Work Text:
Min Yoongi
did you see moon’s suit jacket when he came in this morning?
Namjoon lets out a soft snort when he gets the notification and minimizes his work to reply to the kkt message. It comes as a welcome distraction to Namjoon who is currently struggling to read and transcribe the notes he had scribbled hastily at this morning’s meeting.
Kim Namjoon
hard to miss
should i be concerned? it looked like he got in a fight with a revolving door and lost
Min Yoongi
i take ONE day off and the man forgets how to check his calendar to remember his dry cleaning
Kim Namjoon
honestly, what were you thinking taking a long weekend to go home for your cousin's wedding?
Min Yoongi
i know. silly me
Kim Namjoon
i don’t know how this place doesn’t burn to the ground every time you take a vacation tbh
Min Yoongi
that’s not how capitalism works, namjoon, haven’t i taught you anything?
we’re all just cogs in the machine
Kim Namjoon
alright alright it was just a compliment hyung, my mistake
Namjoon bites back a laugh as he flicks his eyes over to the front of the room where Min Yoongi is sitting at reception. Despite looking bored out of his mind, Namjoon knows the man probably has a handful of tasks on the go whilst simultaneously finding the time to poke fun at their brilliant but forgetful boss (on more than one occasion Yoongi has compared Namjoon to the man and he still doesn’t know if he should be flattered or not) and start in on his well rehearsed diatribe against capitalism.
A woman enters through the double doors then and Namjoon sees Yoongi stop what he’s typing to greet her as she signs in.
Not for the first time Namjoon is reminded of when he entered those same doors nearly three years ago for his interview and met Yoongi.
(The morning had been a disaster for Namjoon from the start. He not only missed his train but also got off at the wrong stop, resulting in him showing up to his dream job interview sweaty, panting, and altogether flustered despite miraculously still somehow making it on time.
He was made all the more flustered when Yoongi was the first face he met upon arrival, who, after giving Namjoon a quick once over, quietly greeted him and offered to get him a coffee. Months later he would admit to Namjoon offhandedly that he doesn’t offer coffee to everyone but had been able to tell that Namjoon was running on zero caffeine and clearly suffering.
“The LG Twins.”
It took a second for Namjoon to realize the receptionist was talking to him, too busy fixing the stand of pamphlets he knocked over as he sat down in the waiting area by Yoongi’s desk.
“Huh?”
“Try to mention how abysmally the Twins are doing in the league right now. There’s only one thing Moon loves more than talking about his beloved Bears and that’s talking shit about the Twins,” Yoongi said as the phone began to ring.
“Right. Thank you,” Namjoon replied dumbly, thrown off by the tidbit of information given to him about his (hopefully) future boss.
Yoongi hung up the phone then turned back to Namjoon, “You can go in now, they’re ready for you. Just down the hall there on the left.”
Namjoon took a deep breath as he stood, that nervous energy he got before tests and interviews was setting in now properly, though he was feeling more composed than when he first walked in.
He passed by the desk, giving Yoongi a nod in thanks before doubling back, “And the Twins, that’s... baseball? Right?”
Yoongi’s lips raised in a half smirk as he replied, “Right. Good luck.”
An hour and a half later, Namjoon left the interview feeling confident he had secured his first real job since leaving university, more knowledge about the pitching history of the LG Twins than he ever cared to know, and thoughts of a certain receptionist.)
Namjoon’s reminiscing is interrupted when a coffee cup is placed beside him by a tattooed hand and he looks up to thank Jeongguk, one of the office interns, with a warm smile.
“Morning, hyung,” Jeongguk greets Namjoon, leaning against the corner of his desk. “I finished that analytics report sajang-nim asked me to write. Could you take a look at it for me before I send it to him?”
“Of course,” Namjoon replies, taking a sip of his coffee. “Send it to me and we can go over it after lunch, okay?”
“Thanks,” the younger replies, and Namjoon suppresses a smile at his clear relief. Jeongguk has yet to shake off the nerves despite interning at the company for a few weeks now and Namjoon has found himself inadvertently taking him under his wing.
“Of course.”
Jeongguk turns to the work station next to Namjoon’s where Seokjin is sitting and places a coffee cup at his desk as well. “Here you go, hyung.”
He gets no reply from the man as Seokjin purses his lips and continues to stare ahead at his computer screen at what Namjoon knows to be an online forum for the latest game he’s obsessed with and not actual work.
Jeongguk can tell the same thing as he leans over Seokjin’s shoulder and asks, “whatcha working on?”
“Yah!” Seokjin finally snaps and turns around to give Jeongguk a withering look.
“What!” Jeongguk exclaims.
“You know what you did,” Seokjin clips.
Jeongguk rolls his eyes. “What did I do?”
“I don’t know, eat any good lunches lately?!” Seokjin asks mockingly.
Jeongguk stops to seriously consider the question.
“That was rhetorical you brat, I know you ate my lunch yesterday,” Seokjin accuses, to which Jeongguk vehemently denies.
Namjoon catches Seokjin’s neighbour eyeing the pair wearily before returning to their work. In contrast, Namjoon leans back in his desk chair to watch the show unfold.
“I know it was you, how can I miss you eyeing my lunches everyday with those bug eyes of yours,” Seokjin says, widening his eyes for emphasis.
“I think maybe your old age is making you forgetful,” Jeongguk states, crossing his arms. Seokjin squawks indignantly.
Min Yoongi
what’s going on over there
Kim Namjoon
seokjin thinks jeongguk ate his lunch
Min Yoongi
he didn’t
Kim Namjoon
and you’d know this because…?
Min Yoongi
because i ate his lunch
There it is. Namjoon looks over to the reception desk once again and this time he can see Yoongi’s shoulders shaking with laughter. Jeongguk meanwhile gives up defending himself and walks off with a huff.
Kim Namjoon
hyung! you can’t eat people’s lunches, that’s like office etiquette 101
Min Yoongi
he called me short one too many times
Kim Namjoon
i mean...
Namjoon can suddenly feel a set of eyes burning a hole into his forehead and keeps his head down out of self-preservation.
Min Yoongi
just because it’s accurate doesn’t mean i have to be reminded
The rest of the morning goes by uneventfully yet, thankfully, quickly. It’s Hoseok’s entrance that signals it’s time for lunch. Despite not being an employee, the man walks into the office with purpose, stopping to round up Yoongi at reception before coming to collect Namjoon and Seokjin as well.
“Namjoon-ah, Yeobo,” Hoseok greets with a sunny smile, before continuing onto the break room with a packed lunch tucked under his arm and a red-eared Seokjin following behind him.
Jeongguk, along with Jimin and Taehyung, are already at their usual table and break out into chimes of “Hoseok-hyung!’” when he walks in. Namjoon would be offended by the lack of greeting for the rest of them but he long ago accepted that Hoseok is the favourite hyung. The trio immediately start asking him for updates about Hoseok’s work at the dance studio down the street since they last spoke.
Namjoon meanwhile pulls a chair out and sits beside Yoongi, watching as the older man unpacks two containers of japchae and places one in front of Namjoon.
“Thanks, hyung,” Namjoon quietly says, earning a grin from Yoongi.
“It’s nothing,” he replies, which Namjoon has to disagree with. He feels more than spoiled that at least once a week Yoongi will cook and bring in one of Namjoon’s favourite meals for lunch but Yoongi always insists that seeing the state of Namjoon’s meals (on the rare occasion that he doesn’t just buy his lunch) depresses him.
“How’s work going for you, Jeongguk-ah?” Hoseok asks, tucking into his gimbap.
Joseok swallows his mouthful of food, “Good. Moon finally has me doing actual work, not just doing data entry.”
Seokjin sighs, shaking his head ruefully. “Ah, nepotism still gets you far these days.”
Jeongguk scoffs. “That would imply you hold any kind of authority here and that you in any way helped me get this job. I heard you told HR that I’m a huge crybaby and that hiring your sworn enemy would be the downfall of this company.”
Seokjin swivels his head to Jimin, the HR in question, who shrugs his shoulders in response.
“That doesn’t sound like something I would say about my beloved cousin,” Seokjin finally says, reaching over to pinch Jeongguk’s cheek who immediately shakes him off.
“I learned on day one of working here not to take anything Seokjin-hyung says seriously,” Jimin tells Jeongguk with a smirk.
“If anything it made you more intriguing,” Taehyung chimes in.
Seokjin rolls his eyes. “Anyway, stay away from my lunches.”
Yoongi snorts and Namjoon shakes his head in amazement at him before returning to his food. The conversation carries on around them regarding plans for Seokjin’s birthday on Saturday. Namjoon only half pays attention as he all but inhales Yoongi’s delicious cooking. He doesn’t notice the mess he’s made until Yoongi hands him a napkin without breaking conversation and Namjoon takes it and begins wiping his area of the table.
Namjoon hears a giggle from across the table and finds Hoseok watching the two of them. He motions between Namjoon and Yoongi with his chopsticks, cheeks full of food, and says, “You two are like a married couple.”
Namjoon feels his face flush as he lets out a groan. Hoseok is staring back at them with an innocent look on his face while Jimin and Taehyung in particular look on gleefully.
“Very funny,” Namjoon huffs, clearing his throat, because what else can he say. He steals a look at Yoongi whose face is unreadable as he picks at his food.
Namjoon feels his stomach jolt, surprised that Yoongi doesn’t have some snarky quip in response to Hoseok. He wonders what that could possibly mean as Taehyung changes the subject to the spicy folder he found on a co-worker’s desktop that morning when he was fixing their computer.
Yoongi’s the first out of the break room when lunch ends and Namjoon trails after him all the way back to reception where the elder is already plopping into his fancy ergonomic chair he had swindled Moon for.
“Can you believe Hob-ah?” Namjoon tries, leaning against the desk.
“Seokjin’s been rubbing off on him,” Yoongi mutters, making a face once he realizes his poor choice of words.
Namjoon laughs, although it sounds forced even to his own ears. Not the response he had been hoping for but what did he expect.
“Is… are we good?” Namjoon finally asks, nervously tapping the ledge of the desk.
Yoongi’s brow furrows as he blinks up at Namjoon. “Of course, Joon-ah, why wouldn’t we be?”
Namjoon searches Yoongi’s face, looking for any sign that could give his heart the go ahead to get its hopes up but comes up empty.
“Don’t you have a meeting with Jeongguk?” Yoongi asks, turning back to his work and Namjoon half wonders if he’s actually typing an email or he’s just pretending to until Namjoon goes away. Either way he knows a dismissal when he hears one.
Namjoon sighs and mumbles a “later, hyung,” before heading through the annex to find Jeongguk.
All the while cursing, not for the first time, the fact that he had to go and find himself falling for Min Yoongi.
---
Yoongi had a boyfriend when Namjoon first met him.
It wasn’t a fact that Namjoon was aware of until several months into knowing the man because Yoongi is a very private person. The pair turned out to be fast work friends after Namjoon insisted on treating him to lunch to thank him for helping survive his interview (Yoongi vehemently rolled his eyes and insisted he did nothing) where they bonded over their love of hip hop and respective family dogs.
Even then it was a passing comment made by Yoongi about enjoying having an apartment to himself while his boyfriend was on a business trip that had Namjoon doing a double take.
Yoongi, none the wiser to Namjoon’s utter shock at this new revelation, continued talking while Namjoon had to reorient himself.
Because Namjoon was mature enough to admit to himself that he had been harbouring a bit of a crush on Yoongi. But Namjoon was a professional and would never act on anything that could compromise his and Yoongi’s jobs. He also would never want to do anything that could possibly make Yoongi feel uncomfortable at work in the inevitable case that he didn’t feel the same as Namjoon. Even still, it was nice knowing that maybe it wasn’t so far-fetched for Namjoon to have a tiny bit of hope.
It turned out Namjoon’s internal struggles had all been irrelevant, though. Yoongi had a boyfriend.
And so Namjoon added this to his growing list of facts about Min Yoongi and decided that, overall, he was relieved to find out before his crush could grow any deeper. Namjoon could put that bit of himself away and focus on their friendship.
But then one morning weeks later Namjoon noticed Yoongi looking--well not particularly out of the ordinary, per se, but Namjoon had spent enough time around Yoongi by then (and also staring in a totally not creepy way everyday from across the office) to notice when something’s off with the man. The more exaggerated pout to his lips, the mainly monosyllabic sentences all were red flags to Namjoon.
It was at lunch at one of their favourite nearby cafés, just the two of them, that Yoongi revealed he’d been dumped by his boyfriend after some gentle prodding from Namjoon.
He sat quietly as Yoongi explained how his boyfriend was tired of Yoongi not figuring out his career. The guy was well on his way to running his father’s company and basically told Yoongi it’s not a good look for his partner to be merely a receptionist with no apparent drive to better himself.
It was the first time that Namjoon heard Yoongi talk about his anxiety surrounding his future. He told Namjoon how he had decided to do his military service halfway through completing his degree because he realized he was unhappy in his business program. When he came back he had hoped it would be with some greater clarity but he was back at square one. So in the meantime he got his current job where, against all odds (mainly his disdain for talking to complete strangers), he was good at it. It’s not like he wanted to be a receptionist forever but he still had no idea what to do with his life. Yoongi said this all while talking at such a speed, Namjoon noted, that he could’ve been a rapper in another life.
“Hyung, you don’t have to plead your case to me,” Namjoon murmured, reaching out to brush his hand.
Yoongi slumped back in his seat with the ease of someone who had had a one tonne weight lifted from their shoulders and nodded his head softly.
“Fuck him, he’s an idiot,” Namjoon declared.
Yoongi grinned, leaning forward again. “He is a fucking idiot.” Then, “I want to get drunk.”
When they returned to the office, Yoongi made his request to Jimin who promptly rallied the troops in a group text naming the time and place to meet later that evening.
And when they got to one of their usual haunts Yoongi didn't waste a second drowning his sorrows. The rest of their group by then had caught onto what happened, however vaguely, but knew better than to ask Yoongi any questions. Instead Jimin and Seokjin made a grand effort trying to keep up with him drink for drink while Taehyung and Hoseok looked on with a mixture of amazement and judgement. Namjoon found himself somewhere in the middle of both pairs.
Yoongi was on his second rant of the night about the futility of love when Namjoon made the call to wrap things up, reminding the chorus of boos that it was a weeknight for them.
“Not for me!” Hoseok beamed.
“I love you,” Yoongi yelled from where he was now leaning against Namjoon’s shoulder.
“Okay let’s pack it in,” came from Seokjin, shooing everyone out of the booth.
“Is hyung gonna be okay?” Taehyung asked Namjoon worriedly as he put on his coat.
Namjoon sighed as he eyed Jimin squishing Yoongi’s cheeks, receiving no protest from the man. “He will be, I think.”
The cool night air that hit them when they exited was a relief and immediately helped Namjoon sober up a bit. He waved the rest of the group off as they headed home and turned to find Yoongi leaning against the wall.
“Let’s get you home, hyung,” Namjoon said as he ordered a taxi on his phone, a feat that proved more difficult than usual from the drinks in his system.
“Hyung’s fine,” Yoongi dismissed with a wave of his hand, nearly hitting Namjoon in the face.
Namjoon would later think back to this moment and wonder how it unfolded. One moment Namjoon was steadying Yoongi, the older man peering up at Namjoon blearily, and the next--
And the next moment they were kissing.
Any thoughts rattling around in Namjoon’s head previously evaporated immediately as he felt Yoongi press up against him. Any warning sirens trying to tell Namjoon that they shouldn’t be kissing under these circumstances were drowned out as Yoongi licked into his mouth, prompting Namjoon to draw Yoongi in closer with a hand on his waist. He felt and heard Yoongi hum in approval against his lips as he placed a hand on Namjoon’s biceps all but kneading it like a cat.
What felt like an hours-long kiss in reality only lasted probably a minute and it was Yoongi that pulled away first with a mumbled, “Too soon.” This effectively sent Namjoon into a tailspin because what the hell was he thinking, kissing someone who had just been broken up with? A drunk someone who had just been broken up with, at that?
He wasn’t thinking, of course.
“Right, fuck, I’m so sorr--”
“Please, whatever you do, don’t apologize. Is that us?” Yoongi asked as a taxi pulled up to the curb. He headed towards it without waiting for an answer.
The ride to Yoongi’s apartment was quiet, the both of them having sobered up quite a bit in the elapsed minutes. Namjoon could feel Yoongi looking over at him on more than one occasion but Namjoon was too afraid of what he’d see written on Yoongi’s face to look back. Call him a coward. When Yoongi hopped out of the car Namjoon hesitated, unsure what the correct move should be, but Yoongi made the decision for him by throwing him a “goodnight” as he shut the door behind him and made his way inside. Leaving Namjoon to think about how he could ask his boss if he could work from home permanently.
But then they just didn’t talk about it. Yoongi seemed happy to pretend it never happened and Namjoon followed his lead. He was just relieved that Yoongi wasn’t sickened by the sight of him at work.
Namjoon wouldn’t say it was necessarily awkward between them after that; how could it be with Yoongi acting like everything that followed him telling Namjoon he got dumped was a figment of Namjoon’s imagination?
But at some point Namjoon asked Yoongi if he wanted to go to a show with him of an artist they both liked and it was as if Namjoon had proposed elopement.
Yoongi had turned to Namjoon with the gaze of a frightened animal. “Look… Joon-ah, I think it’s better if--”
“No, no, no,” Namjoon cut in in a rush, startling Yoongi. “As friends, just as friends.”
Yoongi bit his lip as his eyes darted around Namjoon’s face. “Okay, it’s just that I--”
“Seriously, I get it. Co-workers shouldn’t really date anyway, right?” Namjoon said, forcing a smile. Even though he didn’t really mean the invitation as a date, it still stung. “What about Jimin and Taehyung?” Yoongi pointed out.
“Rules don’t apply to them, they’ve made that loud and clear,” Namjoon replied, this time the grin feeling more genuine.
If anything, they grew closer after this, hanging out more outside of work and without their group of friends. Namjoon met Yoongi’s geriatric cat that he impulsively adopted following his breakup. They started taking trips to the farmer’s market together every other weekend that Yoongi of all people insisted on waking up early to go on. The least Namjoon could do, he argued (needlessly, because Namjoon was more than happy to tag along), was join him if he was going to be fed lunches on a semi-regular basis by his hyung.
Their group of friends weren’t stupid, of course; while they didn’t know the pair had kissed the night they all went out, it was obvious that the pair were spending more time together and teased them appropriately. Seokjin took to whining about the fact that Namjoon had found a new work best friend while Jimin would mention that he could put in a good word for them with a guy in HR if they want to make things official.
“It’s me, I’m the guy in HR,” Jimin would grin like he had gone into human resources for the sole purpose of one day delivering this joke.
Yoongi would usually be the one to shut Jimin down, usually calling into question the need for HR to begin with just to see how riled up the younger man could get.
Namjoon, all the while, tried his best to forget about his feelings for Yoongi.
---
On December 4th Namjoon is woken up to a reminder that it is Kim Seokjin’s birthday by the birthday boy himself:
Kim Seokjin
It’s my birthday.
Kim Namjoon
I know, I’m seeing you in about 10 hours to celebrate said birthday
Kim Seokjin
And?
Kim Namjoon
Happy birthday, hyung
Kim Seokjin
Aww you’re so sweet Namjoonie, thank you!!! 🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳
Namjoon laughs at Seokjin’s antics as he lays in bed gathering the energy to get up and face the day. It’s a nice distraction from where his mind wants to go, which is back to Yoongi’s behaviour at lunch a few days ago.
Namjoon knows he tends to overanalyze but he also thinks he knows Yoongi pretty well by now and his reaction to Hoseok’s teasing was out of the ordinary. Has Yoongi grown uncomfortable with the teasing surrounding him and Namjoon? A smaller, more hopeful part of him wonders if the complete opposite is the case and Yoongi didn’t react to the comment because he likes the idea of them as a couple...
He stays fixated on this as he showers, eats breakfast and waters his plants. He thinks about whether he should tell everyone he’s sick and can’t make it tonight in case the idea of spending time with Namjoon outside of work now repulses Yoongi.
By mid-day, however, his worries are somewhat assuaged when he hears from Yoongi.
Min Yoongi
I’m not in the mood to be hungover tomorrow, hyung can drive tonight :]
Namjoon lets out a breath he didn’t know he had been holding and takes this as a good sign. Who knows, maybe that small hopeful part of him could be onto something.
When they arrive at Seokjin and Hoseok’s apartment, Yoongi takes the moment while they wait for someone to answer the door to turn to Namjoon.
“You look good, Joon,” Yoongi says, his eyes flicking down his body before he faces the door again, giving the door another knock.
Namjoon turns to him and takes him in as well, his eyes lingering on Yoongi’s exposed collarbones. “Thanks, hyung, you do too,” Namjoon returns with a dimpled smile and sees a hint of pink touch Yoongi’s cheeks.
The apartment door is opened by Seokjin who yells, “My bros!” and brings the two of them into a hug. Yoongi fights the hug off before muttering a, “Happy birthday, hyungie,” and shoves a gift bag at him as he enters the apartment.
Seokjin finally releases Namjoon and the pair follow behind Yoongi, who has already made his way to the kitchen where Hoseok is placing candles on a cake with the care and precision of someone trying to detonate a bomb.
Taehyung, Jimin, and Jeongguk, meanwhile, have the karaoke machine on and are performing a trot song that Namjoon doesn’t recognize. The trio turns towards them when they enter the living room and start singing at them instead of the television screen. Seokjin spreads his arms wide and closes his eyes, basking in the attention.
After the cake has been brought out, and a few more rounds of karaoke have been performed, the group heads out to the club of Seokjin’s choosing.
Namjoon’s thankful for the perfect timing of Seokjin’s birthday because he realizes that he needed a night to let loose after being high strung for the last few days. He cuts himself off relatively early in the night because, like Yoongi, he doesn’t want to spend his Sunday unable to move from the couch, but even still he’s happy to follow Jimin and Hoseok to the dancefloor to make a fool of himself.
Even Yoongi eventually joins everyone on the dancefloor to everyone’s surprise and elation. Namjoon can’t help but notice that Yoongi sticks close to his side, feeling his side burn where they brush up against each other as the crowd moves.
The pair are first to meet their dancing quota, though, which is how Namjoon finds himself sitting at an empty booth with Yoongi while they watch from afar as their friends try to form a dance circle.
Namjoon leans his head against the booth and turns to look at Yoongi’s profile beside him. He thinks that Yoongi’s never looked more beautiful than he does right now, under the pulsing colourful lights of the club and covered in a sheen of sweat.
Yoongi looks at Namjoon out of the corner of his eye without turning his head and catches Namjoon staring. Namjoon sees him trying to contain a smile and it makes Namjoon feel bold.
“Hyung, I like you,” Namjoon says, loud enough for Yoongi to hear over the noise. And there it is, he’s said it out loud.
Yoongi huffs, seemingly in disbelief, and his eyes dart around the room. “Namjoon-ah…”
Namjoon straightens up in his seat and holds his breath but Yoongi doesn’t continue speaking. “I’m serious, hyung.”
“Move.”
“Huh?”
Yoongi waves his hand in front of him. “I can’t hear myself think, let’s go outside.”
Namjoon scrambles up from the table to let Yoongi out and he immediately heads towards the exit. With one last glance to his friends still on the dancefloor, he follows Yoongi.
He finds Yoongi several feet away from the door leaning against the wall of the building and Namjoon’s reminded of a similar view from over a year ago now only this time they’re both a lot more sober and one of them has just confessed they have feelings for the other.
“Tell me I’m reading this wrong,” Namjoon says as he reaches Yoongi. “And I’ll never bring this up again, I promise.
Namjoon hears Yoongi mumble something but it’s directed towards the ground. “What?”
“You’re not,” Yoongi says louder, licking his lips nervously. “Reading this wrong, I mean.”
Namjoon’s speechless. He can feel his heart beating in his ears and he steps closer to Yoongi. Before he can think of what to say Yoongi continues, “But, it’s not a good idea.”
“What do you mean?”
“Us. We’re in completely different places in our lives.”
Namjoon gapes at Yoongi for a moment before it clicks and he feels like he’s going to be sick.
“Hyung, why does this sound extremely familiar to what your ex said to you,” Namjoon asks quietly.
Yoongi raises his head to meet Namjoon’s eye and shrugs helplessly. “He had a point. And look, I’m still exactly where I was then so who’s the idiot.”
“That’s such bullshit,” Namjoon argues. “He never should have said that to you and honestly I’m a little insulted that you think this is something I’d care about.”
Yoongi sighs, shaking his head. “I don’t, I don’t think that, but-- we’re just…”
Namjoon hears the door to the club open behind him along with the squeaky laughter that can only be Seokjin’s. He looks over his shoulder to double check and sees the whole group have come out, clearly done for the night.
He turns back to Yoongi who has stopped trying to give his reasoning and instead now has a hand over his face. “Well you seem to have your mind made up,” Namjoon says heavily and hopes that the tears he can feel pricking his eyes aren’t noticeable.
“Joon--” Yoongi starts but Namjoon turns away and rejoins the others.
---
Namjoon tries his best to act as though he wasn’t crushingly rejected over the weekend when he returns to work. He refuses to have it be too awkward between him and Yoongi, they still have to work together after all. And he knows the last thing either of them want is their friends noticing.
It’s not like he can even be mad at Yoongi. More than anything he feels sad for him. He had no idea the effect his breakup had on him until now but it clearly left him feeling self-conscious and unworthy of being in a relationship.
And Namjoon can’t think of anything that could convince Yoongi otherwise, unfortunately.
If the others do notice something off between them, they mercifully don’t mention it. Namjoon and Yoongi still sit together at lunch, and luckily they were never that talkative during this time to begin with for their now radio silence to be noteworthy. On Friday Yoongi brings homemade mandu to share with Namjoon, as some kind of peace offering he assumes. He nudges the bowl over to Namjoon with a tentative smile and Namjoon can’t stop himself from thinking how cute he is as he smiles back.
It’s the first smile they’ve shared all week.
---
As if the universe wanted to see just how much stress Namjoon can take before he breaks, he gets an email from his boss the following week inviting him for a meeting. Having no idea what this meeting could entail, Namjoon walks to his boss’ office with all the gravity of a man walking towards his death.
As he walks past reception, he meets Yoongi’s questioning gaze and gives a helpless shrug in response.
“Sajang-nim,” Namjoon greets, bowing his head as he enters his boss’ office.
“Please, have a seat,” Moon motions to the lone chair in front of him as he shuffles papers at his desk.
“Is there something wrong?”
“No, Namjoon-ssi,” Moon chuckles. “The opposite actually. I called you in here today because I have a job offer for you.”
“Oh?”
“We’re expanding, opening up offices in a few new locations. You’d be put in charge of your own department there. You’re an excellent worker, I’ve been impressed with what you’ve achieved since you started here. Not to mention you’re one of the best English speakers in the office.”
Namjoon pauses. “English… where would I be working?”
“The new location is in London.”
He leaves Moon’s office in a daze, feeling a set of eyes peering at him over a computer screen at reception that he refuses to meet.
Seokjin’s waiting with a look of anticipation when he gets back to his desk. “Were you in trouble?” he jokes.
Namjoon shakes his head in amazement, his mind racing. “I got offered a job.”
---
Like any responsible adult faced with a major life decision, Namjoon makes a pros and cons list. An obvious pro being that it’s a great career opportunity, in a city he’s always wanted to visit. Maybe it’s the exact change he needs in his life right now. But on the other hand, he loves Seoul, Seoul is his home. His family’s here, his friends are here. And he’s definitely out of practice when it comes to speaking English.
Namjoon muses on the probable fact that anyone he told his dilemma to would call him an idiot. Likely a once in a lifetime opportunity, Namjoon shouldn’t even be hesitating. And yet.
Namjoon is in the breakroom with Seokjin days later stirring shitty breakroom coffee when Seokjin is suddenly struck by a thought.
“Jeongguk’s going to come to me now with all his problems once you take this job in London,” he groans dramatically, shaking Namjoon’s shoulder.
A choked noise comes from behind them and Namjoon turns to see Yoongi standing in the middle of the room having come in undetected. Namjoon can see a mixture of emotions across Yoongi’s face.
“Hyung,” Namjoon begins.
Yoongi clears his throat. “Congratulations.” With that he spins on his heel and rushes out of the room.
“Namjoon-ah…” comes from Namjoon’s right, Seokjin’s voice filled with judgement. “You didn’t tell him?”
“No…” Namjoon trails off, racked with guilt.
“Why not?” Seokjin asks quietly. “There’s clearly been something going on between you two despite the energy feeling a little weird lately.”
Namjoon turns to Seokjin in mild surprise. “How could you tell?"
He rolls his eyes. “Well, due to the fact that I have two working eyes it wasn’t difficult to notice.”
Namjoon nods his head in understanding. “It’s complicated, I guess,” he simply says, not wanting to reveal what Yoongi’s dealing with.
“Clearly.” Seokjin then clears his throat delicately, gaining Namjoon’s attention. He dramatically drags his gaze from Namjoon to the entrance where Yoongi had exited through, prompting Namjoon into action.
“Right. Thanks, hyung.”
“I didn’t even do anything.”
Yoongi is predictably at his desk when Namjoon finds him but as he approaches he realizes he doesn’t even know what he wants to say.
“Sorry I didn’t tell you, I’m still processing the news myself,” he starts.
“Congratulations again, Namjoon. I’m proud of you,” Yoongi says quietly, though he doesn’t meet Namjoon’s eye. Even still, Namjoon feels a warmth bloom in his chest.
Namjoon thinks about telling Yoongi he’s still unsure if he’ll take the job or not, thinks about telling him about all of the number of reasons why he’s currently on the verge of having an anxiety attack.
But instead he murmurs his thanks and returns to his desk.
---
Namjoon still has another week to decide but by the following Monday he’s made up his mind. He spent the entire weekend going back and forth on the decision by himself, with his family, even with Seokjin when he got desperate at one point.
When he gets up from his desk to speak with Moon, Seokjin sends him on his way with a small encouraging smile.
Twenty minutes later he comes out of Moon’s office feeling like he can breathe properly for the first time in days and knows he’s made the right decision.
Yoongi immediately stands up at his desk and walks around until he’s standing in front of Namjoon.
“Can we talk?” Yoongi asks quickly, leading him to an empty conference room. He shuts the door behind him once Namjoon enters the room and leans up against it as he meets Namjoon’s eye with a look of determination.
“Don’t go.”
“I--”
Yoongi holds a hand up, effectively shutting Namjoon up. “Just--just let me say this. Even though you have every right to tell me to fuck off after what I’ve put you through.”
Namjoon shakes his head in disagreement but remains quiet.
“Don’t go to London, Joon-ah. I know it’s a lot to ask--again, what right do I have--but. I really like you. I do. I was such an idiot that night. I let my stupid insecurities get in the way of something really good.” Yoongi reaches out a tentative hand to brush Namjoon’s arm. “I still don’t know what the hell I’m doing, what I want to do. But… I do know that you make me happy. I understand if you’ve already made your decision to leave but... I have to try.”
Namjoon steps forward and puts his hands on either side of Yoongi’s face to ensure he’s listening. Yoongi's gaze is steady on him as his breathing quickens.
“Hyung, I’m not taking the job,” Namjoon finally says. Yoongi’s eyes widen as his cheeks fill with colour.
“Why did you let me say all of that?!” he splutters, causing Namjoon to laugh.
“You were so determined, it was cute to watch. Can I ask whether you had a followup argument if I had said I was leaving, or?”
Yoongi shuts him up with a kiss and it is infinitely better than their first one. He pulls Namjoon towards him so that he effectively traps himself against the door and Namjoon nips at his lip in response. They make out for a while until Namjoon eventually breaks away for some much needed oxygen. Yoongi continues his exploration and trails kisses down Namjoon necks, leaving small love bites in his wake.
“I’m glad you’re sticking around,” Yoongi says when he’s done, his lips curving into a small smirk. Namjoon can’t resist giving him another peck. Because he can do that now, he thinks giddily.
“Me too.”
The muffled sound of a phone ringing and conversation from the other side of the door remind the pair that they are in fact still at work.
Yoongi groans suddenly, pressing his face against Namjoon’s chest. “Dealing with HR is going to be a nightmare.”
Namjoon grins into Yoongi’s hair. “I know a guy.”