Suga reached the practice room early. He liked the silence. He liked the clean floor, the faint hum of the AC, the small slice of calm before the others filled the space.
He dropped his bag in the corner and sat on the floor. He stretched his back. His muscles ached from late nights. His thoughts ached more.
He kept thinking about Jimin.
Not in the loud group way. Not in the teasing way everyone saw. His thoughts came in quiet waves, slow and heavy, each one tugging at him in ways he didn't say out loud.
He rubbed his face and let out a breath. He told himself he was being dramatic. Jimin cared about everyone. Jimin gave attention like oxygen. Jimin smiled at people in a way they could hold for days.
Still, something had shifted.
Suga felt it last night. Jimin had stayed close during the listening session. He had sat beside him on the couch. Their knees kept brushing. Their shoulders touched. Suga told himself it meant nothing. Jimin touched everyone.
But Jimin's eyes… they lingered too long.
The door opened. Light footsteps. Soft voice.
"Hyung?"
Jimin.
Suga kept his eyes on the floor. "You're early."
"I figured you would be here." Jimin sat beside him. Close. Their arms touched.
Suga's pulse climbed. He stayed still.
Jimin watched him. "You didn't talk much yesterday."
"I was tired."
"Liar." Jimin nudged him. "You only get quiet like that when you're thinking too hard."
Suga swallowed. "Maybe."
Jimin leaned back on his hands. "Is it me?"
Suga froze. His mind scrambled for escape. He found none.
Jimin's voice softened. "Hyung, I notice things. You pull away sometimes. Then you look at me like you want to say something."
Suga looked ahead. The wall offered no help. "You're imagining things."
"No." Jimin's tone sharpened. "I'm not."
Silence settled like dust.
Jimin shifted closer. Their thighs pressed. He didn't move away.
"Tell me," Jimin said.
Suga forced his breath to stay steady. "Tell you what?"
"Why you keep running from me."
The words hit harder than expected.
Suga turned to him. Jimin's eyes were open. Honest. A little hurt.
He hated that.
Suga exhaled. "I don't run."
"You do. You avoid my messages sometimes. You leave rooms when I walk in. You keep choosing distance." Jimin frowned. "Did I hurt you?"
Suga shook his head. "No. That's the problem."
Jimin blinked. "What do you mean?"
Suga pressed his lips together. The truth sat heavy in his chest. He could offer it or bury it. He wasn't sure which was worse.
"You make things confusing," Suga said.
Jimin softened. "Confusing how?"
Suga looked away. "You're close to everyone. You touch everyone. You say things without thinking. You act like it means nothing."
Jimin's voice dropped. "Does it mean nothing to you?"
Suga didn't answer.
Jimin studied his face. Then, slowly, he placed a hand on Suga's knee. Warm. Gentle. Intentional.
Suga's breath caught.
"Hyung," Jimin said, "I don't touch everyone like this."
Suga looked down at the hand. The message was clear. Direct. No games.
He felt his guard crack.
"I don't want things to get messy," Suga muttered.
"Things are already messy," Jimin whispered.
Suga let out a dry laugh. "You're bold today."
"You make me bold."
That sentence landed deeper than it should have.
Jimin leaned in slightly. He didn't touch Suga beyond the knee. He waited.
Suga felt something shift. Not loud. Not dramatic. Quiet and real.
He covered Jimin's hand with his own.
Jimin inhaled.
"Suga," he said, voice low, "is this you choosing to stay?"
The question pressed into him. Heavy. Real. Impossible to dodge.
Suga held his gaze. "For now."
A small smile touched Jimin's mouth. Soft. Sure.
Then the door opened. Footsteps. Voices. The others arriving.
Jimin didn't pull his hand away.
Neither did Suga.
This was how things changed, he realized. Not in explosions. In quiet rooms, with quiet choices, made in moments that felt small and ended up shaping everything.
Something new began there.
And it waited for whatever came next.