove down the streets of his neighborhood and in a matter of time, Jimin's neighborhood. It was relatively quiet. And quite dark.

Spooky.

"Hyung, are you scaaaared?"

"Jeongguk, I will knock on a random door and throw you into their house if you don't shut up."

"That's a strange and unwanted threat."

"So are you."

"Hyung, that's so mean."

With almost zero cars on the street it was a short drive to the house, and before Yoongi even fully registered it he had pulled up right beside it. At the realization Jeongguk was staring rather inquisitively out the window, Yoongi finally pulled the key out of the ignition and opened his door. He stepped outside. Absolutely freezing.

"Guk, grab the blankets."

"We're here??"

"No, don't be dumb, he said the park isn't far from here, just grab the blankets like I told you. I'm gonna let Jimin know we're here."

As it turned out, he didn't have to. Either Jimin had heard Yoongi's car pull up or he just had incredible timing. Within seconds of exiting the vehicle, the blond found himself once again face to face with his stunning "dancer friend", all bundled up in the warm winter coat Yoongi had bought for him. Taehyung stood behind the dancer, beaming with a blanket draped over his shoulders.

"So I take it you guys have been ready?"

"For some time, yes," Jimin said, eyeing the other from head to toe. "You don't seem to have brought anything else with you. Are you good with the cold?"

"Guk's got them."

"Blankets!" The boy in question exclaimed, and he slammed the car door shut behind him, moments later appearing before the three boys with his arms completely full. He poked his head over the pile of blankets just to smile widely at Jimin, and then, naturally, at Taehyung, who was already giggling at the sight.

"Enough flirting," Jimin said dismissively. "We have a park to get to."

"It's not going anywhere."

"Your sarcasm isn't appreciated."

"Well, neither is y-"

Yoongi was cut off abruptly by Jimin's hand gripping his face. Then, he leaned in closer to the blond for the sole purpose of ensuring their eyes were locked and that Yoongi could take in his entire expression.

Asserting dominance, evidently. Through a simple gaze.

But all Yoongi could focus on was how gorgeous Jimin looked up close.

Not that it was the first time, but he wasn't any less affected by it.

Nor by that kiss that danced in his memories.

"It's this way."

He released Yoongi's face and gestured ahead of him. Jimin started walking immediately, and Taehyung was quick to follow as always, but the blond needed a little push from his friend to get himself to move.

The park sat a short distance from the house, just as Jimin had said. Five, maybe six or seven minutes spent walking at a moderate pace and they all arrived at a little playground that the birthday boy raced to just like a child and collapsed on one of the swings.

Innocent, gleeful laughter. He began to swing back and forth as his eyes turned to the moon that seemed to illuminate him in an even purer light. Jeongguk passed the blankets over to Yoongi and soon joined him.

"...children."

"You and Taehyung are the same age now, right?"

Jimin hummed in response, offering the slightest nod as he leaned against the fence just afar off from the swing set. "He's still my little brother, though."

The words slipped off his tongue in such a way that they couldn't be interpreted as anything other than genuine. Yoongi slid his gaze across the pavement and guided it up to Jimin's face. Those eyes, fixed on Taehyung swinging higher than he probably should on such a small set, not to mention another grown man was also swinging next to him.

"If it tips over, I might laugh a little bit," Yoongi said.

"It's bolted to the ground."

"That's boring."

"It is, a little bit."

The blond chuckled at the response, making accidental eye contact with Jimin but, to his own surprise, not ducking away in embarrassment. Instead he allowed his smile to stay in place as he buried his hands deeper into his coat pockets. He had draped the blankets over his shoulders by this point.

In silence, he looked to the sky. Completely blackened aside from the moon and the surrounding area. Not a single star that he could see. And yet somehow the sheer expanse of the sky on its own was something indescribably captivating. The speckles of light stretching from the moon's diameter, as far as they could reach but it wasn't enough to make up for the endless miles beyond. Millions. The nearest star was millions of miles away, but still visible in some places. Just not here.

Standing beneath it all.

"We're so tiny."

"Speak for yourself," Jimin scoffed, noticeably displeased by the comment. "I consider myself to be average height. Tae's just tall. Your friend, too."

Yoongi giggled while shaking his head. "That's not what I meant. I'm talking about space."

His gaze returned to the sky. Empty, again, save the moon. Empty. And endless.

"I used to look at stars when I was younger." Yoongi sighed contently. His head flooded with nostalgia. "You could see them pretty well from where I lived. And I had a really nice view of 'em, too, right out my window. I still remember I had this cheap little telescope I'd use whenever the nights were clear. I'd pick out and name stars even though they all looked the same. Billions of 'em. They say there are billions. Probably trillions. Isn't that crazy?"

"I suppose so," Jimin replied in a soft voice. Yoongi's smile grew a bit.

"I'm so tiny compared to everything out there. Like, there are galaxies and black holes and planets revolving around other astronomical bodies and storms like we've never seen before here on earth...we've put people on that little orb up there, but even that thing has a greater purpose than most of us could ever wrap our tiny brains around. There's just so much that goes on out there we don't really think about. So much. And I'm just down here breathing air."

The words drifted out so naturally. No filter between his mind and mouth. Not a care or second thought, either. In the back of his head, however, Yoongi could feel the dancer staring at him. But he reacted no different.

"When I go to bed every night...sometimes I think about how on the other side of the world, it's bright outside." A laugh passed through his lips. "No one seems fascinated by that anymore, and that's bizarre to me. No one seems impressed by the fact that we're suspended in space right now. We're revolving around a great big ball of gas that keeps us alive, and yet we all just shrug it off like it's nothing now. Does it not impress you? How tiny we are? But we're so impressive, too."

"...didn't know you were the philosophical type."

Another laugh, this time louder and more sincere as it was triggered by Jimin rather than being partially forced. "I mean, I guess I think a lot," he admitted, sporting a different kind of smile. "I mean it, though. You know, despite being tiny and essentially meaningless, we're pretty darn fascinating ourselves. Our habits and passions and what drives us to do the things we do every day. When you think about it. These days it can be hard to fall in love with being alive but sometimes it's hard not to, too."

Yoongi dropped his gaze enough to watch as Taehyung and Jeongguk both slowed their swinging to a full stop so that they could also look up at the sky. No words exchanged. Just silence, heads leaned back to allow the eyes a broader glimpse of the expanse above them.

"The day I get bored of looking at the sky..."

Yoongi let out a gentle breath.

"Let me die that day."

It felt a bit strange even to him, how easily these thoughts drifted out into the air to be received by ears other than his own. Yoongi couldn't remember the last time he had dwelt on it. Sure, his enchantment with space hadn't gone anywhere, but he didn't talk about it often. Not even with Jeongguk or Hoseok. College and work and boredom filled the spaces instead.

But it was an oddly pleasant thing, too. Letting out these thoughts he sometimes forgot he had. Speaking to the sky, but to Jimin, as well. Because Jimin was actually listening.

"When you put it that way..."

The dancer spoke in a whisper almost too tender to hear. But Yoongi heard.

"...I guess the sky is pretty without stars."

—