Chapter Text
Edinburgh welcomed them with a surprisingly sunny day. Blue skies weren’t that common for Jimin — the Isle of Skye wasn’t exactly where people went looking for sunshine.
In a strange way, he liked that. Gloomy days. Hiking. Walking along the shore. Sitting in a quiet pub, knitting with his mum, or by the fireplace watching a film with his best mate, talking for hours. He felt like he could be himself with Taehyung, which didn’t happen often with anyone else. So when they both got into the same university, and later found out they’d ended up in the same flat, Jimin took it as a sign. As if the universe was telling him: you’ll be fine.
They’d been so excited that Jimin hadn’t really stopped to think about the fact that they’d be sharing with five other guys. It hit him now, as the familiar, quiet scenery slowly shifted into residential streets and then into tall stone buildings, with glimpses of hills in the distance.
“Right, can I start panicking now?” Taehyung said, his hands gripping the steering wheel, shaking just slightly.
It almost felt like he was doing it on purpose — like it was meant to calm him down.
“Yeah, but only a tiny bit. If you crash, at least wait till I’m not in the car,” Jimin replied, trying not to sound as nervous as he felt.
“You’re absolutely shitting it as well, mate.” Taehyung gave him a playful smile.
Fuck. Why does he know me so well?
“No, I’m not,” Jimin said, attempting to sound calm.
“Right,” Taehyung replied, glancing at the GPS. “We’re like seven minutes away from the accommodation. Guess you don’t care.”
A sudden shiver ran through Jimin’s body.
Don’t be nervous. You haven’t even met them yet. Maybe they’ll be nice. Or maybe they’ll be racist arseholes. Well, Edinburgh’s a big city — surely people are decent? Or maybe they’re just posh cunts and my social life is over before it’s even started. Am I seriously going to end up alone again?
He felt Taehyung’s hand on his thigh and turned to look at him. He was smiling softly.
“Everything’s going to be fine, Jimin. We’ve got each other,” he said as he turned into the courtyard. “I’m sure the others will be sound.”
“We should’ve joined the WhatsApp group chat and talked to them before coming,” Jimin muttered, his anxiety rising as they got closer.
“Mate, that was literally you,” Taehyung said with a grin. “You said it’d be better to meet them in person.”
Jimin hated that he was right. What the hell was I thinking?
Taehyung parked in the designated area and they went into the office to collect their keys. He did all the talking while Jimin nervously looked around. Green and orange couches. Rusty doors. Creaky wooden floors.
How the fuck are we paying a grand a month to live in this shithole?
“Come on,” Taehyung said, tossing him his keys. “Block 3, flat 7. You can start bringing stuff up while I get the rest.”
Great. What if I run into one of them on my own?
Taehyung gave him a look — like he could read him perfectly.
“Honestly, Jimin, it’ll be fine. Stop freaking out. I’m nervous too, but they’re just eighteen-year-old lads.”
“Okay. I’ll take my stuff first.”
Jimin grabbed his two suitcases and headed into the building.
No lift.
Three flights of stairs. Two twenty-kilo suitcases.
Amazing start.
—
“Oh, so it’s not just my room that looks like a shoebox,” Taehyung said, letting himself into Jimin’s room, laughing. “Feels like summer camp.”
Jimin shot him a glare. “I actually want to cry. How am I supposed to rehearse when I can barely walk from the door to my bed?”
“It’s not that bad,” Taehyung said. “I’m sure there are studios at the gym you can book. Or you could join the dance society.”
Yeah. Sure.
Jimin didn’t reply — just gave him a look while deciding what to hang up. Taehyung grabbed him by the shoulders.
“Come on. Let’s go to the kitchen. I can hear people down there. You can unpack later.”
Jimin hated that his room was so far from Taehyung’s — and even worse, so close to the kitchen. His thoughts were spiralling, and he knew the only way out was to just get it over with.
“Okay,” he said, knowing Taehyung would drag him out if he didn’t.
They opened the kitchen door.
Five boys sat on the couches, eating pizza and talking. Jimin froze.
“Okay, they definitely did this on purpose,” one of them said, looking at the two of them standing awkwardly in the doorway. “Or they’re just racist.”
A flat of seven Asian guys.
Jimin glanced at the one who’d spoken. He was dressed all in black, clashing with the others’ colourful hoodies. When he realised the guy was looking back at him, he quickly looked away.
The rest were laughing.
Why do they look like they’ve known each other for years?
One of them stood up, setting his slice of pizza down, and walked over with a smile.
“Hey,” he said, offering his hand.
Taehyung shook it first. Jimin followed.
Are we seriously shaking hands? What are we, forty?
“I’m Namjoon. From Glasgow,” he added, then turned to the others. “Guys, come on.”
The rest stood up and introduced themselves — mostly just names. They all seemed friendly enough. For now. They’d all arrived the day before. Jimin remembered how many times Taehyung had begged him to get here earlier.“Come on, it’s freshers!” He’d probably said it a hundred times. But part of Jimin had wanted to delay this moment for as long as possible.
They sat down with them, and Taehyung broke the silence.
“Jimin and I are from Skye. We’ve known each other for years, went to the same school.”
“Fuck, that’s lucky, ending up in the same flat,” Jin said, smiling at Jimin.
Suddenly, Jimin became hyper-aware of himself. They were all looking at him.
Do I have something on my face? Do I look weird?
He then realised he hadn’t said anything since coming into the room.
“Yeah,” he said quietly, forcing a small smile.
“Well,” Namjoon said, filling the silence, “we’re going to flat 5 around nine for pres, then heading out. You guys should come, proper first night out as a flat.”
Jimin glanced at the clock.
7 P.M.
Then he felt Taehyung’s hand on his arm and saw the huge grin on his face.
“Of course! We’ll just run to the shops, grab some food and drinks, and we’ll be back.”
This is going to be the longest night ever.