Work Text:
❀
“An elephant,” Yoongi murmurs to himself, blinking up at the sky above him. Clouds drift along overhead and Yoongi watches them from flat on his back on his blanket. The cloud he’s been staring at that reminds him of an elephant begins to break apart as it moves away. It’s a beautiful day, warm with a nice breeze that has the clouds sailing lazily across the sky. The day is peaceful, nicer and more relaxing than he expected it to be when he decided to get out of the house for a while.
Or maybe forced out of the house is more accurate. He had been content to sit inside with his headphones on and his curtains closed, hunched over his laptop at his desk. But then his door had flown open and Namjoon and Jimin were in the doorway, staring at him with twin looks of terrifying determination. Namjoon had basically told him to stop being a cave troll and get some sun. Saying he was afraid Yoongi was going to die of vitamin D deficiency or perhaps fuse with his bed or desk chair.
It hadn’t helped when Namjoon’s soulmate had chimed in. Jimin had crossed his arms and looked Yoongi up and down before announcing that he couldn’t live like Gollum forever. That one was a low blow. So Yoongi had grumbled and left, packing his backpack with a thermos of coffee and some snacks. He rolled up a flannel blanket to stuff on top along with a book he’d been meaning to read.
Honestly, it was just as well he got out of the house, seeing Namjoon and Jimin all snuggly and happy was starting to make him feel a little sick. All of his friends have been finding their soulmates and settling into relationships, into their lives. Namjoon and Jimin with their matching bursts of flowers and their giggly smiles are just the newest addition. Yoongi knows it’s only a matter of time before the two of them want to live together and he needs to move out or find another roommate. He’s happy for them, but he can’t help but feel jealous, can’t help the sadness when he sees them happy and smiling when he’s still alone.
Jimin’s teasing comment of maybe you’ll meet your soulmate! As he left the house didn’t make him feel any better.
Sighing, Yoongi scrubs a hand across his face and tries to push the thoughts out of his head. Popping a honey butter chip into his mouth, he stares at the clouds again, trying to puzzle out shapes. One of the ones floating above him looks a little like a dragon. Yoongi imagines it eating Jimin and smiles to himself.
He’s finally starting to relax, melting a little into his blanket, when something hits his side. Yoongi huffs, curling in on himself as a foot collides, hard, with his ribs. He hears a gasp and feels someone trip, rolling and falling over him. Objects fall around him, a pencil bouncing off Yoongi’s cheek as the breath is knocked out of him. There’s a weight across his chest for a moment and then it vanishes, someone scrambling over him. Yoongi rolls onto his side, curling an arm over his head for protection.
“Oh my gosh,” a breathless voice says beside him. “I am so sorry, are you okay?”
With a groan, Yoongi rolls onto his back and squints, trying to focus on the figure hovering over him. It’s a man around his age, shaggy brown hair falling into his wide brown eyes as he stares down at Yoongi in alarm. He looks worried, a little frantic, and... very handsome. The man’s hand hovers over him for a moment and then recedes.
“Are you okay? I’m so sorry, I’m sketching and I was trying to get a better angle of that bird in the tree and I didn’t see you.”
“I’m alright, I think,” Yoongi groans, still flat on his back. His side is a little sore and his chest feels a bit tight. He studies the other man, finally registering his words. “How did you not see me? I’m -” he waves a hand around to encompass his blanket and belongings “- I’m right here.”
The man shrugs as if it’s not a big deal. “Head in the clouds, you know how it is.” Does he? “I’m Taehyung,” the man continues. And then he smiles. He smiles, something wide and boxy, a little shy, and Yoongi feels a strange tug, suddenly a little breathless again.
“Are you sure you’re alright?” Taehyung asks again, sitting back on his heels.
Yoongi pushes himself into a seated position, his head feels a little fuzzy. He definitely didn’t hit his head on anything, he probably just sat up too fast. “I’m fine.” He studies the other man, Taehyung, feeling that tug again. “I’m Yoongi. Are you okay?”
“Oh, I’m good! My friends say I’m hardheaded so no harm done!” He raps his fist against his skull and smiles again.
“I don’t think that means what you think it does.”
Taehyung looks puzzled. “Huh?”
“Nothing, never mind.” He pauses and glances around. “Did you manage to get a better view of the bird?”
“Ah,” Taehyung looks a little sad and glances toward the branches of the tree beside them. “It flew away, I probably startled it.”
“That’s too bad.” Yoongi scrambles for something else to say, suddenly not wanting this conversation to end. Yoongi feels a strange pull toward the other man and it seems Taehyung might feel it too, since he’s lingering.
After a few moments of them staring at each other, Taehyung pushes himself to his feet and steps back, almost reluctantly. “Well,” he begins, brushing off his jeans, “I guess I’ll see you around?”
“Yeah.” Yoongi watches him go, watches Taehyung turn back and wave over his shoulder before he rounds a corner on the path.
Yoongi hopes he will see him around.
❀
“Why are you so eager to leave the house suddenly?”
Yoongi looks up to see Jimin eyeing him from the doorway to the kitchen, studying him like he’s a very interesting bug. "What are you talking about?"
Jimin huffs at him. "We basically had to pry you off your chair with a crowbar, hyung. And now suddenly you're in here smiling to yourself while you pack snacks."
"None of your business," Yoongi snaps, turning away and shoving his thermos into his bag. He shoves past Jimin and heads for the door. "I just really like clouds."
Or maybe just cute boys with their heads stuck in them.
❀
It's another nice day and Yoongi is sitting cross legged on his blanket, book in hand. He's trying to read but he hasn't made much progress. His eyes keep sliding off the page, lifting above the book to glance around. "You're ridiculous," he mutters to himself. But his own chastising doesn't stop him from looking around again, searching for a head of shaggy hair.
He freezes, doing a double take, as he sees someone walking along the path across from him, separated by a wide grassy patch. It's Taehyung, in linen pants and a denim jacket, gesturing animatedly with his hands as he talks to - oh. He's walking with someone else, another man with a heart-shaped smile who nods along with his words. Yoongi feels his heart sink when he sees him with someone else. Which... is a little strange? He's only met Taehyung once, why does he feel so affected?
Suddenly, Taehyung seems to notice him. His head snaps in Yoongi's direction and he trips, nearly sprawling on his face if the man he's with hadn't caught him. Yoongi is starting to think Taehyung might be a bit clumsy. Taehyung stops in his tracks and pushes his companion away. Lifting an arm, he waves animatedly across the park at Yoongi. Even from the distance, he can see Taehyung's wide smile.
Yoongi raises his own hand, shyly returning the wave with a much smaller gesture. Taehyung's friend nudges him with an elbow and glances at Yoongi, seeming to tease him for a moment before they walk off again. Sighing, Yoongi snaps his book closed and flops backwards onto his blanket, studying the sky again.
❀
The next day finds Yoongi in the same position, flat on his back with his eyes fixed on the clouds. He's watching one that looks a bit like a bear when a shadow obscures his vision. He shifts, eyes moving and refocusing - Taehyung is above him, leaning over and grinning down at him.
"Hi Yoongi-ssi," Taehyung chirps.
Sitting up, Yoongi offers a smile. "Hey Taehyung-ssi." His heart feels too big for his chest and his throat feels a little tight suddenly. He clears it, swallows hard. Odd.
"I wanted to apologize for the other day," Taehyung begins, "so I got you a coffee." He sets an iced coffee at Yoongi's side and leans back on his heels, looking at him expectantly.
"Oh," Yoongi picks up the coffee, studying the dark contents. "You didn't have to do that, I'm really fine." Taehyung just waves him off and Yoongi takes a sip, bracing himself for too much sugar. But instead, he is pleasantly surprised, black coffee without cream and sugar sliding up the straw into his mouth. He glances up as he swallows. "This is just how I like it. How did you know?
"I guessed." He shrugs. "Just kind of knew, maybe?" He rubs the back of his neck and shrugs again. "Though you seem too sweet for something so bitter."
Yoongi nearly chokes, sputtering as a blush rises to his cheeks. "I, um, don't know about all that." Taehyung just smiles and his cheeks look pink as well. Scooting over on the blanket, Yoongi pats the fabric next to him. "Do you want to sit with me?"
"Sure!" Taehyung plops down at the other corner and pulls up his legs, dragging a sketchbook and pencil out of his bag. "I have an assignment due for my drawing class and I've really been struggling with inspiration lately." He pauses and glances up, giving Yoongi a small smile. "Today feels better though."
"I'm glad." He watches Taehyung bend over his sketchbook again. "Thank you for the coffee."
"You're welcome." Taehyung doesn't look up but he speaks again. "Are you a student at the university too?"
Yoongi nods, even though he knows Taehyung isn't looking. "Music program, production and composition."
"Oh wow," Taehyung breathes, glancing up at Yoongi. "That's really cool. My best friend is in the dance program and his soulmate’s a music comp major, cool dude. Maybe you know him, Kim Namjoon?"
A weird coincidence. "Your best friend is Park Jimin?"
"Yeah! You know them?"
"Namjoon is my roommate," he explains.
Taehyung sets his pencil down and leans forward a little. "Small world, huh? It's funny we haven't met before, Yoongi-ssi."
It isn't, not really. Not with how much Yoongi has stayed cooped up in his room or the studios on campus for the past... well, he's not sure how long. Weeks, months? So it's not that surprising that they haven't met. He doesn't know how to answer, so he moves on. "Call me hyung," he offers.
"Okay, Yoongi hyung." Taehyung's smile is so warm and genuine, it heats something in Yoongi's core that makes him feel a little giddy.
They both look away then, Taehyung returning to his sketchbook and Yoongi tilting his head back to stare at the clouds. Conversation ebbs and flows, but they mostly sit quietly, the silence feeling comfortable and friendly. Yoongi doesn't feel as if he needs to fill the gaps, both of them content to sit and enjoy the day together.
After a while, Yoongi glances up, finding Taehyung completely engrossed in his drawing. His tongue peeks from the corner of his lips and there's a small furrow between his brows. Taehyung looks up as Yoongi watches and startles a little as their eyes meet. He flushes and looks away.
"What are you drawing?" Yoongi asks.
Sputtering, Taehyung crushes his sketchbook to his chest. "Just some, um, flowers."
Yoongi snorts and turns back to the sky, letting his head loll back. The clouds seem especially pretty today.
❀
"Hi hyung!"
Yoongi looks up from his phone and sees Taehyung waving to him from where he's standing under a tree. Hurrying along the path, Yoongi lifts his arm to wave. "Hi, Taehyung-ah."
He's pleased Taehyung is already here, pleased he doesn't need to wait for him. And he's very pleased when Taehyung waves him over, grinning wide and boxy. Yoongi spreads his blanket on the grass and plops down, looking up to watch Taehyung sketch.
"What are you drawing today?"
Taehyung gestures with the end of his pencil to a bunch of plum blossoms on the branch near his head. "I'm trying to get the details just right."
"Can I see?"
The tips of Taehyung's ears turn a little pink and he ducks his head. "Um, maybe when it's finished?"
Yoongi smiles. "Only if you want to." He pulls a tangerine from his bag and begins peeling it, popping a section into his mouth. "Want some?" he asks, offering half to Taehyung, hand extended with the fruit pinched between his fingers.
There's a momentary pause and then Taehyung reaches out, fingers carefully plucking the fruit from Yoongi's. They're both very aware of the proximity, very aware to take care not to let their fingers brush. It's probably silly, the caution, but Yoongi's heart pounds in his chest and he imagines he can feel the heat from Taehyung's fingers.
He feels so close to Taehyung already, even though they've just met and barely know each other. The urge to reach back out, curl his fingers around Taehyung's wrist is so, so strong. But he doesn't, he won't. Because he's afraid of the consequences. Afraid of what will happen, or, more accurately, what won't happen.
It won’t be like Namjoon and Jimin, where Namjoon had grabbed Jimin's wrist to stop him tripping in the middle of the hallway. Flowers had bloomed on their skin and Namjoon described it as warmth spreading through him, a sudden feeling of contentment as he touched Jimin's skin, stared into his eyes.
Yoongi wants that so badly. And he wants it with Taehyung. The feeling he's been playing off, the force urging him closer to Taehyung, making his thoughts stray to his boxy smile has to be real. Doesn't it? But Yoongi is worried nothing will happen, that this will be just another fluke and this gravitational pull will vanish, will have been nothing. So he’s careful not to touch, careful to keep his distance.
When he looks up again, wiping the juice from the tangerine on his jeans, Taehyung is studying him. He smiles when their eyes meet and then goes back to his sketchbook, leaving Yoongi to watch him in silence, heart beating loud in his ears.
❀
Days pass with much of the same. They meet in the afternoons, sit together in the park and chat while Taehyung sketches and Yoongi reads or watches the clouds. He's started bringing one of his notebooks, scribbling down lyrics that suddenly seem to flow like water from his pen. The writer’s block he's been battling for months seems to have vanished and his words are effortless, he can barely get them down fast enough.
He's doing that now, pen flying over the lined paper as words tumble from his mind. Both of them are so engrossed they don't notice the change in the air, the darkening of the clouds. Yoongi only stops, staring down at his notebook, when a drop of water blooms on the paper, smudging the inch. "What the -" he cuts off, shrieking, as the skies open and rain begins to pour, soaking them in seconds.
They scramble up, lurching to their feet and grabbing their belongings. Yoongi winds up with the blanket over his head, Taehyung holding his bag above his as they run for the shelter of a covered bench some meters away. Yoongi should have checked the weather before he left, but it looked like another beautiful day. There had seemed no reason to bring an umbrella or a jacket.
Making it to the bench, they collapse onto the seat, dropping their belongings in front of them and breathing hard from the exertion of their sudden sprint. They're drenched, clothes and bags soaked. Yoongi wonders if his notebook and Taehyung's sketchbook will even be salvageable. Shivering, Yoongi hugs his arms around himself, trying to warm up. Taehyung is trembling beside him, equally as cold. Yoongi has to physically resist the urge to move closer and cuddle up to him. The thought should be shocking, he's never been one for casual touch. But, right now, it just sounds nice, right.
"Hyung?" Taehyung says suddenly, cutting through their gasping breaths with a soft voice.
Yoongi glances over, finding Taehyung watching him with wide eyes, he looks so vulnerable like this, soaked through and slumped. "You okay?"
Taehyung nods and looks away, fiddles with the wet hem of his shirt. He looks back after a few moments and licks his lips, Yoongi's eyes dart down, following the movement. "Hyung, can I tell you something weird?"
"Sure, Taehyung," Yoongi answers warily.
"I just... I just feel like, like I know you so well?" He sounds unsure, nervous, looking back down at his lap. "I know we've barely met, it's only been a few days but, I don't know how to explain it. I just feel..."
"A connection," Yoongi finishes for him.
Taehyung looks up sharply at his words, staring deep into his eyes as if he could read Yoongi's thoughts. "Yeah," he breathes. "There's this... this pull, and I think -" He breaks off, leans in a little. "Hyung, I think we might be soulmates."
Yoongi stiffens despite himself. "What if we're not?"
He’s afraid to try, afraid that nothing will happen and he’ll remain stuck where he is. Stuck alone while his friends build their happy futures with their destined loves. And there's the other part, how can someone so perfect and kind, someone as beautiful as Taehyung be his soulmate? He feels so much already somehow, it would be a huge letdown if Taehyung isn’t his soulmate, if he's just - just another person who isn’t the one.
A few seconds pass as they stare at each other and then Taehyung smiles, slow and sweet. "I think we should try," he declares. "You know, we’ve never properly introduced ourselves.”
Taehyung offers his hand for a handshake and Yoongi stares at it before slowly lifting his own. His fingers tremble as he closes the distance. He glances up at Taehyung's face and then down at their hands before meeting him halfway. When their fingertips touch each other’s wrists, warmth blossoms along Yoongi's skin, flowing through his body and making his heart pound, the beat loud in his ears. He looks down again, seeing a small swirl of clouds on his skin where Taehyung's fingers rest.
Yoongi looks up, eyes full of wonder, and Taehyung looks so pleased, so fond. "Nice to meet you. I’m Kim Taehyung, your soulmate."