Sunshine

Chapter 3 ~Confession~

Music played quietly as Namjoon and Yoongi showed off their latest favourite mixtapes from unknown underground rappers. Everyone was talking quietly amongst themselves out of respect for Jimin's desire to be left alone. He sat by the fire, staring into the flames, letting the warmth lick his face and sting his eyes. He pulled his legs to his chest, letting his chin rest on his knees as he sighed a sigh so long it left him with no breath. Tae sat quietly beside him, occasionally sparing a glance at his cousin. Jungkook had fallen asleep, lulled by the sound of crackling logs and the crashing of waves on the beach behind them.
Jin, who was drinking a beer with Hoseok tilted his head towards Jimin, "Go talk to him." He said with a whisper. After tying the last knot on his tent, Hoseok finished the rest of his drink with a single gulp. "Why me?" He whispered back. Jin rolled his eyes at him "Because," He said matter of factly, "he actually smiles around you, and might tell you something if you ask the right way." Jin finished the rest of his beer and grabbed a second from the cooler in the back of his ute. Hoseok admitted Jin was probably right and plopped himself beside Jimin, ignoring Tae's questioning look. "So, you gonna tell us what happened today? Who were those Jerks?" He asked bluntly. Jin spat the contents of his mouth out and began to choke, mentally slapping his forehead.
Yoongi and Namjoon, startled by Hoseok's directness and the unexpected shower Jin had given them made loud noises of surprise and disgust. "Ya!" Yoongi yelled and shot a judging glare at Jin who couldn't help but laugh. The commotion had woken Jungkook who was waving at his Hyungs to be quiet, gesturing toward Jimin. Yoongi and Namjoon shut off their music and gave Hoseok and Jimin their full attention.
Tae stared nervously at his cousin, prepared to bail him out of the situation the second he became too distressed, but to his surprise, Jimin started to speak.
"They... people I used to be friends with. Kind of. I mean, they didn't always hate me." Jimin's voice was quiet and he kept looking at his hands, too embarrassed to look at any of them in the eye. The guys shuffled closer to better hear him.
Hoseok nodded several times before asking in his straight-forward way, "What happened to make them hate you?" Jimin looked at him them, for the first time since the incident, and struggled to find the right words to say. He was afraid the truth would scare them off. He wanted to tell them, but knew that if things went badly, history could repeat itself and he'd have to move again. It would also cause problems for Tae and his mother. He didn't want to be a bother. He didn't want to be hated.
Hesitantly, he skirted around the truth and gave what he deemed an adequate explanation. "I... said something to one of them. He didn't like it. It upset him a lot and he said that I betrayed our friendship. No matter what I said or did, I couldn't fix it. He told his other friends, those other guys, and from then on they hated me. They kept sending messages and yelling at me in school. They were violent. Bad rumours were spread about me." He sighed heavily again, feeling a lump catch in his throat. He didn't dare look at any of the others. "That's why I was pulled out of school and had to move. That's why i'm here." The other boys shared a knowing glance. They had been able to read between the lines and Tae, who nodded his head at them, confirmed it. Hoseok, the only one who hadn't understood, sat looking confused.
"What'd you say that he didn't like?" He asked innocently. Jimin stared at him for a few moments, willing him to either catch on, or drop the subject. He looked up at the others who had remained silent. He could tell they had caught on from the sympathetic expression in their eyes.
Jungkook, appalled by Hoseok's lack of delicacy, threw his neck pillow at him, "Read the atmosphere idiot." He huffed. Blinking smoke out of his eyes, Hoseok complained that he hadn't done anything to deserve being called an idiot.
Jimin shot up, "I told him that i loved him." He interrupted Jungkook mid-insult. Having said more than he had wanted to, Jimin went into his tent, leaving the others to make their judgments.
Lost for words, the boys all remained where they were and none spoke. Hoseok, to everyone's disbelief, broke the silence with, "What does that mean?" Jungkook' patience completely snapped. "That he's gay! Idiot!" he yelled before joining Jimin in the tent they shared with Tae. Shaking their heads at Hoseok, the others followed suit and went to bed, leaving Hoseok alone to quietly process everything. At length he sat, feeling guilty.
~~
The next morning was sunny and hot.  Taking advantage of the weather and being so close to the beach, they decided to go for a swim before they had to leave. Even Yoongi welcomed the cold of the ocean, and lay floating atop the water. Before he joined the others, Jin pulled Jimin aside. "How'd you sleep?" He asked looking Jimin over, searching for dark circles and checking his completion. Jimin shrugged and found it difficult to look his Hyung in the face, a strong sense of shame creeping over him. Jin smiled brightly and clasped one of Jimin's hands in both of his. "Don't look so sad. I already knew anyway." He said. Jimin's mouth popped open, and despite himself let out a confused, "Hah?!" Quietly adding 'Hyung' sheepishly soon after. Jin laughed so heartily that Jimin couldn't help but laugh back at the noise he made.
Becoming serious again after Namjoon joined them to see what was so funny, Jin continued, "Jimin-ah, you didn't really think I'd be able to get away with how much I tease him if we were just friends did you?" Jimin blinked at Namjoon as he smiled and put his arm around Jin. "Oh," was all he could manage to say. Namjoon ruffled Jimin's hair before taking Jin's hand and running to joint the others in the water.
Jimin stood for a while, watching the others play. A smile slowly crept over his face as he felt a veil of worry and guilt lift, leaving him feeling light, and for the first time in years, happy.
~~
That's it for chapter 3! I hope you enjoyed it, as i really struggled with this one for some reason. Iv'e worked hard 💪🏼😂 The next chapter will be uploaded shortly. It's been busy with christmas right around the corner 😓😊 In the next chapter, what's changed? Has Jimin really been accepted? And why is Hoseok wet?? 😉😂