2

If there was one thing Jimin enjoyed about Fridays it was his 8AM English class. Not because he particularly liked English or found the teacher's ramblings about adverbs remotely interesting, no the reason why Jimin liked English class was the view. Through the window next to his desk he got a full view of the courtyard outside the dance and art building and sitting on the grass with his face turned to the other side was a platinum blonde boy stretching his long limbs. The boy, Yeonjun, and Jimin had been in the same dance class the previous year and Jimin had slowly developed a crush on the boy.

Yeonjun was ridiculously attractive, his body all muscle and face soft yet manly. He was so far out of Jimin's league that even the thought of Yeonjun finding Jimin attractive was laughable. He was always nice to Jimin though, and he couldn't help but indulge in his crush.

On Fridays Yeonjun had an early dance class that ended just as Jimin's English lesson started and Jimin internally thanked the university administration for aligning their schedules so perfectly. The boy liked to stretch outside, something Jimin was well aware of having joined him a couple of times when he was still attending the class, and he couldn't help himself from watching Yeonjun tend to his sore muscles. The sun was out and it reflected in Yeonjun's hair making him look almost angelic.

Jimin finally tore his eyes away from the boy outside to focus his attention back on the teacher who was listing new words for them to learn until next class. He picked up his pen and started copying the scribbles in his notebook, he would much rather have kept looking at Yeonjun.

If his 8AM English class was one of his favourites of the week then it was a stark contrast to his 10AM class. Since Jimin couldn't take dance anymore he had looked for a new elective subject, he'd found it difficult but finally settled on photography thinking it might be a useful skill to learn. He had been looking forward to his new class, even bought a small photo album where he thought he could store some of the pictures he took, that was until he walked into the classroom the first week and spotted a familiar smug face. ******* Jeon Jungkook.

Jimin had cursed himself not thinking of the possibility Jungkook could be in his class, knowing that photography was a hobby of the boy's. To be fair Jungkook hadn't had room in his schedule for an elective last year and Jimin didn't think this year would be any different. He had been sorely mistaken.

Jimin had wanted to switch classes but it was too late, all the other subjects were already full. He was stuck in the same class as Jungkook. For a whole year. What had he done in his previous life to deserve this kind of punishment.

Jungkook had seemed just as surprised as Jimin to learn that they would share a class this year. He had recovered quickly though and Jimin had had to endure countless mocking comments about his small hands not being able to hold the camera properly over the past week.

As Jimin walked into the classroom with a couple of minutes to spare he couldn't see Jungkook anywhere and he silently hoped the boy had fallen and broken his perfect nose on the way to class. He wasn't so lucky though as the taller boy sauntered into the classroom with only seconds to spare. His eyes flickered over the classroom looking for an available seat and his gaze finally landed on the empty chair next to Jimin. ****.

Jungkook walked over towards Jimin, but Jimin didn't look up from his edition of 'The Old Man and the Sea' which he had been preoccupying his mind with for the last couple of minutes. He kept staring at the page and took a sip of his coffee. "Keep walking Jeon."

Jungkook ignored him and sat down in the empty seat. Jimin turned his face towards the brown-haired boy and glared at him. "Sit somewhere else."

"I don't want to sit next to you either believe me," Jungkook said in a bored tone. "but this is the only available seat."

Jimin looked around and could see he was right. He put the book back in his bag, carefully making sure to put the bookmark between the pages to mark where he left off, and took out his notebook and a pen instead.

"Are you seriously taking notes on photography?" Jungkook eyed him mockingly and scoffed.

Jimin could feel his cheeks redden. "Yes, I'm actually trying to learn something you ***." Jimin snarled. "If there's a test I'm at least going to be prepared."

Jungkook laughed and leaned back in his chair looking incredibly smug. "Oh come on Jimin, we're not going to have a written test on photography. How dumb are you?"

Rage was bubbling up in Jimin's chest. He clenched his fist around his pen, knuckles turning white. He decided the smartest thing to do was to ignore Jungkook, he wouldn't give the boy the satisfaction of seeing him get angry.

Jimin enjoyed photography, the lesson was focused on learning how to use light and shadows to portray different moods and he was eagerly taking notes. However, not even the most interesting topic could completely distract him from the fact that Jungkook was sitting next to him. The boy would intentionally kick Jimin's chair to bother him and scribble obscene words in the corner of his notebook when he wasn't looking. Jimin got his revenge though, with ten minutes left of the class Jungkook stretched his arms above his head and yawned which gave Jimin the opportunity to 'accidentally' spill some (actually a lot) of his now lukewarm coffee in Jungkook's lap. The taller boy gave him a scathing look, gathered his things and left the classroom. Jimin smiled triumphantly and went back to his notes. He'd won this time.

---

At 3PM Jimin, Hoseok, Taehyung and Jungkook were sitting in Hoseok's car, finally on their way to the cabin. The other boys would take the bus out of the city later that night since they had late classes, but their luggage was packed in the car with everyone else's. It was cramped in the car and Jimin was happy he'd managed to get the passenger seat.

Jimin had packed lightly, they were only going to spend four days on the trip so he just needed a few changes of clothes and his meds. It all fit in a duffle bag that was sitting comfortably on the floor between his legs. Taehyung on the other hand had brought two bags and a one metre canvas that was currently pressed against the window on Taehyung's side. The art-major had insisted on bringing his art supplies arguing that being in nature would inspire him and it would be a travesty to waste it on doodles in the corner of napkins.

Jungkook was sitting in the back with his backpack in his lap trying to push Jin and Namjoon's massive suitcase more towards Taehyung's side. "How come Jimin gets to sit in the front, he's smaller." The boy grunted. It didn't seem like he had forgotten the incident with the coffee from earlier.

"He made me a sandwich this morning, what have you done for me today Jungkookah?" Hoseok answered cheerfully.

Jungkook muttered something inaudible and Jimin couldn't help but smile smugly. "How long till we get there Hobi?" he asked looking out at the city disappearing behind them.

"Not too long, 30 minutes maybe?"

Jimin hummed happily. The weather forecast for the next few days promised bright sun and minimal wind, temperature high enough to walk around in shorts and a t-shirt but not too hot that they wouldn't be able to do the activities they had planned. The whole thing still felt like a dream to Jimin. He had thought about all the things he wanted to do while they were there and he couldn't wait to get started. He wasn't going to overdo it, he had been realistic in his plans, so he was confident that nothing would ruin the trip.

The car ride continued with Jimin and Jungkook bickering over what music to listen to, both refusing to give up. Hoseok finally rolled his eyes and turned on the radio to shut them up. Taehyung had fallen asleep in in the back only 15 minutes after they'd left and Jimin smiled as he looked back at his peaceful face. His eyes momentarily drifted over to Jungkook who was looking at his phone. His eyebrows were furrowed and there was a look of concern in his eyes. Jimin almost opened his mouth to ask what was wrong, but stopped himself. He had just decided to pretend Jungkook didn't exist for the duration of the trip, then he wouldn't be able to ruin it for him.

As they continued driving the motorway took them to smaller roads and after rounding a corner the view of the lake was flooding Jimin's vision. The view probably didn't look that special to most people, the water was murky and green and there were bugs flying around in the shade of a big tree they passed, but to Jimin it was one of the most beautiful places he'd ever seen.

He looked out in awe as Hoseok pulled up to the cabin they would stay at for the next few days. It was located only 50 metres from the lake and Jimin could see a small dock stretching out into the water. To the left there were other identical ones to theirs and to the right the forest spread out, a small sign at a path indicating different trails you could take up the mountain.

"I'm going to run down to the reception and get the key, you guys unload the luggage while I'm gone." Hoseok said throwing the car key to Jimin.

Jimin ruffled his blonde hair and looked at the cabin. It wasn't huge, but he didn't doubt that the seven of them would be able to fit inside without a problem. The dark wood of the panelling contrasted beautifully against the bright green of the forest. There was a big porch wrapping around the entire front of the house with a pair of inviting armchairs next to the front door. It gave off a comfortable and cosy vibe and Jimin couldn't wait to go inside.

He turned back around towards the car and saw that Taehyung was making his way out of the backseat rubbing his eyes and squinting in the bright sunlight. "Are we there?" He asked groggily.

Jimin walked over to the sleepy boy and pinched his cheek. "Yes, we're here Taehyungie." He cooed.

Taehyung's face broke into a smile and he lifted Jimin up and spun him around while Jimin held onto the boy's shoulders protesting loudly. He finally set the blonde boy down after Jimin had threatened to pour ketchup in his white sneakers.

"Will you come paint with me later?" Taehyung asked eagerly.

"Of course." He smiled at his best friend. "Can't wait to see your next masterpiece."

"Are you two going to confess your love for each other this year or are we going to have to wait even longer?" Jungkook's annoyed voice came from the other side of the car.

Jimin refused to look at the brown-haired boy, he was not going to acknowledge his presence. He was going to keep pretending Jungkook wasn't there.

"I confess my love to Jimin all the time." Taehyung said with a big smile and pulled Jimin in for a warm hug. "You're just jealous I don't love you as much." He continued jokingly.

Jungkook rolled his eyes and leaned against the roof of the car. "He probably needs it with his terrible self-esteem."

Jimin turned towards the boy and couldn't help the words coming out of his mouth. "**** off Jungkook. Use your money to buy a best friend if you want one so badly."

The taller boy's cheeks turned the slightest shade of pink and Jimin felt satisfied, he seemed to have hit a nerve. Jungkook didn't have time to say anything back because a loud voice was suddenly booming up at them.

"Yah!" Hoseok's yelled as he was walking towards them. "Have you seriously not unloaded a single bag? Can I not trust you to do anything?"

The red-haired boy shook his head and pushed Jimin and Taehyung back towards the car. "Go! Take your stuff out before I regret bringing you here."

They unloaded the car quickly and Hoseok unlocked the front door to the cabin. On the other side of the door a small entryway greeted them with hooks to hang their jackets on and a shelf to put their shoes. Moving through the archway they stepped into a narrow hallway which had a couple of doors on either side and stairs leading to the second floor. On the left was a big archway guiding them into the open plan kitchen and living room. Jimin marvelled at the open fireplace in the back of the room and sat down on the comfortable couch.

"Jungkook, Tae – you're sharing one of the rooms upstairs." Hoseok declared. "Me and Yoongi will sleep in the one at the end of the hallway downstairs and Namjoon and Jin will take the master upstairs. Jimin, you can have the one right by the stairs."

Loud protests came from both Taehyung and Jungkook, both clearly wanting a room to themselves. Hoseok only laughed and ushered them towards the stairs. Jimin gave the red-haired boy a grateful smile and walked towards his room. Getting his own room would certainly make things easier for Jimin, now at least he wouldn't need to hide in the bathroom to take his meds.

Jimin opened the door to his room, stepped inside and closed the door behind him. The room was small, there was only enough space for a bed, a nightstand, and a small closet. The walls were made of the same wood as on the outside of the cabin, but it was painted white, and a huge picture of the lake was hung above the bed.

He walked over to the bed and set his bag on the green duvet. He took out his clothes and put them in the closet and laid his books on the night stand. Jimin took out the fairly large bag containing all his medicines and looked at it for a moment considering where to put it. He finally decided to cram it into the shelf in the nightstand. That bag contained everything Jimin needed to keep his cystic fibrosis in check, well except one thing. The only thing he hadn't brought with him was his oxygen tank. It had genuinely slipped his mind as he didn't use it every day, but he had realised his mistake as he was getting into Hoseok's car parked outside the dorm building. There had been plenty of time to run back upstairs and get it but Jimin had decided against it. It was difficult to bring without the others seeing it and he couldn't risk that.

A small twinge of worry hit him. When his breathing got bad Jimin's saturation easily dipped and he'd need his oxygen tank, not having it with him could be a problem. Jimin quickly shook the thought out of his head. He wouldn't need it, he was taking it easy and right now he was feeling perfectly fine. There was no need to worry.

---

Jin, Namjoon and Yoongi arrived a couple of hours later and quickly settled into the cabin with the other boys. They had brought pizza with them from the little village nearby and the seven boys were currently sitting around the big dinner table shoving food into their mouths.

"We should go on a hike later, go see the sunset." Namjoon suggested, mouth full of pizza.

Taehyung and Jungkook quickly agreed and after a nudge from his boyfriend Jin also nodded, a fond smile on his lips.

"I'm not going." Yoongi said, to no one's surprise. "I'm exhausted."

"Jimin?" Namjoon looked at him hopefully.

Before Jimin had time to tell Namjoon he just wanted to read by the lake for tonight Jungkook spoke up. "There's no point in even asking him Joon, he wouldn't be able to handle it. He's too weak." The boy gave Jimin a challenging look.

"Actually, I was hoping Jimin would help me plan the dance class I'm holding tomorrow." Hoseok sounded almost too cheery and Jimin recognised the nervousness under his friend's happy tone. His roommate clearly didn't think it was a good idea for Jimin to go hiking if he wanted to make sure not to get sick. Jimin would have to agree, but the look in Jungkook's eyes made all his rationality fly out the window.

"I'd love to come Joon." Jimin said not taking his eyes off Jungkook. The younger boy raised his eyebrows and twisted his lips into a grin.

"Jimin don't you think-"

"I'm going Hobi, I'll help you later." He cut his friend off and gave him a look that told him not to argue. Hoseok looked back at him, but finally pursed his lips and nodded.

20 minutes later they were making their way up a trail to a lookout point a few kilometres away, Namjoon had looked it up beforehand and raved about the view. Jimin was not dressed for hiking, he hadn't planned to tread out into the forest at all so he hadn't packed any appropriate clothes. His feet were starting to ache in his converse and the wind was going straight through his jean jacket. He already regretted the decision to join the excursion.

His friends were all fit, Jungkook and Taehyung did long distance running together and Namjoon spent an increasingly large amount of time at the gym. Jin didn't have the same dedication to exercise as the others, but he had no problem keeping up with the impossibly fast pace they had set.

It didn't take more than three minutes for Jimin to get out of breath, his chest begging for relief. He was good at controlling his breathing, keeping it at a normal rate even though his lungs were screaming for more oxygen. He did not want to show how affected he was after such a short amount of time, if Jungkook saw how much he was struggling he would never hear the end of it.

It wouldn't be the first time Jungkook had made fun of Jimin's breathing. The younger boy would often comment on how unfit Jimin was and it made his blood boil. Jimin knew that he shouldn't take any of Jungkook's comments about his physical state to heart, the boy didn't know that he had a debilitating lung disease and he probably wouldn't make fun of him if he did, but the things he said would still bother him. Jimin hated how weak Jungkook made him feel. He hated looking weak, especially in front of Jungkook.

Another five minutes of walking later and the path was starting to incline which made Jimin want to throw up. Sweat was running down his back and he was getting lightheaded. He was falling behind a bit and finally allowed himself to breathe faster, to give his body what it needed. His respiratory rate was picking up fast and it seemed to ease his struggling muscles, for a while at least. He knew he wouldn't be able to keep this pace up and he cursed himself for letting Jungkook get to him.

The wind was picking up now that they were getting higher up and it made the sweat on Jimin's back feel like ice. The gap between him and his friends had grown larger, they were probably over 20 metres ahead of him and they didn't look back. Jimin seriously considered sitting down on the ground to get some energy back and then turn back to the cabin, but he quickly decided that that wasn't an option. He could only imagine the comments Jungkook would make if Jimin didn't even make it to the top.

So he pressed on, ignoring his body pleading for him to stop, to catch his breath and rest. His fingers were tingling and his vision was blurry, but he kept going. Suddenly his foot got caught on something and he tripped landing on all four on the dirt path. Jimin cursed and examined his palms to see if he had hurt himself, thankfully his hands were only a bit red from the impact. He allowed himself a minute to regain some energy, the others were far ahead anyway so it wouldn't matter.

Before he got back up he saw a hand reaching out in front of him. Jimin looked up to see Jungkook standing in front of him holding out his hand to help him up, his face completely expressionless. Jimin quickly got control over his breathing, ignoring the stabbing feeling in his chest. He hadn't heard the boy approach him and he didn't like the thought of Jungkook seeing him sitting there on the ground, his breathing out of control. Jimin looked back at Jungkook and pushed his hand out of the way without saying anything in fear of not being able to hide how much he was struggling.

"Okay, suit yourself." Jungkook scoffed and turned back around to walk up the path.

Had Jungkook just tried to... help him? That seemed impossible to Jimin, he must have had some ulterior motive. He watched as the boy climbed the steep incline with ease, quickly catching up to Namjoon and Jin who were holding hands. Taehyung had run ahead and was nowhere to be seen.

Jimin stayed on the ground for a few more seconds before he willed his body into action and stood up. His legs were wobbly and his chest was still moving up and down rapidly. He could see the top now, just a few more minutes and then he would be there. He could do it, he had to.

When the trees finally dispersed and an open clifftop appeared in front of Jimin he stopped for a second trying to collect himself, he probably looked awful. There wasn't much he could do about his appearance but he tried to wipe some of the sweat off his forehead and bite his lips a few times to make colour return to them. Thankfully visibility was deteriorating rapidly in the twilight and hopefully his frazzled state wouldn't be too noticeable.

Jimin looked over to where his friends were sitting on the bare cliff and saw how the sun had just dipped under the horizon. He'd missed it. The sun had already set and he could see how his friends were getting to their feet, probably planning to go back down.

Namjoon spotted Jimin standing at the edge of the path and ran over to him. "Hey, sorry, I didn't know you were so far behind. You just missed the sunset." Namjoon gestured to the remaining streak of red light colouring the clouds over the treetops.

Jimin only managed to nod, concentrating on not letting his breathing betray him.

Jin, Taehyung and Jungkook joined them while Namjoon was telling Jimin about how beautiful the sun had looked as it set over the lake, unknowingly rubbing it in further. Jimin's gaze flickered over Jungkook for a moment only to see that the boy was already looking at him. His eyes were unreadable and he didn't say anything. Why was he staring at him?

"We're heading back down." Jin proclaimed while back-hugging Namjoon, his chin resting on the boy's shoulder. "I want to get a round of table tennis in before bed."

"I'll stay for a minute." Jimin managed to say while keeping his breath steady.

"You sure? It'll get dark soon." Namjoon furrowed his brows and looked at him.

Jimin nodded and gave them a smile he hoped looked convincing.

"Do you want me to keep you company?" Taehyung asked and took his hand.

"No." Jimin shook his head, not meeting Taehyung's eyes. "Go."

"Okay, I'll see you later then." Taehyung let go of his hand and gave him a smile and a pat on the shoulder.

Jimin watched the four boys beginning their descent down the small mountain. He knew he shouldn't, he knew it was petty, but he resented his friends. They didn't know how lucky they were to be perfectly healthy, their bodies not betraying them at every opportunity. They would never understand.

Just as Jimin was about to avert his eyes from his friends Jungkook turned his head around and looked at Jimin with that same gaze, the one that he couldn't interpret. Jimin couldn't look at Jungkook any longer, there was something in the taller boy's eyes that made him uncomfortable. Jungkook had yet to mock him for taking so long to get to the top, or for falling while trying to get there, and Jimin didn't want to give him the opportunity to do so.

He walked over to the edge of the cliff and sat down. The rock was still a little bit warm from the sun that had just shone upon it, but the air was chilly, the wind now quite strong. Jimin looked out onto the lake below him and put his arms around his body, hugging himself. Tears were pooling in his eyes as he let himself catch his breath.

He had let Jungkook get to him like he said he wouldn't. It had been so easy, just one sentence and Jimin had thrown away all his plans for the weekend. Why did he care so much what Jungkook thought?

Jimin was upset, he was angry. Angry at himself, at Jungkook, even at the damn sun. He wasn't really upset that he hadn't been able to see the sunset, he could care less to be honest. No, it was what the damn red orb descending behind the trees represented that upset him. He pushed himself so hard to keep up, he tried his best and it still wasn't enough. Jimin would never be normal, he would never be able to do the things his friends did. It didn't matter how hard he tried, how much he wanted to do things, his body was broken and there was no fix.

He hugged himself tighter and let the tears fall down his cheeks. Darkness soon fell around him, shadows enveloping his surroundings. Jimin sat there until there were no remnants of the sun left to taunt him.

---

It didn't take as long to walk back down to the cabin as Jimin had thought. Now that he was walking alone and could pick his own pace the path didn't seem so intimidating. He used the flashlight on his phone to illuminate the ground before him, careful not to trip over any stray branches or rocks. Before he knew it, he was exiting the forest and making his way towards the cabin.

He was only a few metres away from the house when he noticed that someone was sitting on the porch, he only needed to take a few more steps to see that it was Jungkook. The boy was clad in black sweats, explaining why it had taken Jimin so long to spot him, and he was looking down at his phone.

When Jimin's footsteps became loud enough for the younger boy to hear he looked up and put his phone in his pocket. "Hey."

"Hey." Jimin said through clenched teeth, he did not feel like talking to Jungkook right now.

"You alright?"

Jimin laughed a humourless laugh and stopped in front of the boy. "Yeah, why wouldn't I be."

Jungkook shrugged. "I don't know. I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

Jimin looked at him incredulously. When did Jungkook ever care about how he was doing? "You wanted to do what now?"

The brown-haired boy rolled his eyes and fixed Jimin with an intense stare. "We're friends Jimin, why can't I check if you're alright?"

Jimin laughed again. This was a joke, right? "We're not friends Jungkook. We never have been."

The taller boy frowned at him, not seeming to understand what Jimin was saying. "What do you mean we're not friends, we-"

"Are you ******* serious right now?" Jimin shook his head and moved to walk up the stairs to the front door, but Jungkook put out his arm effectively stopping Jimin from going any further.

"Why do you dislike me so much?" Jungkook asked. "What's your problem?"

"You're kidding, right?" The walk down to the cabin had calmed him down, but now Jimin was getting angry again and this time he had someone to take it out on. "You treat me like shit, you mock me every chance you get and you wonder what my problem is?"

Jungkook looked stunned for a second before he collected himself. "We joke around, we insult each other. It's our thing. You do it just as much as I do." He argued back.

"You think I enjoy it? You think I like being insulted and made fun of. Well newsflash, I don't." Jimin balled his hands into fists and took a step forward towards Jungkook. "You think you're so important with your money and your perfect life. Did it ever cross your mind that maybe life isn't that easy for other people?"

Jungkook stood up on the stairs and took a step closer to Jimin, pointing a finger at him. "Just because I have money doesn't mean I don't have problems. You know nothing about my life and what I have to go through."

"Let me guess, you didn't get the car you wanted for your birthday." Jimin said in a mocking tone. "Cry me a river."

"**** you." Jungkook's face was contorted with rage.

"Yeah, right back at you." Jimin pushed past Jungkook, walked through the front door and slammed it shut behind him.

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