You're my best friend for the rest of my life

Hi, babies! 

I hope you enjoy the animation and the story. This month hasn't been easy on anyone, but I'm sure it will get better, because we'll always have our boys. 

Have a great week everyone! 💜

Please, don't share any NSFW content, it's exclusive for patrons.

_

[Texts 1- Jungkook > Tae]

[Texts 2 - Jungkook > Jimin]

Part 1 (Yoongi)

I was told that the most effective way to get over an ex love is to find a new one.

I've been in what they call an abusive relationship for the past two years, and apparently everyone around me knew it. My family, my friends, and even myself – although I was ashamed to admit aloud what everyone heard in the silence of my head saying yes to everything he suggested, to satisfy his every whim and want. If you've never been in a relationship like this before, you may not know how difficult it is to recognize the position of fragility that we're plunging deeper and deeper into. Chest, head, whole body. We think it's okay, because we can still breathe.

Until, in a game that is only fun for him, you pass out minutes after you feel two hands squeezing your neck.

Taehyung is handsome, but he's not exactly the kind of guy I'd be interested in at first sight. We met three months ago, when I decided I needed to learn some self-defense martial art, and I ended up enrolling in the gym where he swims. As our schedules hit, we would sometimes arrive early and chat for a while before classes started. The chat was good, although we didn't have much in common.

I didn't feel butterflies in my stomach when I saw him, but I knew I was safe, because Taehyung is the exact opposite of my ex-boyfriend. He's younger than me and he's never been in a relationship before. Maybe he's a little immature, the type who's just gotten into college and still hasn't been able to let go of his youthful high school habits, but I don't think any of that bothers me. I love to hear him talk enthusiastically about his classes and his classmates. Taehyung is sweet, easygoing and perfectly harmless. That's all I want right now.

I'm at the entrance to the amusement park, next to the ticket booth, when I see him arrive. He seems a little more shy than usual and I have a feeling this is his first real date. It's kind of weird to meet him here, all dressed up and fragrant like this. When we bump into each other at the gym, Taehyung is usually in shorts, a basic shirt, messy hair, and apparently with no intention of trying to impress me.

Not that he needs to. His face has a natural beauty that attracts glances from all sides without the slightest effort.

“Do you wanna buy our tickets?” he asks, pointing to the window behind us. “I'm not saying you're supposed to pay for our tickets. That's not what I meant.”

I chuckle because he seems genuinely concerned about my interpretation. I like that about him – the fact that he's so spontaneous all the time.

“I know, don't worry, but wouldn't you rather wait for your friends?”

“Only one of them is my friend. The other one I don't know,” he says dismissively, or at least that's what I think he's trying to convey. “I don't know what time they'll arrive. Maybe we'd better go in.”

I don't complain when he walks in front of me and pulls his wallet out of his pocket to pay for my entry. It's been so long since I've known what it's like to be treated with attention by another guy that I feel ridiculous gratitude for that kind of attitude.

“Can I hold your hand?” he asks, free from judgment.

I'm not used to being consulted on this, as if my will counts for something. My ex took from me whatever he wanted, without needing permission.

His hands ripped me off of me and I'm not sure what I have left.

My chest doesn't quicken from the heat of Taehyung's palm on mine, but my entire body warms with tenderness. I'm not in love, I know that, but I think I can be. I don't want to spend the rest of my life in armor.

We're about to pass through the park gates when someone behind us calls out his name. Two boys walk towards us and I can see he tenses up because his fingers squeeze mine a little tighter.

“Hey! Sorry for the delay, there was a bit of traffic,” one of the boys says, holding out his hand. "Jungkook. This is Jimin.”

When I look at him – at Jimin – it's like the entire universe is in front of me.

And then my plans to fall in love with Taehyung all go down the drain.

Part 2 (Jungkook)

Taehyung and I have been best friends since elementary school, when he sat next to me in our first class of fifth grade and ended up taking my backpack home instead of his. It's funny to think about it now, because our backpacks were completely different – mine was orange and his was black – but at the time the confusion seemed perfectly justified.

Until we reached high school, Taehyung was one of the tallest boys in the class and I thought he was the best for that. Well, not just because of his height. When we were together, I saw him as an older brother, because I was too shy and he always found a way to include me in the group conversations, which forced me to be a little more socially involved. Maybe my school life would have been completely lonely if we hadn't met.

I'm not exactly sure what changed when we began freshman year of high school – other than the fact that I'd grown up as much as he had. Our bodies were different, our voices were different, and Taehyung wasn't the same anymore. Not the way I perceived him, at least. Looking at him made my heart beat strangely.

At the end of gym classes, as we sat in the bleachers to catch our breath, I'd lean my sweaty leg against his and hope he wouldn't pull away. Sometimes he would rest his elbow on my thigh and it would be even harder to breathe. That's how I realized I liked boys, even though I never told him.

The figure next to Taehyung isn't exactly the image of the guy I created in my head when he told me about the date. I think I was imagining someone more like me, which, on second thought, sounds a bit boastful. Min Yoongi is shorter and thinner than me. With his platinum blonde hair and baggy sweatshirt, he doesn't make a point of smiling as he lets go of my best friend's hand to shake mine.

“This is Jimin,” I say after introducing myself, making a point of wrapping one of my arms around Jimin’s shoulders. Yoongi makes a tentative smile, twitching an almost insignificant percentage of his mouth in the process.

"Nice to meet you," Jimin greets him in his sweet way, and then addresses Taehyung. “I've heard a lot about you. Jungkook said you were cute, but I didn't think you were that much cute.”

Taehyung's face instantly turns red at the comment –

so red he looks feverish. Jimin and I haven't rehearsed any scripts, but I'm pretty sure winning his sympathy doesn't go directly into my plans. I didn't come all the way here for the two of them to seal some kind of friendship.

"Oh, no," Tae shrugs, visibly embarrassed. “I'm not as handsome as you are.”

Jimin's eyes disappear as he smiles in thanks.

“I think we need to get the tickets,” I interrupt the conversation, squeezing Jimin's shoulder lightly. I take a step forward and grab Taehyung by the arm. "Are you coming with me, Tae?"

“We've already bought ours,” he complains, his body feeling heavier as I pull him up.

“No problem,” I insist, seeing his eyes roll as he relents and follows me.

“What are you trying to do, Kook? Ruin my date?” I hear him grumble as I give him a hug from behind. Taehyung pushes me away, making the face he always does whenever I start acting like I'm a clingy boyfriend. "Stop grabbing me like that, what will Yoongi think?"

“That your best friend is extremely affectionate,” I reply, playing dumb.

While we're in line, waiting for the couple in front of us to be done, Taehyung takes a look at the place where we left Jimin and Yoongi and smiles smugly.

"I didn't know you went around calling me cute."

“You know that Jimin just said that to be nice, right?” I say, knowing I'm going to piss him off. “Not that you're not handsome. But I agree, you're not as handsome as he is.”

His expression goes from ten to minus one in seconds. I know how vain he is and how comments like that hurt his pride. He likes to receive compliments, although he won't admit it. Taehyung doesn't say anything else after that, and until we get back to the boys, our interaction boils down to him listening to me talk about my conquest plans during the date.

Part 3 (Taehyung)

I want to go back in time and undo all this shit.

I can't believe I gave out my first kiss – that I missed the chance to kiss someone who really intended to kiss me for the first time – to my asshole best friend. We're not kids anymore and I don't need all of my first experiences to be with him, because none of his first experiences were with me. Jungkook started kissing boys before I did. Jungkook lost his virginity when I’m not even close to losing mine. Jungkook didn't wait for me for anything, and with that I was left behind, in the false hope that, one day, things would go back to the way they were in elementary school.

He followed me everywhere and thought everything I did was awesome. I don't know what I had on my mind when I took his backpack home on purpose, just to have something to talk to him about the next day, but whatever it was, it worked. We became inseparable after that. There was nothing better than the feeling of sufficiency that surrounded us when we were together. When he looked at me like I was the most amazing boy on the planet. Perhaps the only boy there was.

Until I stopped being.

Jungkook hugs Jimin by the shoulders and the two head towards the park entrance in front. Yoongi snaps me out of my trance by holding my hand again, giving me a thoughtful look.

“You OK?” he asks, and I hate myself for letting any hint of annoyance show.

“Yeah, yeah,” I force a smile.

I force a smile most of the night.

I try to focus all my energies on Yoongi and how pleasant his company is, but it's practically impossible to ignore Jungkook's flirtations and advances on Jimin. I avoid looking in their direction and pretend I'm having the time of my life, and Yoongi seems to try hard to do the same, but it's like we're outside of our own date because Jungkook is acting like the center of attention. Not that he normally isn't, but this moment was meant to be mine, and the least I expected was for him to respect that.

“I think I’m skipping the roller coaster today,” Jimin says, rubbing his belly. “Staying upside down isn't going to go well with all the love apples I've eaten, but you guys go ahead.”

“It won't do much good with the milkshake you just had either,” Jungkook tells Yoongi, pointing to the nearly empty glass in his hand. “It's better not to risk it.”

I look at him in disbelief, shocked by how committed he is to making my first date the most frustrating experience of my life. Before Yoongi even has a chance to respond, Jungkook drags me to the roller coaster line.

He hugs me again, this time resting his chin on my shoulder and leaving a smacking kiss on my cheek. I hate it when, at these times, my pride seems to have taken a lunch break, because I melt all over in his arms and can't seem to pull away.

"Is this all to make Jimin jealous?" I ask, knowing I'm going to hate the answer. "Why are you so clingy tonight?"

“What are you talking about? I'm always like this with you,” Jungkook gives me another kiss, this time on the neck, and I flinch a little, because even though there's nothing between us, I can see the troubled eyes watching us.

“Not in public,” I say quietly, breaking free of his embrace. “Not with all that excess.”

He laughs.

"You mean I'm being extra tonight?"

“You're being excessively extra tonight.”

At first he looks hurt by the comment, but I'm not sure. At times it is extremely difficult to know what Jungkook is really feeling.

"Sorry, I'll behave myself from now on."

As we sit on the roller coaster cart, he leans his leg against mine and rests his hand on my thigh. There's nothing strange about it. Our friendship was built on innocent touches, hugs and kisses – on the cheek, on the chin, on the neck. I'm used to having his hands on me.

The only problem is when his hands get used to being on someone else.

“You can hold my hand if you're scared,” he says and I know he's joking. I'm not afraid of heights. I'm not afraid of anything except how I feel about him. Of what I felt since we kissed earlier. “I won't let anything bad happen to you.”

It's a promise. His eyes don't lie, so I intertwine our fingers.

When we get out of the ride, my heart is about to pop out of my mouth. We're smiling, so elated I forget to let go of his hand. I forget that the world is not just mine and his. Jungkook approaches and I hold my breath for a moment because I want him to kiss me. I want him to kiss me like I'm the only boy there is.

But the world is not ours and my desires are mine alone.

Jimin and Yoongi appear in front of us and we step away in a hurry, as if we've been caught doing something we shouldn't.

I don't know what prompted the sudden change in Jungkook's behavior – whether the conversation we had in line or the desire to be alone with Jimin – but he decides to keep his promise and says they’re going for a walk.

With that, Yoongi and I finally have some privacy. As much as we can, taking into account that we are in a public place and surrounded by strangers. We didn't have time to really get to know each other tonight. I don't know much about him except what I found out at the gym, and the little he knows about me doesn't make me anything special.

Yoongi doesn't seem thrilled about our date and it's my fault. I shouldn't have allowed Jungkook to come and ruin the night. And I definitely shouldn't have let him try to teach me how to kiss, just because I was insecure about my first kiss.

“Your friend is quite eccentric,” he says suddenly, as I check the instability of our bench swing on the Ferris wheel.

“He's not so eccentric, normally,” I reply, relaxing my back against the hard back. “I think he was just trying to get Jimin's attention.

“I don't think it was Jimin's attention he was trying to get,” he concludes, but I don't ask what that means.

The Ferris wheel starts to turn and we are silent for a moment. Yoongi looks up, looking intently at the vastness of stars in the sky, and I think that's what I like most about him – how he manages to make everything fit inside his eyes.

“Sorry I ruined our date,” I say when we stop right at the top. He turns to face me and then takes my hand.

“You didn't ruin anything,” he shakes his head. “To be honest, this was the best date I've had in a long time.”

Yoongi doesn't smile – he doesn't smile much – but his expression is kind.

“Can I kiss you?” I ask, concentrating on the caress I receive on my fingers.

Yoongi doesn't answer, not out loud. One of his hands cups the side of my neck and he leans a little to reach my mouth. My eyes close when his lips brush mine. The feeling is good, as if his kiss was capable of welcoming everything that is left in me, but it doesn't even cause me the uneasiness in my chest that Jungkook's kiss caused me. It's silent and light, no rush – the world doesn't feel like it's going to end like it did with JK. His touch descends softly across my face and he pulls back the slightest bit, sketching a weak smile.

“Did you feel anything?” Yoongi asks, but I think he already knows the answer. “It's okay if you didn't. I'm happy to be here.”

“I am too.”

He returns to his earlier position and I lay my head on his shoulder, looking up. I start counting the stars, but soon I get lost, because the number of stars in the sky doesn't matter. Still, I resume counting from the beginning. I think Yoongi is doing the same thing, so we count it together.

And even if the stars don't matter, I make a wish.

I wish the world would almost end again.

[Texts 3 - Taehyung > Jungkook]

Part 4 (Jimin)

Min Yoongi can't stop looking at me.

And the longer he looks, the more I stuff my mouth with pieces of love apple. I've lost count of how many I've eaten today – maybe five or six. And I don't even like sweets that much. I don't stop eating because I can't sustain any eye contact with him, and that's never happened to me before.

“I think your date is into mine,” he says, and I almost get stuck in my food with a laugh at the use of the word date.

“I know,” I say, feeling my throat burn as I cover the gasp.

“You don't seem bothered by it,” Yoongi continues, something in his voice making me look at him.

I love the shape of his eyes. His mouth is small and he twitches his nose when he finds something strange – that's what I realized after two hours of peering at his face with my peripheral vision.

“In my defense, neither do you,” I smile when I realize he smiles too. I've never felt so much peace looking at another human being before. It's as if he were a night of low tide and his smile was the reflection of the moon in the sea.

And I feel pathetic for making such a corny comparison.

“You already knew, didn't you?” he asks, walking closer to me and nodding at the two in front of us. “I bet you're only in it for the love apples.”

I have another laugh. This time a little nervous.

“Sorry, I did know. He asked me to be his fake date,” I mutter, desperately looking for some rag where I can wipe my caramelized fingers. Yoongi pulls a napkin from his pocket and hands it to me. "In Jungkook's defense, he's been in love for a long time.”

“Yeah, he looks kind of desperate,” Yoongi agrees. “Anyway, I don't think I'm really Tae's type.”

“He doesn't seem to be yours either.”

“Oh, is that so?” Yoongi smiles again. We're so close I can almost feel our shoulders brush. "And who would you say is my type, after these two long hours we shared together?"

“Definitely not tall guys that put in evidence your short stature.”

He laughs, making a nice sound, and suddenly we both burst out laughing for no reason. Yoongi leans on my shoulder and I memorize as much of his face as I can. We stop walking for a second and he takes a deep breath to catch his breath. I wipe my eyes, trying to remember the last time I felt so caught up in someone else's energy.

When we stop laughing, I realize we've lost sight of our companions. No problem, because Yoongi is all the company I want right now.

We walked through the park together as if we had just arrived. I have fun like I haven't had fun in a while and I feel like the universe is at my feet. I know I just met him, but the way he flirts and engages in my ridiculous jokes makes me think that Min Yoongi came from an alternate reality where he already knew me, because everything he says and does invite me to stay.

And even though the night may end with a goodbye, I cross my fingers and hope he wants to see me again.

Part 5 (Jungkook)

It's almost ten o'clock and soon we'll have to go home. I don't need to look back to know that Taehyung and I have been walking alone for a while. Perhaps we have walked alone our entire lives.

He still hasn't had the courage to look at me directly since we met again. I know he's embarrassed by the confession, because it's the first time he's exposed himself like this. Taehyung has no idea how much I want to kiss him again. How much I've wanted to kiss him since high school, when all I could do was hold him for as long as a hug between friends would allow.

I take his hand and he squeezes mine. We lean against a tuck in the back of the park, surrounded by colored lights and the smell of sweet popcorn. Part of his face reflects the neon pink of the sign above our heads and he's never looked so handsome.

“You ruined my date,” he says, a smirk at the corner of his mouth.

“I know.”

“Why?”

“Sometimes you make me do things I don't understand either.”

“I think I deserve a better answer than that.

“That's the best answer I can give you,” I say, bringing his hand to my chest and I can almost hear the sound of my heart beating fast.

“What about Jimin?”

“I just wanted to piss you off when I said you weren't as handsome as he was,” I say, my fingers flirting with the hem of his shirt until they rest on his waist. “You're the most beautiful boy I've ever seen.”

Taehyung holds my shoulders and then slips one of his hands to the back of my neck. It's like it's the first time he's touched me, because the feeling is entirely new.

“I'm afraid of ruining our friendship, Kook,” he whispers.

“No problem, I don't want to be your friend. I want to be more than that.”

I kiss the little mole on her cheek and tighten my arms around his waist. Taehyung's body fits perfectly with mine – his face on my neck, his arms around my head, his legs between mine. When he opens his mouth, his tongue slides hot over my lips like honey and then invades them. Slowly, as if every second was a star in the sky. I hear his breathing and I get lost in the noise our lips make together. I am aware of his hands in my hair, his cotton candy scent, and the agitation it all causes me. Our second kiss is even better than the first one, because I don't have to hide how I feel. I don't need to pretend I'm strong enough to resist. Nothing about Taehyung gives me any resistance.

And I can't resist a second.

Because the sky is full of stars, and each one matters.