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Living together was weird, Jimin thought. Not a bad weird, just different to what Jimin was expecting it to be like.
He felt as if he should have been prepared for everything life could have thrown at him now. Jimin had spent countless nights with Yoongi, not to mention all the weekends and holidays they spent together over the years. Just as friends at first, and then as something a little more intimate, something just a little more special than friends. And then again as boyfriends. A cemented label that has been fixed in place for the last three years.
But still, it was different.
Yoongi was a night owl- that Jimin already knew, but he was shocked to find that Yoongi actually preferred spending the late hours by himself. Jimin had been dreading changing his sleep schedule to fit around Yoongi but he didn't need to in the end. Jimin would curl into bed, all cosy and warm under their fluffy duvet by eleven and Yoongi would pitter-patter around the main room for a couple hours before eventually joining him in bed. He never turned on the light and he undressed quietly, trying his hardest to not wake Jimin. But then every night, he would crawl in under the covers on his side of the bed and snake his deathly cold hands around Jimin's waist.
But Jimin didn't mind it, he would just turn around and snuggle into Yoongi's chest and fall back asleep as quickly as he’d woken up. Jimin would then wake up in the mornings, bright and early, and leave Yoongi snoozing for an hour or so as he got ready in the bathroom.
They worked well.
They had been living together for a few weeks now but Jimin still found it hard to shake the habits he had formed with his old roommates. Jimin knew Yoongi never ate breakfast at home yet he still found himself cracking out three portions of eggs into the heated pan instead of just one. He was used to having to feed both Hoseok and Jungkook in the mornings. But Yoongi would waddle in eventually, hair mussed and eyes swollen and sit down at their little counter with Jimin. Jimin enjoyed his slow morning routines, especially now that there was significantly less washing up to do for him.
Jimin got to enjoy Yoongi's cooking every day now and not just on special occasions. As well as that, Jimin now got to see Yoongi cook, which was a hobby of his on its own. He would then get to kiss Yoongi against the counter and hold his hands as they were eating and quite frankly, Jimin couldn't imagine going back to living apart after he had a taste of domestic life.
But by far the last thing Jimin was expecting was to end up spending the night together in A&E after their shower routines coincided with the houseplants’ watering day.
It was a regular Wednesday. Two months into living together and maybe only a week into having finally emptied out all their boxes. Two months and yet Jimin was still giggling about it. He was laying on their couch, their couch! In their living room! His feet were snuggled cosily under Yoongi's thighs on the other end of the couch and they had a nice fuzzy blanket spread over them. Jimin sighed and wiggled his toes. He was in heaven.
Yoongi sat up straight on the other side of the couch, working away on his laptop on some new ideas. His feet were resting on their small coffee table, toes peeking out of the blanket and left to brave the cool breeze in the apartment. No wonderYoongi always had really cold extremities. His hair was straight and falling into his eyes, eyebrows furrowed in concentration and Jimin felt his heart melt at how sweet he looked. His soft breathing and quick typing further relaxed Jimin, soothing him and he slowly felt himself snoozing off. His tablet had long since fallen on to his stomach, screen dimmed and some journal article was long forgotten as he slowly closed his eyes.
His last year of undergrad had been hectic, to say the least. Between long lab hours, his own research notes and applying to post-grad opportunities the last thing he had room in his mind for was his housing situation. He was quite happy to bunk another few years with Hoseok and Jungkook. Hoseok was happily working in the area and Jungkook still had his last year of college left. But then Yoongi brought it up one day when they were watching some boring movie and Jimin started to mull it over.
It made sense.
Jimin was applying to a school in a different area, and Yoongi was already settled in his job in the same neighbourhood. Not to mention Seokjin was planning on spending the year abroad, so Yoongi would be left with no roommate.
So, it made sense.
They had been dating for a few years too, it just made sense. He was twenty-four already… it made sense. And if Jimin felt the lurking presence of anxiety of the future, he valiantly pushed it aside and dove headfirst into finding somewhere to live with his boyfriend.
They wasted no time in finding an apartment. As soon as Jimin finished his last classes and had his last meeting with his research advisor, they paired up and tackled the renting market. They had plenty of time to find somewhere nice, Jimin’s lease lasted until the end of June and Yoongi was still waiting on Seokjin to finalise his plans before they split ways.
Jimin tried to quell his anxiety about the whole thing. He knew they wouldn’t have to settle on the first apartment they chose, and that moving in together didn't mean Jimin was forever tied up with Yoongi if something ever went wrong. Jimin knew it wasn’t such a big deal, yet he couldn't stop seeing it as a massive milestone in their relationship. This was in no way different to when he lived with Hoseok and Jungkook beforehand, he tried to tell himself.
Jimin may have had to equip some relaxing breathing exercises before each apartment viewing, but that was for him to keep secret, at least for now. Jimin loved Yoongi, there was no doubt. He felt comfortable in their relationship, couldn't ask for a better one, yet there was still that niggling anxiety in the pit of his stomach just waiting for something to go wrong. But Jimin did his best to push it aside. There was no need to get hung up over what-ifs in the future.
Apartment hunting had been fun yet stressful at the same time. They were limited to a pretty small area in Seoul, neither of them wanting to go back to commuting for hours every day in heavy traffic across the city. Jimin was picky but he wasn’t the only one. Only a few viewings in, he caught Yoongi declining apartments that didn't allow pets. Yoongi thought he was being so slick, didn't he?
Eventually, they had settled on a small one-bedroom apartment on the fourth floor of a complex. It was near a subway stop, and had plenty of windows for natural light, which Yoongi dubbed was important for both their happiness and his paintings. They signed the year-long lease and suddenly they had a new set of keys in their hands.
If anything, moving was even more hectic than the searching. Yoongi had to more or less uproot his whole old flat since Seokjin wasn’t able to take anything with him abroad. This left Yoongi with boxes full of houseplants and way too many blankets for just two people.
Jimin on the other hand was faced with the sudden reality that his wardrobe had fused with Hoseok and Jungkook’s into one free-for-all unit in the last three years.
Suddenly every T-shirt looked the same and Jimin was left to lay in a pile of clothes in his bedroom and wallow in self-pity before Hoseok finally felt bad enough to come and help him. Hoseok was still sticking it out with Jungkook in the apartment so Jimin left the majority of the furniture alone and left it up to Yoongi to provide them with something other than the ground to sit on.
Eventually, they had both packed up the last four or so years of their lives into a couple of boxes and had moved into their apartment. Their apartment. Just theirs. They made it in time right before Jimin’s first semester started so he had a few days to settle in before he was once again buried under textbooks and lab reports.
The biggest con of moving to a new place was definitely the sheer amount of cardboard boxes everywhere. There were so many boxes… too many. They had more or less managed to empty all the living room and kitchen boxes in the first two weeks. But they had both taken one look at their personal belongings and the boxes labelled “bedroom” and called it quits for the first month.
However one of the biggest pros of moving was getting to see Yoongi build flat-pack furniture. Jimin never knew putting together a bedside drawer could be considered attractive yet here Yoongi was, proving that theory single-handedly. Jimin lost count of the number of times he had tackled Yoongi to the ground to kiss him mid furniture building and Yoongi had long lost the motivation to complain about it.
Jimin was brought back to the present when he felt Yoongi patting his leg. Jimin curled tighter and let out a groan. He was probably only asleep for twenty minutes before Yoongi noticed and woke him up.
“You said you wanted to shower today, you should probably go now before it gets too late.”
Jimin blearily opened his eyes.
He knew Yoongi was right. He hated going to bed without showering first. But dinner had been so filling and his feet were so warm, it seemed like such a shame to get up. He was so relaxed.
Yoongi had cooked again, some complicated dish that Jimin didn't even want to start thinking about. It was absolutely delicious as always. Yoongi had such a knack for cooking and Jimin was so lucky he didn't have to do anything more than chop some vegetables. They had slowly worked their way through a bottle of wine while cooking and dining and Jimin was pleasantly warm, his glass left empty on the coffee table. Jimin’s fingers were still wrinkly from washing the dishes and he noticed that Yoongi's collar was still wet from where Jimin had stuck his wet hands down earlier. They had ended up giggling into each other’s mouths as they kissed against the kitchen counter with Jimin’s wet hands pressed to Yoongi’s cheeks and Jimin’s back slowly soaking up the water that had splashed onto the counter.
Yoongi patted his leg again.
Jimin sighed and lifted the blanket off himself.
“You’re right I know.” Slowly he drew his feet out under Yoongi and dropped them to the cold floor. He sluggishly stood up and searched the floor for his slippers.
“One’s gone under the sofa.”
Jimin hummed in thanks as he crouched down to fish out his missing slipper. Once they were both securely on his feet he moved to Yoongi and brushed his hands through his black hair. A couple of strands snagged in his fingers and Jimin tutted. Yoongi leaned up into the contact and smiled.
“Go, you have to be up early tomorrow right?”
Jimin bent down at his waist and placed a soft kiss on Yoongi’s forehead. “You’re so good you know that?”
Yoongi just laughed and shooed him away. “Go, now. I swear you're gonna turn into actual mush one of these days.”
“If it's for you, I wouldn’t mind.” Jimin laughed and finally let his hair go.
He turned and dragged his feet into their bedroom. He gathered up his towel from the drying rack and walked back out to go to the small bathroom. The walls were lined with blank and painted canvases propped up against them. Jimin looked fondly at all the paintings of various sizes. Yoongi had taken up painting last year as a relaxing hobby and now the paintings had taken over their hallways. He made sure to be careful and not brush up against any of them in case they were still drying.
He flicked on the switch for the light and the ventilation for the bathroom and stepped in. He was greeted with the entire bathroom filled with houseplants.
Jimin groaned. He forgot it was watering day.
“Yoongi!” He shouted out the door and into the sitting room, his head just peeking out of the doorway.
“Oh shit yeah, sorry.” Yoongi went to get up but Jimin gestured to him to stop.
“It’s fine I’ll do it. Is it okay if I Just leave them in the bathroom?”
Yoongi nodded, still half up from his seat. “Are you sure? I can take them out now if they're in your way?”
“Nah you're fine, I really wanna shower and get into bed.”
Jimin closed the door to the bathroom and hung his towel up on the rack. He looked at all the pots in the bathtub and sighed.
He crouched down, spreading his feet lightly and picked up the first plant closest to him. A monstera, and shifted in place to leave it just by the tub on the mat. He followed the same steps a couple more times to lift out the remaining pots. A croton, a ponytail palm, a long, trailing pothos and a majesty palm that tickled his face as he moved it. There were many more scattered around the small bathroom. A tall aglaonema on the toilet seat, an asparagus fern by the toilet paper stand and a little money plant by the tap. Jimin guessed that he’d even find some small cacti or succulents stood on the shelves in the medicine cabinet if he were to open it and take a look inside.
Almost all of these were courtesy of Seokjin. He played it off as an extended house warming joke but Jimin had a feeling it because he missed Yoongi after all those years of living together. Between the plants and the paintings and Jimin’s copious wardrobe, they were slowly running out of space already. Jimin had an inkling that that was the true reason they were procrastinating unboxing everything.
Once all the plants were out of the tub and Jimin had rinsed away any remaining soil, he turned on the showerhead to the hottest setting and undressed.
If there was one part of the day that Jimin absolutely adored it was definitely the evenings.
He would take a long hot shower and pamper himself with moisturisers, masks and conditioners galore. Then he would get into his softest set of pyjamas and slide under the duvet in their bed. Both himself and Yoongi adored long showers in the evenings after dinner.
Jimin did his usual shower routine, complete with a moisturising mask on his hair and a coconut scented body scrub before turning the shower off. The mirror on their medicine cabinet had fogged up completely from all the steam. Jimin reached for his towel and dried off quickly still in the tub. He began to step out of the tub before stopping.
“Hmm..”
There wasn’t much floor space available with all the leafy plants littered around. He looked back to the tub and set his foot down again. He was better off moisturising in the tub, lest he kicked a stem and caused it to break.
First up was baby oil. Jimin loved the simple smell and how quickly it soaked in while his skin was still damp, leaving him soft and smooth. He quickly covered his hands and ran them down his legs, and then up his arms. Some had spilt onto the tub but it was fine, it wouldn’t leave any stains. He finished up with the oil and stepped out of the tub, towelling off his hair. He kept the rest of his products in their bedroom, having run out of space on the counter here in the bathroom.
Tussling his hair, he wrapped his towel around his waist, securing it with a tight roll down and opened up the bathroom door, the cold air from the main room immediately filling up the small space.
“It’s all yours!”
Yoongi was still sitting on the sofa, deep in concentration with his feet still propped up on the table. Jimin huffed and sidestepped over a small canvas that had slid down the wall. He walked over to Yoongi’s feet and tugged the blanket down, covering the sock-clad toes.
“Hey Jimin?” Yoongi called when Jimin straightened up again.
Jimin faced him and cocked his head.
“You know the first time I saw you, it was in a dream, and I knew you were going to be the best thing to happen to me.”
Jimin pulled a face. “Bleh, that's gross. Don’t do that again.”
Before Jimin managed to run away, Yoongi had reached up and grabbed his waist, his laptop sliding sadly to the side. Yoongi pulled Jimin towards him and Jimin didn't protest it. Yoongi stood up and the blanket fell onto the floor between their feet. Yoongi took Jimin’s face in his hands and smushed his cheeks.
“I love you.” Jimin rolled his eyes, face still pressed together even though a smile was threatening to stretch across his face.
“Gosh, you should see yourself, at this point you’re the same consistency as mashed potatoes.”
Yoongi let go of his face and laughed before dropping a quick kiss on his nose.
“Go get dressed you’ve got goosebumps.”
“Well, I was on my way before I was taken hostage.” Jimin huffed even though there was a shy smile on his face.
Jimin turned around and fled before he could get trapped by Yoongi’s kisses again.
Jimin stepped into their room and shivered. Yoongi was right, he had goosebumps trailing across his skin so he quickly applied his lotion and dressed in his pyjamas. He hung his towel back up onto the drying rack by their window and grabbed his lighter to light up the numerous candles around the room. Yoongi had at first wrinkled his nose but quickly conceded when Jimin spent forty minutes explaining how important candles were to creating a relaxing atmosphere.
“Think of the ambience Yoongi, the ambience .” He had said and Yoongi just shook his head in defeat.
“It’s fine, I don't care as long as you don't get yourself roped up in some aromatherapy pyramid scheme.”
Jimin remembered that conversation each time he went around their room lighting his candles.
Jimin sat down at their small desk and opened his drawer of skincare. He began his usual routine, patting his skin with products and massaging his neck. He had just dabbed his fingers into his tub of moisturiser when he heard a loud thunk.
The apartment went still.
Jimin stopped patting his skin and looked towards the main room. Yoongi’s usual towel was still on the drying rack by their window and he hadn’t heard the shower turn on, so Jimin doubted that it was Yoongi.
Maybe their toothbrush holder fell into the sink again. Between Jimin's intricate skincare products and Yoongi's numerous bath oils, their counter space was limited. Bottles and tubs were always hanging over the edges, precariously balanced and the smallest tip was all that was needed to send them hurtling down.
Jimin went back to his little table of products and fixed his headband keeping his damp hair off his forehead, stopping it from getting stuck to all the oils and creams.
Yet there was a niggling pit in the bottom of his stomach. He closed the lid to his moisturiser and craned his neck around, trying to see if he could hear Yoongi shuffling around in the main room. When no sounds could be heard through the open door Jimin pushed himself away from the table and stood from his chair. He grabbed his robe and pulled it around himself, tying a knot just slightly off centre and looping it around once more to make sure it was secure and wouldn’t come undone.
He walked out of the bedroom, a cursory glance thrown towards all the candles, making sure they weren’t anywhere near anything flammable. He threw a quick look around the main room when he stepped out and didn't see Yoongi on the couch or by the kitchen so he yelled out his name. There was no reply and Jimin furrowed his brows. He walked over to the bathroom door and saw it was closed and the lock turned.
Jimin hummed before turning the lock from the outside.
“Yoongi are you good?” There was no reply and Jimin no longer hesitated in turning the lock and pushing down on the handle.
The sight that greeted him was not at all what Jimin was expecting. Among the extensive collection of plants and flowers and the copious bottles of hair care and body scrubs that were piled up on top of each other was Yoongi. Butt naked and lying limp in the bathtub.
“Oh my gosh,” Jimin crossed the room in a few quick steps and crouched down by the tub. He lifted Yoongi’s head gently and checked for any injuries. There was no blood and Jimin felt himself come back to reality again.
He ran his fingers through Yoongi's hair and felt a warm bump at the back of his head. He must have hit his head hard enough to pass out. Jimin checked his face and neck for any other strain or injury.
Seeing there was none, Jimin sat back on his heels and let a deep breath out. This wasn’t the time to panic or get flustered. He needed to keep calm and level headed if he wanted to make sure that Yoongi was alright.
He stood slowly, mindful of the slight dizziness he felt and moved back to their room, one hand dragging along the wall to keep him from falling over. He grabbed his phone and quickly dialled for the emergency services. Once an ambulance had been called he quickly rummaged around for some clothes for himself and Yoongi. He dressed quickly, struggling with the double knot on his robe and cursed himself. He then put together a small bag of things Yoongi might need. He went back to the bathroom and sat down on his knees, leaning over the edge and pet Yoongi's hair.
“Oh, you poor dear.”
He ran his hands down to his shoulders and felt how cold he was. Jimin didn't want to jostle Yoongi too much and risk any further injury so he just lay his bathrobe on top of Yoongi to try to warm him slightly.
Jimin doubted the injury was severe and if there was anything that was gonna get to Yoongi it would be the mortification of the whole ordeal.
Jimin went to tuck the robe under his sides when his fingers slid against the bottom of the tub.
“Oh no.” Jimin brought his fingers up to his nose and sniffed. It was the goddamn baby oil. Jimin forgot to rinse it out before he left and Yoongi must have taken one step into the bath that was as slippery as a slip and slide and went crashing down with his whole weight. Jimin felt the guilt swell up in his chest. He felt awful but he couldn’t stop a small laugh from bubbling up. Of course, Yoongi would hurt himself as a result of something so stupid.
“I can't believe I managed to injure you before you got rich and famous and we got married. You're not allowed to die Yoongi, I wouldn’t be getting any benefit from it just yet.”
Jimin didn't have to sit much longer by Yoongi's side before there was a knock on the door. He stood and swayed a bit. His legs had gone numb and prickled with pins and needles after resting his weight on them for so long.
He made his way to the door and let the medical team in, explaining the situation and giving them space to do their work.
They worked quickly and efficiently and soon enough Yoongi was on a stretcher with his head in a brace just in case. Jimin tugged on one of the staff's sleeves when they started filtering out.
“Can I ride with him?”
“Are you family?”
Jimin paused for a second. “Uh, no. But he doesn’t have any family here, they're all in Daegu.”
The EMT looked Jimin up and down again and nodded his head. “Of course, just follow me.”
Jimin tapped his foot against the shiny linoleum floor. His back sat stiffly against the flimsy plastic backing of the chair as he waited to see Yoongi.
The emergency department was crowded as always. Most seats were full and there was lots of conversation, even though it was nearing midnight. The last time Jimin spent his evening in the A&E waiting room was when his brother had suffered a concussion from some roughhousing when he was outside with other kids. Usually, it was Jimin in the bed and Yoongi stuck on the plastic chairs and shitty coffee. At least the regular emergency department had much less crying children around than the paediatrics ward.
Jimin checked his phone again and noted the time. It hadn’t been too long since they arrived and Jimin knew that the hospital staff were always stretched thin and too busy to be rushed. Jimin had sent a few messages to their friends and had updated Yoongi's brother on the situation.
Before he knew it, a nurse came out and called for Yoongi’s companion and Jimin stood up. The plastic chair creaked in protest.
“Yoongi’s ok. He has just woken up,” The nurse looked down at the clipboard she had in her hands as they walked to the ward. “He does, however, have a concussion so we’ll keep him here overnight to keep an eye on him. He was disoriented at first but quickly became aware of himself again. So we're hoping that there won't be any complications.”
She slid open the door to the room Yoongi was in and Jimin grinned at Yoongi who was sitting up in his bed with a cup of tea in his hands.
The nurse set the copy of Yoongi’s chart back in its slot and left to look around the other patients.
Yoongi’s cheeks tinged pink when Jimin came to sit down beside his bed.
“You and your goddamn baby oil.” Was all that Yoongi said before looking back to his teacup.
Jimin laughed lightly and grabbed his hand. He interlaced their fingers and rubbed his thumb across the back of Yoongi’s hand.
“Just think of how soft my legs are.”
Yoongi let his head fall back against the pillow with a slight grimace. “Ah, I don’t think even your soft legs are worth this.”
“I’m really sorry, this is all my fault.” Jimin let his gaze fall to their hands.
“Ah now, it’s just a bump. Get over yourself. It’s about time I’m the one sitting in the hospital and not you. I don't think your ankles could handle any more sprains.”
Jimin laughed wetly as tears formed in his eyes.
It was true though. Jimin had lost count of how many times he had injured himself around Yoongi and had ended up being carried to a hospital. They really were bad luck for each other.
“Or are you telling me you’ve started planning on how to get rid of me so you can live out your widow dreams?”
Jimin laughed again and cleared the tears away from his eyes. “I’m glad you're ok Yoongi.”
“You should be.” Yoongi huffed before letting out a gentle smile. He drew his hand out of Jimin's grasp and patted his head, running his fingers through Jimin's hair and then down to his cheek.
“Rinse the tub next time please.”
Yoongi was discharged the next day after a final check-up with the doctor. Jimin had decided that they had enough greenery at home and had stopped by a a chocolate store instead of bringing flowers for Yoongi.
At least they could both enjoy it.
He filled out Yoongi's forms for him, leaving only the signature space blank as Yoongi changed into some normal clothes.
They took the subway home. Neither of them had been bothered to purchase a car while still living in the city. Yoongi leaned against the wall of the train and Jimin stood in front of him holding onto the overhead handles as they talked quietly.
Jimin brought Yoongi’s phone with him this morning too after forgetting it in last night’s panic.
Yoongi scrolled through all his missed messages and calls from friends and family while discussing that night's dinner plans with Jimin. He paused then as he hovered over their friend’s group chat’s last messages.
“Jimin.”
Jimin looked up from the grocery list he was putting together on his notes app when Yoongi called his name.
“Hm?” He raised his eyebrows.
“Are you actually plotting my demise?” Yoongi turned his phone around so Jimin could see the picture he had sent earlier into the group chat. It was of Yoongi passed out in the tub still naked, but Jimin had the decency to take it from his waist and up, captioned with ‘omw to file for the widow’s inheritance, get reckt jungkook’ .
“Oh well.” Jimin just laughed and put his phone away.
Yoongi punched his shoulder even though he was smiling.
“You're so mean to me. I’m injured and this is how you treat me? I hope you enjoy limping to the hospital by yourself next time.” Yoongi huffed and crossed his arms.
“No, Yoongi don't. I need you and your buff arms,” Jimin let go of the handrail and clutched Yoongi’s biceps. “I wouldn’t survive without you and those beefy muscles carrying me.”
The train then lurched suddenly as they came to a stop and Jjimin fell onto Yoongi who by consequence hit his head against the train’s wall. Yoongi groaned.
“Ugh, you're really out to get me aren’t you?”
They walked up to their apartment complex an hour or so later, after having stopped by a small grocery store and stocking up for the next week.
Yoongi had dragged his feet the entire time they were in the store. He always hated doing the shopping. But Jimin paid him no mind and continued to load up his arms with wholewheat noodles which Yoongi grimaced at.
The usual ragtag group of cats were milling around the building when they came to a stop at the front door. They weaved in between Yoongi’s and Jimin's legs as Jimin pressed the pin into the lock.
“I know for a fact that this is your doing.” Jimin looked down to where Yoongi had crouched down to give the few cats the pets they so desperately desired.
Yoongi scratched the grey-haired cat’s chin and looked up. “I have no clue what you're on about.”
Jimin pushed open the heavy set door and shifted the grocery bags back into both hands, evenly distributing the weight again. They climbed up the stairs to their landing and Jimin dropped the bags when he got to their floor.
“How?”
Yoongi followed up behind him and then stopped. “For fuck’s sake how did he even get them here so fast?”
A beautiful dragon tree was left laying on their doorstep, ceramic pot and all. Its sharp dark green leaves spanned almost the whole doorway and a small note with the simple words of ‘get well soon you disaster couple.’ was perched on the soil. No doubt delivered courtesy of Seokjin from all the way in France.
“Ugh and all the ones in the bathroom are still there.” Yoongi groaned. Jimin just laughed and hefted the mighty plant into his arms.