Daffodils only Bloom in Spring

2

"Hey, Kookie," Jimin said upon spotting the younger amongst the stream of students trickling out of the art classroom, quickly pushing himself off of the wall he was leaning against.

"Hey, Jimin," came the rather fatigued response, eliciting a giggle from the aforementioned.

"Tired?" Jimin asked, Jungkook only humming in reply, not showing any signs of protest to the arm now slung around his shoulder. "Well," the older continued, "I was wondering if you wanted to hang out tomorrow. Cause it feels like we haven't properly spent time with each other in forever. And I was thinking we could go out somewhere in the afternoon since we're both off timetable then."

"Oh, actually, I have something planned tomorrow," Jungkook mumbled, beginning to fidget nervously.

"Oh, really?" Jimin asked, doing his best to mask his disappointment.

"Yeah," Jungkook perked up a bit. "That cute guy I mentioned earlier is inviting me out on a date! How amazing is that?!"

"That's great, Kookie! You go have fun. Don't worry about me."

"Thanks, Jiminie. We can hang out another time."

"Sure. But don't think about that now. Focus on your date. I'm rooting for you," the older said, ruffling Jungkook's hair slightly. "I'm sure everything's going to go amazingly well."

Soon after, the two friends separated, exchanging goodbyes and a promise of a detailed account of the younger's date, Jimin heading to the library while Jungkook decided on returning back to his dorm room. But neither the rather peaceful walk to the library and it's silent interior nor the work he was purposefully drowning himself in, could numb the aching feeling in the blond's chest.

◆

"I'm here," Seokjin called, entering the chemistry lab for the second time that day. He had had a productive day, which he was grateful for, but he didn't feel particularly proud of the work he had accomplished. He was fully aware that his immoderate exertion stemmed from his desperate need of a distraction. It pained him to think that the suffocating feeling of dread clawing at his insides was caused by Namjoon, considering his presence was the highlight of the younger's day, but it was true; the mere thought of the conversation they had had and the memory of the promise of a further rendezvous made Seokjin feel sick.

Upon entering the classroom, he noticed that Namjoon was still at his desk, piles upon piles of paper and folders stacked upon it, but there was a difference in his demeanour when compared to that morning. Sure, Namjoon looked equally as tired, if not more so, but he seemed more enthusiastic, flipping through the paperwork strewn haphazardly before him with a slight excitement. As much as Seokjin hated himself for it, he did not like the happy look on the teacher's face, not in this context anyway. For he knew that the only thing that could have caused such euphoria in a time of despair for the older was his brain; Namjoon had thought of a plan.

When Mr Kim finally looked up and saw Seokjin standing in the doorway, he broke into an adorable smile, his characteristic dimples appearing in all their glory. "Jin! You came," he said, standing up from his desk and making his way to the younger. Seokjin's heart broke seeing how excited Namjoon was to talk to him. He was going to hear him out either way, but seeing how exhilarated the blond was made him even more determined to be extra supportive throughout.

Namjoon brought Seokjin into a hug while the brown-haired male said, "Of course I came. I'm not going to lie though, I'm really scared."

Namjoon laughed, not breaking away. "Of what?"

"Of your plan. It's obvious you've managed to think of something and I'm scared that even if it's virtually impossible I won't be able to convince you to not go through with it. I just don't want you getting hurt."