Just Friends

Chapter 13

"I'm gonna go get another drink! Do you want one?" Taehyung shouts, but his voice fails to be heard over blaring music.

Jimin pauses mid-dance to lean in closer to his best friend. "What?!"

Taehyung gestures the action of drinking with his hands, then points to the bar on the opposite side of the club. "I'm going to the bar! Do you want another drink?"

"Oh!" Jimin nods with understanding, but then his expression quickly changes to something slightly perturbed. "Uh, I dunno. . .don't you think we've had too much already?"

Taehyung shakes his head and throws Jimin an impish grin he's seen before. The one that typically means bad decisions are about to ensue.

"Taehyung," he warns with a stern glare. "We've each had like five of those things already. The only thing you should drink now, is water."

Taehyung shakes his head. "We're on vacation! Besides, these drinks are weak!" He lies, hoping Jimin can't see that he's been trying to drink himself numb, seeking to quiet his brain from tumbling Jeongguk around like clunky shoes thumping loudly inside of a drying machine.

Jimin stares at him like he did in the mirror before they left, concerned because once again, Taehyung isn't acting like Taehyung. "I've never seen you drink this much before, I don't even know how you're still standing!" At his words, by pure coincidence, Taehyung is suddenly shoved forward from someone stumbling and falling into his backside. Jimin catches him by his shoulders, preventing him from going down as well.

"See? I'm totally fine!" Taehyung lets out through the biggest open-mouthed smile. Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't have enjoyed getting knocked around as much. Tonight, however, his current state of heavy-hearted drunkenness welcomes any distraction. Anything to keep his mind free of—you know who.

Jimin would like to enjoy how adorably full of glee his face is right now, but he's more concerned about the new recklessness of Taehyung's behavior. "This is why you should slow down. You need to be able to keep your feet better planted to the ground."

"I know, I know. I'm really okay, you don't have to worry!"

Jimin regards his inebriated friend expectantly, waiting for him to realize he could do without another drop of alcohol. "You're an adult, Taehyung—"

"Yes! I am," he points in the air proudly.

"But. . ."

"No buts!"

"Yes, buts! What if it happens again and you get hurt? Hell, I'm surprised you haven't gotten sick yet."

"That's not going to happen."

"Look, I'm your bestest friend, your brother, your soul mate. I know you better than anyone else, especially your ability to handle alcohol. Something's going on with you tonight. I don't know what it is, and I don't think you're ready to tell me—because you would have already—but I really wish you'd slow down—" Jimin's reproach is abruptly cut off with a squeal when he's unexpectedly lifted into the air and engulfed in the arms of his dance partner upon his return from the restroom. He's the only person in the entire place that Jimin's danced with continuously for some reason. Usually he's more open to other offers, but none of that matters in this precise moment. Because now he's too distracted to stop Taehyung from sneaking off to the bar.

He may even venture off on his own after getting his refill. Or, he could go in search of Namjoon and Hoseok. He hasn't seem them since they were separated shortly after arriving. An understandable thing to occur in all of the excitement over the club's newly opened doors.