Things are looking up for Jimin: his best friend has fallen in love and they're finally being recognised.

6 – JM focus

"Okay, fine, you were right. I have a crush on Jeon Jungkook." Wow. Jimin was good at this. Despite the pained expression on his friend's face, he couldn't help but feel proud of himself. In all fairness, it wasn't like Taehyung was especially good at hiding secrets. Jimin laughed quietly, not wanting to draw attention to them in the silence of the library.

"Wait, seriously?" Taehyung nodded slowly. "I mean I was joking, but…" On some level, this was true. After Taehyung had so totally rejected Jimin's theories, Jimin decided that he was telling the truth and just started teasing him for the hell of it. But now it wasn't false…

"Aw, Tae, I'm sorry, that must have been really hard for you to do and I'm really proud of you for admitting that." Jimin knew from experience not only how hard it was to come out to someone but to also admit a crush. Even though they were better friends now, that still couldn't have been easy. Taehyung smiled back at him, clearly pleased at the support.

They continued their conversation, intermittently discussing love and chemistry (a weird combination of things for a Tuesday) and soon got bored.

"Where d'you want to go? Music block?" asked Taehyung. They still had fifteen minutes of lunch left and Jimin didn't have any better suggestions. The music block was a separate building to the rest of the school; it had to be quiet for the 'musically talented'. Taehyung said he spoke for all of the 'musically talented' students when he said he couldn't care less about the noise, they were all playing stuff anyway.

Packing up their stuff, Jimin noticed Taehyung start to slip into daydream again. As promised, Jimin woke him up, since they both decided that it could make things spiral as it did with Jimin. They left the library and walked down the stairs. Jimin immediately regretted agreeing to go somewhere else. Yoongi was walking up the stairs towards them with another student. Jimin swallowed hard and tried to look away, but he was drawn back to the older boy as if he was magnetic. They passed and Jimin realised that the boy who was with Yoongi was not one of the basketball team. He turned his head and, when Taehyung did the same, he knew who it was.

There was no way those two were friends. If they were, Jimin and Taehyung would have to flip for staring rights. "What the hell?" Jimin exclaimed almost subconsciously, "When did that happen?" Taehyung shrugged and they both laughed and talked about what they had done to piss off the universe.

Upon entering the music block, they sat themselves down at one of the electric keyboards and Taehyung began to play. Jimin recognised the melody as an American pop song to which he vaguely knew the lyrics. He began to sing along, his voice echoing the intonations and phonics of the artist. Despite not being able to translate all of it, Jimin knew he was singing about love and rejection, waiting for a second chance, everything most pop music was about. But he meant it this time.

Taehyung played the final chord and they sat reflecting on their own feelings. Until someone behind them said,

"Nice. Anyway, you're Park Jimin, right?" Jimin turned around and saw someone he recognised as a third grader leaning against the wall. He had short, silvery hair and strong, handsome features. Jimin would have stood up, but the boy was quite tall and he didn't feel like accentuating the height difference.

"Yeah, that's me," answered Jimin, still slightly afraid of being called out by the older years, despite not being in 1st grade anymore.

"Hoseok found your keys in the classroom and told me to find you," he chucked a set of keys in Jimin's direction and Taehyung caught them and put them in Jimin's pocket for him. "That was beautiful though, your song, I mean. Hoseok didn't tell me you could sing." Jimin felt a little uncomfortable at the compliment and Taehyung nudged him and smiled in encouragement.

"I didn't know Hoseok said anything about me at all… What's your name?" Jimin asked. The boy introduced himself as Kim Namjoon, a name which both of them recognised immediately. Before he started 2nd grade, Namjoon had been offered a full scholarship to an incredibly prestigious private school that specialised in music, but he declined it because he thought the private school system was corrupt. So he carried on at a normal high school instead. In his spare time, he produced songs that were actually really good and he was known as the best freestyle rapper in the whole school. Jimin felt honoured that he had been praised by such a musical genius.

"Oh, yes, of course, well um…thank you. This is my friend, Kim Taehyung." Taehyung waved and Jimin knew he was blushing. Taehyung adored rap music and Jimin had been there the day that Taehyung could rap one of Namjoon's songs fluently. It was a dramatic day. Namjoon's eyes lit up in recognition.

"Oh yeah, you sang in the talent show last year, right?" Taehyung nodded and blushed redder. "You two could duet; I bet that would sound amazing. Anyway, nice meeting you." Jimin and Taehyung faintly mumbled it back and waited until Namjoon had left the room before hi-fiving as quietly as they could. It was true, Jimin like singing, but dancing was always his thing. He had taken a few singing lessons in middle school, but they got too expensive. Jimin was thrilled to be told that his voice was beautiful by someone he didn't even know. Taehyung probably felt the same.

As they made their way back into the main school, an announcement rang out on the tannoy system.

"Attention, students. Sign-up sheets for house games will be available by the end of the seventh period. Your sports this year are Dance, Basketball, Football and Athletics. Choose wisely and good luck!"

House games. Right at the start of the year as a team-building exercise and a way for 1st graders to learn their place in the school. Taehyung and Jimin grinned at each other. This was always fun.

The school was divided into four houses and, due to the lack of imagination from the prefects, they were named after colours: Green, Blue, Purple and Orange. Jimin and Taehyung were in different houses and house competitions always sparked rivalry, no matter how petty the competition was. Jimin was an Orange (along with Hoseok) and Taehyung was a Purple. The standard view on the houses was: Green wins everything, Blue is competitive and often violent, Purple is always top three, never first but has the most fun and Orange has incredible team spirit.

The year before, Jimin had gone for Dance and won his category. Hoseok had also won his round and they met at the prizegiving. It had been a really fun experience and Jimin couldn't wait to do it again. This time, though, he remembered that all of the events have most of the school as spectators. Last year, that was exciting and Jimin loved it, but last year he didn't have a crush. Sure, he didn't have to watch Yoongi play and even if Yoongi watched the Dance events, he wouldn't pay attention but it still made Jimin more nervous about performing. He'd just have to wait and see.

(excuse my terrible chapter summaries but I hate just heading straight into stories)