Everyone is frazzled, it’s the middle of the semester and everyone is on short tempers and even shorter time constraints. With their dance competition looming at them, even Hoseok’s usual cheerful demeanor has changed, making him one of the pickiest and hardest to please during practice.

Hoseok has taken to snapping at the freshmen and glaring at anyone who messes up a step.

Their only revere is when Yoongi comes, bearing coffee for Hoseok.

Jimin doesn’t know if it’s the coffee or Yoongi’s calming presence, but Hoseok stops biting everyone’s head off just for a little while.

Half the team has gotten into begging for Yoongi to stay during practices.

Things go downhill from there, when Hoseok’s words finally makes one of the freshmen cry. The poor girl is crying so hard, she stops suddenly, the boy beside her goes barreling into her. Jimin can’t do anything  but brace himself when they both land on him.

The three of them fall and Jimin hears a crunch before the girl’s face scrunches up in pain. He can tell that it’s not a mere sprain with the awkward angle the younger girl’s hand is in.  

Taemin quickly rushes towards them, telling the boy to slowly get off without jarring the girl any further.

The girl is crying too hard for them to do much but wait for the ambulance to take her to the hospital.

When the freshman girl’s friend calls to tell them that she would have to be in a cast for a month, they all know they’re screwed.

Taemin squats down beside Jimin after he dismisses the rest of the club. “Are you okay? That fall must have hurt, you took the brunt of it.”

Jimin is about to tell Taemin he’s fine. No one needs to know about his ankle, he’ll be fine after icing it.

“You were the one who was supposed to be watching them.” Hoseok’s lips are in a thin line when he turns to Jimin. “Why can’t you even do that right?”

Jimin knows Hoseok is worried and the worry makes him even more irritable but the words hurt.

“Hoseok-ah.” Yoongi’s single word is a mix between a reassurance and a reprimand. He lays a hand on Hoseok’s arm.

“He can’t even watch the freshmen, Yoongi.” Hoseok is full of steam now. “Why do I keep him here? He’s not the best dancer here and it’s not like we’d fail without him here.”  

Jimin bites back the tears when Yoongi says nothing to defend him. He truly thought they were at least friends, at least at the stage where Yoongi would at least try to keep Hoseok from saying such things but it doesn’t come. Yoongi just stands there with his hand on Hoseok’s arm.

“Jung Hoseok, watch your words.” Taemin stands in front of Jimin, that little subtle action blocking both Yoongi and Hoseok from view.  “You know it’s not Jimin’s fault at all. It’s my fault if you want to blame anyone. I’m the one who's supposed to be helping with the freshmen.”

“If he was more observant, he would have noticed that Mina was always a step behind.” Hoseok fires back.

Taemin frowns. “You were the one who made her cry. If you weren’t like a prickly porcupine the entire time, she wouldn’t have been so terrified and-”

“Are you trying to put all the blame on Hoseok?” Yoongi’s words are cold as ice, daring the taller boy to go against him.

“Let’s not fight.” Jimin says, getting to his feet carefully. He doesn’t want the club’s atmosphere to turn awkward because of him. “We still need to figure things out.”

“Are you alright?” Yoongi turns to Hoseok concern in his eyes. “You know it’s not your fault.

He clenches his fist at Yoongi’s blatant show of whose ‘side’ Yoongi is on. He pushes that aside for the sake of the club, he can cry later when Taehyung is there. `

“Let’s all calm down first.” Jimin tugs Taemin’s arm lightly when the older boy looks as if he’s about to say something. “Let’s go get something to drink before we figure out how to fill Mina’s spot.”

Taemin shoots Hoseok and Yoongi a glare.

“I can’t stand to be here anymore.” Taemin picks up both their bags easily. “Let’s go.”

Jimin turns to Hoseok and Yoongi and gives them a small bow. “I’m sorry for the things that happened today. I hope there won’t be hard feelings between us after this.”

His eyes meet Yoongi’s and he quickly looks away. He can’t bear to have those dark eyes on him, Jimin was too raw, too hurt to not have those emotions showing.  He wills away any tears that might gather as he reminds himself that Yoongi wasn’t the one who’d catch him if he fell apart.

Yoongi opens his mouth to say something but he quickly turns away.

Jimin had always one for avoidance.

Taemin waits for him at the doorway as Jimin tries to pretend that his ankle isn’t hurting.

They shut the door behind them when Taemin speaks up. “You twisted your ankle, didn’t you?”

Jimin gives Taemin a sheepish smile. “How did you find out?”

“You always try to pretend you’re fine but your hands give you away.” Taemin gestures to his hands attached to the ends of his shirt. “Anyways, I’ll drive you back to the dorms.”

He smiles his thanks at Taemin and they don’t say much on the way back.

Taehyung is waiting for him at the entrance with a look of concern on his face.

His best friend runs to him when Taemin helps him out of the car. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, Tae.” Jimin loops his arm around Taehyung’s waist. “It’s just a little twist. I’ll be back to new after I ice it.”

Taehyung looks like he has a lot to say but Taemin cuts him off. “Jimin, take tomorrow off and rest, I’ll explain to the club, alright?”

Jimin nods reluctantly, it’s not like he could do much with his ankle like that anyways. “Thank you, Taemin.”

Taehyung takes Jimin’s bag from Taemin and they both bid the older boy goodbye.

“So?” Taehyung asks once Jimin is settled on the couch with his foot elevated. “Why do you look like you’re about to cry, again? What happened in practice?”

He tells him about Mina’s fall and her trip to the hospital. He glosses over Hoseok and Yoongi’s part in it. Jimin is sure Hoseok’s words were just from the spur of the moment, something he doesn’t truly mean.

“I know you’re not telling me everything.” Taehyung could always easily tell apart his lies and his truths. “But I’m here if you need me, okay?”

“Taehyung-ah, do you think I'm useless to the dance club?” Jimin asks softly when Taehyung returns with a cup of water.

“Who said that? Taehyung’s eyes flashes and he can see anger surging through him.

“That’s not important, Tae.” Jimin looks at his ankle, elevated and useless. “Maybe I should take this chance and quit.”

“No!” Taehyung takes his hands in his. “You’ve done so much for the club and you love dancing. How could you quite something you spend most of your time on?”

“I can’t even do anything right.” Jimin keeps his gaze focused on the leg. “I don’t want to be a burden.”

Anger is radiating off Taehyung in waves now. “I’m going to beat them senseless when I find out who made you think like this.”

“No, Tae, don’t.” He grips the bottom of his shirt. “I don’t want anyone hurt, especially not you.”

Taehyung closes his eyes, obviously reigning in his temper. “I’ll support you no matter what.”

He lifts his arms towards Taehyung and his friend wordless holds him in his arms as he falls apart.

Things don’t magically get better.

Hoseok had come to him, with tears in his eyes the next day. The older boy cries so much more when he sees Jimin’s leg wrapped up tightly, fussing over him worriedly until Jimin forces him to go to class.

He accepts the apology from Hoseok but things are still awkward between the two of them. Not because he’s still mad about it, but because he knows that there’s truth to Hoseok’s words. Maybe if he had been more observant or stricter with the younger ones, then Hoseok wouldn’t have felt as if all the weight was on his shoulders.

Taehyung doesn’t say anything when Jimin gives excuses to skip out on hangouts between the two groups but he brings Jungkook around and they all camp on the sofa to watch crappy anime. Jungkook and Taehyung’s antics allow him to forget about the things that had happened in the club, just for a little while.

But by the fourth time, Taehyung comes back with Hoseok. In an instant, Hoseok is crying with his face against his neck, begging him not to quit.

He stares at Taehyung in question but his friend just shrugs.

Hoseok continues to cry and beg until Jimin peels him off.

“Hoseok,” Jimin tries to get a smile of out the older boy. “You’re going to get snot all over me.”

Hoseok sniffs and gives him a tentative smile. “Please don’t quit. You know I don’t mean any of those words. I felt like I had the weight of the entire club on my shoulders and I was so scared that we’d fail or do badly.”

“I’m not blaming you, Hoseok.” He slips his hands into Taehyung’s for courage. “I just feel that if I’m a burden, I should be spending my time on something else instead, something-”

“No!” Hoseok scrambles to sit up. “No, please don’t say that. You’re not a burden. You’re the last thing from a burden.”

“Then what am I supposed to think?” Taehyung tightens his grip on his hands when Jimin raises his voice. “I’m tired of not being good enough. Not for you, not for Yoon-”

He stops himself just in time.

“You are good enough, Jimin. Please believe me.” Hoseok lifts a hand to wipe away the tears. “You were the one I chose as next year’s club president. That’s how good I think you are.”

“I just-” Jimin relaxes his death grip on Taehyung. "Okay, just give me a little time." 

Hoseok’s eyes widen. “Does this mean you’re not quitting.”

He hesitates before he nods. It’s not right to leave everyone in a lurch plus he wants to believe that Hoseok truly believes that he’s not a burden.

They spend the rest of the night talking things through, with Taehyung beside him, giving him all the support he needs.

It’s been the fifth time since he’s skipped out on another hanging out when Jin forces him to come with them. He tries to whine his way out of it but Jin is adamant on it, rebuffing all his excuses easily.

So he agrees to go just so Jin would let go him and let him get to practice. He finally gets rid of Jin and hurries towards the studio.

“Jimin!” He turns to the sound of someone yelling his name to see Sejun racing towards him with a giddy smile on his face.

He smiles at the younger boy and once he’s close enough, gives the younger boy a brief hug. “I haven’t seen you in a while. You stopped coming to the cafe.”

“I’m sorry, I’ve been studying.” Sejun is practically jumping in his spot. “Guess what?”

“You finally got yourself a boyfriend?” He still feels a little guilty for ‘turning him gay’ as Taehyung always likes to remind him, so he hopes the boy can find someone he could fall in love with.

“No! Jiminie, how could you say that?” Sejun takes his hands in his own. “My transfer to your uni got accepted!”

“Congratulations, Sejun!” Jimin pulls Sejun into another hug. “I’m so proud of you, all your hard work wasn’t for nothing! I know how hard you worked”

“No, it’s all because you were such a great teacher.” Sejun smiles.

“You’ll do well here.” Jimin pats the younger boy lightly on the back. “I’ll treat you to dinner and you can meet my friends.”

Sejun’s bright smile lights up his face and he nods eagerly. “I can’t wait to meet them.”

He tells Sejun the time and sends him the directions for the bbq place down the street from their dorms.

“I got to go, Sejun, I can’t be late for dance practice so close to the competition or else Hoseok will skin me.” Jimin hefts his dance bag higher over his shoulder. “I’ll see you tonight.”

“Can I walk you there? I’ve always wanted to see the dance studio you sent me so many photos of.”

“Of course.” They continue to talk on the way to the dance studio.

Sejun gapes at the room when they get there. “This is so much bigger and nicer than my old uni’s.”

Jimin laughs. “Performing arts is a big thing here, so they spend a lot of money to make them this nice.”

“Can I come watch your competition?” Sejun asks. “I love watching you on stage.”

“I don’t mind.” He drops his bag onto the side of the room. “I’m not as good as you paint me to be.”

He feels a twinge of unease before he shakes it away.

“No!” Sejun shakes his head and waves furiously. “You look so cool on stage and I always monitor your performances.”

Jimin laughs at Sejun’s enthusiasm. “You’re beginning to sound like a stalker.”

“Jimin,” Sejun purposefully stretches out his name. “Don’t tease me like that.”

Taemin bursts through the door moments later and Jimin quickly introduces them to each other.

After a little while, Sejun excuses himself and it’s just him and Taemin left in the room.

“He’s a cute kid.” Taemin says. “Reminds me of a little puppy.”

Jimin begins to stretch his legs on the floor. “What’s with all the animal references. You called Jungkook a bunny and compared Taehyung to a monkey.”

“Well, I’m not wrong.” Taemin laughs as he gets down to the floor to stretch. “Sejun looks pretty attached to you.”

“Taehyung and I met him in highschool, dance club.” Jimin bends at the waist to touch his toes. “Taehyung says I ‘gay-ed’ him, although I doubt that actually happened. He probably just looks up at me as role model because I’m older and helped him out with dances from time to time.”

Taemin chuckles. “Jimin, I am the straight man of the group and when I say you can turn a man straight, I really mean it.”

He wants to laugh at Taemin’s words because if he really had such power, getting someone to like him wouldn’t be this hard, right?

So he goes to dinner with the others, Jin on one side, Taehyung on the other.

Yoongi is already there by the time they get there, along with Hoseok and Namjoon.

He takes the seat furthest away from Yoongi as he can get.

He didn’t have the right to be mad at Yoongi just as Yoongi didn’t have to defend him. Things didn’t need to be more awkward between all of them than needed to.

“Jimin!” Sejun waves at him energetically at the doorway and races towards him.

He quickly stands up and smiles at Sejun. Sejun races to his side with a wide smile.

“Guys, this is Sejun, he’s a freshman like Jungkook, so take care of him for me, Kook.”

Sejun bows. “I’m Im Sejun, I just transferred here last week, it’s nice to finally meet Jimin’s friends.”

The group goes around introducing themselves. Yoongi is the last one and it’s more of him grunting his name than anything.

“Yoongi?” Sejun’s eyes light up. “Jimin’s talked about you so much.”

Jimin quickly tries to distract Sejun from saying anything more and pulling him into the seat beside him.

“How did the two of you meet?” Namjoon asks.

“We were in the same dance club in highschool.” Sejun says proudly. “There was this one spin I couldn’t get and Jimin stayed after to help me out.”

“Spill the dirt on Jimin.” Hoseok props his head against his hand. “How was he in high school? Was our sweet Jiminie a drug dealer or something?”

“If there was someone selling drugs in the group, weed know.” Jin snorts into his drink.

A round of groans fill the table.

“Jin is our personal lame joke provider.” Jungkook gestures to Jin. “If you need a lame joke, just go to him.”

“I blame Taehyung for turning him like this.” Namjoon laughs.

“Taehyung spent the entire week trying to annoy me with bird puns and I realized that toucan play that game.”

“Keep talking and I’ll shove you off the chair.” Yoongi is more short tempered than normal, snapping at Jin’s lame dad jokes.

“Excuse you.” Jin lays a dramatic hand on his chest. “This is not how you should talk to royalty.”

“What the , Jin.” Jungkook looks confused.

Namjoon sighs. “I called him ‘Princess’ by accident. Once. Just once and now he won’t let it go.”

Everyone else looks vaguely grossed out while Jimin claps excitedly. “Does this mean you two are finally together?”

Namjoon and Jin share a smile and they lift their entwined hands above the table.

“I’m so happy for the two of you.” Jimin squeals happily.

“Same, but I’m so grossed out right now.” Jungkook’s face wrinkle at the sight.

“Let’s drink to celebrate!” Taehyung lifts his cup and everyone follows suit. “To Namjin!”

“To Namjin!” They all shout at the same time and clink their cups.

They’re all tipsy and Jimin’s pretty sure he can’t walk straight by the time they’re done with ‘dinner’ which mostly consisted of drinking.

He’s propped against Jungkook’s tall muscular frame as they all stumble out of the bbq place.

“Woah, be careful.” Jungkook grabs him by the waist as Jimin misses the last step and teeters precariously over the pavement.

Sejun is right behind him and both of them lean heavily against Jungkook.

“Y’know Jiminnie was so nice and everyone loved him.” Sejun slurs. “I thought I would be safe because I didn’t like boys but now I like boys.” Sejun wraps his arms around Jungkook easily with his slightly taller stature. “You’re really handsome, be careful or I’ll fall for you too.”

Jimin giggles. “Pretty, pretty.”

He can hear Taehyung laughing at something in the background but he doesn’t turn towards him because he knows Yoongi is there too, helping a tipsy Hoseok.

“I’m not pretty.” Jungkook says.

“But you have such long eyelashes and such a cute nose.” Jimin feels himself tilting to the side when Jungkook tightens his hold around his waist. He giggles again. “You should find a boyfriend soon Kookie or else I might fall for you.”

“I volunteer!” Sejun raises his hand, slowly beginning to slide to the floor now that he isn’t supported with both hands.

“I volunteer too!” Jimin throws his head back giggling. “But I can’t! I have someone I like but he doesn’t like me! What should I do?”

“Who is it?” Sejun grips onto his leg. “I’ll go beat them up for you.”

He wriggles out of Jungkook’s grip and falls onto Sejun. “Don’t hurt him!”

“Kook, need help?” Namjoon calls from up ahead.

“Sure.” Jungkook yells back at the others. “They both move too much.”

“Yoongi can you go get one of them?” Namjoon asks. “Taehyung can take Hoseok since he’s not as out of it.”

He doesn’t hear the response because Sejun is slumped over him. “I’ll go yell at them for you!”

“You can’t.” Jimin lands a smack at Sejun’s shoulder. “I like him.”

Suddenly there’s a hand pulling him up. He turns to see fluffy blonde hair.

“It’s Min PD!” Jimin turns to Sejun. “Look it’s Min PD!”

“I’ll beat him too.” Sejun climbs to his feet by pulling on Jungkook’s jeans.

“You can’t!” Jimin repeats. “Even though Yoon-Yoon was mean to me, you can’t hurt him or else...” He frowns, confused. What had he wanted to say? “You can’t. He’s my friend and you’ll smush him!”  

“Come on,” Yoongi’s usually gruff voice has softened. “Let’s go home.”

He shakes himself out of Yoongi’s grip. “I don’t wanna.”

Sejun is on his feet, slightly steadier than before. “I’ll take you home!”

“Guys.” Namjoon’s voice is a lot closer this time. “What’s taking so long?”

Jin is tucked against Namjoon, the elder’s face in the crook of Namjoon’s neck.

“It’s Namjin!” Jimin stumbles towards Namjoon this time and trips over his feet. Jungkook steps forward to right him again but Yoongi already has a hand around his shoulders.

“Let’s move before we all freeze to death.” Hoseok yells from beside Taehyung.

“I don’t want Min PD.” Jimin twists out of Yoongi’s grip again and lifts his arms towards Jungkook. “Kookie can take me home because he’s nice to me or Tae Tae because I love him so, so much. Yoongi needs to take care of Seokie.”

“Alright.” Namjoon says. “Kook, you take Jimin then.”

“No.” Yoongi’s voice rumbles beside him. “I got him. It makes more sense. Sejun is Kook’s height. I can’t support him properly.”  

It’s quiet for a short while before Namjoon groans. “The four of you deal with it yourself. I’m going to go ahead with Taehyung and Hoseok.”

Sejun is back on the floor mumbling about something when Jungkook hefts him over his shoulder. “Sejun, where do you live?”

Yoongi pulls Jimin towards him. “Come on, Jimin-ah. Let’s go before Jungkook and Sejun leaves us behind.”

“Okay, but I can walk by myself!” He takes a step after Jungkook and Sejun. That is quickly proven wrong when he trips over an uneven patch of pavement and goes tumbling again.

Yoongi has his arms wrapped around him again. “Let me take you home, okay?”

He blinks at Yoongi. “What about Hoseokie?”

“He left with Taehyung already.” Yoongi is slowly forcing them forward.

“Oh, that’s why you’re with me.” Jimin remembers there’s something he wanted to do, but he doesn’t know what it is so he just lets Yoongi drag him along.