Chapter Text
moon interlude is a bookstore that jeongguk often passes on his way back home from campus. he’s been meaning to check it out, purely because of the menu that is usually advertised out on the tiny chalkboard out front but has never had the chance to visit until today. it has big glass windows, with a crescent moon framing the side of the shop's name, which is written in a tidy serif font. he can see people through the window, laughing and talking to each other, and a few more people are browsing the bookshelves set up deeper in the shop.
the little bell above the door jingles when he walks in, backpack grasped in his hand. it's pretty cold outside, being the middle of november, and the warmth of the shop feels like a welcome hug. jeongguk heads straight to join the line in front of the counter, looking over the menu but not really reading it. he's had a long day, a long week, a long month. he can't fully focus on anything, brain both too full and utterly empty.
god, whoever said to sign up for all the things you want to do in college must have either been insane or had a time machine.
on the agenda for this long, long day: jeongguk has three different tests to study for, all wildly different subjects. he also has two papers to write. they're not due today, but they are due soon, and he's only started one. the other has a thesis that looks like a bunch of words thrown all together, not nearly enough to carry him for fifteen pages. he has dance practice tonight, and he promised his roommate that he'd watch something with him, and jeongguk really hates letting jimin down.
he feels like shit, just thinking about everything, but he has to get it done. has to, has to, has to. his mind is empty, and the world is too far. he's in a swimming pool, sitting on the tile floor all the way at the bottom, with no energy to swim up and try to break free. the world is fractured, moving with the waves in a way that's alienating.
he's at the front of the line, with no idea how he got there. the man behind the counter (namjoon, if his name tag is accurate) smiles at him, bright and cheerful and kind. "hi, welcome to moon interlude! how may i help you?"
"um," says jeongguk eloquently, looking back up at the menu. maybe he will actually be able to decide on something this time. he can read the words, but they make no fucking sense, and he feels so guilty looking back at namjoon with nothing to say. "can i have something sweet?" he finally says.
namjoon's smile is almost sympathetic now. jeongguk doesn't know how he feels about that. "sure! anything in particular?
jeongguk shrugs, almost apologetically. the idea of choosing anything feels like too much right now, like there's not enough left in him to choose properly, like he's floating out of his lines. but sadly, this is not something you can say to your local barista without a weird look. "just whatever you think tastes good.
his smile changes even more, becomes softer and concerned. it feels like a stab in the chest; not only is he not holding himself together anymore but now it's so evident that a complete stranger is concerned. "alright," namjoon says, nodding like he understands something. "i'll bring it to your table, feel free to take a seat anywhere."
jeongguk smiles at him, hoping it reads as thank you for your concern, but i'm okay rather than i am doing my best and my best is very bad right now. the smile does not seem to convey the right message, and now jeongguk feels even worse.
great.
he finds a table in a corner by the window, right beside a charging port in case he needs it. he puts his bag on the table, meaning to get everything out and just Start - maybe it'll be better if he just dives right in. but unzipping seems like a herculean effort and his arms don't have the energy, so he just sits, bag on the table, hands in front of him, staring out the window into the street.
it's not raining yet, but it's dark enough that it looks like it will soon. jeongguk always does a little worse on days like this, when the clouds hang low and dark and it feels like that moment when you wake up from a nightmare with the covers over your head. your mind is racing and the world is dark and you can't breathe, not till you escape the covers and see that the world wasn't that dark, you just needed a new perspective.
jeongguk can't escape these covers.
he's trying to find the strength to actually open his bag -- just open his bag and get his laptop out, maybe get a playlist going -- when something jumps on his lap. it scares the ever-living shit out of him, and he jumps in his seat, accidentally banging his knee into the table.
the cat on his lap seems unfazed.
"oh, hello," says jeongguk, feigning confidence and ease. "you scared me."
the cat is still unfazed, choosing to knead at jeongguk's jeans with sharp claws before curling up on his lap as if it belongs there. any other day, jeongguk would be a bit confused -- usually, cats don't like him, no matter how nice he's trying to make himself seem -- but today he's too tired to think about it. plus the cat is very cute, with blonde fur that feels soft between his fingers and eyes that look up at him like they can read his mind. it's unnerving, but then again, what cat isn't?
the cat begins to purr, comforting and quiet. jeongguk shifts minimally, finding his phone in one of the smaller pockets of his bag. it's not his laptop, but it's easier to reach and now he can listen to music. jeongguk connects it to his headphones and plays one of the first playlists he sees.
"ah, i see you've met our resident demon-child." namjoon sets the coffee mug down by his bag and smiles at jeongguk. the cat glares up at namjoon. jeongguk didn't even know cats could glare, but there's nothing else that expression could be. namjoon also sets down a plate of cookies jeongguk knows he didn't order. "they're on the house," namjoon says before jeongguk can ask. "our baker made too many this morning; they'll go to waste, and they go well with your drink."
"thank you," jeongguk says, voice just barely loud enough. he clears his throat, and then asks, "demon-child?"
"it's not his name, but it might as well be. he's very specific and demanding, and a bit of a pain in the ass." the cat's glare only gets worse and worse till it looks like he could light namjoon on fire right where he stands. namjoon's only response is a grin, dimpled, and completely unfazed.
jeongguk can't help giggling, something that surprises all three of them. "he seems pretty nice so far; i like his purring" he mutters, playing with demon-child's fur. "cats don't usually like me, not this fast."
"he's not a very usual cat," replies namjoon. “he has a bit of a type.”
demon-child hisses at him, and namjoon makes a face back, coaxing another giggle out of jeongguk. something about their dynamic is just funny and familiar, and a little weird. he doesn't have the energy to place exactly what's off, though, so he doesn't try to. eventually, demon-child calms back down, placated by the petting, and settles down, eyes closed and head resting on his paws.
"i know i'm a stranger," namjoon says gently, "but i'm here to talk if you need to. you just look a little stressed, and sometimes talking helps, you know? talking to a stranger might even be more helpful; no responsibility you'll see me again." his face is bright red at the end of his spiel like he's embarrassed by what he said, but he also looks determined to say it.
jeongguk nods, a bit confused and a lot touched. "thank you," he replies. inadequate, yeah, but it's all he has. namjoon nods like that's enough, then walks away with a smile that seems to mean something jeongguk doesn't have the energy to try and decipher, and a promise to come back in an hour "just to check on you guys."
jeon jeongguk was raised right. he was raised to say please and thank you, to open doors for people when he could, to leave places cleaner and neater than he found them. he was also raised to give someone his complete and undivided attention when they are hanging out. and yes, maybe that rule doesn't really apply to cats, especially cats you've never met before in your life who spontaneously jump on your lap, and yes, maybe jeongguk is using this as an excuse not to work. but he was raised right, and he gets to decide if it applies, and demon-child's fur is very soft.
"you're so lucky you're a cat," jeongguk says eventually, voice quiet and a bit raspy. demon-child's ears twitch, but otherwise, he's calm and still, tail swaying. jeongguk takes it to mean i'm listening. he doesn’t really know anything about cat language. "you don't have to deal with papers or assignments or being too overwhelmed. i have all this shit to do, and i think about doing it, and it's like i lose control of my own body. i can't even get my laptop out of my bag, how pathetic is that? it would be nice to just be able to nap it all away."
jeongguk doesn't mean to start talking - who talks to a cat anyways? but he only has two modes when he's sad-slash-anxious-slash-tired: shut up and say nothing, or lose all ability to shut up and say everything that comes to mind. and right now, they're all alone in their little corner, and god, he's so tired. of everything. why not tell someone? his voice is a little deeper when he talks quietly, almost like a purr of his own, and demon-child is a good listener. he just sits there and occasionally twitches his ears and purrs.
eventually, jeongguk runs out of words. he doesn't feel better, or fixed, but he does feel a bit lighter. his cup is empty and his cookie is gone, and demon-cat is still purring on his lap. at this point, jeongguk is half-convinced he's asleep, but he doesn't stop petting him anyways.
namjoon comes back and scoops the mug and plate away, giving a little small smile at demon-child on jeongguk's lap. when jeongguk gives him a small smile, namjoon seems to accept this one a lot easier. he grins back before walking away, muttering something about "immediate favorites". jeongguk has no idea what he means.
he takes out his laptop, moving slowly and carefully so not to wake the cat, and opens up his notes for the class that's easiest to study for. he can review this, just focus on this one thing. he's not going to be done by the end of today, not by a long shot, but it's better than sitting here and doing nothing.
he murmurs, "sorry" as he takes his hand back. demon-child opens an eye then, looking up at jeongguk with what feels like very clear, very human-like exasperation. this cat pushes the boundaries of expressions jeongguk thought cats could make, and he's both endeared and mildly terrified. "i'm going to try and study," he explains, like it makes a difference.
demon-child gives him a look, this one indecipherable, and closes his eye again.
he keeps purring as jeongguk types, and the afternoon drips away like honey.
🐾
when jeongguk leaves, the cat walks towards the back of the bookstore, deeper in between the shelves. there's a little reading nook in the back that most people don't use, partially because it's glamoured to be hidden and partially because there's not a lot of natural light here, which interferes with instagram photos. it's cozy, with a rug that's just on the nicer side of hideous and beanbag chairs that look like they belong to college students because they once did.
namjoon's shift isn't over yet, but when he makes his way back to the nook, there's a man sitting in one of the beanbag chairs. soft light blonde hair falls over his eyes, and he practically disappears into the yellow fabric, all curled up.
"are you done trying to seduce him now?" namjoon asks, plopping down onto the other chair. he's exhausted and his feet hurt, but as he always says, there's always time to tease his friends,. lord knows his friends would absolutely do the same.
the man frowns, finally looking up. his eyes are green, a dark pretty green, that makes you turn to look over your shoulder and sends shivers down your spine. he looks like he knows every thought you've ever had and every single secret you’ve ever tried to hide. it’s eerie.
to anyone else, he would seem intimidating, but namjoon has seen him crying over cartoons and walking into the kitchen counter because he wasn't fully awake. "i wasn't seducing him. i was trying to help. being a good samaritan and all that shit."
"he is very much your type, though, isn't he, yoongi-hyung?"
yoongi rolls his eyes and curls up a little more, like he can dodge all these questions if he just curls up tight enough. "i have no idea what you're talking about. leave me alone; let me take a nap."
the opening is right there; namjoon has to take it. "didn't you nap enough on his lap?"
namjoon narrowly dodges the book that yoongi throws at his head, booming laughter covering the way yoongi hisses. "don't you have work to do?" yoongi grumbles, closing his eyes. namjoon would think he’s upset, but he’s known yoongi long enough to recognize the way he smiles softly.
namjoon, still laughing, drapes a bright orange blanket over him. it covers him up, except for the little tuft on blonde hair peeking out at the top. "i'll wake you up when my shift is over. goodnight hyung."
🐾
jeongguk was a quiet kid growing up.
his mom always said he had a lot of energy. he wasn’t very loud or constantly bouncing off the walls, but he was still energetic, she insisted. he was painfully shy around people he didn’t know, going as far as to hide behind his parents when he didn’t know the people they were talking to. but he still got extremely excited about mundane things, as kids do, showing his parents every single thing he thought was interesting. he still had more energy than they knew what to do with, perfectly content to sit and color one minute then completely unable to sit still and itching to run around the next.
jeongguk also grew up good.
he had a good childhood, sure, but his constant description as a kid was good . he was good in class, quiet and polite, and he was good during playdates, sweet and sharing his toys with everyone. he was also just good at things; sometimes naturally, sometimes because he just wanted to know what it would feel like to be good at the thing he was working at.
when he started school, those two descriptions merged to create the perfect breeding ground for perfectionism. he was quiet, sitting usually in the back of the class by himself and working on what he needed to do, and he was good, working hard at sports and school. he made friends, because of the sports, but he didn’t get completely open up.
when jeongguk got to high school, the perfectionism turned into late nights studying and early mornings practicing. it turned into him doing everything and anything he could to do everything he wanted to do, and it drove him mildly insane. don’t get him wrong: he was popular and it was fun, being good at all those things, but he was stressed. all the time.
and honestly, he never quite learned how to deal with it properly.
jimin is curled up on the couch by the time jeongguk drags himself through the door of their shared apartment, a movie flickering on their pretty cheap tv. he’s not so quiet, opening the door, but then jeongguk realizes that jimin fell asleep sometime during the movie, pale pink hair spread out all over the pillow underneath his head. it’s already dark, all the streetlamps on and the windows shining with gold light, since his soccer practice ended late, and it’s pretty cold outside, which is why jeongguk is super excited to hop in the shower and just get all the sweat and grime of running around of him.
jeongguk stands under the hot stream of water in their teeny shower and does his best not to just fall asleep right there and then. he had a couple of assignments due today that he managed to get done during practice, but he’s still exhausted from that and the classes and the darting around while he’s being chased. he has a few due tomorrow morning that he should probably work on, but his brain feels like someone just took a rolling pin and smashed it over and over until it was nothing but a pile of pink putty. his head hurts, right at the temples, and his eyes keep going in and out of focus like even they don’t have the energy to do their job anymore.
he’ll just take the loss, maybe get up early and work on them a little.
jimin is still asleep when jeongguk gets out of the shower, with grey sweatpants and damp hair he can’t be bothered to dry right now. jeongguk wants to tell him about the bookstore, even just in passing, but jimin’s been running on fumes for a while now, and jeongguk isn’t heartless enough to wake him up just to talk about something cool he found. he could leave him there, just drape a blanket over him, but their couch isn’t the most comfortable when it comes to sleeping, and jeongguk knows jimin would wake him up if the positions were reversed.
so jeongguk just carries jimin to his room.
he almost wakes up, jeongguk can tell, but he just hushes him softly, whispering, “it’s just me, hyung,” and that’s enough. jimin falls asleep again almost immediately, head resting on jeongguk’s shoulder.
they met jeongguk’s freshman year when jeongguk was moving to the city for college and jimin’s roommate transferred to another school. he didn’t want to live in the dorms; it’s bad enough being someone who likes having their own space, much less being someone who likes having their own space in a place literally designed to do the exact opposite. jimin was also from busan, which was the only reason jeongguk chose to email him about the vacancy. when they finally met face to face, jeongguk learned two things: park jimin was a lot shorter than he thought, and park jimin was much nicer than he thought.
he seemed happy to see him and seemed to actually like jeongguk’s painted black nails (a thing he decided to do the previous night because he was so nervous about meeting his potential roommate). within the first hour, jimin gave him cookies and asked him to help paint his nails - “i have horrible hand-eye coordination with my left hand.” they didn’t discuss rent a lot, mainly choosing to talk about the bits of their childhood that they shared. this was mainly jimin talking while jeongguk did his best to look like he knew how to paint nails and wasn’t absolutely winging it, but he still found it fun.
the apartment was pretty big, for college kids, but jeongguk wasn’t complaining at all. jimin had his own room, filled with posters and books, and jeongguk got his own, facing the street, that he could fill with whatever he wanted. the kitchen was just barely big enough for the two of them to work in at the same time, and the bathroom had both a bathtub and a shower, which was great for when either of them wanted to test out bath bombs that jimin always blew his money on.
(the first one jeongguk ever tried, courtesy of jimin, was a dark purple with swirls of white and smelled of lavender and vanilla. jimin was all smug when jeongguk admitted he didn’t want to get out and had to fork over his part of the bet.)
jimin’s room is a mess right now, which jeongguk knows better than to touch. organized chaos, he called it. he just settles him into bed and tucks him in, then tiptoes back out. carrying your very strong, very heavy roommate to bed after working out for about three hours straight might not have been the brightest move on his part, but now he can sleep without really worrying.
his arms are definitely going to hurt tomorrow though.
when he falls into his own bed, hair still damp, jeongguk is planning on at least fleshing out a plan for tomorrow. he falls asleep almost immediately, thinking back to how he felt in the bookstore, calm and quiet for once. he wasn’t rushing to be good, or the best. he was just there.
and that was completely okay.
🐾
jeongguk would like to go on record and say that he doesn't come back to the bookstore for the cat.
except he unquestionably comes back to the bookstore for the cat.
he still hasn’t told jimin, which feels simultaneously wrong and right. in his defense, he was going to, over breakfast. but the words never actually came out. he wants to be excited, to have jimin be excited with him the way he knows he would’ve, but he also wants to keep it a secret. he wants to keep it as something just for him.
instead, he talks about how late jimin has been staying up, feeling very hypocritical but not acknowledging it. jimin had played it off, growing more focused on the eggs he’d decided to whip up, and jeongguk muttered an “alright, we can talk about this later”.
at first, jeongguk plays it off as him coming to study, and that's only a partial lie. the bookstore is busy today, but he still finds a good seat that's simultaneously quiet and hidden enough for him to focus and not so quiet that he feels isolated and detached. namjoon makes really good hot chocolate, he discovered last time; so jeongguk begins to use it as a reward for actually working instead of staring at his phone the whole time. and the chocolate chip cookies are practically heaven, giant and gooey and soft.
but even he has to admit, he’s mostly looking forward to seeing demon-child again. he’s been over about twice since the first time, and he still loves that cat. most cats still hate him, but this specific one will always come to say hi, purring and giving him looks that feel remarkably very human sometimes. he's used to talking to the cat too, which he’s not entirely proud of. when he thinks about it, jeongguk feels really stupid, but when he doesn’t, it just feels freeing. demon-child listens really well and plays with his headphones sometimes, batting at the cords like he’s wrestling with them. jeongguk always takes a few pictures, just to keep and smile at later.
there’s a new person at the front counter today, and jeongguk panics for a bit before grasping the bracelet on his wrist and clamping that panic down. "hi, welcome to moon interlude! what can i get you?"
the new person is smiling very prettily, and jeongguk is not too into his head to admit that it makes his chest hurt a little. his hair is a dyed honey-blonde and when he curls his hand over the register, jeongguk sees little smiley face decals on his nails
"hi, can i get a cinnamon hot chocolate, and two red velvet cupcakes?"
“coming right up,” says the new person as he punches the order in. “i’ve seen you around before; you’re jeongguk right?”
jeongguk nods before he can really think about it. the new person’s smile turns into a giant grin, happy and a little smug. “i’m hoseok! i work with namjoon sometimes; he’s mentioned you. also said that our resident demon seems to like you.”
“he’s very sweet; i like him too.”
hoseok looks at him a little longer, seemingly trying to figure out something. “well that’s good to hear; he’s very picky about people, usually. are you here to study?”
jeongguk nods. “just going to work on some papers i have due in a couple of weeks. i have time, but i don’t really want to procrastinate and kill my brain getting everything done last minute.” jeongguk will probably end up doing that, but it’s nice to dream.
"ugh, i do that all the time. i have three quizzes tomorrow that i still have to study for."
jeongguk winces, imagining the workload. his brain would explode, probably. "that's a lot of studying."
"it is," hoseok replies, nodding sagely before passing a to-go cup filled with cinnamon hot chocolate and a paper bag full of cupcakes over the counter. "good luck studying!"
“you too!”
at this point, jeongguk has a routine established. find a seat, open his laptop, play some music through his headphones loud enough that he can't really hear anyone else, write down everything he has to do, do it one thing at a time without thinking about the others. it’s a pretty easy routine, and it usually works, when he's not distracted or upset.
but today, there's a new person sitting close to his usual seat.
a new, very distracting person.
the first thing jeongguk notices about him is the sweater. it's giant and white, completely covering his hands to the point where he has sweater paws. sweater paws, for crying out loud. there’s a black denim jacket hanging over the back of the chair, and he has glasses perched on his nose, gold frames with black accents. his hair is tousled and blonde, hidden by a plain grey beanie. jeongguk wants to play with it, maybe run his hand through it once or twice.
he's cute , very cute, and it makes jeongguk feel a little stupid.
he's reading, as expected of someone in a bookstore, with one of the shop’s collectible mugs sitting right beside him. jeongguk is sitting close enough that he can see him, and angled in a way that means he can sneak glances over the top of his computer and quickly look away before he's caught.
the entire time jeongguk is sitting there, the highly distracting, very cute person doesn't look up, which jeongguk is both grateful for and highly sad about. on one hand, it means he doesn't really have to worry about being caught, even though he’s still incredibly scared of it happening. on the other hand, he's really curious about pretty guy's face, whether it's as pretty as the rest of him. in fact, he wants to see his eyes, really badly.
jeongguk, in a moment of weakness, looks up. the man decides at that point in time that it’s a good idea to be even more devastating, and laughs at something he’s just read. it’s not loud, just a quiet little puff of air, but the smile that spreads on his face is devastating.
jeongguk doesn't have a fucking chance.
he does his best to work, he really does, but he can’t stop looking up every now and then. he justifies it as a little treat for every time he gets something done, like managing to type a single word at some point, he does get into the groove of things for a little while and gets quite a bit accomplished.
at some point, when he’s saving a part of his worksheet that he’s actually pleased with, he hears hoseok say, “how’s it going?” from close by. he looks up, expecting to see the man leaning over his table, but he’s sitting beside the man that jeongguk can’t stop looking at.
“i like the book so far.” his voice is low, almost too quiet for jeongguk to properly hear, but jeongguk still likes it. it’s growly, comforting in a way that sends chills down jeongguk’s spine. “it’s funny, but still very much joon-ah’s type of book.
jeongguk stops listening in at that point, because it feels a little bit invasive, but the melody of cute guy’s voice plays in his head over and over, looping over the playlist he currently has on shuffle.
jeongguk has had crushes before, quite a few of them, in fact. he tends to think everyone is pretty, which is a very nice way to look at the world, but very tiring because he develops crushes very easily. when he was around fifteen, he realized that most of his crushes were guys. he thought it was just hero worship, thinking someone is cool and amazing and you want to be like them, but then he realized that he usually also wanted to hold their hand and kiss them, sweet and innocent, and that’s not really a part of hero worship. he’s come to terms with that, fairly easily honestly.
so this is not an “oh wow, i’m gay and i just found out” kind of panic.
it is, however, an “oh wow, i’m gay and this man is definitely reminding me” panic.
okay, he actually has to work now. he changes his position a bit, just casual enough to make it look like he’s just trying to get more comfortable, and actually focuses on the list he made for himself, ticking things off one by one.
by the time he looks up again, it’s pretty late in the afternoon and he needs to get going for a class he has soon. jeongguk turns to pack up, wiping down the table with a paper napkin and putting everything neatly in his bag, and by the time he looks back, the cute guy has disappeared completely, vanishing like a mirage. jeongguk is brain-tired enough to wax poetic about it, but he has no time: it's almost fitting: the pretty, fairy-like guy just disappears like magic.
🐾
jeongguk is not subtle.
yoongi is taking a break from one of his classes, and by taking a break, he means hoseok dragged him out of his room and into the bookstore when he can make sure yoongi isn’t going back to his own work.
this happens sometimes when he falls into extremes, but yoongi isn’t really complaining. the bookstore isn’t really filled today, so he can shift and go bother namjoon whenever he gets too bored of sitting still. he usually just sits on the counter and occasionally swipes a cookie, and makes a ton of dad jokes just to see namjoon give him that exasperated face. eventually, namjoon got sick of that and banished him to the main part of the bookstore with a giant stack of books in hand.
“read these,” he said, “and then we can talk about them. but if you come to that kitchen again, i will shave your eyebrows in your sleep.”
yoongi likes his eyebrows, and he knows not to mess with namjoon when he gets like this. this kind of anger is lethal, resulting in spell pranks for a solid month last time before hoseok put his foot down and slipped them both a potion that made their hair turn blue and green for a solid month.
so he picks a random seat and decides to start on the first book, quickly falling into the story. who should walk in but the guy who yoongi sat on, napping as a cat, for a good few hours? yoongi would be mad about it, but he’s too busy doing his best not to stare.
contrary to popular belief, yoongi does not just go around sitting on other people's laps. shifting is a rare skill, yes, but he doesn't really use it for anything other than when he means to relax. he tends to hide out in some corner of the bookstore and nap, listening to the hustle and bustle of people moving around while basking in the sun. sitting with jeongguk was a completely random decision. but he doesn't regret it. he looked overwhelmed and sad, and yoongi wanted to help somehow. not because he was cute, but because he was another person, and yoongi knows how shitty it is feeling overwhelmed and sad and alone.
and maybe a little bit because he was cute.
jeongguk seems a lot better today, a bit more present than last time. he’s in the clothes that yoongi has come to accept of him: black jeans and a shirt that makes him look a lot shorter than he is. his hair is a bit of a mess, and yoongi can see little dangly earrings shining in the light. as a cat, his senses are stronger, but yoongi can still smell the hot chocolate and cookies on him, and the weather outside, windy and open and free. underneath that, he can smell vanilla and something else, something sweet and clean and cozy. it suits him, yoongi thinks.
jeongguk notices him at some point, and yoongi almost laughs at how shocked he looks. he literally stands there for a solid minute, staring, before he seems to realize what he’s doing. he doesn’t stop looking at yoongi every now and then, and it feels like a huge ego boost.
yoongi is used to being stared at, but not like this. it usually happens when people find out he can shift, or when non-mages see his eyes and can’t stop freaking out. that particular reason is what resulted in yoongi wearing contacts all through high school, even though he found them uncomfortable. his second year of college though, he gave up on that and just wore glamoured glasses whenever he was around non-mages.
this kind of staring is sweet, warm and sugary like comfortable magic. it’s like jeongguk can’t stop looking every now and then, like he doesn’t even register that he’s doing it. he doesn’t really know how he feels about it, but he does know it’s good. yoongi likes being looked at like that, like he’s something precious.
he toys with the idea of going over there, actually sitting across from him and saying hi. but previous experience and his own personality makes that a little bit of a pipe dream. going there with no idea of how jeongguk actually feels about him feels like uncharted territory, and it sends shivers down his spine. he doesn't like not knowing.
hoseok comes over at some point, during his own break. “how’s it going?” he asks, stealing yoongi’s cookies.
“i like this book,” yoongi replies, batting at hoseok’s hands. instead of moving away from his cookies, hoseok just grabs two more and shoves them in his mouth. “it’s funny, but still very much joon-ah’s type of book.”
“yeah, i liked the story but it got super philosophical and my brain hurt.”
“oh definitely, i know that’s gonna happen at some point.”
hoseok takes the seat across from him, eyebrow raised. “you know he keeps looking at you, right?” he whispers.
“oh, is he? i thought he was looking at the books.”
“don’t be sarcastic with me, hyung. why don’t you make your move?”
that makes yoongi blush a little bit, cheeks flushed pink. “are you insane? isn’t your break up by now?”
“nope,” replies hoseok, grinning like he’s the only one that just won one of their bets.
“well. that’s unfortunate.”
when jeongguk has to leave, yoongi finally stands up as well, grabbing his giant stack of unfinished books and putting them back where they belong. jeongguk has disappeared by the time he comes back, the only evidence that he was even there at all being an empty plate. yoongi takes it back to the kitchen before anyone else can, for no other reason than he wants something to do.
“did your boyfriend leave?”
yoongi pointed at hoseok with the plate, waving it around like it was a threat. “i’m going to dye your hair puke green in your sleep.”
“i honestly dare you, let’s go, min.”