i.

she doesn't meet taehyung until she's met jungkook at least twice. 

"you're cute." he says, and it catches her a little off guard. the way he smiles as he says this, like it's normal. and maybe it was, maybe it was normal for him, so she flashes her own smile back at him, and wipes the shock off her face.

"you're not so bad yourself."

jungkook looks sort of bitter the whole day, which jimin hadn't initially registered as meaning much, but now realises exactly why.

that might've been the start of everything, or at least, the catalyst to the chaos that was to come.

ii.

from what she's heard, jaebum gets added into the equation quite late.

she's know him for so many years now, his presence always calming and reliable.

it doesn't occur to him that he could be something ... more, until one night in april.

summer was just starting to arrive, and he was over at jimin's apartment, sipping on wine and watching a movie none of them were paying much attention to.

she falls asleep, head in his lap, and he feels like it could be love.

this, him, her.

iii.

yugyeom is, well, yugyeom.

they have fun, they've always had fun. more often than not with bambam tagging along.

this time it had been just the two of them, yugyeom was dancing to some girl group song and looking like an idiot, and jimin was clutching her stomach from laughing too hard.

it starts (starts?) there.

her laughter, like honey, soft and sweet. his eyes, suddenly open to a new world, a world where all he sees is her.

then it's a matter of trying to get a moment alone, trying to hold her hand, trying to get her to notice.

(she doesn't. he doesn't stop trying.)

iv.

"shut up!"

jimin snorts, in that ungraceful, unladylike way she does.

jae only falls further, deeper.

he's glad he can make her laugh, frustrate her, annoy her, anger her even, but he hopes he can bring out more.

he hopes one day she can look at him the way everyone looks at her.

but that, he feels, is still a long way away.

for now he will gladly fill the role of the best friend, the nuisance, but tomorrow, who knows what tomorrow will bring.

v.

jimin and jungkook weren't jimin and jungkook at first.

he was stiff, and shy, and she was as bright as ever, as loud as ever.

eventually though, he gives in. he lets go.

and they fit together better than anyone would've expected.

they communicate with just a glance, make each other laugh with the smallest of actions. two peas in a pod.

jungkook doesn't know if he's grateful, or if he's hateful. he wonders if the line between friends and more is one that he'll ever be able to cross.

vi.

and then, there's the party.

jimin can barely remember who or what it was for, but everyone had been gathered together in one room.

everyone.

she dances with jinyoung, laughs with brian, drinks with yoongi. 

and the rest of them just stare.

watch, long for. 

none of them had seen this coming, none of them had known they were just one .. in many. they had all thought they were more, that they were special. 

maybe that's how they formed their little club, maybe it wasn't.

what she knows is that something started at that party, someone snapped.

vii.

they all form a line, looking like a surreal still from some american reality show she hates.

"pick one." 

she wonders briefly if she was dreaming, and that this was all just some ridiculous thing her subconscious has come up with.

"what?"

but, no such luck, they were all definitely real, and she was really standing here, being pressured to pick one of them to date.

"pick one."

she could tell everything had been planned out, very elaborately before hand.

yerin stands beside her, in disbelief (as jimin was herself) but partially amused too.

jimin wishes she could find this funny.

no matter what she would choose, it seemed either way it would lead to hearts being broken. 

"i pick ..."

she hesitates for a moment, before answering, because of how their eyes light up with hope. 

"none of you."

and she watches as that light fizzles out almost instantly.

"what?"

she sighs, suddenly feeling as if she was in a room filled with children rather than grown men.

"you're all great, and i love all of you ... in my own way, but i do not want to date any of you."

she expects anger, but most of them just look upset, a little devastated. and that was much, much worse.

there's a long moment of silence following that confession, before jungkook speaks up.

"why? is there .. is there something wrong with me? with any of us?"

jimin flinches. she was hoping to avoid this exact question.

"no, no! you're all great people, really. you're all fantastic, and anyone would be lucky to have you, i just ... i'm not ..."

"she's not into men."

and then, all hell breaks loose.

jungkook and taehyung look for the most part, absolutely floored. jaebum looks disappointed ... in himself, for not having figured it out himself. jaehyung looks close to laughter? or something akin to it, something closer to maniacal laughter maybe. and yugyeom, well, he just looked even more upset than he was a minute ago. 

"yerin, i thought i told you i was going to break it to them?"

yerin just shrugs, looking none too innocent. 

"well it had to be said sooner or later. and sooner was better for me, if we want to make it to that reservation at 7."

the whole room falls to complete silence after that. most eyes are on jimin, the rest, on yerin.

"wait, wait. so you're telling me that ... you two are ..?"

jimin sighs, again, and yerin pulls a wide eating grin. 

"ing? dating? going steady? yes."

jae passes out, and yugyeom looks ready to follow, but jimin doesn't get to see what happens next because yerin's dragging her out the door by her hand.

"did you have to tell them like that?"

yerin shrugs, grin still firmly attached to her face.

"that's what they get for trying to make a move on my girlfriend."

jimin rolls her eyes, but can't help the smile that surfaces.

viii.

in the end jimin picks none of the boys, and they all go home heart broken.

yerin however, goes home with jimin, and therefore, goes home a winner.

not rlly ... cohesive or just good in general but o well lmao