like an arrow in the blue sky, another century flies by » yoonmin

one

"Yoongi hyung!" Jimin whips his head so fast, he thinks he heard his neck snap a bit. His heart is beating so fast, knocking desperately inside his chest. He's heard of that name before – almost like déjà vu. He doesn't hear Taehyung's confusion over the ringing in his ears. His eyes are frantically scanning the crowd for someone he hasn't even met.

And then he feels it, a pull – and before he even knew, his feet are already moving.

"Jiminie?"

"Jiminie?"

The voice he keeps hearing in his dreams echoes Taehyung's. He turns back to his best friend, and for a split second, he sees the latter dressed in a royal blue suit.

"Uh...Jimin? You good? If this is you messing with me then you won, okay? You've been weirding me out for five whole minutes," his best friend attempts to joke but the worry is evident on the way his eyebrows are furrowed. It takes Jimin ten seconds of staring at the younger's face before snapping out of the weird trance he was in.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to. I..." His eyes drift to where he felt the pull from just minutes ago.

"Jimin?"

"It's nothing, just thought I saw someone I knew..?" Taehyung didn't look like he believed the smaller, and Jimin couldn't blame him because even he couldn't believe the words that spilled out from his mouth. It's not that it was a lie—no. It's just that it wasn't the whole truth either, but it's not like Jimin knew what the truth is.

When they return from the mall, Jimin is so exhausted that he flops face-first on the couch and sighs as the tension on his muscles ease. Having to practice for an upcoming solo competition, study for finals, write two papers, and keep up with an overly energetic best friend who drags you anywhere when he craves something – like today, when Taehyung dragged him to the mall because he was craving for chicken and ice cream (and no, not separately) – does that to a person.

He doesn't even register Taehyung giggling and carrying him to his bed, although he does register the soft sheets beneath him. His mouth unconsciously twitches into a smile at the warmth but his brain is halfway into dreamland.

"Jiminie?"

"Yoongi hyung!" Jimin runs and jumps to hug the man. He pulls back and stares at the older. Even if Yoongi is faceless, he can almost imagine the grin on his face. And if that wasn't enough, the melodious laughter gave his happiness away.

"Be quiet, Jiminie. We're gonna get caught." Jimin hums and pecks the older on the lips, still not making any indication of removing his arms around the stranger's neck.

"I could always tell them that you're training me."

"At midnight?" He feels Yoongi raise an eyebrow at his statement. It's not that Jimin can't see his face. More like his facial features are there but also not entirely as it's all blurred out, at the same time it's not. It's weird—it's like he knows every little detail on Yoongi's face but it's all locked up in some box at the back of his mind.

"What can I say? I'm a diligent prince." Jimin states proudly, although his chest aches a little at a thought he doesn't even know what.

"You sure are, Your Highness. A little too much though, you look tired."

"I'm not. I wanna stay like this for the whole night." He says, already knowing what Yoongi would suggest next. However, that doesn't stop them from still uttering their next words.

"As much as I want to, it's my duty to protect you—and that includes your health so off you go prince charming." Jimin doesn't want to let go, because who knows when they'll get to meet like this again?

"We'll meet again, I promise." After a few minutes, Jimin gives in hesitantly. The earlier lighthearted mood is gone; the air now filled with wistfulness and longing even though the two lovers' bodies are pressed against each other.

Jimin's lips wobble and he feels the heaviness in his throat as if this wasn't a mere dream, but a memory.

"Promise?"

"You know I always keep my promises." Yoongi looks at him fondly, and even though his face is all blurry like a distant memory, he can imagine looking at those familiar eyes as if he's done so for years.

"I know."

Jimin doesn't wake up shooting up his bed, no – his eyes open slowly, and for a while, he sees a white ceiling adorned with gold paint instead of the plain dull white he's grown accustomed to the past year of living in his and Taehyung's shared apartment. That doesn't even freak him out. Instead, he's too focused on the dream he just had that feels a bit too real. He doesn't feel the tears trickling down his face, nor the shortness of his breath as sob after sob escapes his lips.

That's how Taehyung finds him, shaking yet frozen and crying – like he's having sleep paralysis.

"Chim?" Taehyung shakes the older and calls out his name, but it's like there's cotton in Jimin's ears. His best friend's voice is muffled, and it's only when he notices the other's presence beside him that he actively tries to focus on bringing himself back to reality.

Eventually, his tears stop and his breathing calms down. He hears his best friend let out a relieved sigh and pulls Jimin to a hug.

"What time is it?" Jimin asks out of curiosity and as a way to avoid talking about what just happened—or more likely why it happened.

It's not that he doesn't trust Taehyung not to laugh at the ridiculous fact that he's been crying over a guy who's been appearing in his dreams often. It's just that he, himself, thinks that. It doesn't help that the dreams feel too real to just be an imaginary scenario his brain made up during his sleep. How the hell is he going to explain that without sounding delusional and crazy?

"Ten pm. I was watching anime but I heard you crying."

"Sorry..." Taehyung pulls back and stares at Jimin in a rarely serious and stern way. The latter has to prevent himself from the silent demand his best friend is sending. It goes without saying: this has happened far too often and now the younger isn't coming out of this room without getting any answers.

And yet, "Just had a bad dream I guess? I don't really remember..." From the way Taehyung's frown deepens as he grips Jimin's shoulders tells him that the former doesn't buy any of what Jimin said.

"I think you do." Realizing as Taehyung wouldn't believe him if he would deny, he tries making the whole thing seem like it isn't as much of a big deal as it is. And to be honest, it really isn't when he thinks about it.

"It's nothing. Don't worry too much about this."

"Jimin—"

"Taehyung," Jimin sighs and removes his best friend's slackened hands on his shoulders. "I'm tired, can we just...I don't know? Talk about this some other time?"

Taehyung presses his lips together in a thin line at that before finally giving in.

"You'll tell me when you feel ready?" Jimin hums, although he averts his gaze away from the intense and hopeful stare from the other because there's no way in hell he's going to tell someone about this. He feels the guilt churn on his stomach but ignores it.

"Promise?" The pleading tone in Tae's voice has him turning back to meet the younger's eyes. Worry. He's worried for you. Jimin thinks grimly and the guilt that builds inside him makes him entertain the idea of telling.

Maybe one day.

"I-"

"You know I always keep my promises." Jimin's breath hitches at the voice that suddenly floods his ears, and he fights back the incoming tears that would surely make his eyes glisten. Taehyung definitely won't be waiting if he notices that.

"You know I always keep my promises." The voice echoes in his mind as he says it.

"...I know." Jimin feels like crying, so instead, he burrows his face on his best friend's chest when he pulls the younger into a hug. He doesn't even know why he has the urge to bawl his eyes out over something so shallow.