Bubble games

eight

Jimin frowns as he tries to focus the best he can, and taps the tip of his pencil on his math copybook. Jungkook, who has been resting on his crossed arms lying on the table, eyes closed, suddenly raises his head, alarmed by the smaller's apparent frustration. The younger of them two eventually sighs. "Do you need help again?"

"Yes," Jimin whispers, looking down. "I just don't get it."

"Look." Jungkook points at a figure on the book. "This one is x, that's what you've got to find."

"But it's right there!"

"Jimin, you've got to find the figure behind the x."

"Oh. But how do you do that?"

"Gosh, that's what I've been trying to teach you for the past hour."

"No, you've been taking naps for the past hour."

"I can't help it, I'm just so sleepy." Jungkook resumes, "So, you have to get the x on the other side of the equal sign, like this..."

As he shows Jimin once again how to calculate, the older one watches, unimpressed. The library is rather quiet, and Jungkook has agreed to help him with his work, since Jimin has missed a class a few days before. Fortunately, his friend has not asked any questions–that is what is great about Jungkook, he never asks questions and is very helpful. Jimin frowns to himself–why does Taehyung say Jungkook is so annoying again?

"So, do you get it now?" Jungkook asks, getting his classmate out of his reverie.

"Yeah, yeah. Thanks."

The brown-haired boy stares at him and grimaces. "You haven't paid attention to what I've said, have you?"

"I'm sorry, but I tried, Kookie."

He winces at the nickname. "Don't call me that. That's how Taehyung calls me to bug me. So I don't like it now."

"But I like it. It sounds so yummy." Jimin smiles, and his joy bubbles over, causing Jungkook to smile lightly too. "Why don't you like Taehyung? He's the best."

"Look, I don't hate Taehyung. He just gets on my nerves because he's so... You know? Tiresome. And contemptuous. He thinks he's better than me. All I do is try to prove him I'm worth something too." As Jimin does not seem to understand completely, he adds, "I don't mind him. I just think he's not that nice to me sometimes."

"When he calls you Kookie?"

"Yes. For instance."

"But you call him TaeTae. And he doesn't like it."

"Yes. It's the only way I can get him to shut up." Jungkook looks at the math book without truly seeing it. "I don't know why he's so damn hard to please. He's the only one to treat me like this among our group. I mean, even if I'm a bit of a hanger-on, they tolerate me."

"Why would you be a hanger-on?"

Jungkook's face gets a bit darker, and he mumbles, "Well, I know I'm not truly part of the team. I'm the youngest, I shouldn't even attend high school, so I'm not mature to them. I'm just a stray they have rescued."

"You're not a stray!" Jimin exclaims. "We all like you. You make us laugh. Even Taehyung."

"I don't know, Jimin..." He smiles sadly. "Sometimes, I feel like I'm only there because Hoseok pitied his lonely, gifted neighbor... If we didn't live next to each other's door, I don't think anyone would've noticed me, and been my friend. But fortunately, Hoseok's great and immediately invited me over at his place, and into his group of friends. Although I wish he hadn't showed me his miniature greenhouse. Did you know that he had so many plants, and that he gave them weird names? I think he named one Gguk. After me, you know. He said it was forsythia or something. I still don't get his passion for plants."

Jimin shrugs. He thinks it is actually nice. Jungkook sighs and goes on, "Anyways, I'm grateful to have you guys, even if not every one of you fully appreciates me."

"If you're talking about Taehyung–"

"Who else, Jimin?" the other boy snaps. He quickly apologizes for being abrupt–he always forgets that Jimin does not know what he is saying, most of the time.

"You know, Yoongi likes you," Jimin finally says, almost carelessly.

"Oh, does he?" his friend answers with a warm smile, looking fondly at the smaller teenager.

"Yes. He says you're a good laugh. And super smart. He likes that you can help me with my homework. But he keeps making fun of you because you look like a baby."

"Hey, I don't! I really don't. My mom says I'm tall for my age, and my voice has already broken!"

Jimin chuckles. "Don't worry. Yoongi hyung always says I'm the biggest baby he's ever seen. And so does Jinnie."

"They're not wrong. But it's not bad. You get others to take care of you. It must feel nice to always be protected."

"It actually is nice. I get hugs and kisses all the time. And I get bubble baths, too!"

"I would kill to have this. You're a lucky bugger."

Jimin giggles and, as the librarian asks them to keep quiet, he starts focusing again on his math problem. Jungkook smiles softly and gets back to his nap. After a few minutes' reflection, Jimin blows his cheeks, getting impatient and nervous. From behind, two indexes appear from nowhere and pop his cheeks, bringing him back to reality. Jimin starts, then confusedly turns around.

"Sorry to interrupt, but I think Jung Hoseok is needed here." He hits the head of Jungkook, who jerks up and groans painfully. "No napping in the library, golden boy." He turns back to the redhead, saying, "What are you studying? Math? Ugh, is this dork helping you in any way?"

"He is. I'm just too stupid to understand anything."

"Don't say that," Hoseok replies instantly, frowning at the other's devaluation. "You're the smartest little elf I've ever seen."

"I'm not an elf," Jimin pouts, crossing his arms on his chest.

"Yes, you are!" Hoseok chuckles, patting the younger's soft hair.

As Jimin finally starts to subdue and laugh at Hoseok's clowning, and as Jungkook tries to get back to sleep somehow, the smallest of them three hears steps in the distance and instinctively looks behind him. He sees Yoongi entering the room, hands in his torn jeans pocket, looking at the ground. Jimin's heart starts racing and he waits for him to come at their table.

"Hey, Jiminie," the boy whispers.

"Hey, hyung!"

Hoseok and Jungkook raise their heads and watch as Jimin lets a little room next to him for his older friend. They talk together in a low voice, and the two other students can see how relaxed Jimin now seems. As if he had returned to his haven, as if he had entered his bubble once again, Jungkook and Hoseok being obviously excluded from this little peaceful world.

And Hoseok cannot help but think Yoongi is the reason why Jimin is so out of this world, why Jimin cannot move on and get better. And he swears that one day, he will set Jimin free from Yoongi's noxious hold.