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“Never have I ever,” Jimin said, eyes serious as he slammed a bottle of soju onto the table along with eight little shot glasses.
“No,” Jungshik shot down instantly, not even looking up from his book.
Jimin’s eye twitched at the quick dismissal. “Why not?” he whined.
“I’m underage.”
“No, you’re not.”
“Jungkook’s underage.”
“We’re twins, we're the same age.”
“I have a weak alcohol tolerance.”
“Shikkie, you drink beer for breakfast, lunch and dinner.”
“Jungkook has a weak alco-”
“Don’t even.”
“C’mon guys, pleeaasee?” Jimin pleaded, interrupting the twins’ banter. He looked to Taehyung for support, who merely raised his hands in a manner that said, ‘Don’t bring me into this.’
“It’s a chance to get to know each other better,” Jimin tried.
“No, it’s a recipe for disaster,” Jungshik shot back.
“Why, do you guys have some sort of deep, dark secret or something?” Namjoon joked.
“Yes,” the twins said simultaneously, looking completely serious. Namjoon faltered and cleared his throat, subtly scooting away.
“Well, I say we do it. Count this as a family bonding activity,” Seokjin said, already pouring himself a shot.
“The only people who are actually family here are me and Jungkook,” Jungshik ever-so-helpfully pointed out.
“Jungkook and I,” Seokjin corrected.
“Whatever. I’m a tattoo artist not a goddamn linguist.”
“Don’t speak to your mother with that tone.”
“If you’re my mother then why are you encouraging your sons to drink?”
“Why you little-”
“Guys,” Jungkook said quietly. They both stopped arguing. “Let’s just play, okay?”
They all stared at Jungshik, who relented with a sigh and poured himself a glass. The rest took this as their cue to join in.
“Alright, who’s starting first?” Jimin exclaimed cheerfully, clinking his glass with Taehyung’s.
While they were busy pouring drinks, Jungshik turned to Jungkook.
“You sure about this, Kook?” he muttered quietly, voice laced with worry.
“I’m sure. Plus, I’ve never liked keeping secrets.”
“Yeah, but, what if they treat you differently?” he asked uneasily. Jungkook linked their hands together in a comforting gesture.
“Shikkie. I’ll. Be. Fine. Okay?” Jungkook patted his cheek with his free hand and Jungshik relaxed.
“Fine. But I swear to god, if they make you sad or anything, I will cut them.”
Jungkook chuckled, “And you have my full permission to do so, now let’s go!” They rejoined the fray, settling down next to each other in the circle of beanbags.
“I’ll start! Let’s see, never have I ever…” Seokjin pretended to think, not-so-discreetly eyeing Namjoon from the corner of his eye.
“…had to run from a restaurant because I broke their chandeliers.” Namjoon grumbled something under his breath about not meaning to trip and hit the chandelier with a baguette and guzzled down his glass.
“A baguette?” Jungshik raised an eyebrow. Namjoon coughed into his fist awkwardly, blushing.
“It was buttered, okay?”
“And how exactly does that explain anything?”
Jungkook giggled, the tense atmosphere from the conversation before dissipating as the questions get more and more ridiculous. Never have I ever turned myself in to the police for stealing a pencil. Never have I ever gotten injured trying to imitate a cartoon character. Never have I ever panicked and locked myself in a dark room to avoid sunlight after being bitten by a bat.
“Never have I ever joined a gang,” a tipsy Taehyung said, his tone clearly indicating that it was a joke and that he didn’t expect anyone in the room to actually drink. Jungkook and Jungshik exchanged looks and downed their glasses in unison.
Jungkook didn’t know if it was stupidity, bravery or the alcohol running through their system that compelled him and Jungshik to admit it, but he sure as hell knew that the dead silence that followed was anything but good.
The youngest member firmly avoided Yoongi’s probing gaze and Jimin’s incredulous face as he poured himself another shot. Jungshik was the complete opposite, meeting everyone’s stares resolutely and daring them to say anything bad.
Taehyung, apparently not sober enough to read the mood, exclaimed, “Wahhh, Jungkookie, you joined a gang? I mean, I would have expected it from Jungshik, but you?” he let out an impressed whistle, “That’s so cool.”
Jungkook breathed a sigh of relief as the tension was broken, everyone going back to joking and fooling around.
He caught Taehyung’s eye as he looked up. The other was wordlessly raising an eyebrow, eyes oddly serious for a drunk person. ‘You okay?’ Taehyung mouthed when no one was looking their way. The youngest smiled at the other’s concern and shot him a thumbs-up with a conspiratorial wink. The other gave a square smile and returned to his default drunken state. Well, he was an actor, after all.
“Jungshik, it’s your turn,” Jungkook gently nudged him, snapping him out of his brooding state.
“Huh? Oh, yeah,” he mumbled, as if only just now remembering that he was surrounded by people. He spun his glass around thoughtfully as he looked around the room for an idea. His eyes rested and Jungkook and he gave a wicked grin. Jungkook’s stomach twisted in dread.
“Never have I ever…” he paused for dramatic effect, “…joined a gang because they offered me sweets,” he finished with an evil smile.
“Goddamnit Jungshik, that was supposed to be a secret!” he hissed, reluctantly taking a sip and preparing himself for the onslaught of scolding and lecturing from his hyungs about Stranger Danger.
“Jungkook, when someone says, ‘Hey, join my gang and I’ll give you some of the sweets I keep in this white van,’ you do not say yes. Keep that in mind next time,” Namjoon advised, playing the part of the wise older brother.
“There won’t be a next time. Stop giving him ideas, Namjoon,” Seokjin snapped.
“Sweets, Jungkook?” Taehyung asked, raising an amused eyebrow.
“Are you mad?” Jimin’s voice had a near-hysterical edge to it.
“You could have gotten yourself killed,” Hoseok squeaked, paling at the thought.
“Don’t put yourself in danger for a fucking chocolate bar, kid,” Seokjin nodded approvingly, “Next time, ask for money instead,” Yoongi suggested, warranting a smack from the eldest.
“Yoongi!”
“What? I’m just saying.”
At this point, Jungkook had given up on trying to fend off their mother-henning and let himself be coddled with affection. Jungshik sniggered at him from his spot on the floor.
‘Oh,’ Jungkook thought, narrowing his eyes at the unspoken challenge, ‘It’s on.’
“Alright,” he started once everyone went back to their seats, “Never have I ever…” he looked pointedly at Jungshik, cackling inwardly as his brother’s confident smirk faltered.
“…ate weed because I didn’t know you had to smoke it.”
“…I hate you.”
And so, the game began.
Jungkook’s turn:
“Never have I ever accidentally shot someone in the leg.”
“Jungkook, I was ten, I didn’t know how guns worked! Plus, that’s a lie because I distinctly remember you shooting someone in the thigh the week after.”
“Yeah, but that was on purpose, so it doesn’t count.”
“…you’re one cold-hearted son of a bitch, aren’t you?”
“Thank you, I try.”
Jungshik’s turn:
“Never have I ever sucked someone off to get out of a debt.”
“Okay, fuck you, that was one time and if I wasn’t so awesome at blowjobs, the debt collectors would’ve tossed your body into the river. You’re welcome.”
Jungkook’s turn:
“Never have I ever nearly killed someone out of annoyance.”
“That bitch was asking for it. Not my fault he decided to be an ass and ruin my cookies.”
Jungshik’s turn:
“Never have I ever-”
“Jungshik, don’t you dare-”
“-hooked up with a boy from a strip club.”
“I fucking HATE YOU-”
Someone coughed and they both froze, having forgotten that they had an audience. Jungkook flushed and looked down at his hands timidly, his entire pure angel persona shattered in one fell swoop.
What started off as an innocent game of Never Have I Ever ended up being a competition of ‘How Many Secrets Can You Reveal?’ So far, Jungkook was losing badly.
“Sorry guys, guess we got kind of carried away,” he grinned sheepishly, scratching his cheek.
“It’s okay, just stop pretending that we don’t exist. We missed our turns like fifteen times,” Jimin deadpanned. “Taehyung, it’s your turn.”
“Finally,” he grouched, “Let’s see…”
“Choose something embarrassing for Jungkook,” Jungshik called from the floor, having collapsed there after his thirty-seventh consecutive shot. Taehyung mulled over his suggestion, a devious glint in his eyes.
“Never have I ever,” Taehyung grinned like a fox, making Jungkook gulp, “had a crush on someone in this room.”
The world seemed to stop for a moment for Jungkook, and then it went into fast forward.
“You what?!” Jungshik exploded, giving each member a murderous look, “Who is it? I’ll kill them.”
Jungkook’s cheeks reddened, “Jungshik, please don’t.”
“Yeah, you can’t kill your future brother-in-law, that’s fratricide!” Taehyung added.
“Tae, you’re not helping!”
Taehyung’s question was akin to opening Pandora’s box, all the evil and misery in the world flying out to afflict mankind, aka, Jungkook.
“Never have I ever wrote a confession letter to someone in this room but chickened out the last minute.”
“Never have I ever made chocolates to give to my crush on Valentine’s day but ended up giving it to them anonymously.”
“Never have I ever pined over someone way older than me for more than three months.”
Jungkook was downing shots at an alarmingly fast rate, face turning redder and redder with each question – whether it be from the alcohol or from embarrassment, no one knew. Jungshik was absolutely livid, a protective arm wrapped around his brother and a glare levelled to anyone who dared to look their way.
“Okay, I’ll stop teasing,” Taehyung said and Jungkook was almost relieved until he saw the devilish grin on his face. “But let me have this one last question.” Jungkook’s stomach dropped.
“Never have I ever kissed someone in this room.”
Silence.
Glaring heavily at Taehyung, Jungkook slowly reached for his glass, trying not to startle Jungshik, who looked about ready to skin someone alive.
On the other side of the room, Yoongi was spewing profanities under his breath, only stopping the string of curse words to hesitantly tip his head back and drink.
“Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck,” the rapper muttered repeatedly, looking anywhere except at Jungshik, who was one step away from lunging at him.
‘Allah-ssi, Buddha-ssi, Jesus-ssi, Satan-ssi, anyone! Any deity out there! Help me, I’m too young to die at the hands of my boyfriend’s brother,’ he thought, clasping his hands in a silent prayer.
Meanwhile, the rest of BTS were throwing a party.
“That’s my boy, Jungkook! Get yo man!” Jimin whooped, waving around a rainbow flag he got from who-knows-where.
“MY SON!” Seokjin cried, practically sobbing into Namjoon’s shirt.
“Kook, I think it’s time I talk to you and Yoongi about the birds and the bees,” Namjoon said, completely serious.
“Hah! You owe me five bucks, Hoseok!” Taehyung yelled, triumphant.
“Aww, and I was so sure that he liked Jimin…” Hoseok pouted, shivering when he felt Yoongi’s glare on his back.
“That’s so adorable!” Jimin squealed, “Our youngest falling for our resident tsundere.”
“I think this calls for celebration!” Taehyung brought out a bottle of champagne from the kitchen to replace the nearly empty bottle of beer. A round of cheers went through the room.
Strangely enough, Jungshik didn’t say anything. No protests, no violence, no threats. He just sat there with this calculating look in his eyes, either making elaborate plans of murder or seriously considering giving Yoongi his blessing. Jungkook hoped desperately that it was the latter.
As everyone else settled down in the circle again, he pulled Jungkook aside to give him the single most embarrassingly overprotective lecture he’d ever gotten. Wait no, that was the lecture he had gotten from Junghyun after coming home with a hickey, but this was a close second.
After Jungshik had exhausted himself reciting the spiel he had definitely planned out beforehand, he stared at Jungkook with an uncertain look, like he wanted to say something but couldn’t muster up the courage to do so.
Eventually, he reluctantly asked, “So, do you actually like him or…?”
Jungkook flushed a dark crimson, looking down at the floor shyly.
“Alright, that’s proof enough, let’s keep playing.”
If anyone noticed Yoongi switching places with Namjoon to sit next to Jungkook, they didn’t say anything.
But they definitely hid a smile or two seeing their intertwined hands the next morning.
Bonus:
“Tell me it to me straight, Min Yoongi, do you love my brother?” Jungshik demanded, managing to corner Yoongi in an alleyway after the game.
“Yes,” he answered resolutely, trying not to show fear.
“Do you promise to protect him?”
“With my dying breath.”
“Do you promise to always stay by his side?”
“Until death and even after.”
“Do you promise to care and cherish him forever?”
“I will treat him like a prince.”
Jungshik nodded in approval, grudging respect in his eyes.
“One more thing,” Jungshik tightly grasped his throat and shoved him against the wall, leaning close to whisper in his ear, “If you harm a single hair on my precious brother’s head, I will end you. If you make him cry, if you break his heart, if you even fucking make him the tiniest bit upset, don’t forget that we were the ones who joined a gang when we were seven. We have burned down warehouses, we have taken down men and women twice our size, we have tortured, we have killed. We have connections and we’re not afraid to use them. He has had relationships in the past and I won’t let you become another abuser, another asshole who treats him like shit. Think twice before you decide to do anything bad to him or else I will fucking hunt you down. Do I make myself clear?”
Shakily, Yoongi nodded. “Crystal,” he croaked and Jungshik removed the near-crushing grip he had on his windpipe.
“Perfect!” he smiled innocently, though his eyes were dark. “I’m glad you see it my way. I wish you both all the happiness in the world.” Then he left, leaving a pale and frightened Yoongi alone in the alleyway.
He took three calming breaths and stood up, brushing the dirt off of his jeans. Picking up the fallen grocery bags and dumping them on the kitchen counter as he entered the dorms, he started to get ready for bed.
But first, he thought determinedly, knocking on the door to the singer’s room, it was time to give Jungkook - gangster, killer and all-around cutie - the biggest, warmest hug in his life.