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Yoongi pulled up his hood to stop the cold breeze from reaching his neck. Shit, it was chilly outside.
The darkness of the night couldn't penetrate the lights of the "bad part of town", as Jin called it. Yoongi didn't think it was inherently bad. Yes, there were bars and tattoo shops (and he's pretty sure he saw a dude with a bag full of needles) but that didn't mean everything there was bad. Yoongi viewed the world a little differently than his friends, he guesses, because his work is so accepting and open. Jin's- not that he's a bad person, but being a CEO definitely isn't based on morals. It came with a big paycheck, though, and Jin made sure Yoongi leeched off of it as best as he could.
Every time Yoongi left Jin's condo downtown to walk to the dilapidated parking garage where he left his expensive-ass car, Jin would ingrain into his head that, "Yah, Yoongi-ah, I may pretend like I don't love you but I swear to my beautiful ass, if something happens to you, I will never forgive myself. If you need a ride to your car, don't be afraid to ask, alright?" And Yoongi would nod along, open the door, and mutter, "love you too, hyung," before closing it and leaving the building.
Yoongi preferred walking, anyway. The night air was bitter, that's true, but walking down a lit street while sirens went off in the distance and people lumbered in and out of shops and bars- that felt weightless, airy, free.
Well, sometimes.
Yoongi passed some bar and yet another tattoo parlor before coming up to an old bus stop. The parking garage was just past it; he walked by the run-down thing every time he came from Jin's. The seats inside were old and rusted, probably not safe to sit on, and the plastic panels on the back were crowded with posters and papers and all sorts of paint and adhesive.
As Yoongi got closer to the bus stop, he heard soft sniffles and shaky breaths. A speck of bright pink was illuminated by the nearby street lamp, and as Yoongi got closer, he noticed those sniffles and that bright color were from the same place.
A boy was leaning against the back of the bus stop. He was sitting with his knees bent and his hands holding his head and Yoongi could tell, even from a few feet away, he was shaking. The poor guy was probably cold, Yoongi noticed. His jeans didn't reach the top of his black tennis shoes and he seemed to only be wearing a graphic tee on his top. Yoongi also couldn't help but notice the vibrant shade of his hair barely lit by an overhead street lamp. His sniffles grew into whines- he was crying.
Well fuck this standing around, Yoongi thought. Yoongi was a good person and had gone through things like this himself. He felt an obligation to help the kid.
Yoongi approached the boy, careful not to be too abrupt or loud. "Hey, you need someone right now?"
The boy looked up, probably shocked that anyone noticed him. He stared at Yoongi with tears in his eyes before hurriedly speaking. "O-oh- Um. I'm," he paused to sniffle, "I'm fine."
Yoongi let a small smile appear on his face before sitting on the ground in front of the boy, positioning himself close enough to touch his lower leg, but not actually touching. "Kid, I'm a licensed therapist. I can tell when someone needs to let everything out. Talk to me if you want, tell me to leave if you're uncomfortable. Otherwise, I'll be right here with you." Yoongi said, almost a mechanical action by now.
The boy looked at him like he'd grown another head. Tear stains caught light in the street lamp, accentuating his rosy cheeks. He looked adorable. "You're a therapist?"
"Yeah, I studied music therapy in college and got a BD for it. I work with cuddle therapy, too." Yoongi smiled. "I know I don't look the part, with the ear piercings and the wardrobe, but I know what I'm doing."
The boy nodded in acknowledgment and stared down at his hands that were resting on his knees. Car sirens wailed far away and faint music from the bars filled the air.
"What's your name?" The boy didn't attempt to make eye contact.
"Yoongi. What's yours?"
"Jimin."
More silence. Distant shouts came from some store and someone threw a glass on the floor. Neither of the boys flinched.
"Are you-"
"I didn't-"
Yoongi and Jimin both huffed a small chuckle. Jimin had cracked a smile, and Yoongi called that an accomplishment. "You first, Yoongi." He said, still not making eye contact with him, though his gaze flicked up for just a moment.
"Are you cold?" Yoongi asked. The chilly breeze hadn't relented, and it probably wasn't going to in the near future.
Jimin moved to play with a strand of fabric from a hole in his jeans. "Just a little. I'll be fine."
Yoongi lifted off his hoodie and placed it in Jimin's lap. Yoongi wasn't that cold, anyway. Okay yes, it was super cold earlier, but that was before Jimin came into the picture. Yoongi was wearing a long-sleeved shirt and a beanie. Jimin was wearing a t-shirt. He needed the hoodie more.
Jimin finally met Yoongi's gaze, lifting up the hoodie and pushing it in Yoongi's direction. "Nono, I'm really fine, here, take it-"
"Wear it. If not for your sake, for mine."
Yoongi watched Jimin's rosy cheeks become even rosier. "Um. Thank you." He fit the sweatshirt over his head and pulled it down. It was big on Jimin- well, it was big on Yoongi in the first place, he liked his clothes baggy- but it was even bigger on Jimin.
"Your turn."
"Huh?"
"Your turn, say what you were going to say when we interrupted each other."
Jimin pulled up the hood of Yoongi's sweatshirt with little sweater paws. Adorable. "Oh, okay. Well- uh, I was gonna say I didn't know people could just- cuddle one another for a living." Jimin's eyes were bright. The tear stains on his cheeks were the only remnants of his breakdown.
Yoongi smiled. "Yeah, I get that a lot. But its a really great experience that helps a lot of people." Yoongi caught Jimin's eye while he spoke. Success. "Most of my clients are touch starved, or going through a tough time in their life, and it really helps them with that. I can truly say I love my job."
"Cool," Jimin said quietly, avoiding eye contact once again. He opened his mouth to say something but closed it slowly.
"Jimin," Yoongi started, "would you like me to cuddle with you?"
His head snapped up immediately, meeting Yoongi's eyes again. He shut his eyes briefly and took a deep breath before opening them. "Yeah," he breathed, "I'd love that."
Yoongi moved so he was sitting with his legs crossed right in front of Jimin. "Sitting on a slab of concrete isn't usually how I do this, but we'll make do. Let's lay down the rules first."
Jimin quirked his eyebrow. "Rules?"
Yoongi nodded and pulled out his phone, entering the code and searching for his list of rules. "Yes, rules. First," Yoongi put up his pointer finger, "The main goal by the end of this is to make you feel comfortable by using consensual, non-sexual touch, okay?"
"Got it."
"Awesome. Here's my first rule: You tell me when you don't like something, and I do the same. And, kind of a sub-rule to that one, I'm going to ask you about things before I do them. For example, may I touch your ankle?" Yoongi hovered his hand near Jimin's ankle. Jimin nodded and Yoongi sighed. "You have to tell me verbally. Action isn't clear consent, words are."
Jimin released a heavy breath. "Okay, yeah. Yes, you may touch my ankle."
Yoongi gently wrapped his large hand around Jimin's ankle. "Perfect, you're doing well already. Second rule: I'm never going to ask to touch you in any bathing suit area. Cuddling isn't sex, it's cuddling."
Jimin smiled and nodded. "I'm good with that rule."
"Good. The third rule is kind of pointless in this weather, but both of us need to have a top and bottom on. I don't know about you, but I don't plan on being shirtless in this cold."
Jimin laughed slightly and Yoongi considered it another success. "Neither do I."
Yoongi laughed at Jimin's answer and caressed his ankle with his thumb. "You better not. My last rule varies among cuddlers, but: There will be no saliva exchange whatsoever. I'm fine with kisses and things of that sort, but no licking or making out. Of course, if you don't want to be kissed, I won't do it."
"Um, I'm fine with being kissed, I'd like it a lot actually. Probably not on the mouth though, that makes it romantic for me." Jimin said, finally more comfortable with Yoongi.
"Noted," Yoongi replied, putting his phone in his pocket and tapping his head. "Anything else you're uncomfortable with or specifically want me to do?"
Jimin hummed and stared into space for a bit before coming up with an answer. "I like it when people give me nicknames- especially cute ones."
"What do your friends call you?" Yoongi asked.
"Uh, it varies a lot, I guess. I don't really like it when people call me mochi. They mean it in a nice way, but it just makes me feel like I'm weak. And- I went through a lot of physical struggle for people to call me weak." Jimin runs one of his hoodie-covered hands along his arm before interlocking his hands. "I like when they call me Jiminie or Chim."
"Things like baby and love- should I call you those too?"
"Please."
Yoongi laughed quietly. "Yeah, I can do that. Anything else?"
Jimin shuffled his legs so one was lying on the floor. "Um, I'm a really touchy person and I haven't been getting a lot of that lately. Most of the time I'm the big spoon but I really just want to be hugged right now."
"Sure, I can help you with that too," Yoongi said. "May I hold your hand?"
"Yeah." Jimin unlaced his hands and put one in Yoongi's.
Yoongi squeezed Jimin's hand. "Thank you. Now, what do you do if you don't like something?"
Jimin took a deep breath. Yoongi sensed he was nervous, so he took his other hand off of Jimin's ankle and wrapped it around the hand he was holding. Jimin exhaled loudly and shyly smiled at Yoongi in thanks. "If I don't like something," he said, "I tell you about it."
"Perfect." Yoongi smiled, showing his gums. "And if you do that, I'm going to say 'thank you for taking care of yourself' and we'll stop and talk about what you want to do. Got it?"
"Got it."
"Good. May I kiss your hand?"
Jimin giggled and his eyes turned into little crescents. "Of course," he said with a smile.
Yoongi placed a light kiss on the back of Jimin's hand, holding it with both of his own. He heard Jimin's breath hitch and moved one hand back to massaging Jimin's ankle. His other hand held Jimin's, their fingers intertwined. "Want to try a cuddle position?" he asked.
"We don't exactly have a bed or a couch to cuddle on, Yoongi," Jimin said, relaxing into Yoongi's hold on his ankle. A car beeped in the distance, adding to the comforting lull of the city.
"That isn't needed. This concrete slab will do. As a cuddler, I was trained to make you comfy, sunshine. Let me make you comfy." Jimin frowned from the lack of contact as Yoongi shifted with his back to the bus stop, sitting next to Jimin. "Believe it or not, this is a cuddling position. Not what I had in mind, though."
Jimin interlaced his hand with Yoongi's. "Why would you use the position we're in now? It doesn't provide much physical affection. Oh- and, uh- may I lean my head on your shoulder?"
"Feel free to touch me however you feel like, I'll tell you if I don't like something." Yoongi felt the weight of Jimin's head fall onto his shoulder. "This cuddle position is called companioning. A lot of people who come to me are awkward with touch at first, so we just sit side by side and talk."
"I can see why people would like this, it's very reassuring and safe," Jimin said, words vibrating the bone on Yoongi's shoulder, "but I'd prefer to be held."
Yoongi squeezed Jimin's hand. "Let's do that, then. We can try Papa Bear."
"How does that work?"
Yoongi bent his knees and spread his legs apart. "You would crawl into my lap, facing away from me, and I'd give you a big hug from behind," Yoongi said, mimicking hugging someone.
Jimin lifted his head off of Yoongi's shoulder. "Let's try it, then."
The two maneuvered themselves into the position, with Yoongi's hands interlaced with Jimin's rather than hugging him. Jimin was smaller than most of Yoongi's clients, making him all the more cute in Yoongi's lap- especially in Yoongi's hoodie. "May I play with your hair?" Yoongi asked.
Jimin nodded. "Yes, please." Yoongi released one of his hands and brought it up to Jimin's head, but Jimin whined. "Wanna hold your hands too..."
Yoongi chuckled and brought his hand back down to play with Jimin's. "I only have two arms, baby," Yoongi could feel Jimin melt at the pet name, "you gotta choose."
Jimin whined and whimpered for a bit as if that would make Yoongi grow another arm before Yoongi lifted up Jimin's hand and kissed the back of it. Jimin finally sighed and said, "Play with my hair, please."
Yoongi complied and brought his hand up, pulling down his hood and running it through the strands of Jimin's pink hair. Jimin hummed in appreciation. Yoongi noticed Jimin's smell- something like baby powder, flowers, and a hint of peppermint. "Do you want to be quiet and relax or do you want to talk about stuff? People like to do both."
Jimin turned his head, looking at Yoongi as best as he could. "Can we talk about things?"
"Yeah, of course." Yoongi said. He had started petting Jimin's hair softly, running his fingers through it every once and a while. "Anything specific or just want to talk?"
"Just wanna talk, I think."
Yoongi hummed as Jimin rubbed Yoongi's pointer finger with his thumb. "Tell me what your friends are like."
"Alright," Jimin started. "Well, they're very fun people. It's not hard to make them smile." Jimin grinned at the thought. "We all go to the same college. We're in different years, too. Jeongguk's a sophomore, Taehyung and I are seniors, and Hoseok is in his first year of a Master's."
Yoongi laughed. "So you're the middle child of the group?"
Jimin smiled, moving so his head was resting on Yoongi's shoulder, still facing away from him but able to see his face better. "Not exactly. Hoseok is kind of like the big brother, and we're all the little siblings. He's very affectionate, loves giving us hugs and kisses. He's a ray of literal sunshine."
"He sounds like he would be a great cuddler. Might wanna recruit him someday." Yoongi said teasingly.
"He'd be really good at that." Jimin's empty hand rested on Yoongi's knee, fingers tapping at random. "Jeongguk is very muscular. I swear, when I first met him, it was like someone put the head of a nine-year-old on the body of a pro-wrestler." Yoongi laughed at that, squeezing Jimin's hand. "Gguk is modest and so hard-working. He's really shy, too, it took him a while to warm up to us."
Yoongi hummed in acknowledgment. "He sounds like a sweet boy."
Jimin chuckled. "Don't let that deceive you, he's a brat too." Yoongi and Jimin both giggled at his answer. "Tae is my best friend, to put it simply. He's an amazing person, kindhearted, smart, handsome, he's got it all." Jimin's smile morphed into a slight frown as he looked down at his hand, now holding Yoongi's. "He's also the reason I was crying just now."
Yoongi lifted his hand out of Jimin's hair and grabs one of his, giving it a small kiss and urging Jimin to keep speaking. In the short quiet, the two heard the noises of the city road- cars with big engines driving by, dogs barking, far away chatter. It made Yoongi feel calmer, having grown up (at least, through his late teenage years) with Seokjin and Namjoon in the city.
"We- um. We got into a fight a few days ago. It was over something pointless- I don't remember. We were both a little tipsy and we said things we didn't mean. I stormed out. We share a dorm, so I- I've been taken care of by Hoseok recently." Tears welled up in Jimin's eyes, he was obviously trying to fight it. Yoongi could hear the tightness in his voice.
"May I kiss your cheeks, baby?" Yoongi asked. Jimin hummed in approval and Yoongi squeezed his hand. "Words, love." He reminded.
"Anywhere on my face," he whispered, "ears, too. Please."
Yoongi nodded before leaving small, light kisses up Jimin's cheekbone and planting one on Jimin's forehead. "Wanna stop, love? There's no shame if you do." Jimin shook his head. Yoongi kissed the tip of Jimin's ear. "You don't have to tell me everything, sunshine. If it's just making you more frustrated, we can talk about something else or have quiet time."
"No, no, I like it. The tears came out pointlessly before, they're meaningful now." Yoongi nodded and relaxed into the cheap plastic of the bus stop wall, letting Jimin continue. "Where was I?" Jimin asked.
"You were talking about how Hoseok was taking care of you, I believe."
"Right. Yeah. I've been at Hoseokie-hyung's place recently, and he told me Jeongguk has been at my place with Tae. I just-" Jimin sniffled and Yoongi squeezed his hand in reassurance, "I feel so bad. Not only for what I said but not being there for him.
"Tae and I, we've known each other since high school. We're each other's platonic soulmates. We love each other. We know every habit they have, every grudge they hold, every family tradition the other has. I feel so bad because I'm not there with him right now, giving him the love and support he needs." Jimin let out a deep, shaky breath. "Jeongguk is with him, I'm grateful for that." Yoongi squeezed Jimin's hand before moving it to play with his hair. Jimin seemed to instantly relax, head lolling back on Yoongi's shoulder.
Jimin seemed like he was done, so Yoongi decided to chime in. "The best thing you can do is talk to him, Minnie. Tell him all of the things you told me, and take it from there."
Jimin closed his eyes. His tears had seemed to cease. "That's what hyung has been telling me. That's why I'm out here tonight, too. His place and the bars here are the same distance from his place to the dorms. I was going to talk to him but I wasn't ready so I turned this direction, hoping to get wasted at a bar, but I just couldn't do it. So I sat down here and cried." Jimin turned his head towards Yoongi, close enough his nose touched Yoongi's chin. "You know the rest."
Yoongi nodded and pressed a small kiss to Jimin's nose, making him smile and his eyes turn into crescents. Adorable. "Do you feel like you could talk to Taehyung now?"
Jimin bit his lip and shook his head. "Not yet. I think my brain is ready, but my heart still needs time to cool off." Jimin looked back down at his hand holding Yoongi's. "Hoseok is going to kill me. I told him I'll call him when I get home. That was two hours ago."
"Jimin, you should have called him!" Yoongi accused.
Jimin squirmed and brought their interlocked hands to rest on his thigh. "My phone's dead."
Yoongi planted a big kiss on Jimin's cheek, making him squirm even more. "You'll just have to use mine, then." Yoongi gently let go of Jimin's hand (making Jimin whine yet again) before pulling his phone out of his pants pocket. He quickly entered the code and gave the phone to Jimin so he could dial Hoseok's number.
Jimin punched in the number and pressed the call button. Leaving one hand to hold the phone up, he dropped his hand onto Yoongi's and held it tight. "I hope you don't mind," Jimin said, "but I'm putting him on speakerphone." Yoongi squeezed Jimin's hand and shrugged, and suddenly a voice came from the phone.
"I'm only answering because this random number could be Jiminie."
Jimin's smiled at Hoseok's blunt approach. "It's me, hyung. I called to-"
"Park Jimin-ah! You are in so much trouble! You should have called me HOURS ago! Are you okay? Are you in jail? Wait, are you being forced to do this phone call? Damn it Jiminie, if I wasn't already at the airport I could save you from your kidnappers! Fuck, I'm doing it anyway. Keep talking Jiminie, I'll try to find your location-"
"Hyung! I'm fine! No one is forcing me to make this phone call." Jimin rolled his eyes, making Yoongi smile and place a quiet kiss on his forehead.
"Oh, thank fuck. People are already staring at me. Where are you? Are you safe?"
Jimin nodded even though Hoseok couldn't see him. "I'm perfectly safe, Hobi-hyung. I'm near all of those bars and that parking garage, the one near your apartment."
"How did you get over there? Wait... whose phone are you using? You better not have taken a drunk's phone! There are so many pervs out there, probably want you for the sex-"
"Hoseokie! Will you calm down?" Jimin looked to Yoongi for help.
"Hi, Hoseok, Jimin's using my phone," Yoongi said flatly. He ran his fingers through Jimin's hair as a silence fell over the line. Yoongi squeezed Jimin's hand, trying to calm his nerves.
"...Well, you don't sound drunk. Jimin, mind explaining what's going on?"
Jimin let out a sigh of relief. "I headed out to my place to talk to Taehyung, like you told me to, but then I wimped out and turned the other direction. My emotions were a mess, so I sat down and cried for a while. Yoongi-ssi-"
"You can call me Hyung, Jiminie."
"Oh. Uh, well Yoongi-hyung noticed I was crying so he came over and calmed me down." Jimin said, taking a big breath after speaking for so long.
"Are you sure he's not doing it to get into your pants?"
"Of course not, hyungie! He's a really good cuddler." Jimin squeezed Yoongi's hand. "He's very sweet, calmed me down quickly."
"Can I talk to him?"
Jimin rolled his eyes again. "You're on speaker hyung, you're already talking to him, but sure, I guess."
Yoongi chuckled at Jimin's antics, ceasing his petting of Jimin's hair to bring the phone closer to him. "Hey, this is Yoongi."
"'Sup. I have to give you the mandatory 'Hyung' interview, sorry. Are you treating my Jiminie correctly?"
Yoongi chuckled. "You seem to be a little confused, Hoseok-ah," Yoongi said. "Jimin and I aren't romantically involved." In response, a series of intelligible sounds came from the other end of the call, making the two laugh.
"Jimin! I know you can hear me! Why are you cuddling with some random man on the street?!"
Jimin was laughing full-on, whole body shaking. Yoongi answered Hoseok instead since Jimin looked like he wouldn't calm down soon. "I noticed Jimin here crying, so I came over to talk to him. We chatted, I mentioned my job as a music therapist and a cuddle therapist, and we went forward from there."
Jimin finally calmed down from his laughter and sat up taller to speak directly into the phone. "He's been treating me very well, Hyungie! He's so patient." Jimin slumped back down from his tall posture and cuddled his nose into Yoongi's neck, turning his body in and laying his legs over one of Yoongi's.
"He better be, or else I'll kick his ass. Are you going back to your place tonight?"
Yoongi brought the phone down so Jimin could speak into it without having to strain. "No," Jimin said, "I'm still not ready to talk to Taehyung."
"You'll have to talk eventually, Minnie. Where are you staying tonight?"
Jimin's face paled. "Oh shit. I completely forgot."
"Can't you stay at Hoseok's?" Yoongi asked.
Jimin shook his head. "He's leaving tonight to see his sister's show in America. His apartment has super high security, won't let you in unless you have a fingerprint." Jimin ran his free hand down his face. "Ugh, why does this always happen to me?"
"It doesn't have to," Yoongi said, squeezing Jimin's hand again. "I can house you for the night, It's fine with me. Only if you want to, of course."
Jimin blinked at Yoongi, mouth gaping. "Are you sure?"
Yoongi widened his eyes like a cat and nodded. "Of course! If you don't want to though, I can pay for a night in a hotel, let you stay at my friend's condo downtown, maybe-"
Jimin dropped Yoongi's hand and wrapped his arms around his neck. "I'd love to stay at your place! Thank you so so much!" Yoongi placed the phone on the ground and wrapped his arms around Jimin, still slightly surprised at the sudden act of affection.
"It's no problem, baby," Yoongi replied, snaking his hand into Jimin's hair.
"Yah! I thought you guys told me you weren't dating!"
Jimin laughed and pulled back, leaning towards the phone on the ground. "We're not, hyung, I swear!"
I wouldn't complain if we were, though, Yoongi's brain replied.
Jimin's smile.
Jimin's laugh.
Yoongi had already fallen hard.