hhhh i posted this earlier this week but it was 2am and i was feeling indecisive so i took it down ))): im rlyrly sorry

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XYJIMIN
hey guk

JDRAGON
jimin!! whats up?

XYJIMIN
nothing

XYJIMIN
just wanted to uh

XYJIMIN
talk

JDRAGON
okay?

JDRAGON
so whats up???

XYJIMIN
dunno

XYJIMIN
hey do u think im gonna be single forever

JDRAGON
straight to the point huh

JDRAGON
why the sudden question? lmao

XYJIMIN
dunno

XYJIMIN
i just

XYJIMIN
im just so bad at this dating thing

XYJIMIN
i mean u would know right

JDRAGON
.....how??? would i know?? we've never dated hahahhah

XYJIMIN
jeongguk

JDRAGON
oh u mean

JDRAGON
oh

JDRAGON
the blindfold thing

JDRAGON
uh

JDRAGON
u werent that bad though?

XYJIMIN
yeah

XYJIMIN
because you thought i was her for basically the whole date

JDRAGON
that also

JDRAGON
but you werent bad

XYJIMIN
oh really

XYJIMIN
how so

JDRAGON
.........

JDRAGON
ok so maybe you were a bit bad

XYJIMIN
aha, now THATS what i needed to hear! thank you, jeongguk!

JDRAGON
no like. listen

JDRAGON
maybe you're bad at it. so what?

JDRAGON
thats just part of who you are, isn't it? youre awkward, shy, cant start/hold a conversation, laugh at the stupidest of jokes

JDRAGON
park jimin is bad at dates. fucking own it, dude

JDRAGON
eventually, someone will come along who'll like you despite that

JDRAGON
maybe even for it

XYJIMIN
how could someone like me for being bad at dates

JDRAGON
not for being bad at dates itself

JDRAGON
i mean, for the things abt u that MAKE you bad at dates. the awkwardness n all that

XYJIMIN
ok... so how could someone like me for that

JDRAGON
uhm

JDRAGON
i did?

JDRAGON
i thought it was fucking adorable lmao

XYJIMIN
oh

XYJIMIN
i see

XYJIMIN
so all i have to do is find someone who thinks that, is what youre saying

JDRAGON
clever boy!

XYJIMIN
ok

XYJIMIN
you fucking eggplant

JDRAGON
wait what

XYJIMIN
bye

JDRAGON
jimin did you just call me an , eggplant ,

···

"freakin' asshole!" jimin yelled at his phone screen.

with a cry of exasperation, he threw the mobile device to his side, where it landed safely on the cushioned seat of the taxi. only when he heard a short, displeased grunt from the front seat did he realize exactly what he'd spoken out loud.

"wait, oh, i wasn't talking to you!" jimin clarified to the cab driver hastily, eyes widening in alarm. "it was my, um, guy? this guy. my friend. not you!"

the signal turned green, and the car lurched into motion. jimin let his body fall back against his seat as he chewed his bottom lip thoughtfully.

"he's not actually an asshole, by the way," he added, feeling it was necessary. "he's just dense. sometimes. all the time."

"i see," the driver replied shortly.

jimin nodded to himself, staring out of his window for a while, to watch as lampposts and car headlights streaked through the darkness.

"you know, it's actually pretty infuriating," jimin continued, moving closer to the window so he could look at the sky. "how dense he is. to the point that i'd like to take a brick to his head. and get this, the brick would be less dense than he is."

a short pause.

"yeah..." he sighed slowly, mouth twitching into a resigned grin. "i have the hugest crush on him."

"is that so?"

jimin laughed out loud. then he said, "fuck it. yeah, i do."

the car lapsed into silence, and jimin took the time to scour the night sky. he smiled.

"the moon is beautiful today."

"mm."

"so, here's the thing!" jimin announced abruptly, clapping his hands together. "my best friendㅡtaehyung, for your referenceㅡhe set me up with this guy, right? do you want his name too?"

"that's okay."

"it's yugyeom. anyway, i agreed to it, which is why i'm in this taxi right now, yeah? because i agreed to it. i said, "all right, taehyung! i'll go on this date with yugyeom!" but you know what the problem is?"

the driver didn't grace him with an answer, causing jimin to burst out in agitation, "i'll tell you the damn problem! the problem is, yugyeom isn't jeongguk! and i have a crush on jeongguk, so why am i on a date with yugyeom?!"

"well, that'sㅡ"

"i'll tell you why! i'll tell you damn why. you wanna know why?!"

"i don't suppose i have a choiㅡ"

"i'm on a date with yugyeom," jimin fumed, clutching the driver's head-rest, "because jeongguk is just about the densest human being on the planet! i can't even count the number of hints i've dropped, mister! but oh, every single one of them. it just flies right over that fucker's head! i could just... just...!"

jimin threw himself back against his seat with an air of giving up, dragging out an exaggerated sigh. "jesus. the man drives me crazy."

"evidently..." his driver muttered under his breath.

jimin exhaled once more, slowly, eyes fluttering shut. "but sometimes, i really do think... i get the feeling. you know." he rubbed his nose, lips curving upwards. "that he may... like me back. y'know?"

"oh?" the monosyllable happened to convey the slightest degree of interest, and jimin leaned forward eagerly.

"yeah! like, take yesterday, right? it was all cool and good, this and that, and then i decided to just grow a pair of balls and ask him: are you seeing anyone? and he's like, maybe. like, what? to which he clarifies that he likes someone, and that he'll tell me who it is if they don't turn him down. and i'm like, shit! it's me! jeongguk's gonna ask me out, sweet jesus, finally!

"but then... then. dear mr jeon asks me how my love life's going! and i'm just like... wait. because i thought he'd been trying to hint that he liked me, so why was he asking about my love life? so i panicked and told him that i liked someone too, and then he's all happy for me and shit! like, how dare he!"

"how dare he," the driver repeated.

"right?! and just now, too! so i've been super anxious about this set-up, yeah? i've had my fair share of doubts. was i just using this date to try to get over him, get back at him, get... him? i don't know. and i figured all my answers would be with him, himself. i'd just have to talk to him about it, see how he felt about it, and how talking to him made me feel."

then jimin shook his head, smiling dryly. "and the little shit. he dares. oh, he dares. you know what he said?"

"not really..."

"he told me to find someone who'd like me, just the way i am. including the awkwardness, the shyness, the whole bad-at-dates package. and you know what he said after that?"

"what did he say?"

"mister," jimin said, eyes wide as he leaned into the front seat, "he said that he liked me for all that. he basically frickin' said that i should find someone like him. and he didn't even realize that he'd said that!"

"oh my."

"and there," jimin threw his hands out theatrically, "we have the denseness! in its full-fledged form! absolutely spectacular, isn't it? he's absolutely spectacular."

he was responded to with a sudden screech of the tires of the vehicle. jimin's forehead thudded against the back of the driver's seat, and with a short groan, he murmured, "what the..."

"we're here. please wear a seatbelt next time," the driver added.

"iㅡoh, sorry." in half a daze, jimin reached into his pocket and withdrew the required notes of cash. "i hope i didn't, um, ramble too much?" he asked anxiously, handing the money over.

"no worries. good luck on your date with taehyung."

"yugyeom," jimin corrected. grabbing his phone off the seat, he clambered out of the vehicle, then turned to smile. "thanks, mister."

the driver nodded politely, and jimin shut the door. turning away, he gulped in the fresh air, arranging his thoughts. yugyeom. date with yugyeom. he nodded to himself before starting down the cobblestone path in the direction of the blindfold, forcing his strides to convey the confidence he wanted to feel.

then he stopped, blinking into the distance. there was a figure at the very door of the restaurant, waving one arm in the air frantically as if jimin could possibly miss him; and another at his side, arms crossed and head lowered, face masked from sight under a ball cap. jimin blinked again.

"jiminie!" the first figure shouted, hands now cupped around his mouth. "jimin, hi! i'm here! jiminie!"

jimin bit his lip, suppressing a grin. "tae," he murmured, resuming his walking and raising his hand in a half-wave, just to get the other to stop yelling. who's the other person?

"watch, tae, they won't even let me in," was the first thing jimin said once he'd reached his best friend's side, who immediately pulled him into a tight hug. "just watch and see."

taehyung only giggled into his hair, and jimin looked over his shoulder, at the other male, who'd raised his head to observe the duo silently. jimin did a double take.

"hoseok hyung!" he gasped, as taehyung released him. "you'reㅡwhat are you doing here?"

in response, hoseok turned a distinct shade of crimson, eyes falling downcast and shoulders rising in a shrug. taehyung giggled again and elbowed him.

"just thought i'd, uh," hoseok took his cap off to run a hand through his hair in a quick, nervous motion, eyes raising from the ground to meet his, "say hi?"

"listen to this, chim!" taehyung cackled, prodding jimin's arm to get his attention. "so i told this giant dork that i was gonna surprise you by showing up here, right? and then he just looks at me for a sec, and in this tiny, this tiny timid lil voice, he goes," he paused to look at hoseok, grinning cheekily; then raised his voice by an octave and continued, now in a shrill imitation of the other: "oh so, uh, could i like, oh, um, could i come, too, with you, to, y'know, likeㅡ"

"i did not sound like that!"

"you wanted to surprise me?" jimin broke in, mostly to save hoseok the embarrassment, while repressing yet another smile.

"umㅡyeah?" taehyung smiled nervously, turning his focus back to jimin. "'cause i didn't come the last time, and i felt bad 'cause hoseok came for namjoon, andㅡ"

jimin didn't bother to fight back his grin this time, smiling until his vision blurred and his cheeks ached a bit, in the best sort of way. "thank you, tae," he said earnestly, and the boy beamed in response. "i really appreciate it. hoseok hyung, too," jimin added, turning to said male, who blinked in evident surprise. "it'sㅡit's so nice of you. to come here for me."

"you're..." hoseok trailed off, then shrugged, adjusting his cap back on as a slow smile took over his featuresㅡalong with his red-tinged cheeks, pearly white teeth and the fact that jung hoseok was smiling at him, holy freaking shit, jimin almost felt the need to shield his eyes. "you're my friend, jimin. it's no big deal."

taehyung cleared his throat, and jimin looked at him dumbly, mouth still hanging slightly open. "you guys are cute and all, but," taehyung placed his shoulder against the door of the restaurant and pushed. "you're gonna be late, chimmy. let's go!"

"oh. right." jimin's heart sank to the very bottom of his stomach. date. yugyeom. his undeniable crush on jeongguk. something about those three things didn't work very well together. nevertheless, he swallowed down his uncertainty and followed taehyung into the restaurant, hoseok trailing behind them.

"hiya!" taehyung greeted the waiters, who abruptly stopped conversing amongst themselves to turn to the trio, courteous smiles now fixated on their faces. "reservation for park jimin and kim yugyeom?"

"park jimin? the park jimin?" one waiter whispered in awe. jimin blinked; since when was he the park jimin?

"and kim yugyeom. i've got this one, guys," another waiter quipped, stepping forward elegantly and extending his arm to jimin. "jimin, sir. your date has already arrived, so if i may."

"kim yugyeom, okay?" jimin reiterated anxiously, taking his arm. "no other yugyeom. theㅡthe one with the cute laugh and coconut head. kim yugyeom. right? kim yugyeom, right?" he repeated, turning to taehyung in an unexpected rush of panic.

"you're okay, jimbles," taehyung assured him, reaching forward to pat his hand. he stood back at hoseok's side, in a manner that looked much too similar to his parents sending him off on his very first day of schoolㅡonly difference then was that jimin had latched onto his mother's leg and had refused to let go.

"you're okay," hoseok repeated, snapping him back to the present. "calm down, it's okay."

"hyuuung," the first waiter interrupted, addressing jimin's escort with a childish pout. "can't i take him?" he whined, as jimin watched on, mildly terrified. "it's the park jimin, please! i'll behave an' everything!"

"oh... oh, all right, jungwoo. good god." no, no no no! jimin thought in alarm as he was handed over to jungwoo, who immediately squealed in elation and looped his arm through his. there were literal hearts in this man's eyes for god's sake, how could jimin possibly walk into a pitch-black room with him?!

"phone off?" jungwoo inquired cheerfully. jimin did so with shaky hands, pocketing the device after and meekly meeting his gaze in confirmation. "great! now goggles on for me, and in we go!"

"just be yourself, chimmy! be yourself!" taehyung called after him. as he was whisked away, jimin tried to turn, to flash his best friend a confident smile, but the doors had already shut behind him and there was nothing but the all-too-familiar blackness. he turned away, head spinning.

they made it two whole paces into the dark without a word being exchanged. and then, inevitably:

"oh my gosh. oh my gosh!" jungwoo gushed, practically squealing with adoration. "this is such an honor. i can't believe this, i'm escortingㅡ"

jimin cut him short. "the park jimin. yeah, um. i got that."

"i'm so sorry, i'm acting like this fanboy! i'm actually new here. but the others have told me so much about you! about you and jungkook and jimin the girl and namjoon and, i just gotta say that you guys are amazing! wow! what an adventure!"

"sure was," jimin agreed hastily, blinded eyes flitting around nervously as they progressed through the restaurant. he pressed himself closer to jungwoo and swallowed. "i'm sorry, but, um, could you please just concentrate onㅡ"

"and really, you and jungkook? you guys went through some crazy times! got thrown out once but did that stop you? nope! came right back with different people, but then jungkook came back for you, and then you got thrown out again, and look at me just babbling away! but how can i help it when it's all so... oh, you know!" jungwoo proclaimed, sighing dreamily. jimin only eyed his direction warily.

"what, ridiculous? hilarious?"

"no, jiminieㅡromantic," jungwoo told him earnestly, unlinking their arms to take jimin's hand, which he squeezed gently. "so, so romantic! you found each other, not once, but twice! it's written in the stars, park jimin, for you to be together!"

jimin scoffed, pulling his hand away to replace it on jungwoo's arm. "well, if that's the case," he asked dryly, "then what the hell am i doing right now?"

jungwoo chose that exact moment to not speak anymore, and the newfound silence gaping between them was anything but blissful. jimin stared uneasily at where he presumed jungwoo to be, then looked forward, eyes unblinking.

he knew exactly what he was doing, didn't he? yes, he did. he was going on a date with yugyeom. that was it.

and yet... as jimin's eyes widened, and he tightened his grip on jungwoo to pull him to a stop along with him, he thought: but what are you really doing, jimin?

making a mistake. jimin was making a big, fat, mistake.

"shit," he whispered. "oh shit. wait. jungwoo, wait."

"sir?"

"iㅡi changed my mind. you're right. you're so freaking right. i can't do this."

"no, it's all right, sir!" jungwoo assured, and as the waiter took his arm once more, jimin realized in horror that he had no intention whatsoever to take him back. hell, what happened to written in the stars? "i understand what you're feeling! but it's okay to be nervousㅡ"

"no," jimin shook his head desperatelyㅡhe would fight out of jungwoo's restraint and bolt for the exit if it wasn't for the fact that without the waiter, he was as well off as the grey sisters without their eye. "no, i don't want to do this, iㅡi wanna go home."

"sir, do not worryㅡ"

"unhand me!"

"yes, of course! just sit right here and i'll be off in a jiff," jungwoo said brightly, and before jimin could even protest, he found his ass sat squarely on a chair. mouth hanging open, he turned in his seat frantically, then cursed under his breath. damned waiters and their damned magic goggles.

for a moment, he shifted in his seat uncomfortably, not really registering the situation at hand until... until, well, it registered. jimin slapped a hand over his mouth, staring straight ahead into the blackness, at yugyeom. yugyeom, poor, poor yugyeomㅡ

"don't say anything," he began speaking immediately, not giving himself a moment to think or the other to speak. he placed his palms on his lap and steadied his breathing. "i'm sorry, iㅡi already feel terrible enough. you don't deserve this at all, i should have justㅡjust said no. i don't know how to explainㅡwait, you are there, right? i'm not talking to no one, right?" he asked anxiously, then waited a few beats.

finally, a soft, subdued grunt. jimin's breath hitched. only then did it truly hit him; there was an actual person on the receiving end of this. jimin found himself recalling how he'd felt when he thought namjoon had stood him upㅡwhat yugyeom must be feeling right now couldn't be far from that.

he felt terrible. so, so, terrible. but what could he do now? he could only shake his head and carry on.

"iㅡi can't explain this, there's no way, i just... i can't do this to you, it's not right. you sound so perfect, but you're not..." jimin swallowed thickly, fingers pinching the material of his jeans. "i have to go. iㅡi really am sorry."

jimin tensely awaited a response, the lack of which making him feel guiltier by the passing second. say something, he pleaded into the dark. don't make me hate myself for this for the rest of my life.

after a sufficient silence, jimin had no choice but to give up. he mumbled one final apology, then put his arm in the air for a waiter, exhaling shakily as he did so. taehyung was going to be so disappointed in himㅡhis last chance to ever set jimin up again, and he had somehow managed to mess it up too.

"it's no problem," yugyeom spoke up suddenly, his voice sounding sort of exhausted, strained. "whatever." jimin's eyes darted towards him in shock, even audibly gasping.

"sir?" an unfamiliar waiter spoke up from beside him. jimin dropped his arm to his side, still staring ahead, though now in a sort of daze. "do you need anything?"

"oh, hi! i'm so sorry, i was just stretching. my arm fell asleep." jimin choked out an unconvincing laugh, shaking out the arm in question as if to support his statement. "haha."

jimin waited until the waiter's presence seemed to be fully gone. then he gradually turned his attention back to the table.

slowly, jimin said, "youㅡ"

"i said whatever. it's no big deal, i mean it." his voice sounded so strained... almost like he was about to fucking laugh. "but hey, before you go."

again, jimin began, "youㅡ"

and in that smug, smug voice of his, jeon jeongguk said, "can you really snap chopsticks in half with your ass?"