lie ❃ jhs + pjm

prologue

a big smile is plastered on jimin's face as his feet carry him slowly towards his best friend's house, hoseok. with his small hands buried in his pants' pockets, he rubs the tip of his cold nose against the fluffy material of his green scarf, the icy temperatures of december rubbing against his clothes.

hoseok and jimin have been friends since they were kids and they've practically grown up together, watching each other's life unfold in front of their eyes like a movie. at one point in their life, they had even considered moving in in one house and live together, but they had decided that they would do that if their financial situations got worse and needed each other's help to pay their monthly rent.

while jimin worked as a cashier in a small supermarket near his house, hoseok worked in a flower shop which was situated near a coffee shop both jimin and his best friend loved.

today was a cloudy day, jimin had just finished his morning shift and is strangely in a good mood, although he's always delighted to spend an afternoon with the older boy.

he crosses the street quickly and lets out a light chuckle as his eyes fall upon hoseok's front door made of wood. he quickly walks up the few stairs that divide him from his best friend's house and when he reaches the door he lightly knocks three times.

a few seconds pass before the door is being opened and a smiling hoseok is finally in front of jimin. "hey, buddy!" jimin exclaims, engulfing the taller boy in a tight hug. as soon as he feels hoseok's arms wrapped around his back, a content grin takes its place onto jimin's lips.

"hey, chim, how are you? how's work?" hoseok asks, letting the boy in. they make their way towards the living room, sitting down on the couch. their shoulders brush as jimin start telling hoseok his morning.

"i'm fine, actually. work is good, although there's this colleague of mine that is starting to annoy me. he always stares at me and analyzes every move i make, then he laughs at me as if i don't see him making fun of me," jimin explains, sounding off as he plays with the hands resting onto his lap. his right leg bounces up and down nervously and as soon as hoseok notices the agitated tick, he places a gentle hand on top of his knee in order to stop his movements.

"hey, it's okay. maybe he's just crazy and has no friends so he laughs at his own jokes," hoseok chuckles and his sens of humor gets a smile out of his best friend.

"i guess," jimin shrugs. "and you? how are the flowers?" he teases.

a sudden emotion flashes brightly across hoseok's eyes as he gets up quickly and leaves the room. "i have something for you, actually!" he exclaims from the kitchen. jimin softly laughs at his best friend's cuteness, as the older boy returns to the living room, holding something behind his back. a smug smile is lightening his soft features as hoseok kneels in front of his best friend.

"first of all, i'm not proposing," hoseok starts with a mischievous glint in his almond eyes. "but since you've been down because of work, and i'm a good friend who also works in a flower shop, i thought that i'd get you your favorite flowers," he says, now revealing the small but generous bouquet of lilies he was hiding behind his back.

"hyung," jimin smiles, taking the present from his friend with shaky hands. "you didn't need to do this. thank you so much," he says, finally meeting hoseok's nervous smile. could the older boy really think jimin wouldn't have liked the flowers?

"i'm glad you like them," hoseok replies, now sitting beside him and placing a light hand on his knee. "you're my best friend and i hate seeing you sad or down. i want the best for you and for me, the best thing you could ever wear is a smile. a wide, beautiful and bright smile on your face is what makes me happy, jimin,"

when jimin looks up to meet hoesok's stare, he's surprised to see the tenderness that was swimming inside of his best friend's eyes. he has never been in the receiving end of such a soft and loving gaze, therefore a light blush starts to appear on his cheeks as he lowers his head to look at hoseok's hand resting lightly on his leg. he hadn't felt like this in years; the butterflies, the stomach flipping inside of his abdomen, the irregular heartbeat you get when you look into someone's eyes. as he looks up to meet hoseok's gaze again, the feeling intensifies, and for the first time he has the urge to close the gap between their faces, but he doesn't, because it's not right. not yet, at least.

so, with a small smile turning his plump lips upwards, he shuffles closer to hoseok and wraps his thin arms around his shoulders, enveloping him on a gentle and warm hug.

"thank you so much, hyung."