"Jiminie are you sure you packed everything?" Jen ushered as she looked around her son's room to see if she can remember anything before they leave. 

Today was Jimin's move-in day at Alford, but his mom seemed more excited about it than the freshman himself. She wanted to make sure he had everything he needed so that he doesn't miss home too much, but only so many things could fit in his new dorm room. 

Dorms... Jimin never experienced such a setting before and he was eager to know who his floor-mates are. With the scholarship he earned, he didn't have to share the room with anyone, which Jen and his friends insisted was a good thing, because you never know what type of roommate you can get. So the next best thing was befriending his neighbors.

"Yes mom, everything I need is already packed in the truck" Jimin confirmed for the tenth time that morning, "Let's go now, Joon is waiting outside" 

True to their word, the boys decided they would all tag along and help Jimin set everything up, also an opportunity to explore the campus and hang out one last time before classes start again. 

Jen asked Tae's dad for the truck to load her son's belongings, and Namjoon offered to drive it with Jin shotgunning the ride, while Hobi, Tae and himself rode with her.

The thing is, when Taehyung suggested they all come with, he really meant all. He remembers clearly the moment a new text popped up in the chat with Jeon009 as a header.

Jeon009
It's shorty's first day
Of course I'll be there

And maybe Jimin didn't want him to.

It's been two weeks since the party, since he's seen him, and as much as he wished the alcohol erased the memories of that night, they reappeared clear as a photograph whenever he closed his eyes too long. He didn't talk about it to anyone, not to Yoongi, definitely not to Jungkook, hell he didn't even take time to reflect on it himself. 

The main reasons were that none of the boys saw Jungkook that night, and they made that pretty clear when they complained about it in the chat. Unsuspectingly, the college boy didn't make the effort to correct them, and Jimin wondered if that was his idea of indirectly telling Jimin to act like it never happened. 

The thought didn't fail to tug at his heart strings in painful ways, but he couldn't complain too much since he believed he brought it upon himself. He spent the entire ride thinking of how he'll face Jungkook knowing he took advantage of his drunken state. But he kissed me back, Jimin tried reassuring himself, it wasn't enough. Jungkook had made it clear that nothing of the sort could happen between them and he totally disregarded his wishes.

"Alright boys we're here" Jen announced, pulling him out of his stupor.

"Look at this entrance!" Tae exclaimed, scrutinizing every inch of the front gate which read Alford University of Clairmont since 1943.

"What should we do Mrs Park?" They heard Namjoon shout from the truck that was following right behind.

"Oh, I forgot they were tailing" Jen chuckled and pushed her head out her window. "You boys stay here for now, Jiminie needs to pick up his room key" she explained while her son unbuckled his seatbelt.

"I'll be back" he quickly said before hoping down the car and heading towards the fancy administrative building. 

"Do you think we have time to play a quick basketball game" Yoongi wondered out loud.

"I'm in" Tae joined. 

"My outfit is too good to sweat in it" Hoseok shook his head.

"Hobi nobody is gonna fall for you today anyway" Yoongi rolled his eyes.

"You said my outfit was fire back at the house though" he frowned.

"That does not mean people are gonna be at your feet, relax and play basketball with me" Yoongi rolled his eyes. 

"Only if I'm on Jungkook's team" he huffed.

"Then against me I guess" Yoongi mumbled. 

"I wanna see the pool" Taehyung piped in.

"Why are you guys acting like you don't have these things in Bayman" Jen chuckled.

"I don't know about them but I definitely don't have these things yet" Taehyung shrugged.

"Don't worry TaeTae I'll bring you with me whenever I'm visiting" Jen smiled, ruffling his hair slightly as he grinned, the scene making the two boys in the back share amused looks.

"I'm back! The guy handing the keys was so nice, he asked where I was from and if I had anybody to help me out, he even suggested to show me around later today" Jimin smiled as he put the envelope in the cup holder.

"Very nice indeed" Yoongi snickered and Jimin did nothing but ignore him. 

"That's great baby, I knew you'd make friends in no time"

"You never believed in my ability to socialize"he deadpanned.

"That was before, Jiminie..." she groaned. 

Jen took the car to one of the nearest dorm parking lots and told Namjoon to park the truck at the entrance of the building. They soon started taking everything inside, and little by little Jimin's new room was filling with bags and boxes. 

"Why do you have so many thing Chim, we're six and still couldn't carry everything in one go" Jin complained. 

"I know, it's my mom" he smiled bashfully.

"Boys how about we start setting up before going to get the rest, we won't have space to move around if we bring anything more right now" his mother suggested, grouping them all in the center of the room and starting to open the baggage. 

Like that, they had spent one hour unpacking the things they carried up. Jimin was in the middle of hanging his shirts and coats when they heard a knock on the door and someone stepping in with a large box in their tattooed arms. 

"Hi everyone, hi Jen, I'm sorry I'm late" he announced himself before settling what seemed to be the last box on the ground. 

"Hi Jungkookie, that's okay" she smiled, "If you could be a sweetheart and unpack that box you carried" she asked. She was aware of what happened between him and her son, and as much as she wants to be petty and overprotective, she couldn't treat Jungkook any different just because of a teenage heartbreak. He was a good kid, she's sure he wouldn't hurt Jimin on purpose.

"Of course" he said and immediately did as told, dipping his head down and carefully taking the books out. It was Jimin's book collection and study material, it must've been heavy, the freshman wondered from where he stood, subtly stealing glances at the older. 

"Where do you want these Chim" Jungkook suddenly asked, almost catching him staring if not for the fortunate timing he adverted his gaze in. 

"Oh, just on the desk is fine, I'll take care of them later" he meekly responded. 

"Sure"

How am I gonna get through the day... Jimin thought to himself. 

Soon enough, they were all finished with their tasks. The room was clean and sorted out, the boys were exhausted, and Jen was satisfied. They were each resting somewhere when Jen clapped her hands in all enthusiasm.

"Alright, time to explore the campus!" she said as she grabbed her purse again.

"Mom give us a second" Jimin whined.

"Come on Jiminie, you gotta go get the guy who said he'll show you around" she dragged him up and start walking towards the door.

"What guy" Namjoon asked, since him and Jin --and Jungkook-- weren't there for the exchange. 

"Probably some thirsty senior tryna impress him" Yoongi scoffed quietly for the three upperclassmen to hear. 

They all went back to the initial building, where Jimin emerged accompanied by a young man with a badge around his neck. Student Resident Assistant it said.

"Hello everyone!" he greeted the group, "Wow you do have a lot of people with you, how lucky" the Alford student smiled, shaking hands with the mother and nodding courteously to the rest.

"I'm Seojoon, one of the resident assistants this year" he introduced himself. 

"I'm Jenah, Jimin's mother nice to meet you" she replied, "These are his friends, they wanted to see him off" she informed.

"Of course, I will assume none of you are Alford students?" he said addressing the boys, sounding more like a question in case he was wrong.

"You'd be right" Jimin replied politely.

"Very well, we can start our tour. How abut we visit the sports complex first since it's the closest from here" he suggested and started walking with Jimin by his side, the others following behind like children on a school trip. The sight was comical. 

They walked around the area, Seojoon showed them the gym and different courts, occasionally asking if any of them played those sports, to which Yoongi very excitedly replied yes for basketball. 

"Is that so?" Seojoon asked in amusement.

"Yeah Jungkook and I are the best, okay Jimin's also decent" he nodded, pointing at the tallest to indicate who Jungkook was. 

"Cockiness does not make you any more likeable Yoongi" Hoseok rolled his eyes.

Speaking of, Jungkook had been very silent so far, not saying much and only following the rest of them. He didn't have much to contribute with and to be very honest, he didn't care to. He was busy watching Jimin's excited eyes as they looked around the place, sometimes tuning in to his short conversations with Seojoon from where they walked ahead.

"Wanna play a game today? The courts are closed but there's no practice at this time" the assistant suggested, hooking Yoongi right in. 

"Seojoon you're a real one, if you ever come to Bayman let me know, I got you" he said, bumping his fist shortly as the other chuckled. 

"Yoongi you're a freshman in Bayman what are you gonna do" Hoseok laughed. 

"How come I'm a freshman and have more connections than you idiot" yoongi sighed.

"That's... not true" Hobi scoffed. 

"Who's tryna be on my team" Yoongi ignored him.

"Boys, can't you do this later? Let's finish the tour first" Jen said.

"I'll be continuing the tour with Seojoon and mom, you guys can go ahead and start the game" Jimin said and Taehyung jogged a little his way.

"I wanna do the tour too" he said, ignoring Yoongi's complaints about being an uneven number.

"Great point Yoongs, I'll go with them too" Jin announced, "I never liked this sport anyway" he mumbled.

Somewhere in the back of Jimin's mind, he hoped Jungkook would also give up the game for now, but what would be the point, just so he follows them around in silence? 

The college boy had turned around swiftly while he was still staring at the back of his head, and made brief eye-contact with Jimin before breaking it again to catch the ball flying his way. 

When Jungkook looked back at him, he was already walking out of the court alongside Seojoon, politely smiling over something he said. The tattooed boy looked down as he dribbled and sighed, shooting the ball and walking to the bench.

"Kook? You not playing or what?" Yoongi said from the other side.

"You carry on, I'll join in a bit" he replied, leaning with his elbows on his knees.

"What's up man, you good?" Namjoon asked, taking a seat next to him and positioning himself the same way.

"Yeah" 

"If you don't wanna play it's alright, Yoongi will get over it" he chuckled, "You can finish the tour" he added.

"To watch some senior flirt with Jimin? No thanks" he huffed.

"He wasn't flirting"

"You and I both know he was"

"Maybe he was but Jimin isn't about it... Kid is just tryna make friends" Namjoon countered.

"I don't even know why I'm thinking about this, it's not like I can do anything even if Jimin was into him... Don't mind me I'm just being irrational" he shook his head.

"Listen, it's been about two months since you two last saw each other. It's normal to miss him at least a little" the best friend comforted.

"Yeah... I can't believe it's been that long already" Jungkook sighed, "You know, I went to that party, but I didn't have the balls to talk to him" he admitted.

"The frat party two weeks ago? You were there?"

"Yeah, got shitfaced and left, didn't feel like socializing really. You think he saw me?" 

"I don't think any of us did, or we would have mentioned you being there. You could've avoided Jin's tantrum had you just said hello" Namjoon snorted.

"Jin nags at me too much anyway, I learned to live with it" Jungkook chuckled.

"Guys, I wanna play this game today" Yoongi complained after his 11th win against Hoseok.

"Yeah I think I'm tired already" Hobi panted.

"Hobi what? I need you on the team" The freshman slumped his shoulders in defeat.

"I'm not even good, I'll just slow you down Yoongs" the older smiled in embarrassment.

"It's fine Hobi, you know I can't take both on my own" he tried again.

"I'll bench with Hobi" Namjoon announced, "Have your one-v-one with Jungkook finally so you can stop crying about it" he taunted.

"I never cried about it" Yoongi narrowed his eyes.

"When will I finally play against Kook without you noobs being in my way... Where is Jungkook, if only we could play a game right now" Namjoon mimicked, earning a basketball in the leg. 

"I never cried about it I said" Yoongi insisted, ignoring Jungkook's fond laugh in the back.

A little further in the campus, Jimin and his mother were visiting all the premises, the library, the game rooms, the cafeteria and such. Taehyung took some pictures and already started planning his last year of high school around getting admitted in Alford. 

"Sorry to say this Tae but you have too many blemishes on your academic record" Jin sighed dramatically.

"What? I might have gotten suspended a couple times but it's not like I'm the worst student ever" he whined.

"It's okay Tae just try to do your very best this year" Jimin reassured.

"You're a little trouble-maker in high school?" Seojoon piped in, addressing Taehyung directly for the first time.

"Kinda yeah" he replied.

"Don't worry too much, I was just like you, yet here I am" he replied gesturing to himself.

"You were?" Jimin asked as they resumed walking around one of the gardens.

"Yeah I used to stress my parents out so much, they were worried I would get expelled" the taller nodded bashfully. "You however, rather strike me as the smart hardworking boy in class, not the obnoxious kind of course" he added, with a raised eyebrow and a sly smile.

"Maybe" Jimin simply replied.

---

"We're circling back to the Gymnasium, how about we check on your friends?" Seojoon announced, opening the door for the others.

"Come on Kook! Give me all you got" Yoongi challenged. The two boys were sweating, Yoongi's top was long discarded and Jungkook's Tshirt was half over his shoulder, as if he was beginning to take it off and stopped midway, displaying his tatted arm and pectoral. 

He was panting in exertion, some wet hair strands sticking to his forehead before he pushed them back. He chuckled in amusement, the breathiness of his voice echoing in the large area. 

"Are you sure Yoongs? You couldn't handle my 70% already" he teased. Not giving him time to respond, he started dribbling forward, applying some tricks to confuse the shorter and finally causing him to stumble to the side reaching for the ball. 

The college boy snorted mockingly and continued with as much intensity into a layup and dunked the ball in the net. He held onto the ring for a few seconds before sticking his landing on his two feet. 

He heard Namjoon and Hoseok whistle, as well as excited claps from the other end of the room where Jen stood. Typical mom behavior, it was adorable. Taehyung came running to get the ball while Jin joined the other two on the bench. Jimin stayed standing by Seojoon, staring with impressed expressions on their faces. 

And maybe then, Jungkook hoped Jimin would congratulate him the same way he usually did, sometimes it was a double high-five, others it was a side hug.

"Your friend has some crazy skills" Seojoon nodded to himself, shifting Jimin's attention from the two boys, "Jungkook was it?" he asked.

"Uh yes, Jungkook" he confirmed.

"Is he on a team?"

"No actually... Do you play basketball?"

"No no I just watch our university's games... I'm on the track team" he corrected.

"Oh fun, I don't enjoy a lot of running myself but I get the appeal" Jimin continued chit-chatting until someone interrupted them. 

"Chim! Do you... Sorry hi I'm Jungkook" he officially introduced himself to the stranger first, switching the ball to the other hand so he could fist-bump him, "Do you wanna play a quick game before we leave?" he went back to Jimin.

"Me? I uh... " he hesitated, interrupted by the Alford upperclassman.

"Nice to meet you Jungkook, did you ever consider joining your college team? I think you will for sure make it" Seojoon praised. 

"I was actually, then I fractured my ankle, didn't play for a while and just moved on overall, now I do it for fun" Jungkook informed.

"I hope it wasn't anything too bad"

"Just a little car crash"

"Glad you're okay now man"

"Wait how come I don't know about this" Jimin said after he watched the exchange between them. 

"It just never came up cupcake" Jungkook casually replied.

Was it the look in Jimin's eyes, or the surprised expression on Seojoon's face that indicated he slipped up. Surely, it didn't take long for him to purse his lips in a combination of apology and guilt.

"Seojoon do you know where the bathroom is in this gymnasium" Jen spoke up at the perfect time, saving him from this new awkward tension in the air. 

"Sure I'll walk you" he announced and excused himself, leaving the two boys standing together in the same silence that instilled.

"Sorry it just slipped I promi-" Jungkook began.

"It's- it's okay don't apologize about it" Jimin mumbled, "If anything I should be saying sorry" he said, his heart beating fast at the topic he was about to mention.

"What why?"

"You know... At the party I-"

"So you did see me at the party" Jungkook sighed.

"What do you mean"

"I know I left without saying hi but I just didn't want us talking for the first time in so long to be when I was wasted" Jungkook explained, looking away at the others as he spoke, not able to make eye-contact or else he would've seen Jimin's perplexed expression.

"So you... went to the party and hung out with the boys and that's it?" Jimin asked experimentally.

"No I didn't talk to anybody... At least not them because they didn't know" he shook his head, "To be honest I don't even know how I ended up in the next frat house over, that's how drunk I was" he chuckled bashfully.

"I see" Jimin simply replied, wrapping his mind over the fact that Jungkook didn't remember what happened between them. 

He was too drunk to remember me, yet he still thought about her the whole time. Jimin silently reflected. 

"I hope you enjoyed it though" Jungkook added, "So that game?"

"I'm tired actually" Jimin did not hesitate this time, "I've been moving and walking all day" he added.

"Oh" if Jungkook didn't sound disappointed he sure was, "Of course, another time then" he smiled, bouncing the ball by his legs as he watched Jimin walk away towards Taehyung. 

---

"Jimin! How was your move-in day?" Ryujin's voice said as she skipped over excitedly.

"It was good, everyone just left about an hour ago" he nodded.

"Yeah Tae texted me to meet up but I was too busy with my parents" she sighed.

"I'm glad I don't have to be alone for the rest of the day"

"You're not gonna be alone for the rest of college Chim" she shook her head, "Ready for an amazing freshman year?" she asked enthusiastically.

"Yeah, I'm ready" he smiled.

---

An amazing freshman year it was. 

With its stressful moments, tiring exams, exciting events, and well-deserved breaks. Ever since classes started everyone was so busy with their own schedules. The senior boys were unable to make as much time for group hangouts as usual, so he only met Yoongi and Tae mostly. They either hung out in Clairmont with Ryujin or back in Bluewood when Jimin visited his mom.

The first time they met all together was during his mom's birthday weekend which he celebrated with her back home. What Jimin thought was going to be an awkward get-together ended up being quite fun, reminding him of the very first times they hung out last year. They had more to talk about and new stories to tell. 

"And then we all went rushing into the exam, fresh out of a 2 hours drive, we barely made it I'll tell you right now" Yoongi laughed.

"I wish I could still take random trips whenever I want" Namjoon sighed.

"You had your share" Hoseok smiled.

"You boys are being reckless... Jimin would never do this, right Jiminie?" Jen said with a warning look.

"Don't worry mom" he sighed.

"You should've invited Ryujin by the way, I hope she wasn't left alone" she remembered, slicing one more piece of cake for Taehyung.

"I doubt that, she's very sociable so she has so many friends already" he reassured.

"And you stayed faithful to your good old group huh?" Jungkook said from where he sat, the first time addressing him personally since he arrived with the others.

They rarely interacted since the move-in day, mainly because they got caught up with their schoolwork and such, but even in the group chat, Jimin would always avoid replying directly to something he said. 

"Yeah, they wouldn't compare" Jimin nodded.

"Sap" Taehyung scoffed.

"Don't boo him, he's right. Nobody compares to me" Jin agreed, triggering their laughter.

"Or me" Jeon added with a smug look, catching Jimin off guard.

What does he mean by that, is it because of what happened? Since when is it fine to talk about that so openly? I don't understand, is he- 

"No you're not that great" Jin disagreed, pulling him out of his thoughts.

"Look at me and tell me anybody else's first impressions would hit as hard as uptight smoker" Jungkook challenged.

Right. Jungkook wouldn't bring up something so touchy just to make conversation, he's not so inconsiderate. I should stop overthinking and take things for what they are. He's obviously trying to bring our friendship back to the way it was and maybe I should help. He thought to himself with newly found confidence.

Then came the winter break, which Jimin celebrated with Jungkook's and Taehyung's parent just like last year, he believes it would become tradition eventually. They had a Christmas dinner full of homemade cookies, and Jungkook may not have participated in the making, but he sure ate his share.

Jimin began noticing that his relationship with Jungkook had slowly started mending itself, healing from the heartbreak and going back to its innocent and fun nature. Or rather, he started healing.

What seemed to be impossible just a few months ago was becoming easier the more time went by. Did he lose feelings for Jungkook? He cannot lie and say he did, they were still lingering only not so painful anymore.

In fact, every time he sees the older boy and interacts with him, he feels like a forgotten flame ignites within. His mind still held onto something nebulous, and he wondered if he even could one day put that spark out.

"Jeon what is wrong with you" Jimin complained when the taller began messing with his hair as he usually did.

"This is what you get for ignoring me" he shrugged.

"Maybe I was busy winning this game, no?" Jimin rolled his eyes, putting the controller down and turning to give the taller his undivided attention. "What" he deadpanned.

"What's the plan for New Year's" Jungkook asked.

"I don't know, a party?" Jimin said as he scooted further to let Taehyung play a round. 

"Maybe we should do something else this year, getting blackout drunk seems like a waste of time given the circumstances" Jungkook suggested and Tae agreed.

"Yeah we don't see each other that much, I wanna spend a memorable New Year's eve with you all" he replied, keeping his back turned to them.

"Alright then, maybe we could go to my old town, their celebrations are fancier than Bluewood's" Jimin said with raised eyebrows.

"What will we do there?" Jungkook asked.

"I'm not gonna think of everything, am I" Jimin rolled his eyes.

"Let's eat, walk around, then watch the fireworks. And when we come back we can crash here or at my house depending where our parents will gather" Taehyung replied, saving them the effort.

"Sounds chill, I like it" Jungkook nodded.

That was exactly what happened. They had a filling dinner, walked down the decorated streets and bought a few things as souvenirs while waiting for the midnight countdown. 

"For you" Hoseok said, turning to Yoongi while holding a little snow globe with a sleeping cat inside. 

"Why" the younger replied, keeping a poker face despite the obvious redness on his cheeks and nose. 

"Just take it Yoongi" Hoseok rolled his eyes.

"Who put Yoongi in the snow globe" Namjoon loudly joked as he swung an arm around his brother's shoulder.

"Right?" Hoseok chuckled.

On the other side of the road, Taehyung and Jin fought over who was going to get the last corndog in the takeout box.

"You ate more than half I'll have you know" Taehyung argued.

"Of course, I bought them" Jin shrugged.

"But you bought them for me!"

"Well, they were better than I anticipated" Jin laughed, giving in when Tae looked like he was about to cry. "Fine you can have it, I'm full anyway" he sighed. 

As for Jimin and Jungkook, they were a bit further ahead than the rest since they never stopped at any stores, arguing as per usual. 

"Jimin I don't wanna talk about this with you" Jungkook rolled his eyes. 

"Well I do" Jimin furrowed his eyebrows.

"I literally don't know, nor give a fuck about who did what on The Witcher Chim. You're spending too much time with Ryujin..." The taller almost shouted in exasperation. Jimin had been telling him about this TV series for about 15 minutes and he hasn't registered one word he was saying. 

"Maybe you should watch it. Maybe then we'll have something to talk about" Jimin huffed.

"I can think of a thing or two right now" Jungkook countered.

"Go ahead then" the other incited. 

"How have you been?" the other simply asked. "Just how has everything been for you" he added, "Whenever we hang out we would all get roped up in specific conversations and I never get to ask" 

"Oh, I've been okay Kook" Jimin smiled, "My classes were fine, I actually joined an urban dance club" he informed, skipping a few steps ahead to show him his full body wave. 

"Wow look at you, slowly making your way to the cool kids circle" Jungkook giggled. 

"I've been in the circle for a while now excuse you" he disagreed, "Do you know how to do that?" he challenged with a triumphant look on his face, which slowly melted once Jungkook replicated his dance move. Granted, it wasn't as good but it definitely wasn't as bad as he thought it would be.

"Seriously what can you not do for a change" he huffed. 

"Decorate cookies" the other scoffed, remembering last year's attempt very clearly. 

"It's a shame you didn't help mom this year again" Jimin said.

"I think I did her a favor" he chuckled.

Soon, they all gathered back into one group and stood a the square where the fireworks were to be launched. It was full of people, families, couples. The energy was immaculate, the sounds of laughter and celebratory whistles were all around them right before the countdown started. 

"Nine" they screamed along the crowd. 

Yoongi scooted closer to Hoseok under pretext that Taehyung was too loud in his ear, Jin was shouting whichever number they were at when he wasn't busy chewing his fries, and Namjoon accidentally shouted "Merry Christmas" at the end of the count.

"You're an embarrassment" Yoongi cringed at his older brother. 

Behind all that were the other two boys watching the fireworks with bright smiles on their faces. Jimin took his phone out and started recording a video for his mom, shouting "I love you" and hoping it was loud enough. Then he turned the camera and included Jungkook in shot, call it habit.

"Wow that was amazing" Jimin said when the noise reduced considerably.

"May this year be better than the last" Jungkook wished, meeting eyes with the freshman for a moment. 

"Amen to that" he replied.

---

Suga
Spring break pussiessssss

Hobi
Here he goes again
Not everyone is a freshman here

Suga
What now
Your seniorness can't make time for spring break?
During which college literally stops?

RM
College stops but they make sure you have enough work to keep you busy
You wouldn't know yet

Suga
Come on spring break is sacred you can't just skip it

TeaTae
Not even a couple days?

Hobi
I guess my thesis can wait for a couple days

Suga
Where's @Chim

Jin
Nerds
Studying on spring break?
Couldn't be me

RM
How's your thesis going Jin?

Jin
Shut up I'm gonna cry

RM
Exactly

Jin
Still though I can't keep going like this I need that break

Hobi
As I said we can get a couple days off
Kook is doing his final project with a company tho...Idk if he can 

Chim
What's up 

Suga
When are you going back home for the break

Chim
Sunday ig

TaeTae
Why Sunday? You can't come earlier?

Hobi
We can drive down Friday and stay for the weekend

Chim
I have plans on Saturday

TaeTae
With who
Ryujin is skipping classes starting Thursday

Jeon009
I don't have a break guys

Chim
I kinda have a date

RM
You can't ask for a few days off? You don't even work there @Jeon009

TaeTae
Ooooo a daaaaate
Who is it

Jeon009
I need all the time I can get to finish my project

Jin
Sucks to be you ngl

Jeon009
I agree

Suga
Wait who's the date?

Hobi
If it's a girl it gotta be that redhead from when we visited last semester

Chim
It's not a girl

Hobi
I'm out of guesses
Lmao Kevin

RM
Lol I saw him the other day 
Throwing up at the back of a random house

Jin
He loves to party

TaeTae
At least his spring break is gonna be lit

Suga
I haven't been on a date with anybody in this uni so far
It's kinda weird 

Hobi
Not really you're kind of a one-and-done type of guy lately

Suga
I guess I just miss it a little 
So? @Chim 

Chim
Yall remember Seojoon?

Suga
Seojoon my man of course I do

Jin
Who?

RM
The resident assistant from the move-in day

Hobi
lmao I salute his tenacity 

TaeTae
I remember him he was nice 
He motivated me to do better this year

Hobi
And are you?

TaeTae
Straight A's last semester 

Rm
Wow excellent job kid

Jeon009
All the times I did the same and you just ignored me...
I'm kinda hurt 

Chim
You?
If anything you encouraged him to make trouble 💀

Jeon009
Untrue
I'm a model student and a model cousin 😇

TaeTae
To be fair I was mainly doing the opposite of what Kook said for a while to piss him off

Jeon099
@Chim see? You have no faith in me

Chim
Cry about it 😘

Jeon009
Such a big boy now
You think Seojoon's gonna protect you? 🥺

Chim
Oh please I can deal with you myself 

Jin
Seojoon can probably take him on a fight

Suga
Nah I bet on Kook

RM
Me too ^

Hobi
So much violence 

Jeon009
I would win
Just saying

Chim
I  agree

Jeon009
I expected you to be a hater..
Suspicious...

Chim
I heard enough about you tbh

RM
Those stories were a long time ago 
He's gone soft now

Jeon009
??

Suga
Joon shut up he would fold you

TaeTae
Yall blind? 
Joon is definitely stronger 

Jin
But Kook is taller

RM
I'm not gonna fight him I just said he's not that hot headed anymore

Jeon009
It's true that I haven't been in a fight in years

Chim
So what do we do about spring break

Suga
Right we digress
Ig you can't do before Sunday
So why not make plans starting Monday

Jin
I'm down

Hobi
Yeah I'll do what I gotta do before Monday then

RM
I can make it too

Jeon009
Sorry guys...
Let's keep in touch tho
Enjoy your date kid

Chim
Don't fantasize about fighting Seojoon too much

Jeon009
Me? Never 
*puts down the boxing gloves*

Chim
Shut up 😂💀

Jeon009
Send pictures 

Suga
Why would you want pics of his date... Creep

Jeon009
I meant from spring break dumbass 

Suga
Ah my bad

The boys spent a few days at a beach down South of the country, since it was getting warm enough. Jin's uncle owned a house there and gave them the keys, and they ended up having a very nice time without constantly partying. Well... Their sober hours were few, but they tried.

"We never asked, how was your date?" Hoseok said when they sat down for breakfast. He was holding his head in his hands, slowly rubbing his temples while the rest were silently staring at the cups of water or juice they filled for themselves.

"What date" Jimin paused, "Oh" he remembered. "Sweet" he replied.

"That's it?" Yoongi asked, "It must've sucked" 

"Not at all, it was nice actually. Seojoon had a lot to say so it never became awkward, I was comfortable, he took me to a nice little restaurant he found in his junior year and we had very good Japanese food... Then we went to a local bar-"

"Trying to get you drunk on the first date?" Taehyung said.

"No we mainly went there for the terrace, we sat around a couple beers and talked until late" he explained, scooping a spoonful of his cereal.

"And?" Yoongi asked again, his expectation not quite met, whatever they were.

"And what? And nothing. That's it, it was a nice date and I enjoyed it" Jimin simply replied.

"Is there a chance for a second one?" Namjoon piped in.

"Maybe... Who knows" he shrugged.

"Doesn't sound like it" Jin pointed out.

"What do want me to say guys, do you want me to jump in enthusiasm for you to believe I liked it? I'm just hungover I promise" he chuckled.

"What are we doing today? It's our last day here" Namjoon reminded. They had to pack and leave a bit later in the evening so that the seniors could go back to campus and work on their things. 

"No drinking obviously" Yoongi scoffed.

"How about we cook our lunch together, then take one last swim in the ocean before hitting the road" he suggested.

"Sounds like a plan, but right now, I need to recover" Hobi huffed.

"Yeah take your naps or whatever, let's meet in the kitchen in a couple hours" Jin agreed.

The cooking was very hard for the skilled among them, because of the constant distractions the useless ones created. Jimin wished someone told him why Taehyung was playing with the skillet as a ping pong racket, and used actual grapes as the ball.

"Quit that Tae" he warned, "And pick up all the grapes from the sink"

"You said to wash them" he complained.

"Jeon what's wrong with your cousin" he said, looking at the screen of his phone. 

They were video-calling while preparing the meal since it was Jungkook's lunch break, the phone was passed to each one of them for a bit and ended back into Jimin's hands.

"Relax Chim, the job is gonna get done eventually" he chuckled.

"Easy for you to say when you're not doing this much effort on a hangover" he grumbled.

"Who said I wasn't hungover" the older scoffed, making him raise his eyebrows in surprise.

"No way you're partying and working all at once" he said, unconvinced.

"Okay I didn't drink last night but I did the night before" he admitted, "I wasn't very productive though" he added.

"Is your project going well at least" he asked, leaning with his elbow on the counter and resting his chin on his hand, while looking at the other pick some pasta with his fork.

"It's alright I'll be honest, I just underestimated it" Jungkook scrunched his nose.

"Good luck" Jimin smiled in response.

"Thanks" he mirrored it.

"Jimin enough talking, we want to eat this today" Jin scolded from the other counter.

"Gotta go" he rubbed his forehead with an apologetic expression on his face.

"Okay then" he nodded.

"Bye"

"Later." 

---

Jin
I am going insane

RM
You and me both
We should've formed a team

Hobi
At least you had the option 😭

TaeTae
I'm tired of studying too

Suga
Ngl guys my finals are gonna be pretty easy so I'm chilling

Hobi
ALRIGHT NOW FRESHMAN

Chim
lol

Suga
Okay okay 
Good luck everyone

RM
Any of you talk to Jungkook?

Jin
Nah

Hobi
Once last week

Chim
Not since the break pretty much

TaeTae 
Same ^

Suga
Yeah a few days ago
He's not having it any better 

RM
Apparently he's almost done 

Jin
Lucky for him

Hobi
When will that be me...

"Hey Jimin" someone greeted, making him look up from his phone.

"Seojoon how are you?" he smiled.

"Doing my best" he shrugged.

"Yeah I was just talking to my senior friends and they're on the same boat. Have a seat" he invited to his library table.

"Thanks" he nodded, "I just wanted to check on you, we didn't have the chance to see each other since the date" he reminded. 

"Yeah... We got busy pretty quick" Jimin smiled.

"I was hoping you'd want to meet again..." 

Seojoon wasn't a bad guy, he was in fact the best of those who tried hitting on Jimin this year. He was respectful and attractive, never too pushy or clingy, maybe the perfect crush. 

"I assumed you wouldn't have time" he lied.

"Listen I'm not saying this to pressure you, if you're not feeling it that's fine... But if you're just nervous, I want you to know that I'll make time for you if you want" Seojoon asserted. 

"You know, I genuinely enjoyed our first date" Jimin started, he liked to be honest about his feelings but sometimes he needed to understand them before speaking about them. "But I needed time to think"

"I understand, and have you thought?" he politely chuckled.

"Yes" Jimin nodded, Seojoon's expectant gaze following his own. "Maybe we could try a second one" he added.

"It would be my pleasure" the boy smiled, "Let me know what time would be best for you, considering exams and everything" 

"I will" he mirrored it.

"Alright, I'll run back to my table now, good luck with everything" the taller pursed his lips standing up.

"You too Seojoon" he waved.

A second date with the track athlete doesn't seem like a bad idea surely, many boys and girls would love to be in Jimin's place. He was popular and appreciated in the student community, so what was it that held Jimin back so much...

"Yes mom the exam went well" he excitedly spoke through the speaker, busy picking out his outfit for the night.

"That's great Jimini! You're done with your first year now, time sure flies fast" she beamed. 

"It's crazy, but things are just gonna get heated. Next year I have some Biomed core courses and some more math" he sighed, not excited about the workload he'll have to face. 

"You'll get through it" she reassured confidently, "What are you doing now that the semester is over. Packing?"

"Yup, I'm halfway done"

"You should see your Alford friends before everybody leaves for the summer break, don't spend all your time in the room"

"Yeah, I'm actually going out tonight"

"Really, with whom?"

"Seojoon"

"Hmm... Where?" she hummed, but her tone was suggestive enough for Jimin to roll his eyes.

"He's celebrating his graduation and invited me along with his friends" he replied, waiting for her reaction.

"Oh, have fun then" she curtly said, seeming disappointed. 

In reality, her imagination wasn't too far from reality. The graduation celebrations were not tonight but in a couple weeks, after the graduation ceremony, but he didn't want his mom knowing about the date to avoid any questions. 

He looked at himself in the mirror one last time, deciding to tuck his black T-shirt into his slacks, untucking it again, then removing it altogether. He hadn't stressed about his appearance this much since-

He chose an off-white T-shirt instead.

"Hey" Seojoon greeted.

"Hi" Jimin smiled back.

"Shall we?" he asked, offering his arm to take like a gentleman.

"Let's go" he nodded, hooking his hand around the taller's upper-arm. They leisurely walked to their first destination, talking about random things to pass time.

"I like Hermione and Ron"

"I think they have about zero chemistry in the movies. Hermione and Harry did a better job and they were just friends. Do you remember that little dance scene in the Deathly Hollows part 1? Not a word was said and yet... Incomparable" Jimin disagreed, diligently defending his opinion.

"You know what, maybe you're right... Maybe I just liked Ron's character so I wanted him to have someone in the end" he responded.

"What?"

"What."

"So you agree with me?"

"I get your point of view yes"

"Oh" Jimin nodded to himself. "Cool then"

Soon enough they made it to their first activity, which Jimin suggested since he'd heard his friends talk about it, Mini golf. They entered the place full of anticipation over enjoying a fun game together, most of the excitement coming from Jimin's competitive nature.

"Maybe you shouldn't have agreed to this after all, I might hurt your feelings by absolutely smashing you at this game" Jimin confidently bragged, ready to win.

"Maybe I would like you to smash me indeed" the taller joked with a smirk, making him snort.

"You can make dirty jokes too look at this..." Jimin laughed, nudging him slightly. "Alright, the first few levels are easy but I suspect it's where you build a lead" he assessed, holding his club in hand, "Don't expect me to go easy on you" he warned. 

"Have a blast" Seojoon encouraged.

After a few rounds, Jimin was ahead with his score but the difference wasn't too big. He still had to fight for the first spot or he would--god forbid--lose.  

"Yes!" he exclaimed, "What are you gonna do now Seojoon? Cry?" he taunted. A childish habit he will never get rid of. 

"I didn't know you loved to gloat so much" Seojoon chuckled at him.

"Well I won" he reminded.

"I know, I am happy you did" the senior confirmed, seeming genuine about it too.

"Huh?" Jimin cocked an eyebrow. It had been so long since he was up against someone who wasn't a sore loser, all his friends were, and himself worst of all. I only ever played Mini golf against Jeon and he beat me every time, so I thought I would enjoy this feeling much more... It's not the same.

"You're too sweet" he gave a small smile.

"Now come on, I'm starving let's go have something to eat" Seojoon beamed.

Their next stop was the hotdog stand by the Baseball arena, it was the best in town and the usual line was enough proof. Luckily, since many students had already left, the wait wasn't too long. They sat at the park with their take-out, resting at a bench by the pond and enjoying the food with some music in the background.

Jimin's sweet tooth however suddenly awakened, forcing them to grab desert as well. Seojoon wasn't against some ice cream either,  choosing chocolate mint and getting a surprised stare from his date. 

"Chocomint is actually elite" the senior pointed out and he nodded in agreement. For once he didn't have to defend the flavor. Jeon would've gagged at the mere thought...

"What are your plans for the summer?" Seojoon asked when they walked their way back to campus.

"I don't know... I'll probably be around my friends for most of it" Jimin replied.

"The friends who came with you the first day" 

"Yup, you remember them?"

"I remember Yoongi, we react to each other's snapchat stories sometimes" he confirmed, "But I see the others in his videos every now and then"

"Yeah, I hope we make up for the time we didn't see each other this year" he said thoughtfully.

"There was one friend of yours... He had tattoos and played basketball" Seojoon mentioned, catching his attention.

"Jungkook?" he asked with a raised eyebrow. Why would he mention him suddenly?

"I presume. Jeon009, he added me on snapchat"

"He did?" Jimin asked, halting in his steps. Why would Jungkook do that...

"Yeah but we never talked so I don't know much about him" he shrugged, continuing to walk.

"What about you, what will you be doing this summer?" he switched topics, not particularly wanting to think of the tattooed boy again.

"Finding a job" he chuckled, "It's time for that adult life, whether I like it or not" he sighed.

"It must be stressful" Jimin pursed his lips.

"Not really, I have a clear picture in mind, I just need to start sending my applications and hopefully they'll take me" he replied, determination clear in his words.

"I'm sure they will, you're a remarkable student" Jimin smiled, bringing his hand up to squeeze Seojoon's strong shoulder. 

A few minutes later, they were standing a few feet away from Jimin's dorm building, ready to conclude this nice date. Jimin stood facing the taller, a soft smile on his face after they chuckled at each other's awkwardness.

"Thank you for tonight Seojoon" he said.

"No thank you for coming, I'm glad you enjoyed yourself. Maybe next time I'll beat you at something else" he replied.

"You think you can win?" Jimin raised his eyebrows, ignoring the older's third date insinuation.

"You're just lucky I wouldn't pick a race as a date activity" the other said.

"I might beat you at that too you know? I'm not slow at all"

"You really won't back down in front of anything" Seojoon clicked his tongue, looking into his eyes.

"Not a chance" Jimin shook his head defyingly.

"Nothing at all?" the taller said, inching his head closer intimidatingly.

"Yeah" he hummed, suddenly nervous.

"Are you sure" Seojoon repeated, trailing his eyes down to Jimin's lips and lingering for a second, then going back up. He noted Jimin's flustered look and licked his bottom lip.

"Mhm" the shorter replied before their lips met. His hands clutched around the fabric of his T-shirt and Seojoon's found their way to his hips, holding him in place as they kissed goodbye.  

I love you.

Jimin was first to break the kiss, gently pushing the senior away and taking a look at his dazed expression. Why did he remember that, was it just the kiss? Did it trigger the memories he'd buried for a while?

"I'm sorry" Seojoon said after seeing his date's troubled expression.

"No- It's not you" Jimin stammered. I'm doing to him what Jungkook did to me, kissing him while thinking of someone else. He doesn't deserve this, Jimin thought to himself.

"I shouldn't have done that, it's just the second date after all" the track athlete rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment, but no reassuring words came. Jimin just stood silently, seeming conflicted.

"Have a good night, Jimin" he last said as he got the memo, before turning and walking away.

Seojune
I hope I didn't ruin anything
If I did I'm sorry

Me
It's my fault |
No it's not your fault |
You didn't ruin anything |
I don't know why I thought of Jeon |

Those were all things he typed but never sent, how could he. He spent the night running his mind over what happened and if he should feel so guilty. Surely he's moved on from Jungkook, at least enough to date someone else, no?

Most importantly, a few hours into the night it all made sense. Why Jungkook stayed and why he left, what he felt and what he said that day, he understands it a bit clearer now. Jimin couldn't help but compare Seojoon to Jungkook in both dates, get reminded of memories he shared with the tattooed boy every now and then, when the Alford senior likely gave him his undivided attention.

They were opposites in some ways, but instead of appreciating that for what it is, Jimin was frequently thinking what Jungkook would have said or done in that situation instead.

Me
You didn't ruin anything
I just realized that I wasn't totally over someone else
And I can't be in a relationship with you because of it
I really enjoyed our dates Seojoon but I think that's as far as it goes for me
I hope you enjoy your summer and good luck with everything

---

An entire year has passed...

What do you guys think about this chapter?

-Aida-