flowers and ink » yoonmin

two.

At seven o'clock, Jimin closed his store. Business had been slow today, and he felt as if he'd been going mad. There was a park down the street, and he wanted to stop at the cafe, get something, and walk in its fresh air. He turned the lights off and went up the stairwell in the back room that led to the apartment complex, unlocking it and entering. He ignored the second door like he did every night, and opened his own. He traded his work clothes for something cleaner; a pair of ripped jeans and a black tee-shirt. Grabbing his earbuds, phone, and money, he stepped back into the street. It was still light outside, but he'd have to head home soon; he didn't like to be out after dark. He walked the few feet to the crosswalk, muttering apologies as he got in people's way, keeping his head down. He briefly wondered if Yoongi would be at the cafe, and discarded the ridiculous thought immediately. Traffic slowed, and he crossed the road in a small group of other people. Yoongi hadn't used the crosswalk earlier; he just strutted across the road like he knew he was too important to be hit by a car. Thankfully, the blue-haired boy wasn't at Cafe Bliss, and Jimin ordered a hot chocolate smoothly and was on his way to the park. The street was an odd mix of business and homes; most of them apartments in the stores' upper levels, like his. It dead-ended at the park, and people would drive down the road, only to have to turn around again all the time. When he was especially bored, he'd watch out the windows and count how many times this happened in an hour. Once, it had been thirteen times.

The street was quiet, only a few people walking down the sidewalks. He arrived at the rather small park, and plugged in his earbuds, turning on his music. There was a fountain in the center, a path wrapping around the fenced perimeter. A few trees grew here and there, but it was mostly exposed to sunlight. There were benches and picnic tables dotted haphazardly across the lush lawn, and Jimin sat down at one. He was content to watch the scenery, and switched his music to a soothing piano playlist. There was a small family eating at a picnic table a few feet away from him, and he watched as the mother and father fed each other crackers and cheese while the young children teased each other. He sipped at his warm drink. He felt calm and happy; the park was his favorite place outside of the comfort of his home. He knew nothing bad would happen here; it was like a safe haven. He was scared of the outside world; too many things could happen to him that would hurt him in some way or another. He could get mugged, beat up, or just lose his apartment keys or wallet. He was also afraid of large crowds and people in general, so that didn't help either. He looked down at his phone, pretending to text someone, when he felt a person sit next to him on the bench. He blinked twice in irritation; there were plenty of other benches around the person could've sat at. He finally looked up in annoyance, taking in the tattoos and blue hair.

"Yoongi," he said, tone somewhere between anger and dismay. His fingers were tight around his Styrofoam cup.

"That's my name," the boy replied, stretching his legs out. He had earbuds in, and Jimin could hear the bass from his music.

"I can hear your music, you know," Jimin said, gesturing at his earbuds.

"Is that a problem?"

"I can hear it through mine!"

"Yeah? And what are you listening to, flower boy?" Yoongi's tone was full of that ever-present bite of sarcasm. He grabbed for Jimin's phone before he could react, and made a disappointed noise. "Piano music? Hmm." Jimin couldn't tell if he was being sarcastic or genuinely disdainful - both were equally likely. Or maybe that was just how he sounded all the time and he was thrilled at Jimin's music selection. This was less likely.

"Is that a problem?" Jimin asked, echoing Yoongi's words. Yoongi scowled, but took his earbuds out, pausing his music. Jimin did the same.

"Why are you here?" Jimin asked, wondering why Yoongi had sat beside him. Maybe he hadn't gotten enough "Jimin ridiculing" time. Yoongi just shrugged, and Jimin bit his tongue in annoyance.