Chapter Text
Chapter 1
“Ah, Allocation Day,” Jin announces cheerfully. You resent the bounce in his step. “The one day a year we get to see heroes fight over us.”
“I’ve seen three heroes try to bribe the Allocators not to get you as a sidekick today and it hasn’t even been an hour since we got here.” You sniff, and Jin shrugs.
“They just don’t appreciate raw talent.” Is his petulant answer. He folds his arms and walks slightly faster so that you have to jog to catch up. “While I will admit my power looks lame on paper, whoever is fortunate to be allocated me as a sidekick will have an endless supply of doughnuts at all times.”
You nod.
“That does sound pretty good.” You admit. He beams and slows his walk, a signal that he’s forgiven you for your little jibe.
You do feel guilty for implying no one wanted him as a sidekick- it is more your nerves talking then any real desire to ruin Jin’s good mood. The fact that he is in such a good mood on a day that can make or break your future careers is nothing short of astounding. Blind, unfounded confidence is a trait of Jin’s you’d almost consider a superpower had you not seen him turn his homework into a culinary masterpiece almost every day since you’d started attending the Academy. A power like Jin’s admittedly looks strange and a little lame on paper and that is probably what landed him in the sidekick class with you. There are very few people in the world who would be intimidated by the inability to turn inanimate objects into sweets and baked goods. Still, while the power is lame in theory, you had once seen Jin turn the tyres of the car of the neighbourhood bully who had tortured the two of you throughout your youth into doughnuts. If that isn’t terrifying then you don’t know what is.
It is a baffling and rare power though and Jin hadn’t borne an ounce of resentment when confused allocators put him in the sidekick stream. Even he himself is baffled by them- why is it he can turn an iphone into a cupcake but he can’t turn it into something savoury? It is truly a mystery. Regardless, you know that whatever Superhero is allocated to him will very quickly realise what an asset he is. You wish you could say the same. You have never resented your power- you would go so far as to say you’re proud of it, but you doubt that there is a single student in the Superhero stream who feels the same way. Most heroes want a good, supportive power like enhanced senses or super healing or energy-boosting. And you, with your meagre ability to talk to animals and on occasion being able to sense what other humans are feeling, are not the ideal sidekick by any means.
It is why you tremble as you near the great hall of the International Academy for Superheroes and Sidekicks. Your graduation is in two days, but before you can graduate, you, as a student who has studied to be a sidekick for the duration of your time at the academy, must be assigned a superhero. Without a superhero, a sidekick is nothing, and without a sidekick, a superhero does not have licence to work as a superhero. Heroes are not permitted to work alone. The government hires superheroes, provides them salaries, accommodation, training facilities, equipment, all the support they could ask for to maintain a career as a successful protector of civilians, but only if they are licenced. And to be licenced, they must work with their state-assigned sidekick. There are no compromises, no refunds, no swapping. Professional Allocators closely examine your psychological profiles, your skills, your strengths and weaknesses, your performance marks, you test results for months and months and months to provide the optimum matchup for every hero. The only exception is if either one of the pair retires from work as a superhero or a sidekick- that is the only time this government-allocated pairing can be dissolved, in which case the other has the option of going on a waiting list but the chances of being able to work again after such a happening are slim. And so the day you are allocated to your superhero is a big deal.
“Don’t be so nervous, my beloved Disney Princess,” Jin says fondly, looping an arm around your shoulder. “You have the top performance scores in literally every assessment we’ve ever done- you’re gonna get a good hero and become really successful!”
“It’s not that I’m worried about how good the hero I get assigned is,” You confess softly- this is the first you’ve told anyone your secret fears. “I’m worried they’ll be disappointed with me and my lame powers.”
Jin looks affronted.
“Your powers are not lame!” He exclaims, completely offended. “Remember that time you saved me from that crazy dog cause you told it I wasn’t trying to steal its food and it backed off? That was heroic- don’t try and pretend it wasn’t!”
You remember the incident in question- Jin had accidentally stepped on a dog’s tail and you had narrowly managed to prevent him getting bitten by stepping in and mediating with the furious canine. The memory brings a reluctant smile to your lips.
“Anyway, since you’re such a high performing student, you’ll probably get assigned to one of the more powerful heroes, like Nayeon, or like your lover boy.” He says the last bit with a coy sidewards glance, accompanied by wagging eyebrows and a mischievous grin. You whack his shoulder in annoyance and he laughs since that was probably the exact reaction he wanted.
“Stop calling him that.” You say indignantly. Jin shrugs.
“Then stop being in love with him!” He tells you. You gasp in horror.
“Don’t say it so loudly! I’m not in love with him!” You protest in a whisper. Jin shakes his head.
“Countless years of schooling together tell me otherwise, my dear little dog-whisperer.” He tells you fondly, and you sigh.
The him that Jin is speaking of is none other than Park Jimin. And contrary to popular belief, you are not in love with him. You just recognise his more popular qualities, is all! What girl could resist his charms? He is easily one of the most powerful students in the Superhero stream and comes from a long familial line of very famous, very loved, very successful Superheroes. Couple that with his handsome face and sweet mannerisms and most of the Academy’s student population would already have their hearts captured. And when you consider his amazing prowess at water manipulation, his top scores in literally every assessment ever and what seems to be a genuine desire to be a hero that helps people, then no one remains immune to the person of Park Jimin.
So no, while you aren’t in love with him, you do greatly admire him and you tell Jin as much.
“Potato, tomato,” Is his dismissive answer as you step through the large double doors of the great hall and settle into your assigned seat amidst your friends and classmates. A few shoot you smiles or subtle thumbs up but most are too nervous to spare you and Jin a second glance.
“That’s not the phrase,” Is all you managed to hiss at him under your breath before the opening music to the Allocation Ceremony begins to play and the headmaster takes his spot centre-stage to begin his address speech.
As he does every year, he begins his usual speech about his pride at seeing history unravel on Allocation day. The pairs being formed today could very well go down in the history books as the most beloved, well-known and powerful protectors of humankind. Beside you, one of your classmates and a close friend of yours mock the principal’s speech by mouthing the words alongside him. Jin holds back laughter at her mischief while you too find yourself suppressing giggles.
Still, the pleasant distraction of her good humour cannot distract you for long. While it is easy to ignore the buzz of emotions that surround you normally as an empath, the nerves today are also most palpable in the air to people without the innate ability to sense them. To you, they are a loud roaring of buzzing distress, grating on your every nerve with desperation. When coupled with your own nervousness, the urge to vomit is nearly unbearable. Normally, you must put in effort to detect the emotions of those around you, but today the sensation is so strong you cannot escape your awareness of it.
Jin places a reassuring hand on your shoulder as the principal finishes his address and to your surprise he drops a small sweet in your lap. He’s turned one of his shirt buttons into a lolly. You are grateful and smile at him warmly, before placing it in your mouth. The distraction of chewing on it is sufficient to occupy you and distract you from the uncomfortable atmosphere.
But then Jimin takes the stage to give a speech as the valedictorian and you abruptly begin to choke on your lolly. Alarmed, Jin begins to slam your back with the palm of his hand while your classmates suppress good natured laughs at your behaviour. Your crush on Jimin is no secret to them, after all. Jimin continues, beginning his speech while oblivious to the disruption occurring to the audience. You feel a little silly as you finally regain control of your lungs and tears pool in the corner of your eyes. No one but your fellow sidekicks seems to have noticed the commotion but it is still embarrassing.
Logically, you know your crush on Jimin is silly. He’s barely even acknowledged you in your many years of schooling together. A hero, even one as kind and sweet as Jimin appears to be, would never waste their time socializing with a sidekick. Not out of any malice- it just didn’t happen. You were in different streams, different schedules. Apart from the allocation at the end of the year and a few school events, there was no reason for heroes to acknowledge sidekicks in the way that sidekicks took note of heroes. A hero without a sidekick may not be able to legally practice, but they were still a hero in the public eyes, but a sidekick without a hero was nothing. If things didn’t work out with your hero your career was essentially over. So heroes were entirely out of your league. In a completely different playing ground for you and having a crush on the most respected and beloved hero in the academy is pathetic and stupid. But you cannot help the way your heart flutters, you cannot suppress the warm feeling in your chest when you see him.
“You ok?” Jin asks at last, relieved that you haven’t killed yourself with a sweet. You nod and smile weakly and turn your attention back to where Jimin is finishing up his speech. He’s paused and surveys the crowd with a half-smile on his face. He looks a little paler than usual- perhaps the nerves are affecting him too. You know that due to his family lineage there has always been a lot of pressure for Jimin to perform well.
“Looking at every one of you, I feel really excited.” Jimin announces into the microphone as he begins to wrap up his speech. “I know you’ve all heard it before, but today we really are making history!” There is light laughter that stirs through the crowd at his subtle joke at the headmaster’s expense. “You guys are all here because you want to help people and save people and I think that’s really brilliant. I hope you never lose that desire to do the right thing, no matter how hard things get. And to my future sidekick,” You don’t know why but you suddenly feel alert as Jimin says the words. He smiles warmly at the audience and your breath catches in your throat because in that moment he seems so warm and genuine. “I look forward to working with you. I can’t wait to save the world together.”
He finishes his speech with thunderous applause from his superhero cohort and walks off the stage. You notice that he’s sitting with his family- you recognise his parents from numerous magazines about their time as superheroes. They have since retired, but there have been numerous times they’ve saved the whole world. It is common knowledge that they expect and anticipate for Jimin to do the same. You feel a little bit bad for him- you can’t imagine the pressure he must be under. Shaking the thoughts aside, you notice the Allocators have stepped up onto the stage and begin to go over the procedure of sidekick assignment.
They intend to go over the heroes alphabetically. The hero will step up on stage, sign their name in their register, and then their sidekick will be announced. They will follow the same procedure and then the pair will shake hands and that seals their partnership.
Names begin to be recited and your heart races in your chest. Each time a sidekick steps up onto the stage you feel another punch of nervousness in your gut. Some heroes fail to hide their disappointment. Some look ecstatic, others nervous. Some handshakes are filled with warmth and smiles and others are chilly and cold. Jin gives your hand a quick squeeze and then leaves your side when his name is called out. You recognise the hero as Jung Hoseok, and he beams when Jin steps on stage, shaking his hand enthusiastically. You smile, glad that Jin’s hero didn’t seem to be disappointed to be assigned to him.
The rest of the names pass in a blur and your attention drifts to the point that you almost leap out of your seat with surprise when your name is called. You scramble to your feet, anxious to get to the stage and realise you didn’t hear what hero’s name was called- you don’t know who your hero is. Quickly, you scurry up the stairs and your hero comes into view.
Your heart drops into your feet at the look of dismay on his face. The entire audience of the great hall has fallen deathly silent. Your footsteps slow and become hesitant. You step up to the book and sign your name down next to his neat signature. You turn to look at him. You hold out your hand and for a second he does not reach for it. Then slowly he reaches forward and wraps his hand around you. He attempts a smile but it comes out as more of a grimace and you can sense the cold dread that has filled him despite making no conscious attempt to use your empathy- it pours out of him in powerful, devastating waves.
“I… I look forward to working with you.” He whispers, but his voice is hoarse, and he looks like the world has come crashing down around him. So much for being excited to work with his sidekick.
Your assigned hero is none other than Park Jimin.
++
“Is this some sort of joke?” You flinch as Jimin’s mother slams the file containing your profile down on the headmaster’s desk. She’s beautiful, in an aged, dignified sort of way. She holds herself with perfect posture but there’s a lethality to her movements, like at any moment she is prepared to strike down a foe.
For some reason, you feel that in this instance, that foe is you. Jimin’s father remains seated, though he eyes you like you are a bug he’d like to squash beneath the toe of his boot. Jimin is seated beside you, hanging his head in shame like he has committed some sort of terrible crime. You feel like the two of you are being scolded for breaking the rules, rather than being assigned to work with each other by the government.
“How could you assign someone like her to my son? Do you know who he is? Do you know who I am? I’ve heard of her powers- all she can do is talk to animals! No enhanced abilities, no support abilities! How could she possibly assist my son in such a dangerous profession?” She all but screeches.
Most normal parents, on allocation day, will take the newly formed duo out to a nice dinner to celebrate their lifelong partnership, or prepare gifts, or something to signify that a new, exciting bond has been formed. You suppose Jimin’s parents are anything but normal and perhaps that is why they are treating you like this. While there had been some shock following the allocation, the rest of the assembly had proceeded without incident. But as soon as it had finished, you had practically been dragged to the headmaster’s office by Jimin’s parents. He had followed behind like a scolded puppy and continues to hang his head like he’s done something wrong.
“I’m so sorry.” He mutters under his breath to you. Surprised, you glance at him, but he does not lift his head. His hands are clenched against his lap to the point that his knuckles have gone white. His hair hangs into his face and you cannot read his expression from this angle. This is the first time you’ve ever had Jimin acknowledge your existence, and it is to apologise. You don’t respond, instead directing your attention back to where Jimin’s mother is currently raging at the headmaster and the two allocators who had conducted the assembly.
“Ma’am,” The allocator on the left begins, attempting to placate Jimin’s enraged mother. “There is a procedure, we can’t just reverse government rulings just because you-“
“I think you’ll find,” Jimin’s mother announces icily. “That you can and you should. Or else you’re depriving the world of a brilliant hero by pairing him with an inadequate partner.”
The allocators exchange confused looks. The headmaster sighs and smiles apologetically at you. You look away- your throat burns and you want to go home. You didn’t ask to be paired with Jimin. It’s what people who are professionally trained for years decided. Why do you have to endure this humiliation for something that’s out of your control?
“This is our best student.” The headmaster says firmly. “She’s topped every class without fail since enrolling in this academy and has broken numerous records. I know you and your husband have served this country in countless ways, but this is an organized process with numerous checks. In every aspect except for power category, she has matched your son. Her personality evaluation also matched his. We are professionals, and while we thank you deeply for all your service, this is an exception we cannot make.”
Jimin’s mother seethes, and glares at you.
“What if she quits? Or asks to be reassigned?” She demands. You stiffen. You had no intention of doing such a thing.
“Well, she can’t get reassigned. You know the rules- if a sidekick doesn’t wish to work with their hero, then they can’t work as a sidekick, no exceptions- we do not reassign or allow swapping of partners. She can learn to live with Jimin here, or she can step down. The same goes for your son- he can work with her or not at all. If she quits, Jimin can go on the waiting list for sidekicks, but I doubt he’ll ever be assigned a new one.” The headmaster explains. From your understanding, the reason that Jimin cannot request a new partner is that the logistics of performing a swap in the class you graduated with are too difficult, especially with the large amount of work that goes into creating a pair. Therefore you can’t get reassigned. And once you are out in the world, if you lose your hero, or a hero loses their sidekick, they are forced into retirement by the government unless they are able to successfully pass the constant psychological evaluations they must endure if they want to keep their licence- this is almost unheard of for no one can lose their most trusted partner and pass the rigorous psych test. This means that Jimin can’t be reassigned unless you want to give up your dream and your years of hard work and somehow it makes sitting in this office enduring this humiliation even worse because you have to endure it. You don’t have a choice if you want to graduate. Either you quit or you work with him. There are no other options.
Jimin’s mother turns her attention to you.
“Step down.” She demands. Jimin’s eyes go wide and his head flies up.
“Mother!” He protests, and she hushes him with a gesture of her hand.
“You heard me.” She says. “Quit.”
You stare in disbelief, but you are saved from answering.
“Mrs. Park,” The principal says, not quite aggressively, but you can tell he’s on the verge of losing his temper. You can sense it but you can also hear it in his voice. “We do not discriminate against powers in this school. You may not think that zoolingualism is an impressive enough power to match your son’s, but (Y/N) here has proved herself countless times throughout the years and is more than competent enough to be your son’s sidekick. Now if you could please leave my office, I would appreciate it.”
His word is final and any protest seems to die in Jimin’s mother’s mouth. But you can see it in her eyes, and you can sense it pouring off her in waves- she has not given up the issue. She does not want you working with her son as his sidekick and she isn’t about to back down. You risk a glance at Jimin, but he redirects his gaze, studiously avoiding yours.
You want to cry- your worst fear has happened. Your hero doesn’t want you.
++
“It could be worse.” Jin announces on moving day, adjusting his grip on the large box of your belongings he holds in his hands. The government-owned apartment that had been purchased for you and Jimin in your designated jurisdiction is on the top floor, for easy access to rooftops, but the building unfortunately does not have the luxury of an elevator. “Your government-assigned crime-fighting alias could be Gastro. They’re already making jokes about me online.”
“You chose that name!” You argue. Jin looks affronted.
“And you didn’t have the decency to tell me that gastro is a disease where you get diarrhoea before I submitted it!”
“I thought you knew! It’s basic knowledge!” You protest.
“And now you’re mocking me? Wow. Just, wow. You choose a super cool alias like Artemis, goddess of wild animals for yourself and you let me pick a dumb name about poo and then you MOCK me for it!” He whines, and you shake your head, biting back a smile. “I saw that. That counts as a smile.” Jin says quickly, turning to you with a quick grin. He pauses on the stairway and turns to face you, craning his neck so he can peer at you over the box in his arms. He’s already moved and settled into his new home, across the city- you had helped him move two days ago and now he is returning the favour. “I made you smile, so you can stop moping. Don’t think I didn’t notice your eyes were swollen on the way in- you were crying again, weren’t you?”
Embarrassed, you duck your head but it is no use. Jin has known you since you were children and knows all your tells. You’ve been caught.
“I just… was nervous I guess.” You confess softly. He nods with that soft look on his face that means he’s listening and wants to know what’s bothering you and it always gets you. “Moving in with a stranger into a city I’ve never lived in before… and not just any stranger, but Park Jimin… and you live an hour away. And Jimin’s parents keep trying to get me to quit, and I don’t know how he feels about it… It’s scary. As if it wasn’t scary enough starting a crime-fighting career for real, I don’t know Jimin that well and his family is mean and they hate me for my power.”
Jin sighs and sets down the box, balancing it precariously on the stairs. He takes your box from you and sets it down as well before embracing you in a hug. You sometimes think that maybe he has some sort of empathetic powers because of the way he always seems to know what you need.
“It’ll be alright. And maybe they do hate you for your powers- which I love, just by the way, and I love what you do with them, but they’ll warm up to you. Once Jimin sees you in action, he’s gonna be frantic to keep you as a sidekick. And when the two of you make it big like I know you will, every single person in our entire cohort is going to feel jealous and guilty because they were terrified that you’d get assigned to them, when you’re really the best sidekick there is. Don’t forget that you topped every single class and broke at least three records. You’re amazing, (Y/N), and maybe Jimin doesn’t know that now, but he’ll work it out.” Jin says warmly, and you feel a tear slip down your cheek.
“Thanks.” You say softly, and he just chuckles, turning back to the box he was holding. You’ve only got two more boxes, and then you can start unpacking, since Jimin had told you his family was going to furbish the apartment.
The two of you continue to mount the stairs, only to find a bit of a commotion going outside the uppermost apartment.
“704… isn’t that your one?” Jin asks, as the two of you near the large crowd gathered outside your door. Confused, you nod and hitch the box you have resting against your hip higher up in your grip. You recognise some of the people milling around- they’re people from the hero stream in your year. Why are they at your house?
“There she is!” Someone calls excitedly and suddenly you and Jin are being swarmed.
“How’d you do it?” Someone demands.
“Did you really bribe the allocators?”
“Can you even be a sidekick with your powers?”
Questions are fired at you at a pace you cant handle and you and Jin are jostled towards the narrow door of your apartment. Someone knocks a little too forcefully into Jin and you wince as his box crashes into the floor, your belongings scattering across the floor. You wince when you hear a shattering sound. Jin’s box had all your photo frames in it. The people around you disperse very quickly when they realise that there are glass shards on the floor and that they’ve broken your things- some continue to mill around the door frame while others move into the apartment. You can see from where you stand that they’ve been unpacking boxes- they must all be here to help Jimin move. It makes sense- he is rather popular and has a lot of people who would do anything to get into his good graces.
With a sigh, you get to your knees and begin to gather the things that have spilled across the floor while Jin turns the glass shards into biscuit crumbs so no one can cut themselves on them.
“He’s popular.” Jin mutters resentfully while you survey the damage. The picture you own of you smiling with your family is cracked and so is the framed photo of your friends from the academy. “We can fix that.” Jin says. “The photo’s fine- we can probably get Jimin to compensate you a new one since his friends broke it.”
Speak of the devil and he shall appear, as they say, and that is the moment Jimin appears.
“Compensate what- oh my goodness!” Jimin cries, appearing around the corner. He is at your side in an instant, trying to help you replace your belongings into the cardboard box. “I’m so sorry- I guess my friends were a little too enthusiastic about greeting you.”
“It’s fine.” You say, but the words come out a little more resentfully than you intended. The tone in your voice gives Jimin pause.
“Is this all your things?” He asks, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly in an attempt to divert the tension in the air. You shake your head.
“I have a few more boxes.” You tell him. “They’re in the boot of Jin’s car.”
“You must be Jin.” Jimin says, as if he’s suddenly registering his presence, and he smiles warmly as he shakes Jin’s hand. You normally don’t read people’s emotions (except the ones they accidentally project) out of respect for their privacy but you can’t resist the temptation- you tentatively reach out your senses and almost flinch away at the mess of emotions Jimin is experiencing. You taste a bitter cocktail of nerves, regret and unease before you are quickly retracting yourself, regretting violating his privacy in such a way. He’s clearly just as anxious as you are about this partnership, and the thought makes you feel a little bit of kinship with him. Jimin turns to you, oblivious to the way you’ve read him and offers a tentative smile. “I can help you with the last of the boxes, if you like? We’ve almost finished with my stuff anyway and I think these guys can handle themselves.” He says, angling a fond smile to his friends as they bustle around his apartment.
“Um… sure.” You agree hesitantly.
“I’ll put these boxes in your room.” Jin announces. “You guys can handle the last two.”
And that’s how you end up alone with Jimin for the first time in your life. Your stomach churns uneasily- admittedly, you had entertained the fantasy of getting to know him or speak to him during your academy years, but reality had forced you to admit the scenario was unlikely, and after the recent incident with his parents, you suddenly don’t know what kind of person he is and it makes you uncomfortable. All you know is that he’s as uncomfortable and uneasy as you are.
“I just wanted to apologise.” Jimin announces as you follow him down the stairs. You can’t see his face but he’s starting to project an endearing nervousness into the air around you. “About my parents. They seem harsh, but they just want me to do well. I’m sorry if they offended you.”
You aren’t sure how to respond. You had sat beside him in that office for an hour while his parents complained before the headmaster had kicked you all out. They had run profile checks on all the sidekicks in the sidekick stream and you had been on the shortlist of sidekicks they didn’t want for their son. It had been humiliating and hurtful, the way they had insisted you were incapable of supporting him after you had worked your butt off throughout your years at the academy to get where you were. It just felt like nothing could ever be enough, as long as your powers were limited to speaking to animals and occasionally sensing how people felt.
“Do you agree with them?” The words fall out of your mouth without your consent, and you wince. Jimin pauses to look back you. His expression is hesitant.
“What do you mean?” He asks slowly, his gaze sharp like he’s sizing you up, trying to figure out what you want to hear.
“Do you think I wouldn’t make a good sidekick for you? Do you want to be reassigned?” You question. You had held the questions back from Jimin on Allocation day but ever since, while you sorted your move, and applied for your licence, the question had lingered in the back of your mind, a shadow that you couldn’t seem to shake. Jimin seems thrown by your question. He looks away.
“I… I don’t mind.” He says slowly. “That you’re my sidekick, I mean. I haven’t seen you in action so it wouldn’t be fair to judge. The allocators are professionals, right? And I’ve heard from some rumours that you have pretty decent marks. I’m sure we’ll work well together.”
You don’t have to try and detect the guilt that creeps into the air at his words. Jimin projects it so strongly you can almost see it- he’s clearly lying to spare your feelings. The guilt he feels licks along your skins like tongues of flame, burning and unpleasant. He doesn’t want you as a sidekick but he knows he has no choice. He probably has the same reservations as his parents, and as every other hero in your cohort. Bitter tears leap into your eyes and you blink them away. He doesn’t know you yet, You recall Jin’s words. You take comfort in them and take a deep breath.
“You don’t have to lie.” You say at last, with resignation. Jimin’s eyes widen.
“What?” He asks. You shrug, turning away from him. You had been hoping Jimin would be on your side, but he’s not. You can sense it. You can’t fault him- you’re a stranger and all he knows about you is what other people have described. And since you had enrolled in the academy, people had insisted you had been enrolled by fluke. There’s no way someone with powers as useless as talking to animals could have made it into a super hero academy. Those rumours had followed you for years, groundless as they were. So you can’t fault him- your only choice is to prove him wrong. Jin is right- you are going to make a good sidekick, and if Jimin doesn’t believe that you will, you’re just going to have to change his mind. Your teachers had all been the same too- they hadn’t believed that you could do it. They had wanted you to give up. But you hadn’t, and you had won their trust and admiration, and so you’ll do the same for Jimin.
“Nothing. Just that if you’re uneasy about this arrangement, it’s ok. I don’t mind.” You tell him. Your voice isn’t warm but it isn’t cold either. It’s just firm, hardened with your new resolve. You meet his gaze dead on. This is the face of the person you’ve crushed on for far too long, but no longer. Today marks the day you see him as your partner, and today marks the first day of many to come that you prove him and everyone who doubts you wrong.
“But I’m going to change your mind.” You tell him confidently and he looks surprised. “You won’t regret having me as a partner, that much I promise.”
He gapes at you, and for a moment, the two of you just stare each other down. Finally, Jimin breaks the silence.
“Then prove me wrong.” Is all he says to you, with a reluctant but almost impressed smile on his face.