Work Text:
🐈
Yoongi loves working. That's an undeniable truth. He did ever since he got the job as an intern at the radio station, five years ago. Now, he hosts more than a few segments himself, handling interviews with guests, calls from viewers, and music reviews. He has a hectic schedule, working long hours and pulling all-nighters, while still trying to keep his podcast running. It’s stressful, but it’s worth it, because he loves it, and he wouldn’t trade it for the world.
But if there’s something Yoongi loves more than working, that is coming home. Coming home to see his cat stretched by the window, perking his ears up until he pets his head. Coming home to finally take a warm shower and throw himself in bed. Coming home to the feeling of yellow lights and lullabies, the citrus scent in the air.
Coming home to Jimin.
It’s the single thought that gets him through the hard days with a smile on his face, and it’s what makes the feeling of coming home his favorite thing in the world. At the end of the day, it’s not a what, it’s a who.
Ever since he and Jimin moved in together, his life took a turn for the better. The whole point was for them to help each other out with the expenses — just two friends, splitting the bills and the chores. It was convenient and it made sense, but it wasn’t just that.
Because it made Yoongi feel something he didn’t expect.
🐈
Yoongi met Jimin in college, right after Jeongguk started dating Taehyung. He remembers how excited his cousin was about setting them up, and how bummed he was when Yoongi told him he didn’t do relationships. It was just too complicated; his heart wasn’t whole, and can one really love in pieces?
As it turns out, yes. And Yoongi learned that quite fast. The first time they saw each other, at Jeongguk’s birthday party, Jimin smiled and waved, and all he could think about was how he’d give anything to make sure this boy's smile always stayed there. The first time Yoongi heard him talk, Jimin was mumbling about fireflies, and Yoongi couldn’t help laughing. It wasn’t every day someone would pout over sparkling beetles in winter.
The more they talked, the more Yoongi thought he didn’t want him to ever stop.
Is that not what love is?
Because within a few months, he already felt like he loved Jimin with every shred. Not only that, being friends with Jimin had mended some of his broken heart, or maybe time did, and Jimin was just there. Maybe he did it himself, and all he needed was a hand to hold.
Either way, one thing he knows for sure, the way he loved him then and the way he does now, years later, those are different.
After Yoongi graduated, he found an apartment right away. He thought about asking his old roommate to tag along, but he knew Jin would like to stay close to Hoseok, and Namjoon wouldn’t want to afford a place like his when he spent most of his time traveling. That left him to deal with the expenses by himself, which, of course, had him struggling.
He’d talk to Jimin about it, and Jimin would try to help with as many ideas as he could.
“What if you sold something?” Jimin asked, holding out a mug in his hands.
“What am I going to sell, Jimin-ah?” Yoongi laughed, that being Jimin’s sixth suggestion in two minutes.
“I don’t know, that up to y— oh, what if you taught something online?” Jimin kept giving him ideas, but none of them felt right.
Neither of them thought the answer was staring at their faces until a few months later, Jeongguk brought it up.
“I don’t get it, why don’t you live together?”
They all knew Jimin would soon need a place, and Jeongguk and Taehyung already had plans to move in together themselves. Finally, Yoongi had an answer— at last, something felt right.
And so, everything fell into place.
🐈
That was almost three years ago, and now, Yoongi really isn’t struggling anymore. He would have no problem affording the place on his own. In fact, he could afford an even bigger one if he wanted to.
But the thing is, he wants to stay.
He wants to come home to Jimin every day, and he wants Jimin to come home to him. It’s not about the apartment anymore, and it hasn’t been for some time now. And Yoongi is very aware of that, as much as he doesn't want to admit it. Because when he thinks about home, he doesn’t see a place. He sees Jimin.
They’ve always been great together, even if they bicker a lot. They always did. But bickering isn’t fighting, and they hardly ever fight. For them, it’s easy. Or, at least, easier than they thought it would be. They have a routine no one else would understand, but it’s theirs.
And Yoongi will always love everything about it. From Jimin calling him out whenever he leaves the lights on after falling asleep in front of the computer, to Jimin helping him to the bed and covering him with a blanket.
From the way they spend their Saturday nights curled up on the couch with popcorn and a movie, to how he bites down a smile and complains every Sunday morning when Jimin rearranges every single piece of furniture in the living room.
“Jimin-ah! Not again!” Yoongi shouted dramatically.
This had been the fifth time Jimin had changed the layout of their living room. “Is it really that bad?”
“Yes,” Yoongi explained, moving around, "it’s muscle memory, so when I want to sit on the couch I end up bumping to the coffee table.”
That only made Jimin laugh, because by then, he already knew it didn’t really bother him. So what he did was play along. “Good morning, grumpy cat.”
Yoongi never stopped complaining, but he started helping Jimin move things around from time to time. And that alone said a lot. It’s all friendly banter, and it almost never turns into an actual fight.
There were only two times in which it did.
The first happened during their first month living together, when Yoongi had a problem with his computer and Jimin forgot his keys. When they think about it now, they see that it was a silly fight, for a silly reason, something they could’ve solved in five minutes. But that day, both of them slammed their doors shut, and both of them regretted it.
It didn’t last long, though. It took less than an hour for them to apologize. Less than an hour for them to hold each other close and promise not to fight again.
“I really am sorry,” Jimin whispered against Yoongi’s neck.
“Me too,” Yoongi answered, leaving a kiss on his hair.
“Let's not do this again, please? I hate fighting with you.”
Yoongi doesn’t remember who said it, if it was him on Jimin, because it could’ve been either one of them. And they both ended up saying the words, so it didn’t really matter.
But it did happen again.
The second time they fought, about a year later, they didn’t talk for almost a week. And it took Namjoon showing up to and sitting them both down for them to finally work things out. That day, Jimin knocked on his door in the middle of the night, and they ended up sleeping with their arms around each other.
“I'm sorry, I shouldn’t have gotten so upset. I know it was an accident,” Yoongi said, allowing himself to speak freely with the dark surrounding them.
“Yeah,” Jimin agrees, “but I understand why you did, I’m sorry I let him run away.”
Yoongi hummed, turning around to smile at Jimin, even if he wasn’t sure he could see him. “He's your cat too, you know?”
“He is?” Jimin asked with a high pitched voice, not able to keep his excitement away.
“Yeah, I found him, but I brought him home… so he’s ours.”
Yoongi swears he could see the glow in his eyes then. And after that, they didn’t fight again. Their arguments would be solved by them sitting down and talking, as simple as that.
🐈
But recently, things changed.
After Jimin broke his leg, about a month ago, they came close to fighting more than a few times. Yoongi knew he was stressed, but that only made it all the more frustrating, because there was nothing he could do.
He still remembers getting the call, Jimin crying on the phone, mumbling words he couldn’t understand. Him trying to calm Jimin down, while he was himself falling apart, crazy with worry, not knowing what was going on. His heart buzzing in his ear, his hand gripping on the phone because he couldn’t stop trembling.
“I broke my leg.”
He made out those words, along with a weak ’m fine. That’s when he finally breathed. Jimin was fine. He was okay. But he also wasn’t, and Yoongi understood that.
Jimin’s entire life is dancing. It is his hobby as much as it is his job. He started working at a dance studio as soon as he graduated, teaching kids ballet until he could make a living with his dance alone.
When Jimin was told he needed to stay home for at least eight weeks, that scared him, and it saddened him. And all because he tripped. That made him even angrier at himself, which made him even more frustrated.
Which took a toll on them.
For the past few weeks, Jimin stayed home, unable to do simple things by himself, like bend down to get something from the cabinet, rescue their cat when he gets stuck in a shelf he loves climbing to, but hates coming down from, or even getting in the shower without assistance.
Their bills were another struggle. Not because of money, but because even if Jimin was earning less, and also spending more, due to the treatment and physical therapy, he refused to let Yoongi pay for everything. The only way Yoongi managed to get him to agree was saying he’ll let him pay his share back when he can.
But still, every time Yoongi tried helping with something, he saw the way Jimin’s smile faltered. And they started arguing a lot more than usual.
Their words got sharper and their patience ran lower.
Until they finally snapped, which led to their third fight.
This time, much like the first time, it didn’t last long, both of them apologizing as soon as it happened. But it feels different now.
It’s been a day, and although everything was forgiven, Yoongi didn’t forget.
Because this time, something Jimin said stuck with him.
“Stop being so stubborn, let me help you!” Yoongi said, the frustration clear in his voice, his hand not leaving Jimin’s lower back while he tried to keep him from putting weight on his leg.
But Jimin shoved him away and shouted back, “I don’t want your help! If I need it, I’ll call someone else.”
Yoongi should've known better to back out when they started arguing like this, but he didn’t. “Jimin, we live together, I’m literally right here! Let me—”
“Yeah, well, maybe I don’t want to live with you anymore!”
There it was.
The words that had him finally letting his hands fall from Jimin’s back. The words that made him feel the familiar aching on his chest. Like his heart was breaking all over again.
He knows Jimin didn't mean it, but at that moment, that didn’t matter. And all he could think was how could he make a home without Jimin? Or better yet, how much he did not want to.
Jimin’s words hurt him, yes. But they also made him realize something. Something he’s been running away from. That somewhere along the line, his feelings changed. He wouldn’t say they're stronger. He doesn’t think they got deeper, either. They’re just— different. A different kind of love.
And he’s not sure what to do with that.
Now, on his way home, for the first time ever, he’s anxious. He closes his eyes, leaning on the window to his right. He usually prefers driving to work, but today he’s thankful that he didn’t. He couldn't. He couldn't get his mind to focus.
It’s still early, not even eight yet. He knows he’ll get home to Jimin’s smile. He knows he’ll open the door and see Loki by the window and Jimin on the couch. He knows he’ll hear his voice, he knows he’ll say something that will make him want to laugh.
He knows things will be better, because even though they fought, they also talked, and Jimin finally let out the things that were bothering him.
But what he fears now is how hard his heart will slam against his chest. What scares him is this feeling.
And how Jimin would react if he knew.
🐈
Yoongi opens the door slowly, quietly taking off his shoes before hanging his coat on the wall and throwing his keys on the table. He can already hear the tv from the hall, and he takes a deep breath before stepping in the living room. The first thing he sees is Jimin. One leg on the couch, the other stretched on the coffee table, the brace circling it under the blankets.
Loki isn’t at his usual spot by the window, instead, he’s behind Jimin’s head, sleeping on the back of the couch. Yoongi feels Jimin’s eyes on him, so he gives a small smile, trying to keep his voice steady. “How's your day going?”
“Well,” Jimin starts, pausing the screen before throwing the remote back on the couch, “no one died.”
Yoongi laughs, throwing his head back. His worries suddenly slip to the back of his mind. Jimin has that power. “Those are your standards?”
Jimin nods, waiting for Yoongi to sit beside him to continue, a loud sigh leaving his lips. “Can you blame me? In literally every show I’ve tried watching for the past two weeks, something happened to my favorite character. There’s only so much I can take! Wanna watch it with me?”
Seeing Jimin complain, finally seeming like himself again, has Yoongi smiling with him. But that also brings his worries back, his smile falling down while he bites on his bottom lip. He doesn’t realize he hasn’t answered until Jimin calls his name, waving a hand in front of his eyes. “Hey? You okay?”
“Yeah, sorry,” Yoongi apologizes, shaking his head, “what were you watching?”
But instead of answering, Jimin turns the tv off, carefully taking his leg to the floor so he can rearrange himself on the couch, facing Yoongi with a pout. “Are you still upset with me? About yesterday? I’m sorry, I really didn’t mean—”
“No, no, I’m not,” Yoongi cuts him off, “you don’t have to apologize again, it’s really okay, Jiminie.”
“What's wrong then?” Jimin asks with a frown, narrowing his eyes, his voice quiet and broken.
Lying is not an option. It never is when it comes to Jimin, he knows him all too well. He couldn’t even lie to him when he tried throwing him a surprise birthday party once. One Jimin found out about within a day of him starting to plan it.
So, no, he can’t lie. And he can’t stay silent either.
But if he says the truth… He doesn’t know what would happen then. He has no idea if there’s a chance of Jimin feeling the same.
In all the time they’ve known each other, Jimin had a few one-night stands, and he came close to being in a relationship two times, neither of which ended up happening, neither of which lasted for long. All of which he talked to Yoongi about.
He doesn’t know what to say, but his mouth opens. It opens and it closes two times before he finally whispers, “Jim—”
The unknown words die out in his throat, because as soon as he starts speaking, there’s a loud thunder, startling them both. Except no more than it startles Loki, who runs away the second the noise echoes.
And then they’re left alone in the dark.
🐈
Jimin lets out a quiet yelp before looking for the window, the faint lights from the street not being strong enough to light a foot inside the apartment. Yoongi hadn’t even realized that it was raining, let alone that there was a storm outside.
He was so focused on the turmoil of his own feelings that he didn’t notice the pouring water outside the window. He doesn’t even know if he had an umbrella on him or if the taxi driver stopped under the covered entrance.
It’s Jimin’s voice that pulls him back again. “Hyung?”
Yoongi looks over, but he can’t really see anything. “I think I left my phone in my coat, I’ll go get it,” he says standing up, but Jimin’s hand searches for him in the dark, circling his wrist right as he’s about to get up.
“Wait.”
He looks to the side, even if he can’t see anything. But before he can answer, Jimin speaks again. “What were you going to say?”
“Mini, I can’t even see you, we can talk about it later,” Yoongi says, making a move to stand up again, but Jimin’s grip on his wrist tightens.
“Isn't it easier like this?”
Jimin’s words confuse him, and for a second he fears he might know what he has to say. All he can do is mutter a low “what?” instantly freezing in his seat.
“That you can’t see me,” Jimin explains, “look, if you’re gonna tell me that you want me to move out, you might just go ahead now.”
“Why would I want that?” Yoongi manages to say, swallowing hard.
Jimin sighs, letting go of his arm. “You got weird after our fight… I know you said it was okay, and we both apologized, but I— I know you… and I know you’re not okay.”
This time, it’s Yoongi who seeks out his hand, lacing their fingers in the dark. “Jiminie, I would never… I— I don’t want you to move out.”
“Then what is it?” Jimin whispers.
“Do you really want to talk like this?” Yoongi asks, moving an inch closer.
It’s silent for a while, before Yoongi realizes Jimin must’ve nodded, his quiet voice filling the air again. “Yeah.”
Yoongi takes a deep breath, determined not to let himself overthink. “I don’t want you to move out, at all, ever.”
“Okay?” Jimin says hesitantly, still waiting for an answer.
“I love living with you,” Yoongi says.
Jimin hums, still confused. “I know. I really didn’t mean that, I love living with you too. I don’t want to move out. I wouldn’t wanna live with anyone else.”
“It's not just that,” Yoongi murmurs, trying to ground himself on the feeling of their hands intertwined.
“What is it, then?” Jimin asks, pulling him even closer, their knees now touching on the couch, the blanket almost entirely on the floor.
Yoongi presses his lips together, silently hoping that there was a way for Jimin to understand without him having to say it. But he knows there’s none.
He knows what he needs to do. And even with his heart racing and his voice shaking, he speaks.
“I love the yellow lights you taped to the window frame. I love that you did it because it makes you think of fireflies. I love that they make me think of you. I love that you hum lullabies when I’m having trouble sleeping. I love the way we talk about everything. I even love the way you rearrange the entire apartment every week.”
“Yoon—” Jimin tries to speak, but Yoongi squeezes his hand.
“I love the way you smile with your whole body when you’re happy,” Yoongi starts again, his lips curving when he feels Jimin’s hand pressing on his skin. “I love how you can hold Loki in your arms for as long as you want without him running away. I—”
And just like that, before Yoongi can say another word, the lights turn back on, and they both freeze, their eyes locked on each other, hands together, thunder echoing further, the rain slowly hitting the glass outside the window.
Jimin is crying.
That’s the thought that takes over Yoongi's mind the second he realizes the tears streaming down his face. He doesn’t even notice his own. He keeps his gaze on Jimin, his eyes scanning his expression, which is one he’s never seen before.
And he doesn’t know what to say. He doesn’t know what to do.
His first instinct is to pull him to his arms and hold him. Is to kiss his tears away. To take it back, to make him smile. But Jimin is the one who speaks. “What were you saying?” he asks.
“I— I was, I—,” Yoongi tries, but the words don’t come out this time.
“It seemed like you were going to say you love me,” Jimin whispers, a small smile forming on his face.
Jimin brings their joint hands to his chest, and Yoongi can feel both their hearts racing to the same beat.
Does this mean that…
“I love you,” Jimin whispers, pressing Yoongi’s palm on his chest. His way of letting him know he’s serious.
But Yoongi doesn’t really know how to process that, so he just keeps staring at him, fingertips kneading on his shirt.
“This is where you say something?” Jimin says, biting the inside of his cheek.
“You love me?” Yoongi asks.
Jimin nods, lowering his eyes, looking from Yoongi’s to the couch.
Yoongi moves his free hand to Jimin’s chin, lightly raising his head again. He looks into Jimin’s eyes and slowly leans forward, his lips meeting Jimin’s cheek, the salt from his tears invading his mouth. Yoongi feels Jimin smiling, and he moves to cup his face, his thumb caressing his skin.
“I love you, Park Jimin,” Yoongi confesses.
He doesn’t need to say anything else, and the next thing he knows, he feels Jimin’s lips on his, his hands circling his neck, pulling him closer. And in that moment, all his fears vanish. And all he focuses on is Jimin. Yoongi moves closer, feeling Jimin’s grip on his hair, careful not to hit his leg. He feels Jimin’s lips parting and he deepens the kiss until they’re both smiling.
Yoongi brings their foreheads together, and while they both try to catch their breaths, Jimin’s hands move to his waist, holding him close.
“This is only home because of you,” Jimin whispers against his neck.
Not even in a million years, Yoongi would’ve thought that this is what was going to happen. And he can’t help asking, “Since when?”
Jimin pulls back, pecking his lips before looking him in the eyes again. “I honestly don’t know, I— before I met you, Jeongguk told me you weren’t interested in that. And I’ve never seen you dating. I guess I— I've been trying to fight this feeling for a long long time now.”
“I'm sorry,” Yoongi apologizes.
Jimin shakes his head, quickly reassuring him. “It’s okay, you don’t have to be sorry, I’m just— now that you know how I feel, and— and you feel the same way, what does that mean? For us?”
“What do you want it to mean?” Yoongi asks in a playful tone.
It wouldn’t be them if they didn’t bicker. Even in a time like this. So Jimin hits his arm, moving back. “I’m serious! Because if—”
“I want you,” Yoongi interrupts him, reaching for his hand again, “and if you’ll have me, I want a relationship with you, Mini.”
Jimin smiles, his eyes glowing. But he can’t help mocking him too. “Even if that means that you’ll have to spend the rest of your life bumping on the coffee table?”
Yoongi chuckles, kissing his lips. “Even then.”
🐈
Jimin takes the brace off two weeks after that. And not even a month later, he’s already back on his feet. Back to dancing, back to changing the layout of the living room. Only now, when Yoongi gets home at night, instead of waiting on the couch, Jimin runs to his arms, bringing their lips together.
“How's your day going?” Yoongi asks between kisses.
“Perfect,” Jimin answers, nestling in his arms, a bright smile on his face, “even more now that you’re here.”
Yoongi giggles, picking Jimin up in his arms, feeling his legs circling his waist. His hands meet Jimin’s skin under his shirt, and their mouths move together.
It’s weird, Yoongi thinks, how things changed. Because while everything is different, it’s also the same.
He moves to the window, softly bumping Loki’s nose, then scratching behind his ears, hearing him purr before following Jimin to the couch.
And when the credits roll, they shut the screen off, going to their room.
Hand in hand.
They’ve always been home.