Healing

XXXII - drunk

I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Bel, xx

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The DJ's set is catchy and it reverberates all around the club as the four of them walk the long hall once they are granted access to the club in Busan. Jackson is all excitement as he leads their group and Jinyoung is truly surprised he isn't wearing a crown or something that points out he's the birthday boy.

Once they make it to the dance floor and bar, Jinyoung feels a bit of apprehension just because of how incredibly packed the whole place is. He knew what a club was all about but feeling it is a whole different thing and Jinyoung definitely underestimated it. Jaebeom probably sees the panic crossing his eyes because not three seconds later, his hand is on the younger man's back, grounding and familiar as he leans closer to speak in his ear.

"Don't worry, I'll be by your side the whole time," his boyfriend reassures him. "We'll get a booth and if you need to step out at any point, just let me know."

Jinyoung turns his head to meet Jaebeom's gaze, touched by his concern, so he smiles and nods, trying to set his mind to having fun and only focus on his friends.

They follow Mark this time who buys a bucket of different bottles of alcohol and gets them a booth as Jaebeom said. By the time they are settled there's still some time till midnight and Jackson's official birthday, so they just cheer for being there and having fun. Jinyoung witnesses in first person how Jackson just befriends anyone. He leaves to dance with Mark and then they come back with someone new to join them for a while.

By midnight, a lot of people have gathered around Jackson and they all cheer for the birthday boy when midnight strikes.

"That's Jackson for you, wherever he goes he makes new friends," Jaebeom tells him when Jinyoung is laughing as Jackson cheers with champagne on top of the table and so many strangers shout for him.

"Now I'm not surprised he helped me that first time," Jinyoung comments, shaking his head.

"And now that he's too busy with new friends, you can come with me," the older man requests, pulling Jinyoung by the hand and dragging him onto the dance floor.

They have been drinking, and even if Jinyoung has been taking it a bit slow, he's a fairly drunk too, so he only grins and follows the other man into the sea of strangers. No one knows them, and he doesn't care about looks or what they'll think or say; he truly is free to be fully himself without fear. So when Jaebeom takes him to dance, Jinyoung doesn't hold back, and he lets the music lead. He sticks close to his boyfriend, locking eyes the whole time. He laughs, he jumps, he flirts, but above all, he has the time of his life.

Jaebeom sometimes pulls him tight in his arms, and it feels like he'll knock all the air out of his lungs with one hug, just as he buries his face in Jinyoung's neck; but then the next moment, he releases him, and they are just dancing again.

At times, Jinyoung is the one who grabs Jaebeom by the back of his neck and pulls him to steal one fierce yet fleeting kiss before pulling away, leaving him wanting more.

They go back to the booth to get more drinks, laugh with Mark and Jackson—and all his new friends—for a while too. They dance and goof around, getting way too drunk at some point. Jinyoung needs to sit in the booth so his head will stop spinning.

It's past five a.m. when they leave the club, hauling a taxi, and none of them is a little bit sober. It's a miracle they remember their hotel and can manage to tell the taxi driver where to take them. They hold each other as they make their way into the lobby and the lift.