(LANGUAGE WARNING)

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Jimin scanned the room with mixed levels of confusion, amusement, and concern. Taehyung was dragging Yoongi back onto the sofa, ignoring the fact that Yoongi was dead-to-the-world asleep as he rambled on and on to the unconscious older about something to do with his neighbor and a dog.

Meanwhile, Jungkook's hands were sliding off Jimin's shoulders as he kept trying to get on Jimin's back.

"I'm not carrying you, Kook," Jimin said (again), twisting his head to try to make eye contact with the youngest among them, but Jungkook was already trying to climb back on.

"But I'm so heavy," Jungkook groaned, looping his arms around Jimin's neck and very nearly choking him in the process.

Jimin pulled Jungkook's arms forward so that he could breathe again before glaring back at him. "Yes, you're super heavy so can you stop trying to climb me like a fucking ladder-"

"JIN!" Jungkook yelled right next to Jimin's air, and he nearly fell over from the sudden spike in volume. "JIMIN SAYS HE HATES ME!"

"This is why you shouldn't be allowed to drink," Jimin muttered before exhaling sharply. "Fine, I can carry you, just don't-"

Jungkook's cheer drowned out Jimin's admonishment as he hopped on Jimin's back, winding his arms around Jimin's neck once more and looping his legs through Jimin's arms.

"For someone- who looks like- a stick, why- are you- so heavy?" Jimin coughed out.

"You owe me five thousand won," Jin said, clapping his hands together as his laugh screeched out across the kitchen. "I bet you that you'd have to carry Jungkook piggyback and you said it would never ever ever happen after last time but it did happen so ha!"

"You just focus on not falling over," Jimin mumbled darkly, noting how Jin was swaying, full glass of wine in hand. When Jin drank, he would take a few sips and immediately refill the glass to the top, which was infuriating for reasons Jimin couldn't quite pin down.

"I wouldn't fall over if I had an extra five thousand won weighing down my pocket!"

"I'm a little-" Jimin got cut off as Jungkook's grip tightened abruptly, cutting off his air supply once more. He pushed his head back, forcing Jungkook to readjust and allow him some air. "-busy right now," he said, glaring at his oldest brother, who just giggled and swirled his glass as though he were wine tasting in a fancy restaurant and not Yoongi's kitchen.

"Jimin owes me money~" Jin began singing, and Jimin's glare did no good in encouraging him to stop.

Jungkook was getting too heavy to handle, so Jimin left the kitchen, shouldering open the door to his old bedroom and depositing Jungkook on the bed. He turned Jungkook on his side, shoving a few pillows behind him so he couldn't roll over onto his stomach or back, and he headed back into the kitchen, ignoring Jungkook's slurred accusations of being abandoned.

"Here," Jimin said, shoving a crumpled five thousand won note into Jin's hand to get him to stop singing.

"You're no fun," Jin complained even as he accepted the note, slipping it into his pocket.

"Yes, we all know that I'm not very much fun," Jimin agreed readily with a roll of his eyes. Jungkook and Taehyung were always the life of the party – although Taehyung only really let himself go in private settings like this one – and Jin was never far behind. Hoseok was always agreeable and would participate willingly in whatever drinking games they'd play, and even Yoongi was entertaining. Jimin knew that he was the killjoy of the group, but he couldn't help that he had little interest in drinking or otherwise disinhibiting himself. He was just a stick in the mud at heart.

He knew that part of it was a defense mechanism; he didn't like giving up control over his actions, even when he was in a safe environment. The other part of it was that he felt too responsible to take actions and blindly ignore the consequences. He had to take care of Dad and the house, and neither of those tasks became easier with the addition of a hangover.

"Hey!" Taehyung suddenly shouted, and Jimin looked over to find that Taehyung had pulled Yoongi up with him, the latter just beginning to wake up after a half-hour nap. "Never have I ever!"

"Yes! Let's play!" Jin agreed immediately, and Jimin groaned.

"Can we not? Yoongi is only barely awake and Jungkook needs to take a break from-"

"I'm awake!" Yoongi declared in a much louder voice than normal, one arm still draped over Taehyung's shoulders to hold him up. His entire face was dark pink, and his eyes were a bit dilated. Clearly, more drinks could do nothing good for him. "We're playing!"

"But Jungkook-"

"I'm here!" Jungkook yelled; all the yelling back and forth was really starting to hurt Jimin's head, and he'd barely had anything to drink. "Never have I ever!" Jungkook began chanting, and the others caught on, even Hoseok who gave Jimin an apologetic shrug before yelling with the rest.

"Fine," Jimin gave in when it became clear that they weren't going to stop until he caved.

Before they could start, a banging on the other side of the wall caught their attention. "QUIET DOWN, 408!" Yoongi's neighbor yelled.

"GET FUCKED, 406!" Yoongi yelled back after a second, and everyone cheered while Jimin just winced and wondered if they'd get a noise complaint. But it wasn't his apartment so it wasn't like it really mattered.

That seemed to signal the end of the issue, and they all formed a circle in the living room. Jin had been the one to break out a bottle of vodka – Jimin's stomach was already roiling – and distribute shot glasses. He wanted to sit out, but he knew that if he tried, they'd all yell at him, so he just hoped he didn't have to drink much.

"I'm starting since this is my fucking party," Yoongi announced to a round of cheers, his words blurring together at the edges. "Never have I ever...tossed a cat out a window."

There was an immediate groan from Taehyung. "That was an accident and you fucking know it!"

"Drink up!" one of the others yelled, and Taehyung rolled his eyes before grinning and taking his shot. More cheers, more applause. Jimin could smell the vodka in the air, and his nose twitched. He tried to take small breaths through his mouth instead.

Hoseok was next, and he gave Jimin a sympathetic look before purposefully choosing another target. "Never have I ever...insulted a cooking contestant so thoroughly that she started crying on air."

Jin's mouth fell open before he stabbed a finger in the air toward Hoseok. "You traitor!"

"What did you tell her, again?" Hoseok pressed with a grin, and even Jimin had to smile. "That not conditioning her hair everyday actually lessened the moisture and made it more oily?"

"I thought she would want to know!" Jin defended, and everyone groaned. Jin had a habit of giving out "friendly advice" – he was constantly informing each of them about one or more things they could be doing differently to "restore their natural glow" or "reduce blemishes on their skin." Jin always thought he was being helpful; to others, it came across as condescending, critical, and none of his business.

They all razzed him until he dutifully took his shot, setting the glass back down on the carpet before raising his nose in a haughty manner. "We were just lucky her tears didn't get into the grease fire or shit would have really hit the fan."

"My turn!" Taehyung called out as though one or all of them had forgotten how clockwise worked. "Let's see..." He looked around the circle, and when Jimin saw Taehyung's eyes light up on him, he sank back, hoping his triplet wouldn't be as evil as he had the potential to be. "Never have I ever...not had sex."

There were some chuckles as the more seasoned among them shared the beginnings of stories – "Do you remember that girl with the lip piercing-?" - "What about the one that had the glass eye?" - "The time the elevator got stuck?" - "The prosthetic leg?"

Jimin glared at Taehyung, who just snorted and began pouring Jimin's shot. "You're a little bitch, you know that," Jimin whined, and Taehyung just grinned, pressing a sloppy, vodka-soaked kiss to Jimin's cheek that Jimin immediately wiped off with the sleeve of his shirt, groaning.

"But at least I'm not a virgin bitch," Taehyung teased back as the others realized that Jimin was the only one who was holding a full shot glass. "Hey, I've got a joke," Taehyung announced as he leaned back, and Jimin wanted to tell him where he could shove his joke, but Taehyung went on. "What do store bought cookies and Jimin have in common?"

"What?" Jungkook asked. He liked Taehyung's jokes; Jimin, not so much.

"They're both hermetically sealed," Taehyung said before he and Jungkook burst out laughing, knocking into each other and almost falling over. Jimin didn't laugh, partially out of spite but also because he didn't quite get it. Drunk humor wasn't the same as sober humor.

"Hey, there's nothing wrong with being a virgin," Yoongi protested in a half-ditch effort to save Jimin from the embarrassment that Taehyung had summoned.

"Maybe he's trying to become a priest," Jin suggested, and the younger triplets began cackling. Jimin glared at them sourly, especially since this wasn't the first time they'd humiliated him on the same charge. And yet somehow, it was always a uniquely fresh and humorous topic to bring up.

Hoseok stared down at his glass before looking up at Taehyung. "Fill it halfway?"

"Woah woah woah, what the fuck do you mean halfway? You're either a virgin or you aren't. What the fuck is halfway," Yoongi asked, and suddenly their eyes were off Jimin and onto Hoseok.

Jimin took the opportunity to pour the vodka shot onto Yoongi's carpet. He'd apologize later. Maybe. It was far more likely that he'd blame it on Taehyung for being such an insufferable asshole.

"Like-" Hoseok's face turned red. "I don't know if it counts..."

"Now you have to tell," Taehyung said, eyes narrowed and smile sharp enough to scratch a diamond.

"I'm not telling you guys about that sort of thing!" Hoseok choked out.

"We're brothers, we've seen each other naked like a million times," Taehyung said, not about to drop the topic without hearing the story. When Hoseok gave a clear shake of his head, Taehyung sighed, crossing his arms over his chest. "Fine, just whisper it in my ear."

Hoseok hesitated before doing so, leaning close to Taehyung and cupping a hand over his mouth as he relayed his experience. Everyone waited quietly in suspense until Taehyung pulled back with a wide smirk and filled Hoseok's glass to the brim.

Hoseok, face flaming red, coughed down the vodka while threatening Taehyung that to tell his secret would be an act of war. Somehow, Jimin didn't think that would stop him.

As the game moved on (Jin's "Never have I ever gone to work without wearing underwear" to which Taehyung took a shot – "Working in the nude boosts my creative expression"), Jimin met Hoseok's eyes and gave him a weak smile. Ever since the Jeongyeon incident several years ago, the two hadn't been on the best of terms, but sometimes Hoseok did stuff like this that meant a lot more to Jimin than an apology that he hadn't really needed in the first place.

Hoseok saw his look and raised his glass, a small smile playing out on his lips, and Jimin looked down at his lap. They were more than he deserved.

Although drunk Taehyung was the incarnation of the devil. Nobody deserved that.

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published 09/09/20 (mm/dd/yy)