Work Text:
Namjoon left his room feeling vaguely satisfied with himself. He looked good. Sure, his legs were mostly obscured by the baggy trousers and his shoulders and arms hidden under three layers of shirt, sweater and a jacket respectively. But the shade complimented his skin and his newly dyed blonde hair, and he felt really good. Now to just choose the right sun glasses and they could be on their way.
In front of him, Taehyung and Jimin looked up and frowned almost in unison.
“Hyung… Why aren’t you wearing the outfit I prepared for you?” Taehyung sounded downright accusing. Jimin got up and started fussing with the way his shirt peeked through his jacket lapels.
Namjoon sighed. “Because you laid out shorts and a muscle shirt, Taehyung, and it’s snowing outside. I’m not wearing that.”
“Oh please. We’re taking a taxi and then are going to spend the whole evening inside a club. Trust me, you’re not going to be cold.” His outfit showed that he trusted his words, as he was wearing a low-cut shirt that showed off the horrible dad-joke he had written on his collarbone in a pretty cursive style, the courtesy of his yet unknown soulmate.
“Besides,” voiced Jimin with a cute pout and eyes already starting to get a puppy-like pleading sheen, which slightly contrasted with his own translucent shirt through which could be seen his own dad-joke on his chest, different from Taehyung's but written in the same elegant writing style, “How is your soulmate going to see your thighs, if you’re not wearing anything to show them off?”
Namjoon stepped away and groaned. For all he was concerned, his soulmate could stuff it. He was a smart individual, damn it! He had a goddamn PhD in Psychology and Literature at twenty-six and was already getting invited to speak at prestigious conferences, despite his age! He wasn’t a damn arm-candy concerned only about how good his legs looked! Just because a very awkward tattoo he received at birth said so, didn’t mean he should care only about his appearance!
It was already his soulmate’s fault he felt obligated to visit the gym at least twice a week. And now his friends wanted him to freeze to death along with them too? Unbelievable.
Jimin full-on pleaded. “Come on, Hyungie. We just want you to find somebody and be lovey-dovey together.”
Namjoon rolled his eyes. “I’m not lonely, Jimin-ah. You know that.”
Jimin smiled, already knowing he was very close to winning.
“Fine, I’ll wear the tight jeans instead of these. But I’m not getting rid of the layers. I’m not going to freeze because of your need to make me pretty.”
He turned to change his clothes for (hopefully) the last time and his lips quirked a bit at the quiet high-five the pair exchanged behind him. He was a little sad Hoseok was meeting them later at the bar. He would have helped him with the two menaces. Or maybe helped them to make him actually wear the shorts. Yeah, maybe it’s better this way.
He returned in a few minutes in tight silver jeans and started herding his friends out to the already waiting taxi.
The club they were heading to was their usual haunt of sorts. Or at least they haven’t really been going anywhere else for the last three months. It might have been the unusually good music selection, that satisfied all four of them (which they previously thought was an unachievable feat), it might have been the good dancing space, or even the fact that at least half of the usual crowd were there on a lookout for not necessarily heterosexual conquests. It almost definitely was the fact that Hoseok was trying to score the cute grumpy bartender that had shifts on Friday nights.
The bouncer nodded at them at the entrance, which Namjoon honestly found a little worrying. Were they there really that often, that the tall scary looking guy actually remembered their faces? What did that say about their alcohol intake? Probably not much good. He sighed. He would have to remain mostly sober tonight anyway to keep Jimin from getting groped and Taehyung from trying to fight anyone and everyone who he suspected did the groping.
At least he could count on them stopping him from lecturing the whole room on Carl Young, when it will be his turn to drink next week.
He used his height to look over the crowd and spotted Hoseok already rosy cheeked, chatting up the small man by the bar. The bartender was smirking slightly and quipping back, which Namjoon took as Hoseok being unexpectedly successful. He couldn’t even remember the guy answering in any other way than a grunt or a sarcastic drawl. And here he seemed to be chuckling. Amazing.
So, as the best friend that he was, Namjoon grabbed his two younger friends and started dragging them toward Hoseok’s position.
“Hi!” He called and grinned at Hoseok’s murderous glare, when Jimin and Taehyung started demanding shots from the suddenly stony-again bartender.
“Asshole, you couldn’t keep them away for a few more minutes? Yoongi was actually telling me a joke!” Hoseok hissed and stopped Taehyung from ordering a full bottle of tequila by grabbing his shoulder. “They’re getting one shot each and a water!” He addressed the newly-named Yoongi with a pout.
Namjoon chuckled. Maybe he should feel bad… Oh well.
The night continued in a pretty much the same order as it normally did. Jimin and Taehyung begged them for one more shot each and then disappeared to the dance floor to return periodically to get a drink of either water or some alcohol carefully selected by Namjoon and Hoseok according to their apparent state of inebriation. While Namjoon was content to sit at the barstool, sip on his drink, bop his head in the rhythm of the songs and try to catch glimpses of his friends, Hoseok alternated between dancing at the edge of the dance floor while throwing glances at the small bartender and sitting by the bar and flirting with said bartender.
Namjoon was especially surprised when Yoongi stopped tending to the rest of the bar after switching with a tall broad-shouldered model-like man with a breathy laugh, but stayed behind the bar in Hoseok’s corner and leaned further and further into the dancer’s space. Namjoon smirked. He had a feeling he would have to find a place to stay tonight, as his roommate looked like he will need the flat for himself.
Around eleven, Jimin and Taehyung suddenly disappeared from the dance floor for about half an hour. Namjoon didn’t really think much about it at first. The club was pretty busy and he paid far more attention to the love story unfolding in front of him. But after Taehyung’s favourite song ended and the pair wasn’t anywhere to be seen, Namjoon started to grow suspicious.
He was just about preparing to get up and go find them, when the two of them staggered over in a far drunker state then they had any right to be.
Also, they weren’t alone. Sandwiched between Jimin and Taehyung was a young guy about the same height as Taehyung but with a much broader and muscular chest, chestnut hair that went to somewhere beneath his nose and wide round brown eyes, that bulged out when he saw Namjoon. He didn’t seem very sober either.
“Joonie-hyung! Look, we made a new friend!” shouted Jimin and hoisted the boy up to show him off like a trophy. “His name his Kookie and he’s from Busan too! Isn’t it awesome?” Speaking of Busan, Jimin’s normally almost unnoticeable accent was very much audible. This is going to be a long night. Namjoon quickly gestured to Yoongi, who passed him three bottles of water with a surprisingly amiable expression.
“Yeah, hyung! He shared his vodka with us!” Taehyung loudly giggled and then hiccupped. Hoseok next to him groaned and started to take Taehyung away towards the bathroom. Namjoon sighed. He led the pair toward a nearby free table, sat both of them down and forced the bottles into their hands in a hope that they would drink them on their own. Luckily, they did just that.
“Kookie’s really fun and he’s a really good dancer, hyungie, and you’ll really like him!” Babbled Jimin between the sips of his water. Namjoon eyed the poor boy who haven’t yet said a word and looked like if he could disappear on the spot, he would. His face was getting redder and redder.
“I’m sure I will, Chim Chim, now drink your water, ok? But slowly.”
Jimin nodded resolutely and took a big gulp only to choke a bit. He started to giggle wildly and reached over to pull Namjoon closer and bury his face in his stomach. Namjoon patted his sweat-wet hair and sighed. This was going to be a long night and an unpleasant morning.
He didn’t mind his friends getting drunk or taking care of them. But Jimin was now at a point he’s going to start to cry any second now and if Taehyung sees him, he’s going to start a fight with the closest unknown person. All four of them (their sober versions at least) desperately wanted to avoid that fate.
Jimin pressed his face further into Namjoon’s abdomen and started mumbling something about the floor being the ceiling. Namjoon turned towards the other boy and eyed him carefully. He was now staring at Namjoon’s hands cradling Jimin’s head with a weird hint of jealousy.
Namjoon cleared his throat and caught the eye of Hoseok, who was dragging Taehyung back towards them from the bathroom. The moment Taehyung was in reach, Jimin immediately changed targets and started cuddling his friend. His quiet rumbly monolog changed themes from ceiling to puppies and Namjoon knew they had only a limited time to get them out before the waterworks started. He was so glad it will be his turn to be taken care of after drinking next time…
He caught Hoseok glancing towards the bartender and nudged him. “Stay then. If you call me a taxi, I will get these two on the couch and you can come whenever.”
Hoseok blinked at him a few times, before hugging him closely. “Thanks man. I might be actually spending the night, if that’s alright?”
Namjoon chuckled and nodded. “Lucky. Well, enjoy then, I’m gonna get these two outside and wait for the car.”
Hoseok gestured with a phone in his hand. “On it!”
Namjoon unsticked Taehyung and Jimin from each other with some difficulty and started to drag them out of the club. To his surprise, the boy Jimin called Kookie slowly followed them along, eyes not leaving Namjoon.
While they waited outside, Jimin seemed to notice Kookie standing with them and turned to their new friend. “Kookie, you coming home with us? We’re staying with Joonie-hyung, he’s the best hyung!” His peppy tone didn’t go well with his watering eyes. Namjoon gripped Taehyung’s arm. If he was going to go after anyone now, that bouncer would probably snap him in half. And then not let them inside the club anymore, which would be a shame.
To his surprise, the other boy just joined in the praises sung in Namjoon’s honour. He could feel colour rising towards his cheeks at the endless compliments. “And he’s so good-looking! I wanted him to wear shorts, but he looks really good in this too and I’m really sleepy now.”
Namjoon chuckled, face red. The taxi finally arrived and he made an executive decision to take Kookie with them. He looked almost catatonic now, eyes wide and mouth lightly open.
He quickly pushed Jimin and Taehyung inside, and turned towards Kookie to tell him to join them. As he straightened, he noticed Kookie’s gaze definitely rested on his lower back, while he was bent over at the waist. And the way his eyes snapped up with a guilty look, his thoughts weren’t exactly innocent either. Namjoon sighed and gestured mutely towards the car for the boy to get in. He did have to admit to himself though, he normally would have minded the attention much more. Why did he like this boy looking at him like that again?
Kookie remained frozen, holding Namjoon’s gaze, looking like a bunny in front of a speeding car. Just as Namjoon was opening his mouth to tell him to get in, the boy beat him to it.
“Wow. Thighs.” He told with an almost matter of fact tone and promptly fainted. Namjoon cursed and quickly ran to catch him before his head hit the hard pavement.
Namjoon stood there for a few more moments, an unconscious boy that may or may not be his soulmate clutched in his arms and the beginning of a mournful slightly off-key ballad starting up in the taxi. The bouncer from the club gave him a sympathetic look.
“The fuck?” Was the only thing Namjoon managed to say.
-----------------------------------
The next few days went by quickly. Too quickly, if you asked Namjoon.
Kookie disappeared from their couch the next morning before any of them woke up and the number he gave Jimin was missing a digit. To make matters worse, the two of them couldn’t even remember his full name. They called him Kookie or Bunny Rabbit the whole evening. But he was apparently younger than both of them. Great.
At least Hoseok returned that afternoon in an extremely good mood.
--------------------------------------
It was a full month before Namjoon next saw Kookie on the Campus. The boy was just leaving the Photography building with a couple of friends. Namjoon had a decision to make. He took a deep breath and started heading towards the group.
When he got closer, Kookie stopped and adopted the same bunny-in-the-headlights look he had before collapsing at the club. Namjoon chuckled.
The rest of the guys waited for a few moments, but when they realized Namjoon was there for their friend, they quickly said goodbye and left with a few bows.
Namjoon took a few steps closer and smirked when Kookie froze entirely, like he was suddenly turned into stone.
“So… I was hoping to find out more about you aside from your nickname and an appreciation for my legs. You free for coffee?”
Later, after he revived Kookie for the second time and found out his full name, he had to laugh. Why was he so surprised that those were the words Jungkook had spiralling around his calf, when Namjoon had a large “Wow. Thighs.” across his chest? Clearly, they were a match made in heaven.
Outtake
Jimin and Taehyung sat next to each other at the bar, watching the people around them with interest. Especially the two pairs swaying to the rhythm of a slow song. Yoongi and Hoseok were mostly sober, as far as the pair in charge for this evening knew, as Yoongi was going to take over the later shift at the bar and Hoseok didn’t feel like getting drunk without his boyfriend. The other pair was a completely different story.
“I know Namjoon-hyung doesn’t have one dancing bone in his body, but they have been standing there and swaying for the last half an hour. I would have thought Jungkook at least would try and dance a bit there.” Jimin remarked and sipped at his orange juice.
Taehyung gave the pair a once-over before turning his attention back at the tall broad-shouldered bartender Yoongi will be switching with in a few moments. “Considering how red Jungkook is and how Joon-hyung angled, I would guess he’s talking Kookie’s ear off.”
Jimin perked up in interest. “He did say he found some new poetry book or something. That’s actually really romantic.” He eyed Taehyungs almost lecherous smile and lightly hit him on the shoulder. “Stop ogling the poor guy while he’s working. It’s rude. Or I will sick Namjoon-hyung and his equality speech at you again.”
Taehyung grimaced, but with one last look behind the bar turned away. “I don’t know. Considering how whipped Jungkook is and how he spent the whole Monday going on and on about hyung’s ‘heavenly voice’, he could just as likely recite math formulas to him.”
Jimin conceded the point. Just then the slow song ended and while Namjoon and Jungkook continued swaying to a slow beat, Hoseok and Yoongi joined them by the bar. Yoongi disappeared behind the bar to get ready for his shift and Hoseok plopped down on the stool beside them with a happy sigh.
Jimin finished his juice and got up. “I’m gonna hit the can, you good for a bit?”
Taehyung snorted. “Oh please. He’s harmless like that.”
Jimin giggled and left toward the bathroom. A crooked finger tapped Taehyung’s shoulder.
As the boy turned around, he was and at the same time wasn’t surprised to see the pretty bartender from before.
“So. Do you know, why couldn’t the bicycle stand up by itself? It was two tired!” The guy started laughing uproariously at his own joke. Taehyung choked on his water. “Don’t worry, cutie, I have another great joke for your friend too!”