Living with Victoria was supposed to be a temporary arrangement. Yet, there they were, ringing in the new year as roommates. It was Jin's idea to throw the New Year's Eve party, and like an idiot, Victoria agreed to it. She thought it would be fun, in fact.

If the party had never happened, a lot of other things wouldn't have either. But I'll get to that.

The sound of the doorbell hurt Victoria's ears as she stood near the door, waiting for their last guests to show up—Jimin and Hoseok.

She threw the door open excitedly, beaming at the faces smiling back at her. "Hey guys!"

"Happy new year!" they shouted together before just Jimin spoke. "Hobi spent all day trying to make tteokguk."

Hoseok shrugged. "Couldn't figure it out. This is from that deli down the street." Yoongi spotted them and nodded clumsily, his third glass of wine almost empty in his hands. "Can we heat this up on your stove?

"That's faster than heating it up in the refrigerator!" she joked before retracting. "Sorry, I've had a few cocktails."

Most of you, the readers, either have thrown or will throw a party. And you might find yourself worrying about something going wrong.

You shouldn't.

What you should worry about is everything going wrong. Because it's scary how fast that can happen. For example, at Jin's New Year's Eve party, it only took ten minutes.

A lot happened in those ten minutes, so...let's take this room by room.

Living room, 10:34PM

Victoria stood on the worn couch cushion and shushed everyone just as Jimin and Hoseok came in from the kitchen where they set the timer for their soup. Iseul narrowed her eyes at the older.

"Are you gonna give a speech or something, Unnie?"

She only pressed a finger to her lips. "Shh." Iseul laughed and exchanged a look with Jungkook, who had one hand on her waist and the other on Yoongi's shoulder to steady him.

"You guys," Victoria started, the alcohol only getting to her a bit. "I love you guys so much."

Jin chuckled. "What are you doing?"

She shushed him before continuing. "It's funny that less than a year ago, I only knew Iseul, and you boys only knew each other." Silence gripped the room as they all soaked up her words. "And now, I can't imagine my life without you guys. We may fight sometimes, but we always work it out, because we love each other. And what's more important than love?"

"Money," Yoongi shouted in his drunkenness, making Namjoon elbow him.

"No—shh, Yoongi. What's more important than love?"

There were a few mutters during her pause, mostly Namjoon and Jimin saying 'nothing'.

"Nothing."

Jin stepped forward to pull her off the couch, amused, but she resisted in his grip. "I also wanted to say that nothing lasts forever." He sighed with a smile and let her finish. "Happiness passes, but so does sadness. So let's hope that there's more happiness to pass than sadness this year." She raised her glass of wine. "To the new year."

"To the new year!" everyone yelled before taking a drink from their own glasses. In Yoongi's case, he downed his.

Most of the gang exited the living area to the dining room and kitchen beyond the archway, leaving only Jungkook, Iseul, Jimin, and Taehyung. Jungkook and Iseul were engrossed in a conversation of their own while Taehyung shook his head at Jimin by the drink table.

"You're too nice," he insisted before taking a sip of his coke.

Jimin huffed, feeling a bit offended. "I'd rather be nice than start pointless fights like you!"

He tilted his head, face twisting into misunderstanding. "How do I start pointless fights?"

"That guy selling spray paint a few weeks ago?"

"What about it?"

"You started a pointless fight then!"

Iseul sighed and inserted herself into the conversation. "Sounds like you're both starting a pointless fight right now."

"Stay out of it, Iseul!" they shouted at her before turning back to each other.

Jungkook narrowed his eyes. "Guys, chill. She didn't say anything wrong."

"I can handle it, Jungkook," she snapped. Jungkook loved to be the knight in shining armor, but Iseul but was pretty independent. It was their biggest downfall.

Taehyung set his glass on the coffee table. "Jimin, sometimes you have to stand up for yourself."

The younger widened his eyes in disbelief. "You called him a crazy bastard!"

"He gave me a look!"

"Taehyung, he was blind."

"Who gives people those looks?"

"Blind people?"

"Crazy bastards, exactly!"

Jimin furrowed his eyebrows, wondering how much the older had had to drink. "Seriously, Tae?"

"It's like Sun Tzu wrote in The Art of War. 'Never give up. Never Surrender.'"

He only further drew in his brows. "That was Tim Allen in Galaxy Quest!"

Taehyung brushed him off. "Whatever, dude—"

A loud shriek pierced the air, but sounded a bit muffled, as if it came from the kitchen as opposed to the dining room.

The four of them exchanged wide-eyed looks, any arguments before being completely forgotten. The loft seemed to stand still, and for reasons Jungkook couldn't conjure, he was prompted to turn around and glance at the stairs behind him that led to the second floor.

Taehyung blinked nervously. "What was that?"

"I'll go check it out," Iseul offered before placing a hand on Jungkook's arm. "I'll be right back." He kissed her cheek absently.

Jimin nodded to her. "I'll go with you."

The pair rushed through the arch, making Taehyung relax. He loosened and grabbed the wine bottle before pouring some into an empty glass.

"I'm sure it's okay," he assured the youngest and handed the glass to him. "You'll be an adult in a few hours. Drink up!"

Jungkook laughed off his tenseness. "I don't know, Hyung."

"Try it!"

He sipped at it tersely and Taehyung laughed when his face twisted into that of disgust as soon as the bitter liquid touched his tongue. "Wow...that's...terrible."

"You get used to it," he promised while picking up his own glass again.

Jin practically skipped into the room with a large cutting board that held a wheel of cheese and some crackers along with grapes for garnish.

Taehyung lit up at the sight. "Hyung! That's so cool!"

"I know, right?" He set it down next to the wine and beer before straightening with pride. "I found it online. Made in Amsterdam."

Jungkook snorted. "How much did you pay for that?"

The oldest scratched the back of his head. "A couple hundred—"

"Wow!" he said immediately. "I guess being old doesn't actually mean knowing right from wrong."

Jin switched into bicker mode. "Hey—I know a lot more than you do!"

"Oh, yeah, I'm sure, that's why you bought some solid milk for hundreds of thousands of won."

"You would've done the same!"

Jungkook gasped. "Are you calling me stupid?!" He hit Jin a few times and pinched his nipple, causing the older to step back and cup his peck with a laugh.

"Ah, I'll deal with you later."

Jin quickly left, the upbeat air still circling around him.

Taehyung smiled in the direction he had just gone. "He's in such a good mood lately—you think it's because of Victoria?"

"Yeah," Jungkook responded with certainty. "I think they're really gonna go the distance."

As if summoned by this, Victoria burst into the room, her aura having a completely different feel about it. The opposite, actually.

The boys watched as she approached, looking distraught. Taehyung reached for the cheese, but she shoved it off the table. "Don't eat that."

Her eyes fell upon the glass in Jungkook's hand. "For God's sake, Jungkook, you're underage!" She took it from him and downed the whole thing. Her face scrunched up as she swallowed it all before she grabbed Taehyung's glass. "For God's sake, Taehyung, Jungkook's underage!"

They peered with wide eyes as she did the same with his and set the wine glasses down. She said nothing for a few moments, staring at them with a worried look, as if her mind was a warzone.

Taehyung was about to say something, but she grabbed his hand and tugged him into the dining room with a harsh, "Come with me."

Jungkook only stood there, trying to comprehend what just happened. Why was Jin so happy but Victoria looked so upset? He could only ponder the possibilities in the silence of the empty room. But he didn't have much time because Yoongi stumbled in, beelining it for the door.

"Hyung," he called. "Where are you going?"

"Gotta go," Yoongi grunted.

Jungkook stopped him with both hands on his shoulders. "You can't leave."

"Why?" The older shoved him off violently, causing Jungkook to furrow his eyebrows, hurt.

"Because there's weird shit happening and me and Iseul are having problems and I just need you, Hyung."

Yoongi shook his head quickly, pushing past the younger. "No, you don't."

Jungkook pushed him back. "Stop!"

"Do you really wanna do this, Jungkook?" Yoongi asked, reeking of alcohol.

Jungkook narrowed his eyes. "How much have you had to drink?"

"Get out of my way."

"No. I'm not letting you leave."

Yoongi lunged for him, but Jungkook was strong. He was able to hold him back, but was caught off guard when Yoongi reeled back to punch him square in the jaw.

He held his face for a moment, recalling the feeling when it was the thugs hitting him. But this time it felt different.

When Yoongi tried leaving again, Jungkook instead swung his fist at his best friend in turn. The older recovered quickly, now pushed back by the stairs. Rage surged through him. Jungkook's hurt expression didn't help, but Yoongi knew he had to do this. Or at least he thought he did.

He didn't want to be concerned with anyone else's life. He didn't want to comfort anyone else's loneliness. He didn't want to become a person who meant something to anyone, especially not this amazing kid. He had no confidence that he could protect Jungkook the way he wanted to. He didn't know if he could be at his side until the end. He didn't want to hurt him. He didn't want to be hurt.

Yoongi, the complete opposite of his other half Jungkook, wept. He wept as he pushed his best friend toward the couch and punched him one last time, knocking him to the floor.

Jungkook stared up at him, crying as well, wondering what he would do next. Yoongi wiped his tears furiously, willing them to be replaced with anger once more.

He grabbed a chair that was pushed into the drink table and threw it against the wall beside the couch. Jungkook ducked his head, shielding himself from the splinters and pieces that fell to the ground along with the broken chair that mirrored the feel in the room.

Namjoon and Jin rushed in, panic stricken. The others followed, grouping by the arch as they all took in the scene.

"Yoongi, what are you doing?" Iseul yelled, immediately rushing to kneel next to Jungkook and examine his cut up face. "Oh my God..."

The rest were speechless while Jungkook's eyes were fixed on Yoongi's. Somehow, the youngest could sense it. He wanted him to embrace the love they had for each other instead of pushing him away.

Yoongi tore his gaze away before storming out. Jungkook pushed Iseul off and stood to run after him. "Hyung, wait!"

Iseul went to go after him, but Namjoon stopped her. "Let him be."

Jin scanned the crowd of his closest friends that all wore broken expressions. This party was supposed to bring everyone together, but it only seemed to tear everyone apart. His heart suddenly dropped. "Where's Victoria?

-

Yeeee I'm breaking the fourth wall, ya'll