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honestly, jimin could say his day was going pretty normal until there was a knock at the door. he woke up earlier than his alarm, headed for the kitchen to eat his usual two slices of toast and bowl of cereal - after discovering it was best to eat something light but filling before his morning work out - and caught up with tae, despite them talking less than twelve hours before. he sipped at his coffee while he flicked through the local newspaper, wondering whether he would have enough time to stop by his favourite bakery before he headed into the studio - he wasn’t due in for another few hours but he liked getting there early so he had time to practice things he wanted to.
in the middle of his pondering though, there was a knock at the door. he glanced over curiously, wondering who could be outside at ten to seven. he put his empty mug in the sink before heading to the door. he glanced through the keyhole, eyebrows furrowing as he took in the boy stood on the other side, body facing back down the hallway.
as he opened the door, ready to ask who he was, the boy twisted around and sighed when he spotted jimin. “thank god,” he breathed. “you wouldn’t believe the journey for me to get here.”
“sorry?”
the boy shook his head, making jimin realise that he was wet . “my train was delayed and the next one wasn’t until the first one this morning then it started raining as i made my way to the bus stop but the ajusshi there told me that the bus doesn’t run as often as people think so it was better to get on the bus coming and just walk the rest of the way,” he said, sighing. “but i’m just glad i’m here now. can i come in?” he added, cocking his head to the side.
jimin, not entirely sure what he was thinking, nodded and stepped back. the boy grinned, gums full on display as he pulled his suitcase in after him. he stood it by the door and shook his body, droplets of water landing everywhere. jimin winced but scuttled down the hall to find him a towel.
“i feel bad, were you waiting up for me last night?” the boy asked, tucking his shoes to the side as he trudged after jimin. he glanced around, humming quietly. there was a slight dip in his eyebrows but he smiled when he met jimin’s eye.
“um-”
“i hope you got enough sleep, you’re always going on about your beauty sleep,” he said, chuckling. he took a seat and glanced around again, eyes landing on the photo frames on jimin’s bookshelf. he cocked his head to the side, looking unsure. he shook his head and used the towel that jimin had given him to wipe across his face and any exposed skin. “did you want to get breakfast? my treat since i made you wait for me last night.”
“i have… work,” jimin mumbled, realising that the longer it went on, the more awkward it would be to tell him that he had no idea who the boy was.
“you said you took the day off for me,” he said, bottom lip curving down. jimin felt his heart squeeze tightly at the sight of it - the boy was pouting . jimin’s main weakness. “come on, ji-” he stopped when his phone buzzed. “oh, shoot. i was supposed to tell my friend when i got here.”
jimin watched as he shuffled over to his coat, which he had hung up without jimin noticing when he first came in. had he begun to say jimin’s name? “so, um, you have a suitcase.”
the boy looked over, eyebrow raising. “you did say i could stay for a few days until i find a place.”
jimin nodded dumbly. whoever the boy was was staying with, he clearly had no idea what they looked like. which was stupid, if you asked him. how can you stay with someone and not know who they were? “right, yes… you’re staying here?”
the question wasn’t heard apparently. the boy took it more of a statement, since he hummed and started typing. jimin watched him, couldn't stop watching him really, eyeing the black device in the boy’s hand. “jungkookie is always worried,” the boy tutted, shaking his head. he glanced up, catching jimin’s eye. “but i suppose your friends are like that too. this isn’t exactly… um, how do i put this?” he nibbled his bottom lip. “most people aren’t sure about meeting others online.”
jimin’s lips parted in surprise. “online?”
the boy cocked his head to the side. “yeah, online. that’s what it’s called. come on, ji,” he said, giggling. “you aren’t that old. do you mind if i get changed? my clothes are starting to stick to me as they’re drying.”
mind still caught on the whole online part, he just nodded. “just… use whatever you need in the bathroom. second door, the other is my bedroom.”
“thanks, hyung,” he called after gathering a change of clothes from his suitcase, the boy disappeared into the bathroom, leaving jimin to stare after him in confusion. he moved on autopilot, not really sure what he was doing. he tracked down his mobile and dialled tae’s number, hoping the other boy would wake up.
“tae… tae, there’s someone in my house,” he whispered.
the other boy groaned before it suddenly cut off. “what? there’s someone in your house? why are you phoning me?” he hissed. “phone the police!”
“i- i can’t!” jimin hissed back. “i let him in!”
there was a long pause. “you let him in ? jimin, what the fuck? you let a stranger into your house?”
“he seemed to know me and he was drenched and he’s… cute,” jimin finished, the apples of his cheeks heating up, hating himself for admitting that part aloud. the boy was adorable, anyone with a pair of eyes could see that. the second he pouted, jimin was a goner.
“he knows you?” tae asked, sounding more alert than when jimin first started babbling. “have you met him before? what’s his name? what does he look like?”
“i don’t know,” jimin whispered, wrapping his arm around his waist as he rested his hip against the counter. he bit his lip, eyes drifting to the closed bathroom door. “he didn't say his name, he just… started talking like we’re old friends. tae, he called me hyung .”
tae didn't say anything for a moment before he snorted. “he called you hyung ? is he a baby?”
“no,” jimin whined but instantly snapped his mouth shut when the bathroom door clicked. “um, feel free to use my room to change,” he called, tilting his head away when the boy poked his head out, muttering that he forgot his socks.
“did you just offer your room to him?”
“i didn't want to him worry about changing in the bathroom!”
“you don’t know him!” there was a pause. “i’m coming over,” tae said, huffing. “i’m getting out of bed right now. damn, where are my trousers? hey, no, don’t look at me like that. go back to sleep. i’ll be back later. there’s someone in jimin’s house.” jimin himself huffed as tae spoke, ignoring him. “i’ll be there in ten,” he said, coming back to the phone. “don’t get too close and maybe… find that bat you only keep to make sure you can fend off anyone that actually breaks into your house.”
jimin glanced over at the bat that sat in the corner of his room. it was more of a decoration than anything, or he used it only in emergencies.
once tae hung up, jimin found himself pacing the length of the kitchen - which wasn’t that far, if he was honest. on most days he could touch his fridge and the opposite wall if he stretched his arms wide enough. every time he got close to the door, he looked over at the open bathroom door and his shut bedroom door.
it didn't take long for tae to arrive, his distinct knock making jimin quickly rush to answer the door. “tae,” he greeted. “oh, hyung,” he added, spotting seokjin over tae’s shoulder. “morning, is everything okay?”
tae, who had been smothering a snigger, poked his head around jimin’s shoulder at the sound of jimin’s bedroom door opening. “min, you won’t believe this-”
“yoongi!”
the boy, who was in the process of rubbing the towel against his hair, quickly looked up at the mention of his name. his lips parted. “yes?”
“what are you doing in jimin’s place?” seokjin asked, edging into the flat. “did you take a shower?”
the boy, yoongi, looked at seokjin then jimin. “what… what do you mean? what’s going on?”
seokjin, although his shoulders were tense, chuckled. “yoongi, why on earth are you in my neighbour’s flat, showering? what happened to you arriving last night?”
yoongi tightened his fingers in the towel. “i’m… i’m in the wrong flat?” yoongi whispered, eyes widening. “why did you let me in? you don’t even know who i am,” yoongi added, tugging the towel down over his face. he groaned loudly. “i couldn't work out if the number in your letter was a one or a seven!”
“i am curious why you let him in,” seokjin commented as he edged over to yoongi. “oh, poor kitty,” he teased, making yoongi whine loudly. “come on, why don’t you come back to mine? my spare room is set up for you to put your stuff in.”
jimin watched as yoongi slowly gathered his things, towel still wrapped around his head. the other boy held everything against his chest as seokjin moved his suitcase. “well, it’s nice to meet you,” jimin murmured when yoongi approached.
“i’ll bring your towel back later,” yoongi whispered. “i’m so sorry about this.”
tae, who had been watching silently, giggled but stopped when he spotted the furious blush working across yoongi’s cheeks. “come back later and we can all meet properly,” tae said when jimin stayed quiet. “we want to meet hyung’s new friend!”
slowly, yoongi nodded and scuttled after seokjin.
“apparently hyung sent him a handwritten address,” tae said once they were both comfortable on jimin’s sofa. “you know how his numbers never look like the numbers they’re supposed to be? your one and his seven looked really similar.” tae flopped sideways, head landing on jimin’s lap. “why did you even invite him in? is he that cute?” he wiggled his eyebrows, making jimin roll his eyes but he could feel the blush working across his cheeks. “he is cute,” tae said, rubbing his cheek against jimin’s thigh.
“stop doing that,” jimin grunted, smacking the top of tae’s head lightly. “are you planning on staying here? i have to leave for work soon.”
“i have some work to do,” tae said, not bothering to answer his question. jimin sighed, knowing what that meant. tae grinned, reaching up to lightly tap jimin’s cheek. “the others said about meeting tonight,” he added. “shower at work and meet us there, we’re not waiting for you to come home and doll yourself up.”
jimin stuck his tongue out. “i don’t take that long to get ready.”
“hm, i think i have a video of-”
“okay, fine,” jimin interrupted, huffing. after a few headbutts from tae, jimin ran his fingers through his hair and listened to him hum happily. jimin held his chuckle in, letting his eyes drift closed. he could sleep for a little while.
after a pretty easy day, jimin was glad he got to continue the good mood into the evening. he made sure he showered at work and decided to leave his bag in his locker instead of dragging it with him to the bar. he got there not long after the others, but the others had one extra person included.
“hello again,” yoongi greeted, eyes drifting down to the table when he spotted jimin.
hoseok, who had been talking to yoongi before jimin arrived, looked between them. “you two know each other?”
“yoongi took a shower at jimin’s this morning,” seokjin said, resting his elbow on the table. he grinned when both yoongi and jimin spluttered. hoseok’s eyebrows shot up as he looked between the two of them. “he went to the wrong place and our jiminie here is too polite to turn away a kitty on his doorstep.”
yoongi groaned and swatted at seokjin’s arm. “stop,” he muttered. “i feel so awkward about that. it’s your fault anyway! who writes their sevens and ones so similar?”
seokjin sniffed as he tilted his chin up. “i have the best handwriting, thank you very much.”
with nothing more than an eye roll, yoongi turned his back to seokjin and continued talking to hoseok, much to the younger boy’s amusement since seokjin started to squark behind them. jimin giggled as he slid into the seat next to tae. “hyung was telling us how they met,” tae said, gesturing to seokjin. the older boy perked up as he nodded. “tell jiminie, it’s cute.”
“well,” seokjin said, draping himself over yoongi’s back. the other boy didn't even blink, making jimin wonder how close they had got in the past few hours considering they hadn’t met before. “we both had to find penpals, both of us joined the same forum and started searching for someone with similar interests-” seokjin paused when yoongi grunted. “fishing,” he said, giggling. jimin’s eyebrow twitched. “after talking about the best places to go around the country, we started talking about other things. i told him about my hybrid class that i was struggling with because i just wanted to help but all of my ideas seemed terrible. he told me about his philosophy class that he would spent hours talking about with his friend.” seokjin sighed. “soon a couple of years had passed and we decided it was time that we met. yoongi wanted to move here, to the big ol city. i told him he can just live with me-” yoongi snorted, glancing up at seokjin.
“too long, didn't listen,” hoseok said, the teasing edge to his voice making seokjin huff again. “they met online and didn't worry that the other person was an ax murderer.”
“shut up,” seokjin said, reaching over to slap hoseok’s arm.
“if you wanna hear a cute story, how about-” hoseok began but tae reached over and gently cupped his mouth. hoseok’s shoulders deflated, making tae coo and reach over.
seokjin’s nose wrinkled as he slowly turned yoongi’s head. “you don’t want to see that,” he warned. “who wants another drink? or a first?” he said, looking at jimin. he got two yeses so he disappeared, leaving yoongi and jimin alone.
“so… sorry about earlier,” yoongi said, sighing. “hyung won’t let me live it down- wait, i called you hyung!” jimin winced, a sheepish smile taking over his features. yoongi shook his head, lips twitching. “the age difference between me and hyung isn’t much,” he said, resting his elbow on the table before dropping his chin on his hand. “we’re a few years apart, right?”
jimin nodded. “yeah, we’re two years apart i guess.” he glanced over at seokjin, hating that he couldn't stop staring at yoongi. tae was right, he really was a cutie. the soft cheeks, kitten shaped eyes, the little pout to his lips as he spoke- “shit.”
yoongi cocked his head to the side but jimin refused to look at him. “is everything-”
“drinks!” seokjin dropped the tray onto the table, not caring that some spilled over the edge. “what are we talking about?”
“jimin was about to tell me about himself,” yoongi said, smiling encouragingly at the younger boy.
surprised, jimin opened and closed his mouth before slowly telling yoongi about himself, about his job and what he did in his free time. yoongi nodded along, looking really interested in everything jimin was saying. the more he spoke, the more he found himself relaxing and easing into a conversation with yoongi.
even more surprised, he glanced at the time on his phone and blinked in surprise, realising that the both of them had spent almost half an hour lost in their own little world. he glanced at the others and spotted them out on the dance floor. “wow,” he murmured, making yoongi glance down at jimin’s phone too. his lips parted as he looked at jimin in surprise. “i didn't realise-” they both said, making each other laugh.
“kitten,” seokjin called, appearing next to the table. “you two have finally stopped nattering on.” he grinned, wrapping his arm around yoongi’s shoulders. “come dance,” he said, tugging on yoongi until the other boy slid out of his seat, sighing. “tae’s coming back in bit to save our table then you can join us!”
jimin nodded, watching them disappear into the crowd. he could see them every so often through other people, their bodies coming together and pushing away to the beat. they were interesting to watch, jimin thought. there was a noticeable height difference and seokjin’s arms spent more time in the air that anywhere else but… they looked good together. jimin could see that, which meant he definitely couldn't look at yoongi for much longer.
“why do you look so down?” tae asked, appearing in the vacated seat from earlier. he followed jimin’s line of sight and hummed curiously. “do you want another drink? i know you’re working late tomorrow.”
without giving it much thought, jimin nodded. it didn't take long for the two of them to start downing shots like there was no tomorrow. it took a lot for jimin’s alcohol tolerance to kick in, finally aware that he was trying to get drunk. he lost count of how many soju bottles they both chugged, tae easily keeping up with him.
“need to piss,” tae muttered, pushing away from the table. he reached over to pat jimin’s head but missed and just lightly slapped him on the face a few times.
while he was gone, jimin stared up at the fairy lights strung around the bar. they were high up, probably too high for drunk people to grab them. he liked fairy lights, they made everything soft and glowy. he wondered what yoongi would look like with fairy lights brushing against his cheeks, would the soft reds and blues and greens and yellows flatter his skin and make him look even more delicate.
someone stopped next to him and jimin reached out to grab tae’s arm. “he’s so cute,” he whined, making the person pause. jimin tilted his head, aiming to look up at tae, glad the other boy was finally back so he could get the words off his chest. “why is he so cute? i can’t think he’s cute though,” he added in a mumble. “it’s unfair to hyung,” he whined, shaking their arms. “but he’s so cute! i just want to… squish his face and press a kiss to his lil nose. oh my god, have you seen his nose? it’s so boopable!”
next to him tae snickered but it sounded off so jimin made a mental note to go get his friend some cough candy the next day so he wouldn’t get sick. jimin tugged him closer, not caring that he could get sick too, and rested his head against tae’s shoulder. the height was a little different from usual but he blamed it on the alcohol, maybe he was tilting too far to the side or something.
“how can i like someone this much already?” jimin whispered, eyes finding yoongi on the dance floor. he was awkwardly moving with hoseok now, being forced to lift his arms. the hat on his head was slipping, moving further and further back until hoseok reached up and removed it. yoongi huffed and took it from him to shove it in his back pocket but it was a blur as jimin stared. “oh my god, he’s a hybrid.”
tae stiffened but jimin just rubbed his head against his arm, not noticing.
“not only is he the cutest being on the entire planet, he has the cutest ears to match! look at them! oh my god if he has a tail i might die,” jimin whined, shaking his head. “do you think he’ll let me play with his hair? it looks so soft.”
another chuckle, different from usual.
“you need to drink some water,” jimin scolded, reaching out to pat tae’s stomach. “you can’t get sick, okay, taetae?” jimin reached over for the pitcher of water and poured a glass, ignoring the small puddle he left behind. he turned in his seat, grinning at tae. “here you go, you can’t get sick.”
“i’m getting sick?” tae asked but took the water anyway. he sipped it as he looked up at seokjin.
“oh hey, hyung!” jimin grinned widely, eyes almost completely disappearing with the force of his cheeks. “when did you get here?”
“not too long ago,” he said, covering his mouth but jimin could see the grin. “i think you need some of that water too, jiminie.”
“am i getting sick?” he asked, taking the glass back from tae to drink some himself.
“if tae was sick, you’re drinking from his cup right now,” seokjin pointed out. “i’ll get some more water and some crisps from the bar.”
once their hyung was gone, tae wrapped his arms around jimin’s waist and rested his chin on his shoulder, both of them watching hoseok and yoongi on the dance floor. “hoseok keeps touching his ears,” tae commented. “either yoongi feels comfortable with him or he’s seconds away from biting his fingers off.”
both of them continued to watch, noticing the small smile on yoongi’s face as hoseok ran his fingers through his hair, their bodies still moving to the music. jimin huffed, wishing he could do that but- he couldn't, nope, definitely not. hoseok was fine, he was just being overly friendly like usual, but jimin… jimin wasn’t overly friendly.
“here, drink this,” seokjin ordered, handing jimin the glass. he followed their line of sight and watched the duo dancing. “hoseokie really has an obsession.”
tae’s lips twitched but stayed quiet. he took some of the crisps from seokjin and munched through them, occasionally feeding a few to jimin. it wasn’t long before most of the crisp were gone and the duo were joining them again. jimin tried to resist staring at yoongi’s ears but they were so pretty . they were a soft sandy colour, blending in well with yoongi’s hair. jimin wondered whether he was a ragdoll hybrid, he had the colour and prettiness of one.
opposite him, yoongi’s cheeks were flushed dark. jimin liked how pretty the colour was on him. he quickly averted his eyes to see hoseok looking at him in amusement. jimin frowned, turning his attention to seokjin, who was giggling. tae gently patted his shoulder, making jimin realise instantly that some of his thoughts had been said aloud. “which bit?” he whispered, staring up at tae.
“you wondered if he was a ragdoll hybrid,” hoseok said, giggling. yoongi’s cheeks deepened until they were so red jimin was concerned his face was burning. “are you, hyung? you are pretty after all,” he added, grinning widely when yoongi huffed.
“i am,” he mumbled, reaching up to ruffle the hair around his ears. they twitched and jimin wondered if it was because all the attention was on him. “ragdoll hybrid, i mean.”
“yoongichi is the cutest,” seokjin said, sliding up to his side to wrap his arms around his shoulders. jimin watched them for a moment before directing his attention down to the table. it was sticky and covered in crumbs, jimin realised that it was mostly him and tae that had made the mess. “it’s getting late, everyone. we should head home soon.”
tae wrapped his arm around jimin and tugged on him until he was almost laying backwards, his butt the only thing keeping him from landing flat on the floor. “tae, what are you doing?” he whined, trying to swat his friend but all he got was a giggle in response.
“it’s all that dancing,” tae said, reaching over to pat jimin’s stomach. “i bet if i let go he’d be able to keep himself straight.”
hoseok, who had been sipping his beer, snorted. “would be the only straight thing about him.”
seokjin snorted, his laughter echoing around them. he shook his head after though, when he spotted hoseok leaning against yoongi’s side, body giving up on him as he laughed. he glanced at yoongi, spotting the small part to his lips as he stared at jimin. seokjin cocked his head to the side, eyes darting over to jimin to see him waving his arms as tae slowly let go of him. it was impressive, seeing how strong his friend was but after a few seconds he found himself looking away, not as interested - his friend, however… seokjin snorted.
“come on, help him up, we should go. he does have work tomorrow and he won’t be able to go if he breaks his back.” hoseok stood up, ready to help jimin but the younger boy sat himself up without their help. “or he can do that,” he said, snorting. “stop showing off those core muscles, you’re making me look bad.”
“i said i’d teach you for free,” jimin teased. he wrapped his arm around tae’s waist, whining until the other boy started to walk, dragging them along.
yoongi, lip caught between his teeth, watched them go before looking up at seokjin. “what?”
“nothing.” seokjin grinned and steered them both towards the exit. “off we go, we need to make sure he gets home okay.”
“it’s okay, hyung, we can take him,” hoseok said, patting jimin’s butt to keep him moving. the other boy reached out to swat at him but hoseok danced out of the way. seokjin waved him off, muttering they only lived a few doors apart anyway. “if you’re sure, hyung. me and tae kind of want to get home-”
“please, stop talking.” seokjin grimaced, making hoseok laugh loudly. “go, have disgustingly loud sex that gives your neighbours nightmares.”
“i don’t think they have nightmares, hyung,” tae said, glancing over his shoulder. “in fact, i think the cute guy next door-”
“and that’s where i stop you talking,” hoseok said, lightly patting tae’s shoulder. “jiminie, let go of taetae. jinnie is going to take you home.”
jimin slowly blinked up at hoseok before looking over at seokjin. “hyungie?”
“yeah, come on, let’s get you home,” seokjin said, wrapping jimin’s arm around his waist instead. “how much exactly did he drink?”
“i think they need to order a new case of soju,” tae commented, fingers finding hoseok’s. “good luck, hyung! love you, bye!”
before seokjin could even open his mouth, the pair was gone. he blinked at the empty spot before glancing over at yoongi. “do you mind helping? i know this isn’t what you thought of for your first night here…”
“it’s okay, really.” yoongi smiled at him and lightly tapped jimin’s arm. “want to hold my hand, jiminie?”
sluggishly, jimin turned his head to look at yoongi. “pretty kitty,” he murmured, quiet enough only yoongi heard him. the older boy’s cheeks burned quickly but he ignored seokjin’s curious gaze as he focused on taking jimin’s hand. “i love you, hyung, you’re the best.”
“i’ll remind you of that next time you’re being a brat,” seokjin said, steering them towards home. luckily, they had decided to drink somewhere close enough that they could walk home quickly. it didn't take long for them to reach jimin’s door, the eldest putting the door passcode in so they could get inside before jimin fell asleep. “okay, i need you to take this tablet and drink this glass of water,” seokjin ordered, making jimin grumble but do as he was told.
“hyung, hyung, hyungie,” he said, tugging on his arm. “i don’t have any decorations up!”
seokjin snorted. “it’s the beginning of the month, we still have plenty of time, jimin-ah.”
pouting, jimin looked around his room. “i want a tree. kitty, can we get a tree?”
surprised at being spoken too, yoongi just stared between jimin and seokjin, who nodded discreetly, before turning his attention to jimin. “yeah, sure, we can get a tree.”
“cool,” jimin breathed, promptly falling asleep the second his head hit the pillow. seokjin grinned, completely fond as he looked down at his dongsaeng. he put the small bucket down the side of the bed and gestured for him and yoongi to go, which they did quietly, the sound of jimin snoring seeing them off.
*
the next day jimin gets a call bright and early telling him that the studio is shut, his manager claiming that there’s a burst pipe that needs to be fixed and don’t worry, jimin, you’ll still be paid. jimin wondered whether his manager just didn't want to go into work.
at the thought of having the whole day free, he stretched out on his bed and sighed when every muscle in his body relaxed again. it was early enough that he could probably do something with his day rather than stay in bed. while he thought about what to do though, a message dinged on his mobile. he reached over and flipped it open, wondering who would be texting him so early.
with a giggle, jimin responded to seokjin’s text, telling him that yes he was alive and no he didn't have a hangover. despite living a few doors down, they texted for a few minutes before there was a knock at the door. jimin pushed himself out of bed and shuffled over. he glanced through the keyhole and shook his head, noticing seokjin on the other side. “hey, hyung,” he greeted.
“since you’re not working, we’re going out,” he said in way of greeting. he grinned widely and gestured for yoongi to step closer. jimin eyed him, not really sure why his mind was going yoongi, yoongi, yoongi so much, with a few exclamation marks thrown in too. “you wouldn’t shut up about a tree last night so we’re going with you to get one.”
jimin pouted, hating when he hears what he said while drunk. “you don’t have to, hyung. i can just go pick one up another time-”
“nope, we’ve planned the whole day,” seokjin said, wrapping his arm around yoongi’s shoulders. the smaller boy pouted but didn't push his arm off. jimin stared at it for a moment before he cleared his throat and looked back up at seokjin’s face - why did he look so smug? “go get ready. maybe run a comb through your hair.”
slowly, jimin reached up to touch his hair and groaned when he felt it stick up in every direction. “i’ll be fifteen minutes. i haven’t made coffee yet but i can if you want some?” the duo followed him into his kitchen. “i don’t have much to offer as breakfast either, really. i haven’t gone food shopping yet.”
“coffee is fine, we can pick up some breakfast before we go pick a tree,” seokjin said, smiling as he took a seat at the counter. yoongi hovered, watching jimin as he dashed around to get them cups and make the coffee. “yoongichi, sit down,” he said, gently patting the bar stool next to him. “you look like an awkward kitty.”
sticking his tongue out, yoongi slowly sat down on the stool but continued to watch jimin move around. “thank you,” he said softly when jimin placed the mug in front of him. they held eyes for a moment before jimin cleared his throat and muttered about taking a shower. they watched him go before yoongi turned his attention to seokjin. “what?” he muttered when he noticed his hyung already watching him.
“nothing,” seokjin said, grinning behind his mug.
it didn't take long for jimin to finish getting ready and to get them all out of his flat. they slipped into seokjin’s car and headed for the small collection of trees being sold on the outskirts of the city. jimin rarely went because he wasn’t strong enough to cut the tree down by himself and carry it back to his flat but now that he had two helpers… jimin was beyond excited to pick his own tree that way.
“are you getting one too?” jimin asked as they walked through the trees, avoiding the little kids running around, pointing out the ones they wanted.
“maybe, if one of the trees call to me. yoongichi here needs to help me choose.”
at the mention of his name, yoongi’s head shot up. “i get to help choose?”
“of course,” seokjin said, as if was obvious and yoongi should’ve known already. “pick the most beautiful tree, so it suits its owner,” he added, making yoongi groan quietly. “what! it’s true!”
“he’s so full of himself,” yoongi mumbled close to jimin’s ear, but the words sounded fond. “what sort of tree are you looking for?” he asked as he reached up to tug his hat off. he ruffled the hair around his ears and huffed when strands were knotted. “i hate hat weather,” he grumbled.
“um,” jimin stared at the ears on top of yoongi’s head as they twitched. “you’re not good with the cold?”
“no, i run really cold compared to other hybrids,” he mumbled. “they all don’t mind the cold but i prefer when it’s warm enough to do something and lay in the sun.”
hiding his smile behind his hand, jimin just nodded. “sounds like a kitten to me.”
yoongi’s eyes darted over to his as he blushed, the pretty red colour making something pinch at the corners of jimin’s memory. “i’m not too bad usually. i hate wearing hats, they make my ears feel weird but the ones for hybrids make them too cold.”
“here.” jimin reached up and ran his fingers through the small tuft of hair that was knotted. yoongi’s eyes slid shut as jimin’s fingers danced through his hair and across his ears, making the mess of his hair infinitely better. “oh, sorry, i shouldn’t have-”
“it’s okay,” yoongi mumbled, prying his eyes open. he didn't want to admit that he loved the feeling of someone playing with his hair and ears. he opened his mouth, ready to say something along those lines but when he turned his head he spotted seokjin watching them both.
“oh, by all means, carry on,” he said, gesturing for them to continue. jimin instantly turned around and walked away while yoongi tugged his hat back over his head, trying to hide that his ears were twitching quickly at seokjin’s words.
they walked around for a while, trying to find the perfect tree for jimin and seokjin. they found a small one not that far into their search, it was full and fat, making jimin coo and tug on yoongi’s arm, not realising he was doing it. “this one,” he said, jumping up and down on the spot. “definitely this one. the decorations would look so great on it!”
yoongi stared down at jimin as he jumped, feeling like his heart was squeezing tightly in his chest. “yeah, it’s perfect.” he coughed when seokjin looked over. “short and plump.”
“like me,” jimin said, grinning widely. he wiggled his butt as he approached, making seokjin snort as he went to find a member of staff to help them cut it down.
it didn't take long for the three of them to drag it back to seokjin’s car and tie it on top, leaving enough room for seokjin’s tree. as they searched though, seokjin fished his mobile out of his pocket and frowned when he flipped it open. “sorry, i have to take this.”
they watched him go, not really sure what to do with themselves. “so…” jimin nibbled his bottom lip as he looked around. “you’re staying with hyung for a while?”
yoongi nodded, stuffing his hands into his pockets. his coat was massive on him, definitely more for the dead of winter than the beginning of december. “yeah, until i can find my own place. i have a job that’s gonna start in a few weeks. they wanted me to get settled into the city before i started.”
“you two… met online?” jimin said, trying to search his brain for any memories from the night before.
with a small smile, yoongi nodded. “yeah, he needed help with his work on hybrids and i wanted to make sure he got the right information so i offered to help and we started talking about similar interests. when he found out i was moving here, he offered up his spare room for me. i’m glad i have hyung, i’m not sure how well i would’ve done here on my own.” he rocked back on his heels as he looked around. “i visited a few months ago and everything was so… loud and over the top. i’m glad hyung is showing me the quieter, nicer parts of the city.”
“well, if you ever need another tour guide,” jimin offered before his mind could catch up with what he was saying.
yoongi’s lips stretched open before he smiled. “sure, i might take you up on that. seokjin keeps taking me to fashion related things. it’s hard being friends with a model.”
“excuse me?” seokjin said, nudging yoongi’s arm. “you mean it’s great being friends with a model.”
“mhm, yeah, hyung.” yoongi grinned when seokjin reached out to swat him.
“i have to go into work,” seokjin said, frowning. “there’s some photos that need to be taken again. i’ll drop you two off. yoongichi, if you could help jimin-”
“oh, no, he doesn’t have to-”
“and we can meet up for food later,” seokjin said, steamrolling over jimin’s protests. “i expect to see a completely decorated flat when i come by later to pick you two up.”
jimin glanced up at yoongi, watching as the other boy nodded slowly. they headed back to the car and made it back to their apartment block faster than usual. they dragged the tree up to jimin’s flat and set the tree up in the corner. jimin smiled once it was in place, already feeling like his home was more christmassy.
“you really don’t have to stay,” jimin said once seokjin was gone.
yoongi shook his head, resting his hip against the doorframe. “it’s okay, i like decorating. where are your lights? i can set them up if you want to put the decorations out on the shelf first.”
it didn't take long for them both to settle into their respective jobs, working with ease around each other. they murmured a few words every so often, mostly small things about each other but they spoke more when they came together to put everything on the tree. jimin smiled, liking that he could hear the obvious love in yoongi’s voice as he spoke about music and his new job at the radio station. jimin told him about his career in dance and how he used to dance competitively but decided he preferred teaching instead.
“my manager thinks i could take over one day,” jimin said, meek but proud as he said the sentence aloud. he hadn’t told the others yet but it was enough seeing to expression on yoongi’s face.
“that’s amazing,” he breathed, ears twitching. his hat had disappeared hours ago, leaving his ears to twitch with emotion each time they spoke. “maybe i can see you dance one day.”
jimin nodded with a smile. “maybe you can let me listen to your work, i might be able to do something with it,” he said, grinning when yoongi flushed. “do you want a hot chocolate?”
“yeah, that would be nice,” yoongi said, pushing himself to his feet and following after jimin to the kitchen. they sat together in silence while they waited for the kettle to boil. yoongi found himself… content. he didn't feel the urge to fill the silence with mindless chatter. he liked just, being with jimin.
which seemed inappropriate considering they had known each other barely two days.
“do you have a tail?” jimin blurted, making yoongi’s head snap up to see the other boy looking at him with dark red cheeks.
“a tail?” yoongi couldn't stop his lips twitching. “and if i do?” jimin’s face coloured even more, which seemed impossible. “i do, yeah,” he said, unable to stop the laugh that bubbled up and out of his mouth. “most hybrids do. it’s too cold to have it out during the winter time though. usually i wear those hybrid jeans.”
jimin’s lips parted in a small o shape as he nodded. “is it fluffy like the rest of you?”
this time, yoongi’s whole face lit up as he ducked his head, not wanting the blush on his face to be obvious. “you think i’m fluffy?”
“i don’t know why i said that,” jimin whispered, looking shocked at himself. “i’m so sorry! why would you want to hear that from someone that isn’t jin-hyung? oh god,” he mumbled, pushing away from the table. he busied himself making their hot chocolate, refusing to look at yoongi as he mentally slapped himself for such a weird comment.
“jin-hyung?”
glancing over his shoulder, jimin frowned. “yeah, jin-hyung,” he said, not really sure why yoongi was looking at him so strangely. “um, you know, the guy you mistook me for? the one that lives a few doors down from me? he’s tall, pretty?”
“you’re pretty though,” yoongi mumbled before he shook his head. “what about jin-hyung? i know who he is but why would i want him to say that about me?”
“well… he calls you kitty? a pet name?”
“no, he calls me kitty because, well-” he stopped and gestured to his head. “i am one. he enjoys teasing me about it. wait, did you think me and… jin-hyung ?”
suddenly, jimin felt a bit sick. he had assumed . it wasn’t exactly the right time to assume someone’s sexuality but… because of his hyung… “are you not? i’m sorry,” jimin whispered. “i shouldn’t have- i feel bad, i know some people are uncomfortable with-”
“trust me,” yoongi interrupted. “there isn’t much straight about me.” he smiled, shifting on his stool as he looked around. “and i’m guessing the same for you, based on the comments hoseok made last night.”
jimin covered his face, vaguely remembering the comments made about his straightness. “i hope that didn't make you uncomfortable.” yoongi shook his head, offering another smile. “well… you and jin-hyung aren’t… then?”
with a chuckle, yoongi shook his head. “no, me and hyung are friends. we met online and became good friends. he’s someone i could see myself staying with for a while but- platonically? he’s a good friend and has been for a long time now. um, is there a reason me and hyung would've been a… problem?”
they stared at each other for a moment. jimin didn't know what to say, what to admit. he couldn't exactly tell yoongi that he thought he was cute and wouldn’t mind squishing his cheeks as he kissed his small button nose.
“r-really?”
“i have a habit of doing that,” jimin breathed, hating that the thought had come out without his permission but it was worth it to see the pink dusting across yoongi’s cheeks as he stared at jimin, ears twitching. his lips were parted, looking like he was going into shock. “well, if that doesn’t sound too bad and you aren’t against it…” he murmured, eyes darting away.
yoongi stared down at his hands, thumbs fighting against each other. “maybe… once i settle in.”
the air around them settled as they looked at each other. jimin bit his lip as yoongi offered a small smile. “once you settle in,” he breathed, nodding slowly. “how about that hot chocolate and maybe a few christmas songs?”
shoulders relaxed with an easy smile on his face, yoongi nodded. “yeah, let’s do it.”
*
the days passed by quickly, blurring together in a mess of christmas lights, carol singing and making enough gingerbread men that they all gained at least a few pounds from the cookies alone. the air turned even colder and the sky started to release little sprinkles of snow every few hours.
“let's build a snowman!” tae cried, spotting the snow through jimin’s window. it slowly settled on the ground outside, painting the world in a soft, hazy white. jimin watched it for a moment before allowing tae to drag him towards the door. “come on, hyung!” he shouted, making hoseok, seokjin and yoongi all look over. they were gathered in the living room, in the middle of helping jimin build his new bookcase. “come on, come on! before the kids upstairs use all the good snow.”
jimin grinned when they looked at each other, huffing as they pushed themselves to their feet. “come on, hyung, it’ll be fun,” he cooed, sliding up to yoongi’s side. the older boy pouted, already stuffing his hat over his ears. jimin reached up, running his fingers under the hat to lightly stroke the soft hair around his ears before he settled the hat properly on yoongi’s head. “it’ll be fun,” he murmured softly.
“if it was just tae asking, i would have said no,” he pointed out, cocking his head to the side, letting jimin’s hand slide down to rest against his cheek. he smiled when jimin shook his head, giggling quietly. “want to build a better snowman than them?” he whispered, eyes flicking to tae and hoseok, who were murmuring quietly to each other.
“do you even need to ask?” jimin grinned, lightly pinching yoongi’s cheek before he leant down to put his boots on. “snowman competition!” he called, dragging yoongi after him. he heard the others rushing over them, tae complaining that jimin was betraying him. with a laugh, jimin tugged yoongi to go even faster. “come on, we need to pick the best spot,” he whispered quickly.
they found the perfect spot with the most snow gathered and worked together to build their snowman. it didn't take long for them to build another one, both of them stood side by side. “looks like us,” yoongi commented. “the short one is you,” he added, lightly elbowing jimin before he whined, being tackled into the snow. “fine! fine! it’s not you!”
“oh, it’s someone else?” jimin asked, resting on yoongi’s waist.
yoongi rested his hands on jimin’s hips and shook his head. “definitely not.”
chuckling, jimin leaned down and brushed their noses together. “good, kitty.”
even though he rolled his eyes, jimin could see the redness spreading across yoongi’s cheeks. despite the nickname being protested, jimin could hear the hitch in yoongi’s breath, the soft expression that took over his features, whenever he heard kitty .
“get a room!” hoseok called.
“yoongichi was my best friend first,” seokjin pouted, making tae pat the top of his head as he crouched in the snow. he sniffed, glancing up at tae and hoseok.
“i don’t think they’re best friends, hyung,” hoseok said softly, patting the top of seokjin’s head too. “it’s impressive how close they’ve gotten really.”
“you mean physically or?” tae asked, eyeing jimin on top of yoongi in the snow. “they’re going to get a cold if they stay like that.”
jimin could hear them talking but it was hard to care when yoongi was looking up at him like that, like he was precious and wanted nothing more than to kiss him. jimin wanted nothing more than to kiss him too, if he was being honest. “you have two options,” he murmured, lips brushing ever so gently against yoongi’s. “i can either pull away right this second to prevent our friends from teasing us anymore or,” he said, bottom lip lightly dragging against yoongi’s top lip. “or i can kiss you right now.”
yoongi’s breath hitched, made even more noticeable by the puff of air that hit jimin’s face. “now,” he whispered, “now, please.”
a smile spread across jimin’s lips as he pulled back slightly to look down at yoongi. his hat was pushed back, exposing more of his forehead and little tuffs of hair. his cheeks were dusty pink, his eyes were hooded as he looked up at jimin. “such a pretty kitty,” he whispered, making yoongi whine but he swallowed the sound as he pressed their lips together.
it felt like the few weeks that had gone had led up to that moment - the gentle teasing, the soft smiles, the endless hours spent together while yoongi explored his new home. they spent more time together than not, which bugged seokjin but the other boy had a job to go to so jimin took advantage of yoongi not needing to be at work for a while. they explored the city as tourists and as its newest residents, they visited the museums, the galleries, the independent shops where yoongi made friends with the owners and got discounts on the fruit from the small ajummas on the corner stalls. they visited the small market stalls and looked at the silly little knickknacks based around christmas time. jimin even brought a small gingerbread man wearing a santa hat because yoongi liked it - it was displayed a little too proudly at the middle of his christmas tree.
faintly, he could hear the others but it was hard to pull away from yoongi. his kisses were intoxicating. each time he pulled back a bit, he dove straight back in for more. yoongi made a little noise each time, fingers digging into jimin’s waist. jimin edged his fingers under yoongi’s hat, eager to find his ears because he knew they would be twitching - and they were. jimin grinned against his lips, enjoying the small whine yoongi let out.
“as hot as this is, you two need to cool down!”
suddenly, jimin felt like his entire body was frozen. he squeaked and pulled back to try and dislodge the snow that had just been shoved down his coat. “tae!”
the other boy giggled and ran away, aiming to hide behind hoseok. jimin got a few steps before he turned, eyes finding yoongi’s as the older boy slowly sat up, expression dazed. jimin ignored his friends in favour of crouching down in front of yoongi and gently cupping his cheeks. it didn't matter that his back was soaked or that he was mortified that his best friends had watched their first kiss.
“hey,” he murmured, thumb lightly dragging across yoongi’s bottom lip.
“hey,” he whispered back, tilting his head enough for jimin to lightly place another kiss there. “um, i think my tail is going numb.”
at the soft words, jimin instantly pulled him to his feet. “we need to get you warmed up,” he said, lightly tugging on yoongi’s arms but the older boy shook his head. “your tail-”
“i just needed to get up,” he said, reaching up to press his lips against jimin’s softly. “let's look at their snowmen,” he said, twisting his hand until his fingers slipped through jimin’s. the younger boy stared down at their hands as they joined the other three, who tittered and teased until they grew bored of yoongi’s flushed cheeks being their only response. “ours is better,” he whispered, eyeing the three snowmen before looking over the two they had made together.
“of course,” jimin whispered back, winking.
“who wants hot chocolate?” tae said, jumping up and down as he clapped his hands together. jimin eyed the pair of slides he was wearing, wondering how his toes hadn’t frozen off yet, but he knew from their cuddle sessions that tae usually ran hotter than most people. “loser has to make the drinks!” he cried, making a dash for the front door. jimin watched him go before slowly looking up at yoongi, who grinned and tugged them both into a run.
curled up on the sofa, jimin watched in amusement as hoseok dragged a sleepy tae to his feet. the younger boy whined, not wanting to leave since it was early and they still had two christmas films to watch. “you can come back in a few days, tae. christmas is still a week away,” hoseok cooed softly. “we can even watch one of those christmas shows you like when we get back.”
tae whined again as he buried his face in hoseok’s neck. “wanna stay.”
yoongi sniffed as he shifted closer to jimin’s side. jimin lifted his head, letting get comfortable again before resting his cheek against the soft hair at the top of yoongi’s head, minding the little ears that twitched. “i should go too,” he mumbled, making no move to get up.
jimin tightened his arm around yoongi’s waist. “stay,” he mumbled back. “we can cuddle all night.”
there was a small giggle as yoongi tilted his head to look up at jimin. “just cuddle?”
his arm had slackened but at yoongi’s breathy words, he tightened his arm around him again, tugging him closer until his lips brushed against yoongi’s ear. “mm, do you want to just cuddle?”
nibbling his bottom lip, yoongi ran his eyes over jimin’s face. “well-”
“come on, tae, one foot forward. no, not that direction.” hoseok huffed but the sound was more amused than anything. “towards the door. think of our nice warm bed, hm?”
both of them glanced over to see tae nodding as he angled himself towards the door. “i better see them off,” jimin said, slowly untangling himself from yoongi. the kitten pouted but reached over for the cushion to hold against his chest. “come say bye,” he said, chuckling.
yoongi took his outstretched hand and followed him to the front door. he briefly wondered if seokjin planned on coming back but since he took his phone call almost an hour ago, none of them had heard from him. yoongi had a suspicion who his friend was on the phone to but he didn't really want to question it too much. leaning against jimin’s side, yoongi watched as hoseok quietly instructed tae on how to get his shoes on and yes, tae, you have to wear your shoes, it’s cold and dark, we don’t know where you’re stepping.
once they were ready to go, hoseok straightened up and looked at tae, who blearily blinked at him. “who’s a good puppy?” hoseok murmured, fingers lightly tickling under tae’s chin.
yoongi felt his ears twitch. “wait, is he-”
“nope.”
“but-”
“he’s not.”
yoongi frowned, glancing at tae and hoseok from the corner of his eye. “oh.”
quietly, jimin snorted and patted his hip. “i know. guys, please leave. tae, i’ll phone you tomorrow. maybe text, it’s expensive to call.”
at the mention of his name, tae turned his head and slowly blinked at jimin. hoseok lightly patted his cheek and smiled at jimin, mouthing an okay. they watched him gently drag tae from the apartment and down the hall. they waved their goodbyes before jimin led yoongi back inside.
“so,” he began casually as they headed towards his room. yoongi looked over at him curiously. “you know your ears do that thing, right?” slowly, yoongi nodded as his fingers patted his ears, feeling them twitch under jimin’s attention. “does your tail do that too?”
whining quietly, yoongi covered his face. “there’s one way to find out,” he mumbled, jimin’s teasing get the best of him.
with a large grin, jimin led him towards the bed. “oh, really?”
laying him down gently on the bed, jimin found his answer pretty quickly.
normally, jimin would plan christmas down to a T. he would give himself enough time to get the train back home to his parents house and allow a few days to buy presents but he found that he didn't mind if he christmas took a small detour. he promised his parents that he’d visit for new years instead, murmuring that he wanted to spend christmas at home. they teased him but didn't press, which jimin was grateful for - he knew they knew but it was still a touchy subject for them. he was grateful that he was accepted still.
“so, me and hyung will prepare the dinner and you and hyung will do the desert while-”
“which hyung is he talking about?” yoongi asked, glancing up at seokjin.
“dinner hyung is you,” seokjin said, prodding yoongi’s shoulder. “i said i’d make a pie. what time are your friends getting here?”
yoongi looked up at the clock, humming quietly. jimin stood next to him, resting his cheek on yoongi’s shoulder as he shut his eyes. “i think namjoonie will get here in about an hour. kookie said he needed to pick a few things up first. probably most of his clothes,” he said, sniggering. jimin pressed his smile against yoongi’s shoulder, loving the sound. “so me and jiminie are making dinner and you and tae are doing the pie?”
seokjin peeked over at tae. the younger boy was spread across jimin’s floor, playing with the small puppy that he appeared on the doorstep with. “i don’t think i’m going to get much help.”
“namjoonie will help you,” yoongi said, tilting his head to the side for jimin to press a small kiss against his cheek. he watched him leave the kitchen to play with tae and the puppy. “he’s good at making desserts.”
it turned out, neither of them would get much help. yoongi found it hard to be mad though when he got to look over and see the open joy on jimin’s face every time the puppy jumped up against his chest and yapped happily. he prepared most of the dinner by time his boyfriend appeared, whining that yoongi should have called him so he could help. “i got to see you smiling, that’s good enough,” he mumbled, feeling his cheeks warm up at the words.
there was a fake gagging sound to their side but both of them ignored it. jimin pressed a kiss against his lips but he was grinning too hard for it to be much more than a peck. “you’re such a cute kitty,” he whispered, running his nose gently against yoongi’s cheek.
it was obvious how much yoongi liked the nickname coming from jimin - the bright red cheeks and tail slowly curling in the air were a dead give away. since he spent more time in jimin’s apartment, he was comfortable wearing specially made clothes and jimin had the joy of seeing his boyfriend’s tail curving around his thigh.
“please stop flirting over the food,” seokjin said, lightly smacking the spoon against his hand. “don’t make me separate you.”
“this is my apartment!” jimin frowned at seokjin, who stuck his tongue out. “if you’re done,” jimin murmured, flicking his eyes towards his bedroom door. yoongi nibbled his bottom lip, eyes darting around the kitchen. jimin could see him contemplating it, his pupils dilating rapidly. “think of all the cuddling we could do,” he sang quietly, lightly tickling under yoongi’s chin.
suddenly, yoongi’s tail swished towards him, wrapping around his wrist. jimin smiled softly, watching as yoongi bobbed his head quickly. he chuckled and helped yoongi off the stool. seokjin tutted as he watched them try and sneak out but he didn't say anything. once they were in the safety of jimin’s room, yoongi immediately crawled across his bed and curled up in a small ball, whining softly until jimin joined him.
“i can’t wait to meet your friends,” jimin murmured, brushing his lips against the shell of yoongi’s ear. “you always talk so fondly of them.”
“they kept emailing me about you,” yoongi grumbled. “they cared more about you than how i was doing here.”
“i know, jungkook was emailing me too,” he giggled, tugging yoongi closer when he whined. “he’s a cute kid, he was excited that we’re from the same place. he really wants to see your new place,” he added. “he asked how many rooms it had since you won’t tell him.”
“i want to surprise them,” yoongi mumbled, snuggling closer against jimin’s chest. “they can stay whenever they want.”
jimin smiled, completely fond. yoongi was so soft and pure. “what about me? do i get to stay whenever i want?”
“you know you don’t need that spare bedroom,” yoongi murmured, tilting his head to look up at jimin, lips lightly pursing subconsciously. jimin leaned down and brushed their lips together gently. “i didn't buy that bed you loved just for you to sleep in the spare room,” he added, avoiding jimin’s fingers as they found his waist, his ticklish spot. “we don’t normally do much for christmas,” he admitted, resting his cheek against jimin’s shoulder again. “i’m glad we’re spending it with you guys.”
“just think, if you didn't randomly stumble into my apartment instead of hyung’s, we might not be celebrating christmas together,” jimin commented.
“you think so?”
jimin hummed as he ran his fingers through the small hairs at yoongi’s nape. he listened to the soft purrs that rumbled against his chest, yoongi’s whole body relaxing, almost sinking into the mattress. “no, i think the second i saw you i would’ve wanted to know you.”
“you’re so cheesy,” yoongi breathed, rubbing his cheek against jimin’s chest. “but i love it.”
with a chuckle, jimin shifted them so they were face to face. yoongi whined quietly at being moved but stopped when jimin pressed a kiss against his forehead. “merry christmas, hyung.”
a soft blush spread across yoongi’s cheeks as he looked up at jimin. “merry christmas, jiminie.”