It was just another Friday at the Bangtan Bar and Lounge. Jimin was standing behind the wooden bar, talking to his fellow bartender, Kim Namjoon, playfully arguing over who gets the first shift of the night. It was about five o’clock, and they had about another hour before they opened the doors. Namjoon decided he was going to go double-check the stock while Jimin wiped down the bar. After a while, the two regrouped back at the front, debating on how to kill time. They decided on playing Bull to decide who would take what shift. Namjoon ended up winning, which meant he would be tending the bar until eleven, and then Jimin would take over until they closed at four.

               Jimin sighed as he checked the clock, noticing that they had about five minutes. “Alright, I’m gonna take a nap in the back. Wake me up when it’s my shift.” Jimin said, turning to head to the back where he hides his blanket behind the boxes of spare napkins. Namjoon grabbed his arm, pulling him back so he was facing him again.

               “I don’t think so, Jimin. I need you to make a supply run. We’re almost out of pretzels.” He told the shorter male.

               “Really? I’m losing sleep over pretzels?” Jimin groaned as he grabbed his jacket and car keys.

               “You sound like Yoongi.” Namjoon kidded as Jimin walked out the door to go the shop that was a couple blocks away.

               By the time he got back with the “stupid mothering pretzels”, the bar was already starting to fill up, customers seated at both the bar stools and the tables and booths. Jimin went around the bar, threw the pretzels at Namjoon, the plastic jar lightly hitting his arm, the taller male barely catching it before it hit the ground. Jimin chuckled as he went to the back to take his nap.

               Five hours later, he felt himself being shaken awake. He groggily sat up from where he had been laying on the storage room floor. He looked up at Namjoon, who smiled down at him. “Rise and shine, sleeping beauty. Your shift.” The older man helped Jimin off the floor. Jimin groaned, putting his blanket back in its hiding spot and heading out to the front of the bar to begin his shift.

               Namjoon decided to be nice tonight and stayed with Jimin, even though he could’ve gone home immediately after his shift was over. But, he didn’t want to leave Jimin by himself. So, the older male chose to help wash glasses, organize the liquor, and keep track of everyone’s tabs while Jimin tended the bar.

               At about eleven thirty, Jimin noticed one of their regulars step in the door. He did not know the man’s real name, but everyone knew him as V. He had made V’s acquaintance when he had barely started his job at the bar, and Jimin looked forward to seeing V every Friday, even if it did take the redhead a long time to open up to him.

               V is the local tattoo artist, and everyone sees him as a really friendly guy (unless you piss him off). He is covered head-to-toe in tattoos, each one having their own meaning (Jimin has only learned about a few on V’s arm…but that’s about it). V also had snakebites, a nose ring, and bright red hair, causing some of the older customers to give him odd looks, but he never pays attention.

               V flopped down at one of the barstools, instantly capturing Jimin’s full attention after he handed another customer their drink. The bartender noticed his friend looked exhausted, seeming like he could fall asleep at any moment.

               “Rough day?” Jimin asked, beginning to make V’s usual order. V held a hand up to stop him.

               “Give me a shot of Fireball, will ya?” V requested, gesturing over Jimin’s shoulder to the cinnamon whiskey bottle on the shelf.

               “That bad, huh?” the younger asked as he grabbed the bottle and poured V a shot.

               “A guy asked me to tattoo the words ‘hail hydra’ on his .” The red-head explained, watching Jimin to see his reaction. His friend raised an eyebrow, then proceeded to laugh as it processed in his head what he had heard. “I would find it funny too, but the guy was high or something and sat in the chair for two hours, refusing to move until I gave him the damn tattoo.”

               “Did you?”

               “Hell no. I dragged his out of my parlor faster than he could even understand what was happening. I told him not to come back in unless he’s gonna act civilized or else I’d beat his into next week.” V finally downed the shot, placing the shot glass back down on the counter roughly. “Another, please.” The man smiled in reassurance as Jimin hesitated momentarily. He poured him another shot, then briefly turned his attention to another customer before returning to V.

               “So, is Mr. Nazi the only reason you’re here taking shots of whiskey?” Jimin questioned, looking at his friend expectantly. V sighed, holding up his empty glass, silently asking for another. Jimin could already see V sway slightly in his seat.

               “No.”  V relied bluntly as Jimin poured him a half-shot. The man on the barstool shook his head, and Jimin sighed as he filled the rest of the glass.

               “Then what’s the other reason?”

               “There’s been some stupid drama with my employees.” V complained, swallowing the next shot. “Another.” He said, looking up at Jimin.

               “No.”

               “Yes.”

               “No.”

               “Yes, I’m paying you for it, dammit.” V snapped, causing Jimin to slowly reach for the glass, worry filling his eyes. V noticed, and instantly regretted his harsh tone. “Look, Jimin, I’m sorry. I’ve just been really stressed lately and I need something to distract me.” He apologized, staring at the bar. He heard the sound of the shot glass being lightly placed on the bar in front of him. He looked up at Jimin, who had a small smile on his face.

               “Hey, I get it. You need a break. Just don’t pass out on me, V.” He kidded, sliding the newly filled shot glass towards his friend.

               “Kim Taehyung.” The red-haired man corrected him as he downed the whiskey.

               “What?”

               “My real name is Kim Taehyung. V is just a nickname that my friends gave me in high school because I would get into a lot of fights.” He explained.

               “What does the letter V have to do with fights?”

               “Victory. Let’s just say I never lost.” Taehyung smiled, causing Jimin to chuckle a bit. As Jimin looked at his friend, he noticed he was beginning to sway again. As Taehyung spoke, his speech was slightly slurred; not too much, but Jimin knew enough about whiskey to know that it grows on you, even after you stop drinking. He tried to change the subject to distract Taehyung from asking for another shot.

               “So, you never talk about your tattoos much.” Jimin pointed at Taehyung’s arms, causing them both to look at the full sleeves. “What do they mean?” he asked, trying the slowly sneak the glass closer to him so he could put it in the sink. Taehyung smiled widely and began explaining his different tattoos, and each time he looked down, Jimin would slide the glass a little closer until he finally was able to slide it off the bar, into his hand, and quickly place it in the sink before Taehyung could notice.

               V continued to talk about his tattoos, and Jimin listened intently, genuinely interested in the backstories to the ink. But, as time wore on, the bartender noticed that Taehyung’s speech was becoming incredibly slurred to where you could barely understand him. His eyes were droopy, and Jimin really believed he might actually pass out at the bar. He looked at the clock and realized it was ten minutes until four. As he glanced around, the bar was mainly empty, spare the few customers that were peacefully chatting in the back corner. Namjoon had already started wiping down tables and stacking the chairs, whistling as he worked.

               “Tae, maybe I should drive you home.” He offered, Taehyung stopping his explanation of one of the many designs on his forearm.

               “Nah, I’m fine. My motorcycle’s parked out back. I can drive myself home.” He insisted. Jimin knew that was a bad idea. He began casual conversation again as he began to clean the bar. He finished the usual cleaning routine and excused himself from Taehyung so he could talk to Namjoon.

               “Joon, could you please lock up for me? Taeh-V is really hammered and I don’t want him driving-”

               “Yeah, yeah, I got it; don’t worry. Just get the poor guy home before he hurts himself.” Namjoon cut him off, nodding to Taehyung, who was talking to himself under his breath.

               “Thanks, Namjoon.” Jimin quickly hugged his friend, then returned to Taehyung. “Alright, let’s get you home.” He said, placing V’s arm over his shoulder to support him as he helped the taller male off the barstool and out the front door.

               “I told you, I’m fine.” V slurred out, stumbling alongside Jimin, who was the only thing still keeping him upright.

               “I’m taking you home and that’s final.” Jimin replied sternly. Taehyung began to giggle like a little school girl.

               “What?” the shorter man queried as they reached his car.

               “You’re cute when you’re bossy.” The tattoo artist giggled again. Jimin was taken off guard and didn’t know how to respond, so he simply unlocked the car and helped Taehyung inside.

               It took him a whole five minutes to convince Taehyung to give Jimin his street address, but he finally managed to get it out of the taller man by threatening to cut him off from alcohol for a month. They drove the short distance to V’s apartment complex, then Jimin wrestled to get V up the stairs and into his apartment. “Okay, Jiminie, we’re here. You can let me go now.” Taehyung managed to say, Jimin hesitantly letting go. He was just worried that V would hurt himself in this state. He turned to walk out the door, V following to see him out.

               “I’ll stop by tomorrow to check if you’re alright. I’ll leave a message on your parlor answering machine so your employees know you won’t be in. Take care, Tae.” Jimin was about to leave, but was pulled into a bone-crushing hug.

               “Thanks, Jimin.” V muttered into Jimin’s shoulder. The hug took the shorter male by surprise, but he managed to hug back after he processed what was going on.

               “No problem, Taehyung. See you tomorrow.” He answered, pulling away slowly, his heart pounding loudly in his chest as he gave a small wave to his friend before walking back out to his car. He spent the rest of the night worried about his exhausted, drunken friend.

               The next morning, Jimin immediately headed back to V’s apartment to check on him. He rang the doorbell, folding his arms over his chest in an attempt to keep himself warm against the light breeze that blew in from the open window at the end of the hall. He didn’t hear any sounds from inside the apartment. He rang the doorbell again just as his phone vibrated in his pocket. He pulled it out and noticed he had a text from Taehyung.

V: It’s open. Come on in.

               Jimin opened the door and stepped inside, closing and locking it behind him. “V?” he called, looking around what appeared to be the living room. He saw no sign of the tattooed male anywhere. “Taehyung?” he called a little louder.

               “I’m in the bathroom.” He heard V call. Jimin turned towards the hallway where the voice came from and noticed one door was open, and the light was on. He walked to the door, hearing coughing noises as he got closer. He looked in the bathroom and saw Taehyung slumped over the toilet, sweat running down his pale face. He slowly looked up at Jimin, a small smile on his face. “Hey, Jimin.” He managed out before turning and throwing up into the toilet bowl. Jimin immediately felt bad for his friend.

               “Hey, Taehyung. You regretting asking for all those shots now?” the shorter man teased, trying to distract V from his current state. Taehyung chuckled, then held his head as it began to throb.

               “Yeah, you did tell me to stop, didn’t you?” V lifted his head slightly so Jimin could hear him. Jimin stepped into the bathroom, sitting on the floor beside Taehyung. He barely noticed that the man was only wearing a pair of basketball shorts, while a tank top was on the floor next to him. Jimin figured that it had probably gotten too hot for him, even with the thin fabric. As V leaned over the toilet again to empty what little he had left in his stomach, his shorts moved slightly up his thigh, revealing a tattoo that instantly caught Jimin’s attention.

               “Uh…Taehyung?”

               “Hm?” the red-head turned his attention back to the brunet next to him.

               “Why is my name tattooed on your leg?” Jimin asked, pointing to the calligraphy that was permanently etched into V’s skin. Taehyung looked down in panic at the tattoo, rushing to pull his shorts back down to cover it. When he looked back up at the bartender, his mouth was opening and closing, trying to find words. After trying (and failing) to think of a good excuse, V sighed and hung his head in shame.

               “I got pretty drunk last night, as you know, and my guess would be that I did that right after you left.” The tattoo artist stared at his hands, refusing to meet Jimin’s questioning gaze.

               “But…why? Why my name? And how?” Jimin asked, not sure whether to feel happy, excited, worried, or horrified that his name was permanently written on Taehyung’s skin.

               “Uh…I keep a set of needles and ink here at home. It’s complicated.”

               “But why my name, Taehyung? Of all things, why?” Jimin placed his finger under V’s chin, lifting it so the taller male would meet his gaze.

               “Because you make me happy.” He finally stated, tearing up. Jimin wasn’t sure if it was from what he was saying or whether it was the fact that Taehyung’s throat was probably on fire at the moment.

               “I make you happy? You mean ’cause I give you alcohol every week?”

               “No, you . Because you’re the only person who’s ever willing to listen to me; make me laugh; and also the only one who has ever taken any interest into the actual meaning behind my tattoos and not looking at me like I’m some freak of nature. You treat me better than anyone, even my friends who can be real s sometimes, but that’s not the point. My point is…” he trailed off. Jimin was trying to piece together what he had been saying, finally realizing the message he was trying to get across. But, he wanted to hear Taehyung say it out loud. “I love you, Park Jimin.” The words rolled beautifully off V’s tongue, and Jimin wanted to hear him say it over and over for hours on end. He had always had feelings for V, but had assumed the man was straight. He was overjoyed that he wasn’t.

               “I love you too, Taehyung.” Jimin admitted linking his fingers with V’s. V began to lean in, but Jimin held up a hand to stop him. “You are not coming anywhere near me with that mouth until you brush your teeth.” Jimin objected, causing V to chuckle softly.

               “Yeah, that wouldn’t be the best first kiss, huh?” V kidded, standing up from his former position, Jimin following suit. “How about this: you go into the living room, choose a movie you want to watch, and I’ll be out there in a few minutes to give you a proper kiss and make some popcorn. Sound good?” Taehyung offered, a wide smile spreading across his face.

               “Sounds good to me.” Jimin agreed, returning the smile before kissing V’s cheek and walking out to the living room. He looked for where the taller man kept his movies, and found them neatly stacked in the cabinet under the TV stand. He was going to reach for Thor: The Dark World when he noticed an entire stack of anime off to one side. He smirked to himself as he grabbed the first season of Black Butler and sat down on the couch, waiting for Taehyung.

               A few minutes later, the red-haired man emerged from the bathroom, Jimin standing up to greet him as he entered the living room. V smirked as he walked over to Jimin, cupping the shorter man’s face with both hands before placing a tender kiss on his lips. They leaned back slightly to smile at each other, happiness evident on both of their faces. Jimin felt like he could get lost in Taehyung’s deep brown eyes for hours, not ever wanting to look away.

               “I love you, Park Jimin.”

               “I love you too, Kim Taehyung.” Jimin murmured in reply, giving Taehyung another quick peck on the lips before holding up the disc case to show him.

               “I believe I said movie.” Taehyung laughed as he saw the cover.

               “Well, it’ll keep me here a lot longer than a movie would.” Jimin pointed out.

               “True, but I would be able to keep you here longer than any series or anime would.” V acknowledged, giving the brunet a knowing smirk.

               “I hate you.” Jimin muttered as Taehyung kissed his forehead.

               “Love you too.”

A/N: Heller wonderful peoples! I hope you enjoyed this one shot as much as I enjoyed writing it. However, if you'd like to read more about V's back story, I'm writing a whole fic based on Taehyung's life leading up to when he meets Jimin. It's called V For Victory and I hope you guys like it!