Jimin groaned as he rolled out of bed this beautiful and all-too-sunny February fourteenth. He silenced his maniacal alarm clock with an unforgiving bash of his fist. He squinted as the rude sunlight outside bounced of all the fallen snow from the previous day and flashed blindingly into his eyes and yanked the curtain closed before grumbling all the way into the bathroom to get ready for hell.

And by hell, he meant Valentine’s Day at BH High School.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o

It wasn’t that everyone else was walking around with bouquets under their arm and huge teddy bears riding on their backs, or that Jimin himself had none of such to flaunt. No, it was the fact of BH High’s famous valentine delivery service, and that Jimin was volunteered by a teacher to be a postal worker this year.

Last year, his sophomore year, he had boldly found a way to confess ton his long-time crush in secrecy: through the post system.  Here’s how said system actually works:

Teachers spend the entirety of their class periods on February thirteenth giving out copious amounts of valentine construction supplies, and students devote each period to making the gaudiest, cheesiest valentines possible. After glitter is thrown and doilies shredded from haste, students are required to write the name of the receiver and the class period in which the receiver of their valentine is for the next day. During each period on February fourteenth, selected “postal workers” are assigned a period on which to deliver all the pink, perfume-scented cards, candies and numerous other assortments to the names on the back. Here’s Jimin’s favorite part: you never had to write your own name and could choose to write ‘from anonymous’ instead.

Now back to Jimin’s confession all those months ago. He was crushing hard on his classmate Jeon Jungkook: a total genius who’d skipped a year or two of schooling and still did much better than all his older classmates. Jungkook wasn’t necessarily popular, but everyone in their class knew him for being a diligent worker and a total people pleaser. He was always running around balancing extracurricular activities, AP classes, sports, you name it, and succeeding in all with flying colors. Jimin was smitten two months after hearing him speak for the first time.

Jungkook had also been one to receive several confessions from girls and boys regularly; he was just a people magnet. Maybe it was that charming modesty of his that attracted people to him like bees to flowers.

Jimin had been aware of this, too, and his was afraid of getting turned down like all of the others. Jungkook had always remained single, yet never accepted a single one, and he still managed to be well-liked by all.

Jimin had spent the entirety of sophomore year making sure Jungkook knew he liked him without directly speaking to the other. He wrote little notes in a language no one else knew and stuck them to his locker, for instance. He figured writing in a language without the hangul characters all his classmates knew would be the perfect way to keep his handwriting from revealing his identity. But poor Jimin never thought about the fact that everyone in his class knew he was the only one that spoke said language so his cover was already blown anyway. That never stopped him, though; he still continued to write little love notes, even if his crush couldn’t understand them.

Jimin may have also been a bit daring in the way that he blatantly stared at Jungkook in class. He’d block out the teacher for who-cares-how-long just so he could stare at his Kookie devoutly taking notes. His heart flipped every time he was caught and he blushed furiously and turned away each time. Since Jungkook already knew it was Jimin who liked him because of the inconspicuous notes on his locker, the former would sometimes (quite often, actually) look up to check if Jimin was looking at him. Of course, he always was and always freaked out and pretended to write notes when he made eye contact. In reality, though, Jimin had covered his page in scribbles of Jungkook’s name in different fonts on those notebook pages. He’d also always assumed that because Jungkook had looked at him, he had to have felt a little something for him too. What else could the initiation of a staring contest in the middle of class mean?

Yoongi had always been nothing less than an extreme fanboy over shipping his friend and his crush. He was part of the reason Jimin felt encouraged to continue leaving the notes and continue with the stares. Yoongi had convinced the younger that Jungkook was just as into him and his crushing wasn’t in vain.

“Omo, he’s totally in love with you! I better be the best man at your wedding!” the red-haired boy told him over lunch. Jimin smiled goofily and took a bite from his apple.

“Hyung, would you tone it down a bit? He could hear you!” Jimin whisper-screamed at his friend because the Kookie in mention was sat at a table not too far from theirs, talking with his friends. It was only Jimin and Yoongi where they sat, but they never really needed more friends anyway. The baby-faced student took a cautious glance at Jungkook before turning back to Yoongi.

“But today the two of you wore the same color socks today, it’s destiny I tell you!” Jimin turned pinker with each excited squeal from his hyung, but he couldn’t help thinking himself that it really was fate…

That year, on February thirteenth, Jimin had spent his fifth period class making the best valentine he could for his “Kookie.” But of course, they were in that same dead language. Jimin was bold, but he wasn’t brave in the slightest. Thousands of heart stickers and millions of colors of glitter later, he had completed his heart-shaped gift, complete with a special message in its center for his crush, and he took advantage of the postal system that year to have it delivered anonymously.

He had selected to have it delivered during a class he shared with the younger, just so he could see his reaction when he got it. Sure enough, when the postal worker came in with an armload of sixth period valentines, everyone gawked at the extravagance of the one handed to Jungkook. Jimin dare not look up at that killer white smile until he was certain the other wasn’t looking his way. When he finally did look up, though, Jungkook was staring dead. At. Him.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Jimin had never sent anymore notes after that to Jungkook’s locker. He no longer stared in class. All he did was wait; wait for the younger to freaking do something already!

“Hyung, why hasn’t he talked to me yet? He along with the whole school by now knows how I feel about him!”

“Maybe he’s just shy—”

“Oh, please, the guy is a waterfall of confidence; there’s no way I’m threatening to him.”

“Maybe he’s a bit dense—”

“With a GPA like his? Get real! He can probably figure out how to divide by zero; how could such a genius be so stupid?”

“Maybe he—”

“Omo, what if he doesn’t even like me back and he’s just leading me on?”

“Jimin, that’s not—”

“Yoongi-hyung, what if my Kookie actually already has a significant other and just likes to play with my emotions and embarrass me?!”

“Please, would you just—”

“Ack! What if he’s waiting for me to make the first move? Oh no, you know I can’t do that! I’ll never get to talk to him—”

“JIMIN!! BREATHE!”

Immediately, the boy’s lips clamped shut and he stared attentively at his hyung. Yoongi sighed in reliefe. Man, dealing Jimin can be exasperating. “Now, do you want my help or not?”

Turns out, Yoongi didn’t know what to do, either.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Returning from reminiscence of his lowerclassmen years, Jimin sulked as he took the pass from his teacher to go deliver valentines. He didn’t make one for Jungkook this year. The load pf tissue paper and doilies felt extra heavy as he lugged the bulging envelope of valentines up the stairs to his first destination; first period Literature. That’s right; Jimin had been volunteered for the early bird shift.

He knocked on the door and peeked in cautiously. The teacher was clicking away on her computer at her desk and the class of seniors conversed comfortable with one another. No real classes were held on Valentine’s Day because the teachers knew the students would all be too love-struck to pay attention. Here comes the fun part, Jimin thought to himself as the students immediately shushed each other upon noticing his arrival. Fun for them, at least.

People sat quietly and fidgeted in their seats waiting to see if the little messenger would walk to them or not. Some were nervous if their crushes sent them something or not and slumped a bit as Jimin walked right past them. Some were surprised when they received one and furrowed their eyebrows when the back didn’t have a sender name. Some were elated and showed their pink and red cards to their friends, anxious to see find who their secret admirers could be. A few seemed indifferent when granted a doily and some chocolate, and the rest that were none of the above sat awkwardly as now the entire class knew they had not received a valentine from anyone and were now deemed publicly as un-crush-worthy.

Jimin walked from that class and on to the next, the load in his arms only lightening slightly, and repeated the process again. No one ever knew when the postal workers were coming and so a lot of kids were on edge all day, waiting to see if they’d be accepted by another student or not. Jimin prayed he would get to go deliver to Jungkook’s class just so he could walk past him and smirk when he didn’t hand him a stupid card. He would try to appear as if he’d moved on and was completely disinterested in the boy now, but he knew damn well that he was still crushing just as hard as before. Geez, he couldn’t fathom for the life of him why he still liked that fool.

Even with all his plotting, Jimin never had to go deliver to Jungkook’s class. He simply muscled through the rest of is route, silently in despair as he gave out gifts of love to kids from other kids, wondering why he had to be the unluckiest of all. His schoolmates were all unconsciously mocking him, him and his stubborn heart that refused to move on from a certain genius, even if it had been almost two years already.

Finally, Jimin was relieved of his duties and returned the left over valentines to the office; the ones that had no receiver on the back or other weird problems. He bowed gratefully to the office worker and left for class, just as the bell rang. Now all he had to get through was sitting in that same seat of uncertainty and utter loneliness for six more classes, and hoping he wouldn’t go insane before the end of the day from the suffocating toxicity of everyone else with their valentines.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o

As soon as the bell for last period’s dismissal rang, Jimin bolted out of his seat, threw his books in his locker and treaded downstairs and into his favorite place in the building; the school’s indoor garden.

Dropping his book bag near the edge of the koi pond, Jimin trekked across the small bridge, running his hands over the flat leaves of the plants surrounding it and sighing in contentment as its smooth feel relaxed him. No one ever really came to the garden, surprisingly. The place was beautiful and serene, yet no other students appeared to treasure its beauty like Jimin. A few times he had gotten nervous that he was not allowed in, but as soon as the keeper staff that managed the plants waved him off in indifference, he was sure he was safe from detention.

He stopped at the edge of the bridge, looking down into the shallow pond at the white and orange scales dancing just above the water’s surface. He smiled and giggled to himself a little every time a fish would poke its head out and gulp for air. Absolutely adorable, he thought. Hey, Jimin was a er for animals.

He walked down the rest of the bridge and followed the path that wound around the large place, sniffing flowers and uselessly poking at the rough tree bark in a few places. The only sounds around him were lapping water from the fountain running into the koi pond and a light rustling of leaves, created by an artificial wind. He inhaled deeply as the clean air was gratefully admitted into his lungs and his steps slowed until he stood still, eyes closed and stupid smile on his lips as he simply enjoyed his personal sanctuary.

He had become so entrapped in his own peaceful little world that he didn’t hear the footsteps crossing the same bridge he had, and he didn’t hear the rustling of leaves that was much too harsh for the breeze simulator to have created.  He didn’t return to the real and physical world until he started at the tap on his shoulder. He automatically whipped around to be greeted with, yup you guessed it, none other than Jeon Jungkook himself. Staring once again, directly. At. Him.

“Jimin-ssi… do you have a moment?”

“Yeah, sure. What’s up?” the words came out evenly and nonchalantly, as Jimin finally got to employ his ‘totally over you façade’ while his heart did acrobatics inside his chest. He stared coolly into the other’s eyes, shocked at himself for being able to retain eye contact with his long-time crush and a normal pigmentation.

Slowly, Jungkook produced a white envelope from behind his back and held in in Jimin’s direction. The latter only furrowed his eyebrows, as if untrusting of the piece of paper.

“What’s this?”

Jungkook cleared his throat and his gaze faltered to the stone path under his shoes for a swift moment, “You uh, forgot to deliver one.”

“Oh, no I didn’t. All the left over ones didn’t have names, so… maybe that was for a different period?” Jimin was being a snippy little and he knew it, but instead of liking miffed like Jimin had wanted him to because it would have been incredible cute, Jungook only shrugged and the envekope even closer to Jimin.

“Here, why don’t you check?”

Albeit hesitantly, Jimin did check the words on the envelope. He raised a single eyebrow in question as his own name was printed neatly on the front. What the hell was Jungkook about to play him at? Was this his sick way of letting him down ‘easy’? Whatever brain, screw you and your opinion, his heart scolded as he gently ripped off the top of the envelope and grabbed the small and simple light pink paper inside. There upon it was a message, depicted in the familiar curves and scratches of his Kookie’s hand writing. Dare he read it?

Jimin-ssi,

I’ve noticed you this past while, don’t think that I haven’t. I can see when you get uncomfortable and self-conscious around me, and I can tell when your voice sometimes shudders when you’re trying to play cool.

I think it’s absolutely adorable.

And just for the record…

I guess I should finally tell you that…

You make me the same way.

As if he wasn’t already internally hyperventilating from disbelief and shock, he could have fainted at the last line. There, at the bottom of the small card was one more thing, scribbled down in carefully attempted yet still shaky letters of Jimin’s favorite dead language:

I like you, too.

And for the first time, when, Jimin looked up at Jungkook, there was no awkward blushing or shifting glances, no indifferent staring and no hurtful frustration. All Jimin could see was Jungkook’s perfect white smile gleaming down at him. Jimin had nothing to say.

He did all he could possibly do then: smile right back at his Kookie.

A/N: Ayo, whaddup? Hope you guys don't mind this little break from "Conflicted," but I was just a bit inspired today. I know it's technically after Valentines day by forty-three minutes, but I couldn't resist ^_^. This was a request from swaggerjenn. Thanks for the prompt~

Also, just wanna say that this story is actually based off myself and my long-time crush that I still have, except I haven't had my happy ending yet :( My school does the valentine delivery thing and I was one of those to deliver them Friday and it was agonizing.

Anywho, I'm almost halfway done with the next update for "Conflicted"! Yayy~ So whenever I get a break from testing and schoolwork and projects and studying, I'll get right on finishing it ;) G'night/day guys~~~