Yoonmin in Malta

7 - The first evening (I)

After getting their luggage out of the cars and settling in, the band gathers for a party in the maisonette's living room.

"You're a genius, Jinnie!" celebrates Hobi the oldest of the group.

"Look, Jinnie brought a microphone!"

Jin proudly holds the battery-powered golden microphone with built-in speaker in the air.

Namjoon then retrieves his Bluetooth speaker from his and Hobi's room and the party begins. The group dances, raps, and sings to their songs and other music. The mood of the friends is boisterous, only Yoongi has stayed in the upstairs room.

While the others are absorbed in the music, Namjoon takes his dongsaeng Jimin aside.

"Say, what's going on lately? Did you have a fight with Suga?" a worried Namjoon looks into his eyes; it almost seems as if he is trying to decipher Jimin's answer from his face, so insistent is the look on the bandleader's face. He continues without waiting for Jimin's answer.

"Is it really okay for you to sleep in the same bed with him? We can switch rooms if you want. No problem."

"Ahh ... it's fine, don't worry about it, hyung," the younger one answers quickly and suddenly stands up as if Namjoon had stopped him in the middle of his movement, but it wasn't like that. Jimin simply disappears into the bathroom, avoiding Namjoon's persistent gaze.

Once in the bathroom, Jimin carefully locks the door. He looks in the mirror and is immediately glad that he was able to escape this awkward situation with Namjoon. His face literally shows his insecurity and turmoil, which he has been trying to swallow since the shock after the bed assignment.

'I can't let Joonie confront him.'

Horror settles in him, he must somehow manage to be casual with Yoongi again. They've always gotten along well, but it's starting to become noticeable that something is wrong. The last thing Jimin wants is for Yoongi to tell Namjoon about their conflict.

Yoongi had been an important mentor for Jimin back in their rookie days. Without the rapper, he surely would have been kicked out of the band before their debut. Jimin was sure of that.

Yoongi even made the case to producer Bang that Jimin should be trained as a vocalist instead of failing as a mediocre rapper. Because that's exactly what would have happened, Jimin is convinced.

Who would have thought that Jimin's singing voice would become one of the most popular from the band just a few years later. Without that support and the encouraging conversations with Yoongi, Jimin would still be that one dancer in the band with nothing else to offer but a particularly smooth execution of their choreography and the show-off of his abs.

From time to time, he still feels like an impostor. How could he possibly hold a candle to real musicians like Namjoon and Yoongi? Yoongi has written and produced countless songs for the band himself. His contribution to the band is just so much more valuable than Jimin's own pitiful contribution could ever be.

'I'm just a dancer who learned to sing,' Jimin speaks bitterly to himself, resting his face in his hands and feeling it slowly grow warm. The thought that is now forcing itself upon him, he's been trying to suppress for so long.

He just doesn't understand why Yoongi has supported him so vehemently in his personal development in the band all these years. Why he acts much more understanding and affectionate towards Jimin, while no one else is allowed to get too close to him. He pushes everyone else away, emotionally as well as physically.

Jimin has nothing to offer Yoongi, nothing to teach him and certainly nothing to offer to free him from his duties and worries. But Yoongi wouldn't want that anyway, his whole focus, his whole love belongs only to the music.

Jimin thinks about this last thought for a while and waits patiently in the bathroom until the heat on his face subsides.

"Hey grandpa! Are we too loud for you?" shouts Jungkook in the living room, bouncing rhythmically to the music and pointing his finger at the stairs where Yoongi is slowly walking down.

"We have to be at the marina in 20 minutes," he answers calmly.

The party is just breaking up and the band members are getting ready for the first item on their vacation agenda. They will spend the evening on a boat tour. Their management has not only provided a full refrigerator and pantries in the apartment. They also put together a vacation program for the band, and as always, the band submitted their requests to the management a few weeks before the trip.

---

The evening sun makes the Mediterranean Sea appear golden as the friends board the chartered boat. They have it all to themselves, with only the captain and the bar staff still on board. The band makes themselves comfortable at the large seating area on deck and continues their party with music from Namjoon's Bluetooth speaker.

Once again, Yoongi doesn't actively participate in the hustle and bustle, yet he watches his friends. Once again, he notices how much effort it takes for him to control his facial expressions.

The thing is, Yoongi has been unable to look like a normal person for most of his existence, while Jimin prances around in front of him with his slender body, with all his charm and wholehearted laughter wafting around him like the fragrance of spring.

Yoongi wants to just grab him and pull him close, but that's not going to happen.

He loves that carefree vibe that makes Jimin feel so happy. He just hopes nobody notices his own typically gawking facial expression in the midst of it. All too often, his expressions slip; and he knows how terribly embarrassing it looks when he stares. Yoongi has often been caught doing this, while the band was recording reactions to their own performances and music videos. Such a reaction recording is a goddamn gauntlet. Yoongi hopes every time that no one notices his facial expression while watching Jimin as they show yet another clip from a music video where the younger man deliberately and skillfully moves his lean body lasciviously to the music while his outfit seems to flow around and down on him. But Yoongi just can't look away; he's not strong enough.

Jimin, too, can feel the elder's stares every time he dances or even moves. It seems as if he has an invisible power that makes Yoongi's eyes come closer. But he doesn't let that distract him and he enjoys the moments when he feels like he can captivate the whole world, not just Yoongi, with every move he makes.