LOVEGAME OVER

21 - Love game

Taehyung hops to the park where he has agreed to meet Jimin. To be fair, he was the one to suggest they meet at the park in the weekend. And just to see Jimin's thrilled positive answer was enough to make Taehyung smile.

His best friend is sitting on a bench, staring at his phone, and does not see Taehyung approach.

"Boo!" the tallest of them two screams, making his classmate start. Taehyung snickers and reveals something he was hiding behind his back. "For you!"

Jimin seems almost not surprised at the bunch of flowers in front of him. He smiles softly and takes them, asking as he smells the fragrance, "What's that for?"

"Well, as usual. For being the ass I am. You should be used to it."

"I'm used to ass-Tae. Not to ass-Tae actually offering me flowers." But Jimin looks quite pleased.

Taehyung casually sits by his friend, who is engaged in deep thinking. "You didn't come up with the idea alone, did you?" The other boy shrugs, distractedly staring at the horizon. "It was Hoseok, wasn't it? I'm sure he told you how to win my heart back."

Taehyung laughs and shakes his head. "Do I really need someone to tell me how to win your heart back?"

Jimin raises a dubitative eyebrow. Taehyung sighs, "Okay, I got help. But not from Hoseok. And no, before you ask, not from Yoongi either. So no need to start bitching about him."

"I wasn't going to–"

"Yeah?" Jimin crosses his arms, embracing the flower bouquet, upset. "Anyway, I got help from a stranger. Jungkook, you know? I figured an exterior perspective would be enriching."

Jimin nods silently. He leaves the bouquet next to him on the bench, and drags Taehyung up and then to the child constructions of the park. As they take place on a double swing, Jimin asks, "And what exactly is your relationship with him?"

"We're just friends. And yet we're still strangers. I mean, he doesn't want to meet, even if he doesn't live far away from here." Taehyung lets Jimin do all the pushing, lets himself get carried up and down by the swing. "I don't get it. I like him very much, and I'm sure he does too. We're, like, so similar. Why doesn't he want to see me? Do you think he'd be disgusted by me? Or worse, afraid of me?"

"Why would he be?"

"Cause I'm weird. And I'd make him uncomfortable." Taehyung scratches his head and gives a little push to help Jimin with the swing. "And I'm not hot like he is. God he's beautiful. I wish I could be like him. Maybe more boys would be into me."

"But you're hot too." Jimin blushes and tries to correct himself, "I mean, you're very cute." Taehyung does not reply, as the swing slows down to a stop. "But why do you need to meet him? If he's just an online stranger."

"Well, he helps me a lot. I can tell him anything, he won't judge. I think we really bonded. So yeah, I'm kinda attached to him now. It really hurt me when he said no."

"He must have his reasons. Maybe he just needs time." Jimin reaches out for his friend's hand, and holds it somehow. "You'll have to wait for him to be ready. But in the meantime, I'm here, okay? And I don't judge either."

Taehyung nods. "I'm glad you're not mad at me anymore," he says.

"I can't be mad at you, you know that. I'm just a stupid, jealous best friend."

"So you were jealous."

"Come on, you know how possessive I can get. Be it because of Yoongi, or anyone else."

"You know what Yoongi is to me... You know he's only here because it's better for him." Jimin shrugs, ashamed. But he finally drops the hand of Taehyung, who goes on, "As for Jungkook, you don't need to worry, as we'll probably never even meet. Too bad, I bet he's even sexier in real life than in pictures."

Jimin knows he should laugh, but he does not. How deeply attached is Taehyung to his online friend? Jimin fears it might be too much, at any rate. He has never heard his best friend comment on any boy's looks like this, never seen him hurt so much because of anyone but himself.

The worst fright eventually hits Jimin. Could Taehyung be in love?