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“Oh my god, I’m going to be so late to class,” Namjoon lamented as he sped-walk from the parking lot of the taekwondo studio to the studio itself.
Despite not being a single parent—or a parent at all—Namjoon felt like he was single-handedly responsible for his brother, Jungkook’s, happiness and health. This included cooking meals for him (and only setting things on fire like 20% of the time), lending his genius level intelligence to high school homework assignments, and chaperoning Jungkook from school to his outside activities.
Thankfully, the only activity that required Namjoon to go far out of his way was the taekwondo studio, as it was the most prestigious institution in the Silicon Valley area and was located 20 minutes away from Namjoon’s apartment, where Jungkook lived most of the week.
Namjoon checked his phone again and cursed. He may as well forget about attending his Neural Dynamics lecture. Professor Davies would definitely hand him his ass in their next one-on-one meeting, but what could Namjoon do? Jungkook needed him and his brother was such a wonderful kid—patient, generous, and adorable.
Their father had passed away when Namjoon was still in high school and their mother disconnected from the world, less present that their deceased father. She recovered but only marginally and Namjoon suffered every day of every month in the three years he dedicated to his undergraduate studies at NYU on the other side of the country from his brother. He was able to graduate early and enroll at Stanford to begin a Masters/PhD dual degree program in Neuroscience with a fellowship that provided for his tuition and housing. It was a blessing from the heavens and Namjoon breathed a sigh of relief when he was able to be there for Jungkook.
Their mother took Namjoon’s proximity as an opportunity to completely forgo her role as a parent. She went from working late hours to forgetting to come home. Namjoon knew she had a string of boyfriends she depended on, but he was long past arguing with her about her behavior. If she didn’t want to raise Jungkook then she was the one missing out and Namjoon was happy to step in. Their childhood house was more of a storage facility than a home and Jungkook only spent time there on weekends when Namjoon could supervise. He refused to let Jungkook walk in on some scarring sex scene between their mother and the latest drunk asshole, so Namjoon managed his life alongside Jungkook’s.
Namjoon’s life may have seemed like a nightmare to others his age, but Namjoon couldn’t complain. Yes, it was stressful having to provide for a teenager when Namjoon still felt like a child himself, but Jungkook was his best friend and he deserved to have one person he could count on unconditionally. Namjoon felt proud to be that person.
“Joonie!” Jungkook’s sunny grin greeted him as he pushed through the glass door.
“Hey, Kook. I’m sorry I’m late again,” Namjoon offered his brother an apologetic smile.
“Don’t be. I understand how busy you are,” Jungkook beamed up at him. “I’d hug you, but I’m disgusting.”
“Yeah, I can see that. Plus, I could smell you from outside,” Namjoon teased, causing Jungkook to stick his tongue out.
“Ha ha. Please tell me we’re getting dinner or there’s food at home? I skipped lunch today to practice for the play.”
“Kook, again?” Namjoon frowned disapprovingly. “It’s not good for you to skip meals with all the physical activity you do. What if your body gives out on you?”
“That’s exactly what I said,” a melodious voice filtered in from the back of the studio.
Time seemed to stop as Namjoon lifted his gaze from his brother’s regretful pout and laid eyes on the most beautiful human being he had ever seen. The man was only a few inches taller than Jungkook (making him significantly shorter than Namjoon’s six feet) but he carried his petite frame with the utmost poise and confidence, somehow making Namjoon feel tiny He had glossy blonde hair held out of his face by a black sweatband and creamy white skin tinged with the loveliest shade of rose. His uniform made it clear why there were drops of moisture dotting his flushed complexion.
“This is my sabum,” Jungkook had stars in his eyes as he looked upon his instructor.
“Jimin Park,” the beautiful man introduced himself, holding out a dainty hand that Namjoon did his best not to squeal over.
“Uh, I’m N-namjoon,” he stuttered, shaking Jimin’s hand.
“The older brother,” he nodded with a mischievous smile. “Oh yes, I’ve heard a lot about you.”
“You have?” Namjoon’s side eye to Jungkook was nothing short of hostile, which only made the younger snicker.
“Yes, I told myself I had to meet the man who rivaled Superman and Iron Man for greatest hero of this universe.”
“Oh,” Namjoon blushed.
“I wish I had a brother like you,” Jimin added, his smile widening and making his round cheeks scrunch up, producing an equally pretty eye-smile. “Instead, I have an older sister who hates my guts and purposefully misspells my name on every birthday card she sends me.”
“I’m sorry,” Namjoon frowned sympathetically but Jimin waved a hand dismissively.
“It doesn’t bother me anymore. Some people are lucky enough to have supportive family members who adore them, and others make their own family when they find incredible friends. I have the latter.”
“I’m glad. We all need someone to rely on and share our thoughts, our feelings and just ourselves with,” Namjoon spoke passionately about the subject as it was something he ruminated on all the time—considering the type of mother he and Jungkook had gotten.
“You have a good heart,” Jimin said, milk chocolate eyes contemplating him with a quiet intensity.
“Thanks,” Namjoon cleared his throat. “I, uh, don’t want to seem rude, but we need to get going,” he said, partly because it was true, partly because he worried about his own sense of self-preservation in extended contact with a being as gorgeous as Jimin. “I have a class I should be in right now.”
“You study neuroscience, right? I imagine it’s a difficult field of study that takes a lot out of you.”
“An apt description,” Namjoon huffed a laugh. “I leave my lectures wondering if I’m really smart enough to do this.”
“With an IQ of 148 I think if you can’t, then who could?”
Namjoon was surprised by how much Jimin knew about him and made a mental note to slap Jungkook across the head for blabbing about his entire life story to a stranger (even if said stranger was absolutely enchanting).
“Thanks,” Namjoon nodded. “I should be more positive, I guess.”
“My gym has these cool mindfulness/positive thinking yoga classes and I think they’d be beneficial for you. You should attend one with me!”
“You go to the gym? Isn’t your job an insane amount of exercise already?” Namjoon’s face displayed his bafflement.
“I like keeping active,” Jimin giggled. “Working out, teaching martial arts, and dancing make my life more joyful.”
“Wow. In college I joined a running club and by day two I was ready to quit. Thankfully, I twisted my ankle on the next morning run and had a valid excuse to stop.”
“You’re a mess,” Jungkook snorted, announcing his presence exactly when Namjoon was content to ignore him.
“And you’re a baby who’s scared of clowns and microwaves, so I think it’s best for you to keep your opinions to yourself.”
“Hey, that’s a secret!” Jungkook whined, flushing in embarrassment.
“You two are definitely brothers,” Jimin chuckled.
“Unfortunately,” Namjoon gave a long-suffering sigh while Jungkook stuck out his tongue.
“I don’t want to keep you any longer, but I wanted to give you this,” Jimin jogged over to the receptionist’s desk, returning with a laminated card. “My cell number’s on it. I used to only have the office number on there, but anxious parents were driving our receptionist, Laura, crazy so I learned my lesson,” he laughed.
“Well, I promise I won’t be bothering you at inopportune hours of the day to stress about Jungkook’s break-falls and blocks,” Namjoon said, taking the card and doing his best to remain nonchalant at the prospect of having Jimin’s personal number.
“My blocks are flawless,” Jungkook boasted.
“Arrogance on the part of the meritorious is even more offensive to us than the arrogance of those without merit: for merit itself is offensive,” Jimin recited, giving Jungkook a stern look, the brunette ducking his head abashedly.
“Nietzsche,” Namjoon recognized, eyes wide.
“I may not be a Stanford graduate student, but I do pick up a book every now and then,” Jimin teased.
“S-sorry, I didn’t mean to sound shocked or imply anything—"
“I know you didn’t, Namjoon. Don’t worry,” Jimin grinned. “I’m used to people underestimating my intellectuality based on the fact that my career is focused on fitness and physicality. My only degree is in dance and performance.”
“That’s just as valuable as a degree in medicine. You help people in a way different than I would as a neurosurgeon, but at the end of the day your job lets people pursue happier, healthier lives,” Namjoon spoke vehemently, clearly taking Jimin by surprise.
“I’ve never heard anyone equate my job with that of a surgeon.”
“I just mean that everyone is important in society—in the world. As long as we’re all doing our part to share knowledge and goodwill with others. That’s what I think anyway,” Namjoon mumbled, suddenly feeling foolish for ranting like that.
“Thank you,” Jimin’s voice was soft and warm, making Namjoon feel like the melodious timber was caressing his very soul.
“Was just being honest,” he muttered, unable to meet the taekwondo instructor’s gaze.
“I’ll be expecting your call,” Jimin said next, making Namjoon’s head snap up.
“What?”
“For the mindfulness and yoga class, remember? I think it would be good for you! And I can always use a reminder to be more aware of my inner balance. When we forget to take care of ourselves, we’re useless to those around us,” he stated sagely.
Namjoon chanced a look at Jungkook, who was chugging water from his Marvel-themed water bottle.
“I’ll make some time to attend a class as soon as I can,” Namjoon decided.
“Great!” Jimin clapped. “I’ll let you get going then. Jungkook, you did well today. Your progress is quite remarkable. You’ll be knocking me down and pinning me in our next spar, I can see it now.”
“Thank you, sabum,” Jungkook bowed respectfully.
“Bye, Jimin,” Namjoon practically whispered, overwhelmed with everything about Jimin and needing to retreat into the safe space of his car so he could form rational thoughts again.
“Goodbye, Namjoon,” Jimin flashed his pretty eye-smile again and Namjoon bolted out the door, followed by a snickering Jungkook.
Jungkook, being 16 and highly observant, was well-aware of his older brother’s crush on his instructor. He also knew that Namjoon tended to turn into a bumbling mess around the guys he liked. Jungkook could remember multiple instances of stammering, babbling, and tripping over thin air in front of attractive men Namjoon was interested in.
The most amusing experience had been the day Namjoon tried to ask out Hoseok, the host at their local Outback Steakhouse, and managed to upend the host’s podium, ending up on the floor—underneath the fallen podium. It turned out Hoseok already had a boyfriend, but he was gracious about the entire incident and even offered them a lunch special on him.
That had been five months ago and since then Namjoon had made zero progress in his romantic life. Jungkook wasn’t nosy (okay so he wasn’t that nosy) but the only reason he concerned himself with Namjoon’s love affairs was that his brother was his best friend and his parent all in one. The young brunette felt he owed a great debt to his brother, despite Namjoon feeling no such thing. Still, Jungkook was determined to help his brother find his true love so he could have someone by his side who would cherish and support him for the rest of time.
Jungkook was two years away from graduating and he had grand plans to move to the UK for college, already having his sights set on Cambridge to pursue an engineering track. Namjoon could have stayed in New York with the friends he’d made and the life he’d established but he returned to the West Coast for him. When Jungkook left the US, what would his brother be left with? That’s the question Jungkook intended to find an answer to.
And he felt the best answer came in the form of a certain blonde taekwondo instructor.
Jungkook naturally bragged about Namjoon’s IQ, his academic achievements, and his secret rapping talent, but with newfound intention, he began regaling Jimin with multiple stories about his brother.
‘He nursed that baby bird back to life! It was dying in our backyard, sabum, but he saved it, named it Tweety because it was a yellow canary, and personally fed and bathed it until it was ready to stand and move on its own. He spent hours carefully flapping its wings so it could feel comfortable flying. He taught it to fly—he did that!’
‘Namjoonie—that’s what I get to call him—taught himself Japanese by watching Japanese films. I have no idea how, but he did. It took him two years in college and he was fluent. Our family’s Korean, you know, but we were never taught the language, but he was in middle school when he began learning it and in high school he somehow found a tutor for both of us. Seokjin-hyung was super nice, never charged us anything, but Namjoonie was the one who persuaded him to teach us and designed lessons for me so that it wasn’t too hard for me. I’m bilingual because of him.’
‘He says he doesn’t exercise, but it’s all a lie. He goes to Pilates classes and lifts weight at his campus’ gym.’
It was after two weeks of this barrage of Namjoon-centered anecdotes that Jimin held up a hand to stop Jungkook mid-story (“And so Namjoonie lifted the car with his strong arms—”) and finally asked:
“Are you trying to tell me something, Jungkook?” Jimin raised a brow.
“…My brother is a catch,” he summarized and Jimin snorted.
“And I should do something about that?”
“He comes highly recommended.”
“Oh, really?” Jimin bit his lip to contain his laughter.
“Yes. High marks all across the board. Critics love him—89% and his Rotten Tomatoes score of 99% speaks for itself,” Jungkook spoke seriously, face expressionless.
“Ooh why didn’t audiences give him that last 1%?”
“No one’s perfect, sabum,” Jungkook shrugged. “Namjoonie snores.”
“I’ll take all of this under consideration then,” Jimin nodded. “Although, you’ll notice that I took the first step by giving him my card and inviting him to attend a mindfulness class with me.”
“That’s not a date though. There’s no promise of a meal before or after that—it’s confusing,” Jungkook pointed out. “Also, my brother probably misplaced that card. If he lost 0.5% on snoring, the other 0.5% came from clumsiness. He falls over a lot and loses stuff easily.”
Jimin couldn’t hold back his laughter anymore, his small frame nearly buckling over from the laughter bubbling forth.
Namjoon was embarrassed to say that he was a grown-ass man of 24 and he was currently hiding in his car, waiting for Jungkook to get out of taekwondo class. Something he had been doing for the past three weeks ever since he met his instructor face-to-face.
Jungkook had been strangely accommodating, finishing class and quickly going outside to find his brother’s car in the parking lot. He’d mentioned on more than one occasion that Jimin had asked about him, but nothing else.
Namjoon wished he had more courage, wished that he could be the type of man who confidently strolled in to ask out gorgeous beings like Jimin Park without stuttering once. Instead, he was himself and he would probably find a way of destroying the entire studio before even asking Jimin if he’d like to join him for dinner. He still had nightmares about the Outback Steakhouse incident.
He’d since become friends with Hoseok—and his boyfriend Yoongi—but the point still stood: Namjoon was a disaster gay.
The shrill ping of his phone brought his attention to the text that had just popped up from Jungkook.
:( I hurt my ankle in a spar today :( :(
Please helpppp meeeee :( :( :(
Namjoon, alarmed by the amount of sad faces, jumped out of the car without a second thought and ran into the studio, almost pulling the front door out of its hinges as he looked for his little brother.
“Kook?” He didn’t find him in the reception hall, so he toed his shoes off and entered the matted practice area where classes were held.
He had been here once before when he and Jungkook were receiving a tour of the center before Namjoon began paying for the classes. Except then the space had been crowded with sweaty kids and annoyed parents, while this time it was empty save for one svelte figure.
“Jimin,” he realized with a slight gasp.
The taekwondo instructor had removed his uniform and underneath he wore a thin tank top and gym shorts that only went to mid-thigh. His blonde hair was ruffled and wet with his perspiration, but it looked devastatingly good framing his flushed face.
Namjoon had never looked so disheveled yet perfectly put together after a workout. In fact, he came back from the gym looking like he’d been run over by a truck and barely lived to tell the tale.
“Namjoon! What a pleasant surprise,” Jimin smiled prettily, pausing his task of picking up the practice boards he’d used in his last class of the day.
“Um, yes, it’s nice to see you,” he fidgeted with his hands as Jimin came closer.
The instructor was barefoot and Namjoon didn’t understand how an adult man could have feet that small and cute.
“It’s been a while since you visited the studio. Is school really hectic?”
“I also have an internship at the Stanford Hospital and the hours were piling up. I haven’t been sleeping a lot,” he admitted.
“Oh no, I’m sorry to hear that, but it’s amazing that you’re already working at a hospital!”
“Working is too generous a word. I hoped I’d get to shadow neurosurgeons or any surgeon really, but I was told they’re too busy and I’d risk getting in their way. I help the nurses fill in charts, but that’s really it. When I have free time I like to visit the children’s wing. I color with them and sing songs with them,” he smiled softly at the memory and Jimin’s heart skipped a beat at the appearance of his deep, lovely dimples.
“Do you think it’s worth it?”
“Yes,” Namjoon didn’t hesitate. “I’ll get my shot at surgery in the future, but patient care isn’t as important in the medical field as it should be. Getting to spend time with these tiny patients is more than enough. I won’t consider myself a good doctor if I can’t maintain human connections.”
“Namjoon,” Jimin took two careful steps forward, leaving him close enough to count every subtle shade of brown in Namjoon’s soulful brown eyes.
“Yes, Jimin?” Namjoon gulped at the blonde’s proximity but didn’t move away.
“Would you like to go out sometime?”
“You mean like o—on a, um, a—”
“Date?” Jimin finished his thought. “Yes, exactly like that. Would you want to go on a date with me?”
Namjoon looked awestruck and Jimin laughed fondly at the expression on the taller man’s handsome features.
“I would love to,” Namjoon breathed, feeling a bit shaky.
“Are you free tonight?” Jimin asked next and Namjoon’s eyes nearly bulged out of his head.
“Tonight?”
“In about two hours to be precise,” Jimin’s eyes flickered up to the clock on the wall. “An hour for me to finish cleaning the studio and another hour for me to get ready for our date.”
“O-oh. I, uh, I really want that, but I have to take care of my brother.”
Namjoon, suddenly remembering the reason he’d entered the studio, began wildly spinning around trying to locate the brunette.
“He said he hurt his ankle. Where is he?”
“Jungkook left at the end of class with his friend Taehyung. He told me they were having an anime marathon at Taehyung’s house and he’d be sleeping over.”
“What?” Namjoon blinked in confusion.
“And nothing was wrong with his ankle as far as I know.”
“He played me,” Namjoon realized, feeling like an idiot.
“He takes his wingman duties pretty seriously,” Jimin giggled. “He’s been convincing me that you’re marriage material for weeks.”
“Oh my god,” Namjoon blushed. “I am so sorry about that, Jimin.”
“No no. Don’t be. I think he may be right,” Jimin winked, making Namjoon stutter a collection of random noises before falling silent. “Only time will tell, of course. And we need to go on our first date. So…tonight?”
Namjoon couldn’t stop his smile from overtaking his face.
“Tonight then.”
When Jungkook graduated from high school he didn’t see his mother in the audience. Neither of his parents were present to see him walk across the stage to receive his diploma. Years ago this would have led to a crippling moment of sadness and he would have curled into a ball in his closet to cry because it wasn’t fair that some kids got two loving parents and his father died while his mother stopped loving him.
But that wasn’t what he thought anymore.
Now, he was thankful for the bountiful love he received from his best friend, Taehyung, who he had met in taekwondo classes and who had gotten into Cambridge just like he had. They were already planning the next four years of adventures together.
Jungkook was also grateful for his taekwondo instructor, Jimin, who had become much more than that in the past two years. Jimin was sweet and caring and knew how to make the most incredible traditional Korean dishes. He was also Namjoon’s fiancee and Jungkook was already planning his trip back to the States during holiday break so he could attend the wedding. He was Namjoon’s best man, of course.
And that brought him to his big brother. His Namjoonie. The man who had stepped in to raise him when he was still a kid himself. He did it selflessly and without complaining even once. Jungkook would spend the rest of his life thanking his brother for his sacrifice and for loving him so much, he designed his life to revolve around Jungkook’s. It was only thanks to his support and his guidance that Jungkook made it where he was.
“How do you feel about burgers and absurdly thick milkshakes for your celebratory lunch?” Namjoon’s dimples flashed down at him as his brother hugged him to his chest.
“Sounds perfect,” Jungkook grinned.
“Is Taehyung coming?”
“He’ll meet us there. His graduation should be over at around the same time.”
“Cool. So how does it feel to be a high school graduate?”
“Freeing. I’m psyched for college.”
“We’re going to miss you so much,” Jimin pouted, wrapping his short arms around the brother as best he could and resting his chin on Namjoon’s shoulder.
“I’ll miss you guys too, but I’ll come back during holiday break and that’s in less than six months.”
“Ah yes, you’ll need to be here to attend the wedding of the century,” Jimin beamed.
“I can’t wait to be married to you, Jiminie,” Namjoon spoke tenderly and Jimin squirmed in place, practically bursting with joy.
“We’re going to be the cutest husbands. Couples around the world will be jealous of how precious we are.”
“Of course they will, baby. We’re adorable,” Namjoon agreed, pressing a kiss to Jimin’s temple.
“Guys, I agree that you’re cute, but I’m also starving here,” he whined and the couple quickly walked toward the parking lot, keeping Jungkook in the middle and their arms wrapped around him.
“Let’s hurry, Jiminie. We need to feed our little monster before he throws a fit,” Namjoon joked.
“Hey!” Jungkook protested.
“You do get seriously cranky when you’re hungry,” Jimin seconded.
“Ever since you two got together, you just gang up on me and I’ll have you know that two against one just isn’t fair.”
Jimin ruffled his hair while Namjoon only laughed.
“Your concern has been noted,” his brother winked, getting into the driver’s seat of the car.
“Don’t be mad at us, Kookie, we got you an awesome graduation gift!” Jimin chirped.
“You got me a gift?” Jungkook tilted his head in confusion. “But you’re treating me to lunch and you guys are literally paying for my entire university career. You’ve already given me the greatest gift of all.”
“Aw, sweetheart,” Jimin cooed, turning to pinch his cheek from the passenger seat. “You deserve the world, okay?”
“And because we can’t give you the world quite yet, we decided on this,” Namjoon quipped, gesturing for Jimin to hand him the perfectly wrapped box.
“Can I open it now?” Jungkook asked, taking the box carefully.
“Go for it!”
Jungkook took his time unwrapping the box and ripping the paper, knowing it had been Jimin who achieved the impeccable wrap-job.
“Whoa. Namjoonie, Jimin… you didn’t have to do this,” Jungkook gaped at the Apple box in his lap. “This is the newest MacBookPro. It came out just this year.”
“You need the best for college. Your laptop will become your life, trust me,” Namjoon chuckled.
“This computer is too expensive. I could have kept my old Dell.”
“You’ll be halfway across the world from us, Kook. We don’t want you dealing with a slow computer and worrying about completing your assignments. You should lead the most peaceful life a student can live.”
“Plus, something to remember us by!” Jimin added.
“That makes it sound like we’re dying, babe,” Namjoon gently chastised.
“Oh, that’s my bad.”
“Kook? Are you…crying?” Namjoon had looked in his rear-view mirror and panicked at the sight of his brother’s tears.
“What’s wrong, sweetheart?” Jimin instantly turned fully in his seat to reach out to Jungkook who let him grab his hands and wipe at his tears.
“I—I love you guys s-so much. Thank you f-for being m-my family,” Jungkook sobbed.
Namjoon pulled the car to the curb when it was safe and turned to Jungkook, cupping one of Jungkook’s cheeks.
“You’re the best thing that could have ever happened to me, Jungkook. You were my only family too, you know? You kept me going even when I thought I couldn’t. It was because of you that I met the love of my life,” he let his other hand rest on Jimin’s thigh, squeezing lightly. “I should thank you. So, thank you Kook. Thank you for giving my life purpose.”
Jimin pressed a soft kiss to Namjoon’s left dimple and let his head rest on his chest, intertwining his fingers with Jungkook and smiling at his little family.
“I love you, Jungkook. And I love you, Joonie. Forever and always,” he vowed, like he would a few months later when they stood before each other on a beautiful altar built to overlook the sea.
Jungkook let himself be held and once his tears stopped he hugged the most important people in his life and exhaled.
“Okay. Feelings time is over. It’s burger time, everyone,” he declared, making Namjoon and Jimin laugh.
The car started again and Jimin and Namjoon began chatting about little things from work before beginning a silly argument about which rapper was truly the best. Jungkook settled into his seat and smiled at the bantering couple, letting the rhythm of their voices lull him into a light slumber.