”No.” Taehyung says adamantly with a glare directed at him. “You made him cry.”

“I know.” Yoongi has been trying to wrestle Jimin’s phone number out of the younger boy since a while ago. He shoves a hand through his hair, reaching the ends of his tether. “I just want his number.”

“Do you know Jimin always tries not to cry in front of me because he thinks he should be the one taking care of me instead. You know how it felt to wake up to find him crying as quietly as he can, curled up on the bathroom floor?” Taehyung crosses his arms in front of his chest. “When he woke up after he fainted, the first question he asked was if he troubled Hoseok. Do you know how guilty you made him feel for something he didn’t do?”

His heart clenches uncomfortably at the thought of the young boy curled up crying against Taehyung. His guilt rears its ugly head and he feels every single horrible thing he’s done to the younger boy.

“For s sake, Taehyung.” His words come out in a growl and he doesn’t feel the least bit ashamed when he sees Taehyung look over at him cautiously. He clears his throat and says in a more controlled voice. “I’m trying to fix things.”

“Fine.” Taehyung bites out. “If you make him cry again, I’ll hunt you down and-”

He cuts off the younger boy with a lift of his hand. “I get it. Just give me his number.”

With a little more glaring, Taehyung gives in and gives him Jimin’s number. “Don’t hurt him.” Again.

That goes unspoken but understood.

 He gives in under Namjoon’s disapproving stare and calls Jimin to meet up.

It’s not because of the sad, puppy dog expression haunting him, it’s because Namjoon keeps getting on his case. He regrets telling the taller boy in a bout of weakened wills.

He sees Jimin walk into the shop, shoulders tense and eyes downcast.

He straightens up and grips the paper cup in his hands. He takes another sip, hoping that it would somehow help things. Yoongi was never the one who was good at social situations, it’s where Hoseok and Namjoon came into place, they often took up whatever social grace he slacked with bright smiles and wise words. He was on his own this time. No Hoseok or Namjoon to cover up awkward silences with their lame jokes or philosophical thoughts.

He ed up so he had to fix it.

Jimin walks nervously towards him with a hesitant smile. “Hello, Yoongi.”

Gone was the sunny smile he was graced with every time. Seeing him like that felt wrong. The look on Jimin’s face didn’t fit him.

“Thank you for coming.” He tries to sound as welcoming as he can.

“It’s no trouble.” Jimin takes a seat across him, back straight and hands hidden underneath the big sweater.

Silence.

He clears his throat. “Do you want to get a coffee or something?”

“It’s fine, I’m not that thirsty.”

Silence again.

It makes him realize how much Jimin usually talks, now that he doesn’t.

“I was a bit harsh with my words last time.” He goes straight for the kill because the faster he got the words out, the faster he could get out of this awkwardness and more importantly, get out of there. He braces himself and attempts to get on with his apology. “I was just worried about Hoseok and I said some things I didn’t mean. Seok is too good of a person to say no, so I was just…” He searches his mind for a word to properly describe what he’s feeling but the only word he can come up with is worried, so he says just that.

“I understand.” Jimin says diplomatically. “Hoseok is the nicest person in the club, he takes so much time to make sure everyone knows the steps and I didn’t realize how swamped he was.”   

For the first time, he notices the dark eye bags underneath the younger boy’s eyes and the pale cast to his usual flushed face. All his words come rushing back towards him. He feels horrible all over again.

He realizes how cruel he has been to the boy in front of him, unnecessarily so. That thought is quickly pushed aside when he feels an urge to bundle up the younger boy in a blanket and tuck him into bed.

He panics and latches onto the first thing he can think of.

“Are you... feeling better?” His question is a little stilted but he forces it out of his mouth anyways. “Hoseok told me you fainted a few days ago.”

Jimin’s cheeks go bright red and his eyes snap back towards to his hands underneath the table. “I’m okay, it was just a fever and Jin has been mothering me since then. Please tell Hoseok not to worry and I’ll make it up and practice more and pick up the slack-”

“That’s not what I meant.” He stops Jimin before he can continue blaming himself. “I-” He stops himself and quickly amends it before Jimin realizes what he’d been trying to say. “Hoseok and Jungkook were worried about you so I just wanted to tell you to take care of yourself.”

Jimin peeks up at him. “You’re not angry at me for making Hoseok pick up after me?”

“No!” He clears his throat. “No, it wasn’t your fault.”

“So you don’t hate me, right?” The question is uttered so softly he almost misses it.

He has to admit Jimin had grown on him when he wasn’t busy trying to protect Hoseok from being a pushover. As Hoseok and Namjoon always liked to remind him, Jimin was a sweetheart and just as much of a pushover as Hoseok, maybe even more. He wasn’t ready to share his deep, dark secrets with him, but at this point, Jimin was kind of a friend, someone riding the line between acquaintance and friend, leaning more toward the latter.  

“No.” He tries to sound as casual as he can.

“Then can we be friends?” Jimin asks, finally meeting his eyes.

“Sure.” Might as well, right? Since Hoseok and Namjoon were adamant on becoming friends with Jimin and the two others, they were going to be seeing each other a lot more. Although, in Namjoon’s case, probably because he was whipped for Jin.

The bright smile reappears on Jimin’s face in a flash and he watches as the younger boy almost vibrating in his seat.

Friends.

He’d probably be able to manage it, right?

When Hoseok suggests playing ‘Never Have I’, Yoongi knew it was a bad idea, he probably should have said no.

At that point it was impossible to say no, they were all tipsy. Taehyung and Namjoon a little more than the rest. Taehyung had spent the first 5 minutes glaring at him before he mellowed out after Jimin nudged him and gave him the puppy dog eyes.

Hoseok was always a hyper drunk while Namjoon spouted even more philosophical bull. By the looks of it, Jimin was a giggly, touchy drunk

Everyone sits in a circle in Taehyung and Jimin’s dorm, the only sofa occupied by snacks and bottles of whatever they’d brought over.

He’s plenty aware of Hoseok on his left and Jimin on his right. Jimin is laughing at some lame dad joke Jin made. It’s like he laughs with his whole body, laughing so hard he’s pressed against him, head thrown back, eyes squeezed in half crescent moons.

“I’ll start first!” Hoseok waves his arm in the air like a student waiting for the teacher to pick him. “Never have I dated a boy.”

The rest of them groan and take a shot.

“That’s not fair.” Jin whines. “You and Taehyung are the only straight ones here.”

Taehyung gives Jin a small shove on the shoulder. “That’s how the game is supposed to be played.”

“Never have I went skinny dipping.” Namjoon says, obviously aiming for Hoseok.

Taehyung and Hoseok both take a shot.

“Yah!” Taehyung pokes Jimin in the ribs. “Park Jimin, you take one too.”

“Why?” The single word that falls from Jimin’s lips come out a little slurred. “I never went skinny dippin’.”

“You did.” Taehyung s a shot at him. “Freshman year, by the fountain.”

“Ugh, that doesn’t really count.” Jimin grabs the cup and downs it. “You were the one who pulled off my shirt and shoved me into the fountain.”

“Have you guys ever seen Jimin’s abs?” Taehyung asks the rest of the group. “Girls fawn over them all the time.”

Without a word of notice Taehyung wrangles the thin t-shirt Jimin was wearing over his head, exposing his sculpted stomach and lean arms.

His swallows, hard, when he sees well toned arms on display without the barrier of sweaters or long sleeved tshirts.

Namjoon lets out a wolf whistle. “Who knew our little baby had such a nice body?”

“I’m not a baby.” Jimin makes a futile grab at his shirt while Taehyung lifts it even further away. He feels the loss of warmth on his right side instantly. “Kookie is the baby here.”

“Does that make Jin our mother?” Taehyung asks no one in particular.

Taehyung returns the shirt a little while later when Jungkook grumbles under his breath and kicks Taehyung repeatedly.

He can’t decide if he’s glad to see the t-shirt covering those abs or if he misses it.

“Never have I lusted over anyone in this group.” Taehyung smirks, a sly smile on his face.

He watches as Namjoon, Jungkook, Jin and Jimin take a drink. He takes a shot too.

“What the guys!” Hoseok exclaims. “When did we become such an ious family?”

Taehyung laughs, full on boxy grin.

Namjoon and Jin share a smile while Jungkook and Jimin go bright red.

It makes him wonder who Jimin had his attention on. Was it Taehyung? Jungkook? Hoseok? Him?

His heart jumps at that thought. That couldn’t be true, he’s been too much of an towards Jimin for him to like him. Then again, he hadn’t always been such a douche to the younger boy.

“You’re making it sound so wrong.” Jungkook whines.

Jimin giggles. “We’re way too different to be related.”

“I don’t want to be related to any of you.” Yoongi adds without much scorn.

“Without saying, Namjoon and Jin are pretty obvious, but I want to know about the rest of you. Who were the 3 of you lusting after?” Hoseok asks without much tact.

Jimin chokes while Jungkook goes even brighter red.

Taehyung joins in. “Tell us, tell us, tell us.”

Jimin looks towards him pleadingly and he sighs.

“Stop it, you s.” Hoseok opens his mouth to say something but he sends his friend a glare. “You say another word and I’ll ruin you so you’ll never find a girlfriend.”

That shuts Hoseok up pretty quickly. “Fine.”

The game continues and slowly turns into a game of truth or dare.

Jin is half sprawled over Namjoon after Jimin dares Jin to sit between Namjoon’s legs.

Taehyung is cuddling a bottle of vodka and Jungkook is sleeping with his head pillowed on a oven mitt.

Hoseok, with a drawn onto his forehead, courtesy of Taehyung, has his upper half draped over the seat on the sofa.

Jimin is still next to him, leaning against him.

“Party’s over.” He decides because he’s probably the only one who can think straight but no one really bothers moving. Namjoon and Jin merely give him small nods before the older of the two just drops his head between the crook of Namjoon’s shoulder.

“They’re so cute together.” Jimin giggles softly, his voice equally soft. His giggles stop and in a sad voice, Jimin turns his head with his eyes wide and innocent. “Min PD, do you think I’ll ever find someone like Namjoon found Jin?”

He laughs at the nickname Jimin calls him. It’s not the first time Jimin’s called him that but it’s still ridiculous no matter how many times the other boy does it.

He’s tempted to shove Jimin off because even drunk, he doesn’t enjoy conversation like this but he doesn’t have the heart to do that to the ball of sunshine who’s looking at him so trustingly.  

“You will.” He answers him softly, only because neither of them will remember this in the morning.

“What if no one wants me?” Jimin wails. “I’m not good looking like Jin or social like Tae Tae. Hobi is better than me in everything, even you are in love with him. Will you marry me if no one wants me?”

He freezes. When had Jimin realized that?

Jimin twists around, a small hand on his chest. “You don’t want to marry me? I was right, no one wants to marry me!”

He panics and forgets about Jimin unearthing his feelings for Hoseok when he sees tears form in the younger boy’s eyes. “Sunshine, please don’t cry.”

The nickname slips out before he can even stop it. He blames his absent filter on the alcohol.

“But I want someone to marry me!” Jimin sniffs, his small hands curling around the fabric of his shirt. “I just… I just want someone to like me back. Tae Tae always tells me he’ll marry me when I’m 30 but he doesn’t like guys. What if he finds a pretty girl before I turn 30 and I’m still all alone?”

He grips Jimin’s narrow shoulders and guides him towards his room, inwardly cursing at every one of his friends laid out in the living room. Jimin continues to ramble on as he focuses on getting the younger boy into his bed.

Depositing the pink haired boy in his bed as gently as he can, he stares at the boy staring back at him.

“Will you rap for me, Min PD?” Jimin latches onto the sleeve of his shirt.

“Go sleep.” He orders gruffly.

Jimin swings their hands and pouts. “You heard me sing before.”

“Maybe, when you’re sober.”

“Promise?”

Again with those doe eyes he still hasn't been able to build up a defence against. “Promise.”

A smile makes its way on Jimin’s face and he finally lets go of his shirt.

He grabs the blanket from Taehyung’s bed and drapes it over Jimin before he leaves the boy in the room.

He vaguely remembers arranging Hoseok as best as he can before he falls asleep on an open bag of chips.

He wakes up to someone continuously poking his shoulder.

He slaps away the hand that dared to bother him when he was sleeping.

“Tae, stop poking him.” He hears someone say. “He’s going to get mad if you keep bothering him.”

“Chim, how are you always so perky after we drink? It’s so unfair” Taehyung, at least he thinks it is, complains. “It’s like you and Jin never even experience hangovers.”

“Sometimes I’d rather have hangovers instead of forgetting half the things that happen when I drink. Plus, I brought you painkillers and coffee to make up for it.” Jimin’s light and airy voice replies. “Tell me if anyone else wakes up and I’ll bring them some coffee.”

He cracks an eye open and groans when he sees the sunlight filtering in through the windows. It was too damn bright.

“Yoongi is awake!” Taehyung calls out none too quietly beside his ears.

“.” He blindly shoves Taehyung away. “You’re too loud.”

Jimin’s giggle reaches his ears and he opens his eyes again to find him kneeling beside him with a cup of water in his hands.

He pushes himself up from the couch and takes the water and the painkillers  gratefully. “Thanks, Sunshine.”

He realises it only when he’s halfway towards the kitchen, where he smells the coffee.

Maybe if he doesn’t acknowledge it, no one will mention it again.

“Jin and Namjoon went to grab breakfast.” Jimin gives him an understanding smile and pours him a cup of coffee. “How’s your head, Min PD?”

“Hurts like a .” He answers automatically. “I regret letting Joon goad us into drinking so much.”

Jimin chuckles. “I hope I didn’t do anything too embarrassing yesterday. I don’t really recall anything after getting Jin to sit on Namjoon’s lap.”

He lets out the breath he didn’t even know he was holding.

A little part of him wonders if this was Jimin’s way of telling him that it was okay to forget about whatever that happened between them yesterday or if he genuinely didn’t remember.

“It probably wasn’t as bad as whatever they did.” He gestures to Hoseok with a pillow under his head and Jungkook still sleeping on the floor and both of them watch as Taehyung draws a on the other side of Jungkook’s cheek.

“He didn’t try to do that to me, did he?” He squints against the bright light filtering through the curtains.

Jimin giggles. “He tried to draw on you with lipstick but I warned him against it.”

“Thank god.” He stirs at the coffee, hoping it’d cool down enough so he won’t burn his tongue off just taking a sip. “You’d be missing a best friend if that happened.”

Jimin’s tinkling giggle has Taehyung turning towards them.

“Are Jin and Namjoon coming back anytime?” Taehyung moves towards them slowly. “They didn’t ditch us to have a morning date right?”

Jimin unlocks his phone and shows Taehyung a selfie Jin had taken with Namjoon holding two bags full of food in the background. “They’ll be here in a few minutes, Tae, be patient.”

Just as Jimin finishes saying that they hear a muffled curse from Namjoon as he trips over the shoes they’d haphazardly kicked off at the doorway. A laugh from Jin and they burst through the doors just seconds later.

Taehyung makes grabby hands at the bags Namjoon is holding. “Did you get me donuts?”

“We did.” Namjoon flings the bag at Taehyung’s face.

Jin gasps. “Don’t do that!”

Namjoon grumbles. “It didn’t hurt him.”

“Taehyung wasn’t what I was worried about.”

He lips quirk into a reluctant smile as the rest of the group bursts into laughter while Taehyung childishly sticks his tongue out at Jin.

He wonders when something like this has become so normal to him.