Stalemate // BTS JIKOOK

Chapter 1 - Friends?

- JIMIN POV -

"Jiminie!"  an enthusiastic voice called out, the direction of it coming from behind. I slowed down my pace upon hearing the voice, the hallways of the university already filling with students. 

I took in a small breath and let it out slowly. Okay Jimin, remember to smile and be friendly.

I broke out into a full out grin and turned around, exuding the happy-go-lucky aura I had established for myself.

"Oh, Hobi! Good morning," I called back, already able to tell who it was by his voice without seeing him. 

Jung Hoseok, more popularly known as "Hobi" or "J-Hope", bounded up to me with endless energy as usual. 

He's a bright and cheerful kid who loves making other people laugh, although his actions are a bit of a stretch sometimes and can be pretty strange. 

To be honest, he's just weird and crazy in general. (People still love him though)

"Ahh, wait for me you two!" another voice echoed behind us. We turned around, Hobi's arms around my shoulders. 

A boy with messy hair and a flushed face rushed up to catch up to us, his carrier bag almost slipping off his shoulders in the process. People around us stared while girls squealed over how cute he was. 

I sighed in my mind. Why did he have to always make things so dramatic?

When he matched the speed of our steps, he smiled from ear to ear, as if there wasn't a care in the world, and greeted us. 

"Taehyungie! What took you so long?" Hobi chuckled, ruffling his hair when he pouted.

"Good morning Tae Tae," I chimed in tentatively. 

Tae Tae (His real name is Kim Taehyung) was the one who insisted we use nicknames to grow closer to each other since we're all "besties". Basically, our friend group has evolved into a naming zoo thanks to him.   

Thankfully I got away with just "Jiminie".

"My alarm clock wasn't working again so I had to run here from the dorms. I ended up having to skip breakfast too," Tae Tae said, sticking out his bottom lip like a child. "Hobi hyung left without me even though we're roommates."  

"Really? Aww, you must be hungry then. Want an energy bar?" I asked, feigning worry. 

In the beginning, I did semi-worry about him but this has happened so many times that it's almost a daily routine now. It was kind of annoying and repetitive but I played along with it as the "nice guy".

"Yah, I'm honestly surprised at how your clock even survives," Hobi jested, teasing him. "It's a total war zone in the morning with all those jabs and hits. No wonder it stopped working! Haha, you could totally be a karate master Tae Tae."

Hobi continued, crying out comically. "Can you blame me for not waking you up though? What if you hit me thinking I'm an alarm?!" 

He let out a rambunctious laugh, obviously having fun messing with Tae Tae.

"Hyung~," Tae Tae whined, frowning. He left Hobi's side and clung onto me instead. "At least Jiminie understands me, hmph!"

I dug inside my bag and quickly handed him an energy bar. He grinned, gladly taking it and munching down on the protein packed snack while mumbling a thank you with a full mouth. 

We walked down the hallways, Hobi's arms wrapped around our shoulders and cracking jokes. Tae Tae stuck out his tongue and cutely tried to get revenge on Hobi for leaving him. I let out a small laugh, feeling halfhearted inside. 

Friends...Can I really call them my friends?