CIGARETTES AND TULIPS // jikook

15 - feels good

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after a whirlwind week of non-stop work, jimin, tae, jhope, and jin finally handed in their university project. the weight of their exhaustion dissolved as they nailed the presentation, each of them riding a high, adrenaline coursing through their veins. they couldn't believe it was over. they were finally free for the night.

"we should celebrate," tae suggested, his eyes gleaming with mischief as he grinned at jimin.

jhope, always full of energy, clapped his hands together. "hell yeah, we should!" jin, never one to pass up on a good time, agreed wholeheartedly.

"why don't you guys come to the bar tonight? some of our friends will be there as well," tae added, looking to jhope and jin. jimin knew that he meant jungkook, yoongi and namjoon.

"oh, absolutely," jin said with a smirk, already pulling out his keys. "let's go right now. we can stop for some drinks on the way."

the excitement in the air was infectious, and jimin found himself swept up in it. the thought of seeing jungkook, however, sent a nervous flutter through his chest. but it was drowned out by the energy of the group, and he agreed with a shy smile.

they piled into jin's car, the mood light and filled with laughter. when they made a quick stop at a liquor store, jhope and jin stocked up on bottles, and soon they were cracking them open, passing them around as the car filled with the sound of clinking glass and loud, carefree chatter. jimin, feeling the slight buzz of alcohol settling in, tried to push away his nerves. he took a deep breath and decided to just enjoy the night.

by the time they arrived at the bar, everyone was in high spirits and pretty intoxicated. yoongi greeted them at the door with his usual calm demeanor, while namjoon was already busy setting up at a table. jungkook's eyes immediately found jimin, and for a moment, they lingered. jimin could feel his gaze, the way it was soft but also searching, concerned, like he already knew jimin had been drinking.

 jimin quickly turned away, downing another shot with tae to brush off the nerves.

the night carried on like a blur of laughter and drinks. they ordered pizza, and the group fell into easy conversation, talking about the project and the funny moments from their presentation. tae and jimin, tipsy and carefree, found themselves in the middle of a chaotic reenactment of their presentation mishaps, collapsing into fits of giggles while jin and jhope egged them on.

jungkook, sitting quietly on the other side of the table, watched jimin with a frown etched into his features. he didn't say anything, but jimin could feel his worry, especially when jungkook's eyes narrowed every time jimin took another shot. but jimin pretended not to notice. he didn't want to think about anything too deeply right now. he was just having fun.

at some point, jungkook leaned over to him. "come help me grab some snacks from the kitchen?" his voice was calm, but jimin could hear the unspoken concern behind it.

"snacks?" jimin giggled as he stood up, stumbling a bit but catching himself on tae's shoulder. "sure, let's get snacks!"

jungkook led the way, and jimin followed closely behind, eyes glued to jungkook's broad back and those strong, towering shoulders. he couldn't help but giggle again, remembering the way jungkook had been frowning earlier.

"why are we laughing, hm?" jungkook asked when they reached the kitchen, turning to face jimin.

"are you worried about me?" jimin teased, his voice playful as he swayed a little.