These are the caps from the bottles of drinks that Jungkook and Taehyung drank in Jimin's backyard that night. Jungkook can see the stars bright and prickly and their breathing steamy in the cold. Taehyung in his team jacket and Jungkook in that cardigan of Jimin's that he always borrow at his house. He had it waiting, clean and folded when Jungkook went upstairs with him to give him his present before the guests arrived.

"I told you I didn't want a present," Jimin said. "The party was enough I told you, already."

"Shut up. I found something. It's perfect. Open it."

He took the bag from Jungkook, nervous.

"Come on, happy birthday." Jungkook smiled.

"What is it?"

"Your heart's desire, I hope. Open it. You're driving me crazy."

And Jimin sort of gasped. It was very satisfying to Jungkook. "Where did you find this?"

Jimin smiled into the slender box. It was a necktie, dark green with modern diamond shapes stitched into it in a line. It'd been in Jungkook's sock drawer for months, waiting. "Take it out," Jungkook said. "Wear it tonight. I hope you love it."

"I do, Jungkook. I do love it. Where did you find it?" he said, looking at Jungkook.

"Tag sale. Let me put it on you."

"I can tie my own tie, Jungkook."

"Not on your birthday." Jungkook fiddled with his collar. "Everyone is going to swoon."

"Who is?"

"Girls. Women. At the party." Jungkook giggled.

"Jungkook, it's going to be the same friends who always come."

"Don't be so sure."

"Jungkook."

"Aren't you ready? For a party and romance and girls. I mean, I am. Totally over Hoseok." Jungkook rolled his eyes.

"I'm hungry." Jimin grumbled.

"Jimin."

"You can't do this, man."

"What? I found you a date last year, remember? But then you broke up because she's just not 'your style' I even wonder what is exactly your style," Jungkook nagged.

"It's the tie that you can't do. It's like you're braiding or something. Let go."

"OK. OK."

"But thank you, really."

Jungkook fixed Jimin's hair. "Happy birthday," he said.

"The cardigan's over there when you get cold."

Downstairs everyone is busy walking around getting drinks and turned up the music and Jungkook thought the night began to begin. He kept quiet about his quest but kept looking for someone for Jimin. But the girls were wrong that night, glitter on their cheeks, or too jumpy, or already having boyfriends. And then it was late, the ice mostly water in the big glass bowl. Jimin kept saying it wasn't time for the cake and then like a song they'd forgotten was even on the mix, Taehyung stepped into the house and Jungkook's whole life.

Taehyung looked strong. Jungkook guess he always looked strong, his shoulders and his jaw, his arms, his neck where Jungkook know now he like to be kissed. Strong and showered, confident, friendly even, but not eager to please. Gorgeous, is what Jungkook meant. He gasped like Jimin did when he gave him the perfect present.

Taehyung must always do this at party, a slow shrugging path from room to room, nodding at everyone with his eyes on the next place to go. Some people glared, a few guys high-fived him and Baekhyun almost blocked them like bodyguard. Baekhyun was really drunk and Taehyung followed him as he slid through a doorway out of view and Jungkook made himself wait until the song hit the chorus again before he went looking. It's not like he hadn't seen Taehyung before. Everyone had seen Taehyung, nobody can remember not seeing him. But just suddenly Jungkook really, really needed to see him again right that minute, that night.

He squeezed by that guy who won the science prize and looked in the dining room. It was flushed, every room, too hot and too loud and Jungkook ran up the stairs, picked up the cardigan, and then slipped outside for air and in case Taehyung were in the yard. And he was, he was. What would bring Jungkook to do such a thing, Taehyung standing grinning holding two beers with Baekhyun sick in Jimin's flower bed? He wasn't supposed to be looking. It wasn't his birthday, there's no reason he should have been out here like this, in the yard. He was Kim Taehyung, for God's sake, Jungkook said to himself. He wasn't even invited. What was wrong with him? What was he doing? But out loud Jungkook was talking to Taehyung and asking him what was wrong.

"Nothing with me," Taehyung said. "Baek's a little sick, though."

" you," Baekhyun gurgled from the bushes.

Taehyung laughed and Jungkook laughed too. He held up the bottles to the porch light to see which was which. "Here, nobody's touched this one."

Jungkook doesn't usually drink beer but he took the bottle, "Wasn't this for your friend?"

"He shouldn't mix," Taehyung said. "He's already had half a bottle."

"Really?"

Taehyung looked at Jungkook and then took the bottle back because he couldn't get it open. Taehyung did it in a sec and dropped the two caps in Jungkook's hand like coins, secret treasure, when he handed the beer back to Jungkook. "We lost," Taehyung explained.

"What does he do when you win?" Jungkook asked.

"Drink half a bottle of liquor," Taehyung snorted and then he asked Jungkook what's his name.

"Jeon Jungkook."

"Kim Taehyung," he said it as if nobody knows who he is.

"How did you lost?"

"Don't," he said. "If I have to tell you how we lost, it will hurt all of my feelings.

Jungkook liked that, all of my feelings. "Every last one? Really? Jungkook asked.

"Well," he said and took a sip, "I might have one or two left. I might still have a feeling."

Baekhyun snored on the lawn. The beer tasted bad to Jungkook and he quickly poured it behind his back into the cold ground, and inside people were singing happy birthday to Jimin.

"Could I call you some other time?" Taehyung asked.

Jungkook said yes, sure, of course he could call him about maybe a movie next weekend.

Taehyung were just there, uninvited, and now suddenly the party was over and he was all Jungkook wanted, the best gift. And he watched as Taehyung kicked Baekhyun awake and loping off into the sweet late night.

"Was that Kim Taehyung? Who invited him? That's crazy, him here." Seokjin said.

"I know right?"

"And he was getting your number? Taehyung is asking you out? Taehyung asked you out?"

"He didn't ask me out," Jungkook said, technically. "He just asked me if he could ask me out," he admitted.

"Dear God in heaven," Seokjin gasped.

"Seokjin."

"Jungkook just got asked out by Kim Taehyung," he called into the house.

Jimin peered startled and suddenly through the kitchen window, frowning.

"No, not really. He just asked for my number."

"Sure, that could mean anything," Seokjin snorted. "Maybe he works for the phone company."

"Stop."

"Maybe he's just obsessed with area codes."

"Seokin."

"He asked you out, Kim Taehyung."

"He's not going to call, it was just a party." Jungkook said.

"I just can't believe it."

"There's nothing to believe. It was a party and Kim Taehyung was there and it's over and now we're cleaning up."

"Then come help me," Jimin said finally, and held up the dishes. Jungkook hurried to the kitchen and looked for a towel. Jimin handed him everything, the bowl, the towel to dry it, and looked over.

"Kim Taehyung?"

"Yeah," Jungkook said, trying to yawn.

"Is he really going to call you?"

"I don't know," Jungkook said.

"But you hope so?"

"I don't know."

"You don't know?"

"He's not going to call me. He's Kim Taehyung." Jungkook is getting irritated.

"I know who he is, Jungkook. But you, what are you?"

"I don't know."

"You know. How can you not know?"

Jungkook is good at changing the subject. "Happy birthday, Jimin."

Jimin just shook his head, probably because Jungkook was smiling.He guessed he was smiling, the party over, and these bottle caps burning in his pocket. Take them back, Taehyung. Here they are. Take back the smile and the night, take it all back.