Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Paying for university is no easy feat. Especially when you have no source of income other than the monthly student loan payments, which are barely enough to cover food and a couple nights out with friends a month, a ticket to the cinema here and there if you’re careful about your spending. This is why, when Jimin’s parents suggested that he could rent out the spare room in his apartment on AirBnB, he promptly put out an advert. For two months, his inbox was completely dry, with only the occasional weird request that he would deny. One weird girl who asked if she could bring her two “totally not aggressive parrots,” a family of five who wanted to save money on their family vacation and tried to convince him they could “all fit in one bed and maybe a sofa,” an 18 year old university freshman who had been kicked out of his dorm and wanted “a place to crash for a couple months,” and just general creeps to whom Jimin did not feel comfortable even giving his exact address, much less letting into his personal space. Declined, declined, declined.

At first, he would get all excited whenever a new rental request came in, thinking maybe this will be the time he can finally find a reasonable tenant and make some money. But time and time again, he would be disappointed by the lack of seriousness in the requests. That was until, on a late Wednesday afternoon, his phone pinged with the sound he had come to associate with dread and disappointment.

[New rental request from: Kim Namjoon]

“Hello Mr. Park! My name is Kim Namjoon. I graduated with a degree in Music Production and Composition last year, and am currently between jobs. I need a place to stay when I go for an interview in Seoul next month. It’s on a Friday, so I would be arriving the day before and staying until Sunday afternoon to make the most out of my time in the city. Your advert for the single room looks perfect in terms of what I’m looking for, as it seems to be in an area within walking distance to the office where the interview is. I’m a very clean and quiet person, and would hate to cause you any trouble. Feel free to ask any questions you may have about me, I’m open to answering whatever if it makes you more comfortable with potentially renting out the room to me (ᵔ◡ᵔ) I hope my application is of interest to you, and look forward to hearing back from you!

Kind regards,
Kim Namjoon”

Surprised to see a serious, respectful request, Jimin takes his time to inspect Namjoon’s profile. There’s not much information on there other than 10/10 ratings and positive comments from his previous hosts and a pixelated profile picture framed inside a circle. The guy in the picture is wearing a black beanie and a white mask, so not much of his face can be seen. His eyes peek out above the mask, one of them winking. Cute. Jimin had opted for a childhood photo as his profile picture, one in which he’s playing with little chicks in his grandma’s garden. Better that than exposing his face to all the weirdos that had been contacting him over the past few weeks. Kim Namjoon does not seem to be one of these weirdos though. He even looks to be quite young, around Jimin’s own age. “Seems nice enough!” Jimin says to himself, and starts typing up a response.

[Rental request: ACCEPTED]

“Hi Mr Kim. Your request looks good, I’d be happy to rent out my guest room to you during the dates you marked :) I don’t have any plans on the day of your arrival, so I’ll be home all day to let you in, give you a set of keys, and show you around the apartment. Just some general info before you get here: as you may have seen in the advert, I’ll provide towels and bedding for you, and you are free to use all the kitchen equipment if you wish to cook during your stay. However, food is not included in the rent price, and I kindly ask that you wash anything you use in the kitchen yourself. You will of course also have access to the laundry room, and you can use the living room TV upon agreement, as I often use it myself during the afternoons. I hope you also don’t mind if my friend comes over during your stay. Feel free to contact me anytime if you have any further questions or comments. I’ll send you the address a couple days before you get here, hope that’s alright.

See you soon!
Park Jimin”

Namjoon’s reply comes within 10 minutes, and Jimin is elated to finally have scored himself an extra bit of money for the upcoming month.

“Hi again Mr Park. Thank you so much for your quick reply, that all sounds great to me („• ᴗ •„) Your friend visiting is no problem, your home = your rules. A friend will pick me up from the train station and drop me off at the apartment, so I’ll message you when I’m close by.

Have a nice day!
Kim Namjoon”

❀✿❀

The first time Jimin sees Namjoon, it's outside of his building on a sunny Thursday afternoon. Jimin recognizes him stepping out of the taxi across the street, wearing the same black beanie he’d become so familiar with over the past few weeks. If Jimin had visited his guest’s profile every day since he first saw it just to look at his kind eyes peeking above the mask, that was no one’s business but his own. Namjoon clumsily steps out of the vehicle, dragging a big backpack behind him and putting it on his back, then moving to the back of the car to lift a heavy-looking suitcase out of the trunk. Jimin is mesmerized by the other’s movements, by the way Namjoon seems to so easily maneuver the bulky luggage around, the way he extends his arms up to close the trunk, and the way he so cheerfully thanks and says goodbye to someone who Jimin assumes to be the friend that picked him up at the station. He’s shaken out of his trance by three short vibrations in his hand, notifications from the AirBnB app.

[Message from: Kim Namjoon]

I think I’m outside the building! \(^ヮ^)/
I’ll wait for you here, Mr Park
[image attached]

Jimin opens the picture – that he was too distracted to notice had even been taken – just to see a picture of his building from Kim Namjoon’s point of view. Upon closer inspection, he sees himself sporting a dumbfounded look on his face, hands hanging by his sides as if he were some sort of lifeless, open-mouthed mannequin. He blinks incredulously a couple times and clears his throat, then locks his phone and puts it in his pocket.

He waves his hand around, trying to catch the taller man’s attention. When he sees him, he seems confused, looking around and behind himself as if checking whether there’s someone else around him who Jimin is signaling towards. Namjoon furrows his eyebrows when he realizes there’s no one else there, and points at himself, mouthing a shy “Me?”

Jimin can’t help but to break into a fit of giggles looking at the clueless man standing across the street. He nods and motions for his guest to cross the street over to him.

“Kim Namjoon, right?” Jimin says when the other is within hearing range and safely on the correct side of the street. “Yup, that would be me! And you must be Mr Park’s son?”

At that, Jimin’s mouth falls slightly open again. “Oh– uhm, no? I am Mr Park. Park Jimin, nice to meet you.” He smiles shyly and extends his hand, but it’s left in the air, waiting for a handshake that never comes.

Namjoon doubles down. “You– huh? You’re Mr Park? The one who’s renting out the room?”

Jimin lowers his hand and looks at him with a glint in his eye, amused at the situation. Is it really so hard to believe? He mimics the other’s words from just a couple seconds ago. “Yup, that would be me! You can just call me Jimin though.”

“Jim–” Namjoon covers his mouth with his hand, mortified, the realization hitting him all of a sudden. “Oh my– Oh god, I’m so sorry, I thought I was talking to an older man!”

“Well, if you consider 23 to be old then I guess I am, it’s all relative,” Jimin teases.

“Fuck, no no no, I’m so so sorry! I just thought– I thought your profile picture was your grandson or something, you know how old people like to put their grandchildren as their profile pictures for absolutely no reason? Or– shit, maybe you have a son? Which is totally fine and I’m not calling you old– Your son is adorable, just–”

Jimin spares Namjoon’s poor soul by interrupting his rambling “Hey hey, it’s ok,” he says in between laughs. “I don’t have a son, that’s an old photo of me.”

Namjoon seems to loosen up a bit, his shoulders finally dropping into a more comfortable, natural position. His hands fiddle with the straps of his backpack as he speaks. “Ok thank god. Not that it would be bad if you had a son! I just– I should shut up.” He finally laughs, although kind of awkwardly.

Right as Jimin is about to speak, Namjoon speaks again “Oh, and you’re definitely not old! I’m 25, so if anything I’m the old one here. Hah.”

“Noted, Mr Kim” Jimin says with a playful wink as he turns on his heel, looking back at his flatmate for the next four days. “Let’s bring your stuff upstairs, yeah? I’ll show you around.”

“Ah, yeah. Lead the way,” Namjoon answers while grabbing the handle of his large suitcase. “And you can call me Namjoon by the way.”

“Alright, let’s go Namjoon.”

❀✿❀

“Aaaand finally, this is my room.” Jimin says as he opens the door to show his guest. Namjoon takes a quick look inside, then looks back at Jimin, not wanting to overstep his host’s boundaries by having his eyes wander through the room for too long. “I’m usually out in the living room or the kitchen if I’m home, but if I’m in my room and there’s anything important, you can always knock.”

Namjoon gives a pleased smile as he nods his head once, his eyes closing and turning into crescents. “Cool, I’ll try not to bother you too much though.”

“Ah, don’t worry about that. If anything my friend and I can get quite… loud at times so I apologize in advance for that. Let me know if it gets too much. I’m not used to having anyone here with me so I might need a reminder if we get too rowdy.” Jimin says. Taehyung and he had gotten countless complaints from their neighbors during their many years of living together back in their high school dorms. Their booming fits of laughter at ungodly hours of the morning were not appreciated by their fellow students trying to get their beauty sleep on the other side of the thin walls, so he’s very aware that this warning is probably needed. “But we’ll try to keep it down!”

Namjoon laughs, “Alright bro. Mind if I take a shower now? I can wait if you need the bathroom first or anything.”

“No, no, go ahead! I’m just gonna heat up some food and watch something I think. The towels are on your bed.”

After saying thank you and wishing Jimin a nice meal, Namjoon turns on his heel and proceeds to get all the stuff he needs for his shower in his new temporary room, right across the hallway from Jimin’s.

❀✿❀

Just as Jimin is finishing up his food, he hears the sound of the bathroom door open, followed by footsteps leading to the guest room. The fresh scent of lavender and rosemary travels through the air in the small apartment, reaching Jimin within a couple seconds. He breathes in deeply and throws his head back against the headrest of the sofa he’s sitting on, closing his eyes to just enjoy the smell. Modern Family is playing in the background, but Jimin has not been paying attention at all, his head filled with thoughts of the man who was just taking a shower in his bathroom. He’s being ridiculous, he thinks, daydreaming about a guy he just met just because he finds him somewhat attractive. He hasn’t even spoken to the man for more than a total of twenty minutes, yet here he is daydreaming about what it would be like to be picked up and manhandled by Kim Namjoon the way he had seen him do with his suitcase earlier. “Ughh, I really need to get laid soon,” Jimin says under his breath, straightening up his neck and back and picking up his phone from the coffee table.

[mimi]
tae
tae
taehyung answer me I need you to insult me for being weird
hellooooo??? park jimin to kim taehyung??

[tete]
oh god what did you do now?
I was watching a video sorry

[mimi]
I think I have a suitcase lifting kink and I need you to knock some sense into me

[tete]
…
explain

[mimi]
I may or may not have been slightly turned on by watching someone pick up a suitcase?
and I need you to tell me that’s weird so I can get through the next few days without developing a full-on crush

[tete]
ok wtf hahahhah
are you at the airport or smth?

[mimi]
no dumbass, I told you the airbnb guy was arriving today

[tete]
YOU GOT TURNED ON BY AIRBNB GUY LIFTING A SUITCASE? JIMIN PLSKASJLDA

[mimi]
LISTEN!!! he’s very muscular and tall and I’m weak for muscular and tall men, I thought we established this years ago
and he just got out of the shower and idk what it is but some product he used smells really fucking good tae

[tete]
ok so he lifted his suitcase and took a shower and you grew a chub is what you’re telling me?
your standards are on the floor minnie

[mimi]
I DIDN’T SAY THAT
I just think he looked kinda hot when he manhandled the suitcase ok?

[tete]
hmm
I know you want me to say that’s weird but you’ve been turned on by weirder things and I don’t wanna lie to you

[mimi]
>:(
you’re of no help
ughh it’s whatever it’ll be fine
are you coming over tomorrow? we can watch a movie or smth

[tete]
will the suitcase hottie be there? kinda wanna see who’s got you all worked up after just a couple hours

[mimi]
his name’s namjoon
but idk, maybe
he’s just living here, it’s not like I know his schedule or plans
and I’m not worked up!!

[tete]
you SO are
I can tell from here
you really need on get laid soon or something, let off some steam

[mimi]
THAT’S WHAT I SAID!!
but yeah maybe I am a bit worked up. we should go out on saturday!

[tete]
oh my god YES
it’s been so long

[mimi]
we went out literally last week

[tete]
yeah but we only stayed for like an hour then got bored and left so it doesn’t count
anyways, let’s do it
maybe you’ll finally feed your nookie jar again (if you want)

Jimin looks over at the jar placed on the kitchen counter. The summer before starting university, Taehyung suggested the idea that they each get a “nookie jar” which they would put money in every time they slept with someone.

“No but think about it! University will be our chance to explore and do whatever we wanna do, sleep with whoever we wanna sleep with. Why not save some money while doing it too? It’ll be fun!” Taehyung had animatedly proposed. Jimin had been slightly hesitant to the idea at first, being a virgin at the time, but his best friend could be very convincing when he wanted to be. “Ok fine. But you don’t get to laugh at me if it remains empty for years…” Jimin had said. Taehyung had pinched his friend's cheek, a loving look on his face. “Don’t be silly, I never have and never will laugh at you for anything like that! It’s not like I’m really ahead of you there. I just think it’ll be fun, but no pressure! It’s not a competition or anything, just something fun and useful for us to do.”

“Hmm, ok. If you really wanna do this I guess we can.” Three years and many experiences later, Jimin’s jar is almost one fourth filled, much of that being a result of the nine-month relationship he had been in during the first year of his degree. Busy with all the responsibility that comes with being in your last year, Jimin had not had the time or energy to go out and meet anyone, much less try and bring anyone home for a heated night like all of those he had enjoyed at the beginning of his studies. Back then, he had less assignments piled up ahead of him, less stress and worries about what his life would look like in a year’s time, and more free time to spend in the arms and beds of strangers. The lid on the jar had accumulated dust over the last couple of months, something Taehyung had noticed but only commented on in passing. Jimin turns his eyes back to their chat.

[mimi]
lmao yeah, it’s probably kinda hungry huh?
(and yes I really want that tbh)

[tete]
yup, starving
(noice, I’ll be your wingman)
anyways
I’ll see you tomorrow, try and behave around Hot Suitcase Daddy Namjoon
byeee, love ya!!

[mimi]
-_-
I’m not an animal tae
love you too though <3

❀✿❀

After doing the dishes and tidying up the kitchen a bit, Jimin starts heading to his room to get ready for bed. The narrow hallway leading to the two bedrooms is dark, and Jimin is distracted on his phone as he walks, so he doesn’t notice Namjoon walking towards him until it’s too late. Jimin walks right into Namjoon, the impact making both of their phones slip out of their hands. There’s only a mere second of contact before they both step back and look at each other, wide eyes blinking successively.

“I’m so sorry, I didn’t see you coming–” Jimin says. “Let me just–” he turns around and takes a couple steps to the lightswitch at the end of the hallway, illuminating it. He turns back towards his guest and– oh. Oh.

“No, it’s ok, I didn’t see you either. Guess we were both distracted. I’m just–” As he speaks, Namjoon points to the kitchen at the end of the hallway, behind Jimin, who once again is just standing there, half-paralized by the sight in front of him – a full head of blue hair, still slightly damp from the shower, and strong collar bones exposed by the low cut of the white t-shirt he’s wearing. “– gonna make myself some tea if that’s ok?” Jimin – too entranced to respond – just blinks and stares.

Uncomfortable with the silence, Namjoon shifts where he stands and speaks again. “Uhm, I’ll buy a box for myself tomorrow and replace the teabag I use today…” Still no response. “Or I could just– not make the tea. That’s fine too.”

Before Jimin can stop himself, his big, gay mouth betrays him. “Your hair is blue.”

“Oh, uhm. Yeah, haha.” To Jimin’s further demise, Namjoon reaches up to rake through his own hair, once again making the biceps Jimin had been so lucky to get a glimpse of when they first met bulge out. “Dyed it a couple days ago.”

“You– It looks really good. Suits you.”

Namjoon chuckles shyly. “Thanks… So uhm, can I…” The elder points in Jimin’s direction again.

Confused and blinking rapidly, Jimin points at himself and looks up at the older, no clue what he’s referring to, having been too busy ogling him to register what he was saying. “What?”

“Tea, is it ok if I make some? No worries if not…”

Jimin mentally scolds himself. Of course he’s pointing at the kitchen behind him. “OH! Right, the kitchen. Yeah, help yourself. The tea is in the cupboard above where the kettle is. I never drink tea myself,” Jimin pushes himself to speak despite the embarrassment swirling inside him, trying to hide it as best as he can. “So you can just have it. It’s yours. I’m more of a coffee person myself.”

“Really?” Namjoon bursts a smile that makes his cheeks scrunch and his eyes crinkle. And worst of all, Jimin notices two deep dimples, one on each side of that breathtaking smile. Finally being met with Kim Namjoon in all of his blue-haired, newly-showered, smiley, dimpled glory, Jimin realizes he’s screwed. “That’s really kind of you Jimin, thank you.”

“Yeah, uhm, no problem. There’s also cookies in that same cupboard. If you’d like some.”

“Oh that’s ok, I don’t usually like cookies unless they’re home made, but thank you so much for offering! You’re sweet.”

Jimin has to make an effort not to fawn at the compliment right then and there, but with Taehyung’s “try and behave” playing in the back of his mind, he manages to stay composed. “Ahh, noted. Yeah, then just help yourself. I’ll be in my room.”

“Cool, thanks again.”

“Yeah, no worries.” Jimin smiles at him, tucking a stray strand of his blond hair behind his ear before making a move signaling he wants to walk past Namjoon towards his bedroom. The two men have to turn on their sides, facing each other to squeeze through the small space to swap sides. “Sorry, it’s kinda… Kinda narrow.” Jimin keeps his gaze low, only glancing up for a second, not wanting another gay panic to take over him at the proximity. Namjoon lets out a breathy “Heh, yeah” as soon as they’ve successfully swapped places.

Namjoon sends a short nod in Jimin’s direction, and utters a short “Alright, goodnight then!” as he starts to walk away. Jimin lets out a shy “Thanks, you too!” before he himself turns towards his room, shutting the door behind him and plopping down on his bed, cheeks red and heart pumping. Definitely screwed.

❀✿❀

The next day, the two best friends stop by a convenience store to buy snacks before making their way towards Jimin’s apartment for their usual Friday afternoon hangout, the perfect way to wind down and get a good end to every week.

Before entering the apartment, Jimin turns to his friend. “Ok, how do I look?”

“Babe, you look fine. You can’t already be acting like this over a man who you 1) met yesterday and 2) are gonna have to coexist with for the weekend,” Taehyung answers reassuringly, fixing up Jimin’s hair where a few strands have been moved out of place by the light breeze outside.

“It’s not about him, I just–” Taehyung places his hand on the shorter boy’s shoulder, tilting his head to the side and looking at his friend as if to say “Really?”

“Ok, it is about him. But I just don’t want him to see me looking busted when he looks like such a–” Jimin stops himself to lower his voice, afraid his guest could possibly hear him gushing through the door. “– such a Greek god.”

“You never look busted, now shush and let’s go, I’m in desperate need of some sofa-time,” Taehyung says, using his spare key to open the door and dragging his friend behind him.

“MR KIM NAMJOOOOON????? WE HAVE ARRIVED!!” Taehyung loudly sing-songs almost as soon as he steps one foot inside the apartment. Jimin slaps his friend lightly in the back, and whisper-shouts a blunt “Stop it! Don’t be embarrassing,” before taking off his shoes and dropping his cross body bag right beside them. Taehyung turns around and winks, then speaks again.

“HELLO??? TAEHYUNG TO HOT SEXY MUSCLE MAN??”

“I said stop it! God, I hate you sometimes,” Jimin reprimands, trying not to let Taehyung’s unstopping laughter break his resolve and make him laugh as well.

“Relax, I checked and there’s no shoes other than yours here so he’s probably still out. Did you really think I’d do that to you if I thought he was here?” Taehyung teases, already walking towards the sofa, bag of snacks in hand.

Jimin sighs and squints at the back of his friend’s head. “You might.”

“Ok, yeah, I might. Gotta keep things interesting! BUT! Just as I thought, no response. So he’s not here.”

“Hmm.”

They chat a bit more before deciding on what to watch, settling on a light-hearted reality competition show called The Square.

They had decided to pull out the sofa’s extension to make it into a small bed for maximized comfort, as they usually did when having long afternoons like this in front of the TV. Having had an incredibly long day, Jimin had fallen asleep cuddled up to his friend about an hour ago. The two boys had always been like this, both loving and relishing in each other’s warmth. It hadn’t taken them more than a week after they met to get comfortable enough to cuddle with each other. There was never anything else to it, they just happened to be two very physically affectionate people who found each other and easily fell into each other’s embrace whenever they wanted.

On the screen, a new contestant is entering The Square and creating the profile she will be playing as in the social media-based game show. Taehyung is wide awake and watching intently, but continues to gently caress Jimin’s forearm with his nails in a way he knows his friend finds soothing. Suddenly, he hears the door unlocking.

He turns his head to see Namjoon, tall and muscled just as Jimin had described him, with strands of blue hair peeking out of a hat. He’s also wearing headphones, bobbing his head along to a beat that only he can hear. It’s only when he turns towards the living room that Namjoon notices the other two men cuddled up on the sofa bed. He perks his head up and waves his hand when he makes eye contact with Taehyung, immediately reaching up to remove his headphones and walking closer to where they’re sitting.

“Oh, hey!” Namjoon greets excitedly, not expecting Taehyung’s response to be a gentle finger against his own puckered lips, shushing him then pointing down to the sleeping boy beside him.

Namjoon raises his eyebrows in surprise and covers his mouth with his hand, whispering a “Sorry” as he stealthily moves to stand closer to the sofa.

“It’s ok, he’s not really that light of a sleeper, but he struggles to fall asleep sometimes so I’d rather just not wake him.” Taehyung talks in a calm, quiet voice and moves his hand to gently pick up a stray eyelash that sits on Jimin’s cheekbone. The blond’s chubby, right cheek is squished against his friend’s shoulder, pink pout slightly open to let out rhythmic breaths. “I’m Taehyung. Namjoon right?”

The latter nods and smiles, not failing to notice the way Jimin’s arm is spread across Taehyung’s torso, hugging him tightly. He doesn’t comment on it, though, and opts to introduce himself instead. “Yeah, that would be me! I’ll be staying here until Sunday.”

“Yeah, so I’ve been told! Jimin talked a lot about you and your blue hair today. Which is rude considering he didn’t really seem to care when I had blue hair,” Taehyung jokes. “But he’s cute so I’ll let it slide.”

Namjoon can’t help but be taken aback by that. “Oh, uhm… yeah, I guess he is. Is he ok? He seemed quite… out of it yesterday night, I hope it was nothing I did?”

“Ah, no no don’t worry, Jimin thinks you’re pretty perfect… Or, I should say the perfect guest.” Taehyung says with a glint in his eye and a cheeky smile that Namjoon doesn’t quite understand. What exactly had Jimin told his friend about him? “Anyways! He told me you had an interview today?”

“Ah yeah, had that this morning and then went to meet up with an old friend who lives here in the city for dinner,” Namjoon responds, trying to keep his voice quiet.

Taehyung nods, and just as he’s about to ask more about the interview, Jimin stirs awake. “Mmm…” He buries his face into Taehyung’s chest, hiding his eyes from the light, too harsh and bright for his tired eyes. “Fell ‘sleep, sorry,” he mumbles, words barely intelligible. He casually slips one hand under Taehyung’s cardigan, into the warmth between the thick woolen fabric and the warmth that radiates from the body below it, a white t-shirt acting as a barrier between direct skin-to-skin contact.

“M’hands are cold Taehyungie.” He nuzzles further into the other’s chest. “Were you saying something? Think I heard you talking.”

Namjoon stands there awkwardly, not sure if he should make his presence known or just quietly slip away into the guest room to leave the two friends – or lovers, he’s not quite sure – to themselves.

Taehyung chuckles lightly, trying to pull his friend’s hand out of his cardigan with little success. Jimin always was stubborn like that. “Ah, just greeting your guest.”

Jimin slides his hand further up into the cardigan in retaliation, shaking Taehyung’s hand off his own. In his tired haze, he doesn’t really register the information he is given, so he just hums and shuffles to get comfortable in order to go back to sleep.

Taehyung looks up to talk to Namjoon again, who has pulled up the calculator on his phone to type random numbers, pretending he’s too busy on his phone to be paying attention to the affectionate scene in front of him. “Don’t worry, I have a key so I’ll lock the door when I leave.”

Thinking the words are directed towards him, Jimin starts to whisper a quiet “‘s ok, just sleep ov-” before the sound of a low voice that isn’t Taehyung’s jolts him awake, his eyes shooting open.

“Oh, cool. I’ll just go then. It was nice to meet you!”

Too embarrassed by his position and not knowing how to even acknowledge Namjoon’s presence when he’s presumably been standing there for a while, Jimin stays put, closes his eyes again and acts as if he’s still asleep. He doesn’t lift his head, doesn’t speak, but he does pull his forearm out of the cardigan as inconspicuously as possible, realizing how compromising its placement might look from an outside perspective.

“Nice to meet you too. Have a good night!”

A couple seconds later, Jimin hears the guest room door closing and pulls himself away from Taehyung. He hushedly and playfully scolds his cuddle buddy for not waking him up as soon as Namjoon got there. Deep down, however, he’s grateful for Taehyung taking care of him and letting him sleep.

“I don’t know how many times I have to tell you this, but there’s nothing embarrassing about you sleeping or people seeing you sleep. If anything, you look adorable, Mimi.”

“Hmph, sounds to me like you’re just whipped,” Jimin teases, but relaxes back into his soulmate’s arms for some more cuddles regardless.

“You know I am. Now let’s get you to bed so you can rest up before tomorrow’s big night out.”

Jimin sighs. “Can’t you just sleep over? I sleep better when you’re here.”

“I know bub, but I really can’t this time, I’m sorry. I have some errands to run tomorrow morning and if I stay, I won’t do any of them.”

Jimin pouts but nods, begrudgingly sitting up to let Taehyung get up. “Ok… Are we getting ready here then?”

“Sure,” Taehyung says as he stands up, picking up a couple pieces of popcorn that had fallen on the sofa and going to throw them away in the kitchen. “I’ll be here at around eight?”

“Sounds–” Jimin yawns as he gets up to help his friend with tidying up. “Sounds good.”

❀✿❀

The next morning, Jimin is startled out of bed by repeated “oh no, oh no no no”s and the familiar clattering of pots and pans hitting the kitchen floor. He quickly puts on a shirt and checks his hair in the mirror, rubbing his eyes and slapping his face slightly a couple times to make himself seem more awake than he is. He finds his guest mumbling unintelligibly to himself and carefully picking up everything from the floor.

“Need some help?” Jimin says, making his presence known. At this, Namjoon slightly jostles, the lid he’s holding in one hand clanging against the pot he’s holding in the other when he turns around. “Oh– No, it’s my fault. I got it.”

Jimin ignores the refusal for help and moves next to the other to pick things up anyways. “I should really move them to a bigger cupboard so they’re not as stacked, they’ve fallen on me too many times to count.”

Namjoon seems to ease up a bit at that. “So it’s not just my clumsy ass making trouble?”

“Not at all.” Jimin smiles at him. The two of them continue picking everything up in silence, stacking everything back into a neat pile in the cupboard they had fallen out of. “See? All done!” Jimin says in a chipper tone, again making Namjoon feel less guilty about the whole ordeal. “Now, which one were you trying to get out?”

“Oh, I was actually trying to put the big one at the bottom back, but clearly I failed that mission.”

“Ah, so you already had breakfast?” Jimin asks, busying himself with looking for a bowl for himself as he speaks.

Namjoon nods. “Yup, just some eggs.”

“Nice, I think I’m just gonna have a simple–” he yawns, covering his mouth with one hand. “– just gonna have a simple bowl of cereal today.”

“Tired?” Namjoon asks, both of the boys moving towards the kitchen bar in unison. Namjoon sits on one of the stools, while Jimin just places the bowl there and turns back around to find the two ingredients he needs to prepare his sweet and (not so) nutritious meal.

“Mhm, didn’t really sleep too well.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah, I sorta have trouble sleeping most days. I guess my mind just runs too quickly and I don’t know how to stop myself from thinking. So I just… Stay awake until I physically can’t anymore? Which I know isn’t good for me, but it’s not like I purposely let the intrusive thoughts get to me right before falling asleep. And like, what am I supposed to do when some of my best ideas for designs come to me at 3am?” Jimin’s rambling is interrupted by a curious “Designs?” from the other.

Jimin finishes pouring the milk in his bowl and finally sits down across from the older. “Mhm! doing a degree in design, mainly focused on performance costumes and garments.”

“Wow, that’s really cool!” Namjoon answers enthusiastically.

“Yeah, I really love it a lot. Apart from the part of keeping me up at night I guess.” Namjoon nods in response, urging Jimin to continue. “Although I guess there’s more serious reasons for my lack of sleep than design ideas… BUT! I’ll stop my rambling now, sorry,” Jimin says with a quick look towards the other before he looks down at his bowl scooping up and bringing the first bite to his mouth.

“Ah, that’s ok. I really don’t mind, I love a good ramble.” Jimin smiles to himself, his cheeks puffed up by the food in his mouth. “I guess I’m one of the lucky ones, I usually sleep pretty well. Sometimes I have to stay up late working, but after that’s done I sleep like a baby.”

“I’m glad,” Jimin says mid-chewing, swallowing before he continues. “I wouldn’t wish my sleeping issues on my worst enemy. It sucks.”

Namjoon gives the younger a sympathetic look. “I’m sorry it’s like that, I wish I had some good advice to give you…”

“It’s ok, it’s just how it is.” Silence fills the kitchen as Jimin spoons up another mouthful. “Having Tae with me usually helps a lot though, calms me down.”

The older straightens up in his chair at the memory of the two men cuddled up on the sofa the night before. “Oh, uh, yeah… You did seem pretty relaxed last night.”

The change in Namjoon’s demeanor is obvious, and Jimin notices it instantly. “I… I guess I was, too relaxed?” Jimin lightly drops his spoon in the bowl to properly address the man across from him. “Listen, I’m really sorry that you walked in on that. It was very unprofessional of me to be so careless and fall asleep in a shared area while having a guest around and you must’ve been so uncomfortable… So I’m sorry, I promise it won’t happen again.”

“Oh god, no it’s ok, I didn’t mean to make you feel guilty by bringing it up. I won’t lie and say I didn't feel like I was intruding or something, but it’s your apartment and you’re free to do whatever you want with your–” Namjoon contemplates it for a second and decides to test the waters, to confirm his suspicions “– boyfriend?”

Jimin’s eyes widen at the word, and if he had been eating at that moment, he would definitely have choked on his cereal. “My–?” He shakes his head in disbelief at the assumption, which is not unfathomable, but definitely unanticipated. “Taehyung is NOT my boyfriend, we’re just really really close, which I know sounds suggestive but there has never been and there never will be anything romantic between us.”

Namjoon’s splutters. “Oh– I just thought– I don’t know, you just looked very comfy and your hand– I’m sorry for assuming that.”

“No, it’s ok, I get why you would think that. But we’re definitely just friends, very platonic.”

“Ah, alright.”

Jimin picks up his spoon again and focuses on gently pushing the floating cereal from one side of the bowl to the other, trying to distract himself until he feels the need to clarify. “And I’m very single! And also very gay. But not for Taehyung!! Just in general.” Jimin mentally berates himself for his incessant need to ramble and over-explain himself, but is consoled by the warm chuckle Namjoon lets out.

“Got it, very single and very gay.” Namjoon doesn’t know if he should bonk himself in the head for making the assumption or if he should dance around after finding out that exact assumption was wrong. And that Jimin is very single. And very gay. And very pretty, he thinks to himself.

“Yup. I guess Tae and I just keep each other company and cuddle whenever we need, which with both of us being single right now is pretty often. We came out to each other at the same time when we were in high school and have been inseparable since then. We know we’re unusually clingy and affectionate with each other, but we could never cross that line towards anything more. He’s like, my platonic soulmate, if that makes sense?”

“It does. I guess the snuggling and pet names threw me off,” Namjoon explains.

“Yeah, I see how it could give the wrong idea. Honestly, we both just need a lot of affection, and who doesn’t like cuddles? Like, I think cuddling with friends should be more normalized. It’s great!”

“Guess I’ll have to try that someday!” Namjoon answers. “I’ve never had any friends I could cuddle with, so I never considered that that was even a possibility.” He tries imagining cuddling his best friend, and the mental image of Yoongi trying to squirm away from him makes him want to laugh. They’re just not that type of friends.

“Well, it is and I highly recommend it.” Jimin stops himself before he can volunteer as tribute. “Anyways, this cereal has been sitting in the milk for wayyy too long now so it’s all soggy, and I’m not really that hungry anymore, so…” Jimin stands up after Namjoon gives him a look and a “Go ahead!”

As soon as the blond turns around, Namjoon rests his chin on his hand, quietly admiring the other. He can’t help himself but to stare at Jimin’s gentle movements as he washes the bowl, the way his oversized t-shirt hangs over his smaller frame. He notices two delicate tattoos adorning the space right above his elbows, two words he can’t read from so far away, especially without his glasses. Before he realizes it, he’s smiling softly to himself at the thought that creeps up on him. I could watch you for hours. He has never felt such a pull towards someone so quickly before. In the past, all his crushes have taken a long time to blossom, being friends first, the feelings and attraction developing slowly. This is something completely different, new. Yes, at first sight he had only thought Jimin was good looking, especially since he had been expecting to meet an older man. After that, however, every conversation had made Namjoon fall deeper and deeper into his fascination with the other. Every conversation, every word that slipped from Jimin’s mouth in a ramble made Namjoon more and more endeared. And now knowing that he’s single… Namjoon cuts his own train of thought. He shouldn't be having these thoughts about his host, that would be highly inappropriate and Jimin would probably find it weird, right? But… what if he didn’t? Namjoon doesn’t dare ask himself that question.

Jimin washes the bowl slower than he normally would, making his movements softer just to retain the older’s attention for as long as possible. He’s well aware of the other’s unwavering eyes on him, can feel them (and somewhat see them in the reflection of one of the metal pots sitting on the drying rack beside the sink, but that’s only for him to know), and he likes it. Eventually, he has to stop scrubbing. There’s only so much time you can spend washing a small bowl before it starts to seem suspicious. He puts the bowl away in the drying rack besides his secret makeshift mirror, dries his hands and turns around towards Namjoon again, who instantly drops the hand that wa supporting his head on top of his other hand and looks down, hoping (in vain) that Jimin didn’t notice his staring.

Just as Jimin is about to speak, Namjoon’s phone starts to ring, startling them both and cutting through the unspoken tension between them.

“Shit, it’s noon already?” Namjoon raises the phone to his ear, hopping off the bar stool. “Yoon- I know, I’m so sorry, I uhm– Got kinda distracted. No, I– I already told you his name is Jimin” He says the last part in a half-whisper, one which Jimin is still able to hear. He can’t help the blush that creeps up on his cheeks at the implication that the older one has talked about him to someone. Namjoon walks off into the guest room, his voice sounding more distant but still audible throughout the small apartment. “Shut up! You’re actually foul, it’s not like that.” He emerges with a tote bag and a protein bar in hand, which he drops on the floor. He presses his phone up against his ear with his shoulder as he puts on his shoes and stuffs his shoelaces into the sides instead of tying them. In the meantime, Jimin moves closer from where he was leaning against the sink to stand a couple steps away. “Yep. Got that. Mhm. Check. Yeah, wallet is in there as well, I checked twice. Got my glasses too. Yeah, I think I know how to get there. Alright, I’ll be there in ten. See you soon, bro. Byeee.”

“Sorry for leaving so suddenly, time just slipped by me and I forgot I told my friend I’d meet him at 12,” Namjoon says just as he hangs up the phone.

“Ah no worries, see you later?”
In a rush to get out, Namjoon responds with one foot out of the door already, looking back for a split second before closing the door behind him. “Yeah, see you later dude!”

❀✿❀

“I’m telling you Tae, the tension was insane. But now I’m starting to think it was just all in my head,” Jimin says, eyes closed as his best friend applies some light eye shadow on him.

“And that’s because?”

Jimin brings up his hand to shoo the brush away from his face, opening his eyes to look at Taehyung and check how the eyeshadow is looking in his handheld mirror. “Because!! I’m so pent up I swear I could feel tension between me and a worm if you left me alone in a room with it for long enough.”

Taehyung cackles. “Come on, you’re so ridiculous. From what you’re telling me– close your eyes again– it definitely sounds like he was checking you out. And asking if I’m your boyfriend? Sounds like he’s interested to me!”

“He didn’t ask, he assumed, which is not the same thing! I don’t know, I just don’t wanna make myself believe that there’s anything there and create an unnecessary uncomfortable situation if it turns out it’s all in my head.”

“Alright, I won’t push it. He’s only here for what? One or two more days anyway? It’s not worth the stress.”

“Yeah, exactly. He’ll be gone tomorrow anyways,” Jimin tries and succeeds not to sound too upset about that fact.

“Hmm. Open your eyes for me?” The blond complies. “Ugh it looks so good, I’m such an artist.”

“Or maybe I’m just a beautiful canvas,” Jimin teases.

“Both,” Taehyung says with a boop of his brush to Jimin’s nose before he turns away, making the latter giggle.

In between their endless chatter, the two friends don’t notice that someone has entered the apartment until said someone is standing right outside the open bedroom door holding a little potted cactus.

Taehyung is the first one to notice him. “Oh hey! Nice cactus you got there.”

Jimin gives a wave and a smile as a greeting, which the older reciprocates as he starts speaking.

“Hi! I uhm– I actually brought this as a thank you for letting me stay here,” he says, looking at Jimin then motioning to the small plant. “It’s nothing much, but uhh… yeah.”

Jimin moves towards the door as Namjoon extends his arm, passing it over carefully. “Oh my god?” The younger looks down at the prickly succulent in his hand, then incredulously back up at the other. “Namjoon, you didn’t have to–”

“I know, I just wanted to. You’ve been a great host and I really appreciate it. So…” Namjoon shrugs timidly, both hands in his pockets.

Jimin suppresses the strong urge to jump forward and pull the man into a tight hug, instead opting to put a hand against his own chest, right above his heart as he speaks. “Thank you so, so much, really. You’re too nice.”

Namjoon pulls one hand out of his pockets to rub his nape. “Ah, no, it’s the least I could do, you’re the one who’s opened his doors to me and been so inviting, so thank you, Jimin.”

“Yeah but you’re already paying to stay here, and you’ve been such a great guest. And you get me this cutie on top of that? I seriously was not expecting anything, so thank–”

“Aaaalright, stopping you both here before this turns into a battle of thank you’s.” Taehyung interrupts. “Gonna go to the bathroom and leave you guys to it though,” he says with a playful nudge of his elbow to his best friend’s side before moving to leave the room. Namjoon steps in to let him get through the door, and once he’s out, Taehyung calls out, “I’ll be out in the living room waiting whenever you’re ready Minnie, but remember Jin is waiting for us and he’s not as patient as me!”

“Yeah, yeah!” Jimin doesn’t know if he wants to curse or thank his friend for leaving him alone with Namjoon, but he doesn’t have the time to ponder on how he feels about it before the older speaks.

“Cacti are really easy to care for, I have a couple at home myself and thought maybe you’d like one too.”

“It’s adorable, I love it,” Jimin says, restraining himself from saying thank you again.

Namjoon seems pleased at his host’s appreciation, one of his dimples peeking through. “I’m glad.”

“I’ll put it right here,” Jimin speaks as he moves towards his desk and places the small cactus on it. “So cute! I promise I’ll keep it safe forever and ever.”

“You better!” Namjoon says. “If I can keep mine alive, you should be able to as well.”

“Well, it’s not like you’d know if something happens to it after you leave.” Jimin means for this to come off as playful, but once he’s said it, the realization hits him again that he’ll probably never see Namjoon again after that.

Namjoon seems to have the same quiet realization, the air around them constricting and becoming slightly tense once again, but this time with discomfort rather than with attraction like it had been earlier that day. “... Right.”

“We, uhm. We’re going out clubbing in a bit,” Jimin says, wanting to break the awkward silence more than anything.

“Ah, so that explains the outfits,” Namjoon points out lightheartedly, glancing down at the leather pants the other is wearing.

Jimin can’t help but blush under the other’s eyes on him, shifting on his feet where he stands. Any other time, in any other situation he would’ve used the opportunity to flirt. So you like what you see? Tell me, how good do you think I look? Instead, another question slips out of him before he even realizes it. “Do you wanna join us?”

Namjoon blinks rapidly. “Huh?”

“To the club. You can come with us. If you want.” Jimin bites his lower lip to contain his nerves.

“Oh, uhm, I don’t think–”

“It’s a gay club downtown, pretty good music and atmosphere, cute bartenders, and the drinks are cheap,” Jimin describes nonchalantly, hoping at least one of the things mentioned can persuade the other.

Namjoon seems to consider it for a second, but ultimately declines the offer. “Ah, sorry, that’s not really my scene. Also, I have to leave quite early tomorrow, so I should just stay here, packing and all that…” He’s telling the truth. Clubs have never been his favorite environment, being too crammed and noisy. He much prefers the feeling of fresh breeze hitting his skin on a late afternoon bike ride to the feeling of hot, sweaty bodies pushing him around on a sticky dancefloor. Granted, he does enjoy a night out here and there, but only when surrounded by friends, and only for a few short hours. He also does have to pack, his train is set to leave right before noon, so he should be packing and going to sleep as early as possible. One thing he does omit to mention, however, is the fact that he’d rather not torture himself with watching Jimin dance all night, especially not in those pants. He’s been successful at keeping his attraction a secret thus far (or at least he thinks he has), and he has no intention of letting it develop any further. He’s leaving in less than 24 hours, getting any closer to Jimin now would be stupid. At least that’s what he tells himself.

Normally, Jimin would have insisted, asked again, something along the lines of ‘Come on, it’ll be fun! We can even leave early if you want,’ or a simple ‘Pleaaase?’ accompanied by his best puppy dog eyes. He would’ve tried his best to woo the man who had captivated his mind from the very first second they met. However, this time he thinks about what Taehyung said earlier. He’s leaving tomorrow and then I’ll never see him again. It’s actually for the best if he doesn’t come.

“Oh, yeah I get it, it’s ok,” is what he lands on saying. He turns around towards his desk as he speaks. “Tae is waiting, so I should go…” Jimin mutters, picking up his wallet and stuffing them in his pockets. By the time he turns back towards the older, he is already standing in the hallway, outside Jimin’s room.

“Yeah, go ahead. I should start packing.”

Jimin is now standing in front of Namjoon in the hallway, his mind ready to leave, but his body keeping him in place. “Cool. Well, uhm. I guess we should say goodbye in case I don’t wake up in time tomorrow, y’know, hangover and all…”

Namjoon smiles and lets out an amused puff through his nose. “Yeah, I guess we should.”

Jimin nods, lips tight in an awkward smile. “Bye Namjoon, it was a pleasure meeting and hosting you.” Unsure of what to do, Jimin extends his hand, much like he had done the first time they met. However, this time it is not left hanging in the air, as Namjoon quickly raises his own hand and completes the handshake. If he finds the size of Jimin’s hand absolutely adorable, he doesn’t comment on it. Instead, he stores it in the little Jimin-file he has created in his brain, knowing full well he’ll probably never get any use out of that file after today, but wanting to keep it nonetheless.

“Bye Jimin, I really enjoyed my stay,” is all he says.

In the silence that follows, the two men hear Taehyung speaking on the phone. “Yeah, I said we’ll be there soon! Go find yourself a dilf or something while you wait, byeee! MINNIE COME ON!”

Jimin lets go of the other’s hand first. “I should really get going now.”

“You really should.”

“Alright, well good luck packing!” Jimin says, overly enthusiastic in order to mask the dejection he feels, knowing it’s most likely the last he’ll see of the other.

“Yeah, and you have fun!” Namjoon mirrors the enthusiasm.

Suddenly, Taehyung is jogging towards them in a rush. “PARK JIMIN HURRY UP!!” When Jimin doesn’t move, Taehyung proceeds to drag him by the arm through the hallway towards the exit. “Jin is getting impatient, he won’t stop spam calling me.”

“But–” Jimin looks back and gives Namjoon one last apologetic look, and then he’s out of sight.

“No buts, we gotta go,” Taehyung cuts him off, his phone incessantly buzzing in his hand. “BYE NAMJOON, HAVE A GOOD NIGHT!” Taehyung shouts out, instantly followed by the sound of a door shutting.

❀✿❀

Jimin wakes up with a pounding headache, as expected. He hadn’t even drunk that much, but with his serious lack of sleep and small frame, any alcohol intake usually was enough to get his head spinning for hours the next day.

Jimin groans as he sits up on his bed, squinting at the bright light coming from his phone when he picks it up. 13:06. “Namjoon is gone,” he thinks out loud. He then proceeds to check his texts, most of them from a drunken Taehyung rambling about how love is dead and he will be “alone forver becux men ainr shit jimminoe but nect time maybe im can find a nice girl who wll love me so fuk mennnnn ecept you minnie i love you come bakc from the bathjroom soonn jin isno fun” followed by a “good morning sunshine, ignore my drunk texts and don’t forget your painkillers when you wake up!! <33” Jimin smiles widely at his soulmate’s texts and thanks him for the reminder, telling him he should follow his little bisexual heart and find himself a nice girl if he wants to.

His eyebrows furrow when he notices some more texts from a number he doesn’t recognize.

[Unknown Number]
Hey, it’s Minjun from the club
Idk how drunk you were or if you remember, but you gave me your number
I had fun, and would love to meet again if you’re down for whatever 😘

Jimin does remember. In his desperate effort to not think about Namjoon, Jimin had clung onto the first guy he found attractive at the club. They had danced together for a good while before heavily making out on the dancefloor, eventually moving to one of the booths, where they had shamelessly flirted, made out some more, and had a couple drinks together. Overall Jimin had enjoyed himself. Minjun was a good distraction; handsome, tall, well-dressed, and even a good kisser. Totally Jimin’s type. He was even nice enough to offer to walk Jimin home, and suggested with a wink that they could continue what they had started there if Jimin wanted to, which the latter had to decline.

“I have someone staying over, so mine won’t work. How about we head to yours?” Jimin had said, stepping closer and putting one hand on Minjun’s chest, batting his eyes alluringly. Being back to his flirty, playful self was fun, and he was thoroughly enjoying it. It had been months since had hooked up with anyone at all, and it felt especially good after days of repressing his flirtiness for the sake of sparing himself from heartbreak if he got too attached to, or even worse, got rejected by Namjoon.

Minjun had put his hand around Jimin’s waist, pulling him close. “Can’t do mine either, unfortunately. My roommate invited his girlfriend over so I’ve been sexiled myself…”

They both laughed heartily at the situation, Jimin dropping his head on the other’s shoulder. “Fuck, ok. Then I guess this isn’t happening tonight.”

“Not tonight,” Minjun had said as he dropped his hand to Jimin’s ass, letting it rest there and making Jimin’s breath hitch. “But maybe some other time?” He squeezed.

Jimin all but let out a moan, only just realizing how pent up he really was. He nodded his head, tipsy yet very aware of what he wanted, and reached into the taller man’s front pocket to retrieve his phone and save his own number in his contacts.

“Yeah, another time’s good,” Jimin had sealed his sentence with a wink, pushing himself away to walk towards Taehyung and Jin, who had been waiting for him to let them know if he was leaving with Minjun or with them. “Text me!” he said over his shoulder.

“So we’re not gonna talk about how Minjun is basically just a Namjoon lookalike?” Taehyung had asked as they walked home, a lot more sober by now.

“Nope.”

Looking back at how much he had enjoyed Minjun’s company, choosing to disregard Taehyung’s comment, and feeling the need to finally get some release, Jimin texts back without hesitation.

[Jimin]
hey handsome
I remember ;)
I’m free tonight if you want to come over, my guest is gone

[Minjun]
Damn
Ok, tonight it is 
Just so we’re on the same page, should I bring condoms or candy for a movie?

[Jimin]
definitely condoms minjun kjasadka
I’ll be the candy
yikes that was so gross, ignore that lmao
here’s the address [xx]

[Minjun]
Hahahahha
Can’t wait to taste you again lol
See you tonight 🏃🏻

❀✿❀

A month and a half pass by in a flash, Jimin regularly putting a coin into his nookie jar every time Minjun leaves his apartment, a couple times a week. They had settled on an easy-going, no strings attached agreement. Neither was interested in anything further than casual sex with each other, and their chemistry was good enough to keep their physical attraction going.

Taehyung, ever the observant man, notices the jar’s contents have actually increased after months of collecting dust, and casually points out as much.

“So, Minjun, huh?” he asks mid-round of Mario Kart.

“Yup,” Jimin answers, too focused on the game to say anything further. Not that there’s much more to say, his best friend is well aware of their arrangement by now.

“Cool. You’re being safe?”

Jimin pauses the game to turn towards and squint at Taehyung. “You think I’m ever not safe?”

“I meant with your heart. I don’t want you to get attached and–”

Jimin interrupts before the other can continue. “I’m fine, Tae. I already told you. It’s just sex.”

“Yeah, but–”

“No, stop right there. I’m serious. Minjun is a nice guy, but I don’t like him like that.”

“You sure? Because you fell for Namjoon pretty damn quick and they’re basically the same person…”

Jimin’s demeanor changes at that moment, irritation boiling over at the mention of Namjoon. “Just because they look sorta alike–”

“They literally look the same, blue hair and everything,” Taehyung interrupts, raising his eyebrows and giving Jimin a look of disbelief.

“Taehyung I swear, you’re pissing me off so shut up for a second. Just because they look similar doesn’t mean they’re the same person.”

Jimin stops to let Taehyung respond, but the latter just puts his hands up and pouts, signaling to Jimin that he is doing as asked and shutting up.

Jimin rolls his eyes at the pettiness, the video game long forgotten. “Look, Namjoon was wonderful, and sure, I still think about him now and then, but it’s not– Namjoon’s not here, and Minjun is. And you said it yourself that I needed to get some release after all those months of endless stress and studying. You encouraged it! So I don’t understand why you’re so against Minjun now.”

“I’m not against anything. I’m glad you guys are having fun and he seems nice enough from what you’ve told me, I just worry that you’re only with him because he reminds you of Namjoon. That’s not healthy.”

Jimin runs his hands through his hair in exasperation. “Taehyung. It’s been almost two months, I’m over it by now. I knew him for three fucking days!”

“Are you though?? Are you over it? Because you didn’t seem over it a week ago when I caught you trying to look him up on all social medias possible.”

Jimin would be lying if he said he hadn’t endlessly been trying to find Namjoon on social media since the day he left with no success at all. The man seemed to be non-existent online, not a trace or any pictures of him for Jimin to find outside of his AirBnB profile, which had remained the same. A week after Namjoon’s departure, he had gotten an unexpected email from the rental website.

[Kim Namjoon has reviewed his stay]

“Jimin’s apartment is very nice and comfortable, and also very central which is fantastic. The guest room was a good size and the kitchen, living room, and bathroom were clean and tidy at all times. Jimin was a wonderful host, really sweet and accommodating, and I really enjoyed talking to him on the few occasions we ran into each other. Overall a great stay. I would definitely recommend anyone staying here! Thank you for everything, Jimin! (´｡• ᵕ •｡`) ♡”

The website not letting him respond to the rating, Jimin had just screenshotted it and texted it to his best friend, along with a string of texts about how cute it was and how he may or may not have blushed at the little heart at the end.

“Oh come on, I can’t be curious? It was a silly crush, like the ones you get on people you see on the street and never see again. It’s normal! But I’m definitely over it and Minjun is not a replacement or distraction or whatever you think.”

Taehyung turns back towards the TV and puts the controller he had dropped on his lap on the coffee table, done with the conversation and the game. He then takes a deep breath and slumps on the backrest of the sofa, letting his head flop back. “Ok.”

Jimin mirrors him, sighing and slumping back himself to rest his head on his best friend’s shoulder, looking up at him with a pout. “I know you’re just looking out for me, and I love you so much for that, but I promise I know what I’m doing.”

“And Minjun does too?” Taehyung asks, moving to rest his head on top of the other’s.

“Minjun does too.”

The brunette nods lightly in approval, deciding to let the topic go.

Jimin is compelled to speak again, confiding in his best friend now that the mood is back to its usual shape of safety and comfort rather than disgruntlement and upset. “Namjoon is sweet, and I do wish I could’ve gotten to know him better, but having him around was making me kinda delusional,” he laughs.

A chuckle escapes out of Taehyung too before he asks “Delusional how?”
Jimin peels himself off the other’s side to go get some bottles of soda from the fridge. “Well, for starters I really convinced myself he was checking me out and that there was tension there when I don’t even know if he’s gay in the first place. He probably isn’t, with my luck.”

“Ok hold on, ‘cause I don’t know about the checking you out part since I wasn’t there, but there was definitely some tension. And he doesn’t have to be gay, he could just as well be bi or pan or unlabeled or anything else.”

“Oooor he could just be straight, statistically it’s the most likely,” Jimin shrugs and gives one of the bottles to the other.

“Hmm I don’t know, but it’s whatever. It’s in the past anyways.”

In a sick twist of fate, Jimin’s phone pings in his hand at that exact moment.

[New rental request from: Kim Namjoon]

Jimin turns his phone to show the other. “Uhmmm yeah, maybe not?”

Chapter Text

[New rental request from: Kim Namjoon]

“Hey Jimin, hope you’re doing well! The company I had the interview at when I was in Seoul offered me a last minute trial to see if I’d be fit for a position with them in the future. It’s a two week project starting in two days (Monday the 15th), which I know is super short notice but I just got the call about 20 minutes ago. Since we already know each other and I enjoyed my stay with you so much, I figured I would ask if you would be ok with me booking the guest room at yours again? (⌒_⌒*)ゞ   

Let me know, and no worries if for any reason you don’t want to or can’t host me again! I’ll figure something out in that case. 

Looking forward to (hopefully) see you again soon! 

Namjoon”

Too shocked to read the message himself, Jimin makes his best friend read it out loud. Twice. 

“... in that case. Looking forward to HOPEFULLY–” Taehyung says dramatically, putting up a finger at the last word and acting out how he thinks the message should be interpreted, “– see you again.” He finishes off in a seductive voice with a big, open-mouthed wink and tosses the phone to Jimin, who is sitting on the sofa.

The latter picks it up and takes a glance down at the message before looking back up. “He definitely didn’t mean it like that, Tae.”

“Methinks he diiid!” Taehyung sing-songs, throwing himself back down onto the sofa from where he had been standing and giving the performance of his life. 

Jimin lightheartedly rolls his eyes, deciding that another argument is not worth it. “Should I say yes?”

“Jimin, you can’t seriously be asking me that?? We both know you want him here, so just–” Taehyung gestures, palms up and fingers extended as if to suggest it’s obvious what he should do.

“I literally just told you ten minutes ago that I’m over him, I don’t know if this is a good idea. He might not even be single for all I know! And regardless, two weeks of me pining just for him to leave again??? Sounds like torture.”

“Nah, he doesn’t give me taken vibes at all, and I’m a good judge of character so I know I’m right,” Taehyung contemplates, making Jimin lift a brow and shake his head, amused. “You also said you wish you could’ve gotten to know him better! And if he gets that position, he might even move to Seoul, so it could lead somewhere if you want it to!” Taehyung pauses, but when the other doesn’t speak, he continues. “Besides, what’s the worst that could happen? He’s taken? He’s single but not interested? Then I’ll help you get over your crush and you guys can just be friends.”

The blond hums, acting like he’s not fully convinced, but knowing deep down how he wants to respond to the message, his heart aching to spend more time with Namjoon no matter what the outcome might be

“Plus, two weeks of rent money would be really useful… Just saying.”

“That’s true, I guess.” Jimin hums again, lips in a pout, before he straightens up and picks his phone back up. “Ok, I’ll do it! You know, for the rent money…”

Taehyung laughs. “Of course babe, for the rent money.”

[Rental request ACCEPTED]

“Oh hi Namjoon, nice to hear from you! I’m doing alright, thank you! Congrats on the job opportunity, I hope you get it :)

Yeah, of course you can stay here. I’ll be sure to have lots of tea ready for you in the cupboard hehe. And don’t worry about the short notice, it’s totally fine. 

Can’t wait to see you, take care! <3

Jimin”

Taehyung is about to speak, probably to make fun of Jimin for the heart, but before he can utter a sound, Jimin shushes him. 

“Zip it. We’re going grocery shopping.”

“As you wish, Mr. ‘I’m So Over Him’!”

❀✿❀

When the intercom rings, Jimin is quick to buzz the other in. He waits for a minute or two, attentively waiting by the door for the sound of the other stepping out of the elevator. Jimin opens the door before Namjoon has even gotten close enough to knock, the butterflies he thought were dead by now quickly resurging in his stomach at the sight of the other. Where there once was a head of bright blue hair, there’s now a faint mint-green color with black overgrown roots, the dye seeming to have faded since the last time they saw each other. 

“Namjoon, hey!!” Jimin greets first, stepping out and offering a helping hand to roll one of Namjoon’s suitcases into the apartment. “Let me help,” he smiles. 

“Oh, thank you!” Namjoon enters and closes the door behind him.

“Welcome back to Seoul!” 

“Thank you, thank youuu,” he replies as he toes off his shoes. “It smells good!” 

The blond smiles sheepishly. “Yeah, I made some cookies. For you.”

Namjoon feels a hot rush to his cheeks at the sweet (no pun intended) gesture. “Oh?”

“I mean, last time you said you only really eat homemade cookies, so I thought it’d be nice to have some ready. And I also bought lots of tea, come and look!” Jimin tugs Namjoon along by the arm, leaving the suitcases by the door. After tossing and turning all night, Jimin had determined he had nothing to lose by subtly showing his interest in Namjoon. If Namjoon showed interest back, great! If not, then at least he could say he tried. And the first step to doing that, he decided, was welcoming him with fresh cookies. 

“I got you some varied fruit teas, green tea, english breakfast tea, and also one that apparently tastes like caramel macarons? I don’t know, I thought it sounded pretty good! Oh, and a lemon and honey one that Tae recommended, he said it would go well with the cookies, so...”

Namjoon is stunned by the assortment, not really sure how to respond. That’s when, behind all the boxes, he spots not just one, but two large jars filled to the brim with cookies. 

“You made all of those?”

Jimin nods proudly and speaks again. Rambling had always been his forte anyway. 

“I just finished baking the last batch about thirty minutes ago, so you actually came at the perfect time! Unfortunately they’re not warm anymore, but I can microwave them and they’ll be perfect again. I didn’t know whether you preferred chocolate chips or no chocolate chips, so I made both. I personally like the ones with chocolate the best, but that’s just me.” Jimin pushes his own bangs behind his ear, looking expectantly up at the older. “So? Choc or no choc?”

“Definitely choc,” Namjoon answers. The blush is still ever so present on his face, and as soon as Jimin turns around, Namjoon cups his own cheeks with his hands for a couple seconds in a fruitless attempt to calm down. 

Jimin opens the chocolate cookie jar and pulls out two. “Good choice.”

They eat their treats sitting by the counter as they had done during Jimin’s breakfast last time, talking about Namjoon’s journey and what they had both been up to since they last saw each other. After thanking Jimin for the cookies and for getting all the different teas, Namjoon excuses himself to go unpack his things. He enters the bedroom to find different bed sheets to the ones he’d used last time, and fresh, clean towels sitting neatly folded at the end of the bed. He also notices a large scented candle on the nightstand, a new full-length mirror hanging on one of the previously bare walls, and multiple beautiful art prints meticulously organized and displayed around it. Lastly, he spots a note sitting on top of the set of drawers. ‘I emptied out everything so all the drawers are free for you to use. Please make yourself at home! - Jimin ♡ ’ . Before he can catch himself, Namjoon is lying face up on the bed, smiling to himself at the sheer mental image of Jimin carefully decorating the room. Jimin putting time and effort into freeing a full set of drawers instead of only two like last time. Jimin being so attentive to detail and doing all of this… For him? Namjoon drapes his forearm over his eyes. I’m looking too much into it. Jimin is just a good host. The upgrades in the room are not for me only, they’re for the benefit of all the guests. But then he thinks of how Jimin baked him cookies because he remembered his dislike for store-bought ones. 'For you', he’d said. Two words, and Namjoon’s heart had gone racing, beating wildly in his chest. Ok, maybe some of it is just for me.

With that thought, Namjoon forces himself to get up and start unpacking like he said he would. But first, he takes the note and folds it neatly so only the second sentence and Jimin’s signature can be seen. He fishes his wallet out of his pocket and slides the note into the clear pocket inside it. Content, he finally begins putting his things in place. 

An hour later, he steps out into the living room and sits on the opposite side of the sofa to where Jimin is sitting, the latter busy on his phone. There’s a random TV show playing as background noise, Jimin paying no attention to it whatsoever. 

“All settled?” Jimin asks, not putting down his phone, clearly in the middle of some game’s level. 

“Yup! I like the new decorations. And thanks for all the drawer space by the way.” 

Jimin’s eyes seem to sparkle at the other’s appreciation, looking up from his game momentarily. “Ah, it’s no biggie. I wanted to make it more cozy f–” A sudden vibration in the phone pulls Jimin’s attention back. “Hold on, lemme just finish this up,” Jimin says, flashing a quick apologetic smile before his brows furrow in concentration. “Yeah, go ahead.” Namjoon picks up his own phone to distract himself while the other plays, lest he stare at him like a weirdo, he thinks.  

After a minute or so, Jimin groans in annoyance, locking his phone and slamming it down on the cushion beside him quite aggressively. “Ugh, I’ve been stuck on this level for SO long. I hate this game.” He pouts petulantly, and Namjoon can’t stop the chuckle that escapes him. 

Jimin turns his body towards the other and crosses his arms, still pouting. “What’s funny?”

“Nothing, I just didn’t take you for a sore loser,” Namjoon teases. 

Jimin gasps in fake offense. “I’m not! You try and win this level and not get annoyed.”

“Alright, lemme see” Namjoon says, stretching out his hand as if challenging Jimin to let him try. 

Jimin unlocks his phone and moves closer, reducing the distance between them in order to be able to watch as he plays. He explains how the game works and hands the phone to Namjoon, watching intently from the side as the older somehow manages to beat the level within not even three minutes. 

“Nah, no way!!” Jimin says through incredulous laughter and snatches the device away from the other to make sure he actually won. “You got lucky!” 

“Or maybe I’m just a super talented gamer and you’re not,” Namjoon retorts, making Jimin comically raise his eyebrows at him. The screen in the younger’s hand continuously flashes a mocking ‘LEVEL COMPLETED!’ and illuminates his face from below in a way Namjoon finds hilarious. 

“Oooh is that so, Namjoon?” Jimin challenges as he stands up, turns on his console and picks up two controllers, tossing one over to the older. “Let’s see about that talent, then.” 

They spend the next two hours playing all kinds of games, both of them having won and lost a relatively even amount of times by the end. Each time Jimin wins, he stands up triumphantly, celebrating and doing a little victory dance, which Namjoon secretly finds adorable. Each time he loses, he lightly groans in annoyance, but always makes sure to look over at Namjoon, too busy cheering to notice how Jimin admires the deep, dreamy dimples that adorn his cheeks. 

Throughout the next couple of days, it becomes a routine. The two gather in the living room every evening after they're done with work and classes respectively, playing and laughing and bickering when one accuses the other of cheating. Getting to know each other in between rounds, sharing snacks and stories and hidden glances when the other isn’t looking. They even set up a scoreboard, where they keep track of how many times each of them has won. There’s no prize, no actual reward for whoever wins, just the satisfaction of leading even by the smallest margin. It’s fun, lighthearted competition, and also an easy, automatic excuse for them to spend time together. That is until Jimin comes home from dance practice one afternoon.

Namjoon is lounging in his bedroom, deeply immersed in the book he’s reading, when Jimin steps into the apartment, heading straight for the kitchen before even taking his shoes off. The older doesn’t register his presence until he hears Jimin wince as he rummages through what Namjoon thinks sounds like the freezer. 

“Shit,” Jimin mutters under his breath.

At the continuous wincing and quiet cursing coming from the kitchen, Namjoon decides he should check on the other, closing his book and abandoning it on the bed.  

He finds the blond sitting on the floor against the freezer door, knees folded up against his body, head hanging low and breathing erratically, and an ice pack discarded on the floor beside him. 

Namjoon crouches to Jimin’s level, trying to make his presence known without startling the other too much. “Jimin?” Namjoon asks carefully. Jimin’s head snaps up at the unexpected voice, then his right hand comes up to his face in an automatic reflex to wipe his tears. He immediately regrets it when immense pain shoots through his thumb, his hand recoiling back down against his chest as he lets out a string of curses, tears spilling again. So much for wanting to hide them. 

Concern fills Namjoon immediately. He wants to scoop Jimin up in his arms and ask him what’s wrong, but given their superficial relationship (could it maybe be considered a friendship by now?) and his clearly agitated state, he opts for a more verbal approach. 

“Hey, hey, it’s ok. What’s up, is it your hand?”

Jimin tries to collect himself, this time raising his left arm to wipe the fresh tears away, sniffling and taking short breaths in between his words as he tries to respond. “Yeah, I– I fell during dance practice and landed on my hand– And I sprained my thumb and the ice pack I got is not cold anymore and it hurts and now I can’t– I can’t find any others.” 

Namjoon adjusts himself to fully sit down in front of Jimin, the crouching becoming too uncomfortable. “Oh, Jiminie, that sounds really painful,” he says with an empathetic frown. “That’s the old ice pack?” he says, shooting a glance at it before looking back at Jimin. 

“Yeah…” Jimin continues to dry his tears with the sleeve of his hoodie, looking down onto his lap again and blubbering, breath still uneven. “I’m sorry, I’m such a mess, I just– I had a really bad day and then this happened and I–” 

“Hey, it’s really ok. Don’t worry, you’re allowed to feel upset and cry without having to explain yourself or apologize to anyone, especially not to me. Let’s just take a deep breath, it’s ok. You’re ok.” Namjoon takes a deep breath himself, encouraging Jimin to follow his lead, which he does. They sit and breathe together for a bit, little ‘good job’s, ‘keep breathing’s and ‘just like that’s sprinkled in between.

Before he even notices it, the tears have stopped spilling, and his trembling bottom lip finally stills. Jimin looks up at Namjoon’s face then, a blush forming on his cheeks following the praise, which fortunately goes unnoticed due to how red his face already is from crying. He sniffles a couple more times, grateful for the comfort Namjoon is so kindly providing, but not sure what to say. Thankfully, Namjoon picks up on that fact, not demanding or expecting an answer. Instead, he slides across the floor to now sit next to the smaller man.  

“May I see?” Namjoon asks, his own hand hovering between them. Jimin nods, extending his legs and shifting to the side so he’s facing the other. He then places his right hand on top of Namjoon’s, lightly so as to not put too much pressure on the soreness around his thumb. The older takes a close look at it, using his other free hand to carefully twist Jimin’s around to inspect it from different angles. 

“You’re sure it’s just sprained, and not broken?” he asks. 

“Yeah, I’ve sprained it several times before, but never this badly. I stopped by a clinic to get an X-ray and they confirmed it’s not broken, it’s just the ligaments. They gave me the ice pack.” 

Namjoon hums, lowering his hand to rest on his lap, Jimin’s still resting on top. “It does look pretty swollen.” 

The blond notes how small and, because of the swelling, chubby his hand looks on top of the other’s strong and calloused, but gentle palm. If it didn’t hurt so bad, he might’ve taken the opportunity to risk it all and intertwine their fingers, but he doesn’t want to be in any more pain than he already is if he makes one wrong move. So he decides against it, although he still lets his hand rest there. If Namjoon doesn’t mind, he’s not gonna be the one to pull away. 

He takes one last deep breath, feeling much lighter now that he has something other than the pain and how awful his day was to think about. If that something is how badly he wants to hold and caress Namjoon’s hand, the latter doesn’t need to know. 

“I usually have a couple ice packs ready in the freezer in case I need them, but I can’t seem to find any of them,” he explains. “I think Tae has them.”

“How long did you ice it for already?” the older asks after a hum. 

“Not sure, but the whole way here from the clinic, so maybe… half an hour?”

“Ok, well in that case I think we should let it rest for a bit and then ice it again later. We can put the pack in the freezer so it’ll be nice and cold in an hour or two. And we can make some ice cubes too, so you’ll have an endless ice supply. How does that sound? Good?”

Jimin finally cracks a small smile and nods, loving the feeling of being taken care of by Namjoon. Loving the way the word ‘we’ seems to slip so easily from his lips. “Yeah, good.” 

They stand up, Jimin being extra careful to not support himself on his wounded hand as he does. Namjoon picks up the pack from the floor, placing it on the top shelf of the freezer, then proceeds to fill and freeze the only ice tray he can find.

Meanwhile, Jimin notices the coffee table from where he’s standing, an array of different snacks and drinks spread across it. He then spots the two console controllers sitting on their respective sides of the sofa, a blanket for each of them perfectly folded under them. Namjoon had clearly put some effort into it, getting everything ready to hang out and play when Jimin got back. If it was any of his close friends, Jimin would’ve jumped on him for a tight hug as a show of appreciation, but he holds himself back. They’re not there yet. Maybe someday, he thinks. 

When Namjoon finishes his task, he turns around to check on Jimin again, who already seems to be a lot calmer than he was a couple minutes ago, sitting on one of the stools by the bar. It only takes a couple of seconds before he notices where the other is looking, and cringes internally for getting so ahead of himself setting all of that up. Especially given the current circumstances. “Oh shit, I guess we’re not playing for a while. I’ll– I’ll put it all away, I shouldn’t even have assumed we’d play today in the first place, even if you hadn’t hurt yourself.” 

Jimin giggles and shakes his head in lighthearted dismissal, standing up and walking around the bar into the living room area, taking a closer look at the wide selection of treats, Namjoon following suit.

“You bought all of this?” He picks up a pack of sour gummies he’d never tried before, inspecting the bag curiously. “These look good!” 

“Ah, yeah. You’ve shared all your snacks with me since we started playing, so I stocked up on some new ones to make up for that. There’s some I already know you like and some others I thought we could try.”

Once again, Jimin’s heart leaps at the ‘we,’ at the way Namjoon had seemingly paid enough attention to know what snacks he likes. “That’s really thoughtful of you, Namjoon, thank you.”

“It’s the least I could do,” he smiles. “But I’ll, uhm, put the controllers away, since you clearly won’t be able to play today… or for a while really.”

“Ugh, yeah. This sucks…” Jimin mopes, lips curving downward. He watches as Namjoon places the controllers in their shelf under the TV, and silently curses himself for letting himself fall and getting hurt and ruining Namjoon’s adorable initiative. 

“You should probably go rest so your hand can heal... Don’t worry about all of this, I’ll tidy it up.”

“Oh… yeah, ok,” Jimin says quietly, looking down at his thumb, which seems to be even more swollen than before. “I’ll go shower, then,” he informs. Namjoon shoots him a simple “Alright,” picking up a couple bags of snacks to put away. 

Jimin turns around and takes two steps, when suddenly, an idea pops up in his head. 

“Actually, uhm, maybe you don’t have to put them away?” Jimin utters, facing Namjoon again from where he’s standing, scratching at his nape. 

Namjoon tilts his head in confusion. “You wanna keep them out here? It’s up to you.”

“No, I mean like… Maybe we could still… hang out and try some. Tonight. If you want. There’s a movie I’ve been meaning to watch, so maybe… yeah. Or, like, we could watch something else, if you prefer. I don’t mind. But… I’d really like to try some snacks and hang out. With you. If you want. It’s ok if not though! I know it’s not as fun as gaming, and it’s pretty late already so like… I’d understand…”  

The older blinks rapidly and contemplates it for a second, his thoughts running too fast for him to register any of them. “Yes. Yeah. We can watch a movie, that sounds… That sounds good.”

“Yeah?” Jimin asks through his lashes, wanting to make sure the other means it. 

“Yeah,” he responds. 

Jimin positively beams at the confirmation, suddenly feeling a rush of energy course through his body. “Ok! I still need to shower though, I’m all stinky from dance practice, so just… Wait for like five, ten minutes? I’ll be quick, promise.” 

Namjoon smiles at the other’s animated tone and pushes his hair back with both his hands. “Yeah, no rush,” he says as he plops down onto the sofa. “I’ll be right here.” 

Jimin smiles widely at him one last time, bouncing on his feet as he emits a quick “Be right back!”, disappearing into the bathroom. 

❀✿❀

True to his word, Jimin returns a couple minutes later, blond hair wet and skin glowing. “All done! And it only took me…” He checks his phone. “Nine minutes! Just in time.” Jimin giggles and plops himself down on the sofa beside the other. His eyes are still a bit puffy from his earlier crying, but no longer red. He looks happy, finally fully relaxed where he sits. Somehow, the calmness in Jimin’s eyes soothes the slight uneasiness inside Namjoon’s soul, an uneasiness he hadn’t realized he had been feeling until it was gone. A deep sense of worry he had never felt before, one that only an upset Jimin could trigger and that only a happy Jimin could cure. His heart swells knowing that he is partly responsible for Jimin’s change in mood, that after a long and seemingly difficult day, Jimin actually wants to spend time with him. He wonders if that means what he wants it to mean, or if he’s letting his developing feelings cloud his perspective. If he’s attributing more significance to Jimin’s request to spend time together than he should. Maybe he just needed someone, and not him specifically. His head is a mess of contradicting thoughts and questions, a mess he hopes to be able to untangle before it makes him do or say something stupid. 

“–joon?” Jimin’s voice and a hand waving in front of his face pulls him out of his thoughts. 

He blinks a couple times. “Shit, sorry. I was just thinking.”

“About what? You seemed kinda sad.” Jimin asks as he drapes a blanket over his shoulders and shuffles until he’s snuggled up in a comfortable position at his end of the sofa.

“It’s nothing, just some things I need to figure out, I guess.”

“Ooo! I’m good at figuring things out. You helped me earlier, so now I can help you!” Jimin scoots closer, crossing his legs under himself and looking up at the other, wide eyed and ready to do his best. “Talk me through it!”

Namjoon enters panic mode. “It’s… kinda personal? I don’t wanna bore you with it.”

Jimin opens and closes his mouth, maybe he shouldn’t push it so much. “You could never bore me…” He sounds sincere, and Namjoon feels a tingle in his tummy, which doesn’t aid his already confusing headspace. He continues. “I know I tend to talk a lot, but I’m also a pretty good listener. You don’t have to tell me if you’re not comfortable with it, but… I’m here if you need. I don’t like seeing you sad.” Jimin pauses for a second. “You’re much prettier when you smile.”

The tingle in Namjoon’s chest turns into a full blown earthquake, and his face heats up in an instant. He feels like he’s short circuiting when his words fail him like they never have before, a stuttering, blushing mess. He’d received compliments before, of course, but they were few and far between. Most of them had been about his skills, his body, his hair, his determination… but never had he been described as pretty. And the fact that it’s coming from the one person in the world Namjoon finds the prettiest? Yeah. He has no clue what to do with himself.  

Pleased, Jimin bites his bottom lip to try and repress a smirk and retreats back to his corner of the sofa, picking up the TV remote on the way. 

“So! Movie?” Jimin suggests cheekily. 

Namjoon clears his throat and tries, without any success, to will his blush away. He gathers himself enough to string together two words. “Y– yeah, movie.” 

Jimin giggles, clearly very amused by Namjoon’s reaction. The latter reaches forward to grab a can of sparkling water from the coffee table, sipping on it slowly to calm himself down. Both of his hands are wrapped tightly around it, bottom lip pressed into the ridge on top. 

“This is the one I wanted to watch, is that ok with you or…?”

The older looks at the screen, then nods quickly. He can tell Jimin is looking at him, but he doesn’t look back. “Yup, that’s ok.”

“Perfect.” Jimin presses play, and with the distraction of the opening credits, Namjoon finally musters enough courage to speak again. First, though, he spreads the blanket over his legs and holds tightly onto the top edge. 

“Uhm, Jimin?” he says quietly, looking in the blond’s direction but avoiding his eyes. “Hm?” Jimin looks back at him. “You’re pretty when you smile too.” With that, Namjoon turns away as fast as he can and buries himself under his blanket, only his eyes peeking out and looking straight ahead at the TV. 

❀✿❀

The two watch the movie mostly in silence, only laughing at the funny parts every once in a while and sharing their thoughts on the different new snacks. It’s very different from their game nights. Where the game nights were loud, messy, and animated, this is quiet, serene. It almost feels somewhat intimate. Especially whenever their fingers brush as they pass the bags of snacks to each other, or when they both decide to lay on their sides, their legs meeting in the middle of the sofa and accidentally bumping into each other until they figure out how to make them fit in a way that’s not too uncomfortable for either of them. It’s nice, Namjoon thinks. New, but nice.

As soon as it ends, Jimin turns the TV off and emerges from under his blanket, sitting up properly now and stretching his back. Namjoon stays under his, feeling a bit cold in his t-shirt. Jimin folds a leg on top of the soft cushion to turn his body towards the other, who’s already facing his way, his back against the arm-rest. 

“What did you think?” Jimin asks, and proceeds to answer his own question before Namjoon gets a chance to. “I thought it was really good, the actors did a great job and although not all the jokes landed with me, there were some pretty decent ones in there. And the soundtrack was great!” 

“Hmm, I guess I agree for the most part.” 

Jimin raises his eyebrows, inquisitive. “For the most part?”

“Yeah, I mean, it was funny and the actors were alright, but the soundtrack was mediocre at best,” he shrugs. “They could’ve definitely picked better songs for some scenes, and it kinda felt like a different person had picked each song. Like, it just wasn’t cohesive. To be fair though, I’m a bit hard to please when it comes to soundtracks. There’s only a couple movies I can think of that I’ve ever thought the soundtrack was great for.”

“Hmm, so you’re a bit of a music snob, then?” Jimin teases, wanting Namjoon to keep talking. If he’s being honest, he’s really enjoying listening to what he has to say. Taehyung usually just ends up agreeing with whatever he says about movies, so Namjoon’s commentary is a welcomed change. Plus, he really likes his voice, much deeper than usual now that he seems to be comfortable, maybe even a bit tired. 

“Noooo, that’s not it at all. I couldn’t really work as a producer if I were. The songs themselves are good, but they didn’t work for me as a collective, it was very disjointed.”

“I see. I guess that makes sense.”

Namjoon hums, lifting the bag of sour candies Jimin had looked at earlier from beneath his blanket. 

“You haven’t tried these yet, have you? They’re quite good.” He fishes one out with his fingers and pops it in his mouth, straightening up from his laying position to pass the bag to Jimin. 

Simultaneously, the latter scoots closer and accepts the bag. “Yeah?”

Namjoon hums again, a sound Jimin is growing to enjoy much more than he should. That’s when, once again, Jimin sees an opportunity and decides to grasp it. He passes the bag back to Namjoon, who takes it, but looks at him in utter confusion. 

“You don’t want any?”

“I do, but can you feed them to me, Namjoonie?” He flutters his eyelashes and tucks a strand of hair behind his ear. Killer combo. “My thumb hurts, so it’s hard for me to get them out of the bag…” 

The puzzled look Namjoon gives him is almost comical. He can think of approximately ten different ways Jimin could get the candy out of the bag and feed himself without having to move his sprained thumb. Hell, he’d been doing it for the past hour and a half, trying snack after snack with no issues whatsoever. He had even seen him crack open his own can of soda. He tells Jimin as much and passes him the bag once again, not waiting for him to take it this time but dropping it in front of him instead. He has no clue what the deal is, or why Jimin was looking at him like that. Strange, maybe he’s tired, he thinks to himself. 

Jimin is dumbfounded, unable to come up with an excuse, so he just agrees, scoots back, and begrudgingly fishes out a piece of candy using his left hand. He supposes it was a pretty shitty attempt at flirting, but rejection is never fun. 

The candy’s good, just as Namjoon had said, but there’s a bitter aftertaste to it. Whether that’s the candy’s or his hurt ego’s fault, he doesn’t know. Jimin gives a half-hearted hum of approval when he swallows it down, and too embarrassed by his failed shenanigans, he doesn’t look up at Namjoon again, gaze fixed on his lap. He lightly massages the sore spots around his thumb, not applying too much pressure, but enough to distract himself from the awkwardness that suddenly fills the room. He can feel Namjoon looking at him strangely, but he doesn’t dare look up. 

“Is it really hurting though?” Namjoon asks suddenly. “Should I go get the ice pack?” The genuine concern is obvious in his tired voice, and Jimin feels bad for making him worry just to try and fail to be seductive. 

“No, no, it’s… It doesn’t hurt too bad right now.” He continues massaging it, still not looking up, and tries to ignore the way Namjoon seems to scoot closer. 

He sees two hesitant hands approaching, then retreating once before they take a hold of his own hands. Namjoon inspects the thumb carefully, like he had done earlier. “I really think you should put some ice on it again, it’ll help with the swelling.” 

He doesn’t wait for a response before he’s standing up, tossing the blanket aside, and walking to the freezer. When he returns, he sits even closer than before. Whether this is intentional or not, Jimin doesn’t know, but the effect on his heart rate is the same nonetheless. 

Namjoon picks up his right hand once again, gently places the ice pack, now wrapped in a cloth, on top of the thumb and pulls away. 

“While you were in the shower, I read that ideally you should ice it for about twenty minutes at a time. I don’t know how often, but I guess that’s up to you. Also, be careful with massaging it, apparently it can hurt the ligaments if they’re already weak and make it worse.”

“You actually did research about this?” Jimin asks, a shy smile playing on his lips. 

“I mean, it was just a couple quick searches…” Namjoon replies, brushing off the significance of his efforts. Anyone would’ve done the same. 

“Sounds like research to me!” Jimin teases.

“I guess,” the older shrugs, then yawns, covering his mouth (and really, the whole bottom of his face considering the size of his hands). This causes Jimin to yawn as well, making them both chuckle once they’re done. “Should probably go to bed soon, I’m getting sleepy. And you seem to be as well.” 

Jimin hums in agreement, despite knowing it’ll take him at least three more hours to fall asleep. “Yeah, we definitely should.”

A couple seconds of silence pass by, but neither of them stands up. They simply sit together, their cumulative tiredness almost palpable. 

“You know…” Jimin breaks the silence. Namjoon hums, urging him to keep going. “You really saved me today, so thank you.”

“Ah, I barely did anything.” Once again, he brushes it off. 

“No, I mean it. My day was fucking awful from the moment I woke up. Literally everything that could go wrong in class went wrong. My professor hated my designs and really made sure I knew that, Taehyung ditched me last minute to go for lunch with some other friends, and then when I finally thought I was gonna be able to let out my frustrations through dancing, I tripped and hurt myself not even 5 minutes in…”

“I’m sorry to hear that, Jimin, that really sounds awful.” The worry in Namjoon’s gut is back after learning the details of the younger’s seemingly cursed day, but it doesn’t last long as his next words tame it down. 

“I was so ready to just… lay in bed and cry for the rest of the day? It sounds pathetic, but that’s how it usually ends on days like this. And then I got home, and you were there, so attentive and warm, and you pulled me out of that pit I was spiraling into. You’ve been the only good part of my day. So… it really means a lot more to me than you might think.” Jimin could go on for hours and list all the little ways in which Namjoon had helped and comforted him within one short afternoon, but he decides to cut it short. Don’t be too overbearing, he tells himself.

“I– I’m glad I could help,” Namjoon stammers. He wishes he could say more, mirror the vulnerability and honesty in Jimin’s words, but he finds himself unable to. Not because he doesn’t want to, but rather because he doesn’t know how. 

Jimin smiles warmly, lips tight and eyes sparkling, as he softly nods. “It’s crazy, not even Tae has ever been able to ground me as quickly as you did. I mean, he tries, but there’s just something about you that… yeah,” he trails off, but watches Namjoon intently to try and gauge his reaction, if he maybe said too much through the words he didn’t actually say. 

“Yeah…” Namjoon echoes. He’s not sure if he’s correctly interpreting it all, but it doesn’t matter. He feels valued nonetheless. His presence mattered to Jimin, he implied as much several times, and that is enough for Namjoon. It also utterly terrifies him, though, a pit forming in his stomach, and he’s not sure why. 

“Anyways, uhm,” Jimin looks away, disappointed when he’s not able to discern the mint haired man’s reaction through his body language, much less through his one-word reply to what Jimin felt was a confession, of sorts. “I’ll shut up. It’s really getting late and you probably have stuff to do tomorrow, so… Thanks again for everything.”

Still at a loss for coherent words, Namjoon nods and utters small sounds of agreement as the other speaks. “Yeah, no problem,” is all he says before he goes to stand up and fold his blanket, Jimin doing the same. It doesn’t feel right, though. He’s hyper-aware (and by no means in control) of how inexpressive he’s been for the last couple of minutes, and it doesn’t feel right at all. He remembers something Jimin said during his last stay, and despite it being uncharacteristic of him to initiate such a thing, Namjoon concludes it’s the only way to kind of make up for his silence. It’s also something he simply really wants to do, for whatever reason. So, he anxiously waits a couple seconds for Jimin to finish his folding (which takes him longer than usual with one thumb out of order), then pushes himself to speak before the courage can leave him. 

“Jimin?” 

The blond turns his way, the earlier sparkle he had in his eyes gone, and Namjoon feels guilt heavy on his shoulders. “Mhm?”

“Would it be ok if I gave you a hug?”

Jimin is clearly taken aback by the unexpected question, but Namjoon swears he sees a hint of that beautiful sparkle again as his eyelids flutter rapidly. 

His response comes a second later. “Y-yeah, yes.”

With that, Namjoon takes two steps forward and nervously drapes his arms around Jimin’s shoulders, who in turn wraps his own around the taller man’s torso. Jimin realizes he could very easily rest his head against the other’s shoulder, fit perfectly against it due to their height difference, but he doesn’t. He can feel how tense Namjoon is against him, how he seems to be holding his breath, and he doesn’t want to overwhelm the other by doing anything he wouldn’t do when hugging a stranger. It feels good nonetheless, and Jimin enjoys the couple short seconds before they pull apart. Not the best hug he’s ever received, but a hug is a hug, and it’s the gesture that counts so he’s not gonna complain. 

Namjoon finally breathes out once the other is no longer in his space, looking down and scratching the side of his neck so his hair will hopefully cover up how red he is. “I’ll… head to bed now.”

Jimin smiles and nods gently. “Alright, sleep well Namjoon.”

“Thanks, y- you too,” he says, then turns away and disappears into his room as quickly as he can without having to sprint. That would be too weird, and he feels like he’s been weird enough already. 

❀✿❀

A couple minutes later, he waits by his closed bedroom door until he hears Jimin step out of the bathroom and into his own room. He slips out to brush his teeth, and when he walks back, he sees Jimin’s door is slightly cracked open. An urge creeps up on him, one that he has felt before, but not to such a degree. He hesitates for a second, not sure what to do. The part of him that deeply fears rejection is screaming at him not to, but for once, he doesn’t allow that part to control him. He takes a deep breath, then knocks faintly on the door frame so as to not accidentally push the door open. 

“Yeah? Come in!” he hears from behind the door. 

“Uhm, it’s me,” Namjoon says, mentally scolding himself for how stupid he sounds as soon as the words leave his mouth. Who else would it be? He hears Jimin giggle though, and that makes him feel better. 

“I know, Joon. Is something wrong?”

Despite having permission to do so, Namjoon doesn’t open the door at all, not sure if he can face the other, who’s probably laying in bed, without making an even bigger fool of himself. The nickname doesn’t go unnoticed, and it makes the blush he had managed to will away come back ten times stronger. So, he speaks from the outside, behind the safety of the barrier between them. 

“No, no, uhm. Everything’s good. I was just wondering…” He rubs over his face with both hands, eyes closed tightly. “Movie again tomorrow?” He opens one eye, then the other, peeking through his fingers now that the worst part is over with. “I’ll cook,” he adds, then slaps a hand over his mouth so he doesn’t humiliate himself further. He braces for impact, for rejection to slap him across the face. What made him think this was a good idea? Jimin probably has better plans for a Saturday night, he shouldn’t even have as–

“God, yes. I’d love that.” Eagerness is evident in Jimin’s voice, and if Namjoon’s heart flips in his chest, worries all but forgotten, he’s not gonna tell anyone. Except maybe Yoongi. 

Yoongi always seems to know what he’s thinking before even Namjoon himself knows, like some sort of mind reader. And he always seems to notice the things Namjoon doesn’t. Like the time he had introduced Namjoon to some guy at a party 'just because' with a wink, somehow knowing Namjoon needed a push to explore that part of his sexuality. And for the first time ever, Namjoon had kissed someone who wasn’t a girl that night. Only where no one could see them, but hey, baby steps, right? They had only known each other for a month or two by then, but Yoongi somehow saw right through Namjoon in ways no one ever had before, likely because he saw parts of his old, confused self in him. The next day during lunch, Yoongi had patted him on the back and told him he was there if he ever needed to talk. So Namjoon took him up on that offer, and the rest is history. Sure, Yoongi could be an absolute menace if he wanted to after knowing each other for so long. He has so much material he could tease Namjoon with, but he never goes overboard and he always knows exactly what the other needs to hear.

Who’s he kidding, he is definitely gonna tell Yoongi all about his heart’s new passion for gymnastics. 

❀✿❀

“– so yeah, that was really weird so I gave him the bag back. And then I went and got him the ice pa–”

“Nonononono, stop right there, you did what?” Yoongi asks, eyes wide in shock at what he’s hearing. The café they’re at is one they frequent whenever Namjoon is in Seoul. It’s close to Yoongi's studio apartment, but it’s a better place to hang out. The apartment is pretty small, and Yoongi had decided he would rather use the little space he had left to set up a small piano than a sofa. He does have a small dining table that fits two people, but the chairs aren’t very comfortable for extended talking sessions. And sitting shoulder to shoulder on Yoongi’s single bed is something neither of them is willing to do. So, the café is their best bet. They always book table 7 in advance, at the very back. Nice and secluded so they can talk freely without anyone hearing them, and far away from the distracting stream of customers coming in and out. It’s perfect. 

“I got him the ice pack, for his thumb.” 

“No, you idiot. Before that.”

“I… gave him the candy bag back…?”

“You–” he palms at his face in frustration, then leans forward to place his elbows on the table between them. “Ok. So you had the candy, right?”

“Yeah?”

“And then you gave him the bag so he could try it.”

“Yes, I already told yo–”

“Namjoon, I swear to god. Just listen to me and use your last two brain cells right now, please.”

The younger raises his eyebrows and hands simultaneously in defense. “Jeez, alright…"

“Ok so you give him the bag, and he gives it back to you.” 

“Correct.” He takes a sip of his iced matcha.

“And what does he say?”

“That his thumb hurts so he can’t get the candy out, but that’s stupid because–”

Yoongi buries his face in his hands again and takes a deep breath. 

“Namjoon. You said he asked you to feed him.”

“I fucking know, which I’ve been trying to tell you makes no sense because he had been feeding himself just fine earlier?? And after I called him out on it he said–”

“Oh my fucking god. He wanted you to feed him, Namjoon. He wanted you to get the candy for him and put it in his fucking mouth. Do you not realize how fucking flirty that is? Who asks someone to feed them for no reason? The thumb was an excuse. I can’t believe I’m having to spell this out for you.” 

Namjoon just stares blankly ahead, cogs spinning in his mind. “No, there’s no way, what kind of flirting is that?”

“The kind of flirting you do when you want someone’s fingers in your mouth or something? I don’t fucking know, it was a strange way to go about it but it was definitely an attempt at flirting.”

He replays the scene in his mind to the best of his ability. ’Can you feed them to me, Namjoonie?’ Oh. He feels a flurry of belated butterflies emerge in his tummy. 

“Holy shit, I think you’re right.”

“Wh– of course I am! That was so so forward of him, and instead of flirting back, you really just made fun of him,” Yoongi says, more amused than exasperated now that his friend has come to his senses. 

“I didn’t make fun of him…”

“You kinda did, though.” 

“Ok ok, yeah, whatever, too late now. BUT, I did make up for it! Or at least I think I did?”

“You flirted back?”

“Well, no, not really? Or like, I don’t think I did, you know I’m bad at that stuff. I kinda… I made it even worse after that, and then I fixed it. I think.”

Namjoon spills all the details of Jimin’s little appreciation speech, how he for some reason had been unable to respond with more than three words at a time, how he asked for a hug and even proposed to hang out again the next day–

“Hold on, so… you initiated a hug and you suggested another movie night?” Yoongi chimes in carefully, having stayed quiet until then to let his friend speak. 

“Yeah? Oh my god, don’t tell me I shouldn’t have done that either?!?”

“No, no, you did good. I’m just surprised, I guess.”

“Well,” Namjoon shrugs, not sure what Yoongi expects him to say to that.

He can tell the older wants to speak, explain what he means, he has that look on his face. The one where he’s deep in thought, mulling over his words to make sure they come out exactly the way he wants them to. Namjoon admires that quality in his best friend. He could only ever wish to be as composed and deliberate as him. Instead, he feels like his sentences are a constant jumbled mess, his thoughts and words only ever really organizing themselves when he’s able to sit down and write, write, write. He guesses there’s some merit to that too, but still. 

“You know, from the moment I met you, it felt like you had your guard up. I could see it, the way you would seem to try to peek outside of the walls and constraints you’d built around yourself. They were obviously holding you back. Over time, you’ve been able to almost fully deconstruct those walls. You’ve allowed yourself to explore, to have fun, to let loose and bask in the glory that comes with finally unearthing a whole part of yourself that you kept buried for so long.”

Yoongi pauses, thinks again. 

“Today, when I look at you, that wall is not as present. You’ve torn most of it down, only leaving up the parts that you don’t feel comfortable with removing yet. But those parts don’t matter, because you are able to step over them. They no longer imprison you. Rather, they’re a reminder to be careful, to take care of yourself and your heart. I think that’s very healthy, and I don’t think anyone should ever feel forced to let down absolutely all their defenses if they’re not comfortable with it.”

The younger nods in agreement, paying close attention as he always does whenever Yoongi starts one of his signature reflective monologues that he loves so much. 

“I’m so incredibly proud of how far you’ve come in accepting yourself, how comfortable you have become with stepping outside your barriers and not hiding who you are.” Namjoon smiles, he’s proud of himself too. “However, I have noticed that you mainly try things out only when prompted or invited to do so by others. Which is fine, it's nice to feel wanted, desired, to strut out of your little fortress with a specific plan. And if anything bad happens to you while you're out, it's no problem! Because anything can be remedied by some time inside, tending to your wounds in absolute safety until you’re ready to accept another invitation. Am I making sense?”

“Yeah," Namjoon breathes out. "I have no idea how you always come up with deep shit like this on the spot, but it does make a lot of sense,” Namjoon teases, making the other chuckle, his shoulders shaking as they always do when he laughs. “Go on…” 

“Ok, so. Because you’ve spent so much time in it, the space within the walls can feel deeply personal. Anyone can see the outside of the walls, know they’re there, but you’re the only one who has ever seen the inside, who knows of every little nook and cranny in the room. Sharing what the inside looks like with anyone can be terrifying. You don’t necessarily have to let people walk inside to do that, though. You can describe it to them, give them as many or as few details as you want, whatever you feel comfortable with. That’s us. You share what the inside of your fortress looks like, and I share mine. And we’re not worried that we know the weaknesses in the foundation of each other’s structures, because we trust that we will use the information to help each other grow, and not to tear each other down. It takes a lot of trust to open up this way, but once you do, it’s great, isn’t it?” 

“It really is.” Warmth spreads through Namjoon’s body. He never really thought about it that way, but they really trust each other with anything and everything. It’s more than great. 

“Hmm, I think so too.” Yoongi takes a break to get a sip of his iced coffee, which is starting to get a bit watered down thanks to the ice cubes. “Anyways. Let’s think back to what I said earlier. It feels nice to have other people invite you out of the fortress, to be provided with a specific reason to step outside. These are the people at parties, on dating apps, anyone you’ve ever been with just for the sake of exploring, to get better acquainted with yourself. As far as I’m aware, most of the experiences you’ve had over the years with men, which haven’t even been that many, have been prompted by them showing interest first, by them providing you with a direct gateway out of your safety bubble. This way, you don’t have to justify anything to yourself, you’re merely following other people’s directions. It’s a guaranteed good time with little to no risk involved. You can fool around, have your fun, then run back into your fortress. There, you simply hide away, waiting eagerly for a new invitation that will allow you to step outside again. And like I said, there’s nothing wrong with that, but it’s not a sustainable way of doing things if you want to ever really become comfortable with all parts of yourself.”

Namjoon shifts in his seat. He knows his friend is right, knows he’s always been guarded and cautious when exploring his attraction to other men. And of course, Yoongi is aware of this fact, because how could he not be? 

“Now, here’s what I’m trying to get at. There’s only so much you can learn if you never explore on your own terms, if you never leave the confines of your comfort zone by your own volition. It takes a lot of courage and determination to do this, and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t struggle with it myself during my baby gay days.”

The image tickles something inside Namjoon, making him interrupt his friend with a chuckle.  “Aww, baby gay Min Yoongi? Wish I could’ve met him.”

“No you don't, my dear friend, trust me. Baby gay Min Yoongi was a ball of angst with HEAVY sidebangs and an unhealthy obsession with questionable fanfiction.” 

Namjoon tries to hold in his laughter, cheeks puffing out until they ultimately burst in a fit of laughter, Yoongi following suit. 

“Ok, stop, stop,” Yoongi says, both of their laughter gradually fading out. “This isn’t about baby gay Min Yoongi, it’s about baby… bi??... Kim Namjoon? Are you still comfortable with that or??”

“Yeah, bi is good.”

“Noted. Anyways, it’s hard, but the more you challenge baby bi Kim Namjoon, the easier it gets, and the more you learn about his preferences. About what he likes, not only sexually, which you already know a lot about, but also emotionally. I guess for me, I had to put myself out there and be vulnerable, or else I would never be able to form proper romantic connections. And I guess it’s kinda different for you, since you’re also attracted to women. You could choose to ignore that other part of your sexuality, take the ‘easy’”– he air quotes, “– way out, but you don’t. That’s very brave of you, and it’s one of the things I like the most about you, how willing you are to question yourself, and how open and honest you are about it all. Here’s the thing, though. I feel like you have an idea of what you’d like to experience, what parts of yourself you still need to develop further. The only thing missing is for you to actually allow yourself to do that. To not wait for anything or anyone else, but to just… go for it, you know? It’s scary, because that comes with a chance of rejection, but they’re risks you’re gonna have to take every once in a while. You need to step past your physical attraction to men, which you're clearly already comfortable with, and allow yourself to want intimacy and develop feelings towards them, too. And I feel like with Jimin, you’re finally starting to do that. Correct me if I’m wrong, but it seems to me like you’re making an effort to explore your emotional attraction to him, whether that’s consciously or not.”

Feeling like he’s being read like an open book, Namjoon just nods once again, his heart rate picking up slightly at the mention of the younger.

“The reason I was surprised that you asked him for a hug and for a second movie night wasn’t anything bad. On the contrary. It was because it’s the first time I’ve ever seen you take initiative that way with a guy. They’re small steps, but they’re very meaningful. Maybe it’s just because you’re naturally becoming more comfortable with your sexuality after so many years. Maybe there’s something about Jimin specifically that has made you feel confident enough to take that step. Either way, you finally seem to be ready to ask for what you want, and maybe pursue a romantic connection instead of passively waiting for just superficial experiences to be offered to you, and that’s really exciting.”

“I… I guess it is? I mean, I don’t think you would be this excited about it if you’d seen how pathetic I looked last night. I was practically making the whole apartment building shake with how nervous I was when I asked both times.”

“Being nervous is normal, though! Especially when things are new. The more you put yourself out there, the easier it’ll get, I promise. And from what you’re saying, Jimin might be the perfect person for you to step out of your comfort zone with, he seems to be really interested in you too. Who knows, maybe you could even let him come inside your fortress.” Yoongi winks in an exaggerated manner, prompting Namjoon to crumple up a napkin and throw it at his face with a groan. 

“You’re so– Have I ever told you how disgusting you are?”

“Me? Disgusting? Now that’s just homophobic,” he replies, hand to his chest as if he were deeply offended. 

“Shut up,” Namjoon laughs. 

“No but for real. One day you might get close enough to someone that you’ll let them walk into your metaphorical fortress with you, and they will allow you into theirs. And I mean that in the most innocent way, before you throw anything else at me,” he clarifies. “But yeah, I think that’s the ultimate form of trust, that’s love. A relationship in which you can both be truly and honestly yourselves.”

“Yeah. I feel like you kinda forget I’ve actually been in two long-term relationships already sometimes. It’s not like I’m clueless about love and relationships and all of that, it’s just… different when it’s with another man, especially when said man is the first person ever to make me feel like… that. It’s new, and I’m not used to it. At least not yet.”

Yoongi hums along in agreement, then speaks. “I get that. I really hope my whole ramble didn’t come off as condescending, or as me trying to belittle you or anything, I know you’re not an idiot.”

“No, no, I know what you meant, don’t worry. It was actually really nice and comforting, you already know I love your random deep and philosophical analyses.”

The older smiles. “Ok, good. I just know how challenging navigating your sexuality can be, and I wanted to let you know I understand what you’re going through and it’s normal. So don’t feel bad about any of it, ok? Follow your heart. Be a little selfish and ask for what you want every once in a while. A lot of times, that’s exactly what the other person wants as well.”

Namjoon nods, letting the words sink in. He will definitely have to reflect over everything Yoongi said. It’s a lot, but as anything that comes out of Yoongi’s mouth when he’s not being a little shit, it’s gold. 

“So? How was the hug?”

“Honestly? I have no clue. I can’t remember shit.”

Yoongi looks at him blankly. “You what?”

“Yeah, like. I don’t know, I think he hugged me back, put his arms around me here–” he motions towards his torso. “– and that’s it. I was too focused on not passing out.”

“Bro.” 

“What! I can’t help it, he makes my heart do things, I had to hold my breath so he wouldn’t notice how uneven it was.”

“YOU HELD YOUR BREATH WHILE YOU HUGGED HIM??? Namjoon, what the actual fuck, I thought I raised you better than this.”

“Listen, you don’t understand–”

“Yeah, I really don’t. You’ve done much more than hug other men before, I’ve seen it with my own two eyes. I’ll never forget that time I caught you and–”

“Shhh! We're in public, this is not the time to bring that up. I…” Namjoon sighs heavily, rubbing the palm of his hand against the right side of his face. “Yes, I’ve done… other stuff. But there was never any intimacy to it. Especially not on an emotional level. And maybe I’m weird for feeling like last night was intimate, but it was to me. And that kinda scares the shit outta me.”

“That sounds like progress to me, Joon, it doesn’t have to be scary,” Yoongi comments. 

“But it is, because it feels like I’m taking advantage of the situation, involving him in my deluded perception when all we did was watch a movie. A stupid comedy with a bad soundtrack. On opposite sides of the sofa. With the lights on. Like???? There’s nothing intimate about that??”

“You’re not taking advantage of anything, and I really don’t think you’re involving him in anything he doesn’t want to be involved in. If he didn’t want to be there, with you, watching that movie and complimenting you and trying to suck on your fingers or whatever, he simply wouldn’t be. You gotta give the kid some credit.”

Namjoon snorts at the ridiculousness of that sentence. “He didn’t try to suck on my fingers.” 

“That’s all you got out of what I said?”

“... No. I mean, you’re right, he clearly wanted to be there. He was the one who suggested watching the movie together in the first place…”

“See? You have nothing to worry about. If anything makes you too nervous, you can take a step back. You can even be honest with him and tell him how you’re feeling. I’m sure he’ll understand. It’s ok to be overwhelmed.”

“Yeah, ok, I can do that,” Namjoon says, partly in response to his friend and partly to convince himself of it. 

“Good. Taking care of yourself is the most important. And please, for the love of god, don’t make fun of his flirting or hold your breath when you hug him. For my sanity.”

Namjoon laughs heartily. “Ugh, if any of that happens again at all. I might’ve ruined my chances last night. We’ll see tonight, I guess.”

Yoongi’s cheeks puff up around a signature gummy smile as he insinuates something mildly inappropriate, his eyes crinkling above them. Namjoon swats his arm and complains, once again, about how disgusting he is. Despite his dirty mouth, Yoongi has the best smile in the whole wide world, Namjoon thinks. Jimin’s might be a close second, but Yoongi’s could never be beaten. It’s a smile that over the years has become the image of comfort, happiness, and safety. If Namjoon is sure of anything, it’s that Yoongi’s smile and friendship will forever be sacred to him. 

❀✿❀

Namjoon’s phone pings a couple minutes after they part. 

[agustd]

keep me updated, yeah? 

and you know i’m here if there’s anything. always. 

[rkive]

Yoongles (╥﹏╥)

Of course I will

Thank you so much again for the talk today, I love you!!!

[agustd]

it’s no biggie

you do owe me a drink next time though, that was a whole lecture you got for free lmao

[rkive]
…

[agustd]

what

[rkive]

You know exactly what

[agustd]

no

[rkive] 

(◞‸◟；)

[agustd]

ugh

i love you too joon, a lot

happy?

[rkive]

Very 

\(„^ ᴗ ^„)/\(  -ㅅ-  )/

^ That’s us hehe

[agustd]

:] 

that’s pretty cute ngl

[rkive]

And this is Jimin

 ପ(๑•ᴗ•๑)ଓ ♡

[agustd]

…

ok goodbye loverboy

have fun tonight

[rkive]

Heheheheh

Chapter Text

Don’t get him wrong, Namjoon doesn’t regret asking Jimin for a second movie night. Especially not after all the encouragement he had received earlier. No, he doesn’t regret that at all. What he does regret, is offering to cook. He’s not quite sure where the idea even came from, what had possessed him to say that he would cook. His cooking skills are minimal, and all the food he knows how to prepare is good enough to keep himself alive and well-fed, but by no means good enough to serve to someone he’s trying to impress. After frantically pacing through the grocery store aisles, trying to come up with something he was guaranteed not to fuck up, he had landed on pasta with pesto. He never burnt or ruined pasta before, so hopefully today wouldn’t be the first time. He had bought the most expensive pesto he could find, because if he couldn’t make it himself, he was at least gonna make sure it was the best he could find. Along with that, he had also picked up some cherry tomatoes and chicken to elevate the dish a bit. Maybe this whole cooking thing didn’t need to be such a disaster after all. 

When he arrives at the apartment, Namjoon is met with Jimin, Taehyung, and another guy he doesn’t recognize discussing something, all focused and sitting on the living room floor around what he assumes to be Jimin’s laptop. 

“I think this clip is better,” Taehyung says. 

Jimin looks up when he hears the front door close, waving discreetly and smiling to Namjoon so as to not interrupt the others’ conversation. Namjoon waves back and mouths a “Hi,” then walks to the kitchen to put all the stuff he bought away, listening in to what the three men are saying. 

“No, no, but look right there. Rewind like two seconds,” the unknown man counters. “I fucked up right there, did you see that?” 

Jimin and Taehyung look at each other, their faces like two question marks. “No? It looks fine, Hobi. You’re just too critical of yourself. And besides, you look really hot so no one’s even gonna be focused on whatever mistakes you think there are,” Taehyung teases, ruffling the other man’s, ‘Hobi’ as it appears, hair. 

“Hm, I guess maybe it’s not that noticeable. Play it again, though.”

Jimin does. Namjoon tries to secretly peek at the screen from across the kitchen bar, but he can’t really see anything due to the angle in which the laptop is placed on the floor. 

Hoseok gives directions while Jimin skips backwards and forwards in the clip as requested. “Pause. Again?... Ok, I guess I can let that slide… Yeah, that looks good. Man, your footwork is perfect. Play that back, look at that. Ooooh, so fucking good, Min. Right there, that’s really impressive.” 

The blond bashfully thanks the other, complimenting him back on his sharp movements and perfect timing. 

“Alright, so this is the clip, then? You’re both happy with it? I’ll send it to Jeongguk so he can edit it and add all his cool effects.” Taehyung asks. 

Sounds of agreement fill the living room, and Namjoon decides it’s the perfect time to greet them all properly and introduce himself to Jimin’s second friend. 

“Hey guys, how’s it going?” he leads with, then reaches a hand down to ‘Hobi’. “Nice to meet you, I’m Namjoon.”

“Heyyy, Namjoon!” The man takes his hand, but instead of just shaking it, he uses it to help himself stand up. “Come here, bro, I’m so happy to meet you!” He pulls Namjoon into a friendly hug, patting him roughly on the back as if they were long lost friends finally reunited after years apart. When he steps back, he holds onto a very stunned Namjoon by his shoulders, arms outstretched and looking him up and down. 

“Waaah, you really are handsome. And I love the fit, I can see why Ji– Ow!” 

He’s cut off by a small hand tightening around his wrist and tugging on it aggressively, followed by a deathly glare. Jimin then loosens his grip and turns towards Namjoon, cheeks crimson red from embarrassment. “Yeah so this is Hoseok, he’s in my dance class and an absolute pain in my ass.” Namjoon huffs a breath through his nose and nods awkwardly. 

Still on the floor, Taehyung is trying his absolute hardest to not burst out into laughter. What a shame he doesn’t have any popcorn to watch the show in front of him. 

“Yah! I would never get anywhere near your ass.” Hoseok complains, but when Jimin throws him a second mortifying glance, he knows his days are counted if he doesn’t shut up. So he does.

“Anyways! We do dance covers together sometimes and post them on YouTube,” Jimin explains further. “We were actually just watching back all the takes from our latest one, trying to decide which one we liked best.”

“Ah, I figured it was some sort of dance talk from what you all were saying. That’s really cool, guys, I’m sure you’re amazing” Namjoon says, the air finally starting to clear from the awkwardness Hoseok had unwillingly caused. 

Jimin tucks some hair behind his ear. “Thanks, I guess we’re pretty good.”

“Pretty good? You guys are fucking crazy talented,” Taehyung finally chimes in. “Come here, I’ll show you,” he offers, motioning to Namjoon to come sit next to him. Jimin tries to protest, but Taehyung tells him he’s got nothing to be shy about, so he concedes to prevent causing another small scene. It always feels awkward to have people react to a video of you in front of you, no matter how proud you are of it. 

Taehyung presses play and it’s not the same video they were discussing earlier, Namjoon can tell because it’s a different song. A hip hop song with an upbeat tempo. Jimin thanks the heavens that Taehyung chose that one and not any of the slower, more provocative covers, because he might’ve actually had to escape the country as a whole if that had been the case. 

“Ayyyy, that’s a good one!” Hoseok exclaims, moving away from Jimin to sit on the sofa behind where Taehyung and Namjoon sit on the floor so he can watch as well. Jimin considers doing the same, but decides against it, plopping down to sit cross-legged on the floor. He can’t watch himself, he’s already cringing enough as it is. No, he can’t do it. Besides, sitting here, across from them, he can actually see Namjoon’s face, his reactions. That’s way more interesting than the back of his head. 

When both dancers appear on the screen, one entering from each side, Namjoon’s eyes are immediately drawn to Jimin. In the video, his hair is dark brown and long, much longer than it is now. The way the unstyled locks bounce on his head as he moves is really satisfying, and they frame his face perfectly. Gorgeous. After a couple seconds, Namjoon forces himself to look away from the younger’s face and hair in favour of actually watching the choreography. The two men move perfectly in sync, hitting every mark. He starts bobbing his head, feeling the music as he watches closely. Where Hoseok’s movements are precise and energetic, Jimin’s are soft and elegant. They’re both powerful dancers, and Namjoon finds the difference in their dancing styles fascinating. At a certain point, the camera zooms in on Jimin’s face, who without missing a beat smiles and winks at it. Namjoon’s already big smile grows bigger at that, and he leans in closer to the screen. Had he been alone, he would’ve definitely rewinded and played that clip over again at least four times. Absolutely entranced by the video, 3 minutes pass in what feels like seconds. It’s only when the video stops and he sees his own reflection in the black ending screen, a huge smile adorning his face, that Namjoon remembers Jimin had been watching him the entire time. He straightens up a bit and quietly clears his throat, still not looking up though. He takes a second to compose himself, then turns to look at Hoseok. 

“Wow, that was fucking awesome. I don’t even know what to say, but it’s probably the best dance cover I’ve ever seen,” he says honestly. 

“Aish, you’re just saying that because Jiminie is in it,” Hoseok pokes at him, wiggling his eyebrows in an exaggerated manner.

Namjoon stiffens, then makes the mistake of looking up at a very red, very fidgety Jimin who is once again not-so-subtly shooting daggers in his friend’s direction. Their eyes then meet for a split second, but it’s enough for a slight panic to build inside him. “No, no, I swear I mean it!” He waves his hands around frantically, trying to explain himself. “Like, of course I think Jimin looked beautiful–” Shit. “I mean his dancing, it– you know? It was beautiful. But– but you’re both really talented! And I’m not just saying that because of–” he quickly looks at Jimin again, who’s now looking down and sporting the cutest little shy smile on his face as he picks and pulls at a thread that’s poking out of the edge of his sock. Once again, he doesn’t let his eyes rest on him for more than a couple seconds, scared of being caught. 

A stuttered breath later, Namjoon turns back to look at Hoseok and speaks again. “What I’m trying to say is that I genuinely mean it. You both are amazing and the choreo was really cool, so… Yeah.”

Taehyung and Hoseok give each other a knowing look after seeing how flushed red their friend is before they both burst into a fit of laughter. 

“Wh– I’m being serious!” Namjoon sulks, eyebrows furrowing slightly in confusion as he looks between them. His heart beats heavy in his chest. 

Taehyung climbs up onto the sofa with the other, still giggling, leaving only Namjoon and Jimin across from each other on the floor. 

“Oh my fucking god, you guys are so annoying–” Jimin whines lightheartedly as he reaches for a cushion and launches it in his friends’ direction. It hits Hoseok in the face, which only makes the two friends, who had started to quiet down, start laughing again. Eventually, they do start to simmer down, taking deep breaths as they wipe the tears of laughter pooled in their eyes. “Sorry, sorry,” Hoseok clears his throat. “Thank you for the compliments, I’m glad you liked the cover,” he says.

Then, Taehyung makes the grave mistake of whispering something to his friend beside him. Which leads them to start giggling again, covering their mouths and whispering back and forth among themselves. “Guys?” Jimin complains. He can tell they’re just being playful, but at this point the giggling is getting uncomfortable, and he doesn’t like it one bit. “Could you please share what’s so funny? We’re here too, you know?” he tries to reason, but his friends just look at him and continue giggling as they try to string together some words to reply. “It’s nothing you’d want us to say out loud right now, Minnie,” Taehyung manages to say, and Hoseok laughs into his hand again then whispers something new to the other. 

“No– stop it, that’s enough–” Jimin demands again, no longer playful as irritation steadily bubbles inside him at his friends’ behaviour. “I’m dead serious, stop. You’re being childish–”

Head spinning, Namjoon tries to figure out what the funny part could be, what had made them start to laugh in the first place, so he can laugh along. Maybe he missed something, maybe he said a word weirdly during his embarrassing rant, or maybe it’s something else entirely, some sort of inside joke. But no matter how he frames it and the more they whisper, the more it feels like they’re mocking him. “I–” He shuffles uncomfortably in his spot, not sure what to say that won’t potentially make them laugh at him again. So he remains silent instead. As the two men continue to giggle above him, he turns and looks dejectedly in Jimin’s direction for some sort of answer, comfort, anything, he’s not quite sure. 

Seeing the way Namjoon has shrunken in on himself is the last straw that makes Jimin’s anger tip over the threshold. Jimin stands up abruptly and picks up Taehyung’s sweater, which had been discarded on the armrest of the sofa, and chucks it at him. 

“Get out.”

Taehyung and Hoseok stop in their tracks immediately, looking up at Jimin with blown-out eyes.

“Jimin we–” Taehyung tries. 

“No, I don’t wanna hear a word. You guys are being gossipy assholes and I want you to get the fuck out of my apartment. Right now.”

The smiles have completely washed off their faces by now, replaced by guilt and… fear?

The two friends look at each other and then back at Jimin, who has visibly reached a level of anger they have only ever seen once or twice before, although never directed at them. This is serious. 

Hoseok scrambles off the sofa with a quiet “Ok,” motioning to Taehyung to do the same, which he does. Then, Jimin follows them to the front door in silence, arms crossed across his chest like a parent who has just scolded their children. The two men take a minute to put on their shoes, and when they’re done, Jimin opens the door and simply nods towards it.

Before stepping out, Hoseok turns towards the living room, where Namjoon’s still sitting on the floor watching the scene unfold. “It was great meeting you, Namjoon.” 

The latter replies through a weak smile and a nod. He would’ve said the same thing back, if only it weren’t for the last couple of minutes. 

“And I’m really, really sorry, we weren’t laughing at you,” he adds. 

“It’s ok, don’t worry about it…” Namjoon answers quietly. It’s really not, but Hoseok looks genuinely remorseful, his whole demeanour a stark contrast to the bubbly personality he had been met with earlier, and he doesn’t want to make it worse by not accepting the apology. 

Hoseok doesn’t get to say anything else before Jimin is grabbing him by the arm and dragging him out the door. Once both of the men are outside, Jimin steps out too and lowers his voice so Namjoon can’t hear, keeping the door slightly cracked behind him. Closing it fully would feel like he’s leaving Namjoon inside all alone, and that’s the last thing he wants to do. 

“You should feel lucky I’m not a violent person, because you both deserve a good punch to the face right now. What the fuck was that? Are you six years old?? In what world is whispering like that about and around other people ok?”

Taehyung finally speaks up, silent since he was shut down a couple minutes ago. “We’re really sorry, we didn’t realize how it was coming across… I swear it was nothing bad, you just looked so shy and–” 

“I don’t care what it was. I literally asked you to stop several times and you wouldn’t listen. And now Namjoon’s all upset because of you and I’m pissed. So I hope your little laughing session was worth it. Assholes.”

“I– You’re right, sorry…” Taehyung apologizes one more time, head hanging low. 

“Friendly teasing is fine, but only when everyone is in on the joke and comfortable with it. That was not teasing, it was really fucking uncomfortable sitting there watching you whisper back and forth. It was plain rude and disrespectful, especially when it’s your first time meeting him,” Jimin says, pointed at Hoseok. 

“I– I realize that now. I promise it won’t ever happen again. Please tell him we’re really sorry, and that I hope we can meet again and spend some proper time together someday. He really seems like a great dude, Min.”

Jimin sighs and pushes his hair back. “Whatever. More than angry, I’m really disappointed in you both. Just– leave. And count me out of dinner tomorrow.”

Taehyung opens his mouth as if to protest, but promptly closes it again. It’s probably best not to push it, and Jimin is right anyways. Even he is disappointed with himself. “Ok… Sorry again, from the bottom of my heart.”

Jimin gives them one last disillusioned look then steps back inside, closing the door behind himself. Namjoon looks at him from where he’s sitting, still on the floor and a sad smile playing on his lips when their eyes meet for a second. Jimin sighs heavily. He walks over to the mint-haired man, slowly sliding down to sit closely beside him.

“Hey,” he says, swaying to the side to bump his shoulder against the other’s. 

Namjoon does the same back. “Hi…” Their eyes meet once again, but this time they hold it for a bit longer, until Namjoon can’t take it anymore and breaks it.

“That… was really uncomfortable, I’m really sorry. I don’t know what got into them, but that was not ok.”

Namjoon lies again. “No, it’s fine. I… It seemed like they just thought my rambly answer was stupid. But I meant it, I really loved the cover. You guys are great dancers, I’d love to see more!” he tries to deflect, which Jimin picks up on. 

“It wasn’t stupid, Namjoon. Nothing you said was stupid, I promise. They were the problem, not anything you said.” 

“Ok,” the older replies unconvincingly, nodding slowly and gaze fixed on his own lap. 

“Taehyung and Hoseok, they’re usually lovely people, but when they get together, they play into each other’s dumb sense of humour and today was an unfortunate example of that. But they weren’t making fun of you, or at least that’s not what they meant to do, so please don’t take it to heart. I don’t know what all the whispering was about, but I’m pretty sure it was about me and not you.”

“Hmm… I’m sorry too,” Namjoon responds. 

Jimin is utterly confused. “Wh– No, what? You did absolutely nothing wrong.”

“It’s just, sometimes I say things faster than I can think them through, and then I realize what I’m saying and I get nervous and stumble on my words trying to explain. And I guess that can be pretty funny for some people. Maybe if I’d just been able to answer like a normal person, we could’ve avoided all of this.”

The younger internally winces at the way Namjoon blames himself. 

“I don’t think it’s funny, at least not in a bad way. I actually think it’s one of your most endearing qualities,” Jimin says matter-of-factly. Namjoon’s heart skips a beat. One of? There’s several???

“What?” Namjoon asks, scanning Jimin’s face to try and discern if he’s actually serious about it. 

Jimin looks back at him and smiles sincerely. “Yeah! I don’t know if you remember, but the first time we met, you had one of these little…” 

“I call them thought farts,” Namjoon cuts in, then chuckles at Jimin’s reaction. 

“Ok, so you had one of your little… thought farts,” he giggles, then continues. “You were all worried that you’d offended me by assuming I had a child or something–” Namjoon cringes at the memory. “– and yes, I thought it was funny, but in a good way. You should know by now how much of a ranter I am myself, so I immediately knew we were gonna get along. It was cute, Namjoon.”

Cheeks tinted red, Namjoon rubs the palms of his hands against the fabric covering his thighs distractedly. “Really? I felt so stupid…”

“You need to stop calling yourself stupid, you’re anything but that,” Jimin reassures him. 

“I– Ok…” Namjoon smiles weakly in the other’s direction. “I’ll try.”

“Good,” Jimin replies. “Anyways, it was all them and there’s nothing you could’ve done differently. Nothing, ok?”

“Ok,” the older says once again, this time actually meaning it. 

With all of that cleared out of the way, Namjoon’s stomach starts rumbling. “Uhm, I’m kinda hungry, how about you?” he asks. 

“Yeah, I could go for some food! Should we order in?” Jimin suggests, picking his phone out of his pocket and unlocking it, opening his trusty food delivery app. “Anything specific you’re craving?”

“Oh. I thought– I mean, I said I’d cook yesterday so I went and bought some stuff to make, but we can order in if you’d prefer! I’m not that good of a cook anyways, so…”

The younger immediately puts his phone down. “Oh shit, I forgot. You were serious about that?”

“I– Yeah? It’s whatever though, don’t worry about it. I can just make it for myself tomorrow and then I’ll meal prep for the rest of the week,” he assures, although he does feel somewhat disappointed. 

“No, no! Don’t be silly, I’d love to have whatever you planned, Namjoonie. I’m sorry, I genuinely just forgot, with everything going on. What did you wanna make?”

The nickname once again elicits a swarm of butterflies to emerge within him, and he’s starting to really like the feeling. “Oh, uhm,” he clears his throat. “Just some pasta? With pesto sauce, which I didn’t make myself but I bought it and I think it looks pretty good… And I also got chicken and some cute little cherry tomatoes so it’s not so plain. Like I said, I’m not the best cook, but I wanted to stick to my word and cook for us since I offered, so yeah. It’s nothing special, but it could still be yummy?”

Jimin giggles and nods, leaning forward so his forehead bumps against Namjoon's shoulder for a split second. “That actually sounds delicious, I love pesto.”

The older’s face lights up and he stands, instructing Jimin to stay. “I’ll cook, you just stay put and– Oh! Hold on.” Before Jimin can say anything, Namjoon has already rushed off towards the kitchen. More than heavily endeared, Jimin raises himself so he can sit on the sofa instead. The floor can only be comfortable for so long. Namjoon comes back a few seconds later with the trusty ice pack. 

“Here, you can ice your thumb while I cook!”

“Are you sure you don’t want some help? I still have a full working hand and I don’t mind helping.”

“No, I can do it. Even if your hand was fine, I’d still tell you to just relax. I wanna cook for you, I’ve kinda been psyching myself up for it since last night, so…” Namjoon extends his arm, offering the pack to Jimin, who finally accepts it. 

“Alright. If you’re sure, then I guess I’ll just sit here and look pretty,” Jimin concludes.

“Y-yeah. Exactly,” Namjoon says and immediately bolts back to the kitchen. 

It takes him a second, but then Namjoon’s agreeing response finally sinks in and Jimin is a blushing mess. It’s not like Namjoon even directly complimented him, but Jimin will take what he can get. He sinks down on the sofa and uses his left hand to clumsily scroll through social media, glancing towards the kitchen to catch glimpses of Namjoon every once in a while. He even sneaks in a few pictures when the other isn’t looking, wanting to have something to remember the sight by. He hopes Namjoon doesn’t mind. He’ll ask for his consent to keep them later. 

❀✿❀

About twenty-five minutes later, the clattering of pots and pans and utensils stops, and when Jimin looks over to the other side of the bar, he sees Namjoon meticulously plating the food. Perfect timing. The ice pack was getting warm already anyway, so he stands up and walks around into the kitchen area.

“Mmmm, it smells really good,” Jimin comments, accidentally startling Namjoon when he comes up behind him unannounced. 

Namjoon jumps and reflexively raises his arms to his chest in defense, then turns his head around to look at the other, causing them both to laugh. “You scared the shit out of me.” He steps a bit to the side to let a giggling Jimin stand beside him as he finishes carefully garnishing the second dish with a couple cherry tomatoes cut in half. 

“Is that good? You can add more tomatoes or chicken if you want, there’s more in the pan over there,” Namjoon points out. 

Jimin shakes his head. “No, don’t worry, it looks perfect.”

“Perfect,” Namjoon echoes. “Welp, it’s all ready, then.” He lifts a plate and hands it to Jimin. “This one’s yours.”

“Is there a difference?” the younger teases, then gasps dramatically as he inspects the plated food closely. “Is it poisoned?!” 

Namjoon laughs heartily, then picks up his own plate, leading the way to sit on the kitchen bar, where he’s already set cutlery, napkins, and two wine glasses. “No, they’re the same. Only difference is that I tried to cut the first few tomatoes in a cute way I saw online, but I fucked up big time and they looked awful, so I put all of those on my plate. No poison, promise. Yours just looks nicer, that’s all.”

Jimin playfully squints his eyes. “Hmmm, ok…” He then giggles, dropping the act. “No but honestly, it does look really nice, you did a good job,” he says as he sits down across from the other. Namjoon thanks him bashfully. That’s when he notices the bottle of white wine in the middle of the bar. 

“Oh my god, you got wine too?” He picks up the bottle and looks down at it in amazement, then back up at the older suggestively. “You’re really trying to wine and dine me today, huh?”

Namjoon almost chokes on his spit. He knew the wine was probably kind of overboard, but he didn’t expect Jimin to actually question him about it. “Oh–” he coughs. “It’s nothing, really. I just thought it would compliment the food nicely. That–” He clears his throat again. “That’s all.”

Cute, Jimin thinks. “Sure, ok,” he answers, not fully convinced, then reaches for the corkscrew to open the bottle. Once the cork is off, he pours some wine into the older’s glass, then into his own. 

He raises his glass and waits for his (very handsome) personal chef for the night to do the same. He considers raising some sort of toast to Namjoon, but he can’t think of anything that wouldn’t sound overly flirty, and he doesn’t want the atmosphere to become too heavy, so he just smiles and clinks their glasses together. “Cheers.” 

As they eat, they fall into comfortable conversation about the past week, what each of them had done, what they have planned for the week ahead, and more. Jimin makes sure to compliment and thank Namjoon for the food several times, reassuring him that it’s delicious, and that he really doesn’t mind that the sauce is store-bought when Namjoon tries to take credit off himself by bringing up that fact. They laugh at Jimin’s obvious struggle to hold the fork and eat with his left hand, and Namjoon decides to do the same “to make it fair,” which Jimin finds simultaneously hilarious and adorable. A particularly miscalculated forkful of pasta misses Namjoon’s mouth, making them both laugh harder as he tries to wipe the mess away with his napkin. 

“I always knew I was clumsy, but I didn’t realize my control and coordination of my left hand was this bad,” Namjoon confesses. “I feel like a child who has just barely learnt how to use cutlery.” 

Jimin laughs again. “I’d love to say that’s not how you look, but it kinda is.”

“Hey!” he complains, but continues giggling anyways. 

“You missed a spot,” Jimin says after they’ve calmed down, tapping at his own chin to signal where. 

“Ah.” The older swipes the napkin against his chin, accidentally making the droplet of oily sauce spread across it instead of cleaning it off. “Did I get it now?”

Jimin shakes his head and chuckles. “No, you actually made it worse. It’s kinda everywhere now.” 

“Ugh, let me see…” he starts patting his pockets, looking for his phone so he can use the front camera as a mirror, but it’s not there. He gazes along the surface of the table and even turns his head to check the kitchen counters, but it’s nowhere to be seen. “Where did I leave my phone now? I swear, I lose it like five times a day. I’ll go clean it off in the bathroo–” 

“No, no, there’s no need. I uhm, I can do it. If you want,” the younger cuts in. 

Namjoon quietly blinks a few times, almost as if he’s loading. Weighing out his options, he guesses the easiest probably is for Jimin to get it for him. It’s just the most convenient, he tells himself, then agrees before he can overthink it and change his opinion. “Yeah, ok.”

“Ok, look up for me?” Jimin picks up a clean napkin, then tries to reach across the bar, but it’s too wide. “Uhm, hold on,” he says as he hops off his stool and walks around to the other’s side. Namjoon turns his body to face the direction the blond is coming from, trying not to look too stiff and awkward. The closer Jimin gets, the more it feels like the world is going in slow motion in Namjoon’s head. His eyes first focus on the hand that’s approaching his face, and when it’s too close for him to see it anymore, he lifts his eyes and is met with Jimin biting the side of his lip in concentration as he delicately wipes the sauce off. He looks stunning this up close, but Namjoon doesn’t get nearly enough time to take in all his features before the other is pulling his hand away and looking up at his eyes. “There,” he says. “All clean.”

For the second time today, their eyes linger on each other’s for longer than their usual split second. “Thank you,” Namjoon almost whispers, scared that if he speaks any louder he’ll ruin the moment. Or at least what he thinks is a moment. Yoongi would probably tell him it is, so it must be, right?

“Mhm…” is all Jimin replies. Neither of them looks away for what feels like ages, but is only a couple seconds. Shy smiles grow on their faces, and this time, it’s Jimin who breaks the eye contact when he gives into the temptation of looking down at Namjoon’s dimples. 

Feeling shy, Namjoon looks down then turns his body back towards the bar. He needs to create some distance between them or he might explode. Scratching his neck, he talks as he watches Jimin walk back and settle on his own seat. “Now I really feel like a child, needing someone to clean my chin and shit,” he plays it off. “Thanks again.”

“It was my pleasure,” Jimin grins shyly, busying himself immediately after by continuing to eat. The two men finish off the little food they had left within a minute or two, during which they no longer speak. Instead, they steal sneaky glances at each other every once in a while and sip on their drinks until those too are empty. 

Jimin breaks the silence as he puts down his glass for the last time and sighs, content. “That was the best meal I’ve had aaaall week. Thank you so much for all of this.”

“Ah, you give me too much credit, it was really a low effort dish. But I’m glad you liked it so much.” 

“Namjoon.” His face is serious now, almost stern. “You offered to cook even though you claim not to be good at it, then you spent time trying to figure out what to make, then you went to the store and bought all the ingredients. And wine, may I add! And then you came here and prepared everything by yourself, simply because you wanted to. That’s not low effort, do you hear me?”

Scared of how Jimin might react if he even tries to deny it again, Namjoon agrees. He guesses he did put much more effort into the whole thing than he thought. 

“You could’ve made me a fried egg and it still wouldn’t be low effort, ok? You did well, and I’m genuinely super grateful for the meal and your company, so please just accept the compliment.”

Namjoon takes a deep breath and nods. “Ok, yeah, I’m sorry.” As soon as he says that, he realizes it’s the wrong answer, because Jimin’s brows furrow once again.

“Or– Thank you! I meant to say thank you. I… accept the compliment.”

“As you should.”

There’s a couple seconds of silence, the atmosphere settling down again, before Namjoon reaches for the wine bottle and decides to speak again. “Do you want some more?”

Jimin scrunches his nose and shakes his head. “Ah, no, I’m ok, thank you.” 

“You didn’t like it?” The older asks, putting the bottle back down. 

“No, I did! It was delicious. It’s just that wine gets me tipsy really fast, and I’m not sure you want to meet tipsy Jimin.” 

Curiosity bubbling within him, Namjoon has to ask. “Why, what’s wrong with tipsy Jimin? Sounds like he’s violent,” he teases. 

Jimin giggles. “Violently clingy and touchy, yes. So unless you want me clinging onto you like some sort of koala for the rest of the night, I should stay off the wine.”

“Ah,” Namjoon simply replies. He shouldn’t have asked. He really shouldn’t have, because now here he is, imagining what that would be like, how much he actually would enjoy it, even if he won’t admit it out loud. 

“We can save the wine for some other time, hm? Maybe tipsy Jimin can meet tipsy Namjoon one day,” Jimin suggests cheekily. “What’s tipsy Namjoon like?”

Namjoon purposely avoids addressing the first part of what Jimin said, proceeding to just answer his question. “Well, uhm, I think he’s just… freer? He’s not as self-conscious, I guess, not as much of an overthinker as sober Namjoon. He’s definitely a lot more carefree and fun,” and a whole lot hornier, but he’s not about to tell Jimin that. 

“I think you’re fun already,” Jimin assures him. “But I do believe tipsy Jimin and tipsy Namjoon would really get along. They sound like they would have some fun together, don’t you think?” Jimin knows he’s probably being a tad too suggestive, but he’s grown a liking to making the older blush. Sue him. 

Namjoon gulps. His heart is thumping in his chest and he thinks he might combust when he can feel even the tips of his ears burning hot, but he somehow manages to reply. “Yeah, we– they would.” 

“Glad we agree,” Jimin says with a wink. He stands up and picks up both of their plates, almost skipping around to the kitchen and putting them in the sink to be washed later. Meanwhile, Namjoon just sits still in his place, processing whatever the fuck just happened. He needs a break and a cold splash of water to the face, so he excuses himself and scurries off to the bathroom. 

[rkive]

H e l p 

Jimin wants us to get tipsy and “have some fun together”

And I agreed 

[agustd] 

ALREADY? 

damn you move fast, just a couple hours ago you were whining to me about not being able to even hug him properly 

[rkive]

Not today!!!!

Some other day

[agustd]

ok, so why are we freaking out about it now?

[rkive]

Because!!!!!!!!!!!

I don’t know, but I can’t help it

He’s really cute most of the time and then gets really hot and flirty out of nowhere

Giving me whiplash (×﹏×)

[agustd]

lmao

listen, just focus on the moment

you’re in a safe environment with a guy you obviously really like 

take the opportunity to push your boundaries a bit

step out of the fortress or whatever it was i said and ask for what you want or need

[rkive]

What if I don’t know what I want or need

He’s so confident 

And I’m not and it’s embarrassing

[agustd]

then you can let him take the lead and see where that gets you 

if you like it, great, let it happen

if you don’t, you can hit the breaks

remember it’s ok to let him know if anything is too much for you 

if he’s as good as you say he is, then he shouldn’t mind slowing things down 

[rkive]

He’s amazing

But ok, yeah, I can do that 

Thank you 

I’m gonna go now before he thinks I’m avoiding him

[agustd]

good idea 

enjoy yourself 

❀✿❀

As soon as he opens the door, Namjoon is met with Jimin standing right outside, hand up in a fist, clearly about to knock. 

“Oop– Hey there,” the younger giggles. “I was just gonna tell you that I’m gonna change into something more comfortable, in case you wanna do the same. Chilling in these clothes is not ideal…”

“Ah, yeah, definitely. I’ll go change too.” 

“Cool!” Jimin says, skipping off into his room and closing the door behind him. 

Namjoon is the first one out, so he heads to the sink with the intention to wash the dishes as he waits. Might as well get it done already. He’s only halfway into scrubbing one of the plates with a soapy sponge when he hears Jimin whine from the hallway, the voice getting closer and closer. 

“Noooo, is that you doing the dishes I hear? You don’t have to do that, you already cooked. I’ll do them later.”

“It’s ok, I don’t mind. Just give me five minutes and I’ll be done,” Namjoon counters. 

Jimin is now standing beside him, almost drowning in an oversized fuzzy sweater that somehow makes him look tinier than ever before in Namjoon’s eyes. 

“Nuh-uh, I’m not letting you,” Jimin says, closing the tap. “My house, my rules.”

Namjoon just turns the tap back on. “Yeah, and I clearly remember it being stated in the rules that I have to wash whatever I use. So I am following your rules.”

“Oh, is that how you wanna play it? Then I’m adding a new rule right now.” He turns the tap off again. 

Namjoon turns around to face the other, amused, his hands dripping with water and soap over the sink. “Yeah? And what’s that?”

“Guests aren’t allowed to use my dish soap anymore. It’s expensive, so you should be buying your own. Which, oop– that means you can’t wash anymore!” he says as he snatches the sponge away from Namjoon’s hand and drops it by the side of the sink. 

“Now come onnnn,” Jimin whines once more, this time wrapping his hands around Namjoon’s arm to tug on it. “Let’s go, come on,” he tugs and tugs.

“But–”

“No buts! It’s my new rule, effective immediately and valid until tomorrow morning, when you will be allowed to use my soap again unless I ever decide to reinstate the rule.”

Namjoon chuckles and shakes his head at the ridiculousness of this so-called new rule, but with the way Jimin practically begs for him to leave the dishes, he has no choice but to quickly dry his hands on the tea towel hanging on the side and let himself be dragged by the arm into the living room. 

The blond doesn’t let go of Namjoon’s arm until they’re seated on the sofa, side by side. “Ok, so what movie did you want to watch?” he asks as he picks up the remote, turning on the TV. 

“Oh, I actually don’t know?? You can pick,” Namjoon replies. He really hadn’t given it much thought.

Jimin turns his whole body around to face him, a little smirk playing on his lips. “So you asked me for a movie night… Without even having a movie in mind?”

“... Yeah? I really don’t mind what we watch,” he confesses without thinking, and smiles warmly at the other. 

“Hmm, ok!” Jimin concedes, holding in the question he so desperately wants to ask. Does that mean you simply want to spend time with me? Maybe he’s deluded himself, maybe he’s reading too much into it, but he has a feeling that if he were to ask, the answer would be yes. Or something that would suggest a yes, knowing Namjoon’s tendency to try and beat around the bush. 

“How do you feel about watching something that’s not a movie?” the younger asks. 

“What, like a series?” Namjoon readjusts himself so one of his legs is folded under himself, the other still dangling from the edge of the sofa, then leans back on the backrest. 

“No, I was thinking more along the lines of something with little to no plot. I just wanna watch something light, you know what I mean? Like a baking competition or one of those home makeover shows where they do ridiculous shit like putting slides inside people’s houses? Or, oh my god, what about Queer Eye?! Ugh, I loooove Queer Eye, even if it makes me bawl my eyes out almost every episode,” he laughs. 

Namjoon’s posture stiffens as he straightens his back at the mention of the show. “Ah, I’ve never watched that…”

“YOU’VE NEVER WATCHED QUEER EYE?” Jimin is scandalized, truly and honestly. 

“No, but my, uhm… my ex watched it all the time so it would always show up on our ‘continue watching’ thingy? But I really don’t know much about it.” Honestly, Namjoon had actively avoided Queer Eye as much as he could during his last relationship. He felt like it could potentially lead to conversations he wasn’t ready to have with her at the time, so it was safer to stay away from it altogether.

“Wow, I can’t believe that. He really did you a disservice there by not getting you into it too,” Jimin remarks. 

An uncomfortable knot immediately forms in Namjoon’s stomach. “Hah, no, uhm. She, actually. She did ask me if I wanted to watch it with her a couple of times, but I never did, so… That’s kind of my bad, I guess.” 

Jimin’s eyes widen. “Shit, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have assumed– Sorry.”

“No, it’s alright! Don’t worry about it, it’s not a… baseless assumption to make, but, uh, yeah. Both my exes are women, actually.”

“Oh! Yeah, ok. Cool!” Jimin suddenly feels bad. He knew there was a chance Namjoon wasn’t even into guys, but with how well things had been going, he had completely pushed that thought aside. So has he really been making it all up in his head? Has he misconstrued friendly interactions as something more? No, there’s no way. Or maybe there is? It wouldn’t be the first time he mistakes kindness for flirting, just to later find out the person is straight. But, all the blushing? And what about the tension whenever they so much as brushed into each other? How about the sudden shy compliments?

Namjoon can almost see the wheels turning in Jimin’s head, notices the way he tenses up and discreetly shuffles back so he’s not sitting as close. Shit.

Here goes nothing. “Uhm. You’re clearly wondering, so I feel like I should clarify?” Jimin blinks and is about to tell him he really doesn’t have to, but the older speaks again before he can utter a single syllable. “My last relationship, it ended because I needed to figure myself out. She was great about it, we ended it on really good terms. But I haven’t dated anyone since then.” He pauses for a second. “Or, uhm, really talked about any of this in detail with anyone other than my best friend Yoongi. Until now. Which, I– I don’t mean to spring this on you or overshare, and I hope this doesn’t make you uncomfortable or anything, but– I don’t know.”

Jimin shakes his head vigorously, visibly relaxing his previously tensed posture. “No! No, it’s ok. I’m sorry, you don’t have to say anything, I’m not entitled to any sort of clarification and I didn’t mean to–”

“I know. I know,” Namjoon cuts him off. “But I think I feel comfortable enough to tell you, and I want you to know. I’ve never actually done this before, though, not really, so uh. If you give me a second, I’ll try. I want to try, ok? Please just– hear me out?” 

Scooting closer, Jimin puts his hand on the other's knee reassuringly. “Ok, yeah, of course. You’re good, Joon. Take your time, I’m listening.”

Namjoon lets out a shaky breath, looks down at the hand and then back up at Jimin, who nods at him as if to urge him to go on. “Thank you,” the older smiles softly. “Yeah, so I’m still… working some things out within myself. There’s some things I struggle with, personally. But I’m working on it! I really am.” Jimin squeezes his knee lightly at that in silent support.

“Anyways, I guess what I’m trying to get at is that yes, my only romantic relationships have been with women, but, uhm, that doesn’t mean– I don’t– Ugh. Why is this so hard?” His head hangs low, face buried in his hands in frustration. He has gotten this far, he knows what he so desperately wants to share, has known it for years, and yet here he is, struggling. Whatever is blocking him, he doesn’t know, but he’s not sure knowing would make it any easier.

“Hey, hey, can you look at me?” Namjoon shakes his head. “Ok, that’s alright. I’m pretty sure I get what you’re saying. You don’t need to say anything else if you’re not ready, ok? I understand.” 

“I really want to, though, which is what’s so stu–” He stops himself. “So infuriating. Not stupid,” he says, uncovering his eyes and peeking up at the other’s face. 

Jimin giggles, endeared. “Exactly, never stupid. You’re doing well.”

The older nods, then takes a deep breath and raises his posture so he’s no longer hunched over. “It’s– I don’t actively hide it or anything, it’s sort of an open secret? Like, everyone around me finds out one way or another. Whether they see me with someone, or someone else tells them, or I mention it in passing. But I never have extended conversations about it like this or share an actual label with anyone, really. That feels very private to me, so I keep it to myself… And it’s not because I’m ashamed of it or anything! Not at all, not anymore. I love that part of myself.”

The younger listens attentively, nods along and smiles, hums in agreement here and there, rubs his thumb on the other’s knee when he feels him tense up, which seems to help with calming him down. 

Namjoon continues. “And I’m sure you would have found out eventually if I didn’t tell you like I am now. I actually was waiting for the right moment to mention it in conversation so you’d know without needing to have this… this long, overly complicated explanation,” he huffs out a nervous laugh at his own words, feeling some pressure starting to creep up in the back of his eyes. He pushes his hair away from his face. “Yoongi says that when I feel comfortable and want to do something, I should just go for it. I really… struggle with letting myself do that most of the time.” Deep breath. “But I want to, with you. I’ve been trying, at least.” Another one. “The point is I’m bi? Or like, I am! It’s not a question. Uhm.” Unsteady eyes cross paths with Jimin’s before they quickly look down. “So that’s– that’s it. Yeah.” His voice wavers as he finishes. 

“Oh Nam– come here,” the younger rushes, pulling the other into a tight hug, which he reciprocates immediately. “Thank you so much for sharing that. I’m really honoured that you felt comfortable enough to talk to me about it.” The older simply nods, face buried into the top of the other's shoulder as a few heavy tears silently spill out. 

“You did great, that was great,” Namjoon squeezes tighter at that, loving the comfort the other so easily provides. A couple seconds pass, Jimin rubbing soothing circles on Namjoon’s back before he half-whispers. “Hey, are you crying or is my shoulder sweating profusely?”

Namjoon chuckles wetly. “Definitely your shoulder.”

Jimin giggles, pulling away slightly so he can see the other’s face. “Woah, I’m so sorry for getting your face so wet with my gross stinky sweat,” he jokes as he starts swiping away the tears. “I should get that checked out.” 

The older drops his forehead on the damp shoulder once again, hiding his face as he alternates between laughing and sniffling. “You really should.” 

“Are you alright?” Jimin asks softly. 

“Mhm, just overwhelmed.”

“Alright, let’s just take a moment, then,” the younger consoles.

They stay like that, Namjoon letting his breath even out as Jimin lightly continues rubbing circles on his back. This is nice. Way nicer than their stiff hug the night before.

“I’m really sorry if you felt forced to come out because of my assumption or my reaction or anything,” Jimin says quietly when he feels Namjoon’s relaxed breathing pattern again. 

Namjoon pulls away and shakes his head. “No, it’s alright. I understand you were… confused, because obviously– yeah. And like I said, it’s not a secret at all. It felt good to actually say the words out loud to someone for once, though.”

“Yeah?” Jimin smiles fondly as he swipes away the last remnants of tears on the older’s face. 

“Hmm,” he affirms. “Really good.”

“Then I’m happy I could be that someone,” the blond says, pulling away fully this time. “Let me get you some water,” he offers, going and returning to the sofa within a couple seconds. Namjoon thanks him, then takes the glass and drinks it up in just a couple slurks. 

“I don’t mean to drag the conversation on more than necessary, but I think you might like to know this. Tae is actually bi too, and he’s dated both men and women before. His last ex was actually also a woman. And we didn’t have the best experience with him today, but I promise he’s actually a really really great guy. I know for a fact he would be more than happy to talk to you about it, if you ever wanted to. Whether you want some advice, or just someone who can relate to you completely, it could be nice. And maybe you already have other bi friends–” 

“I don’t, or, like, not that I know of.” 

“Alright. Well, yeah. I obviously won’t out you or tell him anything unless you give me permission to, but just say the word and I’ll put you two in contact whenever you want, ok?”

“Yeah, ok. Thank you, that actually would be really nice, I think. You can tell him if you want, that’s totally fine with me.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah, definitely. I mean, like I said, I’m not not out? Everyone around me knows, ever since my second year of uni. That’s when my ex and I broke up and it’s also when I met Yoongi. Which was an absolute blessing because he kinda took me under his wing when I most needed it and helped me figure everything out.”

“If I ever meet him, I’m gonna give Yoongi the biggest hug. He sounds great,” 

“He is, you would like him. He’s a bit of a tsundere, but I’m convinced he secretly loves hugs.”

“I’ll keep that in mind, then,” Jimin giggles. “Anyways, I can tell Taehyung. Not sure when, ‘cause he’s on my naughty list right now along with Hoseok, but I’ll let you know when I do.”

Namjoon chuckles. “Cool, thanks again.”

“No problem!” Jimin smiles sincerely. “So uhm, do you still wanna watch something? We don’t have to, though! Only if you feel up to it. We can also just talk some more. Or if you’re tired and want to go to bed already, then that’s fine too. Whatever you want.”

“Jimin, it’s only 9pm on a Saturday,” the older responds, taking a hold of the TV remote which had been discarded between them somewhere. “Of course we’re still watching something!” He passes the device to Jimin. “Like I said, you can choose. Just, maybe not Queer Eye, if it’s gonna make us cry.”

Accepting the remote, Jimin laughs. “Yeah, good point. So definitely no Queer Eye today.” He scrolls through the options on the screen, landing on a baking show. “How about this, then? Light and fun, yummy treats and good vibes, hm?” 

“Sounds perfect,” Namjoon replies, moving to what has become ‘his’ side of the sofa to sit more comfortably. He watches as Jimin presses play, but much to his surprise, he doesn’t move to the other edge as he usually does. Instead, he scoots over and sits right next to him. 

“Have you watched this before?” Jimin asks, crossing his legs under himself. 

“No, have you?” Namjoon asks, and when he looks down, he’s greeted by the close up view of Jimin’s delicate features looking up at him. 

“Mhm! Not this season though, it came out yesterday, I think? I usually watch stuff like this when I can’t sleep. Which is pretty often, so I’ve watched pretty much every baking, dating, and makeover show on the platform. And also half of the documentaries. And all the rom coms, even the really bad ones.” 

“Wow, that’s kind of impressive actually,” Namjoon chuckles. “I always take so long trying to choose, that I end up falling asleep before I can even decide on anything. Guess we’re the exact opposite of each other there.”

“Yeah, I can’t be too picky,” Jimin shrugs. “I’ll watch pretty much anything if it keeps me from being bored or thinking too much,” he comments like it’s a joke, but it weighs heavy on Namjoon’s mind. “Anyways, look! They’re showing them the first challenge.” 

❀✿❀

They get through two 45 minute episodes in a row, giggling at the ridiculous creations of the contestants and reacting out loud to each other. 

“That’s not gonna work. There’s no fucking way.” 

“Oh god, oh god, it’s falling apa– NOOOOO!” 

“Ok that actually looks delicious. I’d eat that.”

It’s fun and light, just like Jimin had said. When the second episode ends and Namjoon yawns, the younger pauses it to prevent another one from playing automatically. 

“Sleepy?” he asks. 

Namjoon rubs his eyes and nods. “A little, but we can watch another one! I can stay up for a while longer.”

“Are you sure? It’s been a long afternoon, you deserve a good night’s sleep.”

“Mhm, one hundred percent sure. Lemme just get some snacks and I’ll stay up with you, yeah? I can sleep in tomorrow if I need to.”

Jimin turns his whole body towards him, his face contorting. “What? 

“I’ll stay up as long as you do!” the older smiles. 

“Nonono, my sleep schedule is fucked up. You’re not staying up with me, Namjoon.”

“Yes I am. I can’t do it every day because of work, but I don’t have anything to do tomorrow. So I’m staying up.”

“Namjoon, I’m serious…”

The older turns his body fully towards the other as well, holding his ground. “I’m serious too. If I can keep you company, then I will. I want to, so please let me.”

“But–”

“Please,” Namjoon repeats, 

Jimin sighs, but accepts defeat. “Ok, if there’s nothing I can do to stop you…”

“There really isn’t,” Namjoon smiles, then stands up. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m getting some snacks for us.”

“I can’t believe you,” Jimin rolls his eyes lightly, suppressing a chuckle. “Only one more episode though, ok?”

Namjoon ignores that. “What kind of snacks do you want? Sweet or savoury?” 

“I want you to agree to my terms.”

“Sweet or savoury, Jimin?” he repeats. 

“... Sweet. The ones that are shaped like little fruits,” the younger gives in. “One episode,” he repeats. “That’s it.”

“Hm, sure,” Namjoon says as he sits down on his spot again. 

Jimin crosses his arms, petulant. “No, you have to promise tha–” He’s unable to finish the sentence as the older stuffs three pieces of candy in his mouth and presses play. 

“Shhh, it’s starting!” 

The blond sends Namjoon a sharp side-glance as he chews, but then instantly softens once he feels a hand on top of his head ruffling his hair. Then, Namjoon’s arm drops down between them, staying there as Jimin shuffles around a bit in his spot, trying to find the most comfortable position to sit in. He’s been sitting upright for two episodes already and it’s beginning to prove to be a struggle. He usually prefers to be cuddled up while watching TV, either with someone else or by himself with a blanket, curled up on the edge of the sofa as he had done the night before. But tonight, after everything that had happened throughout the day, moving to the other side would’ve felt wrong. So, he had made a decision to sit upright (and uncomfortably) in favour of being as close to the other as possible. But there’s only so much his poor back can take, and it’s beginning to bother him. Maybe he can–  

“That’s way too many marshmallows, it just looks like a blob!” Namjoon comments as the preview for the episode plays, cutting off Jimin’s train of thought. “God, I hope it doesn’t actually end up looking like that…” 

Jimin continues to shuffle around, only nodding as a response. 

“Something wrong?” the older questions, turning towards the other when he can’t ignore the incessant adjusting and readjusting of Jimin’s legs and torso beside him any longer. 

“No, I’m good. Just been sitting in the same position for too long and I’m feeling it in my back a bit. Don’t worry.” 

“Ah.” Namjoon replies simply, nodding. If he’s being honest, his position isn’t the most comfortable either, but he’s used to long hours sitting in the same position because of all the time spent in the studio. “You could lay down over there, maybe?” Namjoon suggests, motioning towards the other end. 

Jimin shakes his head. “Nah, here is fine.” 

“You know, laying down would probably help you get sleepy as well,” Namjoon points out. “Win-win, helping your back and starting the wind-down process so you’ll fall asleep easier.”

Jimin snorts. “If it were that easy for me to get sleepy, I wouldn’t be awake for as long as I am every night. Besides, it’s not a win-win if I have to sit all the way over there by myself.”

“It’s not that far,” Namjoon cuts in, teasing. 

Jimin smacks his arm with his hand. “Shush, it’s far to me! I like sitting close to my friends, thank you very much.”

“We’re friends?” Namjoon blurts out. 

Jimin looks straight at him in disbelief. “What kind of question– Of course we’re friends?”

“Oh. Ok,” Namjoon nods, a smile slowly spreading across his face and cheeks tinting red. 

The blond has to stop himself from cooing and throwing himself into the other’s lap to kiss him silly. “You’re adorable, did you not think we were friends?”

“I– No? I mean, yes? Like, yes, I considered you a friend but I didn’t know if you did too, or if it was weird of me since I’m just like… a guest renting a room here?”

“Namjoon. Do you really think I would willingly spend every single afternoon for a week straight with you if I didn’t consider you a friend?"

Namjoon nods and blushes once again. “Ok, well then… I’m happy we’re friends. Officially.”

“Officially, yes,” Jimin giggles. “Now that we’ve established that, maybe we can…” he trails off, sneaking one arm around Namjoon’s beside him and using the other one to pull it into a loose hug, cuddling up to him. “This ok?”

The older breathes in before he breathes out a shaky “yeah.”

“If there’s one thing you should know about me, it’s that I love cuddling and I think cuddling with friends is one of the most under-appreciated forms of cuddling there are.”

“I uhm– I know.” 

“You do?”

“Yeah, you told me the first time I was here.”

“Oh? I’m surprised you still remember,” Jimin says.

I remember everything you’ve told me, he thinks, hoping the younger can’t hear the way his heart is threatening to beat out of his chest from the proximity. He hums as a response. 

“So you’re ok with this?” Jimin motions to their entangled arms. “It’s up to you. Just say the word and I’ll back off, ‘cause I know not everyone loves physical contact as much as me.”

“Yeah, it’s all good. I uhm… I never cuddled with any of my friends before, though, or anyone other than my exes and my parents when I was younger. So it’s been a while…”

“How long is a while?”

“Uhm, well my ex and I broke up four years ago so…”

Jimin gasps. “FOUR YEARS?! Namjoon, oh my god, I wouldn’t have survived.”

Namjoon laughs at the other’s disbelief. “I mean, I never really thought much about it. But you’re clearly a pro, so maybe you can reintroduce me to the world of cuddling.”

“I hope you’re aware of what you just did by telling me this, you have unleashed the cuddle beast within me,” the younger says.

“The cuddle beast doesn’t sound too bad,” Namjoon plays along. 

Jimin chuckles. “It’s really not, it wants one thing and one thing only. Very easy to please.”

“Well, it better get started if it’s gonna make up four years worth of cuddling in the span of one week,” the older points out humorously, to which Jimin’s face instantly contorts into a pout.  

“Ugh, don’t even remind me… I’m gonna miss you! What day were you leaving again?”

The steady beating in Namjoon’s chest picks up speed at the thought that Jimin likes his company enough to miss him when he’s gone. “Saturday, in the morning.” 

Jimin breathes out in a sigh, dropping his head to the side to let it rest on Namjoon’s shoulder, the latter once again feeling the effects of it on his heartbeat. “Wish you could stay longer.”

Hesitantly, Namjoon reciprocates the gesture by letting his own head rest on top of the younger’s, letting it stay there for just a couple short seconds before he lifts it again. “Me too.” 

Usually, he would try to find the positives in a situation, find a silver lining. He would love to tell Jimin he will be back soon, but he doesn’t actually know when that could be. So far, he has received good comments on his work at the trial, but no concrete agreements or plans for an actual long-term contract with the company in the future. Saying anything about returning, at this stage, would be making empty promises. On top of that, he’s not sure he can handle making any plans with Jimin, because if he did and he for any reason couldn’t fulfill them, it would suck way more than not having any plans in the first place. It’s better this way, he tells himself. So he stays quiet, forces his eyes and mind to focus back on the show; frantic contestants rush to finish mixing up cake batter as quickly as possible before pouring it into tins and putting them in the oven. 

Jimin seems to do the same, pressed up against his arm. Once his heart has calmed down a bit and Namjoon thinks he’s safe, though, Jimin speaks again. Softly, testing the waters.  

“Your thought fart earlier today after you watched the dance cover was really, really cute. Made me blush, you know?”

Oh god, it’s happening again. Jimin is being flirty again and this time Namjoon recognizes it straight away, making a thousand alarms sound off in his head. Through them all, though, he can faintly hear Yoongi’s voice as he has done most of today. It’s ok, breathe, let it happen. 

Jimin waits patiently as he feels Namjoon breathe in and out. “I did?” is all Namjoon manages to respond, thoughts running a thousand miles an hour in his head. 

“Mhm. Do you remember what you said?” Jimin asks, raising his gaze to discreetly look at Namjoon’s face. Blazing red, as expected. 

He knows exactly what Jimin is referring to, but isn’t sure he can bring himself to actually say it again. “Yeah, I said… I said you’re really talented.”

“Mhm, thank you,” Jimin says as he readjusts his head to look up at the older with big eyes, not letting his temple detach from the shoulder below it, tone innocent. “What else?”

“I… I don’t think I remember,” he lies, avoiding Jimin’s gaze. 

“I do. Want me to remind you?” the younger half-whispers, hugging the arm between his tighter. 

Namjoon nods softly.

“You said I looked beautiful.”

“Ah.” Namjoon feels like his face is about to melt off. 

“Did you mean it?” the younger asks shyly. “Or did you actually just misspeak when trying to say the dancing was beautiful?” 

Swallowing down his growing nerves, Namjoon provides a truthful answer. He wouldn’t want the other to think he didn’t mean it, or that it wasn’t genuine. Potentially upsetting him just to avoid a question is not an option. “I uhm… I meant both. Both you and your dancing are so beautiful, Jimin.”

All of the younger’s confidence dissolves almost instantly as he melts into a fit of cute little giggles on the other’s shoulder. Namjoon chuckles along with him, in disbelief that he actually managed to say that out loud, on purpose this time. Progress? He thinks yes. 

“Hey, ok, ok,” Namjoon deflects once he’s able to collect himself. “Come on, let’s continue watching, we’ve missed the whole first part of the episode.” 

“I don’t care about the show, let’s talk about how beautiful you find me some more, I wanna hear it,” Jimin teases, nudging the other’s shoulder with his head as he shakes his arm playfully.

Namjoon tries to pry his arm away in retaliation for the teasing, but fails miserably with how tight the small but mighty blond is holding on. “No, I think that was enough,” he laughs. 

After some more bantering back and forth, the two eventually settle down and actually pay attention to the show, commenting as they watch as they previously had, the only difference being Jimin curled around Namjoon’s limb, only letting go for a couple seconds here and there when he reaches for snacks. Once the episode is over, the younger is quick to grab the remote and turn off the TV. 

“Alright, that’s it. One episode done.”

“Are you sure you don’t wanna watch some more? I’m fine with staying up, I promise.”

“I know, and I appreciate it so much, but I really don’t want you to stay up any longer just because of my dumb sleeping issues.” Jimin finally peels himself fully off the other’s side, instantly missing the warmth it provided. “You should go to sleep, I can tell you’re tired.”

“I am, but I really do wanna stay up with you,” he frowns. "Are you not tired yet?”

“Oh I am, I pretty much always am. It’s just the falling asleep part that’s hard.”

“Hm.” Namjoon remains quiet for a couple seconds, thinking, then stands up and beckons Jimin to follow him along the hallway towards their rooms. 

Before stepping in without permission, Namjoon asks. “Is it ok if I walk into your room?”

“Yeah, of course. But what are you–?”

“Shhh, just go along with it. Can I move your pillows and stuff around?”

Jimin just nods, confused. He watches as the older takes his pillows and moves them from the top to the bottom of the bed, to the side Jimin’s feet would usually go. Then, he flips the duvet around too, before asking Jimin to hop into bed. 

“What? Like, laying this way?” he questions. 

“Yeah! Just get in and hold on. I’ll be back in a sec.” Namjoon leaves the room and walks the couple of steps right across the hallway to the guest room, doing the same with his pillows and duvet. Meanwhile, Jimin follows the other’s directions and, as weird as it feels, gets in bed the wrong way around, his feet facing the headboard. 

A minute or so later, Namjoon appears back in Jimin’s room. “Perfect, are you comfortable?”

Jimin sits up a bit, feeling awkward having a conversation laying down while the other stands. “I mean, sure? But why–”

Namjoon interrupts him with a raised finger before turning off the lights in Jimin’s room and the hallway, then opens both bedroom doors fully and walks into his, turning that light off too. Jimin watches through the door frames, across the short breadth of the hallway, as the other man crawls into bed, and lays back down from the sitting position he had adopted not more than a minute ago. Both laying on their sides, they can only see each other’s upper torso, from just below the shoulders and up.

“Ta-da!” Namjoon smiles. “This way we can talk for a bit more while also resting our bodies, and maybe it’ll work like when you study around other people, you know?”

“I don’t,” Jimin responds, shifting around and fluffing up his pillow under his head to lay more comfortably. 

“Like, you know when you’re sitting down somewhere, like a library or even just with a friend, and you feel more motivated to study or work yourself because you don’t want to be the one person who’s not getting anything done? It makes you feel like you have to as well and limits you from getting distracted by other things as easily. You know what I mean now?”

The blond nods, biting his lip to contain a smile now that he sort of understands the point of this whole thing. He hides the bottom of his face behind the pillow he’s hugging, only letting his eyes peek above it. 

“Yeah… So I thought maybe this could work the same way. Maybe if you see me sleeping, you’ll be able to fall asleep faster? It’s kind of silly now that I’m trying to explain it out loud– ” he yaws, words getting slurred and slowed down as he continues to speak, “–but I thought it’d be worth a shot. This way neither of us can stay up on our phones because the other will notice. And, uh, if there’s anything on our minds that’s keeping us awake, we can talk to each other about it to get it out, if we want. And uhm, if there’s anything I can do to help, just let me know.” His eyes shoot up at his own words, a now familiar and endearing kind of panic settling into his features. “Not that I think you need my help, I know you’re an adult and disturbed sleeping patterns aren’t usually easy to fix, and I don’t mean to pretend like I know shit because I don’t, but–”

“Joon,” Jimin chuckles breathily, lowering the pillow to hug it tight against his chest now. “It’s ok, I think this is a lovely idea."

“Yeah? ‘Cause we can totally just close the doors and forget about all of it. Although I would still recommend that you sleep in this position, sometimes just changing the direction you lay in in bed can help you sleep better, it does for me!”

“I swear, it’s good. It’s perfect, really. We can stay just like this. Thank you.” 

“Ah, no need to thank me. I’ll probably doze off pretty quick now that I’m laying down, but I’m here if you need, ok?”

“Mhm… Feels like we’re having a sleepover,” the younger comments, words slightly muffled because of the way his cheek is being squeezed against the pillow.

Namjoon’s smile spreads wide across his face, eyes closing as a consequence. His dimples are covered by the duvet on top and the pillow on the bottom, but Jimin knows they’re there, has committed their exact placement to memory by now.  

“It does. Feels like we should be sharing our deepest darkest secrets and playing truth or dare or something.”

Jimin snickers. “Tae and I used to play truth or truth during high school.”

“Truth or truth? How does that work?”

“Exactly how you’d think, it’s basically just a Q&A. We were too scared of doing any dares, so we simply didn’t give ourselves the option to. Which, in hindsight, was a good thing because I’m sure it would’ve landed us in suspension, what with all the crazy shit Tae would be able to come up with if given the chance.”

Namjoon laughs, but it’s cut short by another big yawn. 

To both of their surprise, this makes Jimin yawn too. 

“Oh my god, see? My theory was correct. You’re getting sleepy from watching me get sleepy, aren’t you?” Namjoon asks, tone as enthusiastic as his low energy levels allow it to be. 

“I think I am, yeah. And I don’t think it’s even past midnight yet.”

“Think I might let myself fall asleep now, if that’s ok? I can stay awake a bit more if you need,” Namjoon checks. He doesn’t have to, Jimin thinks, but he appreciates the fact that he does more than he could ever express. 

“No, it’s ok. You’ve done more than enough today.”

“Hmm, ok,” Namjoon answers, already letting his eyes fall closed. 

“Good night, Joonie. Thanks for a lovely afternoon,” the younger whispers, 

Namjoon’s last sleepy words come out completely slurred, his voice only operating at 10% capacity. “Y’deserve only th’best… Nighty J’minie.”

Jimin remains quiet for the next couple of minutes, watching the older’s breath even out into a steady inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale. The urge to pick up his phone and scroll for a couple more hours to distract himself itches at the back of his mind, but he doesn’t. Instead, he focuses on watching the way Namjoon’s discoloured hair splays out on the pillow, on memorizing the content expression he fell asleep wearing, on trying to follow his breathing pattern. And before he knows it, Jimin himself is falling into a deep, peaceful slumber, warm memories of a delicious dinner, confidential conversations, and heartfelt hugs swirling in his mind.