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They really needed the break. The Bangtan production knob had been set to an absolute furious high for so long now and it was still ongoing, so it was about time that they step off the gas and just...coast. Like a duck on a river.
The compound was nestled along the Bukhan river and was probably the most scenic drive that Yoongi had ever been on, even being the leader of the group of cars along the journey. Mostly because he got to spend it sitting next to Seokjin, who, in no matter what situation when they’re alone, can fill all empty silence with words and good conversation. They played songs (Seokjin picked ones Yoongi wrote and produced, which Yoongi knew he did to make him smile), sang obnoxiously, laughed, and talked about what they anticipated on this vacation and more. Seokjin even pestered Yoongi to write a duet about fishing, and then laughed so loud the love song on the radio he picked couldn’t be heard. Yoongi joined in the laughter, too.
Underneath it all, they knew it was the opportunity to just...exist. To be nothing more than just bodies in the breeze. The houses would be taken care of with activities and food, but they were on their own. When they went abroad they had that sense of freedom too, but they had a whole new country to explore and had to be always on alert for new experiences. Here, it was in an area they knew so they didn’t need to explore anything but the different houses on the compound.
But when Yoongi reaches across the center console to lace his fingers into Seokjin’s and rests their joined hands on the older man’s lap, they both smile at each other in silent happiness. Yeah, this is just what they needed.
🌳
But the thing with having too much free time is the underlying possibility of overdoing it.
Yoongi can’t remember the last time he had a solid 24 hours of nothing to do, and now that he has an entire week of no actual promotional work, he’s a bit overwhelmed with all the potential things here at the compound. Woodworking? Sure, he's willing to try it. When in the woods, try crafting things. Painting? A recent hobby, one that’s very calming to his mind, and one he expected to explore with a bigger canvas. Gaming? That’s a little more his speed, especially with Seokjin sitting next to him and pointing at the monitor and trying to teach him how to play. He just likes to play rounds Seokjin’s way to make him happy, even though he has his own way of accomplishing levels. It’s cute to see his hyung get excited over things this way.
And fishing. Truth be told, he isn’t really that big of a fan of fishing. And, even worse, he isn’t really a fan of open water and boats, so when Seokjin suggested on the very first day of arriving to the compound to go fishing, he tried to put it off as long as possible by doing things like unloading his luggage and the groceries, exploring the grounds. They have a whole week, right? What’s the rush?
But then again, it’s Seokjin. His boyfriend. He’s persistent and witty, and knows how to twist Yoongi in the right direction. He’s only been doing it for the past 4 years since they’ve been dating. And just like Seokjin promised before going fishing, he made Yoongi feel secure on that damned little boat. They didn’t catch a single thing, but Yoongi felt safe. He felt even better when he took a turn steering the boat and felt the warmth of Seokjin’s back against his cheek, like a cat leaning against their human. And even more so when he sat back to back with him, thrumming with sudden adventure and purpose, trying to catch a fish. Maybe he doesn’t know what fishing is all about, but sitting next to Seokjin on an empty lake is just about as peaceful as a moment can be. Even if Seokjin pouts and whines when his hook comes up empty. He’s cute.
After about six days, the fatigue starts to wear on Yoongi. That same knob was turning again slowly, this time for different reasons. Even though Yoongi had more than enough time and purpose to say ‘no thank you’ and just go to the camper van and take a nap, there was just so much time and things to do. He felt he had to cram all his wasted free time from years passed into this one week, which wasn’t right, but that’s how he felt. He felt slightly anxious about it.
So that’s how he felt on the morning of the sixth day, a little sore and dehydrated from the beers and chicken from the night before, tumbling out of the van and barely blinking at the sky outside. Despite his sleep muddled brain, he knows he needs a shower. He’s not sure how well he trusts his steps but he somehow made it into the Upper House, perhaps by a learned memory from all their days and nights here.
Fumbling around the room with barely his wits intact from how tired he was, he realizes he already turned the water on in the bathroom in his sleepy zombie haze...but he forgot to put a towel on the rack. Turning into the cabinet nearby, he grabs one from the pile and sticks it on the rack, yawning quietly. The steam from the shower makes him even drowsier, so he decides when he’s inside he can turn it colder and that’ll be his chance to turn it all around and wake him up.
He hasn’t even opened his eyes all the way, he’s so sensitive to the light of the small room, so he starts undressing in hopes that this will be the solution for his sluggish woes. He could tell that it was going to rain today on his way over with the very soft gray sky, so maybe he’ll have some time to work on some music inside of the van while it rains, or crawl into bed with Seokjin. Ah, that sounds nice. They haven’t had much time to cuddle, lately.
When he moves the curtain just a bit to the side to step over the tub into the shower, he’s greeted by the massive warm wave of water from the showerhead, and also—
“Yoongichi!”
That startles him awake. With eyes blinking wide open, he looks at the scandalous but amused face of his partner, black hair plastered against his forehead; looks at his nose, his lips. His smile.
“Uh,” Yoongi starts to say, but his mind is so melted he can’t begin to formulate a sentence just yet. Was Seokjin in the shower the whole time and he just imagined turning on the shower? Or did Seokjin just notice the water was running and ran fast to jump in first, as a joke? No, it’s probably the former. Yoongi really can’t think rationally of much else besides, your boyfriend, it’s your boyfriend, who’s naked in the shower with you; wake up, dickhead!
Seokjin huffs in quiet laughter, all shining pretty skin, “Well, fancy seeing you here.”
Yoongi silently agrees. Now that the sleep has been shocked out of his system, he is properly aware of how small this space is—it’s not like a proper one person shower with a door, but one that has a tub connected with it so it can be used as a bath or a shower. How he hadn’t realized someone was already inside, Seokjin, no less, he had no idea. He really was that tired to not realize any of his surroundings.
The air around him was stuffy with steam, but calmer. He couldn’t say the same for his heart, which picked up speed watching the way Seokjin looked at him so tenderly in his own way. He and Seokjin were usually the first to wake up wherever they stayed, in any scenario. Here on vacation, it was more apparent.
“You’re cute when you’re sleepy.” Seokjin murmurs sweetly. He smiles, in a way that makes Yoongi’s bones turn to jelly just a bit. He reaches out despite the shower spray and moves a strand of hair out of Yoongi’s face, which makes his face heat up more but...he can blame that on the shower temperature if Seokjin notices.
Yoongi openly admires Seokjin’s body under the dim light of the bathroom. He’s always favored Seokjin’s outwardly looks; his strong and attractive facial features and slender neck, his elongated shoulders and tapered waist, his strong thighs and knobby knees...but Yoongi loves the interior things just as much: his shimmering intellect, his uncanny sense of humor, his welcoming and calming personality, and the fact that he and Yoongi are just so similar. They’re far too similar than they want to admit, too. Two introverted, quiet beings, orbiting around each other, sometimes bumping together constantly like their internal magnets are too strong to keep apart for too long.
Yoongi grimaces at the metaphor. Hoseok would think he’s gross. No one can’t stop him from being verbosely poetic in his mind, even half asleep in a shower with his boyfriend, whom he is basing the poems about.
“C’mere, I’ll wash your hair.” Seokjin motions for Yoongi to head under the shower spray, and with some maneuvering, he wets his hair for just a moment before turning his back to Seokjin, expecting a giant glob of cold shampoo to hit his head. And...it doesn’t come. “Ah, I just remembered my hand.” Yoongi looks over his shoulder and looks, wincing. Yeah, they’re definitely novices at woodworking and seeing Seokjin’s skinned hand shows it. It makes him feel bad that his hyung got hurt, but that was unfortunately part of the experience.
“Let’s switch.” Yoongi suggests, “I’ll wash yours.” His voice is still not 100% functioning, the deep timbre of it scratching against his throat and bouncing off the small space. Seokjin holds onto Yoongi’s shoulder as they do the same twisting dance, except now Seokjin stands in front of Yoongi at full height with his back to him. This way, Yoongi can look without shame, not that there really is any in the first place. Except he’s been known to look at Seokjin when the older man isn’t really looking—he prefers it that way.
Frowning, Yoongi pokes at a small blue spot near Seokjin’s left shoulder blade, watching as Seokjin bends away at the touch, sensitive, “You have a bruise.”
“Oh,” Seokjin looks to the side, profile sharp and ears slightly red, “probably from sleeping on top of something in that tent. A rock? I’m not sure.”
“I told you you could come sleep in the van with me.”
“And I told you we could sleep in the floating house, but you said no.”
“I didn’t say no,” Yoongi argues with no malice, yawning, “I didn’t want to make any noise.”
Seokjin twists a little more so he can make a very pointed face. It’s not an angry face, but mostly eyebrows. The shower spray bounces off his chest and a little onto Yoongi, who squints as it hits his face, “Baby, you make the least amount of noise. I should know, I’m your roommate.”
Yoongi rolls his eyes. He knows it’s true, but for the sake of the argument, he opted for the van to be nice to the rest of the crew and his strange sleep schedule. Yoongi huffs as he watches water droplets race down Seokjin’s back, like a tiny race, and frowns, “Okay, fine. If your back hurts again, just come sleep with me in the camper van. It’s actually not that bad, it’s really cozy.” he offers. And it is the truth. He gets to hear the ambiance from outside, the night noises, the morning approaching, everything. It would be nicer sleeping next to Seokjin, too, he thinks.
Seokjin coos and it bounces off the linoleum walls, “You are too sweet. I’ll keep it in mind. Now, come on! I’m getting pruney and hungry, Yoongi-yah!”
Yoongi sighs. His hyung is so impatient, ready to start the day and find more activities to do, as if they probably haven’t exhausted them all already. And he’s always ready to eat, no doubt. That’s immediately what he thinks about when he wakes up, if it’s not making sure to kiss Yoongi when they do sleep in the same bed.
The shampoo is slightly flowery as Yoongi pours a generous amount in his hands, coating them. Seokjin’s hair is already damp as he’s turned against him.
“Lean back a bit, you’re a giant.” Yoongi murmurs gruffly. Seokjin’s shoulders shake in silent laughter, but he tilts his head back until he’s at a place that Yoongi can reach. Careful to not spill the shampoo, Yoongi starts moving it around in Seokjin’s hair and listens to the way his hyung sighs. His fingers fall through long silky strands.
“It’s been a while since we showered together, eh?”
It has been a while since they showered together, but it’s not uncommon for them to share a bathroom in more than one sense. They did it back in the debut days, all of them, but now they spend so much time together just the two of them that it’s only natural. Seokjin lives life by going with the flow, so if this happened years ago (and it probably did) he wouldn’t have cared. But now, now that Yoongi knows him intimately, it means a lot more. Maybe this was kismet.
Yoongi nods even though Seokjin cannot see him do so and continues scrubbing his fingers through Seokjin’s hair, working methodically, “Yeah. I miss having time to ourselves.”
“Right? It’s been a long time since all of us had some down time.” Seokjin agrees amicably.
Grunting, Yoongi shakes his head at that, “You know what I mean.” He isn’t at all swayed by Seokjin’s response—he knows Seokjin heard him and understood him, but he’s being innocent to rouse Yoongi, because things like that are fun to him. But deep down, Yoongi knows he agrees.
Seokjin turns when he notices Yoongi is finished scrubbing his hair, and turns completely around to duck under the shower spray, head rolled back to show his entire neck. And he knows that gets a rouse of Yoongi, too, because that's his favorite part of Seokjin’s body. One of, if not one of the highest features on the list. Yoongi can’t help but stare at the way the soap glides down across his throat, down his collarbones, and further still. He wishes so badly he could mark Seokjin’s neck and make something pretty out of it, but he’ll get a nasty mouth of soap with his impatience.
Blinking the soap and water out of his eyes, Seokjin looks at Yoongi through one squinted eye, “Ready to switch?”
Yoongi nods. With a brief artistic dance, Seokjin spins Yoongi around as if in a slow dance, and soon they’re switched back to their original places. Yoongi lathers his hands with shampoo again and washes his hair under the gaze of his partner, although he’s super aware of being watched. It’s not entirely a new sensation. Yoongi usually keeps very minimal eye contact with Seokjin in public settings, afraid that all his love and affection will spill out from just the brief look and he’ll get called out on it and get embarrassed. But he always, always likes to look at Seokjin. And he knows Seokjin does the same, just like he can feel it now. He closes his eyes and washes the soap from his hair, feeling Seokjin’s eyes start from his chin, going further down, admiring and sure.
“Staring is rude.” Yoongi comments as he lets the water run over his face. He doesn’t mean it, though. He hopes that the water will finally cure his tiredness, just a little.
Seokjin makes a mocked offended sound and barks, “Staring is caring!”
“That’s sharing.”
“Okay then. Share a kiss.” Yoongi opens his eyes to see Seokjin pouting. Pouting, like a child. He seems to act so immaturely sometimes but it’s something Yoongi loves about him. It’s his charm, his ability to cheer people up and shift the mood around them from stale to spirited. Yoongi thinks he’s really wonderful, and is glad to see so many sides of him. Seokjin the idol, Seokjin the introvert, Seokjin the jokester, Seokjin the lover.
The water continues to run and hits Yoongi on the back as Seokjin scoops a hand behind him and pulls him forward, their chests connecting in a warm, slippery embrace. He’s definitely not as tired as he was.
“I thought your hand hurt?” Yoongi tilts his head to the side when he feels the full touch of Seokjin’s hand press against the small of his back, like it's always belonged there. For all Yoongi’s known, it has. And he wants it to belong there for a very long time.
Seokjin tilts his own to mock Yoongi, the pout becoming more pronounced. Yoongi sighs, lungs full of steam and heart full of adoration. He came in here stumbling and kind of sleepily blind, but he’s about to leave nourished in so many ways. It’s truly refreshing.
He’s had enough staring at those beautiful lips, Yoongi decides, so he lifts up onto his tip toes and finds his boyfriend’s lips, the warmest he’s ever felt them, along with a smile. He truly does miss moments like these, and vows in this moment to kiss Seokjin more, not just in the shower. He’s spent so much time doing other things not only in their daily life but here, it’s given him time to reflect on deeper things and the fact that he’s thankful for Seokjin and his patience and his kindness. Doing things like standing shoulder to shoulder with him cooking dinner or sitting on a boat out on the lake with barely his wits together has taught him how much he wants to always be near him. Always wants to be in Seokjin’s warmth.
“Hey, Yoongichi,” Seokjin whispers when they pull apart. Yoongi’s heart and the water temperature climb, “have I told you that I’m a ping pong master?”
Yoongi’s sarcastic groan blends in with Seokjin’s infectious laughter in the small space. Still, he smiles.
🌳
Not even an hour later, Yoongi jolts upright from a nap, startled by the loud and continuous popping noise of fireworks just outside of the camper van. Without a doubt in his sleep muddled mind, he knows it’s Seokjin and can’t help but laugh sardonically. Even as chaotic as he seems for everyone’s mood boost, Yoongi is terribly in love with him.