#3/42 - “I can’t help but stare./I’m not doing it on purpose I swear.”

MinJoon

Word Count: 1519

Jimin loved amusement parks, he couldn’t get enough of the thrill of the rides. Whether it was one with loops and steep drops, simulated rides or ones that you just spun yourself in circles until you were silly. However, he hated lines. Waiting in lines took so much time when all he wanted was to be all the way at the top of that fifteen foot drop. Lines always inched along by half a centimeter and it just felt like you were going nowhere.

“Ugh, this why I told you to be ready by 7:30 Tae.”

The man standing next to Jimin ignored his grumbles and kept his dumb grin plastered on his face.

“It’s fine, Jimin-ah. The line is actually moving pretty quickly.” Just as he said that they were able to take another step forward. His words only earned him a glare and a few more whines about how hot it was.

“There’s even sweat, TaeTae. Sweat! I don’t sweat.” The taller man just chuckled, thoroughly amused by his friend’s misfortune. The line was pretty packed but luckily people seemed to keep it to a maximum of only three people wide and no one seemed to be cutting. It was just the middle of summer and the sun was blazing strong and sure down upon them.

An odd sensation had been nagging at the raven haired boy, who had wished he managed to put his fringe up so at least it wouldn’t be sticking to his face right now. Glancing around, Jimin finally found the perpetrator. They looked eyes but just as quickly, the much taller man looked away. As the line continued to not move, but mere centimeters every ten minutes or so, Jimin had caught the guy two more times. It was to the point that the last time he didn’t let it go. Instead he continued to stare at guy whose ears were beat red and cheeks were a bit pink. He wasn’t sure if this was due to the heat of the sun or the heat of embarrassment for being caught.

Bowing his head slightly, the guy apologized,

“Sorry, I’m not doing it on purpose. I swear.”

Jimin stared at him for a minute longer. Taking in his features, the guy had a long face but nice cheekbones and was a little more tan than Jimin generally preferred but, hell, it was the middle of summer and he was sure after today he’d be more tan than he preferred. The almond shaped eyes held dark brown pupils similar to his own but there was a gentleness in it that Jimin really had a hard time continuing to be annoyed with. To which he nodded and looked away. Focusing back on Taehyung who was telling him about the awesome kill he made on Overwatch last night and that Jimin should have played so he could have seen it in live action.

“You know I at that game. Why would I torture myself?”

“I can teach you!”

“I think I’ll pass.” Overwatch was a cool game but it just wasn’t for Jimin. Taehyung however, really just wanted a buddy to play with as if his online friends weren’t enough. He would just never understanding. That niggling at the back of his neck was there again. Sighing he turned around and immediately caught and held the same guys gaze. Letting him know that he noticed yet again. Why did he keep looking at him? Was there something on the back of his shirt that he didn’t know about? Did a bird poop on his head and he oddly couldn’t feel it? Like, really, what the hell was going on.

“I think that guy is staring at you.” A whisper next to Jimin’s ear was heard and he just smacked his friend with his hand in the chest.

“Tae, I’m literally looking at him right now. No, duh he’s staring at me.” He wanted to shake his head but instead he raised an eyebrow to ask the blonde man who couldn’t stop looking at him. It was had not to notice that the guy had a really nice physique. His shoulders were brought but not too much and arms were very well toned, just enough muscle that you could tell he worked out but not too much that it was all he did.

“Sorry… Sorry. I uh…”

The guy happened to be behind two other people but they parted ways awkwardly to make space for the conversation that was unfolding between them. He bowed his head slightly as he walked through the two. Now he was cutting? Ugh, this was unbelieveable. Jimin didn’t even know what he should be more annoyed at. The fact that this dude was rudely staring at him repeatedly or that he just used it as an excuse to cut people. The latter, definitely the latter. Huffing, he crossed his arms over his chest, muscles flexing unintentionally.

“I can’t help but stare.”

Jimin’s jaw dropped and he just openly gaped at the audacity of the man before him. Taehyung was looking back and forth between them confused but soon he was smirking. Nudging his friend’s arm, he leaned in and not as quietly as he should said,

“Dude, he’s totally into you.”

Whipping his head towards his best friend, Jimin gave him a pointed stare before turning his eyes back to the man only to see that there was even more pink on his cheeks. Was… Was he blushing? Had he heard that?

“It’s kinda weird, you know that?”

The blonde nodded as he lowered his gaze and stared down at his feet.

“Yo, Joon! Thank’s for saving my spot man! Would you believe the men’s bathroom actually had a line. What the hell, we’re not women.” An overly excited guy with a floral bucket hat on his head, slapped an arm around the so-called Joon’s shoulders.

“Ah, no problem. No problem.” He muttered, as the newcomer slowly realized he had intruded on something. Not reading the atmosphere at all, he smiled brightly, showing off one dimple and bowing his head to both of them.

“Hey, how are you guys? I’m Hoseok. Line buddies?” he questioned the blonde. An awkward silence would have stretched but Taehyung intervened,

“Taehyung, and this shortie is Jiminie.” Pinching Jimin’s cheek with one hand, Taehyung continued,

“Isn’t he just the cutest?” The glare that Jimin trained on his best friend would have others quaking in their books, but Taehyung wasn’t even phased. Hoseok and Namjoon exchanged a glance at that.

“Y-yeah, cheeks like mochi.”

“Exactly!” Taehyung cheered and raised his hand in a high five towards the man in the bucket hat who followed up immediately.

“Cute indeed.” Joon agreed nodding his head and turning off to the side to hide his full on blush now. Jimin wasn’t sure how to take the exchange that was going on but he was pretty sure that Taehyung had been right, this Joon character was interested in him.

“Wanna join us? We need four for this ride anyway.” Taehyung was always too quick to give out invitations and Jimin inwardly groaned. This was going to be a long day. Next time, he was dragging Jungkook with him.

“That’d be cool man, you sure?” Hoseok questioned, trying to be polite, making sure that everyone was on board with this. Taehyung slung his arm around Jimin’s shoulder and patted Jimin’s head.

“Yeah, Jiminie’s cool with it. Aren’t ya?” Another glare was directed before promptly shoving Taehyung off of him. Then he trained his gaze on the man named Hoseok he seemed honestly like a pretty chill guy. His eyes slid over to Joon who was standing quietly to the side, almost as if he was trying to shrink away from the group.

“More the merrier.” Then he pointed a finger at the guy who couldn’t stop staring at him.

“The next time you stare at me though, you have to dance in the middle of this line. Got it?”

“Namjoon? Dance, hah that’s hilarious.” Hoseok jutted his thumb out towards his friend, while laughing at the thought.

Snapping his head up, shock showed on Namjoon’s face but soon after he looked shyly at Jimin.

“I might as well just start right now, because you’re stunning.”

Freezing in place, Jimin’s cheeks grew as bright as a strawberry. Of all things he hadn’t expected such a forward response from the man who had just moments again seemed like he would crawl into a hole.

“Strawberry mochi!” Hoseok called and Taehyung burst into laughter, agreeing, smacking the other man’s arms like they had already been friends. Jimin could hear them twittering about how that was his new nickname but he ignored it, choosing to deal with that at a different time. A smile slowly spread across Namjoon’s face to the point that the cutest dimples appeared and Jimin’s gaze was transfixed.

Clearing his throat, Jimin turned towards the front of the line avoiding all three men who now made up his group.

“Uh, right. Um, thanks.”

This was going to be a long day.