Chapter Text
It’s been three days since the championships and since they’ve won their final game with a ten point lead and a raucous celebration that resulted in an influxation of school pride to blossom. The halls were still buzzing with excitement and gaiety, everyone in a high-spirited disposition, and Jimin’s received an overwhelming inundation of sycophancy from both his peers and teachers. Although he appreciated much of the compliments he was showered in, Jimin didn’t think he deserved that much. He was seen as the star player who carried the team to a full-fledge victory, but in all honesty, Jimin thought otherwise. He believed that his teammates were the ones who were star players. They were his friends, and their steadfast bond accumulated from their years of friendship helped fortified their successful plays. Without them, Jimin would have never been the player he was today, and it was all thanks to them.
The tournament was over, so that meant it was back to his usual school schedule before the playoffs: smiling at those who passed by him with a greeting, talking and fooling around with friends, cramming last minute with the work he’s missed in class, eating free food like he was in heaven, and chasing after his hyungs whenever they’d make fun of his height. So here he was now, surrounded by his (somewhat) tall friends (he wasn’t even that short, okay, he was only an inch shorter than Yoongi) who were arguing about whether a vampire or a basilisk would win in a fight.
“Okay, first of all--” Namjoon held up his index finger in emphasis, his voice lilting in that tone that indicated he was about to go off on an unnecessary spiel, “Vampires are immortal, thus they cannot die if the basilisk lands a puny ass poisonous scratch on them or with a single glance. And, excuse me? Did you not know that vampires can transmorph into bats? They’re fast, quick and swift, and can swoop in and escape anytime they want. Their high-pitched serenation can cause that damned reptile to spit poison at itself in a plea for euthanasia. It’s obvious that the vampire is going to win this battle.”
“Smart ass,” Yoongi muttered underneath his breath as he kept his eyes focused on his phone.
“Oh please,” Jin scoffed, waving his hand flippantly at him, “Go read a book or something. Twilight sucks ass and all you need to know is that basilisks are cool. End of discussion.”
“Idiot,” Yoongi sighed, now shoving his earphones in.
Jimin smiled behind his hand as he watched the two bicker back and forth, before he saw something at the corner of his eyes that made his heart swell just a tiny bit. His eyes followed Jungkook, unaware of his unabashed staring. The younger boy was carrying his sketchbook underneath his arm while he was rapidly tapping on his phone, seemingly vexed about something that caused his eyebrows to knit and his teeth to nibble at his lower lip. Jimin felt his chest flutter with something light and warm at the sight of him, wondering what he was talking about--or who he was talking about that caused such a troubled look. He wondered when he became so very personally curious about his life too.
Well, Jimin supposed his thorough interest in Jungkook all started the day Taehyung defied the universal laws of the unspoken bro code of secrecy and loyalty by showing him the pictures.
(( It was during his pre-calculus class, when the midday sun was glowing brightly through the glass windows, spilling threads of warm light over his thick workbook as his brain overloaded with the inability to comprehend how to solve a goddamn sinusoidal equation. His lip stung from gnawing at them in distraught and confusion as he grabbed at his hair, wondering where the hell 0.6 came from in replacement of d, when the distracting sound of graphite rapidly scraping against loose leaf had caught his attention.
Jimin looked up to his left. Taehyung was finishing the last set of the assigned questions before he placed his pencil down, closed his dictionary-sized workbook, and sat there with a content and satisfied grin. Jimin gawked at him.
“Are you even human?” He gasped.
Taehyung was only a year younger than him, yet he had been clever enough to tackle the senior level of the course, breezing by the course outline with nothing but a triumphant smile and a blank look whenever someone got an obvious question wrong. Their friendship had instantly flourished the second they realized they shared common interests, such as their mutual belief in the concept that there are rabbits on the moon. It was a plausible notion and wasn’t impossible, so he’ll keep on believing until the day every cynical person on the planet proves him wrong with credible proof.
He remembers overhearing Yoongi mutter something about how the most outgoing, sociable people always ended up being the weirdest especially when put together. Jimin rather liked their fun, uninhibited friendship. They were similar in terms of socializing, but they had their own quirks and discrepancies pertaining to their personalities as well.
“Funny, that’s what Jungkookie often asks me,” Taehyung frowned thoughtfully, “I mean, I wouldn’t be surprised. We could be aliens for all we know, but we just wouldn’t be aware of it until--like, I don’t know, we’re exposed to some kind of radioactive substance and we react differently to it from how mortal beings are expected to react.” He narrowed his eyes, “You get me?”
“To an extent, yes.” Jimin couldn’t help but laugh softly at his theory.
“Would you still be friends with me even if I am an alien, Jiminie?”
“Of course I would, silly,” Jimin doodled a small flower on the side of his page, “who else would listen to your tangents about your fervent veneration for Shakespeare, you nerd. I’m most certainly sure that the other aliens wouldn’t even who that is, let alone listen to you babble about something that is nonexistent in their world.”
Taehyung clutched his heart and dramatically wiped an imaginary tear from his eye, sniffling, “Oh, my three-inch fool, what would I do without you?”
“Shut up,” Jimin giggled and threw his eraser at him.
“Ow!” Taehyung jumped in over exaggeration, clutching his arm when the eraser ricocheted against him and dropped to the floor, “Man, you’re just as violent as Kookie.”
Jimin reached down to collect his eraser, “Really?” He sat back up in his seat, contemplating the times he saw the quiet boy, never attempting to talk to anyone unless others initiated the conversation first. “I wouldn’t peg him the type to be physical.”
“Pfft, trust me, once you get to know him, he’ll be a non-stop menace.” Taehyung rolled his eyes, “He’s just shy. Like, really shy. Did I tell you that one time he dropped all his books when a girl came up to him just to say a simple ‘hello’ and ‘how are you doing’?”
“He told her that he needed to go pee and ran away from her when the washroom was literally just beside them?” Jimin couldn’t help but grin, his chest bubbling with tinkling laughter every time he imagined it. He’s never personally seen Jungkook flustered, but from the sounds of it, he seemed really prone to getting embarrassed easily.
“Mhm. To this day, he always makes sure to check his surroundings before running in the correct direction.” Taehyung nodded.
“He seems like a nice person to get to know.” Jimin tapped his pencil against his workbook, eyes flickering around thoughtfully when he noticed a dent on the ceiling, “It’s too bad I never get the chance to talk to him. He looks like he wants to book it the second he sees me.” Eyes widening, Jimin whipped his head to face Taehyung, “Do I really look that scary?”
Taehyung stared at him impassively before his expression contorted and he couldn’t fight back a gummy grin and an absurd laugh, “You’re the total opposite, Jiminie! You’re, like, the epitome of a Cleffa.”
“A what?”
“You know, that pink Pokemon? The precursor of Clefairy? Did you never catch one before?” Taehyung said with complete disbelief before he shook his head, “Nevermind, nevermind. Anyways, the reason he’s like that whenever you grace him with a brief look is--well, let’s put it this way--” He grinned with a hint of playfulness, “you’re like his muse, in some sense.”
“I’m his what?” Jimin blinked in surprise, “What do you mean by that?”
“Hoo, boy, he’s going to kill me once he finds out!” Taehyung cackled without any consideration of his volume, although nobody in the class seemed to mind. He whipped out his mini red laptop from his backpack and placed it on his lap, sneaking a glance up at their teacher, Ms. Kim, who had dozed off in her desk after letting the class get a head start on homework and to work independently. (In other words, she was lazy.)
“Um,” Jimin placed his pencil down as Taehyung scooted closer to him in his seat, the shrill scrape of metal against the floor jarring his ears, “what are you doing?”
“I’m showing you something, Jiminie. Keep up with the program.” Taehyung said as he let his device load, before he began clacking away and rapidly pressing the mouse pad. “I just so happened to save some blackmail worthy pictures in my laptop. His lovesick pining was harshing my mellow. Totally not tubular, by the way, so I kept these just in case.”
Curious, Jimin leaned in closer, lips pursed in anticipation, his workbook long forgotten now that Taehyung’s caught his attention, wondering what he meant by ‘lovesick pining’ when he saw the damn screen. “Blackmail? Taehyungie, you have Pepe the Frog meme as your desktop wallpaper. That alone is blackmail material.”
“Excuse me? Pepe the Frog is the hallmark and milestone of the 21st century; the golden epoch of our times! It’s a legacy ingrained in the internet. It’s a gem.”
“It’s an anthropomorphic fictional green frog.” Jimin made a face, “And it’s kinda ugly.”
“I swear, you and him are meant to be together or something, always raining down on my parade,” Taehyung mumbled petulantly, leaving Jimin somewhat stunned from the unexpected comment, “anyways, here!” He entered a folder and rows upon rows upon rows of pictures of Jimin flickered on the screen as it finished loading.
Jimin rose his eyebrows in a mixture of incredulity and surprise as he looked at the folder, eyes fixated on the screen as he stared. And stared. And stared. And stared, and stared and stared. The folder was titled ‘jimin and his sweaty ass wtf jungkook (139)’, along with the total number of photos in brackets. The majority of the pictures were of him either in mid air after shooting the ball or just smiling and laughing heartily with sparkles in his eyes. The quality of the photos were crisp and clear, not a single waver in the photographer’s hands, the angles flattering and just right that complimented his form in different perspectives.
“Wow,” He said in a quiet, breathy voice, his round, inky eyes widening in bewilderment, “that’s a lot of pictures of me.”
“I know right? As a photography editor, you wouldn’t believe how many times I’ve told him to stop with the superfluous pictures of you already. I have to check that everyone has been photographed but no one has been photographed too much, but he just has to--” Taehyung stopped, his annoyed rant coming to a sudden halt as he turned to look at Jimin, “wait, you don’t think this is creepy?”
Jimin has always noticed the quiet boy sneaking around the edges of the court with his camera in hand in the middle of the game in pursuit of the perfect image, but Jimin didn't think that he’d been taking pictures of him the majority of the time when he was hovering around the court. He must have taken a lot.
He hummed thoughtfully, a smile playing at his lips. He was flattered. Here he was, thinking that the younger boy was intimidated by him because he often looked like a deer caught in the headlights when they so much as meet eyes for a brief second, always whipping his head down with a frown to break the vague eye contact, but he was merely alternative--for lack of better word--in his ways of showing his admiration.
“Nah,” Jimin shrugged with a rosy grin on his face, “I think it’s kinda cute.”
He tried to ignore the mischievous glint in Taehyung’s eyes. ))
Jimin hasn’t been able to approach him since the tournament ended, incessantly whisked away by his peers that always either distracted and intervened his pursuit or dragged him away to take a picture. He’s heard many colourful things about Jungkook from Taehyung, always talking fondly about his rather shy but talented best friend. Talented indeed he was, from art to dance, the memory of his performance still vividly lucid in his mind. There were no right words to describe how entrancing the way he moved his body-- so confident and powerful and completely different from his usual demure and quiet character. Jimin couldn’t help but itch to capture that particular moment as well, especially his endearing smile at the end that lifted his spirits up when he felt distressed during the game. Seeing him up there so passionately--it made Jimin remember how much he missed dance as well.
With Taehyung’s constant mention of him, Jimin couldn’t help but sneak glances at Jungkook in their art class out of curiosity, who was always occupied with the paintbrush in his hands, blocking out his surroundings with the ear buds he has glued to his ears. He was definitely good looking with sweet dark eyes and a shy smile gracing his soft lips, tall with a toned physique and a strongly defined jaw. His brown hair, parted slightly that framed his face well, definitely accentuated his handsomeness.
But, well, their interaction the other day just about sealed the deal.
Jungkook was cute, awkward, shy and easily flustered. And Jimin may or may not be attracted to him, to the boy who runs away from girls and has an Iron Man themed bedroom, who cries when watching the Titanic and some documentary about orangutans, who dances with fierce strength and tenacity and who takes too many pictures of him during games, who smiles that cute little smile when his two front teeth peeks out and his nose scrunches up. Jimin was gone at this point, so he didn’t think much when he raised his hand to call out to him.
“Hi Jungkookie!” He exclaimed brightly with an enthusiastic wave, trying to get his attention, unaware that the childish bickering between his friends had stopped and that the three of them were now staring at him.
Jungkook started and looked up, eyes widening when he realized that Jimin had greeted him when he was heading down the hall. For a split second, Jimin thought that he was going to book it from how skittish he seemed, but what he didn’t expect was for Jungkook to wave back timidly with shy bunny smile that brightened his crinkled eyes, his top lip disappearing in the process that made him seem even cuter and wow am I in heaven right now?? Jungkook turned around and resumed his angry tapping, walking further down the hall until he rounded the corner. All Jimin could do was stare after him, feeling his soul lift in utter bliss at that rare, beautiful sight, his heart stuttering in a staccato of amazement and captivation. That was it. He could feel his skin clear up, there was food being put on the table, he was going to pass his goddamn pre-calc class test with an A, they were heading towards an entirety of world peace, kids are getting educated, and equality finally surpassed all the inbred hatred of the planet.
“Ahem,” Namjoon cleared his throat twice when Jimin didn’t notice him, “ahem.”
“Huh-- what?” Jimin tore his absent-minded gaze away and focused on his friends again, recoiling in surprise from their intense staring and scrutiny.
“It looked like you guys had a raging boner for each other.” Yoongi bluntly said, and Jimin spluttered and punched him in the shoulder, vehemently denying such a lewd and inappropriate comment.
“Does our little Jimin have a little crush?” Jin scooted closer to him and nudged him with an elbow, winking at him excessively, making his eye look like it was fervently twitching instead.
“Oh my god, guys, shut up.” Jimin shoved his friend away, feeling his mouth protrude into a pout, “I was just saying hi to him, like I do with everyone. Where did you get the whole ‘I like him’ vibe? That’s just ridiculous. Seriously!”
“Like I said before,” Yoongi boredly sighed, “it looked as though you guys had a raging boner for each other. Enough said.”
“Oh my fucking god--”
“It’s somewhat true. You should have seen your face when the boy said ‘hi’ back. It looked like your soul descended into a temporary interval of heavenly euphoria.” Namjoon raised his eyebrows with amusement, “Now that I think about it, where’d I see him before? He looks familiar.”
“Isn’t he in the dance team with Hobi?” Jin replied in the same thoughtful manner, stroking his nonexistent beard, “Yeah! Jeon Jungkook. Hobi talks about him sometimes. He was in that performance during half-time, which, by the way, was pretty wicked. That would explain why Jimin kept getting distracted the whole time coach was throwing a conniption fit.” He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively at him, and Jimin responded with a half-hearted glare.
“Isn’t he in the yearbook too? I see him around court with his camera. I almost ran into him once while diving for the ball before it went out of bounds.” Namjoon nodded sagely, “You know, we could use his height. It’s not bad.”
“It’s too late in the season to recruit, Namjoon. Where’d your brain go?” Jin scoffed at him before turning his head back to Jimin, “Now that I think about it, he does stare at us quite a lot. I can feel his intense gaze burn holes into my back, and it’s kinda crazy. At first, I thought he was a fan of mine, but now we know he’s been probably staring at you.” Jin gave Jimin a shit-eating grin, laughing out loud when he saw how Jimin blushed, “I mean, I wouldn’t be surprised if he had been staring at me. I’m beautiful and everyone knows it.”
“A beautiful piece of shit you are,” Yoongi snorted.
“Shut up, Yoongi, don’t act like I didn’t catch you ogling at Hobi’s ass the other day.”
“You’re mistaken. The only one doing the ogling is Jimin here.”
Jimin rubbed his red face with his hands as his friends took turns teasing and cooing at him about his blatantly obvious crush over a certain, artsy boy, and Jimin wanted the entire earth to just gobble him right up and make him disappear from the space he inhabited, because his friends were relentless when it came to his somewhat hypothetical love life, or lack thereof.
“I don’t ogle,” He weakly retorted, and let out a frustrated noise when all of them laughed.
////
The next few days, Operation Talk to Jeon Jungkook was a fucking failure.
People just wouldn’t stop flocking towards him. During art class, Jimin worked up the courage to take the empty seat beside Jungkook (since their teacher wasn’t very strict on the seating plan), which surprised the younger boy (and it was worth it to see his flustered expression), but Jimin was barely on the first syllable of a greeting before his usual buddies he often talked to in class surrounded him in frighteningly rapid speed like skittering magnets. He noticed the discomfort in Jungkook’s posture, the jitteriness of his disposition and how his eyes flickered to and fro nervously, and Jimin couldn’t help deflate when Jungkook slipped out of his seat to move away from the over-talkative and unsolicited company. Jimin felt horrible that he was the cause of his discomfort and that he took away the amenity of his usual spot, forcing him to take refuge somewhere in the front. Jimin stared at his back the entire class.
Break time was a big fat X, because Jimin had to stay behind in class to do a quiz he missed the day before because of the tournament. The hamster in his head stopped wheeling and he couldn’t focus, too distracted and absent minded with the prospects of talking to Jungkook (well, he was trying to), so he ended up writing some random shit like SOHCAHTOA in response to a polynomial equation he was supposed to graph out.
The next time he tried to approach Jungkook was during lunch, when he was making his way out to the courtyard where Taehyung informed him was where they often had lunch at. However, because the universe had to be a douche pickle bitch on this particular day, he was pulled aside by a couple of giggly cute-looking girls before he could even take a step outside of his classroom. He didn’t have the heart to be rude and they genuinely seemed sincere in their intentions, so of course, with a charming smile and a positive outlook on the situation that was making his patience wane, he catered to whatever needs they required. After he finished declining their confessions in a polite manner, he scurried off like the ball of energy he was until he spotted a few soccer players odiously surround a lonesome kid, who was backing up against the white contrast of the wall, and oh hell no, 3 against 1? You’ve gotta be kidding me right now. There was no way Jimin was going to let such unjust mistreatment slide without interfering because he’s had enough shit from the puke testicles of the soccer team.
“What did you just say?” Jimin vehemently stabbed a finger at one of the guys’ chest as they backed away in fear when Jimin took a step forward, who was mid-rant and way too annoyed to stop even when the kid they were targeting a while ago had fled the scene, “Why don’t you go ahead and be quiet, you discourteous bag of pickled dicks--” He was interrupted by the bell and he froze in place, unable to fathom the fact that he wasted all his time having a verbal exchange with a bunch of jerks that caused his brain cells to implode from the sheer stupidity he had to deal with. He slumped in disbelief even as the soccer players scrambled away and students began to inundate the halls, rushing back to class.
“What’s wrong, my dear friend?” Namjoon appeared beside him as he threw an arm around his slumped shoulder, his other hand idly spinning a basketball on his fingertip. Students rushed past them in the hall, albeit nobody seemed to mind how they were impeding the traffic by standing right in the middle.
“I haven’t been able to talk to Jungkookie the whole day,” Jimin said in a hollow, sad voice, and slowly looked up at Namjoon in consternation, “why is it so hard? Why do I have to be so popular?”
“It’s in your genes, just like your charismatic charm, accurate plays and short height,” Namjoon reclined his arm and rubbed his chest with an ‘ouch’ when Jimin hit him petulantly, “and inherent violence, apparently.”
“I’m not even that short.” Jimin muttered, “Everyone forgets that I’m only an inch shorter than Yoongi.”
“We don’t forget,” Namjoon said with much sagacity, “we just don’t want to die in his hands. Anyways, if you’re really sad about being unable to talk to him because of your ‘woe-is-me’ popularity, I suggest you leave a message for him! Like, a little note on his desk or shoving two dozens of rose bouquets in his locker. That’ll get his attention, and maybe everybody else’s, but that’s what makes it even more romantic, right? The quiet ones are usually suckers for romance, according to this magazine my niece shoved in my face. 10 out of 10, would work.” He nodded with complete confidence, a sheen of certainty coating the bright irises of his brown eyes.
“He hates attention.” Jimin slapped the spinning ball away from Namjoon’s hand, watching his clumsy dimple-faced friend scramble away urgently to make a beeline in pursuit of his beloved basketball running away from his extended hands.
\\\\
Practice was done and with a long, dejected sigh, accompanied by the squeak of his shoes scraping against the shiny floor of the gymnasium, Jimin left through the wide doors to the courtyard. Jimin would have headed straight home, but after getting a strange text message from Taehyung telling him to meet him there for an inquiry, Jimin lifted his heavy legs and trudged along the concrete path amidst the field of grass underneath the coral sky. He couldn’t keep the discontented pout off his face from being unsuccessful in his venture today, and now, he was stuck with this uncomfortable churn in his chest, something like incompleteness that poked at his ribs. He didn’t like his plans being unaccomplished on the day he wanted it to be done because he’d end up sulking terribly about it, and that was exactly what he was doing right now.
He shook the thought away, trying to keep his mind off his negativity as he projected his curiosity through Taehyung’s supposed inquiry. He took out his phone again and texted him.
taehyungie (5:58PM)
jiminie!!!@! meet me in the courtyard after ur bball practice pls i have an important inquiry for u
jimballs (6:07PM)
what inquiry???
can’t u ask me right now? it’s the 21st century
technology is advanced as u can see right now
His energetic response was immediate.
taehyungie (6:07PM)
just get there!! now!! pls!! srsly u slowpoke. it’s super important. it needs to be in person!!! im’ dyinghg
jimballs (6:08PM)
ok u weirdo i’m already there
taehyungie (6:08PM)
who tf u calling a weirdo u weird weirdo >:(
Jimin couldn’t help but giggle at that. As he arrived at the courtyard, he didn’t see Taehyung, but instead, he saw a familiar lean figure of feathery brown hair with his camera in hand taking picture of the variegated bunch of flowers in the small gardens underneath the tall spindly trees near the tables. Jimin felt his legs skid to a stumbling halt, mouth popping open in astonishment and confusion and apprehension, because this was totally unexpected and he didn’t have time to prepare his coolness. So, he did what he had to do and hid behind a tree, agitatedly tapping on his phone.
jimballs (6:11PM)
tae what hte fFuck
taehyungie (6:12PM)
;))))))))))))))))))
“Oh my god, Kim Taehyung,” Jimin hissed and shoved his phone back into his pocket, knowing that texting him further would be futile. Taehyung didn’t even know that Jimin started fancying Jungkook (okay maybe he did a tiny little bit from how often Jimin kept saying Jungkook was cute every time Taehyung finished an embarrassing story about him), but then again, he was always a little bit too clever-eyed and more perceptive than he let on.
Jungkook wasn’t aware of his presence yet, and Jimin felt his heavy heart immediately lighten at the sight of him, fluttering with something now akin to delight and excitement and hope because this was finally his chance to talk to the boy without any interruptions. He adjusted the strap of his bag and blindly fixed his hair, hoping it didn’t look too messy and askew, and took in a deep breath.
“Jungkookie!” He called in a sing-song lilt with a bright-eyed smile, his smile widening when Jungkook jumped into the air with wide eyes and a nonplussed expression gracing his pretty features.
“Jimin?” Jungkook squeaked-- he squeaked, mouth floundering for coherence before he added his afterthought, “--hyung?”
Jimin laughed at his reaction, “What are you doing here?”
“Um-- Tae, he wanted me to take pictures of the flowers since my-- uh, dance practice just ended and it was convenient,” Jungkook pointed at the flowers, his eyes narrowing and lips tilting into a frown as though what he just said sounded ridiculous out loud, “he wanted to showcase the hard work of the environmental club so-- uh, I’m here. To take pictures. Of their work. As proof.”
Jimin glanced down at the vibrant, colourful flowers that were beautiful tokens of springtide and serenity, eyebrows raised before he looked back up at him with a glint of teasing enjoyment, “Jungkookie, we don’t have an environmental club. At least, not since five years ago.”
An astounded silence seemed to pass between them, a juncture of Jungkook getting red to the tips of his ears as Jimin watched on with amusement.
“Oh.” Jungkook softly murmured, doe eyes staring down at the patch of grass beneath his feet as he clutched his camera close to his chest, looking as though he’s just seen a ghost, although it was most likely him contemplating numerous ways to commit murder on his best friend. Jimin’s chiming laughter reduced to giggles at his shocked reaction, wondering how such a cute guy like him could get any cuter.
Jimin grinned, “That’s okay, Jungkookie. If it makes you feel any better, I fell for his trick too. He told me to meet him here because he had a super duper important inquiry, but I guess he was just making us seem like fools, huh? But I’m glad he did though, because I actually wanted to talk to you in the first place.”
“You did?” Jungkook perked up with surprise, his embarrassment long forgotten now that Jimin piqued his attention.
“Yeah, but first, I wanted to apologize to you for what happened earlier in art class,” Jimin sheepishly but sincerely said, continuing on when Jungkook responded with a confused look, “I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable, especially when my friends crowded us. You had to even change seats because of me!”
Judging by Jungkook’s blank expression, Jimin wasn’t sure if he was just daydreaming or if Jimin fucked up already, although it was mostly likely the latter. Jimin internally groaned, shoving his hands into his pockets. A good minute passed, and Jimin wasn’t sure if Jungkook heard him at all. He shifted in his stance a bit awkwardly, trying again, “I’m really sorry--”
“It’s-- it’s okay,” Jungkook finally reacted to him, his eyes round with astonishment as he waved his hands around, “you don’t need to apologize at all, hyung! I was just-- you know, I didn’t think you’d-- notice? I guess? So I was caught off guard for a moment, but seriously, it’s okay.” He smiled a bit as Jimin grinned with relief, “So, um, what did you want to talk to me about?”
“Right!” Jimin snapped his fingers, “I didn’t have the chance to say this, but you were awesome! I mean, your performance the other day was awesome! I didn’t know you could dance, Jungkookie, and you danced amazing! You were so cool!”
“Oh--” A nice blush appeared on his cheeks, flustered by the overwhelming compliments given to him, “no-- I’m not-- uh, thank you. I-- um, was really nervous, so I could have done better. But I wasn’t the only cool one though. You were-- were definitely the cooler one.” He finished timidly, averting his eyes to the side.
Jimin was definitely not expecting the reciprocated compliment. His face became rosy with slight embarrassment and a tickling warmth pooled in the pit of his stomach, bashfully laughing, “You flatter me too much, Jungkookie. But seriously! Taehyungie was right, you really are talented. I mean, you’re great at art, you’re a superstar at dance and you take amazing photos, especially of me!” He mused with enthusiasm, “What can’t you do?”
By that point, Jungkook’s eyes were popped wide open and his whole face was a burning red, his mouth flopping open as he grasped at the last strings of his mental stability and what he could manage to comprehend at that very moment.
“OhmygodKimfuckingTaehyung,” Jungkook croaked in utter disbelief to the side, hugging his camera that was hanging around his neck quite defensively, and Jimin tilted his head in slight confusion as Jungkook whipped his head back around to face him and started rambling in jittery trepidation, “I didn’t think-- I thought he was joking and messing with me. And you didn't bring it up so-- oh my god, youknew this whole time? You knew-- oh my god, you must think I’m so creepy, oh my god. I swear I’m not creepy, really, I just-- I don’t know, you were just up there, so pretty and beautiful and bright and amazing and you were all I could focus on because I just liked you and I couldn’t help take a lot of pictures of you, even though it took up most of the space in my camera to the point that I had to buy another memory card. Oh my god, that sounded even more creepier, fuck--”
“Wait,” Jimin raised his eyebrows until it almost reached his hairline, mouth parted in astonishment with a tint of amusement. His brain was buzzing with all the words Jungkook had spewed but there was a specific thing his ears had hung onto, “did you just say that you like me?”
Jungkook turned into a tomato at this point, sputtering, “Ohmygod, I just did, didn’t I? I wasn’t even supposed to say that-- you weren’t supposed to know but now you know everything and shit--” He took in a deep breath, covering his red, bright face with both of his hands to hide his mortification, “I’m sorry.”
He could feel the laughter bubble in his chest, permeating to the brim until it boiled over and he couldn’t stop the burbling giggles from spilling through his lips as his smile stretched widely to the point where he couldn’t even see properly. Never in a million years would he had thought he’d get confessed like this, especially when it was accidental and a cute one, but that made it all the more treasurable.
Jimin reached up and pried Jungkook’s hands off his heated face, his brown, skittish eyes staring pointedly down at the ground as Jimin did so. He could see Jungkook blush all the way to his neck as Jimin properly clasped his small hands around his, the soft smile never leaving his face, “You can take pictures of me whenever you want.”
“Huh?” Jungkook finally looked up and met eyes with him, bewilderment apparent in his expression, "Wa- wait a minute, y-you don’t think it’s-- I’m creepy?”
“If I did, would I be holding hands with you right now?” Jimin let their hands sway side to side playfully, “I think it’s cute, and I think you’re cute. There’s no argument there! You can take pictures of me whenever you want, like when we go out and go to the movies, or maybe for ice-cream.” He nodded contentedly, “It doesn’t have to be just when I’m on the court, you know.”
“So-- so does that--” Jungkook stammered, eyes widening in a mixture of hope and realization, “does that mean, you-- uh, you--”
Feeling a new surge of audacity flood his body from the look on Jungkook’s face, Jimin leaned forward and pressed his lips gently on Jungkook’s warm and soft cheek, chaste and saccharine before Jimin pulled back with a complacent grin.
“I think that answers your question.” Jimin smiled, "I'd like to get to you know a lot more, Jungkookie."
Jimin thought Jungkook was about to overheat from how red and warm he's become, his eyes incredibly wide but incredibly illuminate, but Jungkook smiled that endearing smile that made Jimin’s heart flutter and leap in a staccato of exhilaration with the crinkles of his eyes and the cute scrunch of his nose, and seeing how elated he truly looked at that exact moment, Jimin held onto his hands a little bit tighter with certainty that he probably won’t be letting go anytime soon.
"You know," Jungkook started in a quiet voice as his eyes that were shining looked at their intertwined hands before he glanced up with a shy and sincere smile, words straightforward and eloquent in comparison from the flustered mess he was a while ago, "if you think I'm a star, then I think you're the sun instead."
He grinned, a twinkle in his eye, "I guess you can say we're a starry couple then, right?"
"Oh my god," Jungkook whined, "please don't be another Tae."
Jimin knocked his head against Jungkook's shoulder as he let out a brilliant, sunny laugh.
With a star like him, Jimin didn't think he'd need the sky to brighten up his day.
(( “So, Jungkookie, how many photos do you have of me now?”
“.... 189.”
“Wow. How many photos do you have of my teammates then?”
“....Five?”
“....” ))
(( taehyungie (6:32PM)
ur welcome u ungrateful little shits ))