Burning Toast

"It's just Hobi's" Taehyung said as he changed his shirt for the twentieth time that night. He turned around in their dorm mirror, trying to get the full view of the green turtleneck. Taehyung lifted his arms for a quick sweat check before nodding to himself and giving his reflection a quick wink. Then a small pucker kiss. And then, of course, ending it with some quick finger gun action.

Jimin snorted from his bed, trying to focus on the kdrama he was watching about some dentist cha cha cha-ing in a dude's hometown.

"Come on Jimin, let's go. We can network with some of the SADA members because Hoseok invited a bunch. The rest are all normal people from campus so it won't be intense like at the house. Besides, we've barely gone out since we came here and I really don't want to go alone to a college party. We're too hot to shield ourselves away."

Jimin rolled his eyes. He hadn't told Taehyung about what happened with Jungkook at chapter
or how that SADA member made his skin crawl. Not for any real reason, he trusted Taehyung, but he also didn't want to worry his friend. So when Taehyung had told him that someone named Hoseok was an old family friend throwing a party, Jimin tried his best to hide his surprise. Seoul University was a massive school - what were the odds that Taehyung knew Hoseok?

There was a creak on his mattress and Jimin bounced up as Taehyung slammed his ass down by Jimin's feet. Jimin lifted his brows as Taehyung leaned his hand down by Jimin's waist and looked straight down at Jimin. "Please?" Taehyung said, the aloof, happy persona slipping from his eyes. "We need to network."

Jimin felt warm, wiggling slightly as Taehyung took his arm back and ran a hand through his hair. Jimin clasped his hands in his lap and righted himself up - feeling underdressed in his sailor moon pajamas while Taehyung was fully ready to go break some hearts in his clean sweater and dark pants.

"Obviously," Taehyung said, sighing, "I won't force you. If you want to stay in then let's stay in. We can watch that kdrama you've been obsessed with on the TV - if the wifi actually works today - or restart our Mario Kart play through on the wii but...."

"You want to make more friends." Jimin finished and Taehyung furrowed his brows, running a hand through his hair.

Taehyung scrunched his lips for a moment, staring at Jimin as if there was something on his face before shaking it off. "Yea." Taehyung said after a second. His energy bounced back and he waved his hand while adding: "We can just have some fun outside of this room, you know? If we go and you end up hating it just let me know and we'll leave no questions asked."

Jimin pouted, leaning back defeated onto the bed which made Taehyung grin so wide Jimin thought the box smile would explode off of his face.

"You'll go!!"

"We're too hot not to, remember?" Jimin shrugged causing Taehyung to laugh by huffing his chest.

Besides, maybe Jungkook would be there too.

It was a long shot, especially after Jungkook said Hoseok hated him. But since Jungkook wasn't a student at Seoul University Jimin hadn't seen him around. Taehyung wanted them to make more friends together and while Jungkook might secretly be a murder, Jimin felt comfortable talking to him. Jungkook weirdly calmed him and Jimin was one anxious motherfucker so it was rare to find that.

So yeah, maybe he did hope to see him again. They were friends - or at least Jimin wanted them to be.

"But I literally don't know what to wear." Jimin said, looking down at pajamas where Sailor Moon was giving him a thumbs up.

Taehyung beamed.

* * *

"You sure it's this apartment?" Jimin asked, trying to air out the sleeves of his pink sweater realizing the walk was way too far for weather this warm. At least the tight black jeans made Jimin's ass look good. "This looks like a murder house."

"What is with you and murder?" Taehyung asked, putting his hand on Jimin's shoulder's and pushing him gently forward towards the stark white building.

"See?" Taehyung said, "You can hear the music through the door. We're at the right place."

Taehyung gave his shoulder a squeeze. "Just stick by me. We can leave at any time if it gets too much."

Taehyung took his hand back and texted Hoseok to get the door. Barely a minute passed before the heavy grey door swung open revealing a tall, handsome guy. He had a bright smile that lit up his long face and a beer in his hand.

"Tae! You made it!" Jung Hoseok explained before he looked over to Jimin with an equally warm smile. "You must be Jimin, I'm sorry I haven't gotten to meet all the pledges yet."

Jimin glanced over at Taehyung and Hoseok waved his hand dismissively. "Bro, don't worry about all the formality bullshit. It doesn't leave the SADA house so you can feel comfortable here."

Jimin smiled at that but took a baby step closer to his friend as Hoseok led them through the creaky door into a living room that was almost shocking with how different it was from the SADA house. It was just so...normal. Gross, even. The furniture was pushed around to make room in the living room so that people could sit down or dance if they wanted. There were beer cans just scattered around the wooden floor, the blue paint of the walls was peeling in parts and the exposed kitchen looked like it'd seen a recent fire near the stove.

Jimin weirdly didn't mind it, it looked like what he'd expect of a guy's apartment in college and not some luxury room he could never imagine affording.

"Wait so you don't live in the SADA house? I thought you were a Junior" Jimin asked and Hoseok turned around, laughing.

"I practically do with how much time I spend in there. But I have a couple good buddies who aren't in it and SADA can be intense so we bought this apartment to breathe. Besides, I like throwing parties so it worked out."

Jimin looked around at the group of people scattered about in the LED lit room. Colorful lights outlined the ceiling and music played on a speaker where a makeshift dance floor was packed with people drunkenly dancing. Another group was chilling on some bean bags smoking on the other side of the room. Jimin turned his eye to the kitchen where there was a container grey liquid Jimin guessed was jungle juice by the gummy worms. A group of sophomores girls were poking their friend with a shiny pepper spray keychain, daring her on to try it.

"You do not have to drink that." Hoseok said when he noticed Jimin eyeing it. "I'll get you guys better stuff. What do you like?"

"What do you have?" Taehyung asked and Hoseok spread his arms out, leaning back as if to say their wish was his command.

Jimin shifted his feet. This could be SADA's future president? First years were barely allowed to look at the exec board, let alone talk to them. Yet here was Hoseok. Just a dude. Almost a Chad, even. It was refreshing honestly.

"Anything canned, I'm good with." Jimin shurgged.

Taehyung smiled the proudest dad smile Jimin had ever seen at Jimin speaking up first and swung his arm around Jimin's shoulders. "Yes. That. Me too. Something sweet."

Hoseok laughed, "You got it."

Hoseok left the two boys standing near the kitchen island, right between the smokers and the dancing college students as he went into a closed room to get their alcohol. Taehyung grabbed Jimin's hands and gave them a squeeze, his eyes so bright and excited that Jimin could only smile in response as he scanned the room.

"LaLisa is here. From the exec board!! And a couple of the recruitment people. Look, there's Jennie and there's Taemin. Taemin's your direct recruiter right? You're lucky. I'm scared of Jennie. Oh and there's the kid from my technique discussion!" Taehyung waved at one of the stoners who waved back after Taehyung had already turned back around.

"Do you want to dance? Or we could talk to them first! Or both at the same time."

Jimin laughed at that, loosening up and listening to the beat of the music. Hoseok's music taste wasn't exactly the best - but Jimin guessed it had to be some random party themed Spotify playlist by the random techno sounds blasting at them. But the more he heard the beat the less he seemed to care about what songs were actually playing. Music was music and it was calming his nerves to hear it.

While Taehyung waved at Hoseok who was walking towards them with two drinks in his hands, Jimin did a quick sweep for the tall brunette boy from two nights ago.

"Here you guys go - fuuuuck." Hoseok cut off as he gave the boy's their drinks. His attention was caught by someone walking through the door, almost forgetting that there were to freshmen staring at him wide eyed like lost puppies.

"Shit." Hoseok repeated. "I'm sorry guys I have to go take care of something. Stay smart okay?"

"Yea Hobi no problem but -" Taehyung started but Hoseok was already on the move towards his apartment door where Jimin could see the outline of two people. He narrowed his eyes, watching Hoseok b-line for them. One of the boys waved, his face was hard to make out in the red LED lights above him.

The other person walked off, merging into the stoners as casually as if he had been there the entire time. Just as smoothly, he would glance over at Hoseok and his friend. Actually, the more Jimin watched the shorter pale boy, the more he realized that he wasn't glancing in the first place. He was watching.

"Tae, I have a bad feeling about this."

"What?" Taehyung said, popping his drink open and then opening Jimin's for him when Jimin didn't do the same. "Why?"

Jimin glanced back at the pale boy who was relaxed in the bean bag, his movements feigning slow or subdued. He'd pass along whatever the group was smoking without ever hitting it himself. His eyes still on Hoseok and the stranger.

Their conversation did not look good. Hoseok started pointing at the door, his stance tense. The stranger shrugged coyly, casting his eyes into the crowd lazily before they landed right on Jimin.

He smirked.

A pair of dark, golden streaked eyes with lashes that could reach the sun stared right at him, cutting through the LED lights and misty room. The boy grinned before returning back to his discussion with Hoseok as if nothing out of the ordinary had just happened.

His pale-as-shit friend glanced at Jimin now too, amused.

Jimin took a sip of his seltzer - not sure what to do with his hands. Wave?

Jimin watched Hoseok drag his hand down his face before being handed a small envelope by no one other than Jeon Jungkook. The two tattoos looked like shadows cast on Jungkook's skin under this light, those letters on his knuckles and the small eye on his forearm deep against his bare skin.

Jimin felt his cheeks warm as he wondered if Jungkook had more than two tattoos hidden anywhere else.

As if hearing Jimin's thoughts, Jungkook threw Jimin, not Hoseok, a shit eating grin. Hoseok panicked, pocketing the envelope hastily while undoubtedly swearing.

___

A/N:
Happy Halloween ❤️❤️
&
HAPPY 100 READS WHAT.

Here's a summary of the fic that I drew because I'm obviously an artist and every single one of you of course asked for it:

^ 100 Read Give-back

- Vio