The evening was approaching. With the event of the tide coming in, the people still occupying the beach saw this as the perfect time to leave and go to the festival, which was to take place on the pier. It had already begun. Even from a distance the chattering of cheerful visitors could be heard, along with the screaming that accompanied the thrill rides of the nearby amusement park.

Right now, Yoongi was sitting at the far end of the beach where he knew the water couldn't reach him. Jimin was there next to him, also sitting on the sand, and he was hugging his legs, chin resting on his knees. Yoongi had a towel draped over his shoulders. Under that he wore a light sweatshirt that Hoseok had apparently brought along and happily offered to his friend in need. But Yoongi didn't need it anymore. He wasn't all that cold. Still lightheaded, though, and he felt a little strange, but he did his best to ignore that and the lingering taste of salt in his mouth.

Jimin had been silent for a while. It was so peculiar. A bit uncomfortable, too, and that was coming from Yoongi, the grumpy boy who typically got annoyed when people weren't silent.

"...did you want to head up to the pier now?"

Jimin lifted his head abruptly, wide eyes vividly expressing his surprise at hearing these words. "The pier?" He repeated in question. "You still want to go?"

Yoongi paused. "Why do you sound so-"

"You nearly drowned today," Jimin said. His brow twitched in aftermath of the traumatic experience. "I'd think you would be eager to go home and rest or something, not-"

"Jimin, if I wanted to go home, I would have done so already."

The orange-haired boy's shoulders sunk.

"No, don't get all dejected on me now. What's your deal?"

"Yoongi, you almost gave me a heart attack back there. Give me a break."

"That was an hour and a half ago. You've had your break. Now do you want to go to the festival with me or not?"

"Wouldn't you rather go with Namjoon?"

"Wouldn't you rather go with Taehyung?"

"I'm fine going with you."

"Well, so am I."

"Fine."

"Fine."

A chuckle was drawn Jimin's mouth, something that, for some reason, greatly relieved Yoongi. He smiled to himself and looked at the sand. Then at Jimin. The boy's eyes still looked red, showing traces of the tears which had earlier stained his cheeks. Yoongi still couldn't believe that Jimin had cried so hard for his sake, and so seeing those traces caused a slight pain to form in his chest.

From within the small backpack Yoongi had brought along with him his phone vibrated. Curious, he took it out and quickly checked what the vibrating was about.

Joonie: hey yoongs, i'm so freaking sorry i didn't come back, jin dragged me to the amusement park and i didn't have it in me to tell him 'no, not now, we're supposed to be buying food then going back to join the others' bcuz he looked so excited and im weak, u know that

Joonie: he's in the bathroom rn thats the only reason i actually have time to text u

Joonie: anyways, did u want to hang out at the festival as a group? or would it be uncomfortable with a group of 7 on top of the crowd that's already here...

Joonie: cuz if u want, I'll try to explain it to jin, im sure he won't get offended if i tell him my best friend wanted to hang out w/ me, i mean he and i spent the last two hours together after all

Yoongi: it's fine, Joon, u go enjoy the night with seokjin.

Joonie: u sure??

Yoongi: yeah. i decided to go with Jimin anyway, so i'll be fine

Joonie: promise?

Yoongi: promise

"Was that Namjoon?" Jimin asked as Yoongi slipped his phone into the backpack.

"Yeah."

"D'you tell him what happened?"

"What? No. I'll let him figure that out on his own later. Besides, he seems to be having a good time right now," Yoongi explained. "I don't want to make him upset by telling him I almost died while he was gone. He deserves to be happy." He slowly and unsteadily rose to his feet. Jimin stood up as well, all the while watching Yoongi carefully in case he were to wobble or fall.

"Yoongi, have I ever told you what a sweet guy you are?"

"Have I ever told you that you talk about me too much?"

"I think I talk about you just the right amount," Jimin countered, grinning.

Yoongi rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Let's just go already."

And so the two of them made their way towards the pier, towards the noise, towards the commotion which made Yoongi feel more uncertain with each step he took. There was no going back. He had promised Namjoon. Yoongi wouldn't dare break a promise with Namjoon. This thought in mind, he gathered up all the strength he had in him and tried not to stumble as he walked, for his legs not to quiver in fear and insecurity, for his composure not to go to pieces the moment he stepped onto the pier. None of these people had any desire to bring harm to him. It would be fine. It'll be fine, Yoongi told himself.

Unfortunately, however, he wasn't fine. Within seconds of stepping onto that pier, Yoongi found himself in the midst of one of the many crowds of visitors, people on every side of him, not incredibly close, but close enough that Yoongi wanted them all to disperse right away. The voices. Too many. There were too many and they were too loud for Yoongi's taste. He felt his chest become tighter, and he clutched it, breathing growing heavier. It would be fine. It'll be fine, Yoongi told himself again. But denial didn't help. And a pity, that was, because denial was all he had. He couldn't show it. He had to camouflage it, somehow. He had promised Namjoon. And Yoongi wouldn't dare break a promise with Namjoon.

"Yoongi, do you want to go home?"

He flinched. With all the noises cluttering his head, Yoongi could still hear Jimin's voice, more importantly how genuinely concerned it sounded. The orange-haired boy gazed at him with sympathy. Yoongi hadn't been fooling him. To Jimin, the act he was trying to put on was so obvious, almost painful to watch, even. In a sense, it was painful. Because Jimin could tell Yoongi was struggling. He knew that the trembling state of the boy's body could be traced back to his agoraphobia, or anthropophobia, or whatever the right term would be in this situation. Jimin didn't know for sure. He only knew that he hated to watch Yoongi teetering on the edge of a panic attack.

"I'm not going home," came Yoongi's late reply.

"Yoongi, I can tell you don't want to be here," Jimin said, frowning.

"I have to be here."

"You don't have to be here. You could go home and get some rest. It's not a bad idea, especially after what happened today."

"No, you don't understand," Yoongi said breathlessly. "I have to be here. I promised Namjoon."

It was like he had already made his mind up even before coming here. Perhaps that was why Yoongi had suggested going to the pier in the first place, Jimin wondered. A promise. It must have been a pretty important one for Yoongi to be doing this with such dedication. It wasn't easy for him. That was clear to see. But it was also clear to see that he really, really wanted to do this. Jimin's heart went out to him. He couldn't bear to watch Yoongi's frantic gaze darting from person to person, instead of focusing on what it should have been focusing on--rather, what Jimin wanted him to be focusing on. In that moment, Jimin wanted to do something for him. Anything. Anything to take that unadulterated fear off Yoongi's face and let him know it was going to be okay.

"Do you want to hold my hand?"

"You're mocking me."

"I-I'm not mocking you," Jimin protested, embarrassed for having asked. "I was just thinking it might help. I mean, when I was younger, holding hands with my dad in crowded places always made me feel calmer. T-that is, I'm not trying to treat you like a child, I'm just saying, if it would help ease your nerves, then I-"

He felt Yoongi grab his hand, quickly at first, as if it had been a spur of the moment decision, but then, ever so slowly, the boy's fingers started to intertwine with Jimin's. And Jimin's heart leapt. He didn't brace himself for this. Truthfully, he didn't expect Yoongi to be okay with this at all, let alone be the one to initiate the hand-holding. And now his heart was beating faster, faster and it made his entire body feel lighter.

Yoongi looked so small. Shrinking into himself, staring at the ground, tightly holding on to Jimin's hand like he was afraid to let go. He wasn't shaking as much. Jimin noticed this, and he smiled at Yoongi, who looked back at him shyly.

He's so freaking cute. Jimin swallowed his breath. Stay calm. Calm. I can't have my hands getting sweaty now. I don't want him getting uncomfortable. That's the exact opposite of my intention.

"Is this any better?"

"Much better."

Jimin blushed.

"Thank you, Jimin."

That soft, appreciative voice, the tint of red that dusted Yoongi's cheeks, and most of all that eye contact that made something so very, very clear to Jimin. Something important, something that perhaps he had realized a long time ago, but pushed aside.

He was in love with Yoongi. And knowing that now made keeping his cool a whole lot harder.

"Uh, s-so do you want to go get something to eat?" Jimin asked, hoping to fill the silence between them. "It's been a while since either of us ate. You hungry?"

"Yeah, now that you mention it," Yoongi answered.

"What do you want to eat?"

"Doesn't matter to me. I'm not a picky eater."

"Me neither. Let's just try everything. My treat."

And that's what they did. Hand in hand, the two boys wandered around the festival grounds, hopping from food stand to food stand and trying a small sample from each one. Rather than his stomach hurting, though, Jimin's cheeks began to ache because of how much he was smiling. It was well worth the pain. He was happy. He was so freaking happy not only for his own sake, but also for the fact that Yoongi seemed to be enjoying himself. He didn't shrink into a bubble. Or ask to leave. Or choose to keep silent. He was actually talking, indulging in the festival food eagerly, pointing out people dressed in stupid costumes and chuckling under his breath.

Yoongi almost forgot that he was even holding Jimin's hand. Deceived by a sweet sense of security, he carried on as though this was natural, but every now and then his gaze would fall on their interlocked fingers, and his heart would skip a beat. The Yoongi of three months ago would have never seen this coming. Not in a million years.

Three months. It had only been a little over three months. Why did it feel as though he had known Jimin for so much longer than that?

Jimin's perspective was the other way around. To him, those three months seemed like three days. Like he had met Yoongi just the other day, and yet here he was, having hopelessly fallen for this adorable mint-haired boy who probably had no idea. Yoongi wasn't stupid. Jimin simply had a feeling he was the type to never believe that someone could fall in love with him. As sad as that thought sounded, right now, Jimin was thankful for it. He didn't want Yoongi to catch on. He was still afraid of being turned down, too afraid of learning that Yoongi only saw him as a friend. He wouldn't lose hope, but giving it some time couldn't be a bad idea, either.

"Hey, Yoongi, I wanted to swing by the restrooms real quick. Did you need to go too or would you rather just wait outside?"

"I'll wait," Yoongi replied softly, scanning the area as they approached the public restrooms. "It's not too crowded here...I'll be fine."

"Okay, then." Jimin hesitantly slipped his hand out of Yoongi's grip. A brief moment of sadness dawned on him. "I'll be as quick as I can." So we can hold hands when I get back again.

"Don't worry. You take your time," Yoongi said jokingly. Jimin then disappeared, leaving him all alone till the orange-haired boy should return.

Well, that's what he thought, anyway. However Yoongi received an unexpected visitor who appeared before him in the likeness of a remorseful debtor. Nothing confident or proud about him, not his walk, nor his posture, nor the sad and shameful expression fixed upon his down-turned face.

"How long have you been waiting there, Taehyung?"

"Not long," he answered, voice disconsolate as his appearance. He didn't look to be with anyone, Yoongi thought. How peculiar.

"What is it? Have you come here to insult m-"

"I'm sorry."

Of all words that could possibly have fallen out of Taehyung's mouth, these were the last that Yoongi expected to hear. And so tearfully spoken, too. As if they had been bottled up for some time. Yoongi stared at him, silent and unmoving at first. Then he said quietly, "What for?"

"Everything."

Taehyung clenched his fists as he struggled to keep those regretful tears at bay. He had tried to prepare himself for this. He really did. His pride was in shambles and he didn't even care about that. It wasn't about pride anymore. Tae was crucially aware that he and only he were to blame for Yoongi's near-death experience. That had never been his intention. Never. But it had happened. And he couldn't take it back.

"I don't expect you to forgive me," he began, "and I don't even want you to forgive me. I know I don't deserve it. I just wanted to let you know that I feel like crap. It took long enough, but I'm here now. And I'm sorry. I'm so freaking sorry that you had to put up with me. I'm sorry for treating you the way I treated you. You did nothing wrong. I've never had anything against you, Yoongi. It's just...I saw how quickly you and Jimin were getting close, and the jealous me who can't let go of the past blamed you. I targeted you for no other reason than to vent my frustration. I'm sorry. Truthfully, deep down, I've always thought you seemed like a cool guy. And in a way, you reminded me of myself. A part of me wanted to be your friend, but I was just so hung up on the belief that Jimin was the only friend I ever needed, and I didn't want anyone to steal him from me, so I pushed you away. I was wrong. I was stupid and childish, and in case I didn't say it enough times, I'm sorry. I'm sorry, Yoongi-"

"It's okay."

Taehyung had been looking at the ground this entire time but lifted his head at the sound of these words.

"I don't hate you," he said simply, as though knowing this thought was grounded in the boy's head. "You can stop crying."

"I'm not crying."

"You are, though it beats me as to why. I'm no one worth crying for."

"You say that, yet you've had two people cry for you in one day."

"Ah, so you're admitting it now."

"What? No, that's not..." Tae wiped his eyes with the palms of his hands. "I wasn't crying. These aren't tears, they're..."

"Eye sweat?"

"Yeah. Eye sweat." He suppressed a small laugh. "...hey, Yoongi..."

Yoongi paused briefly. "Hm?"

"I know this sounds cheesy, but can we start over?"

"You're right, that does sound cheesy."

Taehyung frowned at him, and Yoongi smiled.

"My bad. What I meant to say was, sure, let's start over."

"I'm Kim Taehyung. It's nice to meet you."

"Min Yoongi. The pleasure's all mine."

Several minutes later, Jimin emerged from the restroom. By that point Taehyung was long gone, and Yoongi had his face buried in his phone as he was trying to tune out everyone and everything around him. When he saw Jimin had returned, though, he lifted his head immediately.

"What took you so long?"

"My dad called me all of a sudden," Jimin replied apologetically. "He doesn't call often, so I didn't want to end the call so quickly or tell him to call back later. Sorry, was I really gone that long?"

"No, not really," Yoongi said. He slipped his phone into his backpack again. "But I'm glad you're back."

A smile touched Jimin's lips. So am I.