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Namjoon had lived in the same house since he’d moved out at eighteen, determined to prove to his parents that he could do fine on his own. And to their surprise, and his own, he did. He got a job that he managed to fit around education, which was studying music production, while also producing his own music. He often found himself exhausted, but he enjoyed everything he did so he wouldn’t be found complaining.
The small village he lived in was nice, too. It was quiet, and only a fifteen minute bus ride from his university, and the coffee shop he worked at. He knew a few of the people who lived there, most of them being the old ladies who pulled him into conversation in the small corner shop, chattering about how charming he was.
In the four years he’d lived there, winter had never been too bad for him. He considered himself lucky, his house being one of the only ones that had never got snowed in. While everyone had a considerable amount of snow piled up on the path all the to their front door, he never seemed to. It was always clear around his house, barely any snow at all around it. But that didn’t stop him putting in some effort, and during these times he often found himself waking up hours earlier than he needed to so that he could shovel the snow in front of all the elderly people’s houses before he went off to school or work, making a safe pathway for them to leave the house.
And in those four years, he’d also never seen anyone else move there. He heard it from the ladies at the corner shop first, just coming back one afternoon after a loaded morning of classes. They’d quickly pulled him into a conversation, asking him about the truck and the young man, and Namjoon had no idea what they were talking about.
He was told that apparently there was a moving truck at the house next door to his, and a couple of them had seen a young man going around and directing the movers. It didn’t seem like something that would be a big deal but it was when there hadn’t been someone new in years, and when that certain house had been empty for close to eight years as they'd told him before.
Namjoon had considered it when moving here, it was slightly bigger than his own, but the price was personally too much for him and settled on the one he had now. Though now he was curious about the new neighbour, and he purposely walked slowly on the way home. He got there just in time to see the moving truck driving off, but from outside he could see lights on inside the house, confirming someone was indeed inside.
But he didn’t hang around for too long, not wanting to seem creepy, and it was also getting colder. With winter just starting once again he had his thick clothes ready, shovel waiting near the front door for those early starts he’d have, helping out.
Surprisingly he didn’t properly see or meet his new neighbour in the next few weeks, though it grew less surprising as he got more and more busy with winter break coming up, work needing finished. He checked the forecast every night before he slept, needing to know how early he had to get up.
Though he found that even as it got further into winter, there had been no snow yet. Or, enough snow to shovel. Thin layers on the ground, barely a covering, but that was all. His shovel remained untouched, and he was happy about not having to go out so early.
But this year, luck didn’t seem to be on his side. It was the night before the first day of winter break, when he got an alert of a large snowstorm due to hit overnight, which meant he didn’t get to sleep in. He knew that he didn’t have to shovel the eldery people’s pathways, but he felt it was a way of giving back, and it made him feel good.
So he went to sleep somewhat early, and he woke up early too. He blearily rubbed his eyes as he turned off his alarm, shuffling to the kitchen, shivering slightly in just his underwear. He put clicked the coffee maker on before heading to the window that looked out onto the street. But when he opened the curtains, he froze.
The houses far across the street were barely covered in snow, maybe a few centimeters on the ground, but that was all. His own house however, was a different story.
For the first time ever, Namjoon couldn’t see the area surrounding his house properly, all of it pure white. There was a thick amount of snow, nearly reaching the bottom of the window, and there was no way he could walk in that, and it would likely fall in if he even opened his door.
He had no idea what to do, or no idea why after years of his house avoiding it, he had about more than half a metre of snow surrounding his house.
Feeling the cold, he made his way back to the kitchen to get his coffee and wake himself up more, but he frowned when he found it wasn’t ready. He’d turned the coffee maker on, right?
After checking and trying the machine a few times, it was apparent it wasn’t working. Namjoon bit his lip as he moved to try the light switch, groaning to himself when he realised the machine wasn’t broken, the electricity was out.
Grumbling to himself, Namjoon made his way to the closet that held the power meter, frowning as he poked around at the machine. It was a while later he figured the problem was obviously the outside wiring, not within his actual house. He sighed to himself when he realised he didn’t know how long the power had been out for, which meant it could have been hours in which his freezer hadn’t been on, the food defrosting.
He thought for a few minutes before making his way through the house, towards the closet in the hallway, and after a little while of digging he eventually pulled out a heater that didn’t need to be plugged in. He briefly doubted that it would work with how long it had been sitting unused, but he had hope as he carried it towards the living room.
Namjoon set it down in front of the couch, taking a deep breath before he flicked the switch, nearly crying when it turned on. He quickly moved to grab the one blanket he had, cursing himself for never having bought more when his others had worn down or torn.
He wrapped it around himself and sat on the couch in front of the heater, trying to keep as warm as he could, though it didn’t help very much. He took out his phone, using his data to try search if it was powercut of sorts, or it was just his house. What he eventually found was that it seemed to be only him, and he cursed the fact all the good luck he had up until now, which had him thinking that he was safe.
Namjoon didn’t want to waste any of his data so he turned it off, sighing as he leaned into the couch, letting his eyes slip closed. He soon decided that it wouldn’t hurt to sleep a little to pass the time, and maybe he wouldn’t notice the cold so much. So he let himself drift off, soon falling asleep.
————
The next thing he knew, he was startled awake by a knock at the door. It took him a few seconds to orientate himself and everything that had happened slowly came back to him, and he checked his phone for the time. He’d only been asleep for an hour or so, which wasn’t enough time for the snow to disappear so… who was at the door?
He got up from the couch, still wrapped in the blanket, and made his way towards it. Namjoon reach out for the handle, pulling it down and opening the door a little, just enough to see outside.
The first thing he noticed was the fact that the snow at the door had been dug away slightly, preventing it from falling inside. The next thing was the giant box right in front of his eyes. And the next, was the head that poked out over the top of the box.
“Hi.” The guy spoke, his eyes bright, and Namjoon could only stare in confusion. “I saw you were stuck inside, with all the snow. And I know the electric boxes and everything are in a stupid place and apparently are easily affected, and I didn’t see any lights on, so I thought maybe it went out?” He went on, pausing a little for an answer, to which Namjoon only managed a small nod before he continued.
“Right. So I, um- I brought some stuff! There’s, uh… Extra blankets! And a big flask of hot chocolate, and… another one of soup! I’m not the best cook so it’s just stuff I’ve headed up. There’s also a dvd player, and a couple of movies I found...” He seemed to go on forever, before he noticed Namjoon shivering in front of the open door, and quickly stopped himself. “Oh! I’m sorry. I’m Jungkook, I live next door? I haven’t had the chance to introduce myself yet. I’ve… dug out a path.”
Namjoon looked around the guy as best as he could, a small path leading through the thick snow, to his door. He glanced down at Jungkook’s legs, the jeans he was wearing soaked through and sticking to his legs.
He stepped back a little, gesturing for him to come forward. “It’s nice to meet you, I’m Namjoon… Please, come inside. It’s cold in here, so you must be frozen out there.” Namjoon told him.
Jungkook seemed to pause for a few seconds, hesitating. “Are you sure? I just- I don’t want to impose, I just wanted to make sure you were okay in here.” He said, looking up as it started snowing again, heavily.
Namjoon nodded, once again gesturing. “I’m sure, please come in. At least until the snow stops again.” He said, and the other seemed to eventually give in. He stepped forward out of the snow, into the house. A little snow came off of him and his clothing, but he didn’t mind much since it was only at the front door.
He closed the door behind them once he was inside, and Jungkook put the box on the floor, scrunching up his nose at his wet clothing. Namjoon watched him for a few seconds, before clearing his throat. “Would you like a change of clothes?” He asked.
Jungkook quickly turned to look at him, pausing for a second before shaking his head. “Oh, no, no. It’s okay! It’s my own fault for not wearing something waterproof.”
Namjoon sighed as he looked over, watching as Jungkook took his shoes off, before picking up the box again and moving further into the house. “You… didn’t have to do this, you know? It’s sweet of you, but I think I would have been fine…”
The other waved him off, shaking his head as Namjoon started to lead him towards the kitchen, following after. “I wanted to, don’t worry. I’ve heard about you, uh- when you’ve shoveled paths for nearly everyone else? Some ladies at the shop told me. You don’t need to do that either.” He said, and Namjoon couldn’t argue with that.
He collected two mugs from the cupboard, making his way to place on the counter. “At least stay and have some hot chocolate with me, then?” He asked, looking at the other, who he noticed up close couldn’t have been more than a few years younger than him.
Jungkook didn’t seem to have any arguments with that, giving him a smile, and nodding. “Yeah, sure. It’s good stuff, my favourite brand.” He said, watching as Namjoon poured it.
“So… What do you do?” He asked Jungkook once he was done, handing him his mug before picking up his own, leaning back against the counter.
“Ah, nothing interesting.” The younger said, taking a sip of his drink before continuing. “I study art, at the university.” He told him, and Namjoon raised an eyebrow.
“Really? I guess we have classes at different times… I study there too, but I never see you, or even see you travelling or anything.” He told him, drinking some of his hot chocolate. He had to admit that Jungkook was right, it really did taste amazing.
They talked about the university and their courses and also just themselves for a while, not even realising how long they’d been talking until Namjoon went to take a drink of his hot chocolate, only to find that there wasn’t any left in the mug. “Oh.” He said, with a soft pout.
Jungkook looked down at his own, taking his last mouthful, scrunching his nose up at the realisation that it had gone cold. “Ah… Well, I suppose I should get going, then.” He said, putting the mug down.
Namjoon nodded along, taking both of their mugs and placing them in the sink, wrapping his blanket tighter around himself again. “I’ll show you out.” He said, gesturing for Jungkook to follow him.
“Thank you again, by the way. I really appreciate it. I promise I’ll return everything as soon as I can.” He told the other as he put his shoes on, before standing up.
“Don’t worry about it, it’s okay.” Jungkook told him, shaking his head. “I don’t usually use them so it’s-“ He cut himself off when Namjoon opened the door, both of them pausing.
It was still snowing heavily, much more so than when Jungkook had came in. The length of time they’d been talking about apparently enough time for the path that Jungkook had cleared to become once again covered.
“Really?” The younger whined after a silence. “I left the shovel at the other end because I thought I’d be out quick…” He complained, and Namjoon laughed softly at him.
Jungkook looked back to him once he closed the door again. “Take off your shoes, and wait here, or in the living room. I’ll get you a change of clothes.” Namjoon told him, to which the other pouted, but after a firm glance he sighed and started to do as he was told.
Namjoon disappeared off to his bedroom to grab a pair of clothes, trying to find a pair that he thought would also fit the other. His cheeks flushed a little as he thought about the others body, shaking his head to try to get rid of the thoughts. He was coming back a minute later with a large shirt, and a pair of sweatpants.
He found Jungkook in the living room, standing in front of the heater, and he held out the clothing. “The bathroom is just down the hall, first door to the right.” He said, and Jungkook thanked him quietly before rushing off.
Namjoon made his way to the kitchen to grab the box that had been left in there, taking it through after leaving the hot chocolate and soup on the counter. He pulled out the blankets, smiling as he placed them down on the couch.
He realised that he probably should have given Jungkook something a little warmer to wear than a shirt, but he’d probably be fine with the blankets. His mind was briefly swarmed with the thought that they could cuddle to keep warm, and he shook his head to himself as he cursed his thoughts, since they barely knew each other. The other was just cute.
It was true that he also could have put more layers on, considering he was only in his underwear under the blanket that he had tightly wrapped around him, but he was now too embarrassed with the thought that he’d had a whole conversation with the cute next door neighbour in his underwear, but doubted the other had realised.
Luckily he was stopped from overthinking when Jungkook shuffled back into the room, his clothes in hand. Namjoon smiled at him, reaching out to take them from him. “It’s definitely not warm enough for them to dry, but I’ll still hang them over the radiators in hope.” He said jokingly, moving across the room to do just that. “Get comfortable. You can pick a movie, if you’d like.”
Jungkook nodded a little, thanking him once again as he climbed onto the couch, sorting the blankets before placing the box in his lap and looking through the dvds. He found once that he liked, putting the box to the side as he set up the dvd player.
Namjoon came back after he had done, pausing at the side of the couch. He blinked at the blankets for a few seconds, long enough for Jungkook to look up in confusion. “Is something wrong? I thought you’d want under, too. One blanket isn’t much with this cold…”
The problem was that he’d assumed Jungkook would take a blanket to wrap around himself, and then maybe one to drape over himself. And then Namjoon would also have a second one to place over himself.
But Jungkook had two of the blankets placed over himself, but only half of them. The other half was resting on the part of the couch where Namjoon was to sit, clearing an invitation for him to share the blanket.
“Huh? Oh… Um, no, there’s not a problem.” He rushed out, not wanting to share his embarrassing thoughts or the way he was overthinking. Namjoon moved to pull the blankets back a little and sit down, making sure to leave a space between them.
Once they were both settled down, Jungkook placed the player in his lap, tilting it so that they could both watch. “Is that okay? Can you see?” He asked, glancing to Namjoon.
The older quickly nodded in assurance, clearing his throat. “Yeah, yeah, I can see.” He told him, giving a smile before his eyes found the screen.
They both fell silent for a while as the movie began, and even if he couldn’t quite see properly, it seemed to be good. It was maybe twenty or so minutes into it when Jungkook looked to him, then at the screen again, and back. “Are you sure you can see? Here, look, just-“
Namjoon barely managed to stop himself from yelling in protest when the younger slid closer to him, their shoulders touching. Even with the layer of the blanket around him and the shirt Jungkook was wearing, he could feel the heat coming from him.
He tried his best to ignore it, focusing back on the movie, which he could actually see clearer now that Jungkook had been able to place the screen between them.
Now able to see the action, he was actually very interested in what was going on, distracted by the action. Which is why he nearly jumped out of his skin when he felt something touch his shoulder, and he whipped his head to the side only to see a hand now resting on it, quickly turning his head in the other direction to look at Jungkook. “What are you doing?”
Jungkook seemed startled by the reaction, the tips of his ears immediately going red, heat creeping up his neck to his face as he withdrew the arm that he’d wrapped around the other. “I-I’m sorry, I didn’t- I just thought…”
Namjoon felt guilty the second after he’d heard how accusing his reaction had sounded, and how embarrassed the other seemed to be as he moved away from him. He hadn’t meant to react like it, it was just surprising, and he definitely hadn’t been expecting it.
“Hey, no, I didn’t…” Namjoon sighed, reaction out to touch the others arm, causing Jungkook to look back at him with wide eyes. “I didn’t mean it like that, you just- you surprised me.” He said softly, biting on his lower lip for a second. “...Come back?”
Jungkook seemed to relax at his assurance, nodding a little. “Okay. Okay…” He mumbled, shuffling closer once again. He seemed to hesitate though, lifting his arm. “Does that- Uh, can I?”
Namjoon let out a soft laugh, despite the red hint to his cheeks. “Yeah…” He nodded, not able to help the small smile on his lips as the other wrapped his arm around his shoulder.
They both settled down once again, their cheeks burning red as they focused on the movie to try and distract themselves. It worked for a while until Namjoon couldn’t help but be distracted by the arm around him rather than the movie, the feeling that he was so close but he wasn’t.
Eventually he gave in, deciding that he’d embarrassed himself enough, and that doing so a little more couldn’t hurt. He made sure that the dvd player wasn’t going to topple over as he shifted slightly, biting his lip as he moved closer to Jungkook, leaning into him.
Luckily the younger seemed to realise what he was doing and didn’t have any protests, silently moving to accommodate the change in position, making it easier for Namjoon to lean against him and also Jungkook to wrap his arm around him.
Neither said anything but they were both satisfied with the change, happily watching the rest of the movie in a comfortable silence. Namjoon was the first time speak, quietly. “Soup?” He asked, feeling himself getting hungry.
Jungkook hummed quietly, his upper body moving a little in a way that without seeing him, Namjoon assumed he was nodding. He sighed at the fact he had to move, pushing himself up a little.
Once he was sat up he looked over to Jungkook to find the younger already looking at him, and he gave a shy smile. “Wait here, pick another movie, and I’ll come back with the soup?” He offered.
Jungkook nodded in agreement, smiling back at him. “Yeah, of course.” He said, moving to reach for the box.
Namjoon quickly disappeared into the kitchen, grabbing bowls and opening the flask of still warm soup, pouring them both some. He grabbed a spoon, walking back with Jungkook’s first so there was less chance of spilling or dropping one.
“Here, take yours so that I can go get mine.” He said when he got back to the living room, holding out the bowl. Jungkook looked up at him, pausing when he looked at him, causing Namjoon to pout. “What?”
“I, uh… I don’t know, I just- I just assumed you were… dressed.” The younger said, shaking his head a little.
Namjoon’s gaze dropped down quickly, cheeks burning at the sight of himself. He’d been using one hand to carry the bowl and the other to hold his blanket to cover him, but it was seeming to be useless. It dipped a little at the front, showing some of the top of his chest in a way that made it clear he didn’t have a shirt on, which wasn’t that bad.
But the thing that he hadn’t even realised was the fact that the bottom of one side the blanket had somehow turned up, meaning the fabric wasn’t able to wrap around him, and basically his whole leg was on display.
The second Jungkook reached out to take the soup, he quickly covered himself properly, internally cursing himself. How hadn’t he felt the temperature difference? “I’m sorry- I didn’t… I’ll go get changed, I’ll be right back.”
Jungkook quickly shook his head, swallowing a mouthful of soup he’d taken. “No, no, it’s okay. I don’t mind, I just… assumed you were dressed with how cold it was. It’s okay.”
Namjoon eyed him for a few seconds to make sure the other didn’t seem uncomfortable, and after seeing none, he relaxed his hold on the blanket a little. It slipped down his shoulders slightly, his cheeks heating up as he saw Jungkook eye the skin for a few seconds, before looking back to his soup.
He turned on his heels to go back to the kitchen, quickly grabbing his soup. Once he got back he settled under the blankets, but was comfortable enough to let go of the one around him so that he could hold the bowl with one hand, and eat with the other. Luckily it didn’t leave him completely exposed, only the upper part of his chest visible and he didn’t exactly mind, as long as Jungkook didn't.
They both finished their soup quickly, and it wasn’t long before they were back on the couch, with a mug of hot chocolate each. They’d put their embarrassment aside and settled much more comfortably this time, though.
Jungkook lay back against the corner of the couch, with Namjoon resting with his back against Jungkook’s chest, head leaning back against his shoulder. Jungkook had his chin hooked over Namjoon’s shoulder, both of them watching the dvd player where it was set on Namjoon’s lap.
They spent the whole day like that, watching movie after movie. Neither of them mentioned anything about Jungkook leaving, even as it got late. Even if they barely knew each other, it felt unusually comfortable and natural to be cuddled up to each other, and they both enjoyed it.
It got to a point where it was clear that Jungkook would be staying over, and Namjoon didn’t even bother starting a debate about where the younger would be sleeping. Once the final movie of the night was over, both of them basically falling asleep, he got to his feet and pulled Jungkook up too.
He tugged the younger through to the bedroom, pulling back the sheets. He tried not to get too embarrassed as he took the blanket from around him off, putting it to the side and getting into the bed, gesturing for the other to follow. Jungkook didn’t seem to mind, giving a sleepy smile as he climbed in. Namjoon pulled the sheets over them, before draping the blanket over the top.
They stared at each other silently for a moment, before Namjoon turned over, facing away from the younger. A small smile spread across his lips when he felt Jungkook move closer as he’d silently hoped for, wrapping his arms around him from behind and pulling him against his chest.
“You know… I could have been much smarter. I could have just dug the path, came over here, and offered for you to stay at mine where it was warm until your electric and everything was working again.” Jungkook murmured, and the both of them cuddling quietly.
“That’s true.” Namjoon murmured, closing his eyes as he moved a hand down, until his own hand wrapped around Jungkook’s, where he was holding his waist. “But then we wouldn’t be here, would we?”
Jungkook hummed, and Namjoon could basically hear the soft smile on his lips. “Mh, we wouldn’t. Maybe it’s a good thing I’m not always so smart.” He said jokingly, holding him a little tighter.
It didn’t take them much longer to fall asleep, the cold basically no longer existent as they stayed cuddled up together all night, not willing to separate even while unconscious.
Maybe it wasn’t a stroke of bad luck, after all.
And if every weekend after that found them in that exact same position, even long after the snow had cleared, it could definitely be said that Jungkook wasn’t just the cute next door neighbour anymore. And that being cuddled up to his boyfriend quickly became one of his favourite things.