Chapter 4: The Party

...Saying that Taehyung had been busy the past week would be an understatement. He had all of his finals and as per usual, he left all the studying to the last minute and crammed to pass his classes....

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...Between studying, practicing for Nationals, and working his part-time job, Taehyung barely had time to eat. But with perseverance, Jimin’s encouragement, coffee runs, and Seokjin making Taehyung meals, he did not get annihilated in his exams and got through the week with only slight sleep deprivation....

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...And now because of Jimin, Taehyung is going to spend his Friday night at a party instead of sleeping like he wanted to....

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...The conversation to convince Taehyung went something like this;...

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...“Tae! Come on! You have to go!” Jimin whined when Taehyung venomously rejected the idea of going to an end of finals party....

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...“There is no way I am going to get wasted at a party before practice tomorrow!” he said as he shook his head and crossed his arms over his chest looking away.  ...

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...There was a moment of silence....

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...“Come”...

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...“No”...

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...“Yes”...

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...“No”...

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...“Please?”...

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...“Nope”...

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...“But Jeongguk will be there”...

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...Taehyung froze and turned to his best friend very cautiously,...

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...“So? I don’t care if Jeongguk is going to be there.” he said, feigning indifference and rolling his eyes....

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...Jimin raised one eyebrow and smirked. Taehyung gulped as his best friend approached him like a prowling cat about to catch its prey. A housecat actually (Jimin isn’t that scary).    ...

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...“So you wouldn’t care if I went to the party by myself and told him that you like him?” Jimin asked, sassily scanning his nails while smiling victoriously. Taehyung gasped and whipped his head towards Jimin....

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...“You wouldn’t!”...

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...“Oh, I Would!” Jimin replied, full on grinning and letting evil giggles fall through his lips....

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...Taehyung groaned and plopped down on their couch, his head falling back against the arm his legs sprawled along the rest of the seats. ”I don’t like him!” he muttered, closing his eyes in defeat....

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...Jimin laughed evilly and skipped around the living room....

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...“I’ll go find you something to wear~” Jimin cheered and kissed him on the forehead before he ran into Taehyung’s closet to do some searching....

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...…...

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...Jimin had successfully shoved Taehyung into some skintight black ripped jeans, a sheer white v-neck, and black choker with only a little resistance when Jimin went to put eyeliner on him....

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...*5 minutes ago*...

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...“Jimin stop, that’s too much!” he said trying to push away his best friend holding Taehyung’s mortal enemy the eyeliner pencil....

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...“Don’t worry I’ll be gentle. You won’t even feel it!” Jimin said smiling and approaching Taehyung slowly like a cornered animal....

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...Taehyung sighed, “you’re not going to give up are you?” he asked defeatedly....

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...“Nope.” said Jimin, popping the p and looking at Taehyung expectantly....

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...Taehyung scowled and scrunched up his nose, “Okay” he forced out and Jimin laughed and clapped his hands quickly moving into Taehyung’s space....

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...“Okay, just not on my waterline… OW JIMIN…. OW OW OW STOP”...

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...* end*...

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...The eyeliner actually looked pretty good but Taehyung would never let Jimin know that for fear of more eye poking. Jimin also had eyeliner on, and he was wearing a white tank that showed off his muscled arms with leather pants. As Taehyung looked at the both of them in the mirror he could definitely say they looked hot as hell. When Yoongi saw Jimin, Taehyung was pretty sure he started to drool....

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...In Yoongi’s car, he was feeling great as he and Jimin sang along to their favorite trot songs and made Yoongi roll his eyes at them. But as they approached the house and pounding bass could be heard, Taehyung got butterflies....

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...The trio walked up to the house and Taehyung let Jimin drag him inside. Not surprisingly Jimin wanted to go to the drinks table as soon as possible and Taehyung agreed to go with, leaving Yoongi to talk with one of his friends in his music theory class....

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...The kitchen was a mess, alcohol, and red solo cups everywhere and some sad looking pizza in the corner. There were some guys in the kitchen from Taehyung’s old math class and he started to talk to them as Jimin concocted a drink that would get him wasted maybe just a little too quickly....

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...Suddenly the door to the kitchen opens and some drunk girls stumble in, giggling. But what Taehyung sees past the girls as the door closes makes a shiver go down his spine. Across the dance floor, Taehyung can barely make out a familiar figure at the beer pong table about to throw a ping pong ball....

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...He sighs and hopes he doesn’t run into a certain skater he might have a crush on, and embarrass himself....

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...…...

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...“ Taehhyuuunggiieeee” Jimin whined to an equally stumbling drunk Taehyung, “ Lettsss go and play beer pong!”...

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...And of course, Taehyung being completely trashed, agreed with Jimin and they made their way over to the beer pong table giggling and stumbling....

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...When they got to the table they watched the game that was going on end abruptly. As Taehyung looked over to the winning side, who they would now play next, he stared into the eyes of someone he knew well and it almost shocked him into being sober...ish....

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...Jimin drags him over to the side of the ping pong table where the two guys that just lost had evacuated. Taehyung looks up nervously at the eyes of Jeongguk as his partner starts stating the rules for the game....

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...“No bouncing throws, you get one shot per team member so in this case two, no leaning and no elbows over the edge of the table. House rules; Death cup, throwbacks, and sudden death. Got it?”...

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...Taehyung and Jimin both nod. The adrenaline from the desire to win sobered them up a little but they’re definitely still drunk....

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...Jeongguk goes first because his team won the last game. He throws the ball easily into the nearest cup and it plops in, beer sloshing out of the sides. The people around the table watching cheer....

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...Taehyung and Jimin look at each other and he makes a decision....

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...“Hey, i’ll be the drinker tonight. I’m not that good at throwing anyway, make sure we win alright?” He says as he takes the cup full of beer. Jimin looks at him with tears in his eyes, no doubt because the alcohol is influencing him....

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...“Bro I love you” he sniffles and envelops Taehyung in a tight hug....

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...“Bro, I love you too, lets win this!” Taehyung says hugging Jimin back and throwing back his first cup of the game....

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...…...

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...Taehyung can barely see because everything is spinning and he feels sick. Throughout the game, he could barely tell what was going on after the fourth cup he had to drink and all he could tell from the noise around him that it was a close game. He recalls Jimin celebrating a few times and he contently sits there just drinking for Jimin and letting him throw until suddenly Jimin’s panicked face is in front of him....

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...Jimin is talking a mile a minute and Taehyung can barely process what he is saying except for a few words, “You have to throw….. House rules…. Sudden death…. You can do it!” Jimin drags Taehyung into the spot where he has to throw from and he wobbles unsteadily. Jimin gives him a ping pong ball and Taehyung brings his hand up....

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...Taehyung’s arm shakes as he holds up the ping pong ball and the cup he is aiming for moves and multiplies in his vision. He shakes his head and looks over at Jimin, who is standing there looking at him nervously, and then Taehyung looks up at Jeongguk....

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...Jeongguk’s partner is laughing and patting Jeongguk on the back like they already won and anger starts to rise in Taehyung. Taehyung has a rush of desire to win and beat Jeongguk so strong that he’s thrown off guard a little. He feels a competitive spirit coming to life in him that he hasn’t felt even in his skating since he was a kid....

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...Taehyung takes a deep breath and stands up straighter. He holds his hand up steadily and squints at the table. His vision is still blurry but the cup has stopped moving and that’s all he needs. He throws....

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...…....

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...Jeongguk is good at beer pong. It’s what he does at parties because of his anti-social tendencies and his competitive spirit. Jeongguk never gets distracted when he’s playing but the moment Taehyung walked into the house, Jeongguk felt like he wasn't really there at the beer pong table anymore....

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...Jeongguk watched as Taehyung threw back drinks and talked to people. One moment as he was about to throw, Jeongguk heard a boisterous laugh and looked up to see Taehyung almost in tears with laughter. Jeongguk missed that throw....

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...When Jeongguk notices Taehyung making his way over to the BP table with his short black haired friend he panicked, and although he had been staring at Taehyung the whole night, he couldn't even look up when a certain red head came over....

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...Jeongguk could barely focus during the match. His eyes kept flickering over to Taehyung who was chugging more and more beer for his friend. At one point beer spilled out of Taehyung’s lips and dripped down his tan neck, disappearing in a black choker the constricted around his adam's apple. Jeongguk was so flustered that he missed an important shot. Jeongguk was shoved by his partner, Yongguk, who shot him a dirty look, and the short black haired boy cheered from the other side of the table....

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...The game was dangerously close thanks to Jeongguk’s multiple missed shots and finally both sides had just one cup left. Jeongguk took a shot and missed and so did Yongguk. Taehyung’s friend took both his shots and missed. Jeongguk sucked in a deep breath. This meant that they had to go to sudden death, where they would go back and forth until one person made their shot, and whoever made their shot first won. The only different rule here was that both people from each team had to participate, so Taehyung had to throw....

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...Yongguk laughed and put an arm around Jeongguk’s shoulders as they watched the short black haired boy try to get Taehyung to stand without wobbling. Yongguk leaned in and whispered, “Poor dude is so drunk he probably wouldn’t be able to tell me no if I tried to take him home huh ?”Jeongguk smiled back sarcastically and pushed the arm off him. Yongguk stumbled back a few steps and glared at Jeongguk. Jeongguk glared back....

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..."Shut the **** up, Yongguk. That shits not funny"    ...

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...Yongguk grumbled in anger but just ground his teeth and turned back to watch Taehyung. Jeongguk turned his attention back to Taehyung as well and was surprised to see him more alert with a conviction in his eyes that froze Jeongguk in his place. Taehyung seemed to squint at the cup and then he flicked his wrist and Jeongguk watched. As if it was in slow motion as the ball sailed through the air and plopped in the beer cup....

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...Jeongguk’s jaw dropped open and a disbelieving gasp erupted from Yongguk. Taehyung himself looked as if he couldn’t believe it either. The black haired friend screeched out a high pitched “Taehyungie!!!” and pulled the redhead into a tight hug....

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...Jeongguk was so shocked that he couldn’t move until he felt a strong grip on his arm. “You piece of shit!”  Yongguk yelled before a fist was swung and it connected with Jeongguk’s face....

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...“I had money on a bet that I would win all the BP games I played tonight and you screwed me over Jeon. And I bet you knew! You didn’t start playing shitty until that little bitch came over! I bet you fucking wanted to let them win ‘cause he’s your boyfriend or something right?” Jeongguk watched as he turned his gaze on Taehyung who was still surprisingly alert for how much he drank and was looking on with a slightly alarmed expression....

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...“This your boyfriend bitch? You ready to see him get beat to a pulp or do you want to take it for him?” Yongguk said with a sick smile on his face....

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...Jeongguk felt something like shock run through his body when the asshole started to move towards Taehyung, and before he could think about the consequences he jumped up and grabbed Yongguk by the back of his shirt....

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...Yongguk spun around with a grunt and Jeongguk raised his arm and punched him. Yongguk stumbled back a few steps but laughed as he felt his jaw....

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...“You wanna get the shit kicked out of you? Fine, but I’m going after your boyfriend too after I’m done with you.” Yongguk spits at Jeongguk....

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...Jeongguk was boiling. His hands were shaking and he wanted to kill Yongguk at that moment. Jeongguk heard some angry yelling and looked up to see Taehyung being held back by the short black haired boy and another short white haired boy....

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...It was almost a comical scene except for the look in Taehyung’s eyes that screamed at Jeongguk. When they made eye contact the message was clear....

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...Taehyung wanted Jeongguk to turn this guy's face black and blue and that was exactly what Jeongguk was going to do....

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...Right when Jeongguk went to look back at his opponent he saw a fist speeding towards his face. He lurched out of the way but it clipped his chin and rattled his brain....

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...…...

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...Taehyung was furious, so angry he could no longer feel the influence of the alcohol. He watched as the two boys threw punches. He winced every time Jeongguk was punched, and every time Jeongguk got in a good hit he cheered....

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...A circle had formed pushing the boys closer every time they got too close to the outside of this makeshift ring, and Taehyung had a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach that warned him of danger....

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...The boys fought for a while because they were pretty evenly matched. After a brutal set of punches and kicks, Jeongguk had the upper hand. Taehyung thought it was terrifying and satisfying seeing the muscles ripple under the skin of Jeongguk’s arms as he punched his opponent to the ground....

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...The two turned and Taehyung could see Jeongguk’s face, and what he saw made his breath catch....

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...Jeongguk’s face held a ferocious competitiveness that Taehyung could only marvel at. The look in Jeongguk’s eyes sent shivers down Taehyung’s spine and he wondered to himself, Does Jeongguk look like that when he is skating? Will he have that same passion when he competes against me?...

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...Jeongguk threw a particularly hard punch and blood flew from Yongguk’s mouth. Jeongguk’s knuckles were also bloody and swollen from the impact of his hits. Yongguk fell to one knee and Jeongguk showed no mercy, kicking him in the stomach and stomping on his hand when it grabbed Jeongguk’s foot. Jeongguk kicked Yongguk a few more times until the boy on the floor seemed to stop fighting back....

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...Jeongguk had beaten Yongguk to the ground and stood above him for a moment before he turned to look at Taehyung. Jeongguk walked over to where Taehyung stood and held his gaze for a moment....

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...Taehyung could feel both Jimin and Yoongi getting closer to him protectively but he ignored them and stared right back at Jeongguk....

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...Jeongguk brought his hand forward and grabbed Taehyung's wrist. Taehyung felt himself being yanked forward and he caught himself on Jeongguk’s muscled forearm....

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...Taehyung was frozen in Jeongguk’s arms and his arms erupted in gooseflesh when he felt Jeongguk’s warm breath puff out on his neck....

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...He held his breath as Jeongguk’s lips moved from near his neck to his ear, never really touching the skin....

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...“ Nice throw.” Jeongguk whispered. Then he was walking away and Taehyung could feel the heat in his cheeks, blushing. He looked down and on his wrist there was blood that rubbed off Jeongguk’s knuckles and onto his own skin....

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...“What did he sayyy?” Jimin whined to Taehyung in the car and Taehyung looked everywhere but at Jimin’s eyes as he answered “Nothing! I swear!”...

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...The blush didn’t die from Taehyung’s cheeks even after he was laying in bed thinking about the moment between him and Jeongguk later that night.   ...

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