Their opponents are intimidating. Taehyung doesn't play much beer pong to begin with, preferring games like rage cage or king's cup, and after that drink of Hypnotiq and whatever the fuck Hunchul mixed in, the world has turned into gentle tide beneath his feet. Their opponents are intimidating, and the one in the police costume is hot and intimidating, and the girl is hot and intimidating and tall. Their opponents are intimidating, and Taehyung has to grip the edge of the table to steady himself. Intimidating.
"Hey, you okay?" Hoseok asks. "You want to sit this one out?"
The honest answer is yes, but the guy on the other end of the table—the officer—is giving Taehyung this scrutinizing once over, as if sizing him up. Doubting him, probably. Taehyung will take that shit from girls, sure, but fuck this guy. Taehyung isn't a drinker and doesn't look like much of one, either. He knows. The expression on his face is bland for the most part, but that has to be a sneer on his mouth what with the way he's looking down the bridge of his nose. The girl beside him is smiling, and she's still way too tall, and her lips look like a smear of blood on her face in the dim sodium lamplight."No, I'll play."
"You sure?"
"I got this, hyung."
"All right." The ping pong ball that Hoseok drops into his palm is sticky and damp. "Any house rules you guys play by?"
"Bitch cup, death cup, rollback, on fire, and one celeb shot," the boy says. "Everything else is standard."
Taehyung doesn't remember much of the process of the game—it's blurred, a dreamy fuzz of music and shadows under the streetlights, but he does remember getting out. He and Hoseok are only down to seven, maybe six cups, and their opponents have what looks like only three or four. Taehyung didn't come to university count numbers, especially not when he's drunk. The girl got one of their cups out, and Taehyung had it in his hand to drink from, firmly, so he wouldn't drop it. Just as he was bringing it to his lips to finish off the last few mouthfuls, the guy aims his hand up unnaturally high, orange ping pong ball poised like a grenade in his fingers.
