➵ yoongi
at five-thirty sharp, jimin hopped up onto a stool at the counter. taking a long sip of green tea, he sipped absentmindedly, staring out the window in the living room.
"anything out there or are you just spacing?" i questioned jokingly as i spooned spaghetti onto two plates.
jimin shook his head spastically and turned to face me as i set the plates down on the table. "huh? oh. yeah. sorry," he mumbled and i just laughed, the corners of my lips tugging up into a grin.
"thinking about your brother?" i asked lightly, trying to make conversation. jimin frowned and nodded.
i had gotten home from the little vacation namjoon and i took about four days ago, and when i did jimin excitedly informed me that his little brother was coming to visit. i was happy for him, since i knew jimin had a strained relationship with his family and it was great that he was at least seeing his brother. but what i didn't mention was that the day jihyun was arriving, was my brother's birthday.
"i don't know why i'm stressing so much. i'm really excited to see him, but...i don't know." jimin pouted, resting his chin in his hand as he continued to shove pasta in his mouth.
i smiled gently. "you'll be fine. it'll be good for you to see him again. you're picking him up at 9:30, right?"
jimin nodded and stabbed his fork into the mound of spaghetti sprinkled with chunks of beef into the creamy tomato sauce.
"mm," jimin made satisfied noises as he ate. "hyung, this is really good."
i smiled. "i'm glad you like it."
"i like when you cook for me," jimin beamed.
i was just about to laugh and retort that i cooked for him every night, but my phone rang suddenly.
i looked at the display. namjoon. "hello?" i answered.
"hey, yoongi hyung. wanna go out tonight?"
"i'm right in the middle of dinner, namjoon, but when i'm done, sure. our usual spot?" i inquired.
"actually i was thinking of trying out that new place a few blocks down from yours. anyway, it's opening night tonight, so free drinks for everybody."
"yeah, sounds good. we taking an uber?"
"well, i certainly plan on getting wasted, so yeah. unless you wanna DD." namjoon teased.
i scoffed. "as if. pick me up sometime around 9."
jimin finished his meal, standing up and taking it to the sink in silence. i watched as he retreated up to his room, glancing back at me before disappearing around the corner.
"yeah, see you then."
after hanging up, i quickly emptied my plate of whatever food was left and shoved it into the sink. i then headed upstairs, approaching the closed door of jimin's bedroom. i knocked lightly.
"what." jimin's voice called out.
"can we talk?" i asked. i heard a sigh before he called out a 'come in' and i entered, quietly shutting the door behind me.
jimin was curled up in his bed, wearing one of my old basketball hoodies. i held back the urge to coo at the adorable sight, and took a seat on the bed. "jimin-ah. are you upset with me?"
"no, why would you think that?" he asked, not meeting my eyes as he continued staring at the wall.
"because as soon as namjoon called me to go out you shut yourself in your room."
jimin was quiet for a few moments. "i just don't think you should be going out. you know... you know what happens when you drink. i almost lost you already, hyung. i don't wanna do that again." jimin finally turned to me, his brown eyes sad and pleading. his voice was small and quiet, resembling that of a young child's after a scolding.
i sighed, taking his hand and gently rubbing the knuckles with my thumb. "jiminie, stop worrying about hyung. i'll be fine, i'm with namjoon. i'll tell him to watch out for me, okay?"
jimin pouted, but huffed and nodded. i smiled gently, leaning forward to press a kiss to his forehead.
***
"is namjoon hyung picking you up?" jimin asked, leaning against the counter.
i nodded, "yeah, he called us an uber. they should be here soon." checking the time on my phone, i saw it was 8:46 pm.
i opened his mouth to make small talk but the doorbell rang, preventing me from saying anything.
namjoon stood in the doorway, dressed in his usual club clothes- a black tee shirt, black jacket, and jeans.
i waved to jimin, grabbing my house keys and phone from the hallway table before following namjoon out the door.
***
the music pulsated through the club, the bass making the floor vibrate slightly. "come on, let's do shots!" namjoon suggested, grabbing my wrist and tugging me towards the bar. i didn't have time to protest before i was sitting at a stool, a round of shots in front of us.
"one, two, three-!" we downed the shots, feeling the strong liqueur burn our throats.
as namjoon ordered us more shots, and time went on and on, i began to feel anxious. i didn't usually get anxiety when i drank, but it was likely the reminder of yoonho's birthday that stirred up the uncomfortable feelings in my stomach.
"i'm gonna use the bathroom," i yelled to namjoon over the loud music. he didn't reply, being too busy sucking the face off some guy i couldn't see the face of.
i stumbled around the crowded club, my hands in front of me for balance. after some trouble i found myself in the restroom, thankfully alone. i grabbed hold of the counter, feeling short of breath and dizzy. i slowly sank to the floor, resting my head against the wall. as i looked around, my eyes fell upon an abandoned bottle of
unlabelled alcohol. curiously i grabbed onto it, popping open the cap and sniffing. it was strong. i couldn't tell what it was but it was definitely strong.
it too, burned as it went down.
