Jimin felt a surge of excitement as he glanced at Jungkook sitting beside him in the car. Tonight was special, a chance for his friends to finally meet the person who had captured his heart.

As they pulled up to the bustling restaurant, Jimin reached over, giving Jungkook’s hand a reassuring squeeze.

The younger had been bouncing his leg anxiously the entire drive to the restaurant. At the comforting touch, he shifted his gaze to meet Jimin's.

"Don’t worry," Jimin said, flashing his trademark smile that could melt glaciers. "They’re going to love you."

Jungkook smiled back, though his nerves were evident. He had always been shy, preferring the comfort of familiar settings and close friends to the chaos of large gatherings. But for Jimin, he was willing to step out of his comfort zone.

As they entered the restaurant, the chatter and laughter of Jimin’s friends filled the air. Hwan, a red-haired fellow with a small oval face and a well-defined jawline, was the first to spot them. "Jimin! Over here!" he called, waving them over to a large table in the center of the room.

Jungkook gulped softly, heart beat ringing in his ears. His grip on Jimin's hand immediately tightened.

"You're okay, baby. They'll love you, I know they will," Jimin whispered in reassurance with a gentle squeeze to the younger's hand.

Introductions were made, and Jimin’s friends gave Jungkook polite smiles. The initial awkwardness was palpable, but Jimin assumed it would pass as the evening went on. They ordered drinks, and Jimin could feel Jungkook’s tension easing slightly beside him.

"Man, it's been ages since I last saw you, Min!" Hwan exclaimed with an over exaggerated pout.

"So true," Yeong, another male with curly ginger hair and thick set brows, agreed with Hwan. "We used to go out every second day. Boy, those were great days. I miss those good ol' days."

"Well, I'm here now so let's recreate those days," Jimin laughed, not noticing the way Jungkook seemed to freeze beside him.

"What will you have? Dinners on me, guys, so order up whatever you want."

"Whoo, let's empty Chul's wallet today," Shik jokes, grinning widely as he received a smack from Chul.

When dinner was served, Jimin ensured that Jungkook ate well. He made sure to serve him good portions and ask him time and again if he would like some more, knowing well that Jungkook was probably too self-conscious to take another serving for himself.

"Would you like some more?" Jimin asked softly, focus on Jungkook as the younger's cheeks turned pink at the attention and affection. What Jimin did not realise was his friends were growing frustrated as he seemed to give more attention to his boyfriend than to their conversation.

"No, thank you," Jungkook mumbled, with a slight shake of his head.

"You're okay, right? Enjoying the food?" Jimin asked and Jungkook felt his heart skip a beat. Man, was he lucky to get a boyfriend as patient and kind as Jimin.

"Yes," Jungkook smiled, bunny teeth on display and Jimin automatically felt himself smile back.

"Hey, Jimin!" Yeong called, stealing Jimin's attention from Jungkook, "you know, we were thinking of going to the bowling alley after this. You know, the new one that's come up three blocks away? It has this cool bar too. It'll be fun. What do you say?"

Jimin hummed and turned to Jungkook, "what do you say? Will you be up for it?"

Jungkook nibbled anxiously on his lower lip, feeling their eyes on him.

Jimin, however, didn't wait for an answer.

"Nah, I think I'll call it a day after this. Maybe some other time."

Jungkook breathed out a soft sigh of relief and he felt Jimin's fingers latch onto his own, giving them a soft squeeze as if to say "don't worry, I've got you."

Jimin's friends seemed unimpressed.

"You've changed, Jimin. You used to seek adventure, seek fun. We used to hang out almost everyday and boy, those days were really great," said Yeong.

"We change as we grow, don't we?" Jimin said with a chuckle, "let's just say I matured and you guys didn't."

"No, Min. Jungkook happened," Shik complained and Jungkook felt himself go rigid in his seat, eyes wide.

"Yeah, ever since you started dating Jungkook, you've been...aloof. It's like you hardly even remember us or the times we spent together. We're your friends, Min, but apparently Jungkook is more important than us now. So important, that we don't matter anymore," said Hwan, crossing his arms.

Jimin bristled, but before he could respond, Chul chimed in. "Yeah, Jimin, I'm not sure Jungkook is the right person for you. He's keeping you away from us, don't you see it? He's come between us. Our friendship is strained because of him. You deserve someone so much better, Jimin."

Jungkook’s face reddened, and he stared down at his plate. His eyes sting and his lower lip wobbled slightly. Jimin’s heart ached seeing Jungkook like that. He had hoped for a warm welcome, not whatever-the-fuck this was.

"Jimin, as your friends who truly care about you, we really think you shouldn't be with Jungkook."

That was the last straw. Jimin stood abruptly, his chair scraping loudly against the floor, drawing the attention of everyone at the table and nearby diners. His usually warm eyes were now blazing with anger.

"Enough!" Jimin’s voice was sharp, cutting through the murmur of the restaurant. "I brought Jungkook here because he’s important to me, and I wanted him to meet my friends. But all you’ve done is make him feel unwelcome."

The table fell silent, Jimin’s friends staring at him in shock. They had never seen him this angry before.

"You don’t get to judge him because he’s different from you," Jimin continued, his voice trembling with emotion. "Jungkook is kind, talented, and he makes me happy. Isn’t that enough?"

Shik opened his mouth to speak, but Jimin held up a hand to stop him. "No, let me finish. If you can’t accept Jungkook, then you don’t accept me. I love this man. I don't care if he is an introvert. I don't care if he has social anxiety. I don't give a damn if he prefers to be in the comfort of our house rather than spend time outside the home. I really don't care about that. I love him and everything about him. This man is my happiness, my joy, my everything. If you cannot get that, then maybe you aren't really my friends."

Jungkook reached out, placing a hand on Jimin’s arm in an attempt to calm him down, but Jimin shook his head, his gaze still locked on his friends. "I’m done here," Jimin said firmly. "Jungkook, let’s go."

Jimin held the man's hand as he stood up and turned to leave, but stopped in his tracks.

"Oh and Chul, if our friendship is strained, it's not because of Jungkook. It's because of you.

Without waiting for a response, Jimin walked towards the exit, his grip on Jungkook’s hand tight and reassuring. The stunned silence behind them was deafening, but Jimin didn’t care. He only had one priority right now: making sure Jungkook knew he was loved and valued.

As they stepped into the cool night air, Jimin pulled Jungkook into a tight embrace. "I’m so sorry," he whispered, his voice breaking. "You didn’t deserve that."

Jungkook hugged him back just as tightly, his own eyes glistening with unshed tears. "It’s okay, Jimin. I know you care about me. That’s all that matters. I... I'm sorry though. This is all because of m—"

Jimin pulled back slightly, cupping Jungkook’s face in his hands. "No, it's not. They don't know half the things I do about you. They don't know you and they had no right to judge you without knowing a single thing about you. I don't blame you for any of this and neither should you. This isn't your fault, baby."

Jungkook sniffled.

"They were wrong, and they had no right to treat you like that. I promise you, I won’t let anyone hurt you again," Jimin continued.

Jungkook nodded, a small smile forming on his lips. "Thank you, Jimin. For standing up for me."

Jimin leaned in, pressing a soft kiss to Jungkook’s forehead. "Always. You’re my everything, Jungkook. And I’ll protect you with everything I have."

A soft kiss to Jungkook's lips had him blushing beet red and Jimin giggling.

As they walked hand in hand to the car, Jimin felt a sense of peace wash over him. He didn’t need the approval of others to validate his relationship. What mattered was the love and understanding he and Jungkook shared. And as long as they had that, nothing else could ever come between them.

The end!