Cold water and food. Those were the first things Yoongi attended to after getting Jimin warmly tucked into his bed. uncared

Hunger and dehydration. There wasn't a doubt in Yoongi's mind that those were what had caused the dancer's collapse. Not to mention lying out in the cold certainly couldn't have helped.

It upset him. When he first heard Jimin's reason for doing what he did, and even still. He was bothered by it.

Yoongi ignored the boy's insisting that he "leave him alone" and went about preparing a simple soup which he soon brought to Jimin. Despite this being his own apartment, the blond still felt the need to knock and announce his presence before entering the room.

"Had some leftover beef, threw together a quick little something."

He set the bowl down carefully on the small stand beside his bed where Jimin still lay in the same spot. The dancer hadn't moved so much as an inch it seemed since Yoongi left him roughly twenty minutes ago. His heavy eyelids looked ready to shut. Yoongi let out a gentle sigh.

"I would say sleep but right now you need to eat."

"I don't," Jimin mumbled. His eyes opened enough that the other could see the conflicted emotion held within them. The boy was hungry. He wanted food, Yoongi knew that, but he also knew that the dancer was a tough, headstrong individual who hated accepting help of any kind.

"You do," Yoongi said. "You can't honestly tell me you don't. Can't tell Taehyung that honestly, either."

The mention of that name urged Jimin to prop himself up abruptly. "Tae? Is he here??"

"No. But I could easily pay a visit to your house to tell him what's going on. Everything. That's going on."

"Don't you dare."

"Then eat."

Adamance outsmarted by adamance. Jimin gave in and took the bowl in his unsteady hands and began to eat.

"You're shaking. Are you cold?"

"Not cold."

"Is the soup cold?"

"It's not." A cough escaped Jimin's throat, and he turned his head away from Yoongi to let it out but kept it turned for a while longer. His fingers clasped tightly the spoon given to him. Yoongi observed these actions with concern. Every slight muscle movement on Jimin's pale face, every unhappy twitch that failed to be repressed. To Yoongi, the boy's displeasure with the whole situation was obvious. But he wasn't about to change his mind about nursing Jimin back to health just because the dancer would rather suffer starvation and the cold.

Because Yoongi was selfish and he didn't want that.

"I shouldn't have to tell you it's important to drink water if you're dehydrated, Jimin," he said in a soft voice. "You haven't touched the glass I brought you earlier."

"You're so freaking weird."

"Weird?" The genuine shock at the statement drew a laugh from Yoongi. "That's a bit harsh, wow. I'm just telling you to drink water."

"It shouldn't matter to you that I drink water," the dancer argued. "It shouldn't matter to you that I'm eating, or that I'm even off the street. Is it 'cus I kissed you? Is that why?"

"I'm sorry, but what the heck are you talking about?"

Clearly, Jimin hadn't expected such an immediate response, and without a doubt one so sternly spoken. No particularly harsh language used and yet the attitude of the question was conveyed just as effectively.

"Look, Jimin, I get that you've got this whole 'gotta provide for myself, can't take nothin' from no one' kinda mindset, and that's all well and good—well-" Yoongi stopped himself to sigh and shake his head. "Well, no, not all well and good, but I at least understand where you're coming from, but that doesn't mean I'm just gonna be okay with watching you self-destruct when I can do something about it. I've never felt good about myself walking past homeless people on the street. And you're not even homeless, you're just a selfless idiot who won't go home..."

It was enough to shut Jimin's mouth tight. Pained eyes stared down at the bowl he still held in his hands. More loosely now. His body wasn't shaking anymore. Just those eyes of his. Yoongi watched the dancer move a spoonful of soup towards his mouth and eat it. Slowly. Like he was forcing himself to swallow medicine. He reached for the glass of water beside him and swallowed a drink of that, too.

"If you want me to leave the room, I will," Yoongi said at one point. He caught a glimpse of Jimin's gaze flick towards him but not rise to meet Yoongi's own. "If you need anything, though, just yell, okay? Or I can just check on you every so often. Yelling can take a lot of energy. Do you want me to hang up your coat for you? I just realized you still have it on."

"No."

"You sure?" He tilted his head, peering at the dancer's expression curiously. "Not too stuffy?"

"No...not stuffy."

"If you say so." Standing up, Yoongi made a glance at the glass of water which was still mostly filled. So was Jimin's bowl of soup, but he trusted now the boy was at least making progress with it. "If you change your mind," he said, "you can leave your coat on the bed and I can hang it up next time I check on you. Or wash it. Does it need washed? You know what..." Again, he stopped himself. "I'm asking too many questions. I'll just go-"

"You don't have to leave just 'cus I want you to," Jimin mumbled. His words wrapped around the blond in a strangely delicate manner and kept him in place. "This is your home not mine. I don't have any say in what you do."

"Yes," Yoongi agreed, "but get this, I'm also a decent enough human being to respect someone wanting personal space."

"Then why didn't you leave me alone when I said to before?"

" 'Cus this is my home, not yours." A grin stretched across Yoongi's face at the appearance of confusion in the other's. He scarcely withheld a laugh. "I wasn't giving you the option before, but now I am. I'm also giving you the option to thank me, but I'm not asking for it, 'cus I don't need it. Make sense?"

The laugh spilled out this time, and judging by the mildly offended look now painted across Jimin's countenance, Yoongi gathered that his lighthearted mimicking didn't go over the dancer's head. The reaction pleased him. Tickled Yoongi's chest in that warm, fuzzy way. Just a little conversation.

And though he would have loved to talk all night, Yoongi took it upon himself to leave so that Jimin could rest. Except he wasn't entirely sure Jimin would rest, since this - as was established - wasn't his home, but rather Yoongi's home and Yoongi's bed. Maybe he would simply refuse to sleep or lay down again at all.

But at least he was off the streets. Out of the cold, off the sidewalk where he should never have been in the first place. And should never have to be again, Yoongi thought to himself sadly.

He busied himself cleaning what dishes he had used to prepare Jimin's meal, along with the several others already there. It took him no more than ten minutes. After finishing, he went on to clean the table and counters, then inspect the fridge to see if there were any old food items he needed to throw away. Eventually, he ran out of things to do. So he decided it would be okay to check on Jimin.

Asleep in his bed.

Empty bowl and glass on the stand, head resting on Yoongi's pillows. Asleep in the coat Yoongi bought for him.

If all those factors put together didn't tug at the older's heartstrings enough, the dancer looked more peaceful than Yoongi had ever seen him. Peaceful, and of course as stunning as always.

He took a careful seat on the edge of the bed to get a closer look at the boy.

Those beautiful, full lips parted enough to allow gentle breaths to drift through them.

Yoongi wouldn't dare kiss the dancer in his sleep.

Not on the lips, anyway. But he permitted himself to plant the softest kiss to Jimin's cheek, unaware, obviously, that the boy wasn't asleep. Merely with closed eyes which parted as Yoongi was in the process of slowly pulling back.

To his own surprise Yoongi didn't flinch or sit up quickly as if to play things off. He had been caught and he knew it, so as a means of accepting this, the blond met Jimin's gaze in an embarrassed, apologetic manner. Then, after breathing out a quiet sorry, as he wasn't quite sure what else to say in this awkward situation, he started to move away. Still slowly.

Jimin's hand found its way to the back Yoongi's head before the blond could bring himself to get up. Out of that reach. Subconsciously, he had kept himself in reach because his heart didn't want him to pull away at all in the first place.

Even in a somewhat feeble state Jimin still had him in the palm of his hand.

Fingers tangled in locks of blond hair.

"Closer...Yoongi..."

"You should be resting," Yoongi whispered as he felt his cheeks start to rise in heat, "not teasing me."

"Teasing you?" The dancer's gaze trailed the other's lips. "But you kissed me. How am I teasing you this time?"

"Just...you are..."

Fuzzy. The feeling of Jimin's fingers playing with his hair, that barely perceptible but still present smirk, the half-lidded stare. Fuzzy. And Yoongi was weak to it.

Seconds later and he was drawn in again. To have his lips claimed, subtle, gradual movements, warm, fuzzy, from the nape of his neck down to his fingertips and the heart beating noisily in his chest.

It truly did seem this was just becoming a regular thing now. With no sort of relationship or interest in relationship being verbally established.

And that deep-rooted fear of Yoongi's that he was being toyed with kept him from admitting or asking anything, either.

So he kissed and let himself be kissed, humming against Jimin's lips as the dancer went back to playing with his hair after stopping for a short moment. Butterflies were furiously attacking his rib cage and Yoongi couldn't even bring himself to be bothered.

That is, until there was a knock at the front door.

His heart dropped to his stomach and gave Yoongi that driving force he needed to put distance between them.

"That's, that's probably Jeongguk, or, or someone," he blurted in a panic. Why does everything have to happen to me?? "I'll, uh, I'll be right back..."

With that, Yoongi made a swift exit out of the room, closing the door quietly behind him before hurrying to open the next. He wasn't expecting a visitor, but given the fact that Jeongguk lived in this same building, Yoongi often received unannounced visits from the boy. So having this assumption in mind he answered the door and prepared to cross his arms in disappointment right away.

It was Taehyung. Yoongi's arms froze mid-way through folding.

"Yoongi, sorry." Taehyung placed his fist over his chest and moved it in a circle. "I just wanted to ask if Jimin's here. He didn't say he was going to...but he hasn't come home yet and...and it's getting late so I was just wondering if he stopped by for a visit. He's usually home by now..."

The heartfelt concern in the boy's voice brought a smile to Yoongi's face. He felt his pockets for his phone, took it out, then typed out a response for Taehyung to see.

-

He's here. Told me he didn't feel well so I offered to take care of him.

-

There was absolutely no hesitation. Taehyung captured the older's smaller body in a big hug, then let him go only to hug him again.

"I was so worried, thank you so much, Yoongi..."

"You're such an angel, oh my gosh..."

"Hm?"

-

Jimin's in my room trying to get some rest but you can go see him. I can make you coffee, too, if you want.

-

"Thank you, Yoongi-"

He had to place a hand against Taehyung's chest to prevent a third hug.

"Sorry, Yoongi..."

—

a/n:
i was having trouble writing parts of this for some reason so it's blandly written lol but whatever