Yoongi will never get used to the fog that hangs over his mind after he’s had a few too many glasses of alcohol.

He’d like to say he knows when it’s the optimum time to stop before his tongue becomes loose and his eyes blurred. He’d be the first one to say so to. But as life would have it he knows no such time and always ends up drinking just that little bit too much.

So he sways slightly in his seat as he stares at Jungkook and Tae doing couple things right next to him with a sour expression.

Truth be told he thought he’d had enough to drink at the bar before coming back, but now sitting here so close to them he’s positive that a few more shots wouldn’t have hurt. He’d made a point to take Namjoon away from his new found friend and make him sit beside him. He supposes it’s selfish of him, for he has nothing to say to his friend, only wants him there as a safety of sorts to make sure he doesn’t do anything stupid in from of the others. Namjoon himself doesn’t seem too interested in talking to him and in turn looks off into the distance as if deep in thought.

Yoongi sighs, staring across the table at the red head who’s staring down at his glass, paying the rest of them no mind. He wishes the guy would smile; he’d probably look beautiful smiling. He shakes his head immediately, why would he think such a thought? He’s caught in his own little daydream when Tae leans over; almost too close for the company they were in.

“You know Jiminie thinks you’re pretty cute,” He whispers to him, and Yoongi can smell the alcohol on his breath, can feel the heat of it as it ghosts across his face. It wouldn’t take much effort to pull Tae towards him and smash their lips together.

It wouldn’t take much at all.

But at a glance Yoongi can see the way Tae’s fingers are entwined with Jungkook’s and he almost feels guilty for thinking anything at all.

Almost.

Because the way he sees it, he had Taehyung first and as selfish as that might sound he doesn’t care. Because he wasn’t the one who asked for Tae to show up on his doorstep proclaiming to be his new roommate and he’s not the one that asked to fall in love with the scatterbrained man, but here he is. And if he can blame someone for being the reason as to way Tae doesn’t want to be with him then he’ll blame everything on them with no hesitation.

Because how can the world be so damn cruel that he has to see his face every day and know that he will never be his?

And Yoongi’s sure that deep down Jungkook is actually a good guy. He can see the way people gravitate towards him and the genuine smiles they done on their faces just being around him. But he stole something precious from Yoongi and that is not something that can be easily forgiven.

“Hey!”

Yoongi shakes his head and looks to Taehyung, who’s sitting there with a pout that Yoongi unfortunately finds ridiculously cute.

“What?” He asks, expression confused.

Tae huffs annoyed that he wasn’t listening to him. “I said, Jimin thinks you’re cute.” He gestures to the red head who much to Yoongi’s annoyance is still staring down into his glass, his face shaped into a look of boredom. “You should talk to him.” A smirk makes its way onto his face, as if he knew exactly what he was doing. “Go out with him and I’ll owe you.”

Yoongi rolls his eyes, it’s not like he hasn’t heard that before.

Instead he turns to ask Namjoon if he wants to leave only to find that his friend is no longer by his side. He spots Namjoon and the brunette at the bar in deep discussion and can’t for the life of him figure out what they could be talking about.

He sighs, realising he’s alone and figures he might as well make small talk with the guy.

 

He’s not sure if it’s the alcohol or the fact that Tae’s friend is ridiculously attractive that has him staring across the table at him again. It’s a minute or so before the man looks up, forgetting about the glass in his hands that he’d been almost too focused on the entire night. Yoongi is sure that the man could tell him just how many drops of condensation had fallen onto the table to form a nice water ring since they all sat down.

Jimin raises his eyebrow as if he’s surprised that Yoongi is actually looking at him. When Yoongi gets up, grabbing his half empty glass with him and rounds the table Jimin shuffles in his seat as if making room for him. Yoongi stops next to the table, his eyes roaming slowly over Jimin’s face as if looking at it for the first time.  

“Hey,” Jimin surprisingly speaks up first, almost eager to start a conversation between them

Yoongi stays nothing unable to get his mouth to form words; he blames it on the alcohol clouding his mind. He’s trying to figure out just where he knows him from, but his mind continuously hits a solid wall. Jimin adverts his eyes awkwardly, unsure what to do. Eventually he sticks out his hand for Yoongi to shake.

“I’m-,”

“-Jiminie.” Yoongi cuts him off.

Jimin’s mouth snaps shut in surprise, not sure if he heard him right. He’s surprised by the fluttering of butterflies in his stomach at Yoongi’s use of the nickname Taehyung had given him.

“Jimin.” Yoongi corrects, shaking his head as if he couldn’t believe what he’d just said. Damn Taehyung for continuously using that ridiculous nick name around him. “I’m-,”

“-Yoongi.” Jimin finishes, a grin stretching across his face causing his eyes to crinkle up at the sides. “I know.”

Yoongi’s has no clue how to deal with the sparkle in Jimin’s eyes or the butterflies wreaking havoc in his gut.

No clue at all.

 

“Wait!” Yoongi announces suddenly causing Jimin to jump back in surprise. They’d both been making quite astounding small talk for a couple of guys who avoided each other for the better half of the night. They’d subconsciously leaned closer together, as to better hear what the other was saying, almost a whisper fighting against the volume of the large crowd surrounding them.

“You!” He accuses, jabbing his finger at Jimin’s chest. “You’re the guy who stole my donut!”

“W-What?” Jimin questions, taken aback by the accusation.

Yoongi looks him right in the eye, and Jimin isn’t sure if Yoongi can actually see him through the glaze over the top of them, but he still shrinks back from the man’s glare.

“That morning in the café,” He explains slowly, sure that he isn’t wrong. “I let you go in front of me and you brought all the donuts.”

“Y-Yeah…”

Yoongi looks down at his hands and Jimin hopes to god that the elder isn’t about to cry in front of him. “I wanted one.” Jimin lets out a sigh when those same hard eyes are staring back at him, without a tear in sight.

The almost childish tone coupled with his glare causes Jimin to laugh out loud. “I’ll buy you on next time to make up for it, okay?”

Yoongi sighs contently, taking another sip from his glass.

 

No other words are said between them as they both stare at their friends. Tae and Jungkook are too caught up in each other to even notice that Yoongi had approached Jimin. No, all Tae wanted was to get Yoongi out of the way so he would feel free to do whatever he wants with Jungkook right in front of him and that thought causes Yoongi to clench his jaw tightly.

Namjoon returns from the bar and informs the table that he’s heading home due to an exam he has to sit mid-morning tomorrow. Yoongi knows that the younger has no need to prepare for it, knows that he will ace the test, but there’s a ritual that Namjoon has had to follow for as long as Yoongi has known him and so he lets him go without a word. The other guy waves and leaves with him and Yoongi has a fleeting thought to if they’re leaving together for any other reason but studying and makes a point to ask him about it later.

Jimin taps him on the hand lightly, a shy smile on his face when Yoongi turns to look at him.

“Did you want to dance?”

A shudder runs through Yoongi’s body at the very thought of getting up amongst the people dancing and attempting to copy their moves. He shakes his head, causing Jimin’s smile to falter slightly before its back, bright as ever.

But while Yoongi doesn’t want to put his reputation on the line by dancing, he can see this gap as a way of escape, so he makes a show of yawning to grab everyone’s attention and stands up.

“I’m gonna head out,” He makes a point to look at each of them in turn, all staring back at him with glassy, drunken eyes. “Thanks for the invite.”

He stares at Tae’s stupid grin for a second too long, knowing that it will haunt him after when he closes his eyes. He knows he’s not the one who put it there.

He manages to turn away and take one unsteady step before he feels fingers wrapping tightly around his wrist. He looks back over his shoulder surprised to find Jimin standing behind him, looking at him uncertainly.

“I’ll walk with you,” He states, in a tone that leaves no room for argument. He only shrugs beginning his journey through the thick wall of people between them and the door.

 

When the cool breeze hits their faces both boys let out sighs of relief, both glad to be out of the packed, hot club. Yoongi faces forward walking in the direction of his apartment, not giving a care if Jimin’s is in the other direction, he never asked him to join him. H’s not surprised when Jimin tags along without a word, walking half a step behind him as his eyes scan the streets around them.

Yoongi is thankful that the club isn’t too far from the apartment and the short walk back will give him time to clear his head. In fact he’s caught up in those very thoughts he’s trying to clear his head of when Jimin touches his hand lightly. Yoongi pulls his hand away instinctively, unsure what the hell Jimin thinks he’s doing. Jimin in turn jumps back, giving him a look that he can’t quite place.

“Sorry,” He mumbles softly, knowing that his action was dramatic.

Jimin stares at him for another few seconds before relaxing, a small smile making its way onto his face again. He shrugs and falls into step with the elder again. “So did you have a good night?”

Yoongi glances at him to make sure he’s being serious. All he sees is wide, caring, if somewhat hazy eyes, which show no hint of joking. “It was...okay.”

“Oh?” Jimin hums, his eyebrow raised.

Silence falls over them as Yoongi doesn’t reply, not seeing a need to. Jimin lets it carry on for a while until he’s breaking it again, and Yoongi has to clench his jaw to stop himself from slapping the guy. Does he not understand that Yoongi is trying to work through things after a drunken night that could have gone a lot differently if he let the alcohol get the better of him?

“You know Tae was trying to set us up, right?”

He turns to Jimin then, eyes wide and suddenly interested. Sure he had a feeling, but to hear it said out loud almost made it seem laughable. What would Jimin and him ever have in common?

“Oh, you didn’t?” Jimin continues, taking Yoongi’s reaction as a sign to continue filling him in. “I don’t know where Tae got the idea of you and me from, but you know what it’s like when Tae thinks of something. Everything sounds great to him and you either go with it or you’re left behind.” He pauses, looking over towards Yoongi hoping that he understands. “It’s kind of hard not to get swept up in Tae, you know.”

Oh he knows. He knows all too well how the smiles and the flightiness and the complete scatterbrain draw you in. He’s not even sure Tae knows he has that effect on people, or maybe it’s just Yoongi who got in too deep and is now trying desperately to swim to the surface to avoid drowning. Everyone else around him seems fine, breathing evenly. It’s just him all alone in the ocean that is Taehyung and he has no idea how to get out. Has no idea if he actually wants to.

Because Tae owes him so many favours and he’s beginning to wonder if loving him back is one of them to.

“I mean not that I don’t like you, Yoongi. I do, I really do. But you seem to not be so sure.”

Yoongi remembers that Jimin is still beside him and looks over, trying to focus on what the red head is saying to him.

“But maybe, if you wanted. We could hang out, or something.” Jimin scratches the back of his neck, seemingly embarrassed by his own lame suggestion.

Yoongi says nothing, trying to get his brain to catch up on where the conversation is at.

“See and that is exactly what I mean, you don’t even talk to me.” Jimin continues, unaware that Yoongi has heard hardly any of what he’s been saying. “In fact you look as though you have no idea what I’m even saying to you. Are you okay? You look like you’ve had too much to drink.” Jimin looks at him intently, trying to discern how much Yoongi actually drank by his face.

“I’m fine,” He replies, waving Jimin away.

He red head laughs, a grin making its way to his face again glad that he finally got a reaction. “So what do you think?”

“About what?”

Yoongi’s almost positive even in the darkness surrounding them and the lack of streetlights that Jimin just rolled his eyes.

“About us? Hanging out sometime, getting to know each other?”

Yoongi really should have been listening to the conversation. “Yeah, I guess.”

He wouldn’t have even had to be looking at Jimin to know that he was grinning and yet he was and the actual image is a lot brighter and absolutely beautiful that Yoongi wishes that all he had was a conjured up image in his head to work with.

They walk in silence for a few minutes, before Yoongi realises that he’s walking alone. He stops, turning back to ask Jimin what he’s doing when he finds the man standing by a wooden door staring at him. Yoongi out of politeness walks the few steps back and stands with him outside the two story building.

“You live here?” He asks, as if Jimin wasn’t already making it obvious with his keys clenched tightly in his hands.

“Yep, this is me.”

Yoongi glances around, studying the architecture of the building feeling Jimin’s eyes on him the whole time.

“Thanks for keeping me company tonight, Yoongi.”

He looks back at him sensing a change in the atmosphere that he is more certainly not ready for. “Yeah, well my plus one abandoned me, so you weren’t such a terrible replacement.”

Jimin laughs, understanding the joking tone.

“Alright well, we will hang out, right?” He asks his tone almost needy and Jimin could have kicked himself for it.

“Of course, you owe me a donut.”

Jimin rolls his eyes again at Yoongi’s smirk, before both fall silent staring at each other knowing what should happen next. It would be so easy for Yoongi to take a step in or for Jimin to shift slightly to the left and he begins to when Yoongi stands up straight clearing his throat.

“I’ll see you later, Jimin.”

He turns away knowing that that was the moment when he should have kissed him. But the timing wasn’t right and they’re both drunk and both of them will most certainly regret it in the morning.

And Jimin is not Taehyung.

He glances back quickly over his shoulder and spots Jimin still standing there with an unreadable expression on his face. Yoongi passes it off as normal drunkenness because a second later he’s grinning and waving his arm at him before disappearing into the building.

Yoongi laughs softly, unable to stop himself from seeing the similarities between Jimin and Tae. Perhaps that’s why he feels oddly drawn to the younger; because he reminds him so much of his roommate, who has no idea how much he’s hurting him every single day.

His laughter cuts off immediately realising how sick that thought sounds. He can’t think of Jimin that way.

Jimin isn’t Taehyung; of course Yoongi is aware of that fact.