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By the time Jungkook makes it onto the train, he’s just about had it. His shirt is stuck slightly to his back, a combination of sweat from the dash from his last class of the day to the station in an effort to be on time and the sudden downpour that had come down on him halfway during said dash. There’s a burn in his lungs from the wintry air, but his cheeks and neck are flushed, hair stuck to his forehead under his beanie. If it weren’t rush hour, he would be shrugging off his jacket, but as it is, he’s squashed between the carriage door and four other people around him with just barely any room for his chest to expand with the large sigh that he heaves.
At least he had put in his earphones before he left class. The stereophonic sound of soft funk and dreamy foreign vocals surrounds him and mellows his mood out more than it would if Jungkook had had to stand sardined in a carriage that was silent save for loud breathing, shuffling and the occasional cough or sniff. He closes his eyes, leaning back against the door and bobbing his head minutely while Kali Uchis sings about flowers blooming, beginning to relax ever so slightly. Just under ten minutes, and he’ll be home.
The train lurches suddenly, jolting him out of his fantasy of the cups of ramen and pack of cheese slices he was going to go to town on back at his dorm. On instinct, his hands flail out in an attempt to find something to brace against and balance himself, and Jungkook manages to latch onto something firm and calm his suddenly pounding heart. The something is distinctly warm, and it’s only when it curls around his palm does he look down and realise he’s managed to grab the hand of a stranger.
“Oh my goodness, I’m so sorry!” He bows his head as he lets go of the hand, before looking up at its owner and oh . The stranger before him is a young man, whose bewildered expression slips right off his face as they make eye contact, looking more collected in a blink of an eye than Jungkook has ever tried to be his whole life. He’s good-looking, both soft and angular in his facial features, and he seems to take in Jungkook for a moment, before he shrugs and says something. Jungkook fumbles to pull out an earphone, pausing his music in the process, before eloquently managing a, sorry, what?
“I said, ‘it’s fine’,” replies the other, nodding dismissively, and Jungkook feels his stomach swoop at the deep and smooth timbre of his voice. He wants to groan in embarrassment; at the fact that he’s still kind of sweaty and a hot mess, and the proximity of an attractive guy who he has just been an awkward, sweaty mess in front of. Oh, God, he probably smells.
Don’t do anything stupid, Jeon Jungkook.
“Thank you?” he blurts, cheeks warming as he immediately berates himself for making it sound like a question. The corner of the stranger’s mouth quirks up for a moment, before mimicking Jungkook’s tone.
“You’re welcome?” he answers, making Jungkook laugh and divert his eyes. It then comes to his attention the train isn’t moving, and suddenly his mouth is.
“Why have we stopped?” He wonders aloud.
“Dunno. Some kind of problem with the train, probably.” Though he wasn’t really expecting an answer from the attractive guy, it’s a logical and obvious one. His words are shortly followed by the PA system sounding above them and an announcement that a train along the line has broken down, and they’ll be here a little while.
People begin to shuffle slightly, making sounds of discomfort and turning their attention to messaging their worrying loved ones that they’re going to be late, no doubt. Jungkook doesn’t bother; his closest thing to a loved one is his best friend Taehyung, and he’s a hundred percent certain the boy is not going to be worrying about him because he’s got a date with his boyfriend Namjoon. He puts his earphones back in and scrolls through their earlier conversation.
The apartment’s all yours tonight, Jungkookie, he had texted that morning. Take advantage of my dick appointment and make your own!
Already made one , Jungkook had replied, my right hand appreciates the privacy!
He’s thrown out of focus by a slight movement in his peripheral and a muffled voice, and looks up to make eye contact with the attractive young man again, who is looking at him as though expecting an answer to something.
“Huh?”
“What are you listening to?” The other repeats, nodding down at Jungkook’s phone. The movement ruffles his fringe, a flash of dyed gray hair peeking out of an equally gray beanie. Jungkook tries not to stare. “You looked like you were enjoying your music earlier.”
There’s another flush making its way up to his cheeks as he realise the man had seen him bobbing, and he grimaces. “Ah - you saw that?”
“Well, you’re right next to me, so yeah,” the guy deadpans, letting out an amused huff when Jungkook cringes again, “It was cute that you were so into it.”
“Cute?” he croaks, and the man’s eyes widen as if he only just realises that he called a total stranger that, suddenly looking flustered.
“Uh,” he coughs, blinking rapidly a couple times. “...Yes.”
“I was listening to Kali Uchis,” Jungkook continues, trying not to flush again because wow, a cute guy? Called him cute?
The other’s eyes widen again, curious. “Oh. The track with Bootsy Collins and Tyler, The Creator?”
“Yeah," he finds himself grinning and nodding, pleasantly caught off-guard by meeting someone who knows the song. "It’s too good!”
“Truly. Her vocals are so unique, Tyler is a god, and Bootsy Collins is a legend. He’s so good at making music,” the man agrees, matching Jungkook's grin with a muted one of his own. “You can’t listen to it and not feel good.”
“True,” Jungkook says, a little surprised by the other’s sudden discourse. “You sound like you know about that side of music.
“A little,” he replies, looking down like he’s confessing a secret. Jungkook teases, “You look more than ‘a little’ excited talking about it.”
“I study music production,” the guy offers, by way of explanation. He says it quietly, purposefully making eye contact with Jungkook, who becomes aware of the potential around them for judgemental looks. But there’s conviction in his tone, and Jungkook feels a wave of respect for him, maybe a bit of awe.
“Oh? That’s so cool!” Maybe a lot of awe. “What’s your name? So I can remember it when you’re famous.” He mentally pats himself on the back for the smoothness of his line, though he was more trying to encourage the other, who huffs another laugh and shakes his head.
“Nah, I’m not gonna be famous, kid. But I’m Min Yoongi.”
“Jeon Jungkook. And you will be,” He enthuses, giving Yoongi a cheeky smile as he continues, “When you’re making music with, I don’t know, Kanye or something, my claim to fame will be that I once accidentally held Min Yoongi’s hand.”
Surprise registers on Yoongi’s face, and for a second Jungkook thinks he got a bit too comfortable with the other man, before he’s rolling his eyes. “That’s a pretty poor claim to fame. You should at least include that if I shake Kanye’s hand, then you’ve shaken it too.”
Jungkook snorts, then nearly chokes as Yoongi gives a big smile, teeth and gums on display at their banter. He’s not a little bit smitten, but he’s officially convinced that incisors can be cute.
There’s another jingle of the PA system turning back on above their heads, and the moment is forgotten as the announcement comes through that the train ahead of them has been fixed and they can now resume their journey. And so it does - the train jolts into motion again, Jungkook stumbles again , but this time he’s gripping two hands instead of one.
He apologises and thanks Yoongi for steadying him again, willing his heart to stop doing the thing while he looks down at both their joined hands. He wants to let go, and should probably let go, but as he looks up again, Yoongi just shakes his head slightly.
“Well, now you can say you’ve held hands with the famous musical genius Min Yoongi twice.”
Jungkook does not giggle, but the sound he lets out makes the other smile at him, and he pulls his hands away, both because he’s held hands with a relative stranger for longer than probably appropriate and because they’ll probably start sweating any second now with how hard his heart is still doing the thing . It feels like a natural end to their conversation, so he nods, not trusting himself to say something foolish.
He moves to put his earphones back in, before a thought occurs to him and on impulse, he follows it through, offering one of the earbuds to Yoongi. The other blinks down at the hand in front of his face, before accepting it, much to Jungkook’s delight. He looks up at Jungkook, offering him a soft upturn of his lips, and Jungkook grins back. He’s not a little bit smitten, but the train lights must just be so bright because it looks like the other man’s eyes are sparkling.
Rewinding the track, they both listen to Kali’s motivating words and Tyler’s metaphorical rap, bobbing their heads in time, occasionally meeting one another’s eyes. With each stolen glance and smile, pieces seem to fall in place in Jungkook’s mind, and by the time the train is at his stop, he’s decided to act on his impulse again and it feels very right.
And all you had to do was try.
Yoongi thanks him and wishes him a safe trip home as he hands him back his earphones. Their fingers brush, and Jungkook uses the pleasant shock of contact to motivate him further, leaning so his mouth is by the other’s ear.
“Take care, Min Yoongi. If I see you again, I’d like to maybe hold your hand a third time.” And then he’s dashing off the train, into the rain, and back home and his cheeks are still red, his heart is still pounding, but there is a giddy smile blooming on his face and a warmth in his chest.
(He's more than a little bit smitten, and a week later, he gets Min Yoongi’s number and holds his hand a third time. And a fourth, and a fifth. He loses count eventually.)