"flirting?"

As the group began packing up, Jimin was busy folding a blanket, mumbling something under his breath about Jungkook and Taehyung's endless drama. Just as he turned to grab another corner, a loud “BOO!” echoed behind him.

"WHAT THE—!" Jimin shrieked at a pitch so high even birds probably paused mid-flight. He jumped about three feet in the air, clutching the blanket like it was a life-saving device. In his panic, he instinctively latched onto the nearest person—Yoongi.

Yoongi, who had been calmly sipping on a drink, now found himself with a full-grown human koala attached to him. "What the hell, Jimin?!" he barked, nearly spilling his drink all over himself.

Jimin, still clinging for dear life, looked over Yoongi’s shoulder, his eyes wide. “I—I swear to god, I almost DIED!”

Jin, the culprit, was doubled over in laughter, clutching his stomach. "Oh, man, your face! Priceless!"

“YOU’RE LAUGHING?” Jimin yelled, still refusing to let go of Yoongi. "I felt my soul leave my body!"

“Let. Go,” Yoongi grumbled, his expression a mix of irritation and embarrassment as he tried to pry Jimin off.

“No! You’re safe!” Jimin argued, tightening his grip like Yoongi was his personal bodyguard.

“I’m not safe,” Yoongi deadpanned, “because you’re trying to strangle me right now.”

“Seriously, Jin?” Taehyung chimed in, smirking. “You scared him so bad, he’s regressed into a toddler clinging to his mom.”

“Shut up, Taehyung!” Jimin snapped, but his words lacked any bite, considering he was still wrapped around Yoongi like a baby koala.

Jungkook burst out laughing, wiping a tear from his eye. “Hyung, I’ve never seen you move that fast in my life. Olympic-level reaction!”

“I hate you all,” Jimin huffed, finally releasing Yoongi and glaring at everyone. “And you—” he jabbed a finger at Jin, “—you’re banned from my life. Don’t even breathe near me.”

Jin, still giggling, held his hands up in mock surrender. “Worth it.”

Yoongi sighed, dusting off his jacket where Jimin had gripped him. “You’re unbelievable.”

Jimin pouted and crossed his arms. “You wouldn’t understand. I could’ve died, Yoongi. Died! And what would you have done then?”

“Probably had some peace and quiet,” Yoongi quipped, a faint smirk tugging at his lips.

Jimin gasped dramatically. “You’re supposed to protect me, not roast me!”

Yoongi leaned closer, his smirk now fully in place. “Next time, I’ll let Jin scare you again. Maybe it’ll finally teach you to stop jumping on people.”

Jimin glared at him, but the slight pink on his cheeks gave him away. “Whatever. I don’t need your help anyway.”

“Right,” Yoongi teased, stepping past him with a small chuckle. “I’ll remember that next time you’re clinging to me like a scared kitten.”

“I WAS NOT A SCARED KITTEN!”

“Sure,” Yoongi replied, tone dripping with sarcasm.

And as Jimin turned to fume at Jin again, Yoongi, unnoticed by everyone else, allowed a small, fond smile to break through. Maybe scaring the living daylights out of Jimin wasn’t so bad after all.

Jimin was mid-rant, waving his hands dramatically at Yoongi. “You always have to have the last word, don’t you? You think you’re so—so—”

Yoongi, who had been standing with his arms crossed, suddenly started walking toward Jimin. His gaze was sharp, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.

Jimin paused, his rant faltering as Yoongi closed the distance. “W-What are you doing?” he asked, his voice breaking slightly as he instinctively took a step back.

“Nothing,” Yoongi replied casually, though his voice had dropped a little, making it sound suspiciously deliberate. He tilted his head, his smirk growing as he leaned in closer. “Just wondering how you manage to talk so much nonsense in one breath.”

Jimin, feeling the heat rise to his cheeks, stumbled back another step, his words tangling. “Y-You—don’t change the subject! I—I’m not scared of you, you know!”

Yoongi didn’t stop. He moved closer, his face now only inches from Jimin’s, his eyes glinting mischievously. “Scared? Who said anything about being scared? You look more… flustered, if you ask me.”

“Flustered?!” Jimin squeaked, his back hitting the bus as he tried to maintain his composure. His hands flew up in front of him, palms facing Yoongi. “I’m not flustered! Y-You’re the one who’s being weird right now!”

Yoongi raised an eyebrow, clearly enjoying himself. “Weird? I’m just standing here. You’re the one stumbling over your words, Park Jimin.”

Jimin’s brain was short-circuiting. He could feel his face burning, and the smirk on Yoongi’s face wasn’t helping. “I-I’m not stumbling! And stop calling me by my full name—it’s annoying!”

Just as Yoongi leaned a fraction closer, ready to deliver another teasing remark, a loud voice interrupted them.

“Hyung! What are you guys doing?” Jungkook called out, walking toward them with an amused expression, holding a drink in one hand.

Jimin jumped like he’d been caught doing something he wasn’t supposed to. He quickly ducked under Yoongi’s arm, putting some distance between them. “Nothing! Absolutely nothing!”

Jungkook raised an eyebrow, his gaze flicking between the two of them. “Doesn’t look like ‘nothing.’”

Before Yoongi could say anything, Jimin blurted out, “Why are you even here? Go mind your own business!” He turned and started walking off in a huff, though the tips of his ears were still bright red.

Yoongi stood there, watching him go with an amused smirk. “Well, that was dramatic.”

Jungkook looked at Yoongi suspiciously. “What were you doing?”

Yoongi shrugged, completely unbothered. “Nothing important. Just winning an argument.”

Meanwhile, Jimin, far enough away to be out of earshot, muttered under his breath, “Aish, that man is so… frustrating!” He tried to shake off the blush on his face, fanning himself with his hands. “Why does he have to get so close like that? It’s not like I care… I don’t care! I don’t!”

But even as he stomped off, the slight smile tugging at the corner of his lips betrayed him.

Yoongi tilted his head, watching Jimin stomp away, muttering to himself like a cartoon character in distress. He narrowed his eyes, catching faint snippets of Jimin's words.

“...so frustrating! Why does he have to get so close? I don’t care… I don’t!”

A slow, smug grin spread across Yoongi's face. Gotcha, he thought to himself, already plotting how to milk this situation for all it was worth.

Jungkook noticed the shift in Yoongi’s expression and immediately groaned. “Oh no. You’ve got that look.”

Yoongi turned to him, feigning innocence. “What look?”

“The look that says you’re about to ruin someone’s life just for your own amusement,” Jungkook replied, deadpan.

Yoongi chuckled. “It’s not ruining if they walk right into it, is it?”

Before Jungkook could respond, Yoongi was already strolling in Jimin’s direction. Jimin, who had found refuge by a tree and was sipping on a bottle of water, froze when he saw Yoongi approaching.

“What now?” Jimin snapped, his voice high-pitched, betraying his attempt to act unbothered.

Yoongi stopped a few feet away, his hands in his pockets and that infuriating smirk plastered on his face. “Nothing. Just thought I’d check on you, since you don’t care.”

Jimin nearly choked on his water. “W-What?”

“You don’t care, right?” Yoongi repeated, his tone dripping with sarcasm. “About me being ‘so close’ or whatever it was you were muttering about.”

Jimin’s eyes widened in pure panic. “You… you heard that?”

Yoongi nodded slowly, his smirk growing wider. “Every. Single. Word.”

Jimin’s face turned as red as a tomato. He scrambled for a comeback, but all he managed was a flustered, “Well, maybe you shouldn’t eavesdrop, you creep!”

“Eavesdrop?” Yoongi raised an eyebrow. “Hard to eavesdrop when you were basically yelling it out loud.”

“I wasn’t yelling!” Jimin shot back, his voice cracking slightly. “You’re making things up!”

“Sure, sure,” Yoongi said, waving him off dismissively. “Whatever helps you sleep at night, Park Jimin.” He said Jimin’s full name in that teasing tone that made Jimin want to scream and bury himself alive.

“Stop calling me that!” Jimin huffed, his hands flailing. “And stop acting like you’re so clever. You’re not!”

“Oh, but I am,” Yoongi replied smoothly, taking a step closer just to watch Jimin backtrack a step.

“Stay over there!” Jimin barked, pointing a finger at him.

“Why?” Yoongi teased. “Are you scared again?”

Jimin clenched his fists, glaring at Yoongi. “I’m not scared! You’re just—ugh!” He stomped his foot like a frustrated kid, turning on his heel to storm off.

But before he could fully escape, Yoongi called out, “Don’t worry, Jimin! I’ll make sure to keep my distance next time we argue. You know, since you don’t care and all.”

Jimin let out a loud, exaggerated groan but didn’t turn around. If Yoongi had been closer, he would’ve seen the faint, guilty smile tugging at Jimin’s lips.

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