Out of the Blue [Taekook] - DISCONTINUED

11

"Hey," Hoseok quietly greets when he enters the gym, still keeping his eyes peeled because, well, you never know who might be watching. He's already sweaty and his training session hasn't even started.

The others are already there, stretching, getting rid of their bags or browsing their phones for some good songs they could dance to. For a brief moment, he meets his eyes with Jimin's who's sitting on the floor and performing one of the famous stretches for flexibility where one of his legs is bent and close to his body, while the other is at full stretch as he's reaching for his toes with both of his hands. But this time, all he does is wrinkle his brow and look away, pretending to be busy with whatever he's doing. What's gotten into him? Oh right, he just said some really mean things behind his back and now he's expecting him to be chill? Okay, it's not like he heard it but still, he should've at least said hello or something. Fuck my life.

Hobi puts his black cardigan into one of the corners and opens a bottle of water he grabbed from a vending machine on his way there. Damn it, he didn't even have time to go home and change so he's still wearing a pair of ripped ankle-length jeans. Fuck it, it'll have to do for now. It's not like it's his first time doing this.

On the other hand, the thing about Jimin is still bugging him. He can't just pretend nothing happened. After all, he's his friend. Or is he? To be completely honest, friends don't fuck each other over just like that. But...

"You okay?" he carefully asks as he joins him on the floor, trying hard not to make him even more upset.

"Do I look like it?" Jimin responds, trying to keep himself busy. No, but seriously, this wasn't the first time that's happened and yet he's still so high-key offended? Or is he just being selfish again?

"No, but-" Why did he even bother to ask? Fuck, he should've just left him mope. He'd get over it, eventually.

"Look Hobi," he speaks up again, this time looking directly into his eyes. "I'm not saying you have to be my friend, but-"

"Is that why you're being so sulky?" he interrupts him, tying the shoelaces on his sneakers as he does so. He's really starting to piss him off.

"You really don't realize it, do you?" he asks again, getting ready to stand up. When Hobi looks at him again, he sees his eyes sparkling; watering in the corners. Shit, what has he done again...

"Wait!" he quickly grabs his shoulder to prevent him from leaving. He has to fix this. "Look, I know that I've been acting like really shitty these days. It's just that-"

"These days? Hyung, you've been neglecting me since you started hanging out with Jungkook and those guys. And we've been friends since kindergarten..." He's right. He definitely has a point. All he's been doing is worrying only and solely about himself and literally being obsessed with whether the others might find out he's on the dance team. He basically ditched him out of his life and he should be fucking ashamed of it.

"I know and I'm sorry, okay?" What if... What if he just left this whole dancing thing and just get high or something? Or fly to Jamaica and change his name? But it's what he loves... Living without passion is like being dead, someone once said... Who was that genius again? Wait, was it Jungkook? Was he wasted? Fuck knows...

"You always say that. Again, I'm not forcing you to be my friend, it's just that I'm tired of acting like we don't know each other when the others are around. Because it hurts. It fucking hurts." I knew it. I fucking knew it.

"Jimin?" Hoseok breaks the silence after a few moments.

"Yeah?" the younger responds, wiping his tears with his sleeve in secret when the latter's looking away. Okay, maybe he shouldn't have freaked out like that. But in all honesty, Hobi has changed so much it's almost indescribable. He used to be this positive, funny guy with a bright personality, but now he's... Just so different. Sometimes even hot-tempered and mean. And he only smiles when he's dancing. Or at least that's when he genuinely smiles.

"You're right. I'm an asshole," the older mutters under his breath, running his hand through his hair as he does so.

"Yeah, you are," Jimin nods his head, a subtle smile appearing on his lips. Hell yeah, he's right.

"But I'm also your friend," he adds, "Or at least I wanna be. Listen, if you really wanna hang out with me outside of here, that's okay, it's just that..."

"What?" the younger questions as he feels Hobi being stuck for words.

"Please don't tell anyone that I dance," he sighs, avoiding the other's gaze. "Especially not Jungkook or-"

"Why not?" Jimin interrupts him again, being the curious person he is. "Aren't they supposed to be, like, your pals or something?" Sure jam. K, not to be a bitch, Jungkook can be okay sometimes, but the others...

"Yeah, but..." What else is he supposed to say? That he spends most of the time with a bunch of douchebags because he's a douchebag himself?

"Hyung..." the younger tiredly sighs and hesitates for a second, before he continues. "Have you ever asked yourself if they're really your friends if you gotta hide things from them?"