Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The work load Jimin was dealing with at the moment seemed to be the only thing he was willing to deal with. Since coming back to school after his year break to earn money to pay for tuition he was glad to have returned to school, to have returned to Hoseok and Taehyung’s antics. It was a blessing to have his friend’s work so hard to get to keep him and to get the chance to finish their business degrees together.

He was trying to work his hardest to keep his scholarship so his grades had to be top notch, unfortunately that meant he had to work harder in certain classes and had little to no time to socialize with anyone, even his friends. If they hadn’t been used to that by now, Jimin shutting himself in and working himself to the bone, then they would’ve been more concerned. Hard work and dedication were some of the easiest words to use in order to describe Jimin and the way he lived his life.

There was another student in the school though, one that was smarter and had more to his name that Jimin could ever dream of. His name was Jeon Jungkook, handsome heir to a large business though no one really knew what the business was about or how Jungkook was related to it. The only thing Jimin knew was that behind those pretty brown doe eyes and the stoic looks he was known for, there was a scary man lying underneath.

Or maybe that was just Jimin, known for being asocial and uncomfortable with situations involving other people. He was reserved and spent most of his time in the library. At this point he even had a job as a library aide.

There was just something about Jungkook and the stares he shot Jimin when the younger happened to make eye contact if they shared a class that startled him. He’d accidentally gotten onto Jungkook’s radar the year before but the fact that they were in the same department meant that they would’ve met each other eventually.  It’s just that the way he’d gotten onto his radar was when they ended up having to do a group project together.

It wasn’t like he messed up or anything, God forbid he get a bad grade. No, it was just that he had been over at Jungkook’s lavish apartment when they’d all gotten together to work, the other two members a little late to the meeting. He’d been setting up his laptop and going over what they had to accomplish since he wanted to choose what he had to get done for the group. He’d been half-way through the first page he’d been reviewing when Jungkook came into the room quietly. Jimin had been so startled he stood up and accidentally knocked over the cup in Jungkook’s hand which just so happened to be a steaming cup of tea he’d been preparing for the two of them while everyone else arrived.

The tea had spilled everywhere though most of it managed to avoid either of them by some miracle. Jungkook had been livid though that was expected. Jimin had been apologizing the whole time and doing his best to solve the situation but the fact that Jungkook was being unreasonable pissed him off. He said some words, Jungkook said some others and since then they were hard-pressed to work together. The presentation had ended up fine and they got a fantastic grade that was worthy of Jimin’s almost undefeated A streak.

That didn’t matter though when he could feel the animosity come off of Jungkook’s body in waves whenever they looked at each other.  Since then the two hadn’t managed to talk it out and get along and whenever they were alone in a room together anyone that happened to walk in could always almost see the tension in the room.

Jimin had started intensely disliking Jungkook for being so stubborn and ignoring him the first time he extended an olive branch to try and get them back on speaking terms.  Since then there were bets going on about when they’d end up dating though neither of them knew about this. Those bets were rare though since most girls wanted Jungkook for themselves. He was a capable man, handsome, rich, and was considered a catch even by Jimin’s standards. Were they not unofficial enemies maybe Jimin would have been more interested in being friends with the other.    

“Jimin-ah, what are you doing alone?” Jimin swiveled away from the work in front of him from which he was studying, most of it for his exam in his marketing course. It was all part of the business management department that he was a part of for almost three years now. He hadn’t even chosen business management because he liked it and if he was honest with himself he mostly only did it because he didn’t know what else to do. Business was one of the safest roadways he could take as a young man without direction and he worked hard to get the grades he wanted.

“I was studying for an upcoming exam. What are you doing here hyung?” Hoseok stood in front of him with a sweet smile on his face, something he was famous for. If Jimin was known for being the quietest and most reserved student in their department then Hoseok was known for being the friendliest. He was even friends with Jungkook though that wasn’t news.

“I was looking for you. Taehyung wants to meet up at the convenience store near your apartment.” Jimin nodded and turned to look at all of his books, a little concerned about the fact that he wouldn’t be able to finish studying and would instead have to fulfill the wishes of his best friends. Hoseok helped him pack up all his things and carried his backpack so all that was left for Jimin was the laptop bag he always carried and his satchel for more intimate things. Hoseok kept up steady conversation for a few minutes, enough for them to get to the library lobby and leave through the doors.

In his college there was the library, a huge modern building with multiple floors and multiple different sections for books and electronics. In the front of the building was the lobby that carried vending machines full of coffee and a few snack ones though those were less important to most of the student body.

It was in that lobby where they ran into Jungkook. Jimin was irritated to see the older so soon after having managed to ignore him during a lecture they shared but strangely the other wasn’t outright glaring at him like usual. Jungkook even smiled at him though he was there to speak to Hoseok rather than himself.  The two spent a moment speaking to each other before Jungkook finally greeted Jimin though it was a surprise, even to Hoseok who knew about the history the two shared.

“Hello Jimin. How are you?” Jimin was rendered into a shocked silence before Hoseok nudged him to greet Jungkook in return. He bowed his head slightly and did so.

“I’m fine Jungkook sunbae. How are you?” To anyone else this would have been a normal conversation but Jimin was feeling the nervousness that came with close proximity of Jungkook and the power he exuded.

“I’m fine as well.” Jungkook stared at a reddening Jimin probably waiting for him to say something else but it was hard to do so when all he could do was blank out. Thankfully Hoseok was still there and he was a social butterfly used to saving Jimin’s butt.

“Well Jungkook we have to go. We’ll continue our talk in class.” Jungkook nodded and bowed to Hoseok, the older of the two. Jimin had to bow to both of them since they were older than him and was once again surprised as Jungkook smiled at him before he left. Hoseok and Jimin both watched him go into the library in awed silence.

“What was that all about?” Hoseok shrugged and turned to smirk at Jimin.

“He must have fallen for you, there’s no other explanation.” Jimin felt his face redden considerably and turned to face Hoseok, smacking his arm gently.

“Stop joking around! He probably decided to be the more mature one here since he’s the older. I’m glad he’s taking the initiative to clear up our past troubles so we can move on and become close.” Hoseok snorted and they turned to start walking out of the library building so they could meet with Taehyung.

“Or he likes you and my bet with Taehyung is about to be won.” Jimin glared at Hoseok but decided to ignore his statement as the convenience store came into sight. It was a small dinky place they frequented because it was run by an old friend of Jimin’s family. His name was Seokjin and he was the eldest hyung in their friend group. He’d been running the convenience store for what seemed like ages but in reality was only five years. In that time Jimin had managed to graduate high school with honors and make it his goal to through college on business. He had a part-time job working for Seokjin during the school year since they were close and it was the most convenient place for him to work.

Taehyung was already inside the store fluttering his lashes at Seokjin who was completely oblivious even though he managed to flirt back. Those two had a weird dynamic that no one really wanted to get into.

“Hey nerd. Hello Seokjin hyung.” Jimin and Hoseok bowed though Jimin hadn’t managed to greet Taehyung or Seokjin before Hoseok decided to burst out with that statement.

“Hello Hoseokie, Jimin.” Seokjin smiled at the two sweetly and ignored the way Taehyung was glaring at Hoseok.

“If anyone in this building right now is a nerd it’s Jimin, not me.” Jimin decided not to take offense at that.

“Why did you want to meet Taehyung?” Taehyung turned to face Jimin head on with a much calmer expression on his face.

“I knew you’d be holed up studying and I wanted to get you some type of break.” Jimin rolled his eyes but he felt thankful that his friend cared so much about his well-being. Regardless he hadn’t managed to get any studying done in a week and he wanted the opportunity he’d gotten today to get his work done. He’d have to find another opportunity now.

“Thanks for caring Tae, I’m sure Hoseok hyung wouldn’t have.” Hoseok seemed to take offense.

“Of course I would have! I just know that you like to be left alone when you study so I was gonna let you have at least three hours of alone time.” Jimin shrugged and turned towards Seokjin.

“Hello hyung, how’s your day been?” Seokjin let the younger lean on the counter between them even though he had just polished the glass five minutes ago. Everyone had a soft spot for Jimin in their friend group and Seokjin certainly wasn’t immune to it.

”I’ve been good. How about you little one, how’s it been with your classes?” Jimin just shrugged and picked at a loose thread on his long sleeve.

“I’ve been okay-“Hoseok interrupted him as he was finishing his statement and jumped on him, leaning most of his weight on Jimin’s slender shoulders.

“He’s been more than okay hyung. Remember that hot guy with dark hair and a commanding aura about him that I came in here with yesterday?” Seokjin flushed as Taehyung’s head swiveled to stare at him curiously. Of course he’d be interested in any hot guys Seokjin came in contact with.

“Yeah I remember him, what about him?” Jimin tried to cover Hoseok’s mouth but the older wasn’t having it. He pinned him down by the shoulders to the glass counter and leaned over him to gossip to their hyung.

“I think he likes Jimin.” Taehyung turned his head to stare at Jimin now with a wide smirk on his face.

“No he doesn-“

“Hush Jimin.” Seokjin raised a brow but continued to listen to Hoseok’s lies.

“He usually doesn’t get along with Jimin but today he tried to talk to him. If Jimin didn’t have the social talent of a sloth maybe they would’ve gotten somewhere.”

“Hey!” Everyone turned their heads to stare down at Jimin whose face was still pressed into the glass making his cute chubby cheek puff out more.

“He does not like me and I am not that socially inept.” The three disbelieving looks he received made him change his statements.

“Okay, maybe I am socially inept but I can one hundred percent for sure say that Jeon Jungkook does not like me.” He hoped he was right.

Jimin woke up late for a lecture and almost didn’t make it to class but Taehyung was a wild kid and managed to distract the TA that had been taking attendance. The man had left the lecture hall long enough for Jimin to sneak in and find a seat that was empty beside where Taehyung had been sat. After Taehyung came in being scolded by the TA he felt himself relax and looked up. It was then that he accidentally made eye contact with Jungkook and consequently the girl next to him that was in love with Jungkook.

That would’ve been fine had the woman not been the class president and the reason he’d been late that morning. She’d told him that the lecture would be starting later though Jimin couldn’t fathom why. He’d done nothing to make her dislike him, of that he was sure.

But from the smile Jungkook was giving him and the exclusive attention he received for a moment told him exactly why she was angry. Not that he wanted that attention considering he knew that the older hated him and that he would suffer if he tried to do anything that wasn’t up to Jungkook’s standards of living.

“Why is she such a witch?” Jimin waved Taehyung’s questions away and shushed him, making sure not to look at Jungkook just in case he made eye contact with his senior.

“I don’t care. I’m glad you managed to help me get here in time to take this test so my grades don’t fall.” Taehyung nodded and leaned his head onto his hand, staring straight ahead with a bored expression on his face.

“Always here to help sweetie.” Jimin put his backpack around the back of his chair and had his pencil case out to get ready to take his test.

The hour passed almost a little too quickly but he finished and turned in his test with the rest of the class. He felt mentally tired for a moment after trying to bring himself out of the stupor testing put him in. Taehyung was already pulling him up and helping him out of the room, already whining about how stressed he felt about that test. Hoseok met with them outside of the class though he was a senior so it wasn’t often that they could all get together, especially at school.

“Hoseokie hyung!” Jimin smiled at the elder and pulled Taehyung his way as soon as he spotted him.

“Where are you guys heading?” Taehyung slipped his arm through both Hoseok’s and Jimin’s and then led them towards the coffee vending machines.

“We are refueling with coffee and then we will be going to our marketing based class.” Hoseok nodded and took out his wallet to take some money out. He took out three coffees and handed them to each respective dongsaeng.

“Thank you Hoseok.” The two cute men sipped on their cans and walked along with Hoseok, all of them laughing excitedly and trying to avoid running into anyone as they talked. Well, at least they tried. It was only a moment later when Jimin wasn’t looking and he ran into a firm chest. He gripped his nose as tears sprang up and looked up to see Jungkook. Jungkook tried to display his concern but Jimin was already bowing.

“Are you okay? I’m sorry, I wasn’t paying attention.” Jimin waved him away and continued to hold his nose as he bowed again.

“No I’m sorry senior.” Jimin turned to look around him and noticed that Hoseok and Taehyung were nowhere to be found. The fact that once he looked over Jungkook’s shoulder he saw the two looking around a corner told him that Hoseok had convinced Taehyung of the ridiculous notion that Jungkook liked him. He glared at them before realizing that Jungkook was still there staring at him and waiting for him to talk.

“Oh, how are you today?” Jungkook smiled at him and gripped his backpack straps nonchalantly, facing him in a way that showed he was giving him his full attention.

“I’m okay. How about you Jimin? How have you been? How are classes?” This was one of the most awkward encounters Jimin had ever had and he wanted nothing more than to get to leave and pretend he’d never woken up that morning.

“I’m okay senior. Classes have been fine and I think I’ve been doing alright.” Jungkook nodded and started to get closer, much to a shy Jimin’s downfall. His heart was stuttering in his chest and he couldn’t help but feel as if he was being tested.

“Well, I have to go but I hope you have a nice day.” Jungkook leaned down to say it to his face but the fact that Jimin was ducking his head down showed just how too much this was. He clenched his hands into fists and pulled them close to his body, his throat closing up before Jungkook leaned back up and left Jimin alone.

“Fuck.” Jimin’s face, he was sure, was red. He jumped in surprise as Taehyung and Hoseok burst forth and hugged him, laughing into his shoulders.

“He’s trying to flirt, one hundred percent he is but you didn’t let him even gain an inch! Jimin what the hell?” Taehyung said this in between fits of laughter and the confusion welling in his chest was almost too much.

“He doesn’t even like me what do you mean?” Hoseok rolled his eyes since he was being so damn oblivious.

“I thought Seokjin was the most oblivious when it comes to flirting but it turns out you take the role of the smartest in our friend group but also the most naïve.” Jimin decided to take offense.

“I’m not that bad.”

Jimin stared forward with a deep feeling of regret in his gut. He was doing a group project with three other business majors but that fact that there was a particular member in his group concerned him. Somehow after a year of avoiding more group projects with Jungkook Jimin had managed to snag the sought after senior.

“I expect this project done in two weeks and we will be presenting in class. For now you are all free to get together with your groups and discuss the financial marketing aspect of this presentation and how it can affect different companies.” Jimin wrote that down, doing all in his power to stall for time. He knew working with Jungkook was a miracle since the older was fantastic at doing group work and was overall smart. It was just that working with him, especially with the recent weird atmosphere around them and their history together he knew it wouldn’t be a comfortable time.

“I can’t believe we lucked out and got Jungkook and Jimin as our group.” Jimin turned to look at one of the other members, another senior by the name of Shin Dong. Shin Dong was a notorious free loader in their classes and was known for his loud persona that made him difficult to control or work with. Their other member was a pretty senior by the name of Lee Ji Eun. She was a favorite amongst the guys in the class and were it not for the class president, she would be the most likely to date Jungkook.

The class president, a pretty woman by the name of Hyo Rin, also the woman that had a hit on him because of his closeness with Jungkook, was the most likely candidate to make a couple with Jungkook. She was pretty and successful but it seemed that Jungkook wasn’t interested.

Jungkook had also turned but then stared at Jimin with a small smile on his face.

“Yes, I’m glad we get to work together again Jimin.” Jimin flushed terribly and nodded, slightly bowing his head. It was a natural reaction because Jungkook made him so nervous but he’d need to get that under control sometime soon.

“When do you guys want to meet?” Jimin shrugged and looked through his computer to see what his notes were. He’d need to make some time to do the research for this presentation. He would probably need to use the weekends and it would have to be somewhat later in the afternoon since he had early morning work hours. He was still wondering how he could fit it when he felt a tap on his hand. He was startled into attention and turned to look at the direction the tap came from just to see Jungkook staring back at him.

“When can you meet?” Jimin flinched away from his stare and nervously played with his fingers. The rest of the group stared at him as he considered it.

“I can meet tomorrow at dinner time.” Everyone else nodded and checked their own schedules. Jungkook already knew he’d be available and smiled at Jimin. Jungkook was being too much for poor Jimin and his fragile heart.

“Alright, so that’s settled. I’ll see you all tomorrow.” Jimin nodded at Jungkook as did the rest of the group. He packed his things quickly and practically ran from the lecture hall since he was trying to avoid too much interaction with Jungkook until he figured out why he was acting so strange now. It was nerve-wracking.

He decided he’d go eat at the convenience store on his own rather than waiting for Hoseok and Taehyung. Meeting with them to eat on Friday’s was always a lot more difficult than meeting them on any other days because it meant he’d have to wait at least an hour for them to get out of their respective classes. Most of the time he spent those days on his own since Seokjin also didn’t work and would instead leave his store to one of the employee’s for the day.

He went in to see that today it was Kang Joon taking care of the store. The guy was a good worker and good looking as well but he wasn’t someone of interest to Jimin. Jimin was more interested in the instant ramen inside and the little packs of kimchi. He finished eating pretty soon and took home the few desserts he’d bought himself along with the juice he’d had enough money to get in addition.

Jimin’s afternoons were pretty boring if he was honest with himself. He spent most of his time in either the library or in his small apartment studying his life away. He wasn’t a very good drinker, he wasn’t particularly attractive, and he knew his dress style was different. It looked more librarian than anything because he couldn’t be bothered to dress like anything other than what he was; tired. It wasn’t to the point of sweatpants of course but more to interesting fashion statements.

He got home and decided not to change into his night clothes until after he took his shower later. He wanted to be done with everything and absolutely sure he wasn’t about to go out again before he decided to change into comfortable clothes. It wouldn’t be the first time Taehyung texted right as he decided to shower to come out and have chicken and beer or something. He had been trained to be ready at all times just by being friends with the two people he called friends.

Seokjin tended to ask him to hang out only on the weekends because it was when they were both the least busy so Jimin tended to reserve those days for Seokjin. He liked being able to go to the convenience store and eating with his hyung but those times weren’t enough to keep him socially sated.

“Jimin!” Jimin turned in surprise and noticed his neighbor outside of their apartment complex with her hands stacked in clothes.

“Hi sweetie!” Jimin bowed to her and rushed forward to help her when he noticed that her load was teetering to the side.

“Hello Ah Young.” The woman waved him off and laughed as he helped her stack up her clothes again.

“Call me noona sweetie.” Jimin flushed red but nodded once more, stepping around her to run into his apartment. She would probably be up later since it seemed she had yet to fold her clothes. There was a community laundromat in the main hall of the complex lined with washers. Everyone would bring down their tubs and soak their clothes before taking it back to their own apartments or reserving one of the drying racks out on the balcony to hang them. Jimin was one of the ones that took the clothes to his apartment and let it dry in his bathroom.

“Such a weird day today….such a weird day…” Jimin mumbled to himself as he opened his door, struggling with the latch for a moment since his door was so old before he was able to shove his way in and set his stuff down.

When Jimin said his apartment was tiny he wasn’t kidding. Right next to the door stood his tiny kitchen, barely ten feet across. Next to that kitchen was another door that led right to his bathroom. The bathroom was sizable he guessed but with the addition of the drying rack and the fact that the whole room was a shower he knew it could be better. Some apartments had that type of setup with the shower spanning the whole floor and it being wet most of the time.

Then there was his tiny living space, a wall where most of his clothes hung on a rack since he didn’t really have a closet and a small roll up bed. He had a tiny desk as well that doubled as his eating space when he actually ate in his own apartment. He also had a mini fridge that mostly held yogurt and some water. Right now his room was considerably messy because college life had been so hectic he hadn’t gotten a chance to get any cleaning done. It would probably come back to bite him in the butt but for now he was okay with the clutter.

He decided now was as good a time as any to clean since it wasn’t very often he got home and didn’t have any work to do. He still had another report to write but that was due in two weeks and he already had the basis written. All he really needed to do was spend his day in the library tomorrow wisely. He would probably not eat very well as he was prone to when he had a busy schedule. It was why he was so thin nowadays. Sometimes he went a day without eating but since Seokjin had been a permanent figure in his life he made sure to pull him away from his work so he would get the chance to eat something.

He wondered what his hyung was up to and briefly considered calling him to check up on him but that meant he’d be putting off his housework and he really didn’t need to be doing that.

He started off by neatly folding his blankets and clearing off his desk. The he washed dishes and swept the whole apartment though that didn’t take long. He was done before he’d even started and barely twenty minutes had passed. He checked quickly to see how his food stash was doing before deciding to get some studying in. It was a boring thing to do but he was so used to it that now he associated studying with a calm environment.

It got his thoughts off of worrying how he’d pay for tuition next year anyway.

He’d been thinking of going on another break for the school year and earning up some money but at this rate when would he be graduating? If Jimin could avoid dropping out for a year then he would.

He realized he’d been sat just thinking for a full ten minutes when he looked down to see his textbook open. Jimin shook his head to snap out of it and also booted up his laptop, settling in for a long evening full of figures and laws he’d have to keep in mind.

He woke up the next morning with his face pressed against his textbooks and his laptop staring back at him with a black screen. He would need to charge it before class or bring his portable charger to class. It was a mild inconvenience for now. He looked over to find his phone and picked everything in his vicinity up to find it nestled under two textbooks. His eager fingers turned it on to see what time it was and he almost felt his heart leap out of his chest when he saw that he had an hour before class. He sprung up and showered in three minutes, taking two more minutes to brush his teeth and dry his hair with a towel while he walked around and looked for some decent clothes to wear. He settled on a brown long sleeve shirt and washed out jeans, a forest green jacket with a grey hood attachment completing the look. For shoes he put on his usual fake black leather shoes.

After that and picking up his satchel he was ready to run off and catch a bus to the college campus. It took ten minutes meaning he had a half hour to get some charge running in his laptop and print out an essay that was due in class. He had maybe another page he still had to write but then he was home free and could work on other things such as taking notes for the day’s lecture.

He basically ran across campus and consequently he accidentally ran into Jungkook. Not like he had to stop and greet him, no, that would have been too nice. He straight up knocked into the senior and fell on top of him, his laptop flying to the floor and crashing with a loud thwack. Jimin looked down to see Jungkook’s bewildered eyes staring into his own, one of his hands on Jungkook’s chest (it was firm) and another on his shoulder.

Jimin was bright red as he scrambled off of him and rushed to stand up. He bowed and apologized profusely before remembering his laptop and scurrying over to see what state it was in. A startled cry left his throat as he opened the laptop and saw the plastic pieces of the screen in shambles.

“Oh no.” Jimin hung his head in despair at the sight of his laptop in his hands, already knowing it was going to cost him a lot to repair and having no idea how to get his report done now. He had it in his USB but without a laptop it wouldn’t be done on time. There was the resource center but it was hard to get the ladies manning the place to let students work there before classes. Most of the time those places were reserved for student’s trying to study so finding a spot on such short notice was going to be difficult.

“What’s wrong? Are you okay Jimin?” Jimin turned to look at Jungkook and was surprised that the elder was still there, staring down at him with concern in those scary and calculating eyes.

“I just… I had to finish the essay for our analytics and business marketing class, that ten-page one, remember? And I still have to do another page and a half but now my laptop is ruined.” Jimin raised the scrap metal to emphasize his point and buried his face in his hands. He was sure he looked pathetic like this, Jungkook standing over him as Jimin kneeled like some sort of disciple.

“Well… If you want you can borrow mine and get the essay done during class. I’ll even collect the reports today so you can have those last fifteen minutes too.” Jimin flushed tomato red as Jungkook stared down at him, in that moment it really did seem like Jimin was just a child.

“I-thank you. This means a lot and I’ll find a way to repay you.” Jungkook just waved him off but handed him the laptop and ruffled his hair, a thing that left Jimin shocked even as Jungkook left and headed towards their shared class. Jimin finally shook himself out of his stupor and headed after Jungkook, flushing once he caught his eyes. Jungkook was sitting in one of the rows closer to the back but even though he helped Jimin, Jimin didn’t want to sit next to him. Something about the thought made him so nervous and he didn’t want to deal with it. Instead he sat at the front with a boy named Se Jun. He was a nice enough kid, handsome in his own way and only a few months younger than Jimin.

Jimin booted up Jungkook’s laptop and connected his USB so he could get started. He had done a paragraph already when their professor entered the lecture hall and greeted all of them. He hoped that his frantic typing appeared to be him taking notes and nothing else because he didn’t need to be caught. If he was caught it was sure chance that he’d be losing his scholarship and he’d have to get a job and take a year off from college again. He really didn’t want that.

Thankfully the professor didn’t notice what Jimin was doing and class went on without a hitch until finally class was dismissed. Of course the professor asked for someone to collect the ten page reports they were supposed to have done and Jungkook volunteered as expected. Jimin was almost done, he just had to insert some graphs for his work to be done and then he had to get it printed in one of the student resources.

Jungkook collected everyone else’s reports and came over to sit next to Jimin, staring at him and almost distracting Jimin. He didn’t react outwardly though and instead rushed to finish when finally his work was done. Jungkook smiled at Jimin as he saved his work and then turned to look at him.

“Are you done?” Jimin nodded and disconnected his USB, standing up along with Jungkook.

“Let’s go, I still have to print this.” Jimin didn’t know why he led Jungkook to the resource center with him, he just knew he did and that Jungkook wasn’t complaining.

Jimin connected his USB and felt as if he was home-free, his work all done and Jungkook had time to spare before he had to go turn in Jimin’s report along with everyone else’s. Until he had computer problems and his frustration bubbled over.

“Why isn’t this working?” Jimin could feel the tears prick his eyes and buried his face in his hands before abruptly looking up at the screen again and furiously scratching his head, orange locks of hair roughly peeking out from between his fingers.

He wanted to complain and just give up but Jungkook was behind him only a second later, chest flush against Jimin’s back. He felt muscled, as if he worked out often and it was present in the strong arms that wrapped around Jimin to play with the keyboard. Jimin flinched and tried to duck away but no matter where he went he was met with an immovable wall of muscle. It was…attractive actually. He liked being there, in someone’s arms and being protected. If it weren’t Jungkook maybe the situation would be ideal.

“There ya go.” This was whispered into Jimin’s ear and left him breathless, Jungkook’s arms still around him even as they listened to the pages print out. Jimin trembled in his seat and brought a hand up to wrap around one of Jungkook’s biceps, leaning his head back so he could look at his senior. Unfortunately that meant his head ended up leaning against Jungkook’s chest and it looked so intimate. Jimin turned redder if that was even possible and finally their little moment was halted, Jimin sprinting to the printer and checking to see his work. He put it in a cover folder he had for reports and handed it to Jungkook who looked somewhat smug.

“Thank you again for your help. I want to treat you to a meal for helping me out so much.” Jungkook nodded and took out his phone, his large hand enough to hold the phone and text. Jimin felt envy at the fact since no matter how hard he tried he always needed to hold his phone with two hands because his hands were absolutely tiny.

“Text me when you want to meet up and I’ll pick you up.” Jimin shook his head and nervously fluttered his hands.

“No I want to go with you now unless you’re busy.” Jungkook grinned cutely and nodded his head, raising the reports he still needed to turn in and gripping the strap of his backpack.

“Okay, we can go now then. I just have to go turn this in and then we can go to the convenience store on campus.” Jimin nodded and walked along beside Jungkook, grateful that the elder was keeping his strides short so that Jimin could keep up. It was embarrassing but he didn’t want to think about it since his senior was being kind about it and not pointing it out.

They made it to the assistant teacher’s office and handed him the reports after briefly greeting him before heading back out to the convenience store. Jungkook led the way while Jimin stared down at his feet like some sort of scolded child trying to avoid Jungkook’s intense stare. They entered the store and Jimin was half thankful to see that Seokjin was manning the front. Thankful because he was a comforting sight whenever Jimin felt nervous but since he was one of the first people to hear about Hoseok’s theory that Jungkook liked Jimin he knew this was bound to be awkward. Jungkook let Jimin lead them to the back to choose what they should eat which ended up being triangle kimbap and some juices.

Jungkook seemed surprised at the food but knowing his history of expensive clothing and tastes Jimin knew he wouldn’t be used to the simple food Jimin was. He didn’t care enough to check though and he was sure Jungkook would still enjoy eating the food.

“I’ve never actually had this before; I don’t tend to eat at convenience stores.”  Jimin laughed lightly and took the kimbap to unwrap it, making sure he made it easy for Jungkook to enjoy his own snack. Jungkook ate a tentative bite and smiled when he finally decided that he liked the snack and let Jimin enjoy his own food in peace. They didn’t really speak even as they cleaned up their food and headed out towards the buildings.

“What building are you headed to Jimin?” Jimin flinched and seemed to be going back into his shy shell, trying to pretend he hadn’t just eaten with Jungkook as if that was something that happened all the time.

“What about you?” Jungkook pointed towards the main department building so Jimin quickly pointed the opposite direction to the library, grinning awkwardly at the quirk of Jungkook’s brow. Both of them knew exactly what was going on here.

Jimin waved and quickly headed away from Jungkook and practically sprinted to the library. Jungkook was aware that Jimin felt uncomfortable around him and knew that the younger would spend most of his time avoiding him. It had been like that for so long but Jungkook was the only one doing anything to change that.

Chapter Text

Jimin stared out the convenience store window with a coffee in his hands and his phone vibrating in his pocket. He was sure his mom was calling him but he didn’t want to check, not yet. Since he’d gone so far to go to college she’d been nonstop nagging him and begging him to transfer to a college closer to her. He had almost done it once too, when she had been hospitalized but he went to see her and it turned out that she was in the hospital due to self-induced sickness. She had tried to manipulate him into returning home like that a few more times after but for the most part none of her attempts worked and he ended up avoiding her because of it.

Now was the annual call where she would attempt to get him to return home and for some reason she had decided to call him early. The only reason he was even awake at seven a.m. on a Monday was because Taehyung usually took him out to eat since he just got paid. Today they decided to just go to the convenience store since it was freezing outside and neither of them felt like going very far this morning.

Taehyung popped out from nowhere and hugged him, kissing his cheek.

“Tae that is the gayest thing you’ve ever done to me and we kissed when we were thirteen.” Taehyung snorted and flushed brightly when Seokjin looked over and smiled at him. Jimin rolled his eyes at his horribly lovesick friend and felt his body sag once his phone finally stopped vibrating. Taehyung was one of the only other people that knew about his mom other than Hoseok and Seokjin since they were all so close to each other. He knew he wouldn’t have been able to bear his mom if his friends weren’t so supportive of him and helpful.

“I’ve probably been gayer. Remember that one time when we were fifteen and sleeping over and I tried to show you that thing I learned when watching porn-“ Jimin smacked Taehyung’s arm with his cheeks flushed a pretty coral red. They had promised never to talk about that again.

“I remember and I also remember the giant bruise I left on you as a promise that we’d never bring it back up.” Taehyung shrugged and sipped on his hot coffee. He hadn’t bought anything other than coffee for the both of them yet because Jimin hadn’t been hungry. He pretended it had nothing to do with his mother’s incessant calling and decided to just finish his coffee.

“We should eat something Jimin hyung.” Jimin pouted at Taehyung but both of them knew the overexcited puppy man was right. Not only that but if they didn’t get food themselves Seokjin would make them eat before they left and then they would really feel sick. Jimin just chose a simple bread to eat for the day and Taehyung actually bought himself ramen. It seemed he was hungrier than he was letting on.

They finally left with a promise to return for lunch made to Seokjin, both of them going their separate ways. Taehyung had to go to class since he’d managed to fix his schedule that way in order to get one particular teacher. Jimin on the other hand lucked out and managed to have all of his classes after 10 a.m. by which time he would have been awake for three hours and full functional.

Since Hoseok didn’t have classes until 11 and he was most likely asleep, Jimin was alone. He would go and wake him up but lately his hyung had been so stressed so he decided to just head to the library and get some studying in. He had exams coming up in a month so if he spread himself out during that time he would be able to memorize everything he needed to without wearing himself out.

A text on his phone made Jimin decide to postpone his studying. He’d forgotten this but his group was supposed to be meeting at eight in the library. Since Jimin was already heading there it wasn’t as if it was out of the way but one of their members had to cancel because she was sick. Jimin almost wanted to fake sick as well when he remembered that left Jungkook and Shin Dong as the members he had to work with for this.

Jimin straightened out his cardigan and steeled himself before entering the large building he was meeting his group in, whatever was left of it, and heading towards one of the private group rooms. The neat thing about their librarians is that they allowed certain meeting rooms to be reserved by students who needed them so Jungkook had come in a few days ago to request a room for the week. Jimin found the room quickly and went inside, not surprised to see that no one had shown up yet since he was a half hour early.

Jimin decided to boot up his laptop and began working on some of the work he was assigned, beginning to format the presentation slides Jungkook had shared with the group. It seemed the elder had done a simple layout with the beginning slide already done. He had it in order of what he believed they should present and Jimin decided to trust his senior’s intuition.

Jimin researched the effect on local economy as was asked of him and actually managed to get quite a lot done before someone finally knocked on the door and came in. Jimin looked up in surprise, having forgotten where he was and only remembering as Jungkook smiled down at him. Jimin stood in a flash and bowed in greeting, asking Jungkook how he was.

“What have you been doing here Jimin?” Jimin twiddled his fingers under the table and hesitantly opened his mouth to answer.

“I just- I got a head start on my slides and did the majority of my research.” Jungkook nodded and took out his laptop as well, his thin fingers gliding over the keys in a way that was almost mesmerizing. Jimin got distracted for a little too long because the only way he was able to come back to focus was when Shin Dong walked in smelling like alcohol and looking like he hadn’t showered in a week. He felt embarrassment color his cheeks since Jungkook was smirking down at his hands as he typed, having noticed how Jimin’s eyes got glassy as he stared at him.

“Ah, welcome senior.” Shin Dong waved Jimin away and plopped himself down in a seat, melting into it with a loud sigh. He didn’t even have his backpack with him so Jimin wondered how he was planning to help work on the presentation.

“I’m honestly in no condition to work today Jimin, I’ve drunk too much.” Jimin felt shy knowing that the only reason Shin Dong was referring to him was because he seemed easier to him than Jungkook who had proven himself headstrong at times.

But Jimin was pretty sure everyone had unanimously agreed that Jungkook was the leader of their group.

“You might as well not have come Shin Dong, it won’t help to have you drunk here.” Shin Dong nodded at Jungkook and got up once more, stretching as he did so and grunting at both of them before leaving the room. Jimin should have known this was how having their two other members would go since he knew their personalities from the three years they’d been in the same department.

“Do you want to stay here and continue working together or would you rather we go to the campus café?” Jimin almost felt shock at how forward Jungkook was but decided he’d rather be in the café where he wouldn’t be alone with his attractive senior but also where he could load up on coffee and convince himself to stay awake. Jimin nodded and the two got up to head out, locking the door and returning the key to the library aid at the reception desk.

Jungkook ordered a sweet coffee for Jimin while the former went to find a comfortable table, luck on his side when he found a table with the comfortable couches. Jimin settled down there and set up his laptop, taking out all the papers they had been using for research. Jungkook sat down next to him once he got their coffee and both got to work without really speaking much. They’d been working for an hour in a half when Jungkook started shutting his things down.

“Jimin, since we have class soon let’s just go there now. I’ll walk you to class.” Jimin flushed and found himself hesitating to answer but eventually nodded, letting Jungkook lead him to class. They hadn’t really talked much but it was nice. Or as nice as it could be with the bundle of nerves Jimin felt in the pit of his stomach. Perhaps he’d never be able to act normal or friendly around Jungkook unless they were surrounded by other people. Upon entering class Jimin tried to flee from Jungkook’s side but his senior had already anticipated that.

A second later Jimin felt a hand tugging on his wrist, pulling him to a seat in the back next to Jungkook.

“Just sit with me for today.” Jimin gulped but nodded, deciding there was no point in arguing and took out his textbook as well as his laptop to take notes on the day’s lesson. He flinched as Hyo Rin glared at him upon seeing him in the back with Jungkook. It wasn’t like she should be worried since Jimin wasn’t very interested in a senior he was scared of.

“What are you thinking?” Jimin startled from his thoughts and flushed at the intense look Jungkook was giving him.

“Nothing, I was just lost in thought over nothing.” Jungkook decided to accept that explanation and smiled gently at him, leaving Jimin in a pleasant haze of confusion. Why was life being so complicated?

Class ended with no other complications so Jimin almost sprinted out of there, his feet taking him right to Taehyung who was sitting on a bench waiting for Hoseok, as per usual.

“Oh hey Jimin hyung!” Jimin greeted Taehyung and sat down next to him, his best friends shoulder becoming the perfect place to rest his pounding head.

“What’s wrong?”

“I don’t understand senior.” Taehyung snorted and pushed him away so he could face him. Ever since the day Taehyung and Hoseok had insisted that Jungkook liked him they spent as much time as possible trying to prove it to Jimin as well. The problem was getting someone so set on ignoring the signs to acknowledge them.

“I’d assume so since he’s literally all you complain about.” Jimin grimaced at that and smacked Taehyung’s shoulder, irritated that his friend wasn’t being more supportive about this.

“I don’t complain about him that often Taehyung, don’t be ridiculous.” Taehyung only raised a brow before safely deciding he’d rather drink his smoothie than get hit again by an angry little elder.

“But anyway, what happened this time?” Jimin sighed a little and rubbed a hand on the back of his neck, trying to come up with the best way to answer this without sounding obsessed with all things Jungkook.

“Well I- Okay, so I’m in that group with Jungkook and everyone else, right?” Taehyung nodded to show he was listening and understood what Jimin was talking about.

“Well we were all supposed to meet today except for Ji Eun since she was sick. Jungkook came to meet with us on time and then Shin Dong senior arrived twenty or so minutes later and left almost immediately after. He had another hangover.” Taehyung interrupted him right then to snort at that, his pretty eyes narrowing into slits.

“When isn’t Shin Dong senior drunk or hung over in some way? I’m convinced that his blood is actually soju.” Jimin tried not to laugh and managed to do so before going on with his story.

“Anyway, afterwards I went to get coffee with Jungkook and then he walked me to class and had me sit next to him.” Taehyung continued to stare at him as if he expected for there to be more to this story.

“Is that it?” Jimin nodded and received a smack on the head for his troubles.

“Is that really all that had you so worked up? Jimin, this is getting ridiculous! Just admit that Jungkook senior likes you!” Jimin rubbed his head angrily and pouted, smacking Tae on the shoulder again for being rude to his elder.

“He doesn’t like me, for the last time Taehyung! Besides, I meant that I didn’t understand him because he’s been so set on getting us to work together but if you’re just going to continue with the ridiculous idea that he likes me then I won’t ask you again.” Jimin crossed his arms angrily and looked away from a now pouting Taehyung who enjoyed gossip and would not be able to survive if Jimin stopped telling him of his run-ins with Jungkook.

“Fine, he doesn’t like you so his actions are completely suspicious. But think of this, if he doesn’t like you then what could he possibly want from you?” That had Jimin freezing as he thought about it. Truthfully he had absolutely no idea what it could be that Jungkook would want from him but then again it wasn’t like he could see into his thoughts. If he could perhaps they wouldn’t be having all of these problems and misunderstandings between each other.

“I don’t know, maybe we can get closer and I can ask him one day.” Taehyung wiggled his eyebrows much to Jimin’s annoyance and finally, finally, Hoseok arrived and sat down next to them.

“Jimin, I just got here but you already look irritated. What did Taehyung do this time?” Jimin went on to tell him his account and then waited for Hoseok’s inevitable addition that he also thought Jungkook liked him.

“Can’t you even consider the prospect of Jungkook’s romantic feelings towards you even a little bit?” Jimin shook his head.

“Of course not. He hated me before and he hates me now, or at least, he hates me a little less. There’s no way he could change his mind about me so quickly without us having any interactions.” That brought Hoseok and Taehyung short for once. Neither one of them had considered the fact that Jungkook had stayed as far away from Jimin as he could and vice versa, though it was hard considering they were in the same department at school.

“Now that you bring that up I don’t know what to say. What could he want with you?” Jimin nodded his head and clicked his tongue, his legs tucking closer under the bench they were sitting on.

“Maybe I should stop questioning it and just try to pretend this isn’t happening. It’s obvious Jungkook senior has his own thoughts running through his head and I almost don’t want to know why they suddenly include me.” Just as he finished his thought Jimin heard his name being called and looked up to see Jungkook standing across the campus square. He was smiling at him and waving before walking off, a coffee in his hand and a pointed finger at a smoothie he’d left for Jimin.

Hoseok and Taehyung stared at Jimin with their mouths opened as Jimin slowly stood up and went over to take the smoothie. He stared after where Jungkook had gone with wide eyes and then turned to look at his still shocked friends. He quickly scrambled back after and plopped down, his hands going to his hair and rustling it in confusion.

“What was that?” Taehyung finally closed his mouth and took out a notebook he had never used, probably since he usually took notes on his computer and had no need for paper.

“Okay, ‘Day One: Jungkook gave Jimin a smoothie and a smile and then didn’t say anything else.’” Jimin furrowed his brow as Taehyung said that aloud, writing it down on the first line.

“If he says or does anything else then let me know, I want to keep an account of this.” Jimin sighed but let Taehyung do whatever he wanted. And what did he know, maybe they could use these accounts to figure out what game Jungkook was playing. It was either that or when he was older and had a successful job he could look back on this and remember the time his suspicious senior had started acting strange.

Jimin was sat in the library, his nose in a book as he read about different types of leadership techniques, when he was first approached by someone he had hoped to never have to see again. It wasn’t Jungkook this time but rather an old…friend, if you could even call him that.

“Ah, Ye Sung hyung. Hello, it’s been a while right?” Jimin watched as his old friend, Ye Sung, sat across from him with a smile on his handsome face hiding the sinister man beneath. They’d been friends in high school until Jimin figured out that Ye Sung had liked him. It wasn’t because he didn’t want a man liking him, rather because after confessing and being turned down, Ye Sung made his life a living hell. First of all, he ousted Jimin to school while somehow managing to keep his own sexuality under wraps. Not many people treated him badly but some of his interactions were uncomfortable because of Ye Sung.

Not only that but he had to go through threatening letter’s arriving on his doorstep every day until he moved to college and left his mother behind. Sometimes he missed the little town but between Ye Sung and his eccentric mother he learned to ignore his homesickness.

And now here he was, the high school devil in the flesh with an innocent smile on his face.

“Jimin, how are you? I didn’t really get a chance to say goodbye after you left Busan to go to college.” Jimin nodded and gripped his phone fearfully, hoping that perhaps Ye Sung had changed and he wouldn’t have to worry about the crazy man he knew could come out at any time.

“I’ve been fine. How about you?” Ye Sung cracked a knuckle, startling Jimin and alerting him to the fact that Ye Sung had the same cynical smirk on his face that he’d had when he tried to ruin Jimin’s life. Nothing had changed it seemed.

“I’ve been fine as well. I was going to college in Busan before transferring here.” Jimin nodded and slowly got all of his things together, his hands shaking throughout the whole process.

“Well, I have to go actually. It’s getting dark and I don’t want to stumble around trying to get to my apartment.” Jimin tried to speed out but Ye Sung had always been an athletic kid, breaking at least two records in their track team.

“Wait, I’ll walk you. We can catch up that way, don’t you think?” Jimin could feel the fear begin to creep up his chest and clogging his throat, eyes nervously latching onto Ye Sung’s who seemed to have an awful intent in them.

“Hyung I-“ At that moment he heard a voice that had never sounded so beautiful in his entire life. He would have married Jungkook in that moment if his senior had asked.

“Jimin?” Jimin turned to Jungkook and yanked his arm away from Ye Sung, running towards Jungkook and greeting him.

“Ah, senior! I was just going to meet you, sorry for being late. I was catching up with an old hyung of mine. Ye Sung, this is my senior Jungkook. We’re both in the business management department.” Jungkook nodded and greeted the strange man, showing no signs of confusion though Jimin knew he would have a lot of questions regarding why Jimin was suddenly acting so forward with him.

“Well, it was nice seeing you but we have to go. See you around hyung.” With that both men bowed and left Ye Sung, who had not managed to get a word in the whole time, behind them. Jimin managed to get Jungkook all the way to the convenience store they’d eaten at some time ago before Jungkook finally questioned him.

“May I ask why you told that man that you were supposed to meet with me?” Jimin shyly nodded and let his hands fall into a knot in front of him, his throat suddenly dry.

“Ah, I- About that. He’s an old hyung from high school that treated me…not so kindly. He wanted to walk me home but I think he’s dangerous and I don’t feel safe in his presence.” Jungkook nodded in understanding and started to walk again, making Jimin wonder what he was up to.

“Where are you going Senior?” Jungkook turned and waved for Jimin to follow him.

“I’m taking you home. You said yourself that you feel that hyung is dangerous, right? I’ll make sure you get home safe and then go home myself.” Jimin wanted to say no for the simple fact that he felt that Jungkook was dangerous too, just in a different and more psychological way.

“Okay, thank you senior.” Jimin fell in step with Jungkook and they were silent as Jimin led Jungkook to his tiny apartment, bowing in gratitude once he went in so Jungkook could go home.

Once again that night was spent thinking what had changed between him and Jungkook so drastically that he didn’t notice. Maybe Jungkook really had decided to be the bigger person and get them onto speaking terms again. If that was true it meant Jimin was being an asshole for no reason and he should try and be as mature as his senior. Then again, maybe he was wrong again and Jungkook had a sinister ulterior motive. Either way, Jimin was stressing over a man for the first time in his college career and he didn’t like it one bit.

Jimin finally passed out twenty minutes later and let the day be forgotten in his fitful sleep. Of course that didn’t mean he didn’t wake up halfway stressed. The thing about being on scholarship for fantastic grades was that he had no choice but to always think of his grades, even if it was just in the back of his mind. He couldn’t help but to wonder what to do about his work and how to find more time to study. Twenty-four hours a day he was thinking of what he could do to improve and when he got too worked up Taehyung was always there. It turned out that though Jimin was great at studying and finding the time to study, he was awful and controlling himself and his habits.

The last time he overworked himself mentally he didn’t notice until Taehyung made him stop studying and made him eat. Right after that he passed out and didn’t wake until the next day and that was considering he’d fallen asleep at five. Since then Taehyung had done his best to judge when Jimin had been alone for too long and would always find a way to distract him.

In that moment Jimin really wished his friend would call and distract him a little bit, at least away from thoughts of Jungkook and what he could want. He really needed to talk to his senior about his change in attitude. He didn’t want to have to avoid his senior for the rest of their college careers because it felt like he’d regret that. He wanted to be able to leave his college and know he’d done his best to be friends with everyone in his department.

Then again maybe Jungkook was someone he was best not to communicate with.

Jimin finally stood up from his bed, already tired from the lack of sleep and his ever running thoughts. He packed his bag slowly and dressed in simple jeans with a huge white sweater, the fluffy turtleneck part coming up to cover the lower half of his face. His fingers buried themselves in his hair as he fiddled with it a little, giving up once he realized the waves weren’t going to smooth down any more than they already were. He’d given up a few years ago on having his short hair work with him but it wasn’t like it mattered. He didn’t care much about his looks anymore and would rather focus on what needed to be done to have success in college.  

Maybe that was why Taehyung was always worried about him when they hung out, because he knew Jimin wasn’t one to care for himself.

Jimin finally left his tiny apartment with its tiny desk and the tiny fridge sat in one corner, filled with the undeniable knowledge that today was not going to be a good day.

He got to the school and looked for Taehyung or Hoseok to see if either of them had eaten already. He didn’t have any food at home and he wanted to go see if Seokjin was in the convenience store anyway. When he couldn’t find them on campus he decided to text Taehyung, the candidate who was most likely to say yes to going to the convenience store with him.

Where are you? Have you eaten? – JM

Jimin put his phone up and headed towards the sidewalk that led to the store, ready to let out his concerns and nurse his sleep deprivation with a heaping cup of coffee.  He got a text as he caught sight of the place and turned on his phone to see Taehyung’s reply.

I’m with Seokjin hyung eating. Come to the store. –TH

Jimin snorted as he walked in quietly, knowing that the sound of the bell above the door would not catch either of his friend’s attention if they were too invested in each other. He was right and hushed Kang Joon before the handsome cashier could greet him, tiptoeing over to his friends and scaring the life out of Seokjin with one well-placed hand.

“YAH!” Jimin burst into laughter at that and fell to the ground, laughing so hard his giggles were coming out in squeaks. Kang Joon covered his mouth to smother his laughter from behind the counter while Taehyung snorted at both of them.

“Why would you scare me?” Jimin apologized to his hyung and hugged him, his face pressed against his.

“I’m sorry, I won’t do that again-“ It was Jimin’s turn to scream as an unknown man yanked him off of Seokjin, spinning him around so he could look up. He glared at Hoseok as the elder laughed after managing to scare Jimin, Seokjin losing the annoyance he’d had at Jimin after seeing him scream much louder than he had. After they got all of their laughter out of the way the four men began to eat hearty servings of a breakfast Seokjin had made beforehand and brought in so they could all enjoy. It seemed his friends had been planning to get Jimin to eat with them here before Jimin had even thought about the fact that he was hungry at all.

“Now that that is over, let’s enjoy this food I made before your classes start.” Jimin nodded and sat down to eat, thanking Seokjin for the meal since he didn’t really have money to be spending at the moment.

He left with Taehyung and Hoseok right after so they could run to class with time to spare. Well, mostly because Hoseok liked to drop off his juniors and that meant he had to do it with enough time left to get to his own class.

Jimin went into his own class after Taehyung dropped him off and left to find his class. It was customary for Jimin to be left first even though he was the hyung in the relationship due to the fact that he also happened to be smaller than Taehyung. He couldn’t help the protective reactions people had for him but he used them to his advantage, always making sure people were around him so he would be safe.

Perhaps he seemed paranoid but to him it was a smart idea. Jimin entered his class and made his way to the middle, the perfect distance to take notes without being uncomfortable in the front the whole lecture. He took out his pencil pouch and his laptop to take his notes before managing to look around class and see who all was together. He wasn’t surprised to see Ji Eun with her lackeys all talking about something ridiculous that had happened on campus. Jimin was sure he’d hear about it soon since Taehyung was a social butterfly and would most likely open up about whatever was new and interesting.

Not like it mattered in the end, he would do nothing with the gossip and it would not affect him. Or, at least he was pretty sure it wouldn’t affect him but weirder things had happened to him before when he minded his own business.

Maybe he would be able to avoid any weird situations if he just didn’t find out about any of the gossip. So, in typical Jimin fashion, Jimin pretended not to hear any of the gossip around him and rather focused on setting up a notes page and opening his agenda to write down any work he had to do. The agenda was well organized and was the reason Jimin remembered to do most of his assignments in a timely fashion. His whole day was planned there and it made it easy for him to figure out what times to use.

Of course that didn’t mean he couldn’t be spontaneous but he liked leaving that to Taehyung and Hoseok who could afford to do whatever they wanted and still come out unscathed. Jimin was the type that when he did things spontaneously he was more likely to get himself in trouble.

The class went by after the professor came back and Jimin couldn’t help but feel grateful that Jungkook wasn’t in that class. It would have been distracting to see the man he was currently confused about while he was trying to focus on a lesson in class. Perhaps what was really the problem was that Jimin couldn’t focus on what was most important and needed to let some things leave his head every once in a while rather than worrying about all of his problems at the same time all the time.

It was something he wanted to get better about but it would take time he couldn’t afford to waste in that way. Maybe it was his fault he couldn’t find his own moment of calm in his life.

He left the class with all these thoughts racing in his head and considered heading to the library for a brief moment but he still feared being alone since he’d had that run in with Ye Sung the day before. So instead he headed for a café nearby and settled down to study surrounded by people in case Ye Sung did show up somehow. He ordered his coffee and a small pastry to eat slowly while he worked and started up his laptop, noticing his charge was low. He huffed a sigh and rifled through his bag to find his charger before getting up to connect it. Just as he’d gotten his laptop charger connected to a wall plug he felt an arm at his waist and jumped up in shock. When he turned it was to see the one person he wanted to avoid smiling at him like he wasn’t messed up.

“Ah, Ye Sung hyung. Hello again.” Ye Sung smiled at Jimin and greeted him as well before gesturing him back towards where he had been sat. Jimin made his way to his seat and tried to ignore the rushing of his heart telling him that he shouldn’t be there with Ye Sung in that moment.

“We didn’t really get to talk when you’re senior came to pick you up, did we?” Jimin nodded his head and tried to avoid eye contact as much as possible.

“Yeah, sorry about that. I already had plans with him and didn’t know that you were even in Seoul.” Ye Sung smiled bitterly before leaning forward to make direct eye contact with Jimin who was still trying to look away nervously.

“What is he to you other than a senior Jimin?” Jimin frowned at that and finally deemed it necessary to look at Ye Sung directly.

“He’s not any of your business really.” Ye Sung’s bitter smile turned dangerous and suddenly Jimin remembered why he didn’t want to be alone with him. At least the employee’s seemed to sense Jimin’s discomfort and he could see some of them watching the interaction to make sure no one got hurt.

“Anything to do with you is my business. Just because you think you have nothing to do with me doesn’t make it true.” Jimin’s fingers trembled and he wondered if he could get away with texting Taehyung to come save him.

“Anyway, I have to go right now but it would be best that you not forget what I’ve said.” Ye Sung left without another word after leaving Jimin to find a way to get himself together.

“That was…” He shivered where he sat and quickly packed up his things, intending to go home before remembering that Ye Sung could still be out there. He was about to call Taehyung but he remembered last minute that Taehyung would be at work and probably couldn’t come. Hoseok was out because he was probably with his dance crew. He would text Seokjin but he knew that the elder had gone home to his parents that afternoon and wouldn’t be back in Seoul until the next evening. Kang Joon was out because the guy wasn’t that familiar and Jimin didn’t really trust him yet. That left him with virtually no options until he scrolled through his contacts and found a number he was scared to dial.

“Hello?”

“Jungkook. Please help me.” Jimin could tell that Jungkook was shocked  by his call but he had to give credit to his senior for the way he reacted.

“Where are you?” Jimin told him and waited with his arms wrapped tightly around him, his eyes a little watery from fear. Jungkook showed up ten minutes later looking like he ran all the way but Jimin was sure he’d come in his luxury car.

“Jimin, what’s wrong?” Jimin sniffled and let Jungkook pull him up into a hug though he couldn’t help the initial jolt of shock that his senior was so freely touching him.

“I- Ye Sung. He showed up and he- I just, I got scared.” Jungkook shushed him and rubbed his back soothingly before detaching himself and picking up some of Jimin’s stuff, leading him out by an arm.

“Let’s go. I’ll make sure you’re safe.” Jimin nodded and tried to wipe away his tears to no avail. He had felt terrified and all he could think was back when he was younger and had to fear a run in with Ye Sung in school. It used to be a source of his anxiety and he’d been nervous all the time.

Jungkook drove in silence to help Jimin get himself together and when he finally did he didn’t recognize where they were but it looked fancy.

“Senior, are we… Are we at your apartment?” Jungkook nodded gently and pulled Jimin into his home, closing the door behind him and pointing at the bathroom.

“You can shower in the there and I’ll get you some of my clothes.” Jimin flushed but did as told, coming out to see that Jungkook had left him sweatpants and a long sleeve shirt. He pulled them of quickly and padded out to see Jungkook on the couch setting up blankets.

“Are you done?” Jimin nodded.

“I’ll sleep here and you can take my room for tonight.” Jimin nodded once more and headed down the hall, in awe that an apartment could be three times bigger than his own.

“Ah, Jungkook… Thank you. I know I must look pitiful getting scared by talking to someone but I’m grateful that you are willing to ensure my safety.” Jungkook smiled and waved Jimin off, settling down to sleep. Jimin turned off the lights and padded to the room silently, falling asleep almost on impact. He was emotionally drained at the moment but he was sure once morning came he would feel ashamed that he’d let his senior take care of him like this. For tonight though, he was going to willingly pretend this was someone he was close to helping him.

Chapter Text

Jimin left Jungkook’s apartment before his senior even woke up, feeling rude for doing so but too embarrassed to see him after breaking down the way he had in front of him. He even managed to change out of his borrowed pajamas and into his own clothes, leaving the garments folded on the bed he made. He rushed out after that and headed to the morning trains to be taken home.

He still had to shower and get his things together before going to classes but it was fine since the next day he didn’t have any classes. He supposed he could hang out with one of his friends but he honestly just wanted a day for himself where he could get some things done and lessen the stress on his mind. Perhaps it wouldn’t work out for him but it was better to try and get what he needed.

So Jimin showered quickly and got headed to the bus that would take him to the school. He was kind of worried about the fact that he still had some classes with Jungkook but getting through them would be easy. For as suspicious as Jungkook had been acting lately he had a tendency to avoid Jimin directly when they were in school. It was almost like he didn’t want to be seen with him which would be weird considering the fact that Jimin was the one that was difficult to find some alone time with. Jungkook was a phenomenon, a handsome one, which Jimin had to admit.

Jimin dressed in a brown wool cardigan with a white turtleneck underneath and washed out jeans. He wore his usual black boots and headed out, a hat on his head because he’d been too lazy to wash his hair and it didn’t look the best. Not that it ever looked okay with how unruly it could be to maintain, being both rough and wavy. He could never get it to sit just right.

Jimin made it to school after the bus dropped him off with the rest of the commuters and felt himself tense up when he didn’t immediately catch sight of Hoseok or Taehyung. He wanted to greet them, maybe eat something simple and then get going but they must have either been late or maybe they were already with Seokjin hyung. Just as Jimin was getting his phone out he looked up at the sound of his name being called. When he looked up he looked directly into the eyes of none other than his senior, Jungkook. Jimin flushed immediately, having hoped that he wouldn’t see him until later or at least when he was around other people so that Jungkook wouldn’t bring up the fact that they’d slept in the same apartment.

Jimin almost wanted to pretend he hadn’t heard his name and just head in the opposite direction but Jungkook’s legs were long and he was in front of him before Jimin could even take a breath. Jimin bowed and kept his eyes on the ground.

“Hey, did you make it home safely this morning?” Jimin flushed deeply as his head sprang up so he could look Jungkook in the eyes. His senior was smiling with a glint in his eyes, as if he knew he was embarrassing him by being so open when they were surrounded by so many other people. It looked to others as if Jimin had been with Jungkook the evening prior which meant he’d receive some hate for it. He’d have to deal with it now but he was sure Jungkook had meant for that to happen. Maybe he’d pissed him off by leaving without saying anything and he’d have to make it up to Jungkook somehow.

“I-uh- yeah, I got home safely. Thank you for checking up on me Senior.” Jungkook smiled innocently and slightly turned Jimin by tugging on his arm, obviously wanting to walk with him.

“Have you eaten?” Jimin felt a sense of déjà vu, as if he’d been asked this before but he knew that was exactly what it was. He didn’t know what it was about Jungkook and always wanting to eat with him but by now it seemed that was what they always did. Maybe because eating together was considered to be such an intimate action done more so in confidence with people you were close with. Jungkook was desperately trying to become one of those people for Jimin and Jimin had no idea what to do about it or how to get him to give it a rest.

He’d just have to let his senior do what he wanted and see where it led them both.

“I haven’t. I was just going to head out and meet my friends before class.” Jungkook seemed to deflate a bit at hearing that and leaned the smallest bit closer, getting more into Jimin’s space so they could share a private conversation.

“So you already have plans. Are you free tomorrow for breakfast?” Jimin really wanted to say no, he really did but Taehyung wanted to document their interactions and this would be the perfect time to do so. Why he was going along with Taehyung’s ridiculous whims he didn’t know but if Taehyung found out that he rejected a breakfast invitation, which he inevitably would because news traveled fast, he would be livid. So he took a deep breath to steel himself before answering Jungkook.

“No, I don’t have any plans for tomorrow.” Jungkook’s smile turned up into a beautiful grin and he stopped walking with Jimin, his hands in his pockets to make him seem like he had absolutely no worry in the world.

“Would it be too much to ask you to meet with me tomorrow morning then?” Jimin shook his head and parted ways with Jungkook finally, agreeing to meet him at the bus stop the next day and trying to ignore the trembling in his fingers.

“What is wrong with him?” Jimin stared at Jungkook as he walked away for a few minutes after, trying to come up with a rational explanation as to why he was so close to him now. Hoseok jumped on his back as he was standing there and grinned at him when Jimin screamed in fright.

“Stop doing that! You’re the hyung in the relationship so you’re supposed to take care of me!” Hoseok snorted at that and crossed his arms in front of himself.

“I’ll admit that I’m one of the nicer hyung’s but I have never left my childish phase. I’m only older than you in body.” Hoseok looked proud of his statement and ignored the glare shot in his direction by a very pouty Jimin. Hoseok was laughing when Taehyung showed up behind them and smiled dreamily. It seemed Jimin had been right and Taehyung had been happily enjoying the company of Seokjin.

“Oh, I have an interaction for you to record.” Taehyung lost the dreamy quality in his eyes and turned to Jimin with lightning fast speed. His eyes were glinting almost dangerously and he had a notebook out in under a second. Thinking about it now Jimin suddenly felt shy because he’d have to tell Taehyung about sleeping in Jungkook’s bed and the regret was starting to seep in.

“You’re going to want to sit down for this.”

“And you stayed there the whole night?” Jimin finished telling Hoseok and Taehyung the story over breakfast and shyly nodded, going on to tell them about this morning as well.

“Wow, Jimin. I know we ruled out the possibility that he liked you but I think we need to revisit that option again.” Jimin groaned in embarrassment though Taehyung had been ready and raised his hands in a placating gesture.

“Listen, just hear me out.” Jimin decided to listen to what was most likely going to be ridiculous reasoning.

“He takes care of you without making it a hassle, he takes you out to eat, he pays special attention that you do eat, and he’s always looking for reasons to talk to you. Not only that, but I heard he never really takes people out to eat individually and it’s literally unheard of for him to invite someone to his apartment for any reason whatsoever.” Jimin flushed deeply as a barista hushed them for being too loud and smirked at Jimin. Taehyung should have been a lawyer rather than a business major with the way he displayed his facts to make a compelling argument.

“I just- I misunderstood him a lot last year and I don’t want to do that again if he’s just being nice.” Taehyung sighed once before he dropped the topic and finished writing down the latest interaction between Jimin and Jungkook.

“I think it’ll be good for you two to get closer regardless. He’s a reliable senior and you make a good academic match.” Jimin nodded at Hoseok and stirred his coffee with a straw, picking pieces off of the banana nut muffin he’d bought for breakfast.

“I do too. I want to work with him and not worry what people think.” Jimin lazily tilted his head to look at the time and realized he was gonna be late to class if he didn’t hurry up and leave.

“I have to go, class awaits. Taehyung don’t forget to get together with your group this afternoon.” Taehyung nodded as Jimin sprinted out to the sidewalk and rushed to class. Once he got there almost all the seats at the back were full so he was forced to sit in the front. He flinched when he saw that one of the open seats was next to Ye Sung who had just transferred into Jimin’s course. Ye Sung raised a brow and slowly pulled out the chair next to him, gesturing for Jimin to come sit next to him. Luckily Jimin didn’t have to choose because a girl came in right after him and plopped down in the seat, pissing Ye Sung off but ultimately saving Jimin from having to suffer next to Ye Sung.

Jimin chose a seat next to the mousy girl whose name he always forgot and greeted her. He settled in for the lesson and tried to drive away confusion over Jungkook and fear of Ye Sung out of his head. It worked for the most part but it wasn’t like he’d be able to completely run worries out.

Once class was over Jimin rushed out so he could avoid an interaction with Ye Sung, ignoring his hyung’s loud voice calling his name. He practically sprinted to be in the middle of all of his classmates heading to a different hall and completely disappeared in their crowd. His legs burned a little as he rushed which was kind of sad because it wasn’t that much physical activity. Jimin needed to get some more exercise so he could be healthier but between his hours at work and studying as if his life depended on it, he didn’t think he would be able to handle something like that. Maybe he could do more in the Summer when he was less busy even though he would probably continue to study even then.

“Jimin! Park Jimin!” Jimin looked back with wide eyes, accidentally making eye contact with Ye Sung. He thought he’d lost this creep but there he was, close enough to grip onto Jimin’s arm if he wanted to. Jimin knew he’d have no excuse to run away now so he decided to bare it and see what his hyung wanted. He moved over to a wall so they wouldn’t be in the middle of the crowd and leaned against it, watching as Ye Sung stalked closer with a frown on his face. He looked scary like that, tall and imposing as he settled closer to Jimin’s space.

“Why did you avoid me in class?” Jimin’s grip tightened on his bag strap and he took a quick look at his surroundings to ensure that he wasn’t alone.

“I didn’t. Someone already took your seat and I wasn’t going to be rude and kick them out.” Ye Sung snorted and slammed his hand on the wall next to Jimin’s tiny head.

“I don’t mean that, I mean the fact that you questioned sitting with me. That bitch wouldn’t have taken the seat if you hadn’t hesitated.” Jimin felt real fear trickle down his spine and decided he never wanted to be alone with Ye Sung again, not as long as he lived.

“I was confused. I didn’t meant to offend-“ Jimin groaned as he was suddenly punched in the stomach when no one was around to see him being assaulted.

“Don’t give me that bullshit you tiny son of a bitch. If I tell you to sit with me then you do it, understand?” Jimin trembled like a little leaf in the wind, wanting nothing more than to curl up in his bed and forget Ye Sung. He used to have such a calm life with no worries and now he was dealing with this.

“Yes hyung.” Ye Sung left Jimin alone to recover and went to his class, ignoring the panting coming from Jimin after being punched in the abdomen. Jimin had never been physically hurt by Ye Sung before and the fact that he did it now was warning enough to Jimin that if he didn’t find a way to get Ye Sung out of his life he’d be subject to these types of punishments more often.

He looked up with a grimace of pain still on his face and accidentally made eye contact with Jungkook. He looked surprised to see Jimin there, stooped down and holding his stomach. He shook himself out of his stupor and ran away for a second time the next day. Jungkook called out to him once but Jimin was gone before he could even start stepping closer to him.

At least he knew Jungkook wouldn’t hurt him, not like Ye Sung.  He might call him out for being rude but nothing else would be wrong.

Jimin snuck into class, trying to avoid any attention on himself and worried about the probable bruise on his stomach. He’d have to avoid sleeping over with Taehyung until it was gone or he’d ask questions. Jimin knew it would be best to tell Taehyung about what was going on but if he did that then Taehyung would be a part of this situation and therefore fall victim to Ye Sung. Jimin didn’t want that, not for himself and certainly not for one of his best friends. He decided he would keep silent about Ye Sung until he figured out what to do about him and how to handle the new found violence.

“Jimin?” Jimin jumped at his name being called out and looked up to make eye contact with Se Jun, the man he’d sat with when he’d been avoiding Jungkook after borrowing his laptop.

“Oh, hello. What can I do for you?” Se Jun waved him off quickly, a small smile on his face.

“No, I don’t need anything. You looked worried so I was wondering if you were okay.” Jimin laughed at that and patted Se Jun’s shoulder quickly.

“I’m fine, thank you for being concerned. I’ve just had some things going on in my personal life.” Se Jun nodded and finally walked off to his seat, turning once to smile at Jimin before turning to focus as the teacher came in. Jimin was grateful that his classmate was concerned for his well-being and got out his class supplies, taking notes as the lesson started.

Maybe he should open more to people. He had almost wanted to say something to Se Jun and ask for advice but this was someone that didn’t know him very well and it was a burden to them. Maybe he could speak to Taehyung or something. It would be more likely that he would talk to Seokjin about what was going on with him and try to get advice on what to do about his problem with Ye Sung and he would have to talk to him soon.

For now he wanted to wait a day and see if Ye Sung would try to bother him again.

Classes went by fast and suddenly Jimin was left to his own devices. Usually he would head straight to the library but with Ye Sung on campus it was best that he not be left alone. Jimin practically sprinted to Seokjin’s store and rushed in, greeting Kang Joon who seemed to be in more often and making a beeline for the office in the back where Seokjin was most likely at. He was right and there was his hyung sitting down in front of the screen and doing paperwork. He was probably ordering stock as well for the week.

“Seokjin hyung, hello.” Seokjin turned around, startled since usually Jimin wasn’t the type to just barge in like that but he would never turn him away.

“Hey Jimin-ah, how’s it going?” Now that he was here Jimin was almost afraid to tell Seokjin what was going on but if he didn’t say something he’d go nuts. So he sat down and spewed everything about Ye Sung, beginning with their relation in high school.

“Pardon me for a second but what the fuck?” Jimin flushed slightly as Seokjin stared at him intensely.

“You’re telling me that this nut job has been accosting you this whole time and you haven’t reported him to the police?” Jimin shrugged guiltily and shriveled up a little, worried that he’d angered his hyung by being too scared to tell.

“I know, I should have said something.” Seokjin nodded and stood up, putting on his coat angrily and wrapping a protective arm around Jimin.

“We’re going to the police station right this instant.” Jimin let himself be dragged away and all the way to the station where there was nothing more than disappointment. The police couldn’t do anything without proof and Jimin could tell that they didn’t realize that this was between two men as potential lovers and not a spat between ex best friends. Guys couldn’t be like…that. At least, that’s what he assumed was going through the men’s minds. Jimin gave up, watching as Seokjin fumed and called the police all sorts of names.

“How did they even get their jobs if they weren’t going to protect every one of their citizens?” Jimin sighed and sat down on a bench, letting Seokjin blow off some steam until he too was quiet.

“I guess I understand. They would need proof that I’m being harassed if it’s something they’ve never had to encounter.” Seokjin snorted, anger not calming easily and turned quickly to stare at Jimin.

“Honey, if there is ever anything I want you to abide by, it’s this. Do not travel alone, okay? I don’t want that creep anywhere near you.” Jimin nodded and arranged to meet with Taehyung and Hoseok the next day at the convenience store with Seokjin to tell them what was going on. Seokjin had to head back to the store meaning Jimin would be on his own though he was reluctant, especially after what he’d just heard.

“Don’t worry hyung, I’ll stay here until someone can come take me to the library and stay with me.” Seokjin nodded and ran off to the subway so he could head back. Truthfully Jimin had no one that could go with him but he didn’t want Seokjin to worry too much because he was an adult. He wanted to walk back alone, of course since he had promised he was hesitant. It was just that he didn’t want to wait here where he’d need someone to take care of him when he was really sure that he didn’t have much to worry about as long as he was in public. It didn’t take long for Jimin to throw caution to the wind and head to the subway, paying his fee and sitting down on the train a few minutes later. It was taking him back to the school where he would go to the library to study and then go home.

He of course kept an eye out for Ye Sung but after not seeing anything he was able to comfortably go to the library. He had almost decided not to go but changed his mind after remembering that he had an essay due in two days and that he needed to work on his research for his group project. He was sure Jungkook had kept up on his stuff as usual but he wanted to make sure he didn’t slack and they would need to focus more to make up for the fact that Ji Eun and Shin Dong tended to wait last minute to do their work.

Jimin felt the crick in his neck get worse after a while a changed his position so he could comfortably study without feeling the ache in his body. He wanted to leave, he wanted to go home and fall asleep for hours and not worry about his work. Unfortunately the world was not like that and he needed to get something done to be able to rest without his responsibilities clouding his mind for the rest of the day.

He managed to finish the essay and another part of his research before looking up and noticing that the time was getting closer to eleven. If he didn’t hurry up he’d be stuck without a train ride home. He was nervous though since it was dark and he hadn’t seen Ye Sung again tonight.

Regardless Jimin left after saying his goodbyes to the nice librarians and his coworkers and rushed outside, hopeful that there would be a group he could follow. Of course there wasn’t since most normal people were either at home or at a bar with a group. Jimin took a deep breath and speed walked towards the station, praying to whatever god out there that he would be safe and that he wasn’t hearing sounds and oh my god are those footsteps?

Jimin turned in fright and shrieked when he saw the dark figure behind him, only a foot away.

“What the-! Jimin?” Jimin looked up from where he’d dropped to cower and into dark eyes he was familiar with. Handsome familiar eyes that downturned in concern and lines around a perked mouth.

“Senior?” Jungkook bent down to look at Jimin’s face and flinched at the pure unadulterated fear in his eyes. He had slight tears just there, sitting in his pretty eyes ready to fall.

“Are you okay? Is something wrong?” Jimin let Jungkook dry his unshed tears and stood up with his help, the hand on his arm burning as he got up.

“I’m fine, I’m sorry. I was just- I just. I’m sorry, I’ve been very wound up lately and I thought you were Ye- Someone else.” Jungkook cocked his head in confusion and let go of Jimin’s arm before putting back on his forearm and trying to get a good look at Jimin’s face.

“Are you sure you’re fine? I think I startled you too much. Come with me.” Jimin let himself be led by his less scary senior and they ended up at a small café that stayed open late. They were the only customers there and sat as far away as they could from the counter where a woman seemed to be dead on her feet. Jimin felt bad for her but decided the easiest thing he could do was leave soon so she could rest.

“So, who were you afraid of seeing?” Jimin almost didn’t want to say anything, this was his senior not a close friend but Jungkook already knew about Ye Sung so there was no point.

“Do you remember that hyung I introduced you to? The one that wanted to walk me home?” Jungkook nodded with a serious look on his face and continued to maintain eye contact with a nervously fidgeting Jimin.

“He physically threatened me today and I went to the police station with a close hyung. Unfortunately nothing can be done without proof so my hyung told me keep myself safe by always being with one of my friends. It’s just, I feel like a burden so I decided I was fine on my own.” Jimin began to flush now, aware that he sounded not only dumb but also ridiculous.

“I thought I’d made the biggest mistake of my life when I walked out of the library and heard you behind me.” Jungkook nodded and took a long swig of his coffee as his fingers tapped on the table.

“I’m sorry I scared you, I’ll try not to sneak up on you again.” Jimin lightly blushed but nodded to Jungkook, a tiny smile on his face at Jungkook’s understanding nature on why he was so scared. He didn’t want to be such a burden on anyone but it was nice being able to admit his troubles to someone that could help solve them, besides it was added help since Jungkook seemed to be around him so often now.

“Thank you for understanding senior.” Jungkook smiled softly at him and it reminded Jimin once again that this wasn’t normal. Happy, understanding Jungkook was someone he was not used to seeing around him. Jungkook was still someone he had to be careful around but it seemed he had no malicious intent for Jimin.

“If you don’t mind, I’d like to walk you home after we finish this coffee. I don’t feel right letting you go home on your own and we need to talk about our project anyway.” Jimin knew the excuse was just to make it easier on Jimin to accept protecting but he was grateful and took what he could get.

“Okay senior, let’s go.” Jungkook nodded and got up, dusting himself off and taking Jimin’s plastic cup as Jimin gathered his things. He threw them away and they met at the door, thanking their barista and then heading out. Jimin was shy for the first few minutes but Jungkook was easy to keep conversation with.

“So what have you done so far for the research and the presentation?” Jimin smiled lightly and went on to detail the work he had done and what he still had left to do which wasn’t much. Jungkook seemed satisfied with that.

They got to Jimin’s home sooner than he had expected and he went inside quickly, thanking Jungkook profusely for protecting him and making him feel safe. He wasn’t used to seeing Jungkook so often, to thanking him for everything, he wasn’t even used to greeting him without trembling slightly.

Jimin actually leaned against his door for some time, trying to even his breathing and consider everything that he could have done wrong.

“He’s just being nice. Don’t think about what Taehyung and Hoseok have been saying, they’re wrong.” Jimin startled out of his thoughts from his phone ringing in his hand. He answered after checking the caller I.D. and seeing that it was Seokjin.

“Hyung, hello.”

“Jimin where are you?” Jimin stretched and went deeper into his tiny apartment, placing his bag next to his small desk and dropping to his sleeping mat.

“I’m at home, a senior of mine walked me home.”

“Ah really? That’s good, I was worried about you being unsafe or going around alone.” Jimin tried to ignore his guilt at the fact that he’d done exactly that not too long ago. He let his hand come up to caress his neck and massage the tenseness out. He wanted to tell Seokjin about how scared he’d been and how Ye Sung was making him paranoid but that would look bad. He’d just sleep on it and figure out what to do.

“No, I’m fine.”

“Make sure to text Hoseok to pick you up from your apartment in the morning.” Jimin sighed but ultimately agreed and let his Hyung go to sleep. He was probably going to forget, or pretend to forget. He was more comfortable on his own in the day, it was the night that made him paranoid.

Jimin managed to get ready for bed and passed out soon after. He didn’t want to get up when his alarm went off but he comforted himself knowing that as soon as he got home from work in the afternoon he would be fine for the rest of the weekend. If he could just survive that and manage to get one of the boys to pick him up after he would be okay. He needed to believe that.

Jimin dressed in long jean shorts and tucked in pink pin striped dress shirt, his usual brown dress shoes on his feet.  His bag swung on his shoulders, he walked out of the apartment and directly to the bus station. It was still silent this early in the morning but he was fine with that. He put in his headphones though to ignore his paranoia as much as possible but it was almost impossible to do when he was so used to checking his back and making sure he wasn’t hurt by someone he hadn’t been expecting.

Maybe he really needed to talk to Ye Sung, though not alone because that would be the same as asking for death in his opinion. He just wanted to rest and not have to look over his shoulder all the time like he did in high school. He’d worked too hard to get out of that situation only to be dragged back by this asshole. Jimin just wanted to live a peaceful life and not worry about what his past wanted to drag back up.

Jimin sat on the bus nervously wondering what the day had in store for him. The class he had with Ye Sung luckily did not meet on Friday’s which was such a blessing because Jimin would not have been able to face him after trying to get a restraining order on him. He would bet money that Ye Sung would find a way to turn this on Jimin and make his life worse, almost as bad in college as it had been in his adolescence.

Jimin was sure he could handle himself somewhat without having to worry about his family trying to hurt him in some way.

“Jimin?” Jimin was off the bus already and had just paused his music to put his phone up when he looked up. Jungkook stood there in all his glory waiting for Jimin. Jimin had forgotten that he was supposed to meet up with Jungkook and eat with him for breakfast.

“Ah, senior. Good morning.” Jungkook smiled at him and gripped the straps of his backpack, his impish smile serving to make Jimin shy. How a man so handsome and grown up could look so much like a child was beyond Jimin.

“I know you have your whole situation and all but I was wondering if you still wanted to go eat with me?” Jimin figured it couldn’t hurt and besides, he didn’t have anyone to keep him company and keep him safe.

‘Ah yes, of course. We made the plans after all senior.” Jimin smiled nervously and let his senior guide him away from campus to a small café inside the school. It was cheap coffee and good food so he didn’t mind eating there. On the way he texted Seokjin his whereabouts so his hyung wouldn’t worry about him and he could tell Hoseok and Taehyung where he was since the boys were used to seeing him every morning.

“What do you want to eat?” Jimin stroked his chin in thought, his petite fingers not enough to wrap around his chin.

“Can you order me a strawberry shake and a veggie sandwich?” Jimin smiled at Jungkook as he did so, leaving him at the counter to find a table to sit at and set his things down. His first class of the day wasn’t until ten so he had two hours to kill, time he planned to use to study for once since his friends never wanted to let him do what he needed to do.

“Here.” Jimin’s food was set in front of him so he refrained from taking his laptop out to work because that would look rude in front of his senior.

“Ah, thank you for the meal.” Jungkook smiled but said nothing else, digging into his own veggie sandwich gently and taking his time to savor his food. Jimin didn’t know what to do now that neither of them were talking so he decided to just eat his meal in awkward silence. Once Jungkook had swallowed his second bite he finally set the sandwich down and turned to a startled Jimin, a sweet smile on his face. Jimin quickly swallowed his own bite and took a sip of coffee, steeling himself for whatever Jungkook was about to tell him.

“Listen, Jimin, I know last year wasn’t the best for us,” Jimin flashbacked to the hateful glares of his classmates and his hellish life,”-but, I want us to be friends.” Jungkook leaned forward with an earnest look in his eyes, his pretty brown eyes like two dark pools of ink. Jimin’s breath caught in his throat and he tried to back away as delicately as possible to avoid angering his senior.

“Is that why you’ve been talking to me and inviting me out so much recently?” Jungkook smiled and sat back, deciding he’d had enough of making Jimin uncomfortable for today.

“Actually, it’s one reason. But I decided to be mature and not hate you for an accident that happened over a project. That was incredibly immature of me and I want to make amends.” Jimin felt his heart slow down, his hands getting clammy, and his face drop without his permission. He knew Jungkook had wanted something from him. What he didn’t expect? Jungkook wanted to have another student liking him like everyone else in this goddamn university.

“I see.” Jimin picked up his things and got himself in order, much to the confusion of his handsome senior.

“Where are you going?” Jimin had his satchel over his shoulders and was ready to head out, turning only for a second to stare at Jungkook.

“You don’t have to be extravagant to apologize senior. But also, I can’t be expected to be friendly with you just like that.” Jimin turned to go but Jungkook shot out his hand, gripping onto Jimin’s tiny wrist and pulling him back so he was directly in front of Jungkook and had to look up to stare into his eyes.

“Jimin, why are you angry? I’m trying to apologize here!” Jimin frowned at that and clenched the fist Jungkook was still holding.

“Senior, do you not remember all the people that made my life miserable last year? All your friends, all the stupid things they did because their leader was angry over spilt tea?” Jungkook flinched at that and let go of Jimin but stayed in his position, staring into Jimin’s pretty eyes that shone with unshed tears.

“I know and I’m sorry. Things should have never escalated to that point.” Jimin nodded, holding tears at bay but only just barely.

“Exactly, they shouldn’t have because we’re both adults. But they did and now, it’s not the time to try and force entry into my life. You know I’m having problems with Ye Sung.” Jungkook flinched again, his broad shoulders seeming to shrink under Jimin’s scrutiny.

“I need to be with people that care about me and Jungkook, you don’t make the cut. You led an undertaking against me. Perhaps if I felt safe I could try and be friends with you but as we stand, you’re just another potential bully.” Jimin steeled himself for his next words, feeling as if he was being too harsh but this felt so damn good. He’d had to struggle through oppressors for years, guys whose egos were too big that they made him feel so damn small. Jungkook wasn’t the first but this was the first time Jimin stood up to any of them. He didn’t want to be a pushover forever, he couldn’t live like that.

“Please do not contact me unless it’s about our project. Thank you for the meal, goodbye Jungkook.” Jimin clutched the strap of his bag and walked out as fast as possible, his shoulders trembling under the weight of Jungkook’s stare on his back. He’d be fine, right?

Chapter Text

The quiet of Jungkook “leaving him alone” didn’t last very long. By the second day of the two of them avoiding each other it had become apparent to the rest of the college populace who had nothing better to do than speculate on why they were ignoring each other.

Some thought that he and Jungkook had somehow dated with no one finding out and Jungkook broke up with him. Because there was no way that Jimin would’ve been the one to break up with Jungkook. Other’s were saying that they had another falling out over projects and were currently avoiding breathing in the same air even. And other smarter, more reliable, sources were Kim Taehyung grilling him over his renewed status as social pariah.

“What happened? Jungkook has this pained look whenever he sees you but he doesn’t try to get close to you.” Jimin sighed softly and let his head fall into his hand, propping it up as he poked at his salad. He was having lunch with Taehyung for the day because Hoseok had been too busy to meet up and Seokjin wasn’t at his convenience store right now.

“I told him off for thinking he could waltz into my life after nearly making it hell and told him to stay away from me, at least until I solve this problem with Ye Sung.” Taehyung stopped breathing for a second before dropping his head onto the table.

“So you’re telling that you and Jungkook aren’t dating, he was trying to get close to you, Ye Sung is standing in the way, and you didn’t think this through? Is that what I’m understanding?” Jimin paused for a second and raised his head to shrug nonchalantly.

“I guess so. Except I did think it through and I still don’t know what Jungkook wants. Don’t think I forgot that last year he had all of his friends make my life hell over one project. So Min still glares at me like I’m the reason things rot.” Taehyung took a bite of his apple and nodded, his brows furrowing slightly.

“I guess you’re right and we should get rid of Ye Sung first so you can be safe.” Jimin nodded gratefully and packed up his uneaten food, checking his watch as he stood.

“I’m gonna go to the library, see if I can’t get some studying done before my next class.” Taehyung nodded at him and waved him off, his attention turning to his own homework. Jimin knew Taehyung still wanted to argue but both of them knew Jimin wouldn’t be changing his mind about this anytime soon and it was best for Taehyung to get over it before Jimin decided not to keep him informed.

Jimin felt almost bad about the idea that his friend was trying to make his case known with a stubborn Jimin not listening but he had never been an emotional person. And Jungkook…well, Jungkook made him nervous. He didn’t want him to be any closer than necessary, he didn’t want him to be anywhere near Jimin and he certainly didn’t want him anywhere in his heart. Jimin wanted peace and to graduate on time with as little debt accumulated as possible.

Jungkook was just another wrench in those plans. Jimin decided getting through with this group project was step one in getting rid of Jungkook and so he worked on that first, giving it around an hour to the point where he was almost done. He sent what he had to Jungkook who was compiling all the research and decided he was done for now. That is until someone pulled out the chair across from him and set their things down without a word. Jimin looked up and found himself freezing at the sight of Jungkook sitting there, too damn casual considering the day before.

“So, I got your research, very well done by the way, and I would like you to help me set up the presentation. Ji Eun sent most of her stuff too and though I knew we couldn’t trust Shin Dong I did manage to do some of his research and coddle him into doing some of his own.” Jimin stared open-mouthed at Jungkook, at the black dress shirt clinging to his torso and the rolled-up sleeves. He stared at the sexy tilt of Jungkook’s brow, the slight smirk on his mouth and knew without a doubt that this man would be the death of him.

So, he took a deep breath and held it for a second, long enough to center himself, before turning to Jungkook and nodding, a decision made that he knew he might regret but not until later when he was alone.

“Okay, share the slides with me and then we can get started.” Neither of them acknowledged Jimin’s easy surrender to Jungkook and what he wanted.

Jimin was sitting in his apartment at his small table typing away when he received a message from an unknown number.

Unknown, 6:27 P.M.

Jimin I need to talk to you. Stop hiding from me and avoiding me in classes or things will not end well for you.

There was only one person that could be and Jimin’s didn’t think twice before answering his would-be stalker Ye Sung, hesitation in each little tremble of his fingers as he typed back his reply.

Jimin, 6:28 P.M.

Is that a threat?

Doesn’t matter, I have nothing to say to you

Stop texting me or I’ll call the police

For once Jimin felt brave, hell, he felt even better than the day before when he told Jungkook off. He turned off his phone, sure he was done with Ye Sung for now and turned off his laptop. He was too rattled from Ye Sung’s threat though he’d acted brave through text. But typing and talking were two different things, especially because Ye Sung had already proven he could get violent and was willing to hurt Jimin no matter where they were.

Jimin almost wanted to text Hoseok or Taehyung to see if they’d come to his apartment and stay with him for the night. Unfortunately, he knew that they were both busy with activities after school and it would be difficult for them to stay with him for too long.

He would be fine for the night anyway, not like he was willing to open the door to anyone that knocked on it at this time of night anyway. Jimin huffed out an angry sigh, hating that Ye Sung could make him so afraid with just a simple text late at night. He wanted to comfortably avoid him and enjoy himself regardless of what Ye Sung wanted.

After a few more hours studying Jimin decided to call it a night, crawling on top of his blankets and trying to summon the willpower to huddle underneath the covers.

Jimin was sitting at a table, flowers in a small vase at the center, staring over the ornament to eyes so dark they seemed to suck the light out of the room. But those eyes, for all the light they stole, were shining with unbridled life. Jimin wondered who it was that was staring at him so intensely but he was so tired and had no energy to talk to the man.

“Park Jimin.” Jimin had somehow nodded off but now, startled to alertness, he could see who the handsome figure with the coal black eyes was.

“Jungkook,” he whispered. In this world manners were meaningless and social norms were forgotten in favor for blind action.

“Why do you dislike me, Jimin?” Jimin flinched at the anger in the deep notes of Jungkook’s baritone. He had such an ideal voice for singing honestly. Jimin wanted to hear him sing at least once in his lifetime.

“I don’t senior.” Jimin once again flinched as Jungkook slammed his hands down on the table they were sat at which seemed to have gotten longer since Jimin had first awakened.

“You’re lying. Since the year started you’ve been avoiding me, ignoring me, acting like I’ve committed some great sin against you.” Jimin felt his hands trembling as Jungkook stood up.

“Forget it, I shouldn’t waste my time on you. No wonder your dad left, you’re as worthless as I thought.” The cold eyes glaring at him were harsh and as Jimin’s breath left him, he wondered how a human could be so evil.

Jimin awoke in a cold sweat, his alarm blaring next to his ear and his breath leaving him in great heaving huffs of breath. He’d been so scared of that dream, of Jungkook for God’s sake! What was wrong with him?

Jimin finally shed the last blankets of sleep he’d been swaddling in, his chest lightening and losing the tightness of fear. His phone was now ringing with Taehyung’s ringtone so he picked up the phone, listening as his best friend asked him if he wanted to meet up somewhere for breakfast.

“Uh, yeah, yeah. Let’s just go to the café at school and get something to wake us up.” If Taehyung detected any lingering fear in Jimin’s voice he said nothing. Instead he hung up after saying his goodbyes and left Jimin to his own devices until then.

“God, what’s wrong with me?” Jimin buried his head in his hands, furiously wiping his face and trying to pretend there wasn’t a wetness on his lash line. He proceeded to stand and clean his sleeping area before washing his face and dressing for the day, simple jeans and a plain long sleeve shirt. He even added a hat but that was mostly to draw attention away from his tired eyes.

He sat on the bus quietly the whole ride and wanted nothing more than to go home but he was paying for these classes, he needed to get his money’s worth. Jimin yawned into his hands once or twice and tried to ignore how his heart beat faster the closer the university was in sight until he felt it was about to beat out of his chest if he didn’t somehow calm his stress. Jimin stepped out and wasn’t surprised to catch sight of Taehyung texting, his best friend completely engrossed with his phone and probably looking up some dumb jokes. The sight brought memories back into his head, such as when he didn’t have Jungkook always trying to befriend him or Ye Sung threatening him. Back when all he was worried about was avoiding a rude senior and hanging out with his friends when he wasn’t doing school work. He almost didn’t regret being in this situation now, if not for the Ye Sung thing, because Jungkook seemed to be a good senior and an even better friend so it would be a shame to miss out on the chance to be someone that was close with him.

“Jimin!” Jimin looked up from his thoughts and turned to see Jungkook, the senior that had unfortunately been on his mind more often than not, waving at him with a coffee in his hand. Jimin had thought he’d listen and leave Jimin alone but here he was. Jimin ducked his head to hide his blush and quickly waddled towards Jungkook, heart hammering in his throat.

“Senior, what are you doing?” Jungkook shrugged and took Jimin’s hand, wrapping his fingers around the coffee he’d gotten for Jimin and letting go when he was sure he wouldn’t drop it. Jimin was red to the tips of his fingers, his head woozy from being around this annoyingly sweet senior of his.

“I thought I told you I wasn’t ready to be close with you Senior. I don’t want to give you the wrong idea-, “Jungkook frowned at Jimin, his finger pressed against Jimin’s lips to get him to stop talking.

“I won’t get the wrong idea, I know you want to wait to try and be friends. But I want to work to earn the right to get that chance. If it means coffee in the mornings and giving you space, I’ll gladly do it.” Jimin stared at Jungkook, dumbfounded and wondering why anyone would work so hard to be friends with him.

“Oh…” Jungkook stared into his eyes, neither of them talking until someone bumping into Jimin slightly finally brought them out of their reverie.

“I- Thank you, Senior. I’ll enjoy this coffee. I have to go though, I’ll see you in class?” Jungkook smiled and nodded, gripping one of Jimin’s hands one last time before walking away. Jimin stared at his retreating back in wonder, hand feeling warm from being held. He was still staring in the direction Jungkook had left when he felt someone grip his shoulders and pull him into a violent hug. For a second he thought it could be Ye Sung but the slightly spicy cinnamon scent let him know it was Taehyung without a doubt. The man chuckled against him and turned him around, wary of the hot coffee in his hands.

“Hey, I thought you were avoiding Jungkook from now on?” Jimin nodded numbly, eyes drawn to the coffee in his hands when a sudden flush overtook his face. There on the cup, in bold black sharpie, was a bunny drawing holding a sign up cheering Jimin on. Sweet lord, his senior had drawn him something to try and cheer him up.

“What’s that?” Taehyung took it away to look at it and reddened as well, his ears almost fire red.

“Oh my God, I was right. There’s no way he isn’t in love with you.” Jimin turned to look at his friend and wanted with all his might to say no but even he was suspicious now.

“I hope you’re wrong, I really do.” They decided it was best to not speak of it anymore and headed to the café, Jimin to not be alone since he already had coffee and Taehyung to eat and get his own coffee.

“So since it seems Jungkook won’t be leaving you alone what do you plan to do?” Jimin really wished he could answer that, honestly he did but there was no way he could answer what to do with a man that had a mind of his own and was going against Jimin one hundred percent of the time.

“I guess I’ll do what I always do when it comes to him. I’ll avoid him.” Taehyung chuckled at that but said nothing else since he also had no real idea what to do about a pushy senior.

Of course that plan depended on him finishing his group project soon and on Jungkook not doing his absolute best to stay in Jimin’s life. At least their project was almost done and just needed a few more tweaks and some of Shin Dong’s information before they could update the final slides.

Jimin decided that he had enough of worrying, everything would fall into place if he just did his best to stay out of trouble. Of course that was easier said than done with these new men in his life.

They parted ways and headed to their own respective classes, Jimin’s class different from Taehyung’s for the day and therefore he had no need to travel with his friend. Not that it didn’t make him nervous since he didn’t know if Ye Sung shared this class with him or not. Ye Sung had only been attending classes with Jimin for a day but he was already becoming a thorn in his sides. Jimin knew that to be able to survive his classes he’d need to have the least amount of classes with Ye Sung as possible. He just needed to be able to focus on his lessons and get himself in gear.

Jimin entered his class with no less trepidation than what was necessary now that Ye Sung was on the prowl and searched around the room, his things pressed close to his body and his laptop against his chest. The chairs were mostly empty at this time since class wasn’t for another hour but he needed to work. There were two girls in the room with him, neither of them friends of his, but other than that he was in the clear. He chose one of the seats in the front and settled down for a long hour of figures, his head already beginning to throb at the thought of all the work he needed to get through.

He turned on his laptop, which had taken quite some money to get fixed, and opened up his most recent file to finish the paper he had to write for his third year accounting class. It was an analysis on the history of accounting and how the curator had worked out the details of the major. To say that this was one of the most boring essays Jimin had ever written was a serial understatement.

Regardless, there was very little left for him to finish and by the time the hour was up he was one assignment lighter, at least until he printed it out. Jimin closed and saved the file, moving on open his file for note taking and looked up to see that most of the seats were starting to get filled in. He wondered who else would be coming in before exactly who he’d feared would come in did. Ye Sung came in with the swagger of someone who knew that he made people fear him. Jimin tried to find a way out, noticing that there was another girl coming in to class. What was her name? Hyo Shin? So Min?

Regardless, he waved her over with a smile and tried to pretend he didn’t notice how confused she was. She sat down quietly and greeted him, her face still as confused but Jimin didn’t care. The only seat next to him was taken up now so he could worry less about the fact that Ye Sung was glaring at him and promising some sort of punishment.

“Uh, hello Jimin. You want to sit together today?” Jimin nodded, his fingers tapping on his desk as he tried to recall her name but for the life of him, he really couldn’t.

“Yes….” It seemed she could see that he was struggling and, though she seemed dejected, she introduced herself over again.

“Min Soo.” Jimin nodded at her, smiling gently at that.

“You have a pretty name.” She thanked him and they stopped talking. Jimin already realized how awkward this interaction was

He could feel Ye Sung’s glare on his back as he leaned forward, heart beating quickly even as he tried to pretend that he hadn’t deliberately ruined Ye Sung’s plan. Honestly, he had no idea what he’d do once class was over because he couldn’t very well make it out of class faster than Ye Sung’s rage could carry him. It was difficult to focus with these thoughts in his head but it wasn’t like he could take them out. He’d just ask to see Hoseok’s notes since he always kept all the notes he took in his business classes from years past.

Jimin quietly packed the things he wouldn’t really need in his bag as his teacher was finishing his lecture, hands trembling the whole time as he tried to calculate how fast he’d have to run to get out of class before Ye Sung even stood up. He was sure he could make it, if he could just… get up. Finally, his teacher ended class and as everyone thanked him and bowed Jimin sprinted out after him. He could feel Ye Sung speeding after him and just as he felt his bony hand wrap around his forearm Jimin caught sight of Jungkook waiting for him across the hall. His breath caught in his throat as Jungkook smiled at him, making eye contact and quickly making his way over. Ye Sung hadn’t noticed Jungkook though and tried to pull Jimin towards him so he’d face him but Jimin was desperately struggling to get his arm out of his deathly grip and run towards safety.

Finally, Jungkook made it to him and pulled on his other arm, a cynical look on his face as he smiled at Ye Sung.

“Ah, I remember you. Ye Sung, correct?” Ye Sung glared at him but nodded, bowing his head in greeting to a senior.

“Yeah, nice to see you again Senior, how have you been?” There was an obvious anger in his voice but he couldn’t act on it since he didn’t know that Jungkook knew about his abuse. Jungkook, though, he looked much too pleased with himself for pissing him off and wrapped one arm around Jimin’s shoulders to keep him at his side. Usually Jimin would’ve been freaking out and trying to get Jungkook’s arm off him but right now he was so grateful that the arm on his shoulders meant to Ye Sung that he wasn’t that easy to get ahold of, especially not when Jimin could feel Jungkook’s heavy muscles and that was just in his arms.

“I’ve been good, you?” Ye Sung answered him again and bowed once more, turning to face them both.

“I would love to stay and chat with you guys but I have to get going. Senior, Jimin.” He left after that without looking at either of them, something Jimin couldn’t help but feel grateful for since that meant he didn’t have to actively face the anger in his eyes. Jungkook and Jimin stayed like that for a few more moments, both staring after Ye Sung with Jungkook’s arm still around Jimin’s shoulders, dwarfing the smaller man in comparison. Finally, Jimin shrugged off the heavy arm and turned to look at Jungkook, confusion clear in his pretty brown eyes.

“Did he say anything to you?” Jimin blinked in surprise as Jungkook crowded him with the question, eyes fierce as if wanting to go fight Ye Sung right then and there.

“No, he didn’t get to thanks to you.” Jimin bowed quickly and let his fingers grip tighter onto his laptop, cheeks red at the thought of Jungkook taking care of him.

“Why were you here anyway? Not that I don’t appreciate it, I just wanted to know.” Jungkook smiled sweetly then, his hands coming up to grip the straps of his own backup as he shrugged. Honestly, it looked weird to see him do that since his shoulders were so broad.

“I wanted to walk you to your class since we share it anyway.” Jimin nodded hesitantly before falling in step with Jungkook, shoulders hunched as he tried to think of something to talk about. Jungkook wasn’t making it any easier since he seemed content enough to just walk next to Jimin without saying anything.

“Uh, senior… Have you had a good day?” Jungkook seemed surprised that Jimin was taking the initiative in speaking to him, his brows raised in a way that was horribly masculine and, unfortunately for Jimin, quite attractive.

“I have actually. My first class was quite calm today and mostly notes and then I met up with a cute lowerclassman that I wanted to walk to class.” Fuck, Jimin’s face was burning off, he could feel it. Jungkook carried on walking, the smirk on his face undeniable as Jimin stuttered next to him.

“A-ah, my day was good too. My first lesson was very easy.” Jimin quieted down after that but Jungkook was relentless, lowering his head to Jimin’s height and trying to catch his eye.

“Did any handsome man come and pick you up from class?” Jimin covered his mouth with his hand, trying not to flinch at how cold it was compared to his face. It was ridiculous how easily he was flustered when it came to Jungkook and his undivided attention.

“Ah, yeah. I-I guess? I didn’t really think about it, um…” Jungkook laughed outright then, cooing at the precious demeanor Jimin had. He was so easy to play with when he had these reactions.

“I’m just kidding. I know you told me you didn’t want anything with me so I’ll try not to flirt so outright, okay?” Jimin nodded gratefully at Jungkook and walked with much more confidence beside him, heart still hammering in his chest but confident that Jungkook would abide by his promise.

“So, I see Ye Sung is still causing you problems. Have you talked to the police again?” Jimin shrugged his shoulders in defeat, realizing early on that unless Ye Sung beat him up or something there was little he could do in terms of reporting them.

“I haven’t gone back to them since it seems they won’t help unless I get hurt. I’m honestly just going to do my best to stay away from him.” Jungkook seemed bothered by this answer and without thinking, grabbed Jimin’s small hand in his own for half a second before letting go and smiling as if nothing had happened.

“Well, if you ever need to get out of a sticky situation with him just talk to me.” Jimin nodded but all he was really hearing was the beating of his own heart in his ears as his hand felt warm. Jungkook separated from him after that and went to his own seat in the back, the one his friends usually saved for him, with no care in the world. Meanwhile Jimin sat somewhere in the middle, waiting on Taehyung to get into class already so he wouldn’t have to be alone for much longer. For now, he was though and decided to look through his weekly timetable with the intention of checking when he’d scheduled his next fixed study block. If he didn’t get some work done soon he’d be behind for exams when it came time to take them. It was stressful to think about it considering the only reason he was receiving his scholarship for the semester was because he somehow managed to beat Jungkook and was currently receiving the top grade in the school. He still didn’t know how it happened though there were rumors that ranged from Jungkook not turning in an essay to his essay being lost by the TA.

Regardless, he didn’t want to lose this top spot and was working harder than ever to make sure that he could continue to receive his scholarship. He didn’t want to have to take a year off again to raise enough money for tuition since it had been so hard on him the last time he did that.

It was as he resolved to head to the library right after this class that Taehyung showed up, voice loud as he greeted Jimin.

“My sweet Jiminie!” Jimin shushed him desperately and pulled him down next to him, face reddening as Taehyung laughed at him.

“Why are you always so loud?” Taehyung was still laughing as Jimin tried to melt into the floor, his heart unable to take this stress.

“I want people to know that I adore my good friend.” Jimin just rolled his eyes and laughed it off, already feeling the intense stare on his back that was sure to make him combust if he wasn’t careful.

“Whatever, I adore you too.” Both smiled and then took out their laptops, notes opened so they could keep up. Taehyung seemed airheaded at times but honestly, he was quite the intelligent young man. He worked hard too and was just shy of Jimin’s high GPA. He applied himself when he wanted and when he didn’t, he still passed.

Suddenly, the door to their classroom opened and their teacher came in, a slowly aging man that was loved by his students because he was gentle but wise. He smiled at all of them, greeting them as he set his briefcase down and took out his lecture outline for the day. Jimin sat up a little more now that their lesson was going to start since he didn’t want to appear bored. This may be the lesson on analytics and marketing strategies, one of the most boring in Jimin’s humble opinion, but he respected the hard work their professor put into giving them the most updated version of information possible so they could keep up with the industry.

It was exactly as he’d expected; the lesson was pretty boring but it wasn’t like there was much he could do. Regardless, he took his notes and left the class immediately after to avoid the temptation that was Taehyung trying to invite him out. He was weak when it came to his friends and especially when it was Taehyung, a fact that his friend took advantage of whenever he could. He quickly found a seat since most people were just now going to their first classes since they managed to get later ones. Jimin, on the other hand, had been too slow on registration day and to get the classes he wanted he had to take the early morning ones. He didn’t mind that much but he was human too and he wanted some sleep.

He sat down comfortably and took out his lecture notes from his analytics class. It was best to study these after that class since he wanted to be able to keep them in mind and get them ingrained. He spent the first few minutes just casually glancing over the notes and finally figured out where to start, what had been the hardest thing to understand as he’d been working. Then he worked his way through that. If he was being honest with himself, all of this was boring. He wanted to be able to be the type to go out all the time and have fun, without worrying too much about his grades and getting all of his work done. His reality was too different though and it could cost him his future to keep thinking like that.

Just as he was getting re-immersed into his work a hand slammed down on the top of his notebook, long fingers splayed out and immediately recognizable to Jimin. He looked up immediately and flinched at the face staring back at him. Ye Sung was sneering at him, his rage was simmering in the stiff line of his shoulders and if it weren’t for Jimin’s naturally quiet demeanor he would’ve screamed at that.

“Hello beautiful.” Jimin wanted to vomit at the word, his fingers trembling.

“I thought I made it clear not to avoid me in class? So what was that stunt earlier?” Jimin gulped and tried his best to keep his laptop in between him and his biggest fear.

“I-I was just trying to sit with a friend. I wanted to work with her today.” Ye Sung chuckled low in his throat and raised his hand back up, instead crossing his arms and cocking his hip.

“I’m going to pretend I believe that. I am going to pretend, I do not know that you’re so afraid of me you’d rather anger me than let me next to you. But, stay the fuck away from Jungkook senior.” Jimin’s eyes widened at that. Stay away from Jungkook? What did he even have to do with this?

“I see the way you look at him you little slut. You want him and I don’t want you to ever fucking get him, do you understand? If I see you near him again I will not hesitate to ruin your life. Understand, Park Jimin?” Jimin quivered in fear but nodded anyway, heart pumping madly in his chest until finally Ye Sung tipped his head up with his fingers and made him look him in the eye.

“That’s it for now, I’ll see you later lovely.” Jimin shuddered as he was finally released and Ye Sung disappeared behind a bookshelf, most likely deciding that he’d scared Jimin enough. Jimin, for his part, couldn’t help but holding his chest and dropping onto the table, his whole body shaking. He needed to find a way to get rid of Ye Sung once and for all, without having to leave the school. For now he guessed he could listen to what Ye Sung had asked of him and try to avoid Jungkook even if he had been the nicest he could possibly be. He didn’t want to if he was being honest and if he really thought about it, ignoring Jungkook was his worst possible decision.

Maybe he didn’t want to listen to Ye Sung. Maybe he wanted to continue being friends with Jungkook and see where it took him. Jimin’s phone vibrated as he was deep in thought and he looked at the screen to see that he had gotten a text from Jungkook.

Do you want to have a meal with me? I’m going to the convenience store to have some ramen.

Yeah, maybe he wanted to continue being his friend.

Chapter Text

Jimin stared out the window of his small apartment, legs pressed against his chest and his head leaned against his knees. He felt really sleepy and it was raining outside, not the greatest combination. Since he had nothing to do today he’d decided to work on a new essay he’d just had assigned but it was Saturday and he didn’t have any classes today. Not only that but he’d recently quit his job since his tuition was paid off and he had a good amount of money saved up to buy textbooks so he didn’t have that obligation holding him back. All this amounted to him being alone at home with no reason to move if he didn’t want to.

The problem with that was that meant he was in the zone of his mind that couldn’t find a reason to care about anything. It was his worst state of mind and the hardest one to get out of. Jimin suddenly startled as his phone rang. Jimin looked over to the side where his extremely tiny desk was and watched as the screen turned on, Jungkook’s name flashing across the screen. Honestly the light from it hurt since he’d been sitting in the dark and gloomy mood for so long. Shakily he stood and rubbed at his eyes, slowly making his way to the phone since his legs were slightly asleep.

“Hello senior.” Jungkook greeted him in return with such enthusiasm that Jimin almost felt guilty for being so sleepy though he couldn’t really find it in himself to sound just as chipper.

“Hello, Jimin. I was wondering if you were busy today?” Jimin bit his thumb gently as he thought, making a sound in the back of his throat. On the one hand he really didn’t want to move or go outside at the moment but on the other, he had nothing better to do. Maybe going somewhere with his senior would jumpstart him and he would be able to get to work when he got back.

“Not really. What did you have planned?” Jungkook could be heard moving on his end and Jimin assumed he was getting his jacket and umbrella. He knew Jungkook had a car and was pretty sure he was going to come pick him up with it.

“I’ll come pick you up. Can you text me your address?” Jimin made a noise affirmation in the back of his throat and hung up, finally sighing and making himself get up so he could get ready. He texted his address to Jungkook and then dropped his phone on his bed, making sure his sound was on so he could hear if Jungkook sent him a message. Then he quickly washed his face and changed out of his pajamas to slip on skinny jeans and boots, buttoning up his shirt and putting a comfortable cardigan over that. He was too tired to care about his hair either so he put a beret on, deciding not to try and get his contacts in and instead just wearing his overly large glasses. Just as he was finishing brushing his teeth he heard his phone ring. Jimin slipped his wallet into his back pocket and answered the phone, taking his keys and locking the door as he answered Jungkook.

“Ah, hello Senior. I’m heading downstairs now.” Jungkook laughed and said goodbye before hanging up so Jimin didn’t have to keep talking to him before seeing him. Jimin ran downstairs and came out the front of his apartment building, looking around before being startled by Jungkook appearing in front of him in all his glory. He was wearing a pressed white shirt and simple jeans, a nice jacket on top and his hair was the same as usual, bangs brushed gently onto his forehead which made him look more boyish and young. In all honesty, the proximity made Jimin blush terribly. It was no secret that Jimin found Jungkook attractive. Hell, it’d be weird if he didn’t consider that he was one of the most handsome students on campus.

“Hello, ready to go?” Jimin nodded and followed Jungkook to his car and flushed deeply as Jungkook opened the door for him and helped him get in. He then went to his own side and started the car, his hand on the wheel and the other casually on the rest between them as he looked back to make sure he didn’t hit any cars. It was a manly action, something Jimin wasn’t used to doing since he didn’t drive and for some reason it looked more attractive than usual.

“Where are we going anyway, Senior?” Jungkook finally made it to the main road and turned only for a second to smile at Jimin.

“I was looking at movies that were coming out and there’s an action one I really wanted to see. I heard you talking to Taehyung a few days ago saying you wanted to go but apparently Taehyung is a romantic comedy fan rather than action.” Jimin snorted at that and turned to smile at his senior.

“Yeah, it’s weird actually. I’m quieter than him but I like loud action and he likes softer romance.” Jungkook looked at him with a smirk on his face that promised so many bad things that Jimin wanted to experience.

“I guess you could say we’re similar in that respect.” Jimin shrugged and lightly pulled at the frayed edges of his jeans.

“I guess you could.” They lapsed into a comfortable silence after that where Jimin tried to calm his racing heart and Jungkook turned on his radio. He was listening to some random pop on the station but it was catchy.

“Oh, I like this singer! Can I turn it up a little?” Jungkook turned to look at Jimin with a peculiar look on his face but raised the volume anyway, speaking as he did so.

“You like IU too?” Jimin nodded happily and sang along, sweet notes melting into each other as Jimin had his duet with the singer. The song ended soon after but Jimin was in high spirits now and felt comfortable.

“You have a pretty voice. Do you sing often?” Jimin flushed brightly and waited a second as he realized they’d arrived at the theater and Jungkook was parking the car.

“I do though usually it’s when I’m alone in the shower.” Jungkook nodded at that and got out of his car, coming around to Jimin’s door to open it and assist him out. Jimin walked alongside Jungkook though admittedly it was hard because Jungkook was taller than him and had longer legs. Jungkook was courteous though, slowing down a little to make it easier for Jimin to keep up.

“We should get some snacks. What do you want?” Jungkook turned to look at Jimin who was already looking at the menu.

“I think I’ll get myself some popcorn and a juice.” Jungkook nodded and gestured for Jimin to head on to the food court.

‘I’ll get the tickets and you can buy the food. I want nachos and a juice as well please.” Jimin nodded and went off while Jungkook bought their tickets and then they met up again in front of the entrance to the theater rooms.

“It’s theater E-3 and it starts in ten minutes.” Jimin nodded and they headed off to the room, searching for the best seats before sitting down in silence. Jimin turned off his phone while Jungkook answered some texts and then did the same.

“So, Senior, why did you want to invite me of all people out?” Jungkook turned to face Jimin, head resting on his hand as he stared into the younger’s eyes.

“I want to befriend you. Besides that, I don’t take people out often and I wanted to make you feel nice for the evening.” Jimin swore his face combusted in that moment and he turned away to try and collect himself.

“A-ah, thank you t-then. Next time I’ll treat you, okay?” Jungkook laughed at that but nodded anyway and suddenly their ten minutes were up.

The movie was good, he supposed. It had all the action he wanted and the main actor was handsome though Jimin was beginning to rethink who he found handsome. His style was more mature and tall, broad shouldered and smart as well. Jimin turned at one instance to look at Jungkook and realized then that Jungkook was his ideal type. Not that he would act upon it, just that he hadn’t noticed until then watching the light flicker on his handsome features in a way that made him look angelic. It was ridiculous, no man should look that beautiful in a dark theater but here they were.

Suddenly, Jungkook turned to face Jimin with a curious look on his face as Jimin looked away as quickly as possible. He was a relentless man though and only leaned close to Jimin’s ear to whisper, leaving goosebumps on Jimin’s skin in his wake.

“Are you bored?” Jimin shook his head without saying anything and leaned away a little. Jungkook merely smirked before turning back to watch the movie. It ended a little while later and the two got up and tried to leave their seats. Unfortunately, the theater had gotten quite crowded and Jimin almost fell at one point, were it not for the fact that Jungkook was gripping his hand tightly to make sure they didn’t get separated on their way out. Jimin threw away their popcorn and soda containers as they left and headed outside. The rain had picked up again and for some reason neither of them had even thought about bringing an umbrella with them.

“I can’t believe I was so distracted I forgot to bring my umbrella.” Jimin looked at an irritated Jungkook as he pondered what to do.

“We could just head to the café in the theater and wait until the rain lets up a little.” Jungkook turned to look Jimin in the eye, gaze just as intense as it was the first time they’d met each other.

“Okay, let’s go then. I wouldn’t want to try and run out there anyway.” Jimin nodded and they went back in, heading towards the café and ordering some hot chocolate and a slice of cake for each.

“I haven’t been here in a while, I’d almost forgotten they had a café here.” Jungkook smiled at Jimin and nodded, hands wrapped around his cup.

“Me too, I don’t often get to go out where I want to.” Jimin cocked his head in confusion and took a small sip of his drink, leaning forward a little to hear Jungkook’s low voice a little better.

“What do you mean?” Jungkook merely shrugged before sighing and looking away.

“When I invite people out, they expect me to take the somewhere expensive since I have the means to. The thing is, even during my leisure time, I prefer arcades, libraries, or small coffee shops.” Jimin nodded his head solemnly, completely understanding.

“But if they’re your friends wouldn’t they just be happy to hang out with you?” Jungkook scoffed at that and leaned forward, getting into Jimin’s space

“No, most of them are not my friends. They like to hang around me because I’m so mild. I don’t fight and I don’t complain when friends ask me to buy things for them.” Jimin’s breath caught in his throat as he watched Jungkook’s eyes survey his entire face before stopping at his mouth for a heart-stopping second.

“I-I’m sorry. It must be difficult t-to- “Jimin squeaked as Jungkook suddenly raised a finger to wipe the corner of Jimin’s lips, his hand cupping his chin gently before he suddenly backed away with a hand on his face, over his own mouth.

“Uh, sorry. You had a crumb.” Jimin held his cheeks and waved Jungkook off, his face reddened to the point of combustion.

“I-it’s fine. Anyway, you should talk to your friends about that. Try to make them see that they should be more courteous. That way you can actually feel closer to them.” Jungkook simply stared at Jimin with a peculiar smile on his face, his eyes seeming cold for a second before melting into pools of warm chocolate at the sight of Jimin’s blushing face.

“You’re such a good person, so innocent. That’s why I want to be friends with you.” Jimin nodded softly at him, not knowing whether to be offended or flattered and deciding he’d rather feel nothing.

“I won’t lie I actually… I want to be friends with you as well Senior. I’m just nervous about it because we haven’t always been on the best terms. I’m sure you realize how that could push me away from you.” Jungkook sighed and nodded, backing away again to sit against his chair and take a sip of his drink.

“Yes, I know it’s my fault you can’t trust me now. I promise to work hard to gain your trust once more.” Jimin didn’t know what to say so he opted for looking out the window and noticed that the rain had ceased. It was pretty, actually, the clear skies and the shining pavement.

“The rain has stopped.” Jungkook turned to look outside and sighed, placing his head on his hand.

“Yeah, I suppose we could finish this food quickly and then go.” Jimin turned back to face him and nodded, gripping his cup to just that. It was weird but Jungkook actually looked kind of sad that they were leaving so soon. Jimin needed to work though, he was in the mood to be productive and just forget all of his problems as he got immersed in something with more practicality.

They finished a few minutes later and got up, Jungkook picking up Jimin’s stuff to throw it away. Jimin let him and they walked off to the car to head home. Jungkook dropped Jimin off first, coming out of the car again to open his door and see him off. Jimin got out with a bright flush on his face and bowed to Jungkook, thankful for the jump start.

“I had fun today, Senior. Thank you for the movie.” Jungkook smiled sweetly and rubbed the back of his neck timidly.

“Uh, yeah. No problem. We should do it again soon.” Jimin nodded with a smile at Jungkook before shyly wringing his hands and walking away. He entered his apartment in resigned silence and dropped onto his bed with a huff, legs weak as it finally settled on Jimin that he’d just hung out with Jungkook with little to no confrontation, a feat considering all their earlier interactions.

It was nice though, Jungkook made him happy when they hung out and he felt respected more now. Maybe they could hang out again soon and Jimin could get more help with his Ye Sung problem. If Jungkook were there, Ye Sung couldn’t mess with him. He could kill two birds with one stone, get a new friend and get rid of a terror.

Of course, that would require that Jimin get over his fear of his senior and work harder to get to know him, something he didn’t think possible at this moment in time. Instead he wanted to focus on his future and whether that included Jungkook was up to his circumstances.

Jimin got out his books and decided he didn’t want to work in his apartment. He was already dressed anyway, he just needed to gather his things and catch the bus to the school’s library. He looked at his watch and noticed the time, furrowing his brows as he realized that he’d just missed the bus and would have to wait ten minutes for the next one. That was fine, it would take him five or seven to even get to the bus stop so he would take his sweet time. Jimin got out his headphones and put them in, heading out once more to the bus stop. As he walked he considered all the things going on in his life at the moment.

For one, Jungkook was beginning to become more than a senior and closer to a friend. Ye Sung was unable to stand over Jimin when Jungkook was around because of manner’s so he’d been around less and less, though he wasn’t completely gone from Jimin’s life. Secondly, he’d talked to his college advisor who’d recommended he take some English tutoring for his TOEIC exam that was coming up soon. This was the reason he was taking even more time to study than usual since now he wasn’t just preparing for regular exams but also that one. He wanted to be able to find a decent career after college since he’d been working so hard to get where he was. He didn’t want to be poor the rest of his life and if losing a few of his own years for good grades is what would get him there, then so be it.

Jimin finally made it to the bus stop and smiled slightly when he saw the bus heading towards him only a minute later. He stepped on, flashing his school I.D. and then sitting in the front so he could get out immediately. His head was in the clouds for the ride, so much so that he almost missed the stop at the library. He flushed as the bus driver smiled fondly and stepped off, tucking his head down against the biting winds and cursing himself for forgetting his scarf. He stepped into the warmth and he could almost feel his muscles melt. Here he was safe and warm, here he didn’t have to please anyone but himself or talk to anyone if he didn’t want to. Sure, it was nice to be social but sometimes he just wanted to be silent and enjoy himself. It was there, in the silence of library and the ancient creaking of books, that he felt he belonged. Jimin would never admit the effect the place had on him because then that would take the magic away.

Jimin quickly made his way through the maze of books and behind one of the old sections of bookcases, right behind liberal arts. These textbooks and references rarely got used since most of the students had more hands-on activities because it was the easier way to learn. Since not many people came here it made it easier for Jimin to study without being interrupted by someone trying to work.

Jimin got out his textbooks and settled in for a long study session, pens and highlighters out and waiting for him to get to work. He got out his laptop and turned it on while he continued to get out his textbooks. A shadow fell over his table as he had his head down looking in his backpack. Jimin looked up with a speed he didn’t know he possessed, a sliver of fear pulsing in his gut until he realized who it was. Harmless, mousy Min Soo was smiling at him, her hands wrapped tightly around her textbooks.

“Ah, hello Min Soo. How are you?” She smiled and gestured towards the seat across from Jimin. He nodded and she sat down.

“I was just about to go work and I saw you here. I was wondering if it’s okay for me to work with you.” Jimin nodded and they both got to work, Min Soo on whatever work she was assigned from class, Jimin on his marketing strategies. By the time three hours passed the both of them were deep into their work and neither of them had talked for the whole time. Jimin picked up his phone and looked at the time, noticing that it was getting pretty late and he hadn’t eaten in a while. He stretched quickly and got up, heading to the vending machine to get a juice.

“Min Soo, would you like something to drink?” She looked up in thought and then nodded, stretching as well.

“Can I have a coffee?” Jimin nodded and headed out. He made it to the vending machines and got his drinks, turning around and startling as he saw Jungkook passing by him with a textbook in his hands.  Jungkook looked up at the same time Jimin tried looking down to avoid him. Sure, they’d just shared a meal and watched a movie together but Jimin was still afraid of him. He was surprised that he passed Jungkook without being stopped and when he was a few feet away he turned around and was surprised to find Jungkook looking back at him with that special smirk that always made his heart flutter, not out of attraction but of fear. He quickly turned back around and all but ran to Min Soo, a questioning look on her face as he sat down panting with a flushed face.

Jimin didn’t say a word as he handed her the coffee can and took a long gulp of his own juice, hands trembling slightly before he simply shook it off and got back to work. Min Soo didn’t ask any questions and Jimin decided right then that she was a good friend to have around. She was like him in many ways, they could understand each other easily.

By the time Jimin got done with all of his work it was darker outside and he was almost nervous to go out on his own. It didn’t matter, manners called for him to walk Min Soo home first before going home himself. Afterwards, he found the nearest bus stop to where she lived and waited for five minutes until the bus appeared to take him home. That gave him time to note that the bus was empty except for himself, which he guessed wasn’t weird since it was still quite early and anyone who was out right now was drinking. Jimin wasn’t the type to drink often, mostly because he wasn’t very good at it. It wasn’t something to be proud of but then again, neither was being too weak to fight your own battles.

Jimin bunched his hands in his lap at the sudden chill he felt travel up his back. It was concerning being the only person on the bus, like a ghost story just waiting to happen and it wasn’t as if Jimin wasn’t paranoid enough to imagine one up. As soon as the bus left him at his stop he practically sprinted to his apartment, adrenaline levels spiking at the sight of the dark alleys that usually never worried him. Jimin was concerned with how everything seemed more sinister than usual and it wasn’t until he was back at his apartment, door locked and changed into pajamas, that Jimin was able to let his guard down. He slid to the ground, bag at one side and slumping over with him even though his laptop was in there and his hair sliding up the door. He was exhausted enough not to care what he looked like in this state and it wasn’t as if anyone would be around to visit him anytime soon. He had already told Taehyung and Hoseok that he wouldn’t be able to hang out today and Taehyung had definitely noticed that Jimin was in one of his moods. Usually, he would be pushy but since Jimin didn’t get in these moods often Taehyung would leave Jimin alone.

He almost regretted it now. Maybe he could have used the distraction now that he’d caught up on the work he’d been trying to get done for so long. It didn’t matter, he was tired and he might as well go to sleep. Jimin went into the bathroom and undressed so he could take a shower. His muscles relaxed under the warm spray of the shower, at least as much as his mind would let it. He was still tense with thoughts of Jungkook which he guessed was better than paranoia about Ye Sung. Since he hadn’t had many interactions with Ye Sung for at least a week he hadn’t really been thinking about the scary hyung.

The thing about living with paranoia about Ye Sung was that no matter what he did, he knew this fear would change him in some way. Jungkook was a welcome distraction though he would be someone that also irrevocably changed Jimin for the rest of his life. It was these things, these fears of changing because someone else interacted with him, that had kept Jimin alone most of his life. He never went out of his way to contact someone or get to know them further than seeing them once or twice a day. Jimin was a simple man, he just wanted to work hard to pass his classes and get his life together once and for all. None of this was in his grand plan for life, none of the drama, the boy troubles, the attacks on his psyche.

Why couldn’t he just go back to the little boy he’d once been? The curious and excitable young boy that loved to dance and wanted nothing more than to do that for the rest of his life? He’d always been quite studious but dancing was his passion until it got him introduced to Ye Sung and now it was one of the thing’s he detested the most.

Jimin shook himself out of his depressing thoughts as he felt the water turn cold from how long he’d been in the shower. He quickly finished washing his hair and wrapped a robe around himself, leaving the shower to go wash his face in front of the sink. After that was all done he grabbed a towel and gently dried his hair, wrapping the towel around his neck and using it to dry off his collarbone before removing the robe and changing into his pajamas. He wrapped the towel around his neck again after changing and walked to his bed, grabbing his phone from the small island separating his kitchen from the space where his bed sheets were and checking the messages. He had three messages from Taehyung asking how he was doing, one from Hoseok wishing him a good night, and one from Min Soo so Jimin could save her number.

He felt bad for that one since usually all the students of the same class and major already had each other’s numbers saved, no matter who they were so that they could communicate on assignments. The fact that Jimin didn’t have the number made him look rude and he’d been embarrassed when he realized he didn’t have her number until she confessed that she’d transferred into the Business Management program late in the year, explaining why Jimin wouldn’t have it. He felt comfortable with her now that things between them were cleared up and he decided that because of that he could easily become friends with her.

He replied to her first, wishing her goodnight before texting Hoseok goodnight and then Taehyung to let him know that he’d made it home safely. Just as Jimin was going to finish drying his hair he got another text, his phone’s vibration scaring him since he hadn’t had a chance to put it down yet. It was from Jungkook this time which made Jimin’s heartbeat in overdrive. He would probably never get used to Jungkook if he was being honest, his senior was just someone no one got used to. Jimin sighed and then looked down at his phone screen which was black from lack of use before turning it back on, staring at the message for a second before actually unlocking his phone to read it.

Jungkook, 9:40 P.M.

I know you must not feel completely comfortable around me yet since I saw you in the library but you still ran away….

Jimin rubbed the back of his neck, essentially the towel, because he did feel slightly guilty about that. He put his phone back on the island table and took the towel in his hands, lifting it to his hair to finish drying it whole he finished reading the message

Jungkook, 9:40 P.M.

If you’re still willing to let me continue to befriend you, I’d like to go out again tomorrow to the library so we can study together. What do you think?

Jimin’s breath hitched at that, hands trembling as he stopped drying his hair and instead picked up the phone with both his hands. He didn’t know what to say. On the one hand, Jungkook was one of the smartest guys in their major and it wouldn’t hurt to study with him but on the other hand, Jungkook was also one of the most intimidating men in their major and they were already done with their group project. There was no reason to meet with him again, especially so soon but Jimin really wanted to. He realized that Jungkook didn’t really have a reason to meet with him either, he was making a reason so that Jimin wouldn’t feel weird about hanging out. Jimin decided to take the bait and texted back his reply, agreeing to meet up with Jungkook the next day.

This reminded him of why Taehyung always complained about Jimin not using his vacation time to take a break and rather used that time to study and get a head start on his classes. Taehyung’s reason for complaining was that Jimin was one of the smartest kids in the grade even without studying, he didn’t need to let his life waste away just so he could be a little smarter. Not that Jimin would ever take advice from Taehyung since Tae was always willing to party rather than do work. How he managed to be in the top twenty in their entire college, Jimin would never know.

Jimin dropped into his bed comfortably, his body aching from all of his activities of the day and before he knew it, he was asleep for the night.

Meanwhile, Jungkook was in his own apartment, his brain too erratic for himself to fall asleep. He’d texted Jimin asking him to hang out and when he’d said yes, he didn’t know what to do with himself. He’d really expected Jimin to say no and was ready to be disappointed again but instead he’d managed to score a study date with the notoriously hard-assed and diligent Park Jimin. Jungkook could admit that he didn’t really pay attention to those rumors but even he could admit that Jimin was very stubborn. No matter the politeness Jungkook displayed, Jimin was not willing to play along. Jungkook knew that he couldn’t blame Jimin for that, not when Jungkook was the one that had made Jimin’s life hell. But he’d gotten to know Jimin over time and he’d realized that Jimin was actually very nice, if not terribly shy. Something about seeing someone so nice in their class full of stuck up girls and guys made his heart skip a beat. Jungkook wanted real friendships and the only one he had so far was with Yugyeom, a man that had transferred to their college and befriended Jungkook before finding out that the fourth-year student was wicked smart and fabulously wealthy.

Jungkook was grateful for that friendship but he wanted something…more. He could have that with Jimin, if only his hoobae would let him. Besides that, he was sure Jimin’s friend group didn’t mind him being added into Jimin’s small group of close friendships. He already knew that Taehyung had had a tiny crush on him when they first met and Hoseok was a close friend, especially since the two were in the same year. Jungkook had been meticulous in assuring that he and Jimin would have a connection, a reason to become friendly with each other. He’d even made sure their professor put them in the same group. Everything was by design.

Jimin didn’t have to know that Jungkook had a hand in every one of their interactions at school. The only variable he didn’t think he’d have to account for was Ye Sung, but he was a small obstacle in Jungkook’s grand plan. He had already known Jimin would be stubborn, unwilling to be friends and even frightened of him but that was a variable he’d actually considered. He liked having to fight for what he wanted and right now, Jimin was plaguing his thoughts. When he went to sleep all Jungkook could see was Jimin’s timid form. His pretty eyes, his plump smile, his fluffy orange hair, those god forsaken sweater paws that he only saw once a month. Even his dressing style was engraved in Jungkook’s thoughts. The tight jackets, the boots, simple but tight jeans, sweaters, long t-shirts, all of the clothing he wore, the hats and all. It was all uniquely Jimin, even down to his flowery fragrance.

It was driving Jungkook insane to think about all of this, all the things that came together to present him with Jimin. Jungkook stood up, taking his shirt off and stretching, his muscles clenching as his back popped. He wouldn’t be able to get any sleep like this so he decided to check his email really quick, making sure he didn’t miss any important information about the company he would be taking over in the future from his father. Jungkook was a young man with the world placed on his shoulders but he intended to be strong enough to handle it. And if all went well, he’d even have a pretty man by his side, helping to bare this responsibility.

Jungkook smirked at the thought, looking down at his phone for a second before opening his messages again.

Jiminie, 9:42 P.M.

Sure senior, I’ll meet you in the library at noon. Have a nice night.

The message had been sent ten minutes ago but reading it still sent a renewed shiver down Jungkook’s spine. Jungkook placed his phone down finally and read his messages before heading to bed, laying on his back and staring at the darkened ceiling. He wondered if Jimin slept this way to, on his back. Or maybe he curled up on his side, like a kitten? He felt that was more, Jimin, sleeping on his side, curled up to keep in the cold. It was a thought that sent a tendril of heat to his chest, right to his heart. Maybe one day he’d be right there, in bed beside Jimin and he’d get to see it for himself. For now, he’d make do with the promise of tomorrow and the warmth in his chest.

Chapter Text

Maybe he should have never done this. Maybe he should have deleted that contact, maybe he should have thrown his phone into the nearest river, anything to not be staring right into Jungkook’s pretty brown eyes and handsome face. He had come to pick Jimin up early in the morning, prompting Jimin to quickly put on jeans and an oversized long-sleeve shirt. He’d shoved on a tan oversized jacket as well and then shoved his feet into boots. He ran out with his backpack full of both textbooks and his laptop and charger. Jungkook was already outside of his car leaning against it with his long legs clothed in black skinnies and a sweater stretching across his broad shoulders. He looked appetizing to say the least but Jimin tried to pretend he hadn’t noticed and got in the car.

They drove mostly in silence, the occasional question coming from Jungkook that Jimin would answer as quickly as possible. Once in the library they chose a secluded space and got to work. Jimin had done most of his work the day before with Hyo Rin but when he’d said yes, for some reason he’d ignored that and just went for it. He wanted to spend time with Jungkook if he was being honest. Two hours of silence and studying passed when Jimin got distracted and looked up. Jungkook was concentrating, his brows furrowed and giving him a more severe look. Jimin hadn’t noticed how big Jungkook’s eyes were, pretty doe eyes framed with brown. They were perhaps one of the most innocent looking structures of Jungkook’s and probably one of the most disarming characteristics about him.

Jimin had been so busy with his staring that he didn’t notice when Jungkook locked eyes with him, only leaving his day dream as Jungkook smiled sweetly at him. Jimin flushed and immediately looked away, shame in the meek drop of his head.

“Uh, sorry, I was daydreaming a little.” Jungkook waved him off and leaned his head on his hand, staring at Jimin with a small smile on his face.

“Nah, that’s okay. But maybe you’re distracted because you’re hungry. Why don’t we have lunch and then come back later?” Jimin fiddled with his fingers under the table, tucking a stray hair behind his ear but nodding anyway, knowing well that he hadn’t had a chance to eat this morning and he was afraid his stomach would start growling soon.

“Let’s go.” They both got up in relative silence to pack up their things and headed to Jungkook’s car, Jimin immediately opening his own door to avoid that awkwardness of the first time Jungkook opened the door for him.

“Where do you want to go?” Jimin frowned as Jungkook turned to him, neither of them having thought this far ahead. Jimin pulled out his phone and opened an app to look for restaurants, scrolling through and pointing out places to Jungkook.

“Why don’t we go to this noodle place? It should be empty right now since the lunch rush isn’t for another hour.” Jimin nodded to Jungkook’s suggestion and they finally headed there in silence, neither of them uncomfortable with this. Jimin spent the ride thinking about Jungkook and how suddenly they were like friends. Not like Jimin would talk to Jungkook how he talked to Taehyung, but he felt like he could just text Jungkook out of the blue to ask him to hang out and it wouldn’t be weird. Not that he would since it still felt weird, at least to him.

They arrived in that same relative silence as in the car and went into the restaurant, Jungkook opening the door for Jimin and following in after. The old lady running the little noodle shack smiled kindly at them, standing to greet them as they greeted her.

“Ah, why aren’t you two such handsome boys! Are you here to eat?” Jimin smiled at her, letting Jungkook answer for both.

“Yes, can we have a table for two?” The old lady led them to a small booth somewhere in the back of the restaurant and smiled as she asked if they wanted to eat anything in particular.

“Ah yes, can we both just get ramen?” The lady smiled and went off to cook them their meals, letting the two have some privacy.

“So, how have your classes been going Jimin?” Jimin shrugged at that and twiddled his thumbs underneath the table, uncomfortable when they didn’t have anything specifically to discuss.

“I don’t know. Fine, I guess. Except for my Statistical Inference in Management class. The teacher is kind of difficult to follow along with, so I’ve had to do some outside of class work to relearn what is taught.” Jungkook laughed a little at that, smiling shyly at Jimin.

“Yeah, I remember that teacher. Mr. Han, correct?” Jimin nodded and couldn’t help but smile too.

“He hasn’t changed, I guess. Do you want some help?” Jimin flushed and tried to figure out what to say but he was speechless.

“Oh, that’s not why I- “Jungkook waved him off, pulling out his phone to check a message quickly before frowning and putting his phone away.

“It’s no problem Jimin. I want to help so I’m offering. Let me help you.” Jimin stared into Jungkook’s earnest eyes and waited a beat before finally making himself nod.

“I’d really appreciate your help then.” Jungkook chuckled and before they could continue, the old woman had come back with their food. Jimin hadn’t noticed how close they were until she’d arrived, and they had to lean back to make space.

“Here are your meals and I brought you both some coke. Let me know if you’d like anything else.” They both thanked the woman and got down to eating, Jimin more comfortable now and willing to initiate the conversation himself.

“So how have your classes been Senior? They must be harder since you’re going to graduate soon.” Jungkook nodded his head and finished the bite he was on, smiling as Jimin’s cheeks puffed up with all the food in his mouth.

“Yeah, but they aren’t difficult to handle. I’ve been studying some extra lessons so that I could pass these classes without difficulty.” Jimin nodded and stuffed his mouth again, wanting to encourage Jungkook to talk a little more. His senior was notoriously closed off and Jimin wanted to get to know him more.

“But my life is mostly boring, I really just want to hear what you’re up to Jimin-ah. Can I do that? Call you Jimin-ah?” Jimin flushed to the roots of his hair but nodded, trying to let Jungkook in a little. He wasn’t lying when he said he wanted him as a friend and if Jungkook would let him, then he wanted to be close.

“Yeah, that’s fine. But I don’t really do anything. I’ve mostly been hanging out with a close hyung. His name is Seokjin and he usually spends his time managing a convenience store nearby our campus.” Jimin kept going at the nod of encouragement that Jungkook gave him, smiling in that simple way of his.

“I’ve also been spending time with Hoseok hyung and Taehyung. They’re my two closest friends and I spend a lot of time with them.” Jimin started smiling at the mere thought of his best friends in the whole world, wanting to convey just how much he cared for these two men in his life.

“Taehyung gets me into a lot of trouble but he’s very fun. And hyung gets me through social interactions. I’m sure you’ve noticed that I’m not the most talkative of guys but he’s always there to build my confidence.” Jungkook laughed at that, swallowing his bite of food and washing it down with Coke before talking.

“Yeah, I noticed that Jimin-ah. It’s okay though, it’s worth waiting to get to know you.” Jimin’s heart fluttered at the declaration and in true Jimin-like fashion he immediately changed the subject.

“So, do you have any pets Senior?” Jimin wanted to bury himself alive and forget what Jungkook said so casually, as if he didn’t know that statements like that could make Jimin’s heart race. Jungkook didn’t seem bothered, only smiling slyly like he knew exactly what was going through Jimin’s head.

“I do actually, a small dog but he lives with my parents.” Jimin nodded, glad he landed on a safe topic.

“What about you, Jimin-ah?” Jimin just shrugged, taking a sip of his Coke and smiling at Jungkook shyly.

“I never had pets growing up and now that I’m in college, I’d probably never have time to take care of one. And my apartment complex doesn’t allow us to have pets in there.” Jungkook nodded at that and took a sip of his drink too, both running out of things to talk about again. This was so awkward for him.

“I-“

“Um-“ Jimin flushed as Jungkook and he tried to speak at the same time, gesturing for his senior to go ahead and talk.

“Sorry, I was going to say that I really like spending time with you, Jimin-ah. I want to be able to freely invite you places in the future. Can we be friends?” Jimin hesitated. This was the same man he’d already told he needed space from who ignored him anyway. The same man that had been the start of his problems in the first place. Could he just let that go?

“We can try, I think.” Jimin waited a second, looking for Jungkook’s reaction which was slow. He took a deep breath and finally, Jungkook’s face spread into a slow smile.

“That’s great, okay. You can drop honorifics, if you’d like.” Jimin nodded but he knew he’d do no such thing. His senior still made him nervous enough that he didn’t think they could become close just like that.

“Let’s go, I’ll drop you off at home if you’d like.” Jimin got up and slipped on his coat again, smiling at Jungkook as he did the same.

“Actually, would you mind dropping me off at the convenience store near the school that I was talking about?” Jungkook nodded and they headed that way, Jimin getting out and waving at Jungkook as he left. He entered the store and looked up front to see Kang Joon again. He waved briefly before moving to the back to grab some snacks and drinks for his minifridge. Seokjin had Jimin stocked with essential foods in his minifridge, for which he was grateful, but sometimes he wanted to have food that he didn’t have to reheat in the microwave. He grabbed some ramen noodles, rice, prepackaged kimchi, seaweed wraps, an assortment of salad greens, and some more instant oatmeal as well as milk. This would have to do for now since his next check wouldn’t come in for another week.

Jimin went up to the register to get checked out and left the store quickly, smiling at Kang Joon and leaving finally. He headed to the bus stop and waited for some minutes until the bus finally came to pick him up. It was still early in the day, so the bus wasn’t empty, and it gave Jimin some time to think, his headphones firmly in his ears so he wouldn’t be distracted by the sounds of people living around him. Jungkook was willing to work hard to be his friend and he was someone that Jimin wanted to get to know better. But Jimin couldn’t force himself to get more comfortable with him, he needed the time to get used to the idea of him. Not that Jungkook was giving him a chance.

Jimin sighed as the bus came to his stop and he left the bus, walking to his apartment slowly in silent contemplation. He entered his small apartment, taking his shoes off near the door and setting his keys down on top of his desk. He didn’t really have much to do. He’d already studied his butt off for the day and he’d done any homework that was due this week. He supposed he could go ahead and get started since he had the syllabus for each class, but he didn’t really feel like it. If he was honest he just wanted to lay down on his bed and do nothing, just for once not do anything and not worry about the consequences. Instead he rolled his eyes and took off his hat and jacket. He hung those up with his clothes and got his laundry basket to go do his laundry in the communal washers. He left them to wash, leaving his basket on top of one of the washing machines he was using.

Jimin finished that and showered, changing into sweats and a T-shirt so that he could just lounge around in his room. He thought about reorganizing his kitchen since he’d just bought himself some food but there was nothing to organize anyway. That was the advantage of a tiny apartment like his, he didn’t really need to worry. Jimin was about to just go to sleep or something when a knock sounded on his door. He wondered who it could be and went to open the door, seeing his neighbor standing there with a smile on her face. He bowed in greeting though he was quite confused on why she was there.

“Hello Jimin-ssi.” Jimin greeted her as well, waiting for her to say something. She finally seemed to realize what he was waiting for and chuckled, shaking her head.

“Sorry, I completely spaced out sweetheart. I wanted to see if you’d be willing to help me make some kimchi. I usually let my niece help me, but she couldn’t come visit me and I don’t need that much kimchi anyway, so you can have some. What do you think?” Jimin couldn’t help the smile on his face. He nodded at her and quickly pocketed his keys, locking his door and then following her to her own apartment. She already had cabbage and all the spices in her apartment. Jimin was almost excited to be doing this since he had never really had the chance to do this with his mother, both of them being estranged and all.

“So, Jimin I’ve noticed that you’ve been going out more.” Jimin nodded, his cheeks blushing at the thought of Jungkook.

“Yes, I have been going out with a Senior of mine and studying with him.” She noticed the ashamed look on his face and quickly shook her head, smiling gently.

“No, don’t be shy. I was just wondering. You look much happier these days.” Jimin was surprised to hear that. These days were some of his worst because of Ye Sung and he had thought that it wouldn’t be changing now that Jungkook was bothering him too but he was honestly such a help. Without the burden of Ye Sung always on his mind, Jimin had been able to relax some.

“I have? Hmm, well I guess I have been less stressed these days. My Senior helps me do some of my class work for classes he’s already taken and I have loyal friends so life hasn’t been that hard.” Jimin smiled at his neighbor and finally they were done making the kimchi, Jimin taking some of the freshly made one and helping his neighbor bury the rest in the ground so it could ferment for a few months.

“This will be delicious, thank you ma’am.” His neighbor smiled as Jimin left, closing the door behind him after he’d spent the better part of an hour helping her clean up the mess they’d made.

He left for his room to put the kimchi up in his tiny fridge and then headed towards the communal washers so he could get his clothes. He hung those up on the balcony outside his window and then settled down on his bed, taking out a book he’d been reading and finally resting. It was a few hours later that Jimin finally decided to get to sleep and rested for the first time in a long time.

Jimin awoke the next morning with a start, his phone alarm going off though it was Sunday and as such he had no classes. He groaned at that and quickly turning it off, trying fruitlessly to go back to sleep. He waited a few minutes before getting out of bed, long enough for him to get tired of his own morning breath and his stomach to growl. He yawned as he slowly raised himself up on his elbows and then rolled off of his mattress and the few inches it took for him to be on hardwood floor again. Jimin lay spread eagle on the floor for another few minutes before finally making himself stand up and head towards his bathroom. Once inside he finally washed his face and coaxed his unruly wavy hair to lay flat against his head.

Jimin was exhausted from all these emotions he’d been forced to confront lately, most of them not pleasant, and as always, he wished he could just rest for a day and forget it all. But he wasn’t that type of person and therefore all he could do was frown and bare through it. Jimin opened the window that led through to the balcony and silently collected his clothing, coming back into his room with all of the dry cloth in a basket and settling in the kitchen between his small living space and the tiny island separating the two areas. He set the basket down on the small table surface and turned to his speaker, setting up some soft music to work to. Jimin used to enjoy music more but he’d stopped listening to it as often because he found he often lost focus when listening to some of his favorite music. Now he only listened whenever he didn’t have anything academic to do.

It was a way to pass the time, at least, until he finished folding his clothing in which case he had nothing to do after he was done. Jimin wanted to do something else but he couldn’t think of anything. If he wasn’t studying, he was hanging out with his friends. If he wasn’t hanging out with his friends, he was studying. Regardless, there was nothing else to do because he never left much room for anything. Jimin looked around his kitchen and was startled by his stomach growling, deciding that perhaps he should prepare some food for himself before he forgot again and starved for the day. He’d done that once and the day had seemed so long because of it.

Jimin pulled out some rice and washed it quickly, pouring it and water into his rice cooker. He then got out that kimchi he made with his neighbor and prepared it in a small bowl. He also made some ramen and brought out a few side dishes. He sometimes missed those side dishes his mother used to make for him but he’d take hunger over having to uphold a relationship with that woman any day.

Jimin settled down to finish making the ramen as he waited for the rice. He got a bowl of rice out too and set it down next to the rice cooker so it would be ready for use. He brought some side dishes and kimchi to his small study table so he could eat there and his spoon and chopsticks. He sat down and looked through his phone quickly, trying to see if anyone was up to something. As he was scrolling through his feed he got a call, Jungkook’s face startling him as it appeared on screen.

Jimin’s face immediately reddened at the sight of his handsome senior and he almost threw his phone across the room. He managed to rein himself in at the last second and gripped his phone a little tighter, contemplating just letting the phone ring until his senior gave up but for some reason he found himself answering and bringing the phone to his ear.

“U-uh, hello?” Jimin waited with bated breath for Jungkook to say something, which for some reason took a long time, and tried not to wince at how loud his exhale was when Jungkook finally said something.

“Hello, Jimin-ah. How are you?” Jimin gulped slightly and rubbed the back of his neck, looking straight ahead at all the post-it’s he’d left on his cork board. They were all reminders of work he had and whatever essay’s he had to write.

“I’m good Senior, how about you?” Jungkook answered quickly and then waited another beat before finally getting to the reason he’d called.

“Actually, I wanted to see if you’d be willing to get together tomorrow after class? I have some free time and I know we have that assignment for microeconomics due soon.” Jimin perked up as he heard his rice cooker finish, getting up so he could serve himself.

“Oh yeah, that would be nice. We can get a head start on some of our assignments and that way we both have time later on. When would you like to meet? After that class or when we’re done with lectures?” Jungkook made a sound in the back of his throat on the other end of the phone while Jimin served himself rice and settled back down at his desk. He quickly spooned some rice into his mouth and some sides.

“Hmm, how about when we’re done with lectures? That way we’re not in a rush. What time do you get out of lectures?” Jimin frowned as he opened his planner and looked at the schedule he’d written there.

“Four in the afternoon. Is that okay?” Jungkook made a sound of agreement before they were saying their goodbyes and hanging up. Jimin stared at Jungkook’s contact for a minute after the call and rolled his eyes, annoyed at himself. He set his phone down harshly next to his food and rubbed the back of his neck, tired suddenly.

“God, why is he like this? Why can’t I say no?” Jimin shook his head and angrily stuffed his mouth, chewing his food as he fell deep in thought.

“Senior is too much sometimes, maybe he does that on purpose because he knows it will look rude if I deny him?” Jimin just shook his head again, eating another spoonful of rice.

“Ah forget it, I don’t know.”

The next day, Jimin felt a lot more prepared. He hadn’t done anything yesterday but read a book he’d been trying to get through for the better part of the year. Now he was done with it and his mind was well-rested. He felt better than the morning before and he was looking forward to classes so he could see Taehyung and Hoseok hyung.

Jimin dressed quickly in long khaki shorts with a simple white T-shirt and sneakers and then topped it off with a cap, heading out the door with his satchel and his laptop in it as always. He even remembered to fasten his watch on his wrist on his way out the door, heading towards the bus stop and not forgetting to greet his neighbor as he left. She was sweeping the front of her door and smiled at him, wishing him a good day at school. Jimin wished her a good day and entered the bus once it arrived along with a few other students that lived in his area. He pulled his headphones out of his bag and tucked them into his ears, playing some of his favorite songs as he stared out the window at the scenery that was passing by. If he were being honest, he really thought his campus was beautiful. The quad, the area between where the different major buildings were, was a grassy area with tall trees spread out through it. Not only that but the area was always clean thanks to the amount of custodians employed at the school. Jimin couldn’t help but feel grateful for the school he’d been accepted into those years ago, a fresh-faced high school student with ambitions for bigger than himself.

Now here he was two years later and almost too scared to go to school because of some jerk he hadn’t seen since he left that hellhole of a high school.

Jimin’s mood soured quickly after that thought crossed his head and he wanted nothing more than to think of anything else other than that. Too bad he’d ruined the ride with those thoughts because they arrived on campus about two minutes later, not enough time for Jimin to change his thought process to something much nicer. He left the bus with a sigh escaping his lips and turned to look towards the business management building, smiling as he noticed Taehyung and Hoseok sitting together talking about something on one of the benches in front of the building. Jimin headed towards them, passing by one of the various cafes on campus that stood next to the liberal arts building.

Before he could make it even three feet, an arm snaked out of the alley between the two buildings and pulled Jimin in. Before he could scream a hand came up and covered his mouth harshly, dragging him deeper into the dark alley. One of Jimin’s hands came up to tug on the hand over his mouth and the other one was clenched against his bag, scared that whoever was attacking him wanted his laptop or something. Jimin was finally released only to be pushed against one of the walls and pinned there, the brick behind him biting harshly into his skin.

“Who the fuck do you think you are, Park Jimin?” Jimin would recognize that voice anywhere and he winced as he realized that the man towering over him, the man gripping Jimin’s wrists so hard they ached was none other than Ye Sung.

“W-what?” Ye Sung sneered at him and slammed him again, knocking the breath out of Jimin.

“Don’t act stupid. Who do you think you are to ignore my texts?” Jimin felt dazed for another moment before he focused again and glared at Ye Sung.

“Leave me alone. If you don’t, I’ll report you.” Ye Sung chuckled darkly and let go, crossing his arms as he watched Jimin curl in on himself out of fear.

“Yeah? With what proof?” Jimin hadn’t thought of that. His word against Ye Sung wouldn’t do much and he hadn’t exactly been thinking about how to get rid of Ye Sung since he’d been… distracted lately.

“Exactly. Next time, don’t act high and mighty. You’ve been warned Park.” Jimin shivered as Ye Sung left before finally collapsing on the ground, crying softly at the fact that he felt like he’d never be rid of him. Why did Ye Sung hate him so much?

“Oh God, Jimin?” Jimin looked up, expecting and hoping, to find Tae but instead Jungkook stared at him with wide eyes. Jimin’s own eyes widened and he quickly turned away to wipe away his tears in fear of what Jungkook would say at the sight of him crying. Jimin gasped as he was suddenly pulled back up on his feet and held up so he could raise his head and look at Jungkook.

“What’s wrong? Are you okay? Why are you crying?” Jimin’s bottom lip wobbled as he teared up more, so unused to this senior of his that wanted him to be happy and not cry. Jimin shook his head and wiped his cheeks, sniffling a bit and wrapped his arms around himself.

“I’m fine, I think. I’m sorry you saw that senior, it won’t happen again.” Jungkook frowned and it looked like he wanted to say something but he just nodded his head and wiped off Jimin’s cheeks with his thumbs.

“Okay, then let’s get some coffee and head to class, okay?” Jimin nodded and the two headed to the café they were right beside. Jungkook held open the door and let Jimin in before following behind and heading towards the registers. Jimin tried to ignore the whispers about how handsome Jungkook was around them but it was difficult when added whispers on why Jimin was with him joined the mix.

“Hello, how can I help you today?” Jimin looked at the menu and ignored Jungkook as he ordered himself an Americano before prompting Jimin to order something for himself.

“Ah yes, can I get a caramel macchiato?” The cashier smiled pleasantly and nodded, taking Jungkook’s card as he paid.

“Alright, those will be up soon.” Jimin nodded and allowed Jungkook to lead him to the pick-up area of the counter, keeping his head down since he knew he must look pitiful with his tear-soaked face. Jungkook said nothing else about the crying man and instead just gave him a tissue without a comment. Jimin flushed bright red at the gesture and bowed his head a little in gratitude, using the tissue to wipe his eyes and then blow his nose.

“Thank you senior, I didn’t mean to be a burden on you.” Jimin threw the tissue away and looked up as Jungkook suddenly set a hand gently down on Jimin’s shoulder, a soft smile on his face though his eyes still looked concerned.

“You are not a burden on me. You are my junior and I want to take care of you.” Jimin stared with wide eyes into Jungkook’s and only stopped when their names for their orders were called. Jimin practically sprinted to the coffee and the two left the shop together with a thank you thrown behind them for the cashier. Jimin kept his arms tucked around his coffee cup and sipped it slowly, walking beside Jungkook in complete silence. It must have looked weird, these two men walking side by side on purpose but not speaking to each other.  It would have especially looked weird to any of their classmates who had until just recently though the two were on bad terms again. Jimin felt weird about this whole hot and cold dynamic they had going on where they were friends at one moment, acquaintances the other.

“Senior, I…” Jimin bit his lip as the two men stopped on the way to the business management building, wondering how to best state what was on his mind.

“I wanted to apologize for being so aloof when you’ve been helping me this whole time. I know I often try to stay away from you and I did that a lot last year too.” Jimin fiddled nervously with his fingers and tried to clear his throat but Jungkook, the ever-helpful senior, spoke up first.

“Hey, you don’t have to apologize to me. I should have been more mindful of your discomfort towards me and acted accordingly.” Jungkook had the nerve to duck his head in embarrassment and rubbed the back of his neck as he raised his head to look at Jimin again.

“I’m grateful that even though I’ve pushed you to become friends for so long, you’ve let me enter your life. I want to be someone you can rely on.” Jimin’s traitorous heart fluttered at the words and he was trying to remember how to breathe, much less answer him but, luckily, he was saved by his friend.

“Ah, Jiminie!” Taehyung, who had not noticed their senior yet, launched into Jimin’s back and hugged him tightly, laughing as Jimin grunted in pain.

“I’ve been looking for you-“Jimin could pinpoint the exact moment Taehyung noticed Jungkook because he immediately let go and greeted his senior. Jimin could tell that Taehyung was in awe that Jungkook was right there, since their senior was a man that rarely went anywhere without an entourage. Not that Jimin could say anything, Jungkook’s style was one that suited him such as the blazer, the T-shirt and those skinny jeans that he was wearing now.

“Ah, senior. I’m sorry, I didn’t see you there.” Jungkook waved Taehyung off good naturedly and turned his eyes back to Jimin with a soft smile on his face.

“I was just leaving. See you later Jimin, Taehyung.” With that their senior left with two young men staring after him in what one could only call hero worship.

“Woah, since when do you two actually hang out? You said you wouldn’t give him a chance until you somehow got rid of Ye Sung?” Jimin shrugged uncomfortably, taking a sip of his coffee while he tried to figure out how to talk to Taehyung about Jungkook.

“Um well, he has been helping me get some work done for classes and I-“ Jimin shivered at the thought of Ye Sung and came closer to Taehyung so he could tell him what happened.

After he was done telling him about how Ye Sung had attacked him, Taehyung held him close in fear.

“We can’t leave you alone, not ever again. Next time I’ll go pick you up at your apartment instead, wait for me.” Jimin nodded.

“Anyway, Senior saw me on the ground after Ye Sung attacked and bought me coffee to help me calm down. I’m grateful to him these days because he keeps trying to help me.” Taehyung nodded and let go of Jimin so they could walk side by side to their first class. Jimin didn’t share this class with Jungkook which to him was good because it gave him time to get himself together after he made a fool of himself this morning by crying in front of him. Jimin wanted to hit himself for being so vulnerable in front of Jungkook again. He was doing that too often and because of it he was becoming too dependent of his senior. He needed to work on that, sooner rather than later. Right now though, smiling at Taehyung’s antics and relatively safe from Ye Sung, right now it was perfect.

Chapter Text

Jimin teared up as he watched the screen, his hands pulling his legs closer as he tried his best not to scream. The meant that he was whimpering into his knees and trying not to tear up even more. Another jump scare in the movie he was watching finally caused him to jump again, reminding him that he was under a mound of blankets on his tiny mattress. His laptop was sitting in front of him with the scary movie on it, something Jimin had decided to watch because he had some valuable free time that he didn’t know what to do with. Most of his friends already had plans when he called them and he didn’t want to call Jungkook and hang out with him. Things were still weird between them since Jimin couldn’t really handle the sort of responsibility and bravery it took to hang out with the notoriously hard to reach senior.

Since their talk Jimin and Jungkook had hung out once more in a café to study together but it had been three days since then and neither of them tried to meet up. It was fair though since finals season was upon their department and nobody was really hanging out with their friends unless they were studying together. Jimin had thought of inviting Jungkook to study with him so they could get their work done together but every time he tried something came up. He gave up on that.

Normally Jimin would be studying like mad right now but if he studied too much without a break he wouldn’t retain information as well. It made him a little anxious but ultimately it would end up helping himself to chill for a day at least. So here Jimin was, sitting down watching this crappy horror movie. He wasn’t used to having fun too often so perhaps that’s why he couldn’t think of anything better to do.

Jimin had already cleaned his entire apartment, again not something that was very hard to do considering how small his apartment was and how very little he was ever there. Since Winter was starting to really settle in it was starting to get even colder outside, meaning Jimin had no reason to really go outside unless he wanted to be bundled up in enough jackets to look like a marshmallow, which he didn’t. He had actually been making a list of electronics he wanted to save up to buy and so far all he had on there was an electric tea kettle so he could warm some water for coffee. He wasn’t willing to go out to cafes and buy food or coffee all the time because that drained his wallet so the smarter option was going ahead and having instant coffee in his apartment to enjoy.

Of course, the stale taste of the over processed beans wasn’t very appealing but it got the job done in giving him the energy for what he needed to do. Usually it was the countless essays or the copious amounts of studying he had to do to keep his grades up. Sometimes he had coffee just to stay up and avoid the nightmares he was prone to having on his off days.

“Geez, I really am bored.” Jimin paused the movie and unfurled from the blanket to lay his head on his raised knees. He couldn’t help but think about things he was trying to suppress whenever he had nothing to do. For example, Jungkook was on his mind like he usually was these days. It was something about his senior’s willingness to drop everything to take him out or how it seemed like he was never busy because he was always trying to invite Jimin out. He appeared everywhere Jimin was, he was always in his classes, Jungkook was even showing up at Jimin’s work. It was starting to become worrisome because it felt like Jimin was gaining a stalker. To be fair, this had only started during Finals week and all Jungkook was doing was bringing Jimin food to tide him over. He wondered if after Finals week Jungkook would go back to appearing when it was truly inopportune for Jimin.

Jimin’s phone ringing ended up startling him back to alertness and he lurched off the bed to answer the phone. His phone was on his small study table so he actually fell off the bed reaching for it but he just settled on there and answered the phone. He didn’t even look at the caller I.D. which he normally did because he wanted to have an opportunity for spontaneity. Perhaps he needed to get a hobby.

“Hello?” Jimin waited for the caller to answer but all he heard was breathing. Jimin quirked a brow in confusion and pulled his head away from the phone so he could look at the name on his phone.

“Unknown?” Jimin placed his ear back on the phone in annoyance and tried again.

“Listen, if you don’t answer I’ll hang up.” Jimin waited another moment before finally rolling his eyes and hanging up. He hated when people prank called, especially since he’d become much jumpier after getting Ye Sung back in school with him. He hoped he wouldn’t regret this any time soon.

Jimin left his phone on his small table and got up from the ground, pulling pants out of his small drawers and a long sleeve shirt that reached his mid-thigh on as well, the black shirt contrasting nicely with the light blue jeans he wore. He also put on ankle length white socks and shrugged into a dark brown trench coat he had saved for this cold weather. Jimin put on his favorite faux leather boots and packed his laptop, headphones, chargers, and phones. He’d wanted to have this day off from studying for himself but really all it was doing was making it harder for him to enjoy himself. It wasn’t necessarily the stress getting to him but rather he was having trouble focusing on anything other than the problems in his life and that wasn’t what his rest days were for. So, with a new resolve, Jimin headed to the bus stop.

The closest bus stop to his tiny apartment was five minutes away, past the old apartment complexes that lined the narrow streets. All the apartment complexes were pretty much the same old brick color, some having clothing lines hanging across windows to buildings opposite of them. Each apartment complex was a few feet away from the narrow street, separated by brick walls with a single green door. That was the main entrance to each separate apartment complex, that way no one could just walk into anyone else’s apartment if they didn’t live in the same building. At first it had been hard to distinguish the buildings from each other but Jimin had gotten accustomed to it and could find his way to his complex blindfolded.

Once at the stop, staring down at the stone floors, Jimin placed his headphones in his ears and waited. The bus came, a small green and white bullet in the quiet Winter day, and he got on quickly and gratefully embraced the warmth of the bus. He greeted the older man driving the vehicle, quickly running his bus pass through the card reader and finding a seat in the front. Usually he wouldn’t have to worry about missing his stop because it was always to the University which meant he wouldn’t be the only person getting off. In those cases, even if his mind wandered, he would see the students getting off and would therefore make it off. Today though, Jimin was heading to the department store twenty minutes away from the Uni because he wanted to buy some new socks. The department store wasn’t very big and was a light brown from the outside. No one would know it was there honestly but it was popular amongst students because of the cheap clothes, electronics, and delicates. If you were a broke student, Heechul’s Mart was the place to go.

Jimin saw the building approaching and quickly tugged on the little bell above his seat that indicated this was his stop, waiting for the bus to pull to a stop and heading out, greeting the bus driver once more and paying no mind to the other two people riding the bus. Jimin took out his headphones and headed inside the store, careful to move quickly since the sidewalks were jam packed with people trying to move to other places. Seoul was always very busy and bustling, never a dull moment in the city. Jimin found the clear windows and the equally clear door at the front of the store, the name of the mart emblazoned in a bold red on the front door and entered, smiling as he heard the quiet tinkling of the silver bell above the door. Jimin noted the small space where the only cash register was and waved at the store owner, Heechul. The man was thin and lithe with long brown hair that reached only to his shoulders. He always had a smile on his face and nodded back to Jimin, his thin frame shivering as the door closed behind Jimin and blew a cold gust of wind at the man.

“Hello Jimin-ssi. Haven’t seen you in a while, college got you down?” Jimin grinned at the man who smiled with understanding. Heechul never asked if college had him busy, he knew that business major rarely had a free moment. He did know that the loads of work could be stressful for students and as such made sure to inquire about mental health rather than how school was going.

“No sir, I think I’ve been keeping tabs on myself quite well. How’s the store been in the time I couldn’t visit?” Heechul waited for Jimin to come closer to the counter between them before answering. He tidied a tray of candies he had on the counter while he talked, keeping his eyes on the candy and handing one to Jimin.

“Well, I’ve gotten some new customers coming in lately. They’re rowdy so I guess life hasn’t really been dull around here.” Jimin laughed lightly at that. He knew how it could be with being surrounded by wild people but it was never dull, that was clear.

“I actually came here for some socks and maybe for an electric tea kettle? I haven’t gotten around to buying one since I left my mother’s house.” Heechul nodded in the direction of the back of the small store, past the produce section on the right side closest to the register.

“Back there we got new ones I just ordered. Go ahead and get yourself one. Socks should be on the way there.” Jimin nodded and headed in that direction, looking through the white metal shelves before grabbing a ten pack of white socks. He then went to the electric tea kettles and chose the cheapest one. He finally checked out and said goodbye to Heechul, heading back to the buses so he could go home.

The ride home was the same as it was there, boring and quiet. He was the only one sitting there and so he held a small conversation with the bus driver until about ten minutes in they stopped to pick up some passengers. After that Jimin just spent most of his time to himself, listening on and off to his tracks. He was mostly distracted by his own thoughts, most of them jumbled and unfortunately focused on someone he’d rather not be thinking of.

It was true, these days he mostly couldn’t help but think of Jungkook, of his handsome features and his gentlemanly manners. He was too perfect and he was interested in something with Jimin, he just didn’t know what yet.

Jimin wanted nothing more than to know, anything. He wanted to not be so scared all the time and actually get some peace for once.

“This your stop, young man?” Jimin flinched and looked over to see the bus driver raising a brow at him. Jimin smiled gratefully at him and nodded, scurrying off the bus so he wouldn’t waste more time. He took the long route back to his apartment, still slightly lost in his thoughts before he finally made it to the building. He walked in, struggling with the door as usual, and dropped his keys and his wallet on the small table that also doubled as his desk. He set the tea kettle on his kitchen counter and walked back to his bed, his socks gliding across the floor as silently as a cat.

Jimin settled on the bed with nothing more to do than stare at the ceiling. The thing about that is that he couldn’t help but to let his mind drift to Jungkook. It was always him now, always a fluttering fear of the future that set Jimin on edge. Not that his future with Jungkook was set. Hell, he wasn’t even sure there was a future for them as a package.

Nevertheless, Jimin couldn’t help but think about it sometimes. He knew that Jungkook was steadfast in all of his pursuits but he didn’t know how far that stubbornness ran. Would Jungkook still be chasing Jimin in a year? Two years? For life? Neither of them knew and it was that vast cavern of what if’s between them that made Jimin nervous.

Not only that but just a few months ago Jimin had claimed that he wanted to avoid Jungkook as much as possible. He obviously wasn’t doing very well and now it was becoming harder for him to go back to that. Since being given the chance to see Jungkook be sweet and caring he’d wanted nothing more than be able to call Jungkook up and hang out and tell him about his day. His senior made it easy to want to do all the things Jimin did with Taehyung but the problem there was that those were the things Jimin did with Taehyung. Taehyung who he’d been friends with since freshman year and who he wouldn’t give up for the world. Taehyung, someone for whom which he had no romantic feelings for. And with Jungkook, things were a little different. Jimin felt shy admitting it every single time but his senior was handsome and dateable, something which had made Jimin nervous from the very beginning. Taehyung had ceased to be dateable when Jimin had literally watched Taehyung fall in love at first sight with Seokjin.

Jimin sighed at the direction his thoughts had taken, their theme having become familiar to him in the last few months. He hadn’t considered Jungkook as a romantic partner when he first met him, mostly because Jimin himself wasn’t sure if he was interested in men or women. He was always too busy to notice deeper than thinking someone was pretty or someone else was gorgeous. This applied to his female/male/androgynous classmates equally. But with Jungkook, Jimin had been sure he felt more attraction to him. At least, he had before he’d gotten into that fight with him. Ever since then Jimin hadn’t really tried to notice anything else about Jungkook that could confuse him.

The thing about him trying to avoid Jungkook, trying to ignore the obvious attraction, was that Jungkook was literally everywhere. When Jimin had come back from his military service, Jungkook had been mere months from coming back too. Even then, in those months that Jungkook was gone, all of his classmates talked about Jungkook all the time. It had been irritating for someone like Jimin that was trying to get rid of thoughts of Jungkook. When Jungkook finally did come back, Jimin hadn’t really had any time to live a Jungkook-free life. Instead, he knew more superficial things about his senior now than before.

There wasn’t a part of his life that wasn’t saturated with Jungkook. At his job as a barista, Jungkook had shown up often because he wasn’t immune to the need for caffeine. When he was in school, he shared most of his classes with Jungkook since they were going for the same degree and Jungkook was a little behind from his military service. Jimin had done his own earlier than Jungkook so he’d already caught up. When it came to his friends, Jungkook was already friends with Hoseok and Taehyung was friends with everyone. Even at the convenience store, Jungkook would show up all the time to eat something. The only untouched parts of his life were when he was at home and Seokjin. Everything in his life other than that, was connected to Jungkook.

That’s why it had been so hard when Jungkook and Jimin had become enemies because no matter what he did or who with, Jungkook would be there. He’d become a social recluse after that fight and again, Jungkook was at the forefront of all aspects of his life. It was frustratingly clear for Jimin that his life would be difficult. He knew it the first time he was bullied by one of the many students that had fallen in love with Jungkook. He knew how easy that was, falling to some degree for Jungkook, but Jimin was resilient and tenacious.

He avoided Jungkook like the plague, he avoided Jungkook’s friends, he stayed home more often and changed his work shift around to times when most of the Uni students wouldn’t be around. Hell, he’d thought of even switching some classes but the semester was almost over and that would’ve been a ridiculous thing to do. Jimin had been comfortable with the things he’d decided to do to keep himself safe, but they had all been for nothing. Jungkook had invaded his life like a disease and it seemed he would not leave. And now, here they were, always playing this game of cat and mouse and Jimin would never stop being the mouse.

Jimin fell asleep with these thoughts circling in his head and worry always prevalent in his heart.

Jimin had been successful in avoiding Ye Sung for a few weeks but now that finals were over they had a few days left of school before he could truly be rid of the pushy hyung. Jimin had been concerned originally that he wouldn’t be able to avoid Ye Sung for long, but it seemed his hyung had been as concerned as he was with his grades and had spent most of his free time studying. Jimin knew he did well on his exams, he knew he’d earn the A+ he spent so much of his free time for.

Currently, Jimin was sitting in the school’s quad and waiting for Taehyung to show up. Taehyung had asked Jimin to wait while Tae took his last exam. Jimin had finished his last one this morning and decided he’d be nice for his friend and wait. Jimin was pretty sure that Tae had another twenty minutes left on his exam, but he was beginning to become antsy. He had nothing else to entertain him, it wasn’t like he had social media since he never really had time for it anyway. He thought about going to see Seokjin for a little before he remembered that Seokjin had gone to visit his mother since she was sick. It wasn’t like there was anything for Jimin to study anyway, since he’d be going on break. Jimin was enrolled in a cram school, though, for some extra English lessons so he guessed he could go ahead and make himself some plan sheets based on the school’s syllabus.

Just as Jimin had finally decided what to do, he heard his name called out from across the quad. Jimin turned and looked up to see Jungkook standing there with a smoothie in his hand, a coffee in his other, and a laidback Yugyeom next to him. Jimin waited until his senior came closer and bowed to them, greeting them with his nerves frazzled. Yugyeom smiled at him good-naturedly but it was Jungkook that was making Jimin nervous. Jungkook and those intense eyes that didn’t leave him no matter what he did.

“Hello, what are you doing?” Jimin continued to stand since his seniors were doing the same, trying his best not to grimace at the situation.

“I’m just waiting for Taehyung, he’s finished his last exam and asked me to wait for him.” Yugyeom nodded and Jungkook opened his mouth to say something before he heard his name called out. All three men turned to see Hyo Rin walk towards them. Jimin didn’t miss the glare she shot at him, but he was sure his seniors did.

“Senior, what are you doing here? I thought we were meeting up in the library to study for a while?” Jungkook cleared his throat and gestured towards Jimin.

“I was just saying I was going to keep Jimin company while he waits for Taehyung. Go ahead with Yugyeom, I’ll catch up.” Jimin stared wide-eyed as Yugyeom took the hint and herded Hyo Rin away from the other two men. Jungkook stayed where he was and watched Jimin as Jimin watched the two walk away. When Jimin finally turned to look at him again, he gestured for them to sit where Jimin had been before. Jungkook put down his coffee and handed Jimin the smoothie, which Jimin accepted gratefully. Jimin sat down then and they sat in silence for a moment, Jimin too awkward to say anything, Jungkook in anticipation.

“Jimin-ssi, I thought you felt a bit more comfortable with me. Was I wrong?” Jimin’s head snapped in Jungkook’s direction and he flushed at the intense look in Jungkook’s eyes and how it was directed on him.

“I can’t help it, sorry senior. I want to be more comfortable with you, but it’s just hard for me to be close with anyone.” Jungkook seemed crestfallen by the words Jimin spoke but he said nothing, just stared at Jimin’s hands that were covered by his light brown sweater. Jungkook seemed to come to a conclusion then, nodding to himself as Jimin stared at him in confusion.

Before Jimin could even process what was happening, his hand was being taken by Jungkook. Jimin stared at his right hand, at how tiny it looked in both of Jungkook’s big hands and flushed bright red. The two didn’t say a word, instead choosing to stay silent even in the chaos that was the quad.

Finally, and slowly, Jimin raised his head to look at Jungkook only to see his senior staring at their hands and smiling fondly. It made something weird flutter in his chest and he could barely breathe.

“You’re hands, they’re so small and soft.” Jimin felt the weird flutter drop into his stomach as his heart beat in overdrive. He didn’t know what to do but let Jungkook continue to hold his hand. Jungkook took that as a good sign and finally moved his hands, moving one of them so that he could turn Jimin’s hands and intertwine his fingers through Jimin’s. Again, Jimin let it happen and could only blush darker.

Jungkook looked up at Jimin then, at the bright flush of his cheeks and the way his eyes seemed to glaze over as he stared at their hands. Jimin’s eyes fluttered, as if they wanted to shut, before he stared up at Jungkook. The two kept that eye contact, even as Jungkook took Jimin’s other hand held it gently.

“Does this feel uncomfortable?” Jimin made a choked sound in the back of his throat when he tried to answer so instead he shook his head, gulping as Jungkook let go of one of his hands and instead lightly touched his cheek.

“And this?” Jimin could feel his ears redden at the touch and shook his head, letting his eyes flutter shut for a moment. Jungkook let out a breath, causing Jimin to open his eyes and once again make eye contact. His eyes were like liquid gold, all warm and intensely staring at Jimin.

“Okay, then I can work with this.” Jimin wanted to ask what he meant, but suddenly Jungkook stood up, still holding one of his hands and smiled down at Jimin before he gently placed Jimin’s hand in his lap and walked off, nodding as if he’d just confirmed something for himself.

Before Jimin could ask himself why Jungkook left so suddenly, he was being tackled by the human floof known as Kim Taehyung.

“Ah, Tae!” Taehyung shushed him and quickly sat down, excitement clear in his wide eyes.

“What was that about? Did Jeon Jungkook, hot senior Jeon Jungkook, just hold your hand?” Jimin flushed as he’d hoped Taehyung wouldn’t see. He hadn’t even realized the twenty minutes had passed so soon, having been too entranced by what Jungkook was doing. How had time gone by so fast and had they really been holding hands for so long without anyone else noticing?

“H-he wanted to see if I could handle being so close to him. And he thinks I can, so he doesn’t want to give up.” Taehyung squealed and held his chest, falling back on the bench they were sitting on.

“Why can’t I have a romance like this?” Jimin rolled his eyes but flushed nonetheless. Taehyung stayed laying down on the bench, holding his chest and neither of them said a word for a good minute.

“You know, maybe if you confessed to Seokjin hyung- “Jimin didn’t even get to finish his thought before Taehyung was shooting up and pushing a hand against Jimin’s mouth.

“How could you even say something like that out loud?” Jimin giggled against Tae’s hand and couldn’t help but feel fond of the nervous look on Taehyung’s face. The man was paranoid enough to look around as if for the first time in their academic life Seokjin would be on campus. Jimin just rolled his eyes and looked down to his books, finally placing them back into his bag so he could go eat with Taehyung in celebration of their finals being over. He paused at the sight of the strawberry smoothie and flushed brightly as he remembered Jungkook before finally grabbing it gently and taking a swig. It was good, he expected it to be since it was his favorite flavor.

Tae pulled on his other hand to get his attention and the two walked off, not noticing Jungkook somewhere to the side watching Jimin with a pleased smile on his face.

A few days later, the end of the semester was finally upon them. Jimin was excited for this break even though he mostly planned to continue his English classes and working more hours. He still had a few days where he planned to get together with Taehyung after he came back from his two-day trip with Seokjin. Apparently, Seokjin had planned to go visit a friend in Daegu and Hoseok wasn’t able to attend, so instead Seokjin invited Tae. Taehyung had been over the moon and agreed, though now he was freaking out at the thought of being alone with Jin in a foreign district.

Jimin hadn’t had a chance to talk to Jungkook since the whole hand-holding incident and he preferred it that way, so he wouldn’t have to admit he’d felt good about the hand thing. He knew Jungkook was around as well, but he was still the same sought-after senior from before and therefore it wasn’t like it was any easier for Jimin to get close to Jungkook without being surrounded by people himself. Jimin had almost thrown caution to the wind once when he saw Jungkook one day, his beautiful senior in a throng of people looking impossible detached from everyone else. But then they’d made eye contact and Jimin had to run away for his own good. Since then the two hadn’t really seen each other at all.

Jimin was currently in his room getting ready for cram school, the school a ten-minute ride away from his apartment. Jimin had his workbook and laptop in his bag, his charger safely nestled in a separate pocket. He also had his headphones and wallet in there and was just trying to get dressed before he left. Jimin finally decided on a white tank top, a beige cardigan that reached the bottom half of his butt, and simple jean shorts, completing the look with white vans and a black snapback to keep the sun out of his eyes. He also applied some sun screen, filled his water bottle up, and secured his keys once he’d locked the door of his apartment. When he was finally at the bus stop, his headphones secured in his ears, he let his mind wander.

It always wandered to one place first, Jungkook, always there first. He let it do so because usually he thought about his relationship to Jungkook and how it had changed. Sometimes he did it so he could try to figure out what it was exactly that had changed but nothing came to mind. Had Jungkook gotten sick one day and just decided to be friends with Jimin? Had his body been snatched by aliens and the clone wanted to mate with Jimin? That thought always brought a flush to his face, first because of the absurdity, second because the thought of Jungkook wanting Jimin in a primal way always made him nervous. Jimin was a serious person, he was busy often and did not get to date. Somehow Jungkook was the same even though he could have dated anyone he wanted to, considering his looks and popularity. The fact of the matter was that both of these men were inexperienced, though Jimin could say he was no virgin. Not that he went around having sex with anyone or anything like that, but he’d had one meaningful relationship a few years ago (not Ye Sung) and had given that man his first time. Since then Jimin hadn’t really done anything further.

He was sure Jungkook must have done something, he was a full-grown adult and there was never a lack of partners for him, that Jimin could attest to. Unless, he shouldn’t be judging at face value. Maybe Jungkook was as reserved with partners as Jimin was and he hadn’t really done anything? Something about that was doubtful but Jimin decided to abandon that train of thought before it took him too far.

Jimin got on the bus as it arrived and sat down in the back, his headphone in as he bopped his head slightly to the pretty music. He wanted nothing more than to sleep a little, but if he did he knew he wouldn’t wake up and he’d miss his bus stop. Instead, Jimin decided to play on his phone a little bit with the only social media he had. He opened his Facebook and went through his friend’s activities. A few of them were posting about their drinking activities from the night before and some were posting pics from their vacation spots. Jimin passed a post from Shin Dong and paused for a moment, seeing that Jungkook was tagged in the picture. He clicked on the profile and stared at Jungkook’s picture, his nerves clogging his throat as if he were drowning. Jimin waited a moment before scrolling down the feed, seeing a few pictures of Jungkook’s dog and one of his entire family. He didn’t really post much, unlike Jimin who liked to share a lot of his days. Mostly it was pictures of his friends, studying, and his family or things he liked.

Jimin released a long breath and scrolled back up, staring at the little blue bar that could connect them as friends before he hit it and immediately exited the app. Jimin hadn’t even locked his phone again before he was getting a notification from Jungkook who had already accepted the request. Jimin’s eyes widened in surprise when his phone started ringing, Jungkook’s name coming up on the screen.

“Uh, hello?” Jimin spoke kind of quietly, not wanting to bother anyone else on the bus by being loud and also wanting to keep his conversation a little private.

“Hello, Jimin-ah. What are you doing today?” Jimin flushed at the familiar term and ducked his head slightly before finally answering his senior’s question.

“Oh, I’m just going to cram school for English. I get out at 12:00. Why Senior?” Jimin shifted slightly, the crackling evident in the microphone of the headphones.

“Do you want to have lunch? I’m interning at a company right now, but I have an hour-long lunch break. I can pick you up and we can go to that café near the school?” Jimin nodded to himself, took the shortest pause he could, and finally answered.

“Sure, I’d love to. Bye Senior see you at 12.” Jimin let Jungkook say his goodbyes and hung up, burying his face in his hands with annoyance at himself. Why did he always say yes knowing that whatever meeting they would have was always awkward for Jimin?

It didn’t matter anymore, he’d already said yes. Jimin leaned his head against the hand he had propped on the window and took a deep breath. Lunch would be interesting.

Jimin’s class finally ended and the nerves that had been building up during these few hours were at their peak. Something about meeting Jungkook, no matter how often he’d done it by now, always made his heart race. Either way, he left his class after saying bye to some of the classmates he was friends with. Jimin left the room and went outside to see that Jungkook was already parked. He was leaning against his car, handsome form dressed in a flattering suit with a lanyard around his neck. Jimin felt his breath hitch when Jungkook looked up directly at Jimin and leaned forward, a smile on his handsome face as he waved Jimin over. Jimin felt his face flush bright red when the girls around him swooned audibly at Jungkook’s princely charm.

“Uh, hey Senior.” Jungkook smiled at leaned closer to Jimin, Jimin’s hands clenching the strap of his backpack as he stared up at Jungkook.

“Hey, ready to go?” Jimin nodded and let Jungkook open the door for him and shut it behind him. Jimin settled down and waited for Jungkook to get in, ignoring as some girls gave them side glances and the jealous glares of guys that saw how nice Jungkook’s car was. Jimin should get used to the attention if he wanted to be Jungkook’s friend.

“What are you doing the rest of today?” Jimin shrugged, trying to figure out what song was playing on Jungkook’s stereo.

“Um, nothing really. I was going to study a little bit at home but I wanted to unwind tonight.” Jungkook nodded and cleared his throat.

“Can we spend the day together then?” Jimin turned to Jungkook with wide eyes but Jungkook wouldn’t return his gaze. At least not initially, but when he finally did turn it was to smile at Jimin’s expression. Jimin shook his head clear and flushed, not something that was uncommon when it came to his time spent with Jungkook.

“I- Uh yeah, sure. That would be fun.” Jungkook laughed sweetly at that and Jimin could feel his heart squeeze just a little bit.

After they had lunch together, Jungkook dropped Jimin off at his apartment and went to work, though he promised to pick Jimin up when he got off work at six. When that came about, the two went to dinner together and then to a walk in the park, their conversations consisting entirely of Jimin’s life, school, Jungkook’s life, and what they hoped for the future. In all the years the two had shared together at school, Jimin had never felt closer to Jungkook. That’s why when he dropped him off, Jimin felt a sense of courage and comfort with Jungkook.

“Thank you for dropping me off, Senior. See you later.” Jungkook said the same in return but Jimin couldn’t bring himself to leave the car yet. The two stared at each other, Jimin trying to build his courage before he finally leaned forward as quickly as possible and kissed Jungkook’s cheek. He bolted out of the car, his cheeks burning red and entered his apartment, only looking once to see the dumfounded look on Jungkook’s face and the way his face reddened.

Chapter Text

Jungkook wasn’t known to be the loudest of people or even all that friendly. That didn’t stop people from being attracted to him and always annoying him when all he wanted was to be alone. It was because of this that Jungkook wasn’t close to anyone. What was the point of being friends with people that just wanted him because he was wealthy?

Jungkook had always felt this way, from elementary school to college. There was always someone that clung to his status and tried to be close to him for the benefits of his presence. Jungkook hated that the most, he hated being seen as a walking wallet or a stable future for the women and men that approached him romantically. It was why he seemed so cold-hearted and mean to anyone that didn’t know about his background or wealth. It didn’t help that Jungkook’s father thought there was something wrong with Jungkook and often orchestrated play dates with the kids of his business partners. All these children with messed up morals and their own secret agenda that didn’t want to have a genuine relationship with Jungkook. Jungkook had just been a big-eyed little boy that wanted some human connection, but these children wanted to make their parents happy, and to do that they had to be friendly with their enemy.

Jungkook was a human wallet and that’s all he’d ever been.

It was because of this that he’d decided to go to a college in Seoul that was a bit further from his father’s company. He didn’t want to be close to anyone that knew him as the son of the head of the Jeon Group. He didn’t want to be the rich kid, he wanted to be Jeon Jungkook, college student. It didn’t matter anyway, when people saw his car the treatment started again. Jungkook wasn’t going to change who he was and it seemed no one was willing to see past the expensive exterior of his. College was the same, but he did make a friend in Yugyeom who had seen that Jungkook was rich and still offered to pay their first meal together. He invited Jungkook over to his crappy apartment, he made him ramen, he showed him how to play video games, he treated him like a human.

Since that day forth the two had become inseparable and Yugyeom took it upon himself to sort out through the hordes of people trying to take advantage of Jungkook’s wealth and get him some real friends. It was during this transition into beloved and rich Senior, that Jimin came into the picture.

The first time Jungkook had seen Jimin, it was during a lecture. Jungkook had been sitting in the back waiting for their professor to get started so he was speaking with Yugyeom and Shin Dong. Jimin had come in a little late, his chest heaving under a thick sweater, and he wore light wash jeans with simple sneakers. Jungkook hadn’t really been paying attention to the pretty Junior, more focused on the conversation happening but Shin Dong wasn’t like him. In seconds Shin Dong was yelling across the class to get Jimin’s attention. Jimin had looked up like a deer in the headlights and set his stuff down next to another pretty Junior, the male looking concerned as the smaller of the two made his way to the back where the three boys were sitting.

“Jimin-ah, say hi to your senior, Jungkook.” Jimin did so, looking at Jungkook with no sense of recognition and bowing respectfully with a small smile on his face.

“It’s nice to meet you Senior. My name is Park Jimin, I hope we can work well together this year.” Jungkook had nodded and inclined his own head, introducing himself as well before Shin Dong interrupted them.

“Jimin-ah, we’re going out for drinks after this class. You should come and bring your pretty friend with you.” Jimin seemed uncomfortable at that, turning a little to look at the model-worthy boy he’d been with before. Taehyung had raised a brow and inclined his head when he saw Shin Dong staring at him. Jimin rubbed the back of his neck and kept his eyes on the ground as he answered, which made Jungkook curious.

“Uh, we’ll see. I know the semester just started but I have a lot of work to do and Taehyung does too- “Jungkook flinched as Shin Dong loudly interrupted Jimin, the small male staying stock still.

“Nonsense! You can work later. Come on, we’re going straight after this class since it ends at six anyway.” Jimin looked like he wanted to say no and Jungkook had just decided to help before Jimin let out a small sigh and nodded.

“Sure, we can go. I’ll see you after class.” Jimin bowed once more without saying anything else and started to walk away before Jungkook cleared his throat and stopped him. Jungkook got up and went around their table, Shin Dong busy talking to Yugyeom about how pretty Taehyung was, and leaned down to Jimin’s height.

“If you don’t want to go, you can say so. We don’t need a bigger party.” Jungkook hadn’t realized how harsh that sounded until Jimin was tensing up and not making eye contact. He seemed to come to a resolution and stared Jungkook down defiantly.

“We’re going. I won’t live my life studying and then die one day. See you later, Senior.” Jimin stomped off, something Jungkook couldn’t help but find endearing and sat down with Taehyung. Jungkook sat back down as well and finally their professor came in. Nothing else happened that day, Jimin avoided Jungkook when they went for drinks and left early, paying his part of the bill with Taehyung in tow. It was strange, this being the first time anyone had actually paid their own bill. Jungkook was used to being conned into paying the whole thing himself, something that annoyed him in the beginning but that he now saw as leverage. Jimin paying for himself was almost an insult but since then, Jungkook couldn’t help but take notice of his pretty Junior. It was the first of many times he would think of Park Jimin.

When the two had that fight, Jungkook was as far removed from thinking of their project as he could be. His father had announced that day that Jungkook should transfer to private college. His father thought of it as a reward but Jungkook couldn’t help but see it as punishment to keep him away from the people that made him happy. He’d been to high-strung and Jimin had to suffer the brunt of his frustration. It was because of this that he snapped and since then he hadn’t forgiven himself. He was too prideful to apologize and anytime he worked up the nerve, something Jimin did pissed him off. He even went as far as doing his military duty early just to get away which was why his father had decided not to transfer him.

He was elated but the damage with Jimin was done and he wasn’t very good at reconciling. It was around this time that Jungkook realized how different he felt when he was in Jimin’s presence. His heart would beat faster, he would have his smile ingrained in the back of his eyelids for days, Hell, he had his laugh memorized. He didn’t know what to call this feeling and had told Yugyeom. Yugyeom had laughed the most he ever had that day when he realized that the great Jeon Jungkook was crushing on Park Jimin. He teased Jungkook endlessly and wouldn’t miss a chance to wiggle his brows suggestively whenever Jimin was in close proximity to Jungkook. It had been irritating but it felt…normal. He felt normal, he had a crush.

Days turned to weeks and weeks into months and Jungkook realized this crush wasn’t going away. One day the dam broke and he greeted Jimin warmly, no explanation prior to it. Poor Jimin had looked freaked out so Jungkook let him off the hook. The more they interacted, the more Jungkook wanted to hold Jimin’s hand. When he actually did it, he was elated. Jimin had blushed profusely, a good sign according to WikiHow, and Jungkook had probably never felt anything softer than Jimin’s hand before. He was enamored by then, there was no going back.

Of course, he hadn’t fallen in love with someone easy, that just wasn’t Jungkook’s style. Jimin avoided him, he was wary, and he wasn’t as touchy feely as Jungkook was becoming. When Jimin kissed his cheek, Jungkook had felt his heart flutter so much he was sure it would fly out of his chest. Watching Jimin run away, all Jungkook could think about was pulling him back and kissing him but of course he didn’t do that. Baby steps, and Jimin had taken a big one.

The next day, Jungkook woke up with a wide smile on his face. He got ready, dressed in a black button down tucked into leather jeans and wore a black cardigan. He texted Jimin as he was getting ready and waited a minute before he got an answer.

From Jimin, received at 9:58 A.M.

I have class at 10:45, why?

Jungkook didn’t answer the text, he just got his satchel for work and got in his car, driving to Jimin’s apartment and smiling when he saw his tiny junior coming out. He was dressed in a large blue button down and dark blue skinny jeans, his tiny feet clad in black Vans. To complete the look, he was absolutely smothered by a large tan overcoat to counteract the cold winds and fluffy-looking navy scarf. Jungkook texted him back then, telling him to look up. Jimin did so, his eyes widening in surprise at the sight of Jungkook in his luxury car, waiting on Jimin. He walked closer to the car slowly, as if in a trance, even though he’d seen Jungkook’s car before and had in fact been inside it. He got in at Jungkook’s gesture for him to do so and gently attached his seat belt.

“Uh, hello Senior. I didn’t realize you’d be picking me up.” Jungkook smiled at the shock in Jimin’s voice and cleared his throat.

“I just wanted to see you and give you a ride to school. Is that okay?” Jungkook couldn’t help the flip his stomach did at the sight of Jimin’s cheeks glowing red and smiled slightly, trying to maintain eye contact even though Jimin was doing his best to do the opposite of that.

“Uh, yeah, that’s fine. Let’s go then?” Jungkook nodded and so their silent ride to school began. Jungkook wanted to say something, anything, but Jimin looked lost in his thoughts. That happened often with him whenever they were alone, and it made Jungkook wonder about what he could possibly be thinking about that had him distracted. He never asked of course, to him it wasn’t his place to know. It was during the last five minutes of the car ride that Jimin finally seemed ready to talk.

“Uh, Senior. Do you remember what I said the first time we hung out?” A pang of hurt hit Jungkook in the chest, his thoughts going back to that time. Of course, he remembered, Jimin had wanted nothing to do with him back then and now he was afraid that was what this conversation was leading to.

“Yes, I do remember. Why?” Jimin flushed as usual, making Jungkook feel a little better since he didn’t seem angry.

“I don’t think I feel that way anymore.” Jungkook slowed to a stop in front of the school and turned to look at Jimin. Jimin wouldn’t look back at him, keeping his eyes forward as he flushed darker the longer Jungkook stared at him.

“I think I want to try this. I think we can try and be friends.” Jungkook’s heart stopped for a moment before it started beating in overdrive as he continued to stare at Jimin. Jimin blinked a couple of times before he finally turned to look Jungkook in the eye. Jungkook’s face morphed into a wide grin and he couldn’t help but laugh a little giddily.

“May I ask what changed your mind?” Jimin once again flushed a deep shade of red and avoided Jungkook’s gaze before he finally answered.

“I misjudged you. You are kind and it’s harder to continue disliking you than it is to just let go.” It wasn’t exactly the answer he wanted to hear but it still made his heart flutter, enough so that he could barely get his goodbye in as Jimin left the car and sprinted to the school building. Jungkook let his forehead fall against his steering wheel and smiled to himself. He shook his head and then lifted it once more, the smile prominent on his face as he drove away and headed to the office building he was working in.

Jungkook’s day was always the same when he went to work. It was always going into his job with a small smile on his face as he greeted his coworkers and seniors. He always went to his small cubicle and got to work transferring files, proofreading power points, editing memos, and making coffee. He was efficient and methodical, so much so that he had a senior that liked to take advantage of him and make him to do his work for him. Jungkook didn’t complain and he certainly didn’t tell his dad because he didn’t want any special attention on himself. No one knew about his connection to the company or the fact that his father was the CEO and owner of the entire company. He’d asked that no one be informed other than the board members that already knew about Jungkook’s connection because he wanted to know what his future employees were like when he took over the company later.

So far, he’d learned that they were exactly like his college classmates. Some were lazy and annoying, some were quiet and efficient, and some were like Jimin. They were more often than not in the background and didn’t say much but their work was always amongst the best. He liked those employees the most, they made his work environment bearable knowing there would be people he could count on. But it was tiring having to be at work when Jimin had just dropped the biggest bombshell on him he’d ever had. He could be interested in their friendship? That was more than he’d expected in such little time. He wanted to be able to see Jimin all the time and talk to him like they’d been talking earlier.

He was sure Jimin wasn’t at the same type of level of affection Jungkook was in, but he hadn’t expected that. He’d expected to have to fight to get to a good standing with Jimin. Especially with all the things he put the man through the year before because he was too much of a prideful asshole to stop himself. When he’d realized how far he’d gone, it was far too late. Jimin was never going to like him in any way that Jungkook wanted and he would have to accept that.

But now things were seemingly turning around for the two of them and Jungkook was excited for what this could mean for them. Perhaps one day he could invite Jimin out for coffee and see his face light up with delight at the sight of his senior instead of seeing his fear. Maybe he could have Jimin text him first for once. Or he could talk to him at school comfortably without worry that Jimin would try to avoid him.

In the end, he wasn’t sure what their future would look like but he was excited. Jimin was someone that Jungkook was sure he could see himself caring a lot for seeing as he was already starting to get to that point. Sure, Jimin didn’t really think like that and he barely tolerated Jungkook. Or at least, he never looked at him directly.

Jungkook accepted the responsibility for that and had no reason to expect anything else from his junior. He would do his best to be good to him from now on and be the good and mature senior he was supposed to be from the very beginning. Of course, Jungkook was an impatient man and had decided to enact this change overnight, obviously something Jimin did not appreciate as he’d seemed even more startled by Jungkook’s change than anyone.

Jungkook just wasn’t one to wait very long to do the things he wanted to do. He hoped that the sooner he’d done this, he could help Jimin realize who he wanted to be.

In the end, he got what he wanted. Jimin was warming up to him more with each time they hung out and Jungkook was working hard to make himself look trustworthy and reliable to Jimin.

Of course, he’d never expected it to be easy. He had realized early on that even though Jimin wasn’t a confrontational person by nature, he was still a man very full of pride. He wouldn’t give in that easily to Jungkook but that was something Jungkook found admirable about Jimin. It had been what had first drawn Jungkook’s attention, before he had that dumb fight with his junior.

Now he knew exactly what he wanted with Jimin but he was sure that his junior wasn’t at the point where he’d be willing to date Jungkook. Sure, they’d gone out a few times and had meals together but that wasn’t the same as being able to kiss or hold hands. And he certainly wasn’t at a point in their relationship where these possessive feelings burning in his chest were something he was allowed to have. Sure, he knew some guys that would be possessive over the people they liked but unless Jimin gave Jungkook express permission to be possessive over him, then Jungkook was being way out of line. It wasn’t his right, especially since Jimin was a grown man and could make decisions for himself.

Jungkook startled as he noticed the time and realized Jimin would be released from class very soon and he would be able to go visit him for lunch. He’d asked Jimin earlier if it was okay for them to go to lunch together, and when Jimin had answered yes, he’d been excited. And now the time was here and if he didn’t get a move on, he would be late to the latest of their meetings.

Jungkook quickly picked up his coat and bowed to his coworkers before leaving, practically sprinting to the elevator and getting on with two other women that worked in a different department than he did. He noticed the way they whispered and cast side-long glances at him, but he ignored them as usual. He’d been getting these looks all his life, it was how he’d first realized he was exceptionally handsome. He didn’t try to show it off, he was just aware the effect his looks could have on other people. Hell, he’d been aware of it when Jimin had first blushed when they made eye contact. It was in that instance that he was glad he was handsome because it made it easier to gain Jimin’s attention without having to do much.

For as put together as Jungkook seemed, he had no idea how to gain the attention of someone he liked and make his intentions clear because this had never happened to him before. Jungkook used to think that maybe he would just never have a crush on anyone and he’d been fine with it. Sure, sometimes he’d be jealous of his friends that would gush about their partners and how in love with them they were. It had never really bothered him enough to do anything about his own lack of a love life though.

But now, with Jimin in the picture, he realized why all his friends were so enchanted with their partners. Something about the way Jimin smiled with his entire being, the way he reddened just so on the apples of his cheeks when he was nervous, it was intoxicating. It gave Jungkook a thrill in his chest that he’d never felt before. It left him craving more, more of this feeling of wings in his chest and more of Jimin.

And now, with Jimin standing in front of the school with his hands bunched together in front of him and looking off into the distance as he waited for Jungkook, he wanted nothing more than to freeze time right there. Jungkook wanted to be able to stare at Jimin all day, at the way his hair was blown back slightly by the wind and how he was being swallowed up by the large coat, the scarf he had worn that morning gently skimming the tips of his cheeks.

Jungkook pulled up right beside Jimin and unlocked the door, letting Jimin open his own door for once and settle into the car.

“Hello Jimin, how was your class?” Jimin removed the scarf, his red cheeks making Jungkook’s heart leap into his throat as he began driving towards a small café nearby that served awesome garlic fries.

“It was fine, Senior. How was work? Did you do well?” Jungkook smiled and looked over at Jimin for a moment, before he hummed in thought.

“I think so, my senior at work has been teaching me a lot lately and recently assigned me a report to present at a future meeting. I think it will be challenging.” Jimin nodded and fiddled with his fingers as the car finally came to a stop in front of the café. Jimin waited for Jungkook to open his door since he probably knew that Jungkook wanted to do it and then let himself be escorted into the café. Jungkook felt happy to know that Jimin was willing to let him do this since he’d wanted to be as gentlemanly as possible for Jimin. Their lunch wasn’t a very eventful thing, rather they eat quickly and talked before Jungkook went back on his merry way and Jimin finished his classes. It was nice to do this though, to be able to enjoy time together without stressing and it was because of the success of the lunches they spent together that they decided to have more lunches together.

The longer they went out, the more Jungkook noticed how red Jimin got when Jungkook opened doors for him or complimented him. Perhaps one day they’d be open enough to know if Jimin actually liked Jungkook acting like this or if he just let him be gentlemanly for Jungkook’s sake. If that were the case, Jungkook wasn’t sure if he’d know how to feel about his intentions not being seen clearly. He wanted Jimin to know that he was willing to be nice and romantic and he had no bad intentions with Jimin.

Of course, his being an asshole in the beginning wasn’t a help at all to his cause and he wasn’t asking for his earlier behavior to be dismissed. He deserved the struggle he was going through for Jimin’s affections because he should have never lost his cool.

It was Jimin reacting to him as if he were terrified that finally opened Jungkook’s mind to the possibility that perhaps he’d inherited more than just his looks from his father. He had begun seeing a therapist in secret, telling her his worries and his situation with Jimin in order to see where he’d gone wrong. For the most part it helped, but the real turning point had been the day he’d decided to talk to Jimin finally. His appointment had gone as normal, he’d told the therapist everything that he’d done that week and finally, she spoke words that made his heart flutter at the prospect of getting better.

“Jungkook-ssi, have you realized that this entire month you’ve spoken of things you’ve done with your friend that made you happy, rather than things that made you frustrated?” Jungkook had quirked his brow in confusion, not understanding the relevancy that tidbit had on his mental health journey.

“You’ve spent so much time telling me about how everything was going wrong and no one wanted to be friends with you for you, that I was beginning to worry that you would spiral. But these past few weeks, with you hanging out with friends and telling me about the things Jimin was doing day-to-day that you’d noticed, I realized that you have begun to associate Jimin to good things and that seeing him made you happy.” Jungkook couldn’t help but blush at her analysis.

Of course, Jungkook had realized that the more time he spent around Jimin, the less he cared about other people trying to force friendships with him because he’d been too busy to notice them. He was too busy noticing how Jimin’s face reddened when he was around, he was too busy noticing how Jimin walked, talked, smiled, breathed for Gods sake. Ever since his heart had started beating for Jimin, he had no time to do anything but notice every little thing about him. It was as if he was taking the lessons his father gave him on how to analyze his business opponents and instead using it to save the most benign tidbits of Jimin’s behavior.

He was whipped, to put it mildly. Of course, he knew that it wasn’t completely healthy to depend so much on a person to feel better, so he continued to attend his appointments with his therapist. He was grateful for Jimin helping him to get somewhere more positive on his journey, but he needed to make it the rest of the way himself.

Even considering that, Jungkook didn’t stop thinking about Jimin in a positive light and as someone he could rely on. If he wanted Jimin to be able to rely on him, then he needed to make sure Jimin knew that Jungkook relied on him as well.

It was with these thoughts constantly in his head that Jungkook went to pick Jimin up, smiling at his pretty Junior as he settled into the car and greeted his senior gently.

“Hello Jimin-ah,” cue the pretty flush of Jimin’s cheeks,” Where do you want to go eat today?” Jungkook kept his eyes on the road most of the time but he did glance over at Jimin occasionally.

“Why don’t we go to that noodle place we went to before? The lady that served us was very nice and the food was good.” Jungkook hummed in agreement before switching lanes so he could get there.

“How were classes today?” Jungkook focused some of his attention on Jimin as the man considered his answer, making thoughtful sounds as he tapped his hands against his bag.

“Um, they were pretty good today. We’ve moved on the pronunciation as well as the basics of business English and how to use it.” Jimin continued to ramble since he was so nervous and had no idea how to react otherwise.

“How about you Senior, how was work today?” Jungkook hummed as he pulled into the parking space available in front of the noodle shop, finally turning off the car before he turned to face Jimin.

“It was okay, I had to finish some projects for my seniors at work but it was a great learning experience.” Jimin furled his brows in confusion but Jungkook was already exiting the car and going to Jimin’s side to open the door.

“Wait, Senior, did you do your seniors work for them?” Jungkook sighed as Jimin stepped out of the vehicle, Jimin being cornered into the car while Jungkook casually leaned in closer so they could hear each other over the sounds of city life around them.

“I did, yeah. They wanted me to work on some things for them, so I could get a head start on my work portfolio.” Jimin frowned still, a lovely red flush on his cheeks that was practically a permanent fixture on his face now especially from how close Jungkook was to his face.

“But that’s not right! You shouldn’t have to do all the work when we both know they are just going to take all the credit!” It seemed that Jimin hadn’t realized what he was saying could be rude when said about someone he didn’t know until it was already out of his mouth. His eyes widened in surprise at himself before he covered his mouth and bowed his head slightly to Jungkook, embarrassment clear in his eyes.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean for that to sound so rude.” Jungkook could only laugh before he finally backed away so Jimin could get out of the car properly.

“It’s fine. It’s not like you’re wrong but I tend to just ignore people’s treatment of me at this point and just work towards my own goals.” Jimin quirked a brow at that and nodded in understanding at his senior. As much as Jimin wanted to pretend that he could not understand anything about Jungkook, even he could not lie. There were more similarities between them than there were differences and it was glaringly obvious the more they talked to each other.

“Well, at least you get the experience for your work portfolio, so you don’t have to learn how to do certain things later.” Jungkook hummed in thought, appreciating the effort Jimin was putting into trying to see the best in Jungkook’s mentors. The two ate in silence, though it felt comfortable to just sit and enjoy Jimin’s presence. After paying their bill and saying their goodbyes to the woman manning the restaurant, Jungkook opened the door for Jimin to get in his car and the two drove off, still silent. Jungkook took a deep breath before turning down the music that had been playing in his car and clearing his throat to get Jimin’s attention. Once Jimin turned to look at him with curiosity, Jungkook opened his mouth.

“Say, Jimin, some of the students in our class are going out to eat at a bar tonight and since I have to go, I was wondering if you’d be willing to attend as my date?” Jimin’s cheeks flushed bright red at the words that left Jungkook’s mouth. Jungkook continued to focus on the road as he made his way back to Jimin’s school and once they were parked, Jungkook turned to look at a still blushing Jimin.

“I-um. Like, platonically? As friends?” Jungkook chuckled slightly, a tinge of nervousness in his voice that Jungkook was hoping Jimin couldn’t detect.

“Uh, no, no. I want to take you on a date, but I figured you’d be more comfortable in a group setting.” Jimin stared at Jungkook with wide eyes before it seemed that it settled what Jungkook was asking.

“Oh, um, I didn’t realize you thought of me that way.” Jungkook nodded and felt his throat go dry at the worried look in Jimin’s eyes.

“I don’t know Senior, if Yesung is there he’ll just find a way to make it a bad date. Or what if the other seniors think ill of us as a couple, or what if your admirers try to sabotage us, or what if-“ Jungkook watched as Jimin turned to face Jungkook with growing unease and decided to distract him, the easiest way being to hold Jimin’s face, so small in Jungkook’s big hands, and keep steady eye contact.

“Jimin, it’s fine. Nothing bad will happen and really, shouldn’t you start to consider your own feelings before anyone else’s? Sure, people may talk but it’s your life that will be affected by your decisions, not theirs. So live for yourself.” Jimin’s eyes flitted between both of Jungkook’s in a manner that was slowly becoming less nervous and it seemed that for the first time, Jimin was comfortable with Jungkook. Not to the point of this much physical affection, Jungkook was realizing as Jimin slowly started to redden again when he noticed that Jungkook’s hands were still cradling his face very gently.

The two men sprang apart and stared straight ahead, Jimin clearing his throat finally to answer.

“Maybe you’re right Senior, I’d enjoy going as your date.” Jungkook felt his face spread into a smile without control but he was too happy to even try.

“Really? Would you like me to pick you up?” Jimin let a shy smile overtake his face and quickly nodded, both of them not knowing what to do now before Jimin finally said goodbye and sprinted into his school building.

Jungkook sat in his car with a dorky smile on his face before he finally drove away to head to his own job. It was decided, this was something they could both pursue and Jungkook was feeling the optimism of tomorrow.