Chapter Text
Yoongi had run out to the grocery store while Namjoon was in the shower, and had evidently just gotten back when he emerged. It was only mid-day on Saturday, and Namjoon had sort of assumed that they’d be having a lazy day of not doing much. So here he was, still damp and actually sort of sleepy, and here Yoongi was, already in somewhat of a frenzy of activity, unloading groceries out of tote bags onto the counter.
“Good morning,” Namjoon said, watching Yoongi pull out heavy cream, baking chocolate, and cocoa powder among other things.
“Morning,” Yoongi replied abstractedly, in that tone of voice that meant he was very, very focused on what he was doing.
So Namjoon stayed off to the side of the kitchen and made himself a cup of tea. Yoongi finished sorting through the groceries and then started getting out other ingredients and some mixing bowls.
“What are you making?” Namjoon asked quietly, staying safely off to the side and sipping his tea.
“Chocolate lava cake,” Yoongi replied shortly.
“What’s the occasion?” Namjoon prompted curiously, putting his hand on his chin.
Yoongi paused what he was doing, looking a little glassy-eyed down the chopping block he had placed the baking chocolate on, then looked up at Namjoon. He looked confused himself, as if he couldn't figure out why anyone would bother asking the purpose of an impromptu eleven a.m. lava-cake session.
“I…just wanted some,” Yoongi finally answered. “It sounded good, and then I thought, well fuck, I’m a grownup, I can just make myself some whenever I want it.”
He looked a little crestfallen then.
“It was just an impulse,” he went on, then started putting stuff away.
“No, don’t stop,” Namjoon said lightly, feeling bad that he had accidentally made Yoongi feel bad about the whole thing. “I was just curious!”
“Maybe it would be better later in the day,” Yoongi said weakly.
“Let’s have it now,” Namjoon said encouragingly, thinking quickly of a way to get Yoongi to eat some real food too. “We can have a really fancy brunch, like we’re at a Vegas buffet or something. I’ll make poached eggs and slice up some of the leftover beef.”
Namjoon thought he might even be able to slice a strawberry into a little swan, buoyed by the power of Yoongi’s relieved smile at his suggestion. Yoongi went back into his intense focus mode, whipping up ganache and cake batter and prepping some muffin tins. Then the pan was in the oven and Yoongi turned with equal fervor to the dirty dishes he’d generated. Then he dried the dishes, and then started clanking around in the cabinets.
“Augh, we have to reorganize all of this!” he complained. “It’s gotten all stacked up weirdly!”
“Hold on,” Namjoon laughed, putting down the carton of eggs he had just gotten out, hoping to have the rest of brunch cooked at the same time, and putting an arm around Yoongi’s waist. “One thing at a time.”
“I bet I can get it all put back in by the time it’s ready to eat,” Yoongi protested, still peering at the cabinet rather than at Namjoon.
“Let’s do it together, afterwards,” Namjoon countered.
Yoongi let out a long blustery sigh.
“You’re right,” he finally said. “I think I’m getting too hangry. Where’s the beef, I’ll slice it up for you.”
So Namjoon kissed him on the cheek, Yoongi closed the cupboard, and they worked side-by-side in the kitchen.
Soon enough, they were sitting down together enjoying their impromptu Fancy Vegas Brunch - Namjoon had even chopped up chives to sprinkle over the eggs. Once they’d eaten the nutritious stuff, Yoongi made Namjoon turn around while he prepped the cakes, so that he could do a reveal. So Namjoon oohed and aahed gratifyingly when he was finally allowed to look, presented with a cute little plate with a powdered-sugar dusted cake, that indeed oozed melty chocolate ganache when cut open with a fork.
“Oh, this is delicious,” Namjoon enthused. “What a great idea. Fuck yeah adulthood,” he concluded, raising his glass of water to Yoongi.
Yoongi smiled, with a cute nose-crinkle, and lifted his own glass to clink against Namjoon’s.
“Fuck yeah adulthood,” he echoed happily.
Namjoon took care of the post-eating dishes so that Yoongi, who was raring to go on his reorganization, could get started right away. By the time he got the dishwasher started, Yoongi had made it through the messiest cupboard already, restacking the glass dishes and nesting the lids and pulling out some things that had fallen in the way back. He showed no signs of stopping though, so Namjoon simply stepped in then and helped him get things out of each cupboard, but let him be the one in charge of putting them back in.
“We should get rid of these old scratched ones,” Yoongi observed once he made it to the cupboard with their pots and pans.
“Sure,” Namjoon agreed. “Let me get a box, we can put aside everything we want to throw out.”
Finally, Yoongi made it through all fifteen separate cupboards and shelves, and got everything put back in - except for four plastic souvenir cups (now warped) and two old pans (now scratched) that Yoongi placed in the box and Namjoon took out to the trash.
“Well!” Namjoon said when he got back in and spotted Yoongi sitting on the couch. “That’s that!”
“Yeah,” Yoongi said, though he didn’t sound happy.
“What’s wrong?” Namjoon asked, coming to sit next to him.
“I dunno,” Yoongi mumbled. “I just thought…I thought I would have more of a feeling of accomplishment doing that.”
Namjoon wasn’t sure how to answer that.
“Ugh,” Yoongi said. “ Ugh,” he repeated more forcefully, “it’s just one of those days, sorry.”
Namjoon leaned in and gave him a hug.
“Well, you worked really hard all morning,” he said soothingly, “you went shopping and made a really delicious cake and reorganized the whole kitchen. And I really appreciate it.”
Yoongi tightened his arms around Namjoon instead of answering. Namjoon smiled.
“So I think, even if you didn’t get as much of a serotonin boost as you were hoping, you still deserve to relax the rest of the day, okay?” he concluded.
“Okay,” Yoongi agreed poutily.
⁂
One thing led to another, and by late afternoon they were sitting on the couch drinking tea and taking turns picking movies. Yoongi was wrapped up in a blanket, still looking distinctly grouchy even as he sipped his tea. He finally put his mug back down and put his head sideways onto his hand, propping it up on the couch. Namjoon glanced over and saw that his eyes were teary.
“Aw, hey, what’s wrong?” Namjoon asked him softly, reaching over and caressing his leg through the blanket.
“Nothing,” Yoongi insisted, rubbing his eyes. “This sucks.”
“Just, talk to me, please,” Namjoon said insistently, pausing the movie and scooting closer.
“I just feel sad for no reason,” Yoongi complained thickly. “Just sad and empty and stupid. I tried distracting myself and staying busy and focusing on work and thinking positive and all that junk and, just, nothing has worked this week. Everything is annoying. Myself most of all.”
“I’m sorry,” Namjoon said, scooting closer, trying to wrap Yoongi up, though he stayed rather limp and listless in the face of his efforts.
“No, I’m sorry,” Yoongi grumbled back. “I’m a pain in the ass.”
“You’re not,” Namjoon contradicted him straightforwardly. “I love you. I wish I could help you feel better.”
With some effort, Namjoon finally managed to get his hands shoved around Yoongi and manhandle him a little closer. Yoongi flopped over and let himself be pulled in.
Finally, he spoke again.
“Can you squish me?” he asked in a small voice against Namjoon’s chest.
Namjoon instantly tightened the hug, pulling in Yoongi as close as he could.
“Like this?” he asked.
“Yeah, but lying down?” Yoongi requested.
So Namjoon let go of him again, and Yoongi laid on his back on the couch, and Namjoon crawled up over him. With an exaggerated, satisfied grunt, he plopped himself on top: his head on Yoongi’s chest, tucked just underneath his chin, his arms up around Yoongi’s shoulders, his hips between Yoongi’s thighs, and his feet dangling over the other arm of the couch. Then he imagined himself as a blob of goo, pressing down over his boyfriend like a sentient weighted blanket.
“Is this okay?” Namjoon whispered.
Yoongi just hummed in reply, so Namjoon reached over for the remote and started the movie back up again. Yoongi reached his hand up and threaded it through Namjoon’s hair. Namjoon could feel his heartbeat under his ear.
A few minutes later, as the movie went on, Yoongi’s fingers had run through Namjoon’s hair a few times, and now were fidgeting with his earlobe. Namjoon smiled. He was sure that Yoongi’s heartbeat was a little slower and more relaxed underneath him. Yoongi tilted his head down above him, and gave him a little kiss on the top of his head. There was nowhere he’d rather be.