Jungkook had made it a habit to carry around his sketchbook and a pencil no matter where he went. That, along with his headphones, gave a pretty solid reason for people to leave him alone.
Luckily, that worked for the most part as he watched the vocalists. Jungkook assumed they would be busy practicing or writing lyrics or whatever a vocalist does, but instead they were in a dance studio.
Jungkook had found a spot on the floor in the corner of the large room when he had first walked in, trying not to bother the four other people. All of them were singing in somewhat breathy voices as they danced to an upbeat instrumental track.
The more Jungkook watched them, the more he was amazed. Their footwork was astounding, some moves were sharp while others were fluid; Jungkook found himself humming along to the music and tapping his pencil on his sketchbook.
However, despite how amazing they all were, he found his eyes lingering on Jimin. There was just something in his steps, the way he danced, the way his body moved in perfect timing with the beat... Not to mention the look in his eyes. The kind stare Jungkook had grown accustomed to was replaced by something more intense and it was—it—it made Jungkook feel weird.
And when Jimin opened his mouth and sang, the sharp but powerful voice surprised Jungkook in the best way possible.
Then the music abruptly cut off, and Jungkook couldn't help but feel disappointed when everyone suddenly stop practicing.
"I brought ice cream for everyone."
Jungkook looked towards where the sound system was and saw the minty haired man standing there, a tray of ice creams in his hand.
"Who eats ice cream when it's negative ten billion degrees outside?"
"It looks like I have an extra ice cream now. Does anyone else want to be an ungrateful little—"
"Noooo," Taehyung said, walking forward and wrapping his arms around Yoongi's free arm as a pout formed on his face. "I love you."
Yoongi shoved an ice cream at Taehyung as his nose crinkled, "Just get off of me." But despite the somewhat harsh words, his lips were turned upwards.
What was it Namjoon had said about Yoongi? That he was actually a soft person? Jungkook could believe that.
Everyone got their ice cream, thanking Yoongi with smiles on their faces, but Jungkook didn't move from his spot on the floor. He wasn't important enough to be remembered; he doubted Yoongi had thought of him.
But still, ice cream was one of those weird foods he could stomach. It was completely random, but the fact that he didn't have to chew and that it was sweet seemed to help it go down easier. And he didn't even need the ice cream, he just—
No. He cut that thought off immediately as he watched Taehyung laugh obnoxiously loudly at something that was said. They were his friends, not Jungkook's. Jungkook was just someone they had employed.
Actually, they weren't even paying him, so they were simply using him.
But he wanted them to talk to him, he wanted to feel included, like he had friends, even if it was a lie.
Jungkook wanted to go home. He didn't feel like faking a smile as everyone ignored him today.
"Hey, kid." Jungkook glanced up and saw Yoongi looking at him. "I'm sorry I didn't get you anything, I didn't know you'd be here today."
Jungkook waved him off. "It's fine."
Honestly, Jungkook hadn't even known he was going to be there. He thought his Friday would be spent at home watching movies or listening to music, not in some dance studio. Sadly, that plan had been interrupted when Taehyung quite literally dragged him to the bus stop after they left their last class of the day.
"No, Jin—!" Jimin's words were cut off as Jin sat down next to Jungkook, ice cream in his hand. Jungkook though Jin would explode due to the glare currently being sent his way by Jimin.
"Hey, Jungkook," Jin nudged Jungkook's knee, causing the sketchbook to move under his pencil, creating a harsh jagged line that Jungkook found himself frowning at. "Two peanuts walk into a bar."
Jungkook raised an eyebrow.
"One was a-salted."
Jimin choked on his ice cream before dissolving into a fit of laughter, but not everyone shared the same reaction. Yoongi for one, was completely ignoring what was said and continued to stare at his food like it was the most interesting thing in the world.
Jungkook found himself smiling a little at the sight of Jimin in near tears because he was laughing too hard, but he didn't feel the urge to laugh.
"Nothing?" Jin asked, chuckling at his own joke. "Okay, okay."
"Please, no." Yoongi muttered.
"Did you know that Santa's helpers are subordinate Clauses?"
Jimin was laughing so hard he had to lean onto Taehyung for support, and Taehyung was grinning. Jungkook did not like the sight.
"Alright, that—" Jin's words were broken by a sudden fit of laughter. "That wasn't what I wanted to say."
"Then why'd you say it?" Yoongi asked, now eating his ice cream instead of staring at it.
"Because I thought it'd be funny."
"It wasn't."
"But Jimin—" Jin gestured towards Jimin, who was regaining his breath.
"Jimin doesn't count. He's weird."
"Hey!" Jimin said, wiping at the trails the tears left on his face. "I'm not weird."
"Sure." Yoongi said.
"Will you two be quiet? I have something important to ask Jungkook here." Jin said. Jungkook felt every single one of his muscles lock up.
"Uh." Jungkook mumbled.
"You don't have to—" Jimin started to say but the question was already leaving Jin's mouth.
"Are you gay?"
If Jungkook had been eating anything, he would've choked on it. Hell, he nearly choked on his spit.
"Because I am." Jin continued. "Dick is great."
Jungkook's face felt like it held the heat of a thousand suns.
"If Jungkook is straight," Taehyung said, ice cream on his face, "then he's the gayest straight person I know."
Make that the heat of a thousand and two suns.
"W-why does my sexuality matter?" Jungkook barely got his voice above a mumble. "I'm just drawing your album art."
Jin stood, pushing off the ground with his free hand while his ice cream melted in the other.
"Can't someone express their love for—"
"Jin, no." Hoseok said, shaking his head.
"Fine." Jin said. "I was just trying to get to know the new kid better."
Why...?
"I-I'm pansexual." Jungkook said, feeling his face heat up even more. He felt like he was going to puke; it was probably a good thing Yoongi hadn't given him ice cream.
"What?!" Taehyung exclaimed, nearly spewing ice cream everywhere. "How come you never told me?"
Out of the corner of Jungkook's eye, he saw Jimin slip out of the room. He was curious, for a moment, where Jimin was going, but the look on Taehyung's face kept him from going up and asking.
Jungkook shrugged, looking back down at the ground. "You never asked."
"Wha—bu—I—" Taehyung kept stuttering over his words. "We've been friends for years! I trusted that you would tell me."
Honestly, Jungkook had been scared Taehyung would judge him like the last person had, even though they were close. He was scared Taehyung would leave, and Taehyung was someone he wanted to keep in his life.
But, thanks to Jin, Jungkook knew that no one in this room would judge him for this aspect of himself that only one other person knew. Plus, Jin had wanted to know, he wanted to get to know Jungkook better.
"I would've told you when I found out but I was in Namyangju." Jungkook shrugged again.
"You still haven't told me what happened while you were there." Taehyung sounded annoyed.
Jungkook shrugged, again. "I didn't feel like telling you."
Jungkook was ten thousand percent sure Taehyung was about to throw his ice cream across the room.
"You hide so much." Taehyung said.
"Oh, really?" Jungkook thought back to the fact that Taehyung had been accepted to a performing arts university, bitterness welling up in his throat. But he didn't want to do this here. Not in front of everyone, who, by the way, were watching with their faces stuffed with ice cream.
"You piss me off, Jungkook."
Jungkook pretended like that hadn't knocked the air out of him.
"I want to help you, god, I want to help you so bad, but you won't talk to me."
Jungkook's eyes started to burn.
"I—"
"All I know is you came back from Namyangju so different, and you haven't been the same since. I want to help but you won't tell me anything." Taehyung took a breath, his voice quiet as he said his next words. "You make everything so hard."
"Damn Taehyung, the boy just said he was a little gay, why are you so triggered?" Jin asked, walking over to the trash bin and throwing his cup away.
"Sorry," Taehyung muttered, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "Let's just continue practicing."
"Alright," Hoseok said, quickly shoving the rest of the food into his mouth before throwing the cup away, "Jimin can just hop in when he comes back."
He went to stand in his spot in front of the mirror, Taehyung and Jin following.
"Yoongi, can you press play?"
"Sure."
Then music started blasting through the speakers and Jungkook tried to go back to the drawing, to the rough sketches, but he couldn't stop wondering, what did I do wrong?
The music was a buzz in his mind; the squeak of shoes on the floor faded into the background.
When he couldn't get that lump in his throat to go away, he put his sketchbook and pencil in his bag and stood, leaving his things in the corner.
"Yoongi," He said, his voice barely audible over the music, "Where are the bathrooms?"
"Down the hall, to the left, first door on your right." Yoongi didn't look away from the group dancing.
Jungkook nodded, not trusting his voice to stay stable as he left the room. His mind was racing. What had he done to Taehyung to make him so mad? Was this rift in their friendship his fault? Was there even a rift or was it all just Jungkook? Was he over thinking things again? What should he do?
Jungkook was scared.
He pushed open the door to the bathroom, tears filling his eyes even as the coolness of the room enveloped him. The white tile in combo with the fluorescent lights nearly blinded him. But it didn't stop his brain. What did Taehyung really—
Jungkook paused halfway to one of the five stalls when he heard a retching sound, following by some sort of splashing/splatter sound. Through teary eyes he looked towards the last stall where the sound originated from, just as it occurred again, this one more violent. He glanced down, looking under...
"Jimin?" Jungkook's voice seemed too loud and shaky as it echoed through the bathroom.
He heard a mumbled, "Shit." followed by a toilet flush.
"Jimin, are you okay?" Jungkook asked. He could hear his own tears that were threatening to stream down his face.
"I'm fine." The same shakiness was reflected in Jimin's voice. Jungkook approached the stall and raised his hand to knock.
"You don't sound fine. Do you want some water?"
The stall opened and a very pale Jimin stepped out, but that was all Jungkook saw because Jimin kept his head down, his body angled away from Jungkook.
"I'm okay." Jimin sounded breathless. He tried to push past Jungkook.
Something is wrong, something is off, I want him to feel better.
Jungkook grabbed Jimin's wrist before he could over think too much, making Jimin stop.
"Look at me." Jungkook's voice was weak. Jimin didn't move. "Look at me."
Jungkook saw Jimin take a deep breath.
"Why can't you just believe me?" His voice cracked.
Jungkook sighed. "Just look at me, Jimin, please."
Jimin's breath shuddered, but after taking another breath he turned and looked at Jungkook.
Sweat was beading on his pale forehead, his orange hair sticking to his skin in places. His eyes were red and puffy, as if he'd been crying for hours even though Jungkook had just seen him look perfectly okay a mere ten minutes ago.
Jungkook surprised himself with how much he lacked the hesitation in his stomach, and by how much he wanted to help Jimin despite everything brewing in his own chest.
"What's wrong?" He asked, letting his hand drop from Jimin's wrist. Jimin looked at Jungkook's face, holding his gaze.
"I could ask you the same thing."
"I don't want to talk about it." Was Jungkook's response, something that had become second nature.
"Neither do I."
Jungkook knew he shouldn't push, especially when Jimin was basically a stranger.
"Okay." Jungkook said. After that, he waited for Jimin to leave so he could dissolve into a fit of tears, but he didn't leave.
Instead, he continued to linger near Jungkook, staring at the tears that were still on the brim of his eyes, threatening to spill with every passing moment. Jungkook felt extremely uncomfortable under Jimin's eyes, especially when he felt like his emotions were about to swallow him, when it was near impossible to get the screw-ups with Taehyung out of his mind.
"Jungkook," Jimin said after a moment of silence, "do you want to go somewhere?"
You're a stranger, I don't know you. I probably shouldn't. That was what one part of him was saying. He decided, for the first time in a while, to ignore that paranoid side of himself.
Instead, he voiced the other word that was echoing in his mind, stemmed from the yearning and desire to just get away from Taehyung and the album.
"Where?"
Jimin shrugged, looking down at the ground. "I don't know yet. Anywhere, I guess."
It was almost as if Jimin had braced himself for rejection, judging by the way his shoulders were tense, and he wouldn't look Jungkook in the eye anymore.
That was why Jungkook absolutely loved the look on his face as he said his next word.
"Okay."
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An:
Hey, wassup. Just posting this before I jet on outta here to sleep.
I hope you all liked it 💞