Spring arrives in full force when staff announces the school Athletics Festival, an annual event where the student athletes can prevail in Olympic-style tournaments and the other, physically-challenged kids can either sit on the bleachers to cheer or not come to school at all. It’s a bit of an overhyped day, mostly because of the amount of competition between peers of the same intuition; no one wins anything, so they all end up fighting for the glory of being first place. Jimin thinks it makes for a nice break right before finals.

                 He’s en route to the gymnasium because he’s been invited to watch a particular basketball game. Namjoon had texted him earlier saying that they were already there, so he’s hurrying through the hallways and doesn’t notice the flash of white flying straight to his forehead.

                 Jimin is whipped by a ping pong ball. He stops in place, bracing the pain, holding onto his sanity. “PARK JIMIN!” He can hear Taehyung’s voice in the far distance, followed by the abrupt shaking of his shoulders. “ARE YOU OKAY?! LIZZY ACCIDENTALLY SERVED AT FULL POWER! SPEAK TO ME!”

                 “… Stop,” Jimin sighs, using his hand to cover the guy’s face. “Stop shouting.”

                 “… I’m sorry,” he garbles.

                 Jimin looks around and notices that the ping pong team has taken residence of the entire gym hallway, effectively blocking human traffic with their tables. The ping pong ladies are staring at him in concern, so he waves politely at them. “How are the games? There’s a rumor going around that you’re the master of ping and pong, like yin and yang. You’re the table version of Bruce Lee.”

                 Taehyung beams, clearly in high spirits. He wipes the gleaming sweat off his neck and snorts, “that’s not too far off, to be honest!” We’re doing open tournament. Whoever wants to challenge us may do so, and whoever wins moves onto another challenger until there’s one person left standing. So far, no one has beaten me yet.” He starts fanning himself with his paddle like an old Victorian woman.

                 “Nice,” Jimin says, punching his shoulder. “But remember, those who rise eventually fall.”

                 “I’m waiting for a worthy opponent.” Taehyung winks and laughs. “What’re you doing around here? You have that show to do with your dance team later, right?”

                 He nods. “It’s not for another hour though, so I’m going to watch Yoongi-hyung play basketball. The other two are already in there… Are you coming with?”

                 “Ooh… I wish I could, but I gotta be on stand-by for ping pong.” Taehyung frowns. “Go enjoy it for me.”

                 “Okay. You’re coming to watch the show though, right?”

                 “Of course!” He grins brightly, passing on a fist bump. “I’ll be your number one fan.”

                 Jimin takes on the contagious smile and wishes him luck before striding into the gym. It’s much more crowded than expected, so he has to stand at the door until he spots an enthusiastic Namjoon (and a slightly less excited Hoseok) waving at him from the top of the bleachers. He meanders through the masses and sits next to them.

                 “Where’s Mr. Popular?” Hoseok asks, slapping his elbow in greeting.

                 “He’s mastering the art of table tennis,” Jimin replies offhandedly. He notices a group of giggling girls a row down glancing at him as soon as Taehyung was mentioned. “Oh, does he have fans?”

                 The guy grumbles, “apparently.”

                 “Anyway,” Namjoon coughs. “We were saying that you should’ve been nominated for the track tournament, Jim. Since you’re good at running.”

                 Jimin nods, looking out at the basketball court below them. “I am pretty good at running,” he says, “away from my problems.”

                 “No.” Hoseok lets out a long groan. “No, no, stop. Don’t do this, mate.”

                 “I’m kidding,” he laughs brightly.

                 Namjoon starts smiling. “We also put our bets on the teams. Hoseok said the varsity team is obviously going to win, but I mean… the challenging team looks like they have a shot too.”

                 “Oh, come on.” Hoseok rolls his eyes. “The other team’s made up of random kids from other departments. They’re nothin’ against the official team!”

                 “But it’s not like our basketball team has won anything. Maybe the other team is the better team?”

                 “WANNA FIGHT, MATE?! I’LL PUT MY BET UP TO TWENTY THOUSAND WON.”

                 “Okay.” The latter male chortles. “What do you think, Jimin?”

                 They both look at him when there’s a delay in response. Jimin is in a complete daze, his eyes shifting across the open court as the players run around to warm up before the game. His mouth hangs open and Hoseok has half a mind to put a pencil in it. “Hey! Earth to Jimin!”

                 Jimin flinches and blinks at them. “O-Oh. Sorry, what?”

                 “What’cha starin’ at?” They turn to look at the court.

                 “N-Nothing, nothing, I swear,” he stammers, his face starting to glow red.

                 Hoseok spots him first; the languid senior dawdling by the wall with a basketball in hand. He’s wearing a jersey that reads ‘MIN’ on the back and looks uncomfortably dishevelled without the usual snapback on his head. “Is it that Yoongi guy?”

                 “N-No!” Jimin covers his face and gripes, “… okay, yes.”

                 “What is with you and that guy?” Hoseok snorts. “It’s like you have a crush on him or somethin’.”

                 He stiffens. There’s a brief silence, and in that moment Jimin decides that they should know. Forget how red his face is right now, Namjoon and Hoseok only have the right to know. They’re his friends, after all. “… Well,” he stutters, “uh, I’m… I’m actually dating him.”

                 “Pardon?” They both lean in to hear more clearly. Suddenly, the rowdy chattering of the students around them seems to get louder.

                 “I’m… I’m dating Yoongi-hyung,” he repeats, feeling his heart ram into his rib cage. “We—We’ve been dating for almost a whole semester. I’ve always wanted to tell you guys, but I’ve never found the chance to.”

                 “I’m assuming you already told Taehyung,” says Namjoon, while staring at their shoes.

                 “Y-Yeah.” He studies their expressions carefully, half-expecting some sort of outburst. Then again, Taehyung was positively passive about the news, so it’s not a surprise that both of them just shrug it off.

                 “Nice,” Hoseok says simply, turning to stare Yoongi down. “So he’s a good guy, right?”

                 Jimin lets out a soft sigh. “He makes me happy.”

                 Namjoon pats his shoulder and grins. “Good for you, Jim. It must’ve been hard for you to say anything, and really… Thank you for telling us.”

                 He mirrors the guy’s smile and then wipes it off for a sombre gaze. “I’m just wondering, though… What if, hypothetically speaking, we weren’t friends? Would you still react like this? Would you still be happy for me?”

                 “Why?” Hoseok glances at him. “Are people givin’ you ?”

                 “I haven’t told anyone besides you guys and Taehyung,” he replies warily. “Other than that, only a few people know about Yoongi and me. I’m still figuring out how to tell my parents.”

                 “Good thinking, mate. There are a lot of homophobic cowards around. No tellin’ what some turds will do to you.”

                 “But would you be like that too?” Jimin presses on, lowering his voice when the girls in front of them stop talking all of a sudden. “If we weren’t friends, would you still congratulate me for dating a guy?”

                 Namjoon looks conflicted and doesn’t say anything. After a minute, Hoseok sighs, “probably not. It’s not that I’m so against gays like other people, but… you’re right, I would react differently if I didn’t know you. That’s natural, I guess. I dunno.”

                 Jimin takes his words into consideration. “Well,” he breathes, making an effort to smile again. “I’m glad you guys are my friends, then.”

                 Namjoon finally relaxes while Hoseok snorts, “gaaay.”

--

                 It’s around noon when the students are dismissed into the field for outdoor events, and the gang decides to pick up Taehyung on their way out. To their surprise, it seems like the ping pong team racked up a rowdy crowd gathered around a single table; now they’re physically stuck in the hallway.

                 The three of them squeeze in between people until they reach the front, where the orange idiot is seen doing the match of the season. “YOU CAN’T BEAT ME,” Taehyung bellows, whipping the ball back and forth with flashy returns. “I’M THE MASTER OF PING. AND PONG.”

                 Jimin looks over at his opponent and is more or less surprised to see Jungkook faring quite well despite that iconic blank look on his face. “They’ve been at this for an hour,” someone whispers nearby. “And they haven’t dropped the ball since they started, not even once. Are these two even human?”

                 “LOSE ALREADY!” Taehyung screams, smacking the ball as hard as he can.

                 “I cannot define ‘losing’,” Jungkook replies evenly. “It does not come with my program.” He swings a rather solid hit, making it fly beyond grasp and just barely grazes Taehyung’s ear. It eventually hits the wall on the other side of the hallway, and for a moment, their audience is swept with silence as they comprehend what the hell just happened.

                 Taehyung falls onto his knees when the crowd erupts into cheers and surround Jungkook, praising him as the new ping pong guru. “… I-I’ve been defeated…”

                 Jimin walks over and starts patting his back. “You were bound to lose someday, man.”

                 “Gee, thanks for the pep talk.” He gets onto his feet and sighs. “Oh well. I fought a damn good battle!”

                 “You sure did,” the other male says, smiling. “Now go give that kid a good handshake.”

                 “YESSIR!” Taehyung strides over when the crowd begins to disperse. He holds his hand out in front of Jungkook and says, “good game, man. GG.”

                 The freshman takes one look at his hand, glances over his shoulder and says, “Namjoon-hyung.”

                 Taehyung freezes when Jungkook floats past him, immediately running his face into Namjoon’s chest as if he was performing an obscure mating ritual. “… What the heck,” he breathes, not knowing how to react when Namjoon starts petting the boy.

                 “… Let’s just,” Jimin starts, gawking at the scene as well. Hoseok is standing behind them, exchanging mortified glances with Taehyung. “Let’s just go outside.”

                 There are a set of gym mats out on the field, and that’s where Jimin’s dance team sits amongst themselves, lit under the light of the afternoon sun. Jimin lets his friends join the growing audience seated on the surrounding picnic blankets and approaches his team.

                 “Hey, there’s the man!” Yugyeom says, waving happily. The others greet him with an equal amount of excitement. “You ready for this?”

                 “Somewhat,” Jimin answers before attempting to match their rigor. “Y-Yeah, I am!”

                 Jongin strides over and claps him on the shoulder. “Sweet, we’re going on once we’re ready.”

                 “Uh, before that…” Seulgi glances at Jongin and gives him a knowing grin. “Why don’t you tell him first?”

                 “Tell me what?” Jimin asks.

                 “Oh, yeah, of course.” The latter male sighs softly, a small sparkle glowing in his eyes. “We decided that… after Min and Seokjin graduate, I’m going to be the dance team leader next year.”

                 “Whoa, what?” Jimin bursts into a wide grin. “That’s great!”

                 “Yeah,” he chuckles. “Exciting stuff. Anyway, let’s go team!”

                 “TEAM!” Soonyoung shouts, running across the mats to get into position.

                 Jimin meanders to the back, waiting for a volunteer to play the music from speakers they borrowed from someone’s mom. Suddenly, the moment’s here as soon as they blink. He’s already sweating, though mostly not from the sun’s heat. The tension rumbles down his spine as he stares at the audience seated in front of them. His eyes glaze over until he spots the head of fading orange, and under it his cheeky best friend friend who’s waving at him like a maniac. The other two are sober, but still give him all the encouragement he needs. He in a breath.

                 He hears the beat pulsing louder than it’s ever been before, probably because they’re outside in the heat and no one can really shut up when they start dancing. Jimin glances at Jongin’s back and waits for the cue. When it comes as a brief nod, he almost misses his timing but manages, taking his first step towards Jane and matches his body with hers.

                 His brain shuts off completely, allowing his feet to go wherever they cared. He’s swept away by the synchronized movement of his teammates, the brief clasp Yugyeom gives him when they pass each other, and the small shout Jane does when it’s his time to flip.

                 Jimin steps back, gauging the empty stage space his team has set aside for him. Then he runs, throwing himself into the air, seeing the ground spin under him and lands with both feet steady. The crowd goes absolutely wild at this; though he channels out everyone’s cheering for the high-pitched screams of Kim Taehyung (‘HOLY ING , YOU GO PARK JIMIN!’)

                 Standing front and center, Jimin leads his team through the final seconds and he’s never experienced a more thrilling moment in his small, insignificant teenage years.

                 It’s when the music comes to a complete halt that he remembers to breathe again. He’s flustered at the amount of applause his crew is getting, as well as the praise and pats on the back his team members give him as they disperse off the mats. His heart is racing and his hands can’t keep themselves still; but it’s finally over and done with.

                 They’ve begun the running events, and Jimin wanders until he finds his friend in the crowd. Taehyung jumps him as soon as he gets the chance. “YOU DID IT!” he shouts, going out of his way to force a wet smooch onto Jimin’s forehead. “I’M SO PROUD OF YOU, MAN. TOOK YOU LONG ENOUGH.”

                 “Aw, Tae…” Jimin releases a breathy laugh despite his squirming. “It’s only because you backed me up.”

                 “Man!” Taehyung punches his shoulder. “Give yourself some credit!”

                 The two start giggling and only stop when he notices his boyfriend approaching them on the grass. “Yoongi-hyung!”

                 “Hey,” Yoongi greets with a small wave. “I saw the show. You did great.”

                 “Th-Thank you.”

                 The older male looks over his shoulder and nods passively. “Taehyung.”

                 Taehyung stuffs his hands into his pockets. “Yoongi.”

                 Jimin opens his mouth to say something, but he's instead blown away by all the tension on either side of him. He shifts nervously between the two, waiting for something to happen.

                 “So, uh,” Yoongi starts, looking at the ground. “I’m sorry about what happened. I should’ve told you and Jimin straight up with the online picture thing.”

                 “It’s—It’s okay.” Taehyung stares at a wall of the school building. “I get you, I probably would’ve kept it to myself if I were you, too. I’m just sorry that I got mad about it. I didn’t listen to you when you tried to explain it to me. I’m sorry, Yoongi.”

                 “That’s okay, you had the complete right to get angry. I’m the one in the wrong here.”

                 “No, I am—”

                 Jimin is ridden with secondhand-embarrassment when they both bend down to bow; except Taehyung and Yoongi are standing too close to each other and bonk heads on their way down. He’s pretty sure the sound of their dumb skulls making contact echoed. “… What are you two doing?” he sighs when they collapse onto the grass, holding their heads.

                 “Reconciling,” Yoongi answers while groaning. “Taehyung, are… are we good?”

                 “Yeah, sure, whatever.” They stumble onto their feet. “God, my head.”

                 “Then do you mind if…?” He nods in Jimin’s direction.

                 “Huh? Oh. Oh! Yeah, sure.” Taehyung covers his eyes with his hands. “Go ahead.”

                 Confused, Jimin glances at Yoongi for answers. Instead, he’s given a quick peck to the forehead from the lips of his boyfriend, the restored trust and loyalty in his best friend, and the immeasurable support of everyone he holds close.

TAEGI'S INDIRECT KISS ON JIMIN'S FOREHEAD ! ! /SLAPS KNEE