Sunshine

Chapter 2 ~Princess~

Jimin was getting ready for the day when there was a gentle knock on his bedroom door. He saw the reflection of his mother seconds later as she came in and stood behind him, arms folded. His mother was a beautiful woman, despite her age adding a few wrinkles and giving her less vibrant skin. She was neat and always presentable, which a housewife ought to be when married to a well known business man. Even though they lived apart, she was determined to uphold his standards, so when he came to visit, he was always pleased to see her. It had been a difficult year for Jimin's family. Mother uprooting and moving to somewhere less known with her son, leaving her husband behind to work and provide for them and a second house had been a difficult decision. It had been decided between them that she and Jimin should move to the next town over, and though she didn't regret the decision, as her son always came first, She missed her old life with her old friends and her old house. Yes she was a great wife, but she was also an exemplary mother.
Jimin waited for his her to say something, and after a few moments grew impatient, "Yes Ma?" He stared at her reflection and they locked eyes. She stirred a little before replying, "You didn't tell me you'd gotten hurt on Monday." She hid the hurt in her voice well, but Jimin caught it all the same and turned to face her. Putting a light hearted smile on his face he said, "It was just a bump Ma." reassuring her that it was no big deal. Her emotions failed her and she became irritated, "You got a concussion." She said with a frown. Her folded arms moved to her hips as she corrected her son. Jimin, not wanting to put any stress on his mother, put down his hairbrush and went to her. He gripped her shoulders lightly as he looked into her face. "I was fine Ma. I am fine. The nurse exaggerated and after sitting for a while with a glass of water in her office, I was perfectly normal again." She sighed and accepted his explanation, even though she knew he was downplaying it for her sake. She pet his head, and her tone became light and playful. "I also know you were carried like a bride by some handsome young man who-" Before she could finish her banter, Tae practically flew into the room with a slight huff and said seriously "I did not say he was handsome!" Jimin glared at him as his mother shrugged and left the room with a chuckle. "Don't say unnecessary things to her, I don't want her to worry." Jimin sighed as he walked back to the mirror and played with a few different hairstyles. Tae gave an apologetic nod of agreement and nudged him over so he too could play with his hair. "Damn I'm pretty." He said, framing his face with two fingers and winking at himself. Jimin snorted "Yeah, pretty ugly." And shoved him roughly on his way to a cabinet to choose a few items of jewellery.
Tae stuck out his tongue and muttered something under his breath while going to the closet and grabbing a jacket he liked. He whistled. "You sure have a lot of clothes ChimChim." Jimin, satisfied with his completed look agreed and turned to him. "So, what's the plan? Where are we meeting the others? What are we doing today?"
Tae grinned his toothy grin and was about to say some witty remark when Jimin's mother called up to them. "Boys, there's some gentlemen here to pick you up." Tae clapped his hands, grabbed Jimin by the arm and lead them downstairs and outside to where 2 guys were waiting beside a shiny black ute. Jin and Namjoon greeted Tae with a hug as he exclaimed at finally seeing Jin's new ride. After quick introductions, Tae was satisfied to see that Jimin liked them immediately. "I told you you'd like them." He quipped.
Namjoon wore a dimpled smile, ripped jeans and a long black top. A casual style which Jimin's eye for fashion could appreciate. Jin was a neat, attractive guy who's Blonde hair and pink shirt stood out.
Though the drive wasn't long, it was fun. Jin and Namjoon constantly made jokes and poked fun at Tae while reminiscing about school. Jimin was glad that he was rarely called on to comment. He was happy to sit and listen. Even though he liked them all very much, he was still feeling shy and didn't know what to say to them.
They drove to an old and empty waterway. Under a large bridge they drove up to, there was a gathering of people. As they got out, from the corner of his eye Jimin saw Hoseok running towards them, and he began to feel nervous.
Hoseok hugged Jin, Namjoon and Tae before greeting Jimin with a handshake and pat on the back. Jungkook and Yoongi joined them and there were more handshakes and hugs. The others were all excited to see Jin and Namjoon who rarely had time to hang out since entering college. Like a proud mother, Jin explained to Jimin that Namjoon was so smart he was able to skip a grade and graduate with him. They were even able to be roommates.
"Glad you guys could all make it. Feels like old times huh?" Hoseok smiled and casually put his arm around Jimin, encouraging them all to move toward the gathering. Jimin swallowed hard. Though Hoseok made him feel like he was part of the group, he was also overly aware of him, and a familiar lump began to form in his stomach.
There was music coming from the centre of a group of people who had formed a circle around some dancers. Jimin's eyes grew wide when he saw them and halted. Hoseok, misunderstanding his wide eyed expression as amazement, winked at him and ran into the clearing to join the dancers who were flipping and moving in unison. Watching Hoseok dance made Jimin's stomach twist and he forced down another feeling he didn't want to acknowledge.
Tae stood beside him and gave a nudge, "Why don't you join them?" he whispered. Jimin gave him a speaking look, "you're kidding," he said, "I can't dance like that. I'm a contemporary dancer, and even if i could, which i cant, I don't want to." Jimin's tone was serious, but Tae was determined. "That's not entirely true is it? I've seen you." Jimin shook his head. In truth, he knew he was actually pretty good, but it had been almost a year since he'd quit. He was thinking about this when another thought hit him, "Wait..." He started, "Is that why i'm here?" Tae visibly grimaced at the look Jimin gave him. "You know I quit. And you know why!" He snapped. Hoseok noticed the exchange between them and curiosity got the better of him as he went to them."Know what?" He asked innocently. Tae answered quick enough that Jimin had no chance of stopping him, "that he want's to dance." Jimin slapped him in the arm. Hoseok didn't understand the situation, and frankly didn't care. The second he heard that someone wanted to dance, nothing else mattered. He grabbed Jimin's hand and ignored his protests, dismissing the argument that he "can't" as ridiculous. "I'll teach you" he said grinning brightly and turning up the music with a remote.
Hoseok was like a black hole. No one could resist being drawn to him and once you reached his side, it was impossible to leave. He was also like the sun. Warm and bright which also made it equally as impossible to resist smiling back and having fun, even for Jimin.
Before long, they were freestyling and Jimin had forgotten his determination to remain a bystander. Hoseok laughed, "I really don't have to teach you anything do I." He was flushed and out of breath. They were handed bottles of water by Yoongi who didn't look at them and went directly back to the shade tent he'd been resting in. Tae was about to comment about Yoongi's aloof way of caring, when he was interrupted by the sudden arrival of of 4 guys in matching black T-Shirts. "See, I knew it was him," One said loudly. Jimin froze, recognising the voice immediately. The blood rushed from his face and the uncomfortable knot in his stomach returned. "Ya, Jiminnie." Called a second guy whose voice was also familiar. Tae, seeing how Jimin was quickly becoming upset started to suggest they all head back to the car, but was interrupted again. "Jiminnie, aren't you going to say hi? Why don't you introduce us to your friends?" The guy was yelling louder, gaining the curious eyes of other people around them. Jimin's fists tightened and he tried to walk away. Dismayed, he realised he was frozen in place and visibly starting to shake.
Namjoon, who had been observing the situation stepped forward and calmly addressed the troublemakers, "How about you guys move along?" He said, "He clearly doesn't want to talk." Without sparing a glance at Namjoon, the guys continued and ignored him. "Ya! Princess, We're talking to you. Aren't we buddies? Oi, Princess!" They were rewarded with an angry Jimin who snapped around to face them. He gritted his teeth so hard it hurt and the expression on his usually adorable face was fierce enough to bring Yoongi back from his place of comfort to step into a spot between Jimin and his harassers. "Leave him alone." Yoongi's voice was was eerily steady, clear and cold. Jin moved close to Jimin and placed a hand on his shoulder with a protective stare at the harassers. Jungkook, Tae and Hoseok wore the same expression and stepped forward to shield Jimin from them.
The guys considered the situation for a moment, before deciding they were outnumbered. Their sneering turned into fake smiles and pleasantries. "I see we've outstayed our welcome. It's good you've made new friends Princess, don't screw it up with that, okay?" They laughed among themselves as they left, and Jimin walked quickly in the opposite direction. Riled up, curious and concerned, his friends followed, Tae running to catch up after regaining some composure and understanding by putting 2 and 2 together.
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And that's the end of Chapter 2! It was a bit of a slow start huh? Sorry about that, I just like to set the scene. Thank you for reading! In the next chapter, find out what happened between those strange guys and Jimin, and what Jungkook, Hoseok, Namjoon, Jin and Yoongi will do about it.