Archive of Our Own ^beta

Yoongi has been begging his friends for weeks to go to the mall with him. So many new stores have opened and they’re practically calling his name. Yet, every time he asks, he’s greeted with a new version of a no. It’s always “I’m sorry, I’m busy” or “I don’t feel up for it today’ or the dreaded, ‘just go by yourself, hyung”. Go by himself? HIMSELF?! Absolutely not. He can barely order food at a restaurant without clamming up, so how is he supposed to walk around a mall by himself? What if people talk to him? Or, even worse, what if those people at the random kiosks come up to him? It’s not like he can just say no. They’re too convincing with their free samples and what not. He’d never be able to get away from them.

No, it’s much better if he just goes with someone else. He needs a friend there to make sure that he, one, doesn’t spend too much money and, two, doesn’t get trapped by the kiosk people. He can’t live in the mall forever and something tells him that if he even says one word to them, it’ll become his new home. He’ll just become the mall hermit. 

For a while he gave up on asking his friends since all they do is say no. He wonders how they’re so capable of doing that. Yoongi can’t say no to anything, much less accept a no. He keeps trying and trying until he’s sure that there’s no possible way they’ll ever say yes. But, this is his last chance. If Jimin says no this time, he’ll give up. He’ll never ask about the mall again and he’ll simply live in curiosity about all the new stores. 

“Jiminie,” he sing-songs, staring intently at his friend that’s sat across from him on the couch. He’s been waiting to call out his name for nearly five minutes, nervous that he’s going to be let down again. Jimin looks up, only giving a brow raise for an answer. “Do you want to go to the mall?”

“Sure.”

“Agh, I knew you were going to say no, you always say -” he pauses, “wait, did you say sure?” The younger nods. “Wait, really?!”

He chuckles, “sure. I don’t have anything else to do and you’ve been dying to go so why not?”

“You never wanted to go before, though!”

“Because you always asked me when I was busy.”

Yoongi scrunches his face up, narrowing his eyes. This has to be a prank. He’s sure of it. “But, Hobi always said no, too! How do you explain that?!”

“Because Hobi likes to mess with you. You’re too pure and innocent for him not to.”

“Some friends you are!” He pouts, crossing his arms over his chest with a loud huff.

Jimin can only laugh, rising from his seat and extending his hand to the elder. Yoongi hesitates, still partially convinced that this is a prank and Jimin is actually going to take him somewhere sketchy. But, in the end, he accepts his hand, excitedly walking out the front door with him. 

The new stores are everything Yoongi dreamt they would be. Some are larger in size, giving him more to explore and potentially buy, but even the smaller ones are fun, too. His favorite is a stationary store, filled with lots of things to write, draw, and scrapbook with. He does end up buying a cute letter set. He’s always wanted to write letters to his friends, even if he does see them more often than not. He picks one out, one that’s decorated with small tangerines and cats playing with them as if they were a ball of yarn. He even finds a matching pen and journal to go along with it. Jimin stifles his laugh, shaking his head as he watches the elder pick it out.

“It definitely suits you, hyung.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?!” His tone is half-accusatory and half-offended. 

“Nothing, you big baby,” he chuckles. “I just mean, it looks like your style. You should get it. It’s cute.”

He holds it close to him, puffing his chest up proudly. “I will!”

The younger only nods in response, keeping his laughter to a minimum. Yoongi truly is the definition of everything good in this world. He’s practically in love with the world and almost everything in it. There’s only a few things the guy doesn’t like. The one thing he has yet to fall in love with yet, though, is his person. His soulmate. He just can’t seem to find the one who he believes he’s meant to be with. 

Jimin and Hoseok keep encouraging him to date around, test the waters with a few people. They’ve both even tried to set him up on blind dates with both men and women but he just won’t go for it. He believes in the idea of soulmates, despite the fact that not many do. He has a gut feeling that his soulmate will feel the same, that they’ll look at each other and everything will just fall into place. 

And, that is exactly why Jimin calls him a hopeless romantic.

His friends aren’t necessarily anti-romantic’s but they’re more real about subjects like this. They just don’t believe that one single glance can prove the love between two people. It’s not like they’re going to one day realize they’re meant to spend forever with another person by just waiting around for them to show up. But, then again, neither of them have found their person either so Yoongi likes to hold that over their heads every time they make comments about his thoughts on soulmates. 

When he exits the stationary store, Jimin right beside him, he spots, in his opinion, the best thing he’s ever seen. A photobooth. He hasn’t seen one in so long, not since he was little, and he most definitely hasn’t seen one in the mall before. It must be a new addition with all of the stores they’ve added. 

He turns to his friend with the biggest and brightest eyes, “Jiminie! Let’s go take a picture together!”

“Hyung, that is the absolute last thing I want to do.”

“Come on! It’ll be the one and only time I ask!”

He contemplates it for a second but his friend’s pleading eyes are too doe-like to say no to. He groans, already walking towards the booth with an excited Yoongi following right behind him. They take a quick peek behind the curtain, making sure nobody is inside the booth before scooting inside. They crowd one another, trying to sit comfortably on the small bench.

“You’re paying,” Jimin huffs.

“Already planned on it, grumpy pants!” he says with a big smile.

Yoongi navigates the machine, pressing the right buttons to get them to the actual photo taking part. Jimin plays into his antics, making goofy faces and cheesing big alongside his friend. The elder’s smile and laughter is too contagious, which easily breaks Jimin’s tougher exterior. He’s got the spirit of a little kid, one who only sees the good in the world and hates when he has to see the bad. It’s one of his greatest strengths but also one of his greatest weaknesses. 

The duo take a few pictures, Yoongi choosing a cute frame for the final product before they begin printing outside the machine. Once outside the booth, he stares patiently at the screen on the side of it, watching as the photos fully develop. He’s so happy he can’t stand it. 

When the photos finally finish, he watches them fall into the drop box but his photos aren’t what catch his eye. Tucked behind his film strip with Jimin is another, one that doesn’t belong to him. He abandons his own completely, slowly lifting the stranger’s so that he can get a better look at it. 

Jimin watches his every move, studying his facial expressions. He’s yet to take his eyes off of the stranger. The elder’s thumb gently runs across the film strip. His movements are so careful and steady that it’s almost as if he were really reaching out to the stranger. “What is it, hyung?” the younger finally asks.

“This is my soulmate.”

Jimin stares, “you don’t even know him, though?”

“This is my soulmate,” he repeats firmly. He raises his gaze for the first time, looking at his friend. “I need to find him.”

“Hyung, we’re in a huge mall. I don’t think you’re going to find him.”

“I have to. He’s my soulmate.”

“Look, I know you believe in all of that shit but I really -”

“Jiminie -” he cuts him off, surprising the boy. His tone is far more stressed than it was previously and there’s a hint of desperation that follows it. As if his eyes weren’t desperate enough. “I have to find him.”

He takes a deep breath, exhaling through his nose. He can see how distraught Yoongi is, how important this suddenly means to him. Jimin has about 2% faith that they’ll even find a random stranger in a mall full of thousands of people. The guy might’ve even left already and Yoongi might never see him again. But, the elder seems determined enough and if they walk away empty handed then at least he has a photo of his so-called soulmate to try and find him with.

“Fine. I’ll help but I make no promises about what we’ll find.”

Yoongi hugs him tightly, “thank you, Jiminie!!”

The younger immediately pushes his friend off, screaming about how much he doesn’t want to be hugged. Yoongi doesn’t let go, though, squeezing him tightly one last time before finally releasing his grip. The elder really doesn’t like to accept no for an answer. He likes to do things on his own so if he wants to hug Jimin, he surely will do that. 

The pair spend almost two hours walking around, scanning faces of every single person they pass by and comparing it to the small film strip they have. Every time Yoongi glances at the photos, he feels his heart race. Aside from knowing this is his soulmate, the guy is genuinely just so good looking. His face is free of blemishes and his lips are plumper than any other human ever. His eyes are so bright and Yoongi swears he can see galaxies hiding in them. The universe really took its time crafting this guy and all Yoongi wants to do is meet him and start a journey of falling in love with him. 

Jimin has completely exhausted himself during this mission. He’s gone in and out of stores, stared at far too many people, and still come up empty handed. He already wasn’t that hopeful but he can see the light starting to fade in Yoongi’s eyes, too. He’s never seen him look so hopeless. He’s the energy of their group, bringing all the sunshine and happiness. Seeing him so down, especially over something that he cares so deeply about, is starting to break Jimin’s heart.

“Hyung, I hate to be the bearer of bad news but I think we may have to give up soon. Stores are closing and soon enough the entire mall will, too.”

“But, we haven’t found him yet!”

“I know, I’m sorry. We just… ran out of time.”

Yoongi sighs, feeling the weight of the entire world bearing down on him. “Can we come back tomorrow? Or the day after? I have to find him, Jiminie.”

“How do you even know he’ll be here tomorrow? Or the day after that? Hyung, maybe he just stopped in for a minute. Maybe he’s not even from here.”

Jimin watches as Yoongi’s eyes turn to that of a puppy dog’s. He doesn’t even know the guy yet he’s still so heartbroken over this. Is that what soulmates are like? The younger has so many questions about what his friend is feeling but he doesn’t even know where to start asking. How can he feel so attached to a complete stranger? Sure, the guy is good looking but that’s all Yoongi really knows about him. There’s no way he just has a feeling and knows they’re soulmates. The world doesn’t work like that. The world isn’t that good, no matter how many rose-colored glasses Yoongi wants to look through. Fate is just a myth. If he wants to meet his soulmate, he has to actually put himself out there and try to meet people. He can’t keep waiting for this one singular person to just randomly show up and change his life. It’s not that easy. 

“How do you even know he’s your soulmate, hyung? Hm? How do you know that you’re not just feeling attracted to him because you think he’s hot? Sometimes there’s things you just have to give up on. The world isn’t always as kind as you want it to be.”

Jimin’s words sting. Yoongi knows he doesn’t believe in the idea of soulmates or stumbling upon them in the most random of places but he could at least pretend to care. The elder stares at his friend, feeling his eyes burn with the desire to release a flood of tears. He looks upward, trying to force them back down. There’s no doubt in his mind that his eyes are red and puffy, plus the fact that he keeps sniffling doesn’t help either. Jimin knows he’s upset the elder but maybe it’s time he hears something like that. He needs to know the world isn’t always sunshine and rainbows. Sometimes things don’t work out the way we want and we have to get over it.

Yoongi looks down at the film strip in his hands, taking a deep breath as he stares at the stranger. Jimin’s right. This is stupid. He doesn’t even know the guy. It’s probably the one and only time he’ll ever take no for an answer. His heart is in too fragile of a state to argue with his friend any longer. He folds the strip in half, shoving it into his jacket pocket. 

“Let’s just go home.”

His voice has shifted from it’s naturally optimistic state to a more pessimistic one. Jimin knows he’s fucked this one up. “Hyung, I didn’t mean it like that.”

“No, that’s exactly how you meant it, Jimin-ah. But, it’s fine. Let’s just go. Please.”

“I’m sorry,” he mumbles as they walk side-by-side towards the exit of the mall.

Yoongi sniffles, still feeling a familiar weight on his chest. “S’fine.”

One thing Yoongi hates about malls or public places in general is entrances and exits. Specifically, when someone is ahead of him, holding the door open, and he has to do the awkward run-walk combo so that they aren’t waiting on him forever. It always makes him feel uncomfortable. He’d rather have them let the door close. He knows how to reopen it. He knows how a door works.

But, this time… this one time… it’s like watching someone hold open the gates of heaven. 

Because there, right in front of him, the stranger holding the door open for him, is none other than the stranger from the film strip. He knows it, as does Jimin. This is him. This is his soulmate. 

Yoongi feels even more uncomfortable with his run-walk combo. He probably looks like an idiot trying to catch up. When he reaches the door, his hand finally on it and the stranger’s beginning to slip away, he mumbles a very small, very quiet, “thank you.”

No words come from the stranger. He only smiles, nodding politely before turning his back and walking out with his friend. And, Yoongi watches him leave. 

Yoongi stands frozen in the doorway. How could he just walk away? Did he not feel what Yoongi felt? He looked right at him. There’s no way he didn’t feel that. He even smiled. He smiled right at him and still, he said… nothing? There’s no possible way this is really happening. 

He only zones back in when he feels Jimin’s hand on his shoulder. He stares straight ahead, watching his soulmate walk off towards his car. “Hyung,” Jimin interrupts his thoughts, “what’re you doing?! Go after him!”

“He didn’t feel it,” his thoughts make their way into the real world. 

“We just spent two hours looking for that guy. You can’t not go after him!”

“You just told me to give up on it!” 

The younger shrugs, “well, I take it back.”

“What if I’m wrong?” he asks, still staring straight out in front of him. With every passing second, the guy is getting further and further away, walking right out of Yoongi’s life for good.

Jimin steps up beside him, “but, what if you’re right?”

The elder turns his head towards his friend, eyes wide. “B-but, you don’t believe in all of that.”

“But, you do,” he shrugs. “Hyung, go after him before I do it for you.”

Yoongi finally starts to feel like himself again. His optimism returns and he reaches into his pocket, feeling the film strip still folded up. He doesn’t pull it out to admire it, why would he? The real thing is right in front of him and if he doesn’t act quickly, he’s going to lose it. The universe gave him this moment. He can’t waste it. 

His feet carry him faster than he intended, his speed walk turning into a slower jog so that he can catch up to the stranger. He must look like an idiot, a crazed human to be chasing after someone he doesn’t even know. To make himself seem even crazier, he calls out, “hey! Hey, excuse me!”

Two heads turn his way, one being the stranger and the other belonging to his friend. They both share a glance, confused as to why Yoongi is coming after them. Jimin walks slowly after his friend but eventually catches up during the middle of their conversation. The elder breathes heavily when he comes up to the stranger, taking deep breaths through his nose. He swallows, afraid to say anything. The guy is looking right at him and all Yoongi can think is how he knows for a fact this is his soulmate. He doesn’t need to question it. He just knows it in his heart. But, the stranger only looks confused. He doesn’t give any sign of feeling the same way Yoongi does. Maybe this is a mistake, maybe he doesn’t know who his soulmate is after all. 

“I-I,” he stutters, the words not forming in his mouth. The connection between brain and mouth movements is completely gone. He can’t speak in front of the guy. He’s still too stuck on the fact that this could be his soulmate. 

“Yes?” the stranger asks. 

Oh, god. Even his voice is perfect. Yoongi is absolutely done for.

He feels the photo in his pocket, taking a deep breath as he slowly pulls it out. His hand shakes as he passes it over to the stranger. His friend watches the exchange with a confused expression, wondering what both his friend and Yoongi will do or say next. Jimin has finally caught up to them, standing close to his friend for support. The elder can feel his presence, stepping back a bit so that he can lean into him for help if necessary.

The stranger unfolds the film strip, his head tilting as he gazes down at it. Yoongi can’t help but admire how beautiful he looks up close. “I was wondering who took this,” he says, panic beginning to settle inside of Yoongi. “I forgot to grab it but once I went back it was gone.”

“I-I didn’t… I…”

Jimin, being the good friend he is, takes over for him. “We took pictures and it was sitting behind ours in the drop box. He wanted to find you to return it.”

“And, here I thought someone just threw it away.”

“Actually, he spent a good amount of time trying to find you.” 

If Yoongi wasn’t starstruck by his soulmate, he’d punch Jimin for admitting that out loud. The stranger turns his focus on him, “that so?”

He still can’t speak. He only nods, which to his surprise, brings the softest, most gentle smile to the stranger’s lips. Yoongi is beginning to feel weaker in the heart with every glance the boy spares him.

“He was very determined,” Jimin adds. 

Maybe Yoongi should start to speak up before Jimin says something that makes him want to crawl into a hole forever. 

The stranger lightly chuckles and it’s amongst the prettiest sounds Yoongi has ever heard. “All for a film strip?” Again, all he can do is nod in response. “You’re a quiet person, huh?”

Yoongi feels his cheeks flare up, getting hotter and hotter every single time the stranger smiles at him. He’s so damn pretty. There’s not a prettier person on planet earth than him. He silently thanks the universe for creating such a perfect soulmate. 

“He -” Jimin once again starts.

“I,” Yoongi cuts him off, surprising both boys. “I thought the owner of such nice pictures should be able to keep them.”

The stranger raises a brow, a smile creeping onto his face. “Oh, so he does talk?” Yoongi nods, scared his voice might betray him and shake if he opens his mouth again. “That’s kind of you to say.”

The boy has been so silent the entire time. He can’t even hear himself think because of how loud all of his thoughts are. All the things he can’t bring himself to say outloud are running around inside his mind, going a million miles an hour. His eyes fluctuate between the stranger’s, unable to focus on just one, afraid he might miss seeing a shooting star go by in the other. Because, his eyes do, in fact, hold the entire Milky Way galaxy inside of them. Yoongi is in a complete trance every time he looks directly at him. 

How can his soulmate be THIS perfect? But, how can he also not be feeling what Yoongi is feeling? There’s no possible way that this is all one-sided. Maybe the physical attraction isn’t there, who knows, but there’s no way the emotional and spiritual connection isn’t there. There has to be some kind of tug that’s pulling Yoongi towards him. It can’t be a one-way street. Soulmates don’t work like that. 

“Can I ask you something?” Yoongi mumbles, maintaining eye contact. 

“Sure.

“Do you believe in soulmates?”

His head again tilts, eyeing the boy with curiosity and wonder. His friend must’ve grown tired of waiting, hardly putting himself into the conversation and interaction until now. “Jin-hyung, we have to go!”

“One second, Namjoonie,” he answers quickly, raising a finger to his friend to signal ‘just one moment’. He never looks away from Yoongi, though. All of his attention is on him. “What did you just ask me?”

“Do you believe in soulmates? That two people are destined to be together?”

Even Jimin is on the edge of his seat waiting for his answer. He doesn’t want his friend to be heartbroken but it’s not like he’d be entirely surprised if he said no. Most people don’t share the same views as Yoongi. They aren’t as optimistic about the world and about people. Yoongi is the type to believe that people are inherently good, that nothing bad could ever happen. Meanwhile, most everyone else in his life believes the opposite. Some people just aren’t born to be good. Some people are going to break his heart no matter how much he tries to avoid it.

“Why do you ask?”

“That sounds like a no,” Yoongi answers. He’s horrible at accepting no’s. 

“I don’t have an opinion on it.”

“Everyone has an opinion.”

“Not everyone.”

“Yes, everyone.”

“What’s yours, then?”

“That you’re mine,” he blurts out. His hand immediately goes to cover his own mouth, shocked by his own words. His brain was moving too fast, thoughts running too quickly. He couldn’t keep up. He just… had to say it.

The stranger, who he now knows as Jin thanks to his friend, looks at him wide-eyed, “I’m yours? As in, I’m your soulmate?” Yoongi is too afraid to speak. He returns to only nodding. “We don’t even know each other.”

“We could.”

Jin leans around Yoongi, looking at Jimin. “He’s serious?”

“We just spent two hours searching the mall for you, dude. I think he’s pretty serious.”

He looks back at Yoongi, who’s frozen like a statue. His heart is racing and he’s almost positive that if he moves, even the slightest bit, it’ll make his heart explode. “You’re serious?” 

“I’m serious.”

“I know I said I don’t have an opinion but I… I lean more towards the side of not believing in that kind of thing. I’m sorry.”

He takes a deep breath, “you’re not willing to give it a chance?”

“A stranger comes up to me and says he’s my soulmate after only seeing a photo of me? Doesn’t really seem like the type of thing I’d want to give a chance. Sounds more like something I should run away from and call the police.”

Yoongi furrows his brows, covering up the fact that Jin’s words are a bit hurtful. Does nobody around here believe in soulmates anymore? “One date. That’s all I’m asking for.”

“What if I don’t enjoy it?” he asks bluntly.

The boy takes a page from Jimin’s book, which earns him a subtle nudge to the side. “What if you do?”

“Jin-hyung, come on. We really have to go, they’re waiting for us!”

“Here,” Yoongi mumbles, reaching into his bag that holds his new purchases. He fumbles with it for a second, pulling out his journal and matching pen. It’s covered in cats and tangerines, which actually endears Jin. It’s not something he was expecting to see. Yoongi scribbles onto a blank page, ripping it out just seconds later. He passes it to Jin, watching the boy read it. “It’s my name and number. If you want to try, you can call me. If not, well, I guess I’ll have to cope with losing my soulmate and be alone forever.”

Jin chuckles, “are you trying to make me feel bad if I say no?”

“Is it working?” he asks with a hopeful smile.

He returns the smile, shaking his head with a faint laugh. Jin gives in to his friend’s demands, beginning to walk away with him but before he does, he looks back, “it was nice meeting you, Yoongi.”

Hearing Jin say his name makes him feel like he’s on cloud nine. He didn’t know a soulmate could make him feel like this. As soon as he gets back to his car with Jimin, he closes the door and sits perfectly still. 

“Hyung? You okay?” Jimin asks, a bit concerned by his catatonic state.

“Jiminie?” he says softly, staring straight ahead. 

The younger begins to worry even more. “Yeah?”

“I JUST MET MY SOULMATE!!!” he screams with his usual amount of giddiness. He melts into his seat, letting it finally sink in what just happened. He smiles, whispering to himself, “I just met my soulmate.”

Cut to one hour later. One singular hour.

“He’s never going to call me,” Yoongi says, voice monotone as he lays on his bed, staring up at the ceiling. He sighs deeply, arms spread wide, like he’s practically given up all hope.

“Dude,” Jimin says from his doorway, “you met him an hour ago.”

“Exactly. He’s never going to call.”

The younger rolls his eyes, walking over to his friend. He grabs him by the arm, yanking him to a seated position. Yoongi fights it, turning his body into complete dead weight but Jimin doesn’t give in. “I think you’re being a bit ridiculous.”

“How am I being ridiculous?”

“You met him an HOUR ago. Give the guy some time to process the whole thing, why don’t you?”

The elder sighs again, this time louder, as he carries on his woe-as-me routine. He falls onto his back, resuming his act of staring at the ceiling. His eyes watch the fan blades go in circles. “If he was going to call, he would’ve by now.”

“That’s not true whatsoever.”

“It is completely true.”

“And, this is why I said you’re being ridiculous,” Jimin mumbles, reaching for his friend’s arm again. He pulls him back up, forcing him to maintain an upright position. “Look, his friend said they had people waiting on them so maybe, just maybe, he’s busy.”

Yoongi stares at the younger as if that’s the dumbest thing he’s ever heard. He can’t be too busy to get to know his soulmate. Nobody is THAT busy. “What if he’s just ignoring me? He probably threw the paper away as soon as he got home. All those cute little cats and tangerines just thrown in the trash!”

“Since when have you ever accepted no for an answer? Especially this quickly?”

“Soulmates do things to you. You’ll know when you finally meet yours.”

“Yeah,” he scoffs, gently rolling his eyes, “right.”

The elder exhales deeply, standing up with a huge huff. He paces around the room, finger tapping against his chin as he thinks. Jimin only watches, trying to figure out what could possibly be going on in that pure, golden mind of his. Whatever it is, it can’t be good. When Yoongi paces like this, it means he’s got an outrageous plan, something that should 110% be avoided. It’s always something that he thinks will benefit him, do him some good, but in the end, it only leads to him getting hurt. It’s just another broken heart that Jimin and Hobi have to help mend.

“I’ve got it,” he says, lifting his index finger up for his ‘eureka!’ moment.

“Got what?”

“If he never calls, I’ll just have to find out where he hangs out, who he hangs out with. I’ll just have to insert myself into his life.”

Jimin stares blankly, “that is the absolute last thing you should do. He’ll think you’re some creepy stalker.”

“Nobody could ever think that of their soulmate!” 

“Newsflash, hyung. The guy barely believes in soulmates, he said so himself. Just because you think he’s your soulmate doesn’t mean he thinks the same of you.”

Yoongi’s brows begin to furrow, his lips turning into the smallest pout. His head tilts, staring back at his friend. These words seem to have stuck with him. “B-but, don’t you think I can make him see it? Make him realize it, too?”

Jimin sighs, approaching the elder slowly. He puts a hand on his shoulder in an attempt to comfort him, soften the blow that his words are about to deliver. “Hyung, just because you want someone to fall in love with you, doesn’t mean they will.”

“Not even my soulmate?”

“Maybe he’s yours but you’re not his,” he says with a shrug. 

━━━━━━

“You should’ve seen the guy’s face! He was like a lost puppy!” Namjoon chuckles, addressing a group of four or five. He spots Jin across the room, shouting his name over the loud party music to beckon him over. The elder does so without question, greeting the group. 

“What is it, Joon?” he asks, sipping on his drink. The bitter liquid burns his throat, making his face scrunch up into one of disgust. He’s not entirely fond of the mixed drinks at parties but he didn’t have much of an option tonight. There’s too many people here and he needed something to help him get through it.

His friend speaks through laughter, “tell them about that guy from earlier! The one who said you were his soulmate!”

All heads turn his way and he only shrugs. “What about him?”

“Well, it was weird, yeah? The guy looked so desperate.”

“I guess,” he mumbles, taking another swig of his drink.

“Didn’t he give you his number?” Namjoon asks, spilling more information to the group of strangers. That’s his one fatal flaw. He can’t keep a secret to save his damn life. “You plan on calling him?”

Jin rolls with his, “don’t know, Joon. We’ll see.”

From beside him, Jin feels a nudge on his arm, followed by a girl’s voice saying, “since when do you believe in soulmates, Seokjin-ssi? Thought that wasn’t your style?”

“Never said I did, Jieun.”

“You oughta call him, try and make it work. At the very least you’d get a laugh out of it.”

The two filter off into their own conversation as the rest of the group lose interest. Even Namjoon stops paying attention to his friend, focusing on another topic with the others around them. “Like you said, not really my style.”

“Oh, come on,” she nudges his shoulder with her own, sweetly smiling. “Just because it didn’t work out with you and what’s his name doesn’t mean this won’t.”

“This really has nothing to do with him but thanks for reminding me of my ex.”

Jieun raises her hands in defense, still maintaining her cute smile. “What if he actually is your soulmate? What then?”

“And, what if he isn’t?” he challenges, taking a page from the boy’s book. The boy with the journal covered in small cats and tangerines. 

“Why’re you so against soulmates anyway, huh?”

Seokjin stares at her, wondering why she has such a sudden interest in his life. They’ve known one another for a few years, he considers her to be a friend but definitely not a close friend like Namjoon. Hell, not even Namjoon asks questions about shit like this. He just laughs it off, thinking of all the ways it could go wrong and how funny those outcomes would be. Jieun seems to have a genuine interest but he can’t seem to put his finger on why. 

He sips his drink, catching a glimpse of her over the brim of his cup as he lifts it to his lips. She’s waiting patiently, expecting an answer. Jin doesn’t have an answer, nor does he really feel like giving one. “What’re you staring at?” he asks, monotone. 

“I’m waiting for you to answer me.”

“Don’t have an answer.”

“Come on, everyone has an answer. Either you hate soulmates or you love them but either way, you have a reason why.”

Jin scoffs, “sorry to burst your cheery bubble but I don’t. I have zero opinion on soulmates but I also don’t really believe in them either.”

Jieun is starting to sound a lot like him… like Yoongi. He didn’t want to take Seokjin’s answer at face value either. He kept pressing until he got the answers he wanted out of him. She seems to be doing the exact same thing. Maybe they’re the ones who are meant to be together. 

“Why not?”

“Just don’t.”

“If you don’t give me a reason why, I’m just going to assume it’s about your ex and get on with my day,” she says, raising a brow. Her tone is far more accusatory than Jin cares for. 

He rolls his eyes, chugging down the last of his beverage. It tastes horrible and gives him goosebumps up and down his body. He can feel the alcohol setting in. “Look, whether I believe in them or not and my reasons why are none of your damn business, Ji. And, it certainly has nothing to do with him so fucking drop it, got it?”

Seokjin doesn’t like yelling at anyone, especially his friends, but the alcohol in his system has given him the courage to do so. He can see her start to back down, realizing she’s overstepped. He’ll apologize to her tomorrow but right now, he doesn’t want to be here any longer. He turns on his heel, ignoring Namjoon’s calls for him. He scoots past the hoard of people scattered throughout the home, inching his way closer to the front door. 

At least two drinks get spilled on him in the process but he doesn’t even bother with it. He’ll change his clothes when he gets home later. Spilled drinks are always a risk he runs when attending a house party. He’s no stranger to it. When he finally reaches the door, he quietly sneaks out, letting the cold breeze hit him. It’s a breath of fresh air compared to the stuffy house he was just inside of. 

He wanders around, looking for a place to sit and let the alcohol wear off. He didn’t have that much to drink but the little he did have was spiked so heavily that it’ll take a while for his system to adjust. He breathes out, a puff of smoke forming due to how cold it is. He’d much rather be out here, though, as opposed to inside with all those people. 

He also didn’t need to be a part of that conversation with Jieun any longer. He hates conversations like that, ones that get deep for no reason. Soulmates shouldn’t even be a deep topic to begin with. If they were as simple as everyone makes them out to be, then conversation should just flow. It shouldn’t turn to conversations about exes or what someone’s beliefs are. It should be natural, easy. 

Seokjin has never encountered anyone that he thinks could possibly be his soulmate. Maybe he will one day but until then, he has no reason to believe they even exist. If they did, wouldn’t he have met his by now? Wouldn’t he have felt even the smallest tug towards Yoongi when he made his claim? 

Jin chuckles to himself, remembering his conversation from a few hours ago with the boy. He was so quiet at first, so nervous. He could barely say more than one word without getting choked up. His friend had to speak for him. All he could do was stare at Jin with wide eyes, eyes filled with absolute wonder. But, when he did finally say something, when he finally found his courage, he seemed so determined. He had no plans of giving up on what he believed in. 

There’s a part of Seokjin that wonders how it was so easy for him to just know. How could he look at a picture and have everything just fall into place? Jin’s been in countless relationships, he even thought the last one was going to be the one, but he’s never been as certain as Yoongi was. He’s never had that immediate pull to anyone before, not even to his most recent ex. He must be a very optimistic person to be so convinced that Seokjin is his soulmate. 

Another cool breeze blows by, forcing Jin to curl up in his jacket. He pulls it tighter around him and something catches his attention in the process. He feels a piece of paper crinkling up in the inside jacket pocket. He reaches in with confusion but immediately remembers once he pulls it out. Scribbled on a tiny piece of paper, covered in cats and tangerines, is Yoongi’s name and number. 

Tiny cats and tangerines. What an odd combination, Jin thinks. But, what’s even odder is that despite having talked to him for only five minutes, he can’t think of anything more fitting for the boy. He smiles to himself as he examines each drawing, even picking out a favorite or two. 

And, maybe it’s the alcohol or the desire to know more or maybe he’s just in a tiny cat and tangerine trance, but Seokjin pulls out his phone, copying the number from the piece of paper.

━━━━━━

Yoongi lays on the floor of his living room, staring up at the ceiling. His actions are partially due to the fact that he ate too much food with Jimin but also he has to continue his dramatic act. If he continues it, maybe it’ll guilt trip the universe into giving him what he wants. 

Maybe. 

“He’s never going to call me.”

Across the room, Jimin sighs loud enough for his friend to hear. “You’re on that again?”

“I’m going to die alone. I’m never going to be with my soulmate.”

“You’re being ridiculous.”

“HE’S being ridiculous!” Yoongi shouts, flailing his arms in the air above him for emphasis. “All he has to do is call me and he won’t! Doesn’t he know how soulmates work?!”

The younger groans, staying right where he’s at. “How long do you plan on keeping this up for?”

“I know my soulmate exists and he knows I exist but he won’t even call me. How am I not supposed to act like this, Jiminie? How am I supposed to carry on knowing -”

“Hyung?”

“ - that no matter what I do, he doesn’t want to meet his soulmate or even go on one date with me. Can you believe that?! He won’t even take a chance on fate! What kind of garbage is -”

“HYUNG!”  Jimin shouts, interrupting him again. 

Yoongi just barely lifts his head from the floor so that he can look across the room at his friend. His attitude changes in seconds when he sees Jimin holding up his phone, disbelief on his face. He slowly sits upwards, trying not to get his own hopes up too high. 

“You have a new message from an unknown number,” he says softly.

The elder jumps to his feet, standing still for only a brief second before slowly approaching his friend. His hand shakes when he takes his phone from Jimin. The message could be from someone else entirely and all these nerves could be for nothing. He’s already preparing himself to fall back onto the floor and be dramatic again if he has to. 

He takes a deep breath, clicking on the message notification.

And, Jimin has never seen a brighter smile.

Unknown Sender

i think the cat with the tangerine on its belly is the cutest one

Turns out, guilt tripping the universe works.

“Oh my god,” Yoongi mutters to himself, still staring at his phone screen.

“Is it from him?” The elder nods, refusing to look away from the message. If he does, it might disappear and might all be just a figment of his imagination. “Aren’t you going to respond?”

He clutches his mobile with both hands, staring down the message. He can’t reply. He can’t bring himself to type a proper response. But, he does have an idea. A much better one, he thinks. Without saying another word, he turns away, walking straight back to his room. He ignores Jimin’s voice, calling his name. He locks his door behind him, muffling the sounds of his friend. He even goes as far as to step out onto the very small balcony attached to his room. There’s only enough room for one chair and a small table. He plops down onto the chair, which he made sure would be the most comfortable outdoor furniture in the world when he bought it. It’s more of a small lounge chair, stretching out just a bit further in front of him for users to extend their legs if they want. He likes sitting out here, thinking about his life and the world. This is the best place to talk to his soulmate. He makes himself cozy, curling into a ball in his chair. 

And, with zero hesitation, he presses the message, going directly to the contact information. He doesn’t even save the number before hitting the ‘Call’ button. He presses the phone to his ear, waiting for it to (hopefully) connect. If he sent him a message, surely he’ll answer, right? Surely he wouldn’t just ignore a phone call from his soulmate. There’s no way he would do such a - 

“This person is unable to accept this call,” he hears the automated voice say. 

He lowers the phone, staring at the screen. He pushes end, disconnecting the call. His high begins to wear off, smile falling from his lips. Jin just sent that message less than two minutes ago. How could he not answer? Does he not want to hear Yoongi’s voice? Did he only want to say that one thing and then never speak again? He sent such a cute and heartwarming message. If he didn’t want to talk, why even send that to begin with?

He tosses the phone onto the extra space in front of him, staring at it for just a moment, hoping it’ll light up but it never does. At this point, he can’t even go back in to face Jimin. He’ll only make fun of him for being ignored, for even getting his hopes up to begin with. He’ll tell him how soulmates aren’t real and how none of this is going to work out. That’s the last thing Yoongi wants to hear right now. Jimin is too much of a realist for Yoongi to be around sometimes. Because, even if he knows the world isn’t perfect, he likes to believe it can be. He likes to believe in things like soulmates and fate. He likes to see the good in everything and everyone, even if they don’t always deserve it. 

The longer he sits, the more heartbroken he feels. And, it’s his own fault. He gets his hopes too high, despite his friends warning him not to. It’s simply who he is and he can’t change that. 

He really thought Jin would answer. He doesn’t even have to pretend to be sad to guilt trip the universe, he just is. He wanted to hear his voice again, see what he was doing. Even if he doesn’t want to agree to anything right now, at least a conversation is a starting place. Right?

He contorts his body into even more of a ball shape, pulling his knees to his chest. Fifteen minutes have gone by and there’s still no word from Jin. Maybe Yoongi should just go back inside, accept what Jimin has to say. Maybe this is his fate after all. Maybe they were meant to meet but go different ways. Maybe Jimin was right, maybe he’s Yoongi’s soulmate but Yoongi isn’t his. If that’s even possible, that is. 

Just when all hope is almost lost, his phone screen lights up from the cushion in front of him. Naturally, he thinks it’s Jimin, checking in to see if it’s going well. He moves slowly to pick it up but once he sees the notification, his heart instantly starts beating faster. 

Unknown Sender

sorry a friend was a bit drunk and i had to help put them to bed 

Unknown Sender

did you still want to talk? 

Yoongi’s smile is bright and warm as he stares at his screen. He takes the opportunity to save Jin’s number, labeling his contact as ‘jin - soulmate’. That makes him smile even more. 

Maybe fate is on his side.

He hits the call button again, the deja vu setting in. He mumbles a quick wish to himself, hoping Jin will answer this time. His smile grows tenfold when it connects and he hears that familiar voice through the speaker.

“Hey,” is all he says and it’s enough to leave Yoongi speechless. Literally. He doesn’t say a single word. His mouth hangs open but no words come out. He swears he feels his own heart stop. It only beats again when he hears Jin’s small laugh in his ear. “Are you back to being quiet again?”

“N-no,” he stutters, mentally cursing at himself for being so weak for his damn voice.

Jin’s laughter is the second most beautiful thing Yoongi has ever heard. First place is awarded to his voice. “You are the one who called me, Yoongi.”

“I know.”

“Any reason why?”

“You messaged me first?”

His voice sounds so perfect through the speaker. Yoongi could fall asleep listening to him talk. “Ah, I did do that, didn’t I?”

“Yes,” he answers quietly.

“I was looking at the paper you gave me your number on. The drawings are cute.”

“So are you.” 

Yoongi has absolutely no filter, no brain function, no situational awareness whatsoever when it comes to Jin. Thinking? Processing? Speaking? He can’t do a single one of those. He realizes with a second what he’s just said and immediately begins to freak out. His eyes fill with fear and his heart pounds inside of his chest. He can’t run away from this but what he can do is hang up. So he does. 

In the biggest panic of his life, he hits the end button on his phone, disconnecting his call with Jin. He tosses his phone in front of him, staring at it wide eyed. Did he really just say that? Did he really just blurt out that he thinks Jin is cute within mere hours of meeting him? Granted, he did say his photos were nice but he didn’t say CUTE. 

The screen lights up, drawing his attention. Yoongi hesitates, scared to see what the notification is. 

jin - soulmate

am i that scary to talk to that you have to hang up?

yoongi

yes.

Point proven. Zero thinking is done when it comes to Jin. 

jin- soulmate

do you want to try again? 

yoongi

there’s a good chance i’ll blurt something out again so 

jin - soulmate

i don’t mind 

How could he possibly not feel the soulmate tug that Yoongi feels? How could he possibly be doing this without feeling some kind of connection? Because, quite frankly, Yoongi’s heart feels like it might explode at any given second. Meanwhile, Jin is calm, cool, and collected. Fate is so kind yet so cruel at the same time. 

Yoongi doesn’t have a chance to respond before Jin is already calling him. With shaky hands, his hits accept, pressing the phone to his ear. He contemplates putting the phone on speaker but he likes hearing the boy’s voice so close. It makes him feel all giddy inside. 

“Hello?”

“Hello, yourself,” Jin chuckles. “Do you want me to pretend you didn’t say that thing?”

“Yes, please.”

“Okay, we can do that.”

Yoongi exhales deeply. “Thank you.”

“I liked the drawings a lot. It was hard to pick a favorite.”

“I know, I felt the same way.”

He’s trying so hard to maintain a level of calmness in his voice, not alert Jin that he’s internally freaking out. (Even if Jin can already tell). “Yeah? Which one did you like the most?”

Yoongi pulls his legs closer to himself, resting his chin atop his knees as he speaks into the phone. “The one with the tangerine on its head. It has the peel hanging down a bit like it’s a ball of string.”

“Let me look, hold on.” He can hear Jin fumbling with the paper, gently humming to himself as he studies it. He even makes cute thinking noises, Yoongi mentally notes. “Ah, that one. Yeah, that one is nice, too.”

“It has a funny expression on its face.”

“It does,” he lets out an airy laugh. “What made you buy this? I’m assuming you bought it today?”

Yoongi hums in response. “It was really cute. I bought a pen and letter set, too!” he says with his usual level of giddiness. He doesn’t even realize he’s done it but Jin quickly catches it. 

“Do you write letters often?”

“Well, no,” he giggles, “but I want to! I want to write lots of letters for my friends and I had to make sure it’d be on the cutest paper possible.”

“Yeah?”

“Mhm! And, I think I chose a really great option! … Don’t you?”

Jin doesn’t answer. In fact, the conversation is silent for nearly fifteen seconds and worry begins to set in for Yoongi. Did he say something wrong? Did the call disconnect? He quickly pulls his phone away, checking to make sure it hasn’t. It’s still going, still connected. But, it’s still silent. He hasn’t said a single word. 

Yoongi carefully clears his throat, “Jin?”

“I think you picked very well, Yoongi.”

“You took a long time to respond.”

“I was thinking.”

“For that long?”

“I like to think.”

“For that long?” he repeats.

“Sometimes.”

“It was a simple question, though.”

He hears Jin chuckle, “you really like to challenge things, huh?”

“Oh, um,” he clams up, “no. I mean, not all the time.”

“Just sometimes then?”

“Sometimes, yeah.”

“When it’s something you’re passionate about? Or, care about?”

“Yeah.” His voice is so soft that it almost comes out as a whisper. Jin almost missed it. 

“So, tell me, what’s something you’re passionate about? What do you care about right now?”

“You.”

And, within two seconds, he disconnects the call. To be fair, he did warn Jin that this would happen. He can’t think straight, literally, when it comes to him. He’s known him for less than a day but he feels so strongly about him. He’s waited his entire life for a soulmate and now that his is right in front of him, every ounce of feeling is being directed his way. He can’t stop his heart from feeling the way it does. It’s not that he’s in love with him, that’ll come with time (hopefully), but he does have this feeling about him. He doesn’t even know if he’d consider it ‘liking him’. All he knows is Jin is his soulmate and he doesn’t want to let go.

As if on cue, his phone lights up. Yoongi doesn’t need to check who it’s from. He already knows.

jin - soulmate

how many times will you do that, hm? 

yoongi

stick around to find out? 

jin - soulmate

can you see the moon right now?

Well, he changed the subject pretty quickly. Guess he doesn’t want to stick around, Yoongi thinks. He looks up at the sky, seeing the moon shining brightly around one of the corner’s of his building. He scoots forward on the lounge chair, giving him a better view. He snaps a picture or two, sending Jin the best one. 

yoongi

it looks pretty 

To his surprise, Jin sends one back. His view is much better than Yoongi’s, the moon front and center. He admires the photo, zooming in to view it better. 

jin - soulmate

do you ever think about how we’re all the moon sees?

yoongi

i hadn’t thought of it like that

jin - soulmate

it just orbits around us, staying by our side

yoongi

it must really love us, yeah?

jin - soulmate

i think so

Yoongi takes it upon himself to click on Jin’s contact, calling him again. He hears his voice, greeting him before diving back into conversation. “I’ve never heard someone speak so fondly of the moon before.”

“I think it could be compared to your idea of a soulmate, couldn’t it?”

He scrunches his face, “what do you mean?” Inside, he’s smiling big. Jin bringing up the idea of soulmates on his own, even if not directly referencing the two of them has to mean something, doesn’t it?

“Soulmates are there for each other, watch out for each other. They stay with each other even when things are bad. They give each other love, become each other’s reason, don’t they?” At first, he sounded so certain of his answer, like he really believed in the idea of soulmates. Like, he’d experienced something similar before. But, his added question of ‘don’t they?’ makes Yoongi feel uneasy. For a second, he thought maybe Jin actually believed in them, too. 

“Yeah, they do. They care for each other and once they have each other, being apart is… it’s practically impossible.”

“The moon and the earth must be soulmates then.”

Yoongi can’t contain his giggles, his cheeks rising like bread as his smile grows. He decides to be a bit bold, teasing Jin. “So, am I the moon and you’re the earth or vice versa?”

Thankfully, he hears the boy chuckle, catching onto his game. “I might have to get back to you on that.” He pauses. “But, I have always loved the moon.”

“I’m okay with being the earth.”

“I bet you are.” Yoongi smiles to himself, hearing how sweetly Jin responds to him. Seriously, there’s no way he doesn’t feel this. He can’t be that oblivious to fate, can he? “I should go check on my friend, make sure he’s okay.”

“Oh, um, yeah. Yeah, you should,” he mumbles, upset that the conversation is ending so soon.

“Get some sleep, okay?”

If he doesn’t ask now, he’ll be awake all night thinking about it. “Wait, does this… um… does this mean you’re giving it a chance? What I said?”

“I’m not sure.”

“Oh.”

“But, I’ll talk to you tomorrow and maybe I’ll know then.”

“ Oh .”

Jin lightly chuckles, “sleep well, m’kay?”

“Mhm, you too.”

━━━━━━

By the time Yoongi went to sleep last night, it was nearly 3 A.M.. He was so giddy over his conversation with Jin, replaying certain parts of it over and over again in his mind. He couldn’t stop looking out his window, trying to steal a glance at the moon. Every time he’d see it, he’d start smiling like a little kid with a grade school crush. He’s waited his entire life to meet his soulmate, for them to show up in his life. Now, they finally have. He has. Jin has come into his life and he’s so certain that this is his person. He can’t put it into words, especially when explaining it to Jimin or Hobi. He just knows. It’s a feeling he has in his gut and in his heart. The only thing missing is Jin’s belief in soulmates. If only he could see what Yoongi sees. But, their conversation was a good start. It was simple yet sweet. 

It’s almost noon when Yoongi finally begins to stir, his body waking up. Rarely does he go to sleep so late but when he does, he also wakes up late. He hates it. He likes getting up early, seeing what the new day has to offer him. Hobi always made fun of him because he likes to get as much out of the day as possible. There hasn’t been a single day in the time they’ve known each other where Yoongi has rejected the morning sun, where he doesn’t want to see what life will offer him that day. Though, as he got to know him better, it all made sense. That’s just who Yoongi is. He’s optimistic, even when he shouldn’t be. 

He rolls over in his bed, stretching his arms wide above his head. He lazily reaches for his phone, unplugging it from where it sits on his bedside table. He rubs at his eyes, still in the process of waking himself up, as he stares at the screen. It’s not like he expected to see a message from Jin but it would’ve been nice? He huffs, letting his arms fall to his side on the mattress, phone still in hand. He said he’d talk to him tomorrow which is now today so maybe he’ll say something later? Maybe?

Yoongi goes about his normal morning routine, getting up to brush his teeth and wash his face. He checks his phone almost every two minutes, sighing every time the screen shows up blank. He does the same thing as he makes himself lunch. He’s more focused on his phone screen than he is his meal, nearly burning it in the process. As he eats, he can’t take his eyes off of it, hoping that any second, it’ll light up and Jin will have messaged him. He contemplates sending a message first but he doesn’t want to be too overbearing. He’s already bombarded Jin with the idea of them being soulmates. He should probably take it easy.

He stands in his closet, attempting to pick out an outfit for the day. He doesn’t even have plans for the day. Maybe if Jin would text him he would but he won’t so that rules that out. Maybe he can go see Jimin at work? He works in a small shop, selling mostly clothes but a few other small accessories, too. It’s very Jimin. He’s very fashion forward, always giving his friend’s ideas on what they should wear for important events. Yoongi likes to visit him when he’s bored. He tries not to distract him, only talking to him when he isn’t super busy. He likes to be around people, around his friends and Jimin tolerates it. He secretly enjoys the company, Yoongi thinks. 

Before he finally has an outfit picked out, he hears his phone ding from across the room. He springs into action, running over to pick it up off his bed. Much to his dismay, the message isn’t from Jin and his excited smile instantly falls from his face. 

mini

what’re you doing?

yoongi

coming to see you at work

mini

when?

yoongi

now?

mini

yeah okay, hurry up i’m bored

yoongi

coming! :D

Well, at least he has Jimin to keep him company for the day, right? 

“I just don’t understand why he hasn’t called me, Jiminie!” Yoongi whines, resting his arms atop of a clothes rack and leaning against it. The elder has talked about Jin for 90% of the time that he’s been in Jimin’s shop, which is saying a lot considering he’s been here for all of ten minutes. 

The younger folds some clothes, stacking them neatly as he talks to his friend. “Hyung, you haven’t even given him 24 hours.”

“He said he’d talk to me tomorrow, though! And, tomorrow is today!”

“Aren’t you going overboard with this?”

“If you met your soulmate, you’d understand. This is a very normal response.”

Jimin jokingly scoffs, shaking his head. “Didn’t you say the guy barely believes in soulmates? Don’t you think he’s probably just trying to ease into this?” Yoongi gives him an innocent look, shrugging his shoulders. He’s hopeless, Jimin thinks. “Look, maybe you just have to give him some more time. You said you had a nice conversation last night, yeah?”

“Well,” he keeps his voice low, speaking softly, “yeah. It was really nice. He was sweet.”

“Then, I don’t think you have any reason to worry. He’ll call you when he’s ready.”

“What if he’s never ready?”

The younger sighs, focusing on his work but still paying Yoongi just enough attention. “For someone who is so overwhelmingly positive about everything else, you sure are negative about this.”

“I am not negative!” he whines.

“You are! In the years I’ve known you, you’ve never taken no for an answer nor have you given up on something so easily.”

Yoongi quietly mumbles to himself, “m’not giving up.”

“I don’t know what kind of weird soulmate spell the guy has you under but the Yoongi I know would never be so negative so quickly. You need an optimistic boost again.”

An optimistic boost. Yeah, that would be nice, he thinks. There’s just something about Jin, the idea of losing his soulmate, that makes him feel so down. He barely even knows the guy yet he wants to hold onto him for as long as possible. He knows in his heart that this is right, this is meant to be, but if Jin doesn’t want to believe in it then it’s all for nothing. He can’t make him feel something he doesn’t want to and it’s the hardest pill to swallow. 

“What do you have in mind?” he asks with a hopeful voice.

“Hobi and I are going out for dinner and drinks tonight, come with.”

His jaw drops. “Why wasn’t I invited to begin with!?”

Jimin shrugs nonchalantly, “didn’t think you’d say yes.”

“As if I would ever say no to my two best friends!”

“Hyung, you’re physically incapable of saying no. Your default answer is yes, even if you absolutely hate it.”

Yoongi bites his cheek, stifling his own tiny laughter. “True. But, I still want to come! Please let me come!”

“I already invited you, you dummy. You can just come by mine around seven and we’ll head out from there. Hobi is coming earlier, around six, because he wants me to make him look nice. Something about wanting to find someone hot to flirt with or some shit like that.”

The elder hums, contemplating his response. If Hobi wants to flirt with people that must mean they’re going to a club. Yoongi doesn’t really do clubs. In fact, he actually hates them. Everyone always comes too close to him and he always ends up losing his friends in the process. Hobi always finds someone to dance with and Jimin just ends up deep in conversation with someone at the bar. It’s not really his scene. Plus, there was that one time that some random guy tried to kiss him and that guy was most definitely not his soulmate. He’s kissed a few people in his life but eventually decided that his soulmate was the only person he ever wanted to kiss. He just hadn’t met them yet. 

His thoughts come to a halt. Does that… does that mean he wants to kiss Jin? 

“Hyung?” Jimin’s voice snaps him back to reality.

He looks up with eyes as big as saucers, “yeah?”

“So, are you coming?”

“If I come at six, can you make me look nice, too?”

His friend chuckles, “sure. You can borrow some of my clothes. I got a few new things and I can make you look good. All the guys will turn their heads your way.”

Yoongi only wants one head to turn his way.

━━━━━━

“Holy shit, Yoongi-hyung. You look good,” Hobi says, admiring the elder. 

Yoongi doesn’t dress up often, especially not like this. Jimin only gets to style him once in a blue moon so when he does, he goes all out. He turns him to the exact opposite of himself. Nobody would ever even know that this is the same guy who just bought a journal with cats and tangerines covering it. 

“I do?” he asks, a bit uncomfortable.

“You do! You’re going to get all the attention tonight!”

He’s been holding off on asking, scared of what the actual answer will be. “Where exactly are we going tonight?”

Jimin and Hoseok exchange glances, having hoped that the elder would’ve just gone along with the set plans. They know clubs aren’t his thing, which is why they were so excited for him to actually show up and be ready to go out. But, they can both see the hesitation in his face and hear the nerves in his voice. “Well, dinner but we were thinking of going dancing after. Did you want to do that?”

“Oh, um,” he stumbles over his words. He knew that was the answer but he just needed the confirmation. “I guess so, yeah. That’s fine.”

Hobi huffs, taking a step closer to him. “Do you really want to? You can say no.”

“I want to,” he answers, pushing a smile forward. 

“You’re lying,” Jimin sounds from across the room. 

“I’m not! I want to go! I want to have fun!”

His friends look at each other, not entirely convinced but go along with it anyway. Knowing Yoongi, there’s two possible outcomes for tonight. The first is that he goes to the club with them and gets uncomfortable, leaving early on his own. He’s done it before. He’ll send his friends a text when he gets home, letting them know he left and he’s safe. It usually takes about an hour or so for him to work up the courage to leave, often not saying anything to his friends when he does so. Truthfully, they wish he’d say something, at least let them know he’s leaving so they don’t spend twenty minutes wondering where he went. They may like to enjoy themselves while out but they still care about him and his whereabouts. 

The second option is that he drinks way too much at dinner, too much for his small body to handle, and he goes home straight from there. It’s the perfect escape plan in his eyes. He gets to spend time with them, drink a little bit, then leave when he feels comfortable still. 

And, that’s exactly what he does. 

Yoongi isn’t a lightweight by any means but he does like to indulge in a few extra drinks. Surprisingly, he’s not an annoying drunk. In his friends eyes, he’s more of a cute drunk. He feeds them compliments, telling them how wonderful they are and how much he loves them. He does like to give them hugs, which Jimin absolutely hates but he tolerates it for the sake of his drunk friend. 

“See! I told you, Jiminie! He never even called me!” His words slur together as his lips form the perfect pout. 

“Maybe he will tomorrow, hyung.”

“Doubt it! He doesn’t think soulmates are real so he probably hates me.”

Hobi sighs, pulling the alcoholic beverage away from his friend and replacing it with water. “I think you’ve had too much to drink tonight, hyung.”

“Clearly,” he mumbles, starting to come to. 

Both the younger boys chuckle, shaking their heads at his confession. At least they know one thing for sure. Yoongi is going to sleep soundly tonight. “Why don’t you head home and get some sleep, yeah?”

He shakes his head, “not yet. I want to eat more food.”

“Don’t you think it’ll make you sick?”

“It’ll make me sober up,” he says, just barely stumbling over his words. “You two go on. I’ll pay for everything when I leave, okay?”

Jimin and Hobi would never say no to a free meal but they aren’t entirely keen on leaving their drunk friend behind. He seems to be sobering up as time passes but abandoning him feels wrong in so many ways. But, Yoongi is Yoongi. He encourages them to go have fun, reminding them that he’ll tell them when he’s home safe. He’s too kind and too much of a people pleaser to make them hang around any longer. It takes some convincing but he manages to send them on their way, staying behind and ordering a big bowl of ramen for himself.

The warm broth is exactly what he needed to make himself feel better. It’s like one big hug circulating through his entire body. It even makes him do a small happy dance as he slurps it down. He was feeling so down earlier, hoping that Jin would call him or even send a simple hey. When he didn’t, it only made him feel worse. He’s always believed in the idea of soulmates yet it seems like his own soulmate is the one making him question that belief. 

But, with the alcohol wearing off and such tasty noodles in front of him, everything is slowly returning to normal. Tomorrow is a new day and maybe he’ll hear from Jin then. Maybe he just has to wait. 

“Yoongi?” He hears that familiar voice, the one that fills his stomach with butterflies. 

Maybe his momentary sadness guilt tripped the universe again because he surely didn’t have to wait for long. 

“Y-you.”

Jin chuckles, smiling back at the now dumbfounded and still slightly intoxicated Yoongi. “My friends call me Jin but I guess ‘you’ works, too.”

“Oh, I, um, I know your name.”

Yoongi can’t seem to tell if Jin’s presence is sobering him up or making him feel more intoxicated. He’s almost certain he could get drunk off his smile alone. 

“You sure about that?”

He nods, “why wouldn’t I?” There’s a small pause, both boys looking back at one another. Yoongi can feel his heart racing inside his chest. It’s going a million miles an hour and doesn’t seem to want to slow down.

“You here alone?” He’s so good at changing the topic mid-conversation. The boy nods slowly. “Got all dressed up to have a meal alone?”

Suddenly, he’s feeling very thankful that Jimin dressed him up tonight. His hair is styled perfectly and he even has a hint of eyeshadow on his lids. Jimin didn’t hold back, anticipating the elder would join his two friends at the club. He wanted him to look hot, grab someone’s attention. While it may not be in the club, it seems like his plan actually might be working.

“My friends were here. They left.”

“They left you by yourself?” Jin’s hand lingers on the back of the chair in front of Yoongi. He could sit down if he wanted to. It’s not like Yoongi would stop him. 

He shakes his head, “I told them to go.”

“Why’s that?”

“They wanted to dance, I wanted to eat noodles?” he shrugs, pushing forward a shy smile. 

Jin still has his doubts about Yoongi and what he believes about the two of them but one thing is for sure: Every time he looks at the boy, he’s captivated by his eyes. They’re filled with innocence and wonder, seeing everything in the most beautiful light. He also looks at Jin with the tiniest stars in his eyes, like this is the moment he’s been waiting for his entire life. It’s a bit overwhelming and he definitely feels the pressure to not let him down but the longer he talks to him, the more he forgets about it. The more normal it becomes. 

“Drink too much?” Jin boldly asks.

Yoongi scrunches his face, “why do you ask?” His words slur together ever so slightly, creating a tiny lisp as he speaks. It matches perfectly to the pout that remains on his face throughout their conversation.

“No reason,” he smiles. “Are you going to make it home okay?”

“I think so, why?”

“Just being nice,” he shrugs. 

“I should be.”

“Should be?”

“That’s what I said.”

“That doesn’t sound certain.”

“Because it isn’t.”

“Why isn’t it?”

“Because I’m small, cute, and buzzed. Who knows what could happen?” 

Jin chuckles. It’s squeaky, like a windshield wiper. Yoongi likes it. He likes it a lot. Jin’s cheeks grow when he laughs, squishing his face up so perfectly. The boy is constantly thanking the universe for sending him such a pretty soulmate, someone so beautiful. 

“Maybe I should stay till you sober up, then.”

“You should what now?” Yoongi blurts out, the shock evident in his voice. There’s no way he heard that right. Jin doesn’t believe in all of this. He doesn’t believe in soulmates. He didn’t even call Yoongi today when he said they would talk. Yoongi was preparing for the worst, scared to let his hopes get too high but now this? Jin offering to stay on his own? 

He begins to pull the chair out slowly, “is that okay?” 

The starstruck boy nods, eyes wide as ever. He watches Jin take a seat, scooting forward to the table. His actions only bring him closer to Yoongi. And, when he rests his elbows on the table, he leans in even closer. He inspects the bowl of soup in front of Yoongi, who can only watch carefully. 

“You have a lot left.”

“I know.”

“Eat up, then.”

Jin lets his chin fall into his hands, elbows still resting on the table to keep himself up. He stares at the boy, who has yet to take his own eyes off of him. Jin raises a brow, a sneaky smile making its way onto his lips. He’s teasing Yoongi, poking at him to see what he’ll do or say next. It’s all in good fun, nothing that could hurt or upset him. 

“D-do you want anything?”

He shakes his head, “I’m alright. I just ate with some friends.”

“Oh.” Why is he alone then? “Where are they?”

“We were walking by and I saw you inside. Told them to go on and I’d see them later.”

Yoongi’s eyes go wide. Seriously, there’s NO WAY he doesn’t feel this right now! He can’t not feel it! Yoongi is 95% sure that anyone who comes within a five foot radius of them could feel it. “You didn’t have to leave them for me.”

“I told you I’d talk to you today, didn’t I?”

So, he does remember? 

“Yeah, you did.”

“Did you think I wouldn’t?”

He shrugs, uncertainty plastered across his face. His eyes still maintain the perfect level of doe-likeness, his lips still formed into a perfect pout. “I dunno. It’s already pretty late. So,” he trails off, sounding somewhat defeated.

“I would’ve at least said hi before I went to bed.”

“Doesn’t saying hi then going to sleep kind of defeat the purpose of starting the conversation?”

He laughs, “I guess it does.”

Yoongi half-smiles, reaching for his utensils and taking a bite of his food. Jin watches him do so, not once taking his eyes off of him. He’s still trying to understand the boy, see what makes him who he is. He’s so cheery, so optimistic all the time. Is he always like that? Nobody can be that happy, that hopeful that the world is a good place. But, it seems like he is. He’s determined, a little pushy, but overall, he seems like a nice guy. Jin just hopes he doesn’t end up breaking his heart. 

“Can I ask you something?”

Yoongi nods, humming in response as he slurps more of his soup. 

“Why’re you so certain about this? I mean, you seem fairly sure that I’m your soulmate. Honestly, I didn’t even know people still believed in all of that. I thought it was only something my parents’ generation believed in.”

“Not many people really do believe in it anymore, you’re right.”

“Then,” he starts but is cut off by Yoongi.

“Then, why do I?” Jin nods. He takes a deep breath, pushing the bowl to the side out of his way. He doesn’t want to be distracted by anything when he tells Jin, who he really believes is his soulmate, all of this. “My friends like to make fun of me for how I see the world.”

Jin interrupts, “seems a bit judgmental, no?”

“A bit but I know they mean well. I like to believe that everyone can be good and everything is going to end just as it does in fairytales. I’m not blind, though. I know the world has evil in it and I know people are going to break my heart. I’ve been through heartbreak and I don’t want to do it again.”

Now Jin is even more worried about hurting him. He barely knows him but there’s a part of him that doesn’t want to upset him. He doesn’t want to do anything that would break the guy’s heart. 

“So, why the soulmate thing?”

“Soulmates, as you described it, watch out for each other and even when things get bad, they’re still there. They would never do anything to hurt the other. I want that kind of love. I think if you believe that good things will come, then they will. But, not everyone can be so hopeful, which is why I think people choose to believe in it. ”

“Nobodies perfect, though. Eventually, everyone does or says something they don’t mean and someone gets hurt.”

“Maybe,” he shrugs, “but, I like to believe that things will always be okay with that person, my person. That love conquers all, you know?”

Jin sighs. Yoongi really is the definition of everything good in the world. If he has any bad in him, it’s maybe 2% and even that’s going a bit overboard. He clearly guards his heart, not giving it away to just anyone that he meets. He’s careful and makes decisions that he thinks will make him happy, even if in the back of his mind he still has a hint of doubt. Jin wishes he could be more like that. But, he just can’t always see the world as kind and as good as Yoongi does. Good things don’t just come because you want them to.

“But, maybe that just makes me naïve,” Yoongi adds. “That’s what my friends say anyway. They don’t believe in this either so I get it. Most people like to make their own luck. I like to let fate decide for me.”

“Do you actually believe that it will happen for you?”

He slowly nods, “yeah. I do.”

“And, you think that’s with me?”

Yoongi doesn’t mind explaining himself but trying to convince someone, who clearly doesn’t believe in soulmates, that they’re yours is wearing on him. He doesn’t want this to end in heartbreak and it feels like that’s exactly where it’s headed. The universe sent him the perfect soulmate but just forgot to make him believe in it, too. 

He exhales, grounding himself. “If you don’t want to give it a chance, you should probably just go.”

“Well, that’s not very optimistic of you,” he says, sounding an awful lot like Jimin and Hobi. 

“I’m not feeling very optimistic right now,” he shrugs, pulling his soup bowl back in front of him. He pushes the noodles around the bowl, waiting for Jin to stand up and leave but he never does. He keeps a watchful eye on him, practically boring holes into the poor boy. “Why’re you staring at me?”

“Am I?”

“You are.”

“Didn’t notice.”

“Well, now you do.”

“And, what would you like me to do about that?”

“Stop?”

“Why?”

“Because it’s weird.”

“Weirder than going up to a stranger and proclaiming he’s your soulmate?”

“Yeah. Much weirder.”

Jin chuckles, leaning back in his seat. Yoongi bites his lip to keep himself from smiling. Even if he wants to be upset and not see the best in the situation, he can’t. All he knows is seeing the good in people. Even if they’re bound to upset him, he’ll stick with it till the very end because that’s who he is. He can’t run away from the feeling inside of him that’s telling him Jin is his soulmate.

“Why do you love the moon so much?” Yoongi asks out of nowhere.

Jin smiles, “I can’t put my finger on it. There’s just a feeling I get when I see it. It makes me happy.”

Yeah, I know the feeling, Yoongi thinks, glancing up at the boy. “Your words, how you talked about it, it was pretty.”

“My words were pretty?” he lightly chuckles, grinning from ear to ear.

“Words can be pretty,” Yoongi defends with a pout.

“I know they can. I’ve just never heard someone say mine are.”

“Oh. Well, they are. You are.”

Yeah. Absolutely no filter with Jin. He realizes what he’s said, burying his face in his hands. If the soup in front of him wasn’t so hot, he would’ve dunked his head under the liquid and waited till Jin got too embarrassed and left. He peeks through his fingers, seeing the boy softly smiling back at him. 

“Pretend I never said that, okay?” he mumbles, slowly pulling his face away from his hands. 

“Don’t soulmates compliment each other?”

“You don’t believe in it so you can’t use that as an argument!” 

He laughs, “but you do. So, I think it’s a valid argument.”

Yoongi’s cheeks are bright pink, he can barely keep eye contact with him. The alcohol has worn off and he’s completely drunk off of Jin. “Both parties have to believe for it to be valid!”

“Who said I didn’t?”

His heart skips a beat, “wait, you do?”

“Well, no,” he says softly. “But, I never said I wouldn’t try.”

“Wait, is this you agreeing to a first date?”

“Wouldn’t it be a second date?” Yoongi tilts his head, a small ‘hm’ coming out of him. Jin gestures to the table, pointing out the fact that they’re technically at dinner right now. 

The boy gasps, “absolutely not! You stumbling upon me eating noodles alone while slightly intoxicated then deciding to stay is not a date! Are you crazy?!”

Ah, there’s that innocence that Jin remembers. “Then, what is?”

“That is a surprise! Plus, this can’t be a date. I didn’t even find out anything about you. Like, I don’t even know how old you are!”

“I was born in ‘92.”

“Oh,” he says softly. He always thought his soulmate would be younger, maybe the same age even but not necessarily older. “You’re older than I am. I was born in ‘93.”

Jin smiles, “well, now you’ve learned something. Does that make it a date?”

“No!” he whines even more.

He knows by now that the elder is teasing him but he doesn’t mind at all, especially since he can’t stop smiling and it seems that neither can Jin.

Over the course of the next four or five days, Yoongi has hardly taken his eyes off his phone screen. His conversations with Jin aren’t constant nor do they seem to last for very long but when they do happen, it’s all the boy can focus on. He’ll be mid-conversation with Jimin or Hobi and the second his phone goes off, he’s right there ready to answer it. His friends keep telling him that maybe he should back off, take it slow, but then again, why should he?

Jin already knows where he stands, he already knows what he thinks of the situation. Backing off just seems contradictory to how he’s been acting. He has nothing to hide, nothing to shy away from. For Jin, he’s an open book. Whatever he wants to know, he’ll offer it up. Soulmates share things with each other. They know the little details about each other. In Yoongi’s mind, sharing things brings them closer and being closer means Jin might actually start to believe. 

“Hello! Earth to Yoongi!” Jimin says, waving his hand in front of the elder. 

He looks up with surprise in his eyes, “huh? What? Sorry, what’d you say?”

“You’ve smiling at that stupid phone for twenty minutes. What the hell are you two talking about?!”

Yoongi stays quiet, glancing back down at his phone screen. He huffs, lifting it to his friend’s face for him to read himself. Jimin deadpans, in disbelief that this is the conversation going on beside him. 

jin - soulmate

i think i would be a frog

yoongi

but what kind of frog?

jin - soulmate

um…. the ones that sit on lily pads i guess? whichever those are

yoongi

those are good ones

jin - soulmate

i think so 

yoongi

if i was also a frog, would you share a lily pad with me?

jin - soulmate

what if it’s a small lily pad?

yoongi

i’d make it work

jin - soulmate

sounds like you 

“You must be joking, hyung.”

“What?” he asks with a firm pout and puppy dog eyes. If Jimin didn’t know his friend so well, he’d easily give in to that look. Maybe that’s how he’s conned Jin into all of this. An innocent expression can go a long way for some people. 

He shakes his head, giving the phone back, “you act like a 7-year old with a grade school crush when you talk to him.”

“I do not!”

“You do!” He reaches across, tapping gently on his phone, “the messages don’t lie!”

Yoongi sulks, maintaining his pout. “I just like to think that my soulmate would still want to be around me even if we were frogs.”

“Is this what soulmates talk about because if so, I’m good with never having one.”

“You say that now, Park Jimin! But, just you wait! You’ll find yours and you’ll be thrilled to share a lily pad with them!”

Jimin hums, sarcastically nodding his head to ‘agree’ with his friend. “Mhm, sure, hyung. Whatever you say.”

“You’re no fun.”

“When are you two even going on that date you told me about?” he asks, shifting the topic to one that Yoongi has been avoiding for days. 

It’s not that he doesn’t want to go on the date with Jin, he does. It’s just that he’s worried it won’t live up to some expectation that Jin has. Right now, they talk every so often and their conversations are nice. He likes talking to the elder and it seems like he enjoys talking back to Yoongi. The date was the one thing he was set on doing but as things progress and they become friendlier with each other, he’s scared it’s all going to disappear in an instant. His soulmate will disappear. 

“I dunno,” he answers softly.

“What do you mean you don’t know? Isn’t that the whole big point of all this? Isn’t the date the thing you wanted to do?”

The elder shrugs, “I guess.”

“You guess? What the hell happened to you? You were so excited about going on a date with him! And, when he tried to claim that seeing you after we left was a date, you fought him on it! You said you’d show him a real date! You said so yourself!”

Yoongi suddenly regrets telling Jimin every detail about seeing Jin. He knew it was bound to backfire but he couldn’t help it. He was just so excited. 

“I don’t know, Jiminie. I just don’t want to ruin anything.”

The younger stares at his friend, half-tempted to flick him on the forehead to knock some sense back into him. “If you really believed he’s your soulmate, you wouldn’t be worried about ruining things because there’d be nothing to ruin.”

“Well, just because I believe he is doesn’t mean he believes it!”

“So, you’re telling me that you’re just going to avoid the date forever? Even though you said he was open to the idea?”

Yoongi shrugs, unable to give a verbal response in fear that his voice might shake. He knows Jimin is right but he’s scared. Jin makes him nervous. He makes every nerve in his body light up, igniting a fire inside of him. He knows that this is his soulmate. He believes it fully. There’s no other explanation for how he feels other than this. He can’t lose this feeling. He can’t lose Jin just because a date goes poorly. 

“Hm, okay.”

“Okay?”

He nods, “yep. Okay.”

“You’re not going to yell at me?”

“Nope.”

“Why?”

“Just not.”

“I feel like you’re going to.”

“Nope.”

“You sure?”

“I’m sure.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“That’s your choice.” He’s not going to yell. In fact, he has a much different plan. “Can I see the message again? Between you two?”

Yoongi clutches his phone, holding it close to him. He’s very suspicious of his friend. “Why?”

“I just want to read it, you idiot.”

The elder slowly extends his hand, giving it to Jimin. He takes it graciously, pretending to scan over the message but in reality, he’s waiting for the perfect moment. All he needs is one second of Yoongi not paying attention. And, once he sees he’s got that second, he takes off.

With the elder’s phone in hand, he runs right towards the bedroom, Yoongi hot on his trail. He’s calling Jimin’s name but the younger doesn’t slow down. He quickly escapes into the bedroom, locking the door behind him. Yoongi bangs against the door, pleading for his friend to open it but it doesn’t work. Jimin has a master plan and he’s intent on seeing it through. 

He clicks on Jin’s name at the top of their messages, hitting the ‘Call’ button with zero hesitation. Yoongi has not stopped calling his name, desperation in his voice. He must know what the younger is up to at this point but that doesn’t stop Jimin. 

He presses the phone to his ear, waiting for it to connect. 

“Hello?”

“Look, we’ve got very little time so I have to make this fast.”

“Yoongi?” Jin asks, confused.

“Not Yoongi, Jimin. Yoongi’s friend.”

“Ahh,” he hums, “he did say he was with you.”

From outside the door, Yoongi pleads, “Jiminie! Open the door!”

“Was that Yoongi?” Jin asks, having heard the boy through the speaker. Jimin knew his friend was yelling but damn, he didn’t think Jin could hear him. 

“Not important. What is important, though, is the two of you going on a date!”

The elder laughs through the phone, momentarily confusing Jimin. He only met the guy for a few minutes outside the mall but he can somehow picture Jin’s expression. “Are you doing this for him? Because he won’t?”

“Exactly.”

“And, why won’t he?”

“Because he’s scared it’ll ruin whatever lily pad shit you two have going on.”

Jin laughs again, “I already told him I’m willing to try.”

“I know that. But, sometimes he needs a push so I’m giving him one.”

“What did you have in mind?”

“Well -”

Jimin never gets to finish his sentence. He’s cut off by Yoongi having somehow unlocked the door, rushing in towards him. “Give me the phone, Jiminie!” he cries out, frantically reaching for it. The younger tries to keep it out of his reach, knowing Jin can hear every single word of their conversation. 

“Hyung, I’m trying to help you!” he says, squirming out of Yoongi’s grip.

“Well, stop trying!”

“You weren’t going to do it yourself!”

“So?!”

“So, I’m helping!”

“You pick now to be helpful?!”

“Yes!”

The two are practically wrestling each other for the phone, falling back onto the bed. Yoongi manages to reach the phone but rather than grabbing it, he accidentally hits the ‘End’ button, hanging up on Jin. Both take notice right away, ending their quarrel. Yoongi huffs, falling back onto the bed and staring up at the ceiling. 

“I can’t believe you just did that,” he says monotone. 

Jimin sits upright, looking at his friend. “I was only trying to help. You needed a little shove in the right direction and I was tired of seeing you mope.”

“I wasn’t moping!” he whines, sitting up to meet his friend where he is. “I was worrying the perfect amount!”

“Right,” Jimin mumbles. He takes a deep breath, regaining his stamina after their brawl for the phone. “How did you even get in here?”

The elder chuckles, “keep an extra key in the kitchen. You’d be surprised how many times I’ve locked myself out of my own room.”

“Fair enough.”

“What did, um, what did Jin say?” His voice has become softer, quieter. It’s a topic he doesn’t want to take lightly.

Rather than answering, Jimin hands his friend the phone, offering him a small smile. He doesn’t say anything more before leaving the room, closing the door behind him. Jimin may not believe in all of this, the idea of soulmates, but he’s still Yoongi’s friend first. Actually, he’s his best friend first. If it’s important to him, then it’s important to Jimin. Belief or no belief.

The screen lights up, displaying a new message from Jin.

jin - soulmate

did we get busted?

Yoongi smiles to himself, carrying the phone outside to his balcony and taking a seat on his lounge chair. He brings his knees to his chest, curling into a ball shape. He takes a deep breath, tapping on the ‘Call’ button next to Jin’s name and holding the phone to his ear.

“Jimin?” is the first thing he hears.

“It’s, um, it’s me.”

“Ah, so we did get busted. Bummer.”

“Hey!” he whines. 

Jin laughs, “I’m only kidding, Yoongi.”

“Oh.”

“Word on the street is you’re scared to ask me on a date?”

Yoongi feels his heart stop. His mouth suddenly gets very dry, too. Jin is so good at addressing a subject head on. He doesn’t beat around the bush. Whatever’s on his mind, he’ll say it without hesitation. “I, um, I mean, I’m not scared.”

“No?”

“No.”

“You sure?”

“I’m sure.”

“I don’t know about that.”

“That’s a you problem.”

“Is that right?”

“It is.”

“Then, ask me.”

“Ask you what?”

“On a date.”

Okay, maybe he’s a little scared. 

When he doesn’t respond right away, Jin speaks up again. “You practically asked me on one within two minutes of meeting me yet now you can barely speak? What’s up with that, hm?”

Jin is the biggest tease that Yoongi has ever met. He’s baiting him, trying to get him to speak up, break out of his shell. He’s pushing all the right buttons, speaking with that perfect tone of voice that makes Yoongi melt inside. He’s sending chills down the younger’s spine and they’re not even right in front of each other. He has the greatest effect on Yoongi, greater than anyone he’s ever met before. 

There’s no possible way Jin doesn’t feel even a small fraction of this. It can’t be one sided. 

“I was on an adrenaline rush.”

“That so?”

“Mhm. That is so.”

“You know all you have to do is ask, right? I’ve already told you I’ll say yes but you’ve yet to truly ask me.”

Yoongi pouts, “I asked! I definitely asked!”

“No, you said it’d be a surprise.”

“I asked when I first met you! I said all I wanted was one date!”

“Exactly, you said that’s all you wanted. I don’t recall you necessarily asking me on one.”

The younger boy jokingly groans, laying back on his chair and stretching his legs out in front of him. Jin isn’t going to make this easy for him. If he wants it, he has to go for it. He has to take charge. But, that’s not something he’s used to. He’s used to letting fate decide for him. Taking control of his own life is terrifying. What if he messes it up? What if things go wrong? The universe hasn’t steered him wrong yet. In fact, it led him to Jin. He has to believe it’ll keep leading him to good things. He’s not so sure his own decisions would do the same. 

“You enjoy torturing me, don’t you?” he sighs. “Picking on the small guy who believes in soulmates!”

Jin chuckles, his laughter warming Yoongi’s heart. “All you have to do is ask. If you don’t want to tonight then I guess I should just hang up now.”

“No!” he shouts, a little too aggressively. “I mean, no. Don’t do that.”

“No?”

“No.” He takes a deep breath, trying not to focus on anything but the gut feeling he has inside of him. The feeling that tells him he and Jin are soulmates. “Do you want to go on a date with me? A real date?”

He doesn’t even need to see Jin in person to know he’s smiling. There’s perfect little crinkles by his eyes and his cheeks are like fresh baked bread. Suddenly, he wishes he could see him face to face. “Was that so hard?” he asks, voice soft. How is his voice still so comforting even when he’s teasing Yoongi?

“Yes,” he admits. 

“I think you did well.”

“If I did so well then you would’ve given an answer by now.”

“Would I have?”

“Yes.”

“You sure?”

“Pretty positive.”

“Pretty positive isn’t positive.”

“Just answer the question already!” Yoongi blurts out, about to give up on the conversation.

The elder laughs, which is the most melodic thing Yoongi has ever heard. “Yes, I would like to go on a date with you.”

“Good.” 

Good? GOOD?! What kind of response is that?!

“Mhm, good,” Jin repeats. He pauses for a moment, “oh and Yoongi?”

“Yeah?”

“I think if it came down to it, I might just share that lily pad with you.”

His heart begins to sing and words are no longer forming in his mind. Jin has to feel it, too. He has to. There’s no way he doesn’t. 

Jin can tell his words have rendered the boy silent, making him turn into a ball of mush that would most definitely hide behind his hands if they were in front of one another. It’s only a matter of time before Yoongi hangs up in a panic like he has before. “Get some sleep, okay? I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

“I, um, yeah, okay.”

The elder lightly laughs just one more time before disconnecting the call. Yoongi stares at his phone screen, trying to make sense of everything that just happened. He hasn’t fully reached the L word yet but he most definitely has a big, fat crush on his soulmate. 

━━━━━━

Seokjin loves his friends, he does, but rarely do they do anything on a Friday night other than party. It’s like a constant loop of parties, most of which just feed over into Saturday and Saturday night. Jin usually only knows a handful of people at them, most of which he only knows because he’s seen them so many times before at other parties. So many people funnel in and out of these parties, Jin’s starting to wonder how they even find out about them. What typically starts as a small gathering usually ends up with a crowded house.

It was fun at first, especially when they were in college and had relatively zero worries. But, the older they get, the less important it all seems. It’s not that he can’t keep up because he’ll happily prove to anyone that he can if he’s asked. But, he can only watch Namjoon play beer pong so many times or watch couples sloppily makeout on the couch five feet from him. 

But nevertheless, he goes anyway, he attends the party and puts on his best smile. Actually, probably not his best smile. It’s more of a ‘it’s obvious I don’t want to be here but I’m putting up with it for now’ kind of smile. Namjoon, although his best friend, is absolutely oblivious to it. Even more so now that he’s a drunken mess, hanging on those around him. 

Jin keeps a distance, standing by himself in the main living room of the house. He does manage to keep a watchful eye on his friend, just in case something bad happens. The music is loud, drowning out any thoughts he has. From an outside perspective, he looks unapproachable. And, quite frankly, considering the fact that he’d rather be anywhere but here, he’d love to be left alone. But he can’t always get what he wants, especially not when Jieun is around. 

“You’re scaring the kids.” She speaks loudly to be heard over the music, referencing anyone in the room even a year younger than her. 

“Maybe if they didn’t stare, then they wouldn’t be scared.”

“You’re standing alone in the corner, side eyeing the whole place. How can they not stare?”

Jin rolls his eyes, taking a swig of his drink. “One of us has to stay sober.”

“One of us?” she questions.

He motions, with a beer in hand, to Namjoon, who is drunk out of his mind. He’s playing some kind of drinking game in the kitchen, laughing hysterically. He’s having fun but the hangover tomorrow will knock him on his ass. “I’m sure I’ll have to get him home somehow.”

“Oh, come on. Joon always gets like that and someone always ends up taking care of him. Why don’t you let loose for once?” She jokingly nudges his side with her elbow, smiling up at him. 

“Not happening, Ji.”

“Why’re you so scared of having fun?”

“Why’re you so damn nosy?” 

She chuckles, half-insulted but keeping her composure. “This isn’t even nosy, you ass. I can be nosy, though, if you’d like.” Jin scoffs, taking another sip of his drink and ignoring the girl. “For instance, I could ask about that so-called soulmate of yours or I could ask about your ex again? You seemed to looove that.”

Seokjin glares in her direction. The multi-colored party lights shining throughout the house illuminate her face, making it a rainbow color. “Or, you could walk your pretty little ass back to wherever the hell it came from and leave me alone.”

“Oh, baby, that’s so sweet of you,” she jokingly coo’s, placing a hand delicately on Jin’s chest. “You think my ass is pretty?”

He plays into her game, smiling her way. “Would it really matter? I don’t swing that way.”

“I know, it’s a real loss for us girls. We’d be all over you if we could.”

“Not like you haven’t tried.”

Jieun smirks, “that’s true. But, you’re no fun.”

“And, what would you like me to do about that?”

The two stare at each other, practically exuding sexual tension. To any onlookers, it must seem like they want to devour each other whole but they both know better. They wouldn’t dare come close to each other, at least not in that way. It’s all one big game to them, teasing each other either for fun or the occasional release of built-up tension. Jieun annoys Seokjin far too much for him to ever go after her, even if he was interested in girls. And, Jieun, well, she just likes the chase. It’s fun to tease people. After a few seconds of prolonged staring, they both crack, laughing and shaking their heads. And, just like that, their little game is over. 

“For a second there, I thought you were serious,” Jin chuckles.

“Oh, the ‘loss for the girls’ part was true. The lie was when I said ‘ we’d be all over you’ because I certainly would not be.”

He puts a hand to his chest, feigning pain. “Ouch, words hurt, Ji.”

“I’m sure you’ll get over it,” she answers, lightly tapping his upper arm. They both stay silent, taking in their surroundings. The party is beyond loud, almost bringing on a headache but that might also just be the alcohol. “So, seriously, what’s going on with that whole soulmate thing?” 

Jin furrows his brows, “so much for not being nosy.”

“You don’t have to tell me,” she shrugs, “but, it’s not like I’m going to tell anyone unlike Joon would. Give him a little bit of alcohol and he’d tell everyone.”

“Fair point,” he laughs. 

“So?”

The boy sighs, leaning back against the wall they’re standing next to. He takes another sip of his beer, almost finishing it off in one gulp. Something about liquid courage and what not. “I don’t know, Ji. We’re just talking, nothing’s really happened.”

“Talking? What does that mean? Like, flirting? Or, just friends?”

“I don’t know? If we are flirting, I don’t mean for it to be. But, I’m pretty sure the guy likes me.”

She lets out a breathy laugh, air puffing from her nose. “Obviously. He thinks you’re his soulmate.” 

“He always gets flustered when he talks to me. It’s kind of cute.”

“Cute?” She raises a brow, questioning his choice of words.

“You know, just… innocent. His cheeks will turn red or he won’t stop smiling if he thinks he’s said something embarrassing.”

“Is it ever actually embarrassing?”

He tilts his head back and forth, weighing the answer in his mind. “I don’t think so but I guess if you like someone then anything you say might seem embarrassing to you.”

“Yeah, that’s true.”

“He did ask me on a date, though. I said yes.”

Jieun’s jaw drops. She stares in disbelief. “Why didn’t you start with that?!”

He shrugs, “was I supposed to?”

“Yes! Jin, you haven’t dated anyone since you two broke up. That’s big! You told me you swore off dating!”

The boy again shrugs, “people change, I suppose.”

She leans against the wall, still taking in the moment. It’s true, Seokjin did tell her that he had no plans of dating anyone after he and his ex broke up. Jin was so sure of his relationship. He thought it was going to be forever until it wasn’t. If he swore off dating then there would never be a possibility of getting hurt like that again. He would never have to get his hopes too high only to be let down. But, there’s just something about Yoongi. Something that made him say yes. He just can’t put his finger on it. 

“So, what? You actually believe in soulmates now?”

“Did I say that?”

“No, but you’re acting like it. Calling him cute, saying yes to a date.”

He rolls his eyes, “that doesn’t mean I believe in soulmates. He’s a nice guy so I’m just being nice back.”

“Right. Of course.” She confirms his response but there’s no truth behind her words. She doesn’t believe him for a second. At the very least, she thinks Jin is starting to believe but just won’t admit it to himself. 

Seokjin huffs, turning to face her, “Listen, Ji, I -,” and he stops. His words get trapped in his throat, unable to properly form. His eyes have completely shifted, looking away from his friend and only focusing on a small boy across the room.

There, standing silently and quite awkwardly by himself is Yoongi. He has a drink in his hand and he keeps looking around the room like a lost puppy. He hasn’t seen Seokjin yet but Seokjin has most definitely seen him. Jieun follows his gaze, spotting the boy. She doesn’t ask questions, nor does she need to. Something inside of her is already giving her the answer she needs. 

Jin hasn’t taken his eyes off of Yoongi. So, Jieun gives him a light shove, forcing him in Yoongi’s direction. He looks back at his friend, confused as to why she’d do such a thing but all she does is push him again, right towards the lost boy. Jin takes a deep breath, finishing his drink and setting the empty cup on a table he passes by. 

Yoongi’s back is now facing towards him. He lightly taps the younger’s shoulder and he instantly turns around, doe eyes and all. But, they widen the second he sees Jin. It wasn’t at all who he was expecting.

“Y-you.” 

Seokjin’s feeling a bit of deja vu. “Yeah but my friends call me Jin,” he smiles, hoping it’ll make Yoongi do the same. It does. “What’re you doing here?”

“My friends brought me! They know whoever’s throwing the party!”

“They know Tae?”

He nods, “met him at some club or something.”

Ah, that makes sense. He does love to party. “Did they leave you here?”

“I don’t know! I can’t find them anywhere!” He yells over the music, his tone mimicking that of a lost puppy. He really is the most innocent person Jin has ever met. “What’re you doing here?”

“Keeping an eye on my friend.”

“What?” Yoongi asks, the music too loud to hear the elder.

“I said, keeping an eye on my friend!”

His face reads frustration and sadness, both due to the fact that he can’t hear anything Seokjin is saying to him. “What?” he repeats. 

Even if he says it again, Yoongi still won’t hear him. “Come with me,” he says, hopeful that it can be heard, and grabs the younger’s hand. It takes the boy by surprise as he’s suddenly being pulled through a crowded room of people. 

Jin doesn’t dare to look in Jieun’s direction. He already knows the face she’s making. Instead, he pulls Yoongi towards the back of the house, knowing he’s sure to find an empty room there. Tae usually keeps them off limits unless he knows the person and thankfully, he knows Seokjin. He won’t mind the rooms being used for a two minute conversation. Yoongi, on the other hand, has not stopped focusing on the fact that Jin’s hand is in his. Every nerve ending in his body is exploding like little fireworks. Can Jin really not feel it, too?

The elder pulls him into a room, shutting the door behind them. Much to Yoongi’s dismay, he’s already let go of his hand by the time they’re in the room. Guess it was just so he didn’t get lost, he thinks. The music is loud but the closed door and walls muffle the sound. 

Jin turns back to face him, “I said, I was keeping an eye on a friend.”

“Y-you didn’t have to bring me in here to tell me that.”

“You couldn’t hear me, though?”

He shrugs, “it’s okay. It happens.”

“How long have you been here?”

“Not long, I think. Maybe half an hour?”

Half an hour. Yoongi’s been here for half an hour and Seokjin hasn’t noticed him once. How is that even possible? He’s impossible to miss.

“Where did your friends go?”

“I don’t know. They went to get drinks then never came back. Maybe they ran into someone. They know more people than I do.”

“Maybe,” Jin answers quietly. “Do you want me to help you find them?”

Yoongi chuckles to himself, momentarily lowering his gaze to the floor. “Honestly, I just want to go home. There’s so many people here.”

“Are you okay to drive? Did you drink a lot?”

The younger lifts his cup, showing its contents. “It’s just water.”

“Ah,” he hums.

“Why? Do I look drunk?”

“No.”

“Then, why’d you ask?”

“Just being cautious.”

“But why?”

“Don’t want you to get hurt.”

“You don’t?”

“No.”

“Oh.”

Jin soft smiles, “come on, I’ll walk you home.”

Yoongi tilts his head, “what about your friend? Or mine?”

“I’ll pass Namjoon off to someone else. Text your friends, tell them I’m taking you home.”

“Doesn’t sound like you’re giving me much of a choice,” he mumbles.

“You said you wanted to leave, yeah?” The boy slowly nods his head. He doesn’t have an ounce of alcohol in his system yet he feels drunk beyond measure. Jin seems to have that effect on him. He can never think straight around him. His mind becomes clouded and all he can think about is Jin’s voice or how pretty his eyes are or how kind he always seems to be. “Then, I’m taking you home.”

Seokjin moves to open the door but Yoongi’s voice stops him. “I’m capable of walking home by myself.”

“Yes, but what was it you said that one night?” He looks up in thought, leaving the younger standing confused. “You’re small, cute, and buzzed. Who knows what could happen?”

“But, I’m not even buzzed!” 

The elder shrugs, “then I guess you’re just small and cute, who knows what could happen?”

Yoongi’s heart is doing cartwheels, somersaults, back-flips, and everything in between inside his chest. Seokjin doesn’t even seem phased by his own words.

“Stay here,” he adds. “I’m going to tell someone to watch my friend. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

“Yeah, I… yeah, okay.”

Jin spares him one last smile before exiting the room, leaving him alone with all of his thoughts. The elder stands outside the door, smiling to himself. Yoongi’s cheeks were a rosy pink color, his eyes wide as saucers. His words seemed to have the lasting effect that he intended them to. 

He makes his way through the house, searching for Jieun. Thankfully she’s still in the same spot, caught up in conversation with some random girl that Jin has never seen before. His feet quickly carry him over to her. “Hey! Ji!” he says, tapping her shoulder.

She turns around, eyes searching for the boy Jin was supposed to be with. “What?”

“Can you watch Joon? Make sure he at least gets into a bed or cab tonight?”

“Why me?”

“Because, I’m taking Yoongi home. And, I don’t trust any of these other idiots here.”

She coo’s, “aw, that’s sweet, baby. You trust me! How adorable!”

“I’m not kidding, Ji,” he rolls his eyes, removing her hand from his chest. “Just watch him. If you need me, just text me.”

“Why’re you taking him home anyway? Is he drunk?”

“No, he just doesn’t want to be here so I offered.”

Jieun eyes her friend, her lips puckering as she thinks. She raises a brow, becoming more interested. “Offering to take the sober guy home? Sounds like someone has a crush.”

“Sounds like someone should just do as they’re asked and keep their mouth shut.”

“No need to get defensive, I’m only stating the obvious.”

“Whatever you think you know, you don’t. I’m just being a nice person, maybe you should try it.”

She lightly taps twice against his chest, “go on, Jinnie, go flirt with your little soulmate.”

He only huffs in response, knowing that she’ll keep an eye on Namjoon. Even without Yoongi being here, she’d do it. She just likes games and teasing too much to outright say yes. It’s one of her worst qualities, Jin thinks. 

He scoots his way back through the crowded rooms, nearly having a drink spilled on him. Luckily it was just a splash but enough to leave him smelling like beer. Great, another shirt he’ll have to clean. He hopes he hasn’t left Yoongi waiting for long. Time starts to become non-existent at parties. 

Thankfully, the boy is diligently waiting on the edge of the bed when Seokjin enters the room once more. He stands to his feet, “everything okay?”

“Yeah, we’re all good. Did you text your friends?”

He shakes his head. “Not yet. I will when I’m home. I doubt they’ll notice I’m gone.”

“Shitty friends.”

“Hey!” he whines. “They’re not!”

“If they don’t even notice that you’re gone, then yeah, they are.”

“They just get distracted.”

The elder raises his brows, “sure. Whatever you say.” He pauses. “You ready to go?”

Yoongi mumbles a small ‘yeah’ before following Jin out of the room. Just as he did before, he grabs the younger’s hand, pulling him through the crowd. He has to remind himself that it’s only so he doesn’t get lost. It doesn’t really mean anything. 

Just before they walk outside, their hands still interlocked, Yoongi swears he hears some girl call out to the elder, saying something along the lines of “bye, Jinnie baby.” 

Their hands come undone the second they’re outside the house, the touch only becoming a distant memory. But, the girl’s words are still prominent in his mind, sitting right at the front, waiting to be mentioned. Maybe Jin gets around more than Yoongi knows. Maybe this is all for nothing. Maybe his friends are right. Maybe he’s just going to get hurt and he should stop all of this now. Maybe soulmates are just a myth and they don’t really exist. 

“If you keep thinking so hard, you’re going to get wrinkles,” Jin says softly, bringing him out of his own whirlpool of thoughts. 

“Sorry.”

“Why’re you apologizing for thinking?”

He shrugs his shoulders, “I dunno.”

“Do you want to talk about it? Whatever it is you were thinking about?”

“Dunno.”

“Why not?”

“Just don’t.”

“You seem upset.”

“M’not upset.”

“Seems like it.”

“Well, I’m not.”

“You don’t seem happy.”

“I’m not,” he blurts out. 

Stupid Jin and their stupid back and forth's. He always gets him to say what he’s thinking.

The elder stops him, halting their walk to Yoongi’s house. He gazes at him with caring eyes, sincerity in his words. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”

“You’re not very Yoongi-y.”

“How would you know? You’ve only known me for a few weeks.”

Jin puts a hand on his shoulder, sending goosebumps all over his body. “Come on.”

He takes a deep breath, it almost comes out as a sigh. He hasn’t had to pretend with Jin so far. In fact, he’s said everything that’s on his mind without hesitation. He doesn’t have to hide things because Jin already knows where he stands and how he feels. The whole ‘you’re my soulmate’ thing within 5 minutes of meeting took care of that for him. 

“It’s just,” he pauses, “that girl? As we left? She, um, she called you baby. So, I guess, I just want to know if you two are…”

Seokjin blinks, trying to remember who even spoke to him. And, then it hits him. “Oh, oh god, no. No, no, no! That’s just Jieun! She does stupid shit like that. We tease each other but no, there’s nothing going on between her and I. Plus,” he lightly chuckles, “Yoongi, I don’t like girls.”

“Oh.”

“I guess I haven’t been specific with you about that but yeah, definitely gay.”

“Oh.”

“Did you really not know?”

He shrugs, “maybe you went both ways, I don’t know! I just didn’t want to intrude on anything if you two were seeing each other!”

“That’s cute,” he mumbles, turning away and beginning to walk again. Yoongi has to force his feet to move, otherwise he’d remain starstruck, frozen in the same place. That’s twice tonight that Jin has called him cute. Technically three if he knew about the time Jin said it to Jieun but alas. “No, Ji and I are just friends. Don’t worry about her.”

“Oh, um, okay.”

“Were you jealous of her or something?”

“She was being flirty with my soulmate! What else am I supposed to think?!”

Seokjin laughs. It’s a deeper laugh than Yoongi’s heard before. It doesn’t have the same squeaky, windshield wiper sound that it normally does. It’s more natural, more rare. He likes it a lot. But, now he has to pick his favorite between two melodic laughter’s. That’s just great. How is he ever supposed to do that?!

“Trust me, you don’t have to worry. Nobody is flirting with me.”

“Besides me.”

He glances at the boy in his peripherals, a subtle smirk on his lips. “Yeah? And, what’s your idea of flirting? Asking me if I’d share a lily pad with you?”

“Hey! That was cute and you know it!”

“Yeah, it was.”

Three times. That’s three times. 

“Would you really share one with me, though?”

He chuckles, “if you asked nicely, then I’d consider it.”

Yoongi turns, practically walking sideways so that he can fully face Seokjin. He puts on his best smile, his eyes filling with stars like the night sky. “Pretty please? With cherries and sprinkles on top?” 

“You do make a nice offer.”

“I know,” he says, puffing his chest up proudly. 

“As cute as that is, maybe we should get through that first date before we start planning a life of sitting on lily pads together, yeah?”

Four times. That’s FOUR TIMES. 

“Yeah, probably. First dates are a good start to any soulmate-ship.”

Jin seems to be incapable of hiding a smile when he’s around Yoongi. The boy is so innocent and pure, so in awe of what the world has to offer him. He’s unlike anything the elder has ever seen before. “I’ll take your word for it.”

“As you should! I’m the number one soulmate enthusiast.”

“And, what all does that entail?”

“Well, first things first, believe in soulmates. That’s very important.”

“Right, of course,” Jin adds, mimicking the serious yet playful tone that Yoongi seems to have adopted. 

The younger scrunches his nose, making a face at him for doing so. “Second, believing that others can find their soulmates, too. Even when they don’t believe they can!”

“So, like your friends? You believe they can?”

“I do. And, you. I believe the same about you.”

“Yeah?”

He nods, “yeah. Technically, I believe you already have met yours but that’s just me being biased.”

“I think it’s okay to be biased sometimes.”

“You think?” Jin nods, humming an ‘mhm’ in response. “Even about stuff like this?”

The elder shrugs, “if you believe in it then sure.”

“But you don’t,” he says, earning a look from Seokjin. “I mean, I have this opinion about you and it’s not even something you believe in yourself. So, do I even have a right to believe it so strongly?”

“Since when has that stopped you?”

“Never, I guess.”

“Then why would you let it now?”

“I dunno. I guess I just don’t want to overwhelm you or make you feel like you have to do something for my sake. Obviously I wish you believed like I do but I want it to be genuine. I don’t want to force you into something that you don’t want any part of. I’d be a pretty lame soulmate if I did that.”

Jin laughs, “if I didn’t want to be here, I wouldn’t. I would’ve left you stranded at the party.”

“Oh.”

“I told you I’d try and that’s what I’m doing. I can’t promise you anything because you’re right, the whole soulmate thing isn’t really my style. I don’t believe that the universe has everything planned for us. I like to live life the way I want, not the way the universe wants me to.”

“Oh.”

“But, oddly enough,” Yoongi perks up, waiting for what could be next. “As much as I don’t believe in all of it, you’re too nice and cute to say no to.”

That’s five times.

“What’s five times?” Jin asks.

“What?”

“You just said that’s five times.”

“I did?”

“You did.”

“I didn’t mean to.”

“Clearly.”

“Sorry.”

“What’s five times?”

“Nothing.”

Yoongi tries to walk forward, escape the conversation but Jin steps in front of him, stopping him. “What’s five times?”

“You, um, you just… you’ve called me cute five times tonight.”

“You kept count?” The younger shyly nods. “That’s -”

“Do not make it six or I might actually explode.”

He chuckles, returning to where he originally was beside the younger. They walk in silence for a few minutes, Yoongi finally feeling his heart begin to slow back down to a normal pace. Just when he thinks it’s over, he feels a nudge at his side. 

“Cute,” Jin finishes his previous sentence. 

“Jin!” He whines, playfully hitting the elder’s arm. 

After their laughter from Jin’s teasing subsides, both boys begin to calm, settling into the night. The world is peaceful this late, a huge juxtaposition to the noisy party they were at minutes prior. Yoongi keeps stealing playful glances at the elder, who most certainly notices, but doesn’t say anything about it. 

“So!” The younger says with a small skip in his step. “Tell me something fun about you!”

“Something fun, huh?”

“Yeah! Like, what’re your hobbies or where’s your favorite place to go when you need a little extra boost of happiness?”

Jin smiles, “extra boost of happiness?”

“Mhm,” he nods affirmingly, a beaming smile on his face. It may be dark out but he’s completely radiant. Every time the street lamps shine on him, he lights up like a tiny star in the sky. “What’s your extra boost of happiness?”

They maintain their walking pace but still look at each other every so often, just to keep some kind of personal level in the conversation. “I’m not really sure if I have a place.”

“Boring!” Yoongi immediately answers. “Come on, you can do better than that!”

“What d’you mean?”

The younger huffs, standing firmly in place. He matches his pitch to Jin’s, mimicking his words. “I’m not really sure if I have a place.” He then switches his voice back to his own. “That’s such a lame answer! Everyone has a place they hold close to them!’

“Everyone?”

“Everyone!”

“Everyone is a lot of people.”

“Seven billion to be exact.”

“You seem certain.”

“I am.”

“Why’s that?”

“Because I just know these things!”

“Huh,” Jin mumbles, having stepped just a foot too close to the younger during their back and forth. He doesn’t step away though. He knows he has an effect on the boy. He gets all jittery and nervous when Jin does this or when he talks a certain way. It’s funny to watch. In fact, it’s actually kind of, “cute.”

Yoongi’s eyes go wide. It only takes him a second to regain control of his thought processes, lightly shoving at the elder’s chest. “You said you’d stop that!”

“I said no such thing.”

“Yeah, well, in my mind you did,” he grumbles, pouting as he crosses his arms and begins walking forward again. 

Seokjin chuckles, catching up to him. “Oh, come on. Don’t pout.”

“I’m not!”

“Do you really want me to stop? I’m only teasing but I can if you want me to.”

Yoongi halts once more, taking Jin by surprise which leaves him a few steps ahead of the boy when his feet come to a stop. He waits for an answer but it doesn’t come. Well, verbally, at least. The younger gently shakes his head, hardly even able to look at Jin.

Maybe if Jin keeps saying it, he’ll actually start to believe it. Maybe the more he says it, it’ll become less teasing and more actual feelings. Maybe if Yoongi lets him keep up his little game, he’ll realize what’s standing right in front of him. His soulmate. Besides, he kind of likes being called cute, teasing or not. He knows he is but hearing it, especially from his soulmate, only makes it ten times better. 

Jin whispers softly, “okay.”

“Can we, um, can we just talk about something else?”

He nods his head, motioning the younger to follow him as they continue walking. If Yoongi’s honest, he forgot to keep directing Jin on how to get to his house a long time ago. Judging by the street signs, they’re about a fifteen (and increasing) minute walk in the wrong direction. But, he doesn’t mind too much. He quite likes where he is. 

“Tell me about your favorite place. Where’s your extra boost of happiness?”

The boy’s eyes light up, as if he’s been waiting to tell Jin about this since the moment they met. His smile is already big and bright and the elder is hanging onto every word. “So, there’s this big park near here. Whenever I’m feeling down, I go hang out there and just watch the world go by. It doesn’t matter what time of day it is, either. It’s beautiful in every light.”

Beautiful in every light, Jin thinks. Yoongi is the same way. 

“From the outside, it’s really nothing special. But, it makes me so happy. I can go there and work on projects of mine or eat food or even just sit.”

“I think that’s really nice.”

“I never knew why I liked it so much but then one day I was looking at old photos of myself from when I was little and sure enough, there I was at the same park. Apparently, my mother used to take me there and we’d play together and I’d chase around our family dog.”

“You must’ve formed a core memory from that, yeah? And, it just stuck?”

He lightly shrugs his shoulders, “I suppose so! I don’t remember it that much but based on my smile in the pictures, I know I must’ve really loved it.”

How can someone be so good and so pure? There isn’t a single flaw about him or his personality. Even when he talks about the past it’s with such care and love. If this guy really is Jin’s soulmate, the elder has a lot of questions on how. They couldn’t be more different. Jin could learn a thing or two from Yoongi and Yoongi, well, he seems to have it all figured out.

“Based on your smile now, you must really love it.”

He instantly covers his mouth with his hand, cheeks flaring up a bright pink color. He hangs his head low, whispering, “sorry.”

Jin is confused. He has no reason to apologize. He lightly nudges the younger, “hey, why’re you sorry for smiling? That’s a natural human reaction.”

“I dunno,” he shrugs. 

“Yes, you do.”

“Says who?”

“Me.”

“What do you know?” he sighs.

“I know you’re not being very Yoongi-y again.”

“That’s not a real word.”

“It is now. Just made it up,” he says proudly, altering his tone of voice just slightly in an attempt to make the younger smile.

As always, it works. “I just don’t want to overwhelm you.”

“Didn’t we just go through this like ten minutes ago?”

“No, I know. It’s just that… what if I’m super excited about something and it’s not even something worth being excited over and you think it’s stupid? Or, that I’m stupid? Or, that you’re actually really annoyed with me and want to walk away or something?”

Jin blinks, face expressionless. Maybe he was wrong. Maybe Yoongi has all of it figured out except for one key detail. 

He exhales deeply, “can I ask you something? And, you have to not get mad?”

“I guess?”

“You’re really bad at accepting love, aren’t you? I mean, not that what I’m trying to convey is true love or anything but just kindness as a whole?”

Yoongi raises his brows, taking in Jin’s question. Although he says nothing, his face reads, ‘wow, hit me where it hurts, why don’t you?’. It’s not that he’s bad at accepting love or kindness. In fact, he’s actually quite good at it when it’s anyone but his soulmate. Jin has made it very clear where he stands on the idea of soulmates so it’s hard to accept compliments from him. Compliments that typically would change the entire dynamic of a relationship, compliments that would usually mean something more. It all just feels like a lie, something Yoongi can’t bring himself to believe or accept. If he does, he might get hurt when Jin doesn’t end up feeling the same way.

He gently shakes his head, “no. I’m just…” he pauses, “never mind. No. The answer is no.”

“You’re just what?”

“Nothing.”

“Tell me.”

“Why?”

“Why not?”

“That’s cheating.”

“Is it working?”

Stupid ability to never say no. “Maybe.” He can’t stop his smile from breaking through. Stupid Jin and his (very pretty) face. 

“You’re just what?” he repeats.

He takes a deep breath. “I’m just scared. I don’t want to mess anything up. If I do, my friends will never let me live it down and honestly, everything I know will come crashing with it. If things go wrong with you, I think I’d lose part of who I am.”

Seokjin tries to alleviate some of the stress that Yoongi is feeling, doing his best to make the younger smile however he can. Teasing him seems to work perfectly. “So, what I’m hearing is I better start believing in soulmates or else you’ll turn into a Yoongi who doesn’t believe in good things anymore?”

“Something like that,” he jokingly chuckles. “So, get to it!”

“Hey now! I think my level of trying is acceptable.”

“Mediocre at best,” the younger shrugs, playing Jin's game.

The elder gasps, his mouth forming an ‘o’ shape for surprise. “I called you cute six times tonight, I think that’s better than just mediocre!”

“Make it seven and then we’ll talk.”

“Why didn’t you say so?” He responds with a silly tone of voice, almost child-like. “You’re so -”

He’s quieted by a finger shushing him. It’s Yoongi’s.  He looks completely terrified, having not expected Jin to actually submit to his requests. He can’t move either. He’s frozen in place, his finger pressed firmly against Jin’s (plump) (actually, incredibly plump) lips. The elder is just as still, taken aback by Yoongi’s actions. 

They stare, completely lost in each other’s eyes. Jin must feel it, too, right? He’d be crazy not to. The spark is there, electrifying every inch of Yoongi’s body. It’s impossible to miss. 

He’s slow to move his hand away, his finger unintentionally dragging down across his lips. “I, um, I don’t… sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Jin says, almost too casually.

“I just didn’t want you to say it.”

“You told me to?”

“I know.”

“Did you not want me to?”

“I don’t know.”

“Should I avoid the word completely? I can stop.”

“I already told you no.”

He nods, “right. You did.”

Yoongi turns, walking in the opposite direction from where they were going. “Come on, I live this way.”

“Have we been walking the wrong way the entire time?” He nods shyly. “And, you didn’t want to tell me?”

“Would it have changed anything?”

He’s testing the elder. He wants to know if he’s enjoyed spending time with him or not. If he does, maybe he’ll want to keep doing it. He’s already promised Yoongi a date but maybe this is a good build up to it. 

Jin smiles to himself, letting his head hang low so that his expression is just out of the boy’s sight. “Probably not.”

“No?”

“Anywhere is better than being at that party.”

Oh. So, it was just about escaping the party. Noted.

“Right, yeah.”

There he goes again, getting his hopes up that maybe something will spark and something will change but it doesn’t. He keeps getting let down. And, he has nobody to blame but himself. He’s the one setting such high expectations when he knows he shouldn’t. He just can’t help it. There’s no doubt in his mind that Jin is his soulmate and that makes him happy, that makes him excited. He’s already developed a crush on the guy. It’s hard not to be excited about every little comment or gentle nudge to the side. But, at some point he has to be more realistic with himself. Maybe this won’t work out the way he wants it to, no matter how hard he wants it to.

“Yoongi?” Jin says softly, pulling him away from his own thoughts, which is probably for the best. 

“Yeah?”

“That favorite place of yours that you were telling me about?” The younger nods, waiting for the follow-up. “You think you could show me sometime?”

He’s making it so hard not to fall for him. “Yeah, I’d love to.”

“Really?”

“Yeah,” he smiles. “I think you’d like it there. It’s calm and peaceful. Or, it can be loud and energetic. It’s whatever you make of it.”

Yoongi’s regaining his smile. Seokjin notices that. He always notices his smile. “Maybe once we get through that first date?”

“That sounds great.”

“Sometime this week, maybe?”

The younger gives Jin a strange look, a tiny giggle coming out. “Since when are you so keen to go on a date with me? Some new beliefs you’d like to share?”

“No new beliefs but this is me trying. Should I stop?”

“No,” he says firmly. The elder only smiles in response.

Neither have noticed how far they’ve walked, getting closer and closer to Yoongi’s home with each step. Where they’re at is the last thing on either boy’s mind. Surprisingly, both would rather keep walking around and talking but neither will admit to it. Plus, it’s getting late. They’re both tired and need to rest, especially if they have a date to plan this week. 

They linger outside of Yoongi’s place, unsure how to really separate from each other. Goodbye’s are awkward but something about this goodbye in particular is even more awkward. 

“I’ll see you later this week, yeah?” Yoongi says, hands shoved into his pockets. 

Jin nods, “yeah. We’ll plan it out.”

“Okay, good.”

Silence has never been so loud. 

“Make sure you text your friends you’re home.”

“I will.” 

Yoongi is internally screaming how awkward and uncomfortable this interaction is. He just wants to run away and hide.

“Well, I’ll see you,” the elder mumbles.

“Yeah, see you.”

With that, he turns his back to Seokjin and makes his way into his building. He wants to look back, see if the boy is watching, but he holds off. His heart is beating a thousand miles an hour, thumping inside his chest. He quickly closes his front door, leaning back against it. 

When he pulls out his phone to text Jimin, another message pops up, making him smile.

jin - soulmate

i forgot to say, i hope you sleep well

yoongi

oh, that was nice. you too :)

jin - soulmate

cute

yoongi

SEVEN 

The next day, Seokjin hardly touches his phone until later in the day. He’s spent most of his time with Namjoon, both of them trying to relay their nights before. Luckily for Jin, he remembers the entirety of his. Namjoon, on the other hand, has gaps in just about every inch of his memory. He remembers beer pong… a lot of beer pong. And, he remembers Jieun shoving him into a cab and taking him home at the end of the night but anything in between is a bit of a blur. But, he’d rather forget about it anyways. None of it was important enough to form an actual, cohesive memory out of so what’s the point in trying to remember? 

Actually, Namjoon would much rather hear about his friend’s night with his so-called soulmate. The idea makes Joon laugh hysterically. He still can’t believe the situation is actually real and not a prank. Needless to say, he thinks soulmates are a joke. If people want to believe in them, fine, whatever, but he’s much like Jimin in that sense. He makes his own luck. He doesn’t care to let the universe or whatever decide for him. 

He thought his friend was on the same page with him but the more he talks, explaining his night, the less certain Namjoon becomes. But then again, maybe he just likes the guy. Not really any of his business but he’s still nosy enough to ask all the questions. 

“So, what are you two even doing? Like, you said you just talked but is that it?”

“Pretty much,” Jin shrugs. “We just walked around and chatted. It was a nice contrast to the party.”

Joon stares. “And, you didn’t even flirt or hold hands or kiss or touch or anything?”

“What does ‘we just chatted’ mean to you?”

“Okay, cut the touchy stuff. Did you flirt?”

Did he? Surely he did but it wasn’t meant to be anything more than playful. He just likes seeing Yoongi’s reactions. He likes seeing him get flustered and hide behind his hands. His cheeks get all rosy and his eyes are like little crescents because he can’t stop smiling. 

“I guess?” he answers with uncertainty. 

“You guess?” Namjoon further questions. “It’s a pretty clear line, hyung. Either you flirted or you didn’t, which is it?”

Seokjin gestures mindlessly in the air with his hands, mumbling incoherently to himself. It’s a muttering of his thoughts, words that won’t quite form. “I don’t know, Joon.”

“You’re impossible,” he groans. “Did he? Did he flirt with you?”

Again, Jin isn’t entirely sure. Yoongi likes him, that much he can tell. He’s not sure if the boy is trying to hide it or not but if he is, he’s terrible at doing so. His giggles and stumbling over words give him away. But, he seems to keep up with Jin’s antics pretty well. He catches on when there’s a game between them and he’ll tease back if he has to. So, Jin doesn’t really know if how he acted could necessarily be construed as flirting or not.

He shrugs, “don’t know. You’d have to ask him.”

“Okay, give me your phone, then.”

“What the fuck, why?”

“You said ask him so I’m going to.”

Seokjin stares at his friend. He can’t be serious. “No, dude! You’re not asking him that. I’m not trying to make him uncomfortable.”

“Why not?”

“Because I’m a decent human being, that’s why.”

“Come on, it’d be fun!”

“It wouldn’t be, actually.”

“Man, you’re lame!”

He rolls his eyes, “I’m not lame. I just don’t feel like hurting the guy’s feelings. Or, embarrassing him like that.”

“Why? Cause you like him?”

Jin freezes. “What?”

“Do you like him?”

“As a person, sure. He’s a nice guy.”

“No, I mean, in a relationship sense. Do you like him?”

“We just met a few weeks ago.”

“Doesn’t matter, answer the question. Do you like him?”

The elder huffs, taking in a deep breath. He hasn’t really thought of it. He’s been too focused on simply trying for Yoongi’s sake. He hasn’t really focused on his own thoughts or feelings about the situation. Sure, he thinks the guy is cute, obviously, he’s told him numerous times now. He has a good personality, too. He's the textbook definition of everything good in the world. If someone were to look up ‘wholesome’ in a dictionary, they’d find a picture of Yoongi. 

But, there’s just something keeping him from really committing to this. He enjoys spending time with Yoongi and he’s going to actually put in the effort, like he promised, but he’s not sure how much of himself he can really give. Yoongi told him that he was scared of losing parts of himself if this goes poorly. Well, Jin is scared of losing parts of himself if it goes well. It’s so far from what he knows and what he believes. If everything changes just like that, he’s not so sure he’d really even know himself as well as he thinks he does. And, that’s a scary thought.

“You totally like him!” Namjoon calls out before Jin can even properly form a sentence in his mind. 

He shoves at his friend, rolling his eyes at the comment. “I don’t. We barely know each other.”

“It was enough for him, though, right?”

“Because he believes in soulmates, you idiot.”

“Okay, and? You don’t have to believe in them to also like him back.”

Jin huffs, standing from his seat. “I liked you better when you didn’t pry into my relationships.”

“Relationships?!” Namjoon gasps. “So you admit there IS something going on!”

The elder rubs his temples, groaning loudly to convey his annoyance. “Relationship as in I know him, he knows me, we have a relationship. Just like you and I have a relationship. We’re friends. That’s a relationship.”

“So you’re saying you two are just friends?”

“That’s what I’m saying.”

Seokjin begins walking towards the front door, phone and car keys in hand. He’s had as much of Namjoon tonight as he could possibly handle. He needs to go home, get some actual rest. He didn’t get much sleep last night. He was awake all night, just thinking about things. Things being a very loose term. What he doesn’t want to admit to anyone, even himself, is that he was thinking about Yoongi and their conversation. 

The boy seems so focused on not messing up, trying to be the best version of himself. One of the first things Yoongi said to Jin was that they were soulmates. Being casual and hiding things isn’t exactly something he should be worried about. He erased that fear the second he came up to Jin and handed him his film strip. The elder wishes he would just focus on being himself: flustered, cheeky, giggly, and everything that comes in between. 

“I’m going home. Get some sleep soon, will ya? You don’t need to go out again tonight.”

“Just because you’re a grandpa doesn’t mean I have to be!”

Jin only waves him off, humming some kind of response but not caring too much. He knows Namjoon will somehow end up at another party or club. It’s just what he does. He just hopes at least someone there will look out for him. 

When he gets to his car, it’s the first time he’s checked his phone in hours. There’s a few texts here and there, one of which is from Jieun, asking if he’s going out tonight. He types a very quick ‘hell no’ before exiting out of their conversation. Nestled right at the top of his messages, though, is one from Yoongi. 

yoongi (the soulmate guy)

are you allergic to anything?

What an odd, out of the blue message to receive. He could text him back but he has a 30 minute drive ahead of him. If Yoongi does respond, he won’t be able to right away. And, he might have fallen asleep by the time he gets home. 

No, he’ll just call him. Calling sounds good. Plus, it’ll keep him awake while he drives.

Within three rings, the call connects and the younger’s voice sounds through the speakers of Jin’s car. He connected his phone to the stereo, making it easier to hear him. Yoongi in surround sound is an idea Seokjin had not yet thought of. He doesn’t mind it at all.

“Hello?”

“Hey, you awake?”

He lightly chuckles, “well, I did answer, so…”

“Ah, right. Stupid question. I guess I meant, are you going to be awake for a while?”

“How long is a while?”

“Well, I’ve got a thirty minute drive ahead of me and could use the company if you’re willing to give it?”

He hears Yoongi exhale deeply. There’s a rustling noise that sounds like blankets moving around. He must be laying in bed. Jin starts worrying that he woke him up. “Mhm, I can.”

“Are you going to bed?”

“Do you need someone to keep you up?”

“I don’t necessarily need it but it’d be nice.”

Jin can’t see him but somehow he just knows that Yoongi is smiling.

And, he is. The younger has made himself comfortable in his bed, laying the phone on his pillow next to him and placing it on speaker. He’s fighting to stay awake but Jin called him. They weren’t even deep into conversation, nor did he really ask a ‘call provoking’ question. He could’ve answered quickly then drove home but he didn’t. It has to mean something. 

“I can keep you awake,” he says softly, his voice a bit deeper than usual due to his sleepiness.

“You sure? You sound tired.”

Yoongi shakes his head, forgetting that Jin can’t see him and probably only hears the rustle of fabric from him moving around. “Nope. All good,” he lies, not well either. “I’ll keep you energized.”

“You sure?”

“Mhm.”

“Only if you’re sure.”

“I am.”

“You can sleep if you want.”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Because.”

“Because why?”

“I like talking to you,” he says very sleepily. It only registers with him what he’s said once he hears Seokjin lightly chuckling through the speaker. He groans, shoving his face into the pillow. “Forget I said that.”

“Mhm, I will.” He won’t.

“Good.”

For the sake of Yoongi’s sanity, Jin changes the subject. “I’m allergic to garlic and potatoes.”

The elder can hear him gasp on the other end. He can even picture the face he’s making. It’s cute. “Garlic AND potatoes?! How do you live?!”

“I manage,” he laughs. “Garlic is pretty unavoidable so I just deal with the consequences most of the time.”

“That sounds awful, I’m so sorry.”

“I’ll live,” he laughs again. 

Yoongi sighs, “well, I’m glad I found that out before I -” he stops himself. 

Oh, that sounds intriguing. Jin’s full of curiosity. “What was that?” he asks, making his pitch just a bit higher on his voice. 

“Nothing. Nothing at all.” Suddenly, Yoongi is wide awake.

“No, no. What were you going to say?”

“I wasn’t saying anything! Nothing at all! Nope! Words? What’re words? Never heard of them!”

The elder chuckles, continuing to tease him. “I thought you were going to say something important. Something that would make me smile. I guess not.”

“Hey, hey, woah now! I can still say things to make you smile if that’s what we’re going for here!”

Yeah, you could, Jin thinks to himself. “But, if it’s not that thing, is it really even worth it?”

“Nice things are always worth it.” The elder can practically hear his pout through the phone. 

“Oh, so you have nice things to say?”

“I always have nice things to say.” The pout is most definitely growing.

Seokjin decides to press his luck, seeing just how far Yoongi is willing to take this. “Prove it.”

If the phone wasn’t connected to the car speakers, Jin would’ve missed it. He never would’ve heard it. But, with Yoongi in surround sound, he hears everything. The smallest gasp, his breath catching in his throat. He’s succeeded in making the younger nervous. He’s feeling like he’s won this one.

But, Yoongi isn’t ready to back down just yet. He’s got a sudden burst of courage. Where it came from, he has no idea. But, he’s going to run with it until he can’t anymore. If Jin wants to play games, he’ll play games. 

“And, how would you like me to do that?”

“However you’d like.”

He made his voice deeper, Yoongi mentally notes. Oh, it’s game time. 

“No, no. Tell me. How would you like me to prove it? After all, you’re the one on the receiving end. Be a shame if you didn’t like what I said.”

“Who said I wouldn’t like what you’d say?”

Yoongi’s still holding onto his momentary courage but his heart is racing. He doesn’t know how much longer he can keep this up and it’s only been two minutes. “Wouldn’t you?”

“I like everything you say.”

Yep. Yeah. Okay. Momentary courage gone. The younger hangs up the phone in a hurried panic, screaming into his pillow to muffle the sound. His face is burning up, his cheeks, no doubt, are bright red. How in the world does Jin keep his composure like that? And, how in the hell does he not feel a single thing? Because, quite frankly, Yoongi’s body is on fire. He’s pretty sure he can feel every nerve in his body because of how electrified they are. 

Meanwhile, Seokjin can’t stop laughing in his car. He saw it coming but he didn’t think the boy would give in so soon. He knows they were playing a game but he did, in fact, mean it. He does like everything the younger says. He thinks in unique ways, sees the world differently than most. He talks with a lot of love and care in his heart. It’s refreshing. 

He gives Yoongi a few minutes to recover before calling him back. He’s not too sure if it was enough time but thankfully he answers, sounding almost out of breath. 

The younger clears his throat, trying to sound calm, cool, and collected. “Mhm, yeah, yes, hello?”

“Hello, yourself.”

“Yep, mhm, hi.”

“Everything okay?”

“Oh, yeah,” he answers, voice abnormally high, “perfectly fine.”

He laughs, “you sure?”

“Mhm.”

“You sound a little flustered.”

“Nope, why would I be flustered?”

“No reason, I suppose.”

“Great, glad we covered that. So ,” he emphasizes, quickly changing the subject, making Jin laugh even more, “are you almost home?”

He hums, “about five minutes away. Why? Tired of me already?”

“No, just,” he pauses and Jin can hear him yawning, “sleepy.”

“You weren’t this sleepy a few minutes ago,” he says, teasing him.

“People change, Jin. One minute we’re not tired, the next we are. One minute we don’t believe in soulmates, the next we do. It’s a crazy world we live in.”

“Is that supposed to be reverse psychology or something?”

Yoongi giggles, the noise practically engulfing the elder due to the surround sound. He doesn’t mind, though. “Is it working?”

“Well, now that you mention it,” he slowly trails off.

“Yeah?” he asks, sounding too hopeful for his own good.

“I am getting pretty tired.”

And, there goes the hopefulness. Yoongi doesn’t mind if his whininess comes through the speaker. Jin deserves to know what he’s done. “Not fair! Not fair at all!”

“No?”

“No.” 

Seokjin can’t see him but he does wish he could. He hasn’t seen him this pouty before and he bets it’s cute. He attempts to shove the thought from his mind, though. For there is a tiny Namjoon on his shoulder screaming, “you like him! You like him! You like him!” He rolls his eyes, mentally flicking the tiny version of his friend away, sending the thoughts with him. 

“Is this why you called me mediocre?”

“Glad you’re catching on!” His voice is turning giddy, unable to keep up his pouty phase.

Jin chuckles, shaking his head as he begins to pull into his parking spot. “What if I make it up to you on that first date?”

“You have my attention. How do you plan on doing that?”

“Woah, woah. I can’t tell you all my secrets!”

“But, soulmates tell each other everything.”

“Well, I guess it’s a good thing we’re not -.” As soon as the words leave his mouth, he regrets them. He believes what he believes and Yoongi is well aware of that, but he doesn’t want to hurt the guy. He doesn’t want to upset him. And, he can tell, that statement right there has.

The other end of the line has gone silent. It’s so silent that Jin almost thinks Yoongi hung up but he didn’t. He’s just sitting, letting the words soak in. “I just got home,” the elder speaks up.

“I’m glad I could keep you company.” His words are kind but his delivery is somber.

“Me, too,” he says with sincerity. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow, okay?”

Yoongi mumbles, “yeah, okay. Talk to you tomorrow.”

With that, the younger hangs up. Seokjin knows he shouldn’t feel bad about what he said, for it’s how he feels. But, he just can’t shake the thought of Yoongi being upset, hurt by his words. He doesn’t deserve that. Even without everything going on between them, he doesn’t deserve that.

The younger lays in bed, his chest feeling tight. Knowing Jin’s thoughts on soulmates and hearing them spoken out loud are two very different things. If he never says anything, Yoongi can keep pretending like maybe Jin will come around. When he says it, though, everything just comes crumbling down. 

He’s about to fall asleep when his phone buzzes.

jin - soulmate

i forgot again. sleep well

yoongi

starting to think you’re ‘forgetting’ just so you have a reason to message me

jin - soulmate

i might be

It’s so hard not to fall for him. 

jin - soulmate

goodnight yoongi

yoongi

goodnight :]

━━━━━━

Jimin can hear the music from outside Yoongi’s front door. It’s loud, even with the door muffling it slightly. What’s even more interesting, though, is that the song is sad. Actually, it’s incredibly sad. He can’t quite make out the lyrics but judging by the tune, it’s a sad love song. He has no idea what he’s about to walk into. 

His friend texted him a code to get in, which confused him even more. Yoongi usually likes to answer the door. It’s merely a back-up code but still, that’s weird. Jimin punches the numbers, unlocking the door and once he opens it, he’s immediately greeted with sad music. Across the room, he spots Yoongi laying on his floor, sprawled out like a starfish. He’s staring at the ceiling, aware that his friend has entered but not caring enough to look over at him. 

Jimin sighs dramatically, walking towards the speaker to turn off the music. It’s only then that Yoongi slightly lifts his head from the floor, glaring at his friend with a pout. “Turn it back on!”

“No, tell me why you’re laying on the floor and blasting sad music?”

He drops his head back to the floor with a small thud. “Because I want to.”

“Okay, now give me the real reason.” The younger walks over, standing over his friend and looking down at him. “What’re you doing?”

“Laying.”

“Clearly. Why?”

“I want to.”

Jimin huffs, lowering himself to the floor. He sits criss-crossed next to the elder, clasping his hands together. He exhales deeply, preparing himself for what will follow his question. “What happened?”

“Nothing. Nothing happened and that’s the whole point!”

“You’re going to have to explain that one a little more.”

Yoongi flails his arms, overdramatizing his emotions. “He’s not going to believe in soulmates no matter how hard I try to convince him! He just thinks it’s some silly game!”

“Did he say that?”

“No, but I can tell! He’s nice and sweet and sometimes flirty but I feel like he doesn’t mean it! I feel like he’s just making fun of me or something, like he just wants to see how much I believe in all of this.”

The younger sighs, searching for the right words to deliver to his friend. Yoongi’s in one of his ‘this can’t be happening, this can’t actually be real’ phases again. Ever since he met Seokjin they keep happening. He keeps getting inside his own head, believing that nothing good could ever come from this. Jin’s lack of belief in soulmates is starting to eat away at Yoongi, tearing apart his belief that good things can happen if you wait for them. 

“How can you tell?”

He shrugs, “I just can. I’m pretty sure he doesn’t even like me a fraction of how I like him.”

“Aren’t you two going on a date tomorrow?”

“Theoretically yes.”

“Theoretically?”

He sits upright, stretching his legs out in front of him on the floor. He twiddles his thumbs, staring at them to keep from making eye contact with Jimin. The younger’s gaze is always too strong. He’ll cave to whatever Jimin says if he looks at him. 

“I mean, I have it planned out but we haven’t really talked about it. I don’t even know if it’s still happening or not.”

“Oh, god,” he groans, “don’t tell me you’re one of those people.”

Yoongi tilts his head, “one of what people?”

“The people who think that just because you don’t bring up plans every single day that they aren’t happening anymore.”

“I mean, no, it’s just that…” he breathes out, not knowing where to end his sentence. He didn’t even know the right words to start it, for that matter. 

Jimin shakes his head in a ‘I seriously can’t believe I have to do these things for you’ manner. He extends his hand, palm facing up. “Give it.”

“Give what?”

“Your phone. We’re calling him.”

“No!” He immediately protests. “I’m not doing that!”

“Either you give it to me or I tackle and fight you until I steal it. The choice is yours.”

If this were any other night, any other time, Yoongi might actually take that bet. He might actually consider fighting Jimin over it. But, his energy is exhausted. His brain feels fuzzy and it’s affecting his entire body. He moves slowly, taking his phone out of his pocket. He carefully places it in Jimin’s hand, who immediately snatches it and begins clicking buttons on the screen. 

“What’re you going to say?” Yoongi nervously asks, watching Jimin’s every move. 

He doesn’t say anything, he only continues to scroll through the elder’s contact list, searching for Jin’s number. “You,” he mumbles in between scrolls, “are going to ask if you two are still on for tomorrow.”

“Why can’t I just text him?”

“Because hearing it will make you feel better.” He makes a good point. 

A second later, he’s shoving the phone towards Yoongi, the call already in the dialing process. He’s even placed it on speaker, too, just so he can listen in. The elder’s heart is racing. He hopes Jin won’t even pick up. He can just blame it on a butt dial or something, say there was no reason he even called. It would just be easier that way. 

He stares at the phone, praying that nobody will answer, that it’ll disconnect. The rings are starting to feel slower and slower. Seriously how much longer could it possibly take before -. 

“- Hello?” 

There’s a lump the size of a golf ball in Yoongi’s throat. He can’t speak. His eyes are wide as saucers and his hands are starting to sweat. Jimin nudges his side but he doesn’t speak.

“Yoongi?”

Jimin nudges him again. “H-hi.”

“Hey, what’s up? Why’d you call?”

“I, um,” he takes a deep breath, trying to regain his composure but it’s nowhere to be found. Jimin won’t stop mouthing ‘ask him!’. “I just... I wanted to ask you something.”

“What is it?”

He takes a deep breath. “I, um, are you, I mean, are we, um…”

“Are you okay? You sound nervous. Did something happen?”

The younger reaches over, muting the call. He puts a hand on his friend’s shoulder, grabbing his attention. “Hyung, just breathe. Stay calm. You’ll be fine.”

“I don’t know how to be calm around him. He’s my soulmate, Jiminie. It’s hard to be calm around him.”

“I promise, it’ll be okay.”

Seokjin’s voice sounds through the speaker, “you still there?”

“You can do it,” Jimin says with sincerity, tapping the unmute button for him. 

Yoongi takes a deep breath, closing his eyes. He tries to find his happy place. Nothing bad can happen in his happy place. Jin can’t disappoint him there. At least, he’s pretty sure he can’t. “Are we, um, are we still good for tomorrow? Do we still have a date?”

“Why? Are you trying to cancel on me?” he lightly jokes, not fully understanding the pressure Yoongi feels. 

“No, I want to see you but I just want to make sure you also want to…. see me, I mean.”

He lightly laughs. Yoongi can picture the smile. It pains his heart but in the best way possible. “Yes, I want to see you. Were you worried I didn’t?”

The boy gazes at his friend, unsure if he should answer the question honestly. Jimin encourages him to do so with a small head nod. Yoongi turns his attention back on the phone. “A little bit.”

“If I was going to cancel, I would’ve let you know.”

“I know… I just…. things can change.”

“Well, would it help if I said I’m really looking forward to seeing you? And, I’m glad we’ll be able to hang out more?”

Jimin’s eyes are all over Yoongi, staring him down as he blushes like crazy. His gummy smile peeks through, too. He really does care about Jin, that much is clear. If it wasn’t evident with his words and actions before, it most certainly is now. It brings the smallest smile to Jimin’s lips. Even though he doesn’t understand or believe in the idea of soulmates, it makes him happy to see his friend so happy. 

“Yeah, that, um, that helps.”

“Should I say more? Would more help?”

Yoongi again looks at his friend. Rather than mumbling an answer to him, Jimin moves him to stand to his feet. He’s still sat on the floor so he shoves at Yoongi’s legs, pushing him towards his room. He’s trying to give the two alone time, privacy that they both deserve. It takes the elder a second but he catches on, heading straight for his room, specifically his balcony. Jimin can wait, Yoongi thinks, this is more important. 

“I can hear you moving around but I’ve yet to hear an answer yet,” Jin says, breaking the silence. 

“Sorry, I just… had to relocate. Jimin was listening.”

The elder hums, “ah, I see. Well, the question still stands. Should I say more?”

“What more do you have to say?”

“That sounds like a yes.”

“It might be.”

“If you say yes, then I’ll tell you.”

“You’re teasing.”

“I might be.”

He breathes out, “yes. Say more. Please?”

“I’m excited to see you tomorrow. I’ve been thinking about it since the last time I saw you.”

“Really?”

“Mhm,” he answers. “You’re fun to be around. I feel like I can be myself with you. You’re easy to talk to.”

Yoongi smiles to himself. His heart, which was previously cold as ice before Jimin showed up, is starting to warm. Talking to Jin is easy. It’s fun, too. Even if he were to push aside the soulmate bond, he’s still pretty sure things would be just as great. The bond just amps it up a notch, igniting a fire inside the younger every time Jin speaks or says his name. 

And, somehow, he always finds himself developing just an ounce of courage when they talk. “Kind of sounds like you like me.”

“You’re alright.” Yoongi can hear him trying to maintain stability in his tone but there’s a small crack in his voice. If he wasn’t so focused, he might’ve missed it. 

“What more can you share?”

“You want more?!”

He’s obviously joking, making the younger laugh but Yoongi still tries to be serious. “Mhm, whatever you got! Let’s hear it.”

Seokjin has an idea, a great idea actually, but he’s not sure how well it’ll be received. Yoongi might hang up due to embarrassment or he might turn into a whiny mess on the phone. Both sound kind of adorable. Maybe he’ll just test this now, see how the younger handles it. If it’s not his style, Jin will hold off in the future but if it is? Oh, Yoongi is in for a treat. 

“If you were a vegetable, you’d be a cute-cumber.”

“Did you…” he sounds dumbfounded, “did you just use a pick-up line with a pun?”

His voice is sweet, “maybe. Something you’d like to say about pick-up lines?”

“They’re lame.”

Well, that was unexpected. The ‘cute’ part didn’t even affect him. 

“Lame?! I worked hard on that one!”

“You could do better.”

“I don’t hear any pick-up lines coming from you!”

“They’re not really my style.”

“Then, what’s your style?”

“I like to be upfront. Say how I feel directly.”

“How do you feel then?”

“Ask me that tomorrow?”

It’s almost like an offering. If Jin shows up, he’ll get his answer. Yoongi will tell him just what he wants to know. And, if he doesn’t, that’s his loss. He’ll never find out. But, it’s taking everything inside of him not to blurt it out right here, right now. There’s still so much he doesn’t know about Jin, like his family, his friends, where he comes from, what he does. He wants to know all of it. He wants to know what makes him smile when nobody else is watching and even what pains his heart. He wants to know the ins and outs of Jin, everything that goes into making him who he is. And, he wants Jin to know the same about him. There’s so much to learn about each other but the good thing about soulmates is that they’re forever. They’ve got time. 

“It’s a date.”

“Good.”

“Are you feeling better now?” 

He lets out a small nervous chuckle. “Was I that easy to read?”

“I’ve just noticed a few things about you. When you get nervous or worried, you stumble over your words a lot. You have this anxious laugh that you do, too. And, you can’t really make eye contact with anyone. I guess I technically couldn’t see you but I had a feeling if we were in the same room, you wouldn’t be able to look at me.”

He’s noticed all of that? In such a short time? Yoongi wonders what else he’s picked up on.

“Oh. Well, um, yeah, I’m feeling better. Talking to you… it helps.”

“I’m glad.”

“I’m sorry I called so late.”

Jin smiles to himself. “It’s alright. You can call whenever you’d like.”

Whenever he likes. Does that mean he would want to hear from him at any point in the day? He’d always be ready to talk to him? If he doesn’t have any feelings for Yoongi, he’s doing an incredible job at acting like he does. 

“I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“Yeah. See you tomorrow.”

He whispers a goodbye, hanging up the phone. Seokjin makes his heart soar like no other has before. He never wants to let go of this feeling. 

And, just when he thinks his joy can’t get any bigger, his phone starts to ring. It’s Jin calling him back. But, why?

“Hello?”

“One day I’ll remember to say it beforehand, but I hope you sleep well.”

At this rate, Yoongi’s bound to fall completely in love sooner than he thinks. 

“Don’t you usually text that to me?”

He lightly chuckles, “I just thought it’d be nice to hear it out loud for once.”

“Well, you were right.”

“I’m glad.”

“Maybe you should just start making this a thing after our night time conversations, even if you remember. Once the conversation ends, give it a minute then call me, message me, email me, write me a letter, whatever it may be. I like hearing it.”

Seokjin is a bit taken aback by Yoongi’s forwardness but then again, he did say he likes to be direct. “Do I get to borrow that little letter set of yours if I choose the write you a letter option?”

“No,” he says bluntly. “But, I’ll buy you your own if it means I get letters.”

“Is that a promise?”

“As long as you’re promising letters and a ‘sleep well’ message.”

Yoongi can’t see him but just by the change in his voice, he can tell Jin is smiling. “I think we can make that work.”

“I think so, too.”

The first thing Yoongi does when he wakes up the next morning is reach for his phone, scrolling through his recent phone calls and dialing Jimin without hesitation. If he were more aware of his surroundings, he might’ve actually noticed that it’s only 8:30 and there’s a very good chance that Jimin isn’t even awake yet. But, Yoongi is far too excited to care. Even when his friend doesn’t answer on the first call, he dials him again, happily pressing the phone to his ear and waiting for it to connect. 

The small click lets him know it has and he rushes to speak before Jimin gets a chance to. “Jiminie! Jiminie, wake up!”

The younger is groggy, groaning in response. Yoongi furrows his brows, a small frown appearing on his lips. 

“Wake up! Wake up! Wake up!”

“What the hell do you want?” he mumbles, annoyance evident in his voice. 

“I want to go to the mall! I have to go! Please, go with me!”

From the other end, Jimin sits up in his bed, his face scrunched up in confusion. There’s no possible fucking way that he called this early just to go to the mall. “Hyung, it isn’t even 9:00 yet. Why the hell do you want to go to the mall?”

Yoongi freezes. The urge to go is fueled by his desire to make Jin smile but he doesn’t want to tell Jimin that. He’ll only make fun of him or judge him for his quick decisions. He’ll tell him that none of this is worth it and he’s just going overboard. That’s not the energy that Yoongi wants to surround himself with today. Today is a good day. Today is his date with Jin. It has to be a good day. 

“I just do!” He adds an extra bit of whining into his response, hoping it’ll make his friend feel bad and give in. “Please, Mini!” 

“Didn’t I tell you not to call me that?”

“Technically yes BUT it’s cute and you are mini so I think it’s very fitting. Plus, it’s your contact name in my phone so you’re permanently Mini to me!”

Jimin sighs heavily, brushing his hair back out of his face. “Hyung, why don’t you ask Hoseok to go with you?”

“Hobi never says yes!”

“Well, tell him that I said he has to. If he says no, he can deal with me.”

Yoongi scrunches his face again, a bit taken aback by the younger’s statement. “Since when is he scared of you?”

“Just trust me. Tell him it’s his turn.”

“But, what if he -.”

The phone clicks and the call disconnects. It takes Yoongi a moment to register that Jimin actually hung up, mumbling a very small, “hello?” before he checks the screen. He frowns, “he hung up.” 

It only takes him a few seconds to bounce back, regaining his excited energy. If Jimin said that Hobi will go with him then surely he will. Yoongi doesn’t get to see him as much as he wants to. They only ever hang out with Jimin, hardly ever is it just the two of them. They’re still good friends, able to rely on each other at any given moment, but they just aren’t as close as he and Jimin are. Jimin is their middle man. Surely if the friendship with Jimin ever fell through, so would the friendship with Hobi. And, that’s exactly why Yoongi plans on making sure the friendship never ends!

He scrolls until he finds Hoseok’s name in his contact list, clicking on it and dialing him right away. Thankfully, he answers much faster than Jimin did, the call connecting in under three rings. Just as he did with Jimin, Yoongi excitedly answers before his friend can. “Hobi! Hobi! Hobi!”

“Yoongi! Yoongi! Yoongi!” he mimics, his voice flatter than the elder’s. 

“What’re you doing right now?”

“I was about to go workout, why?”

Yoongi gasps, “THIS EARLY?!”

“Yes, hyung, this early.”

“That’s crazy. Anyway! Would you be able to take a thirty minute break and go to the mall with me?” He changes his pitch, attempting to sound sweet. “Pretty please?”

Hoseok chuckles, “I don’t think it’s considered a break if I haven’t even started yet.”

“Well, then, this is perfect! You can come with me and then go workout!”

“I don’t remember saying yes.”

“Jimin said yes for you!” He informs the younger. He can hear Hoseok sighing on the other end. He’ll most definitely get him back for this one. “He said it’s your turn to go!”

Hobi’s voice is more monotone than Yoonig’s excited, high pitched one. He doesn’t sound as tired as Jimin did, probably due to the fact that he’s awake and moving, unlike Jimin was. But, he still doesn’t sound too enthusiastic to be doing this. “What do you even need from the mall this early?”

“I just really need to go to one store and that’s it! We’ll be super quick, I promise!”

“And, you can’t go alone because?”

Yoongi dramatically gasps. Going to the mall? Alone? Absolutely not! What if the kiosk people talk to him? Or, what if he runs into someone? Or, what if he needs a second opinion on something? Going with a friend is a much better idea. He thought this was already covered in Yoongi 101 but apparently his friends need a refresher. 

“Because spending time with Hobi is so much better!” Sweet talk him. That should do it. 

Hoseok exhales deeply, “fine. I’ll meet you there in twenty minutes.”

Yoongi’s eyes go wide. Twenty minutes?! He just woke up! How is he supposed to make it there in twenty minutes?! As he finishes out his conversation with his friend, he begins running around his room, frantically trying to get ready. “Okay, yep, yes, perfect, sounds great! See you there!”

He doesn’t even bother wasting energy on saying goodbye. He hangs up right away, rushing to make himself look presentable. He brushes his teeth and fixes his hair, running through his morning routine much quicker than he normally would. He manages to do all of it in seven minutes flat, racing out the door with his keys in hand. 

By the time he reaches the mall, Hoseok is waiting outside the front doors. He greets Yoongi with a small smile. “How fast did you drive to get here?”

“Oh, um,” he panics. Just a step below fast and furious. “Not that fast.”

“Right,” he laughs. “Well, come on. Let’s get to your little shopping adventure.”

Yoongi smiles wide, interlocking his arm with Hoseok’s. The younger attempts to fight it but Yoongi is surprisingly strong. He keeps the pair close together, walking happily to the beat of the music lightly sounding through the mall speakers. Hoseok shakes his head, unable to hide his smile as he watches Yoongi. He really is the most wholesome human being that he or anyone else has ever met. 

“So, what store are we going to?”

The elder maintains his cheerful smile, pointing one out a couple of stores down from them. He pulls Hobi in the direction of a huge stationary store, the same one he visited with Jimin. He doesn’t even have to think twice before heading straight towards the area that houses the letter sets. His eyes go wide as he gazes at all of the designs before him. He finally detaches from Hoseok, picking up and examining all the different options.

“You brought me here for letter sets? I swear Jimin just said you bought one a few weeks ago.”

“I did!” he answers cheerfully, not looking up at his friend. 

Hoseok furrows his brows, “then, why are you buying another? Did you already write that many letters?”

“Nope!” He shakes his head, continuing to look at all of the designs. His smile hasn’t faded. In fact, it’s grown. He loves admiring all of the cute drawings. 

“Then, why do you need another?”

“I never said I need another.”

“Then, is this a gift?”

His cheeks flush as he picks up a new set, one he hasn’t looked at yet. “You could say that.” 

All of the other designs have been great, incredibly adorable even. But, this one. This one just feels like the one. It’s cuter than all of the others, maybe even cuter than his own. Yoongi’s eyes scan the accessories on a nearby shelf, hoping to find a matching pen. Luckily, he does and he grabs it without hesitation. He shows it to Hoseok, eyes doe-like. “It’s cute, right?”

“It is. I like this one,” he points out one drawing in particular. 

It makes Yoongi laugh. “I do, too! Do you think he will?”

Oh. Oh no. No, no, no. Wrong words. He freezes as Hoseok stares at him, confused. “Who?”

“Nobody! Nobody at all! Nope, nothing! Not a single person! Me! I mean, me! The he is me! Yeah! It’s me! Do you think I will like it? Yes, I love it! Great!”

“Hyung,” Hobi says, trailing off. “Is this about that soulmate guy?”

He nervously laughs. “Noooo! Why would you think such a thing?” 

“Hyung.”

Yoongi is so weak. “Okay, okay! Fine! Yes, it’s for him,” he sighs. “Please don’t tell anyone about it, Hobi. Please, please, please!”

“Calm down, I won’t. I’m just... confused? Why’re you buying him this?”

“You’re just going to make fun of me if I tell you.”

Hoseok tilts his head, even more confused by the elder’s statement. His brows raise, questioning the accusation. “Is that what you think of me? That I’ll just make fun of something you like?”

“You guys always make fun of me for believing in soulmates! So, why wouldn’t you make fun of me for this?” 

“Hyung, I’m not going to make fun of you for doing something nice for a guy you like. I don’t believe in soulmates and yes, I sometimes think it’s silly that you do, but I’m never actually serious with my teasing. You’re just fun to tease because you get all pouty. I’m never intentionally trying to hurt your feelings.”

“Oh.”

“Did you think I was?”

He shrugs, “I dunno. Maybe? Jimin teases me so much about it that it feels real. So, I just figured -”

“You figured I meant it like he does?” Yoongi nods, shying away from the conversation. “Look, whatever I say to you, it’s all in good fun. I’m not trying to be mean or upset you. And, if I do, you have to tell me these things otherwise I won’t ever know. Okay?”

He nods again. Words don’t really seem fitting and besides, it’s not like he can even think of the right ones to say. All he can think of is, “okay.”

“Good. Now, do you want to tell me why you’re buying this for him or would you rather keep it a secret? I won’t make fun of you for it either way.”

Yoongi holds the letter set close to him, staring down at it and admiring the designs. It reminds him so much of Jin. It’s one of those things that he can’t quite explain, even though he knows for a fact Jin will look for an explanation. The drawings are just so cute, so happy looking. It’s hard not to picture Jin when he sees them. He looks up at Hoseok, shaking his head no in response. 

“That’s fine. You don’t have to explain it. Is there anything else you need to get while we’re here?”

“No, um, this was all.”

“Okay, well, let’s go check out.”

He nods, heading towards the register. He pays with a smile, feeling oddly comforted by his friend’s words. He hasn’t ever had a moment with Hoseok like this before. They’re more small talk type friends. They’re close but only close enough. It’s nice to know that someone has his back in all of this, even if he thinks it’s silly. 

He knows Jimin supports him, wants him to be happy. He’s proven that multiple times so far but it’s hard to take him seriously sometimes. Maybe he feels the same way Hoseok does and just assumes Yoongi already knows that? Maybe he’s only teasing the elder because it’s fun but he means well? There’s a lot of maybe’s running through Yoongi’s mind. 

Before they part ways, Hoseok stops the elder, giving him a friendly reminder. “I won’t tell Jimin about you buying that for him. I’m assuming you don’t want him to know?”

“I wanted him to come with me today so I guess he would’ve found out either way but I guess yeah, since he doesn’t know, don’t tell him?”

“I won’t. Do you want me to talk to him about the teasing? All the soulmate comments?”

Yoongi shrugs. “It’s okay. It’s hurtful at times but that’s just Jimin. If he were to change how he acted, he wouldn’t be who he is. He wouldn’t be the same Jimin. And, I kind of like this Jimin.”

“He’s alright,” Hobi jokes.

“He could be better at times,” he joins in. 

“Agreed,” he laughs. “Well, I hope it all goes well… giving him that, I mean. Let me know what happens, yeah?”

The elder’s smile grows, his cheeks rising. “I will! Promise!”

“Good. I’ll see you later, hyung.”

“Have a good workout!” Yoongi shouts as they turn to walk towards their own cars, making the younger smile. 

When he’s alone again, he takes the letter set out of it’s bag, admiring it. He really hopes Jin likes it or, at the very least, gets a laugh out of it. Yoongi did say he would buy him his own so this is him keeping that promise. Plus, maybe it’ll actually encourage Jin to keep up those ‘sleep well’ messages. Yoongi likes those a lot. Jin seems to, too. 

Before he can even start his car, his phone buzzes, bringing a smile to his face.

jin - soulmate

so, are you ever going to tell me what the plan for today is?

His cheeks turn a bright pink, his heart perfectly happy. Everything is falling into place. 

yoongi

for you to see me 

yoongi

that’s all you get to know 

jin - soulmate

sounds like it’ll be a good day then 

━━━━━━

Every time Yoongi sees Jin, a new wave of butterflies fills his stomach and he becomes instantly nervous. Even if Jin wasn’t his soulmate, he’s pretty sure he’d feel the same way. His crush on the guy only grows and grows, deepening the closer they become. Yoongi likes to think that Jin likes him back, at least a little bit. He’s so flirty, always saying the sweetest things. He’s so good at listening, too. And, he’s yet to run away from the whole thing. He hasn’t necessarily admitted to believing in it but he hasn’t run. He’s trying and he’s actually sticking around to see what comes of it. But, maybe it’s just a fun game to him. Maybe he’s just a flirty person and Yoongi is getting his hopes up for nothing. He wouldn’t put in this much effort for nothing, though, would he? He did promise Yoongi one date but he never gave a promise of what would come after. 

For every excited, positive thought Yoongi has about Jin, a new doubt plagues his mind.

Today has to be a good day, though. He won’t let anything ruin it, not even his own mind. The second he sees the elder, all the worries seem to fade away. A big smile appears on his face as he holds his bag close to him. It’s filled with everything they’ll need for their date, including the small surprise gift that he rushed to buy this morning. 

Jin has no idea what to expect as he walks up to Yoongi. He can see his smile from a mile away, which brings one to his own lips. It’s impossible not to smile around him. The younger has given him no leads to what their date could possibly entail but he stands by what his message earlier in the day said. Just seeing him sounds like a good day. 

“Hi,” Yoongi breathes out as Jin approaches him, the smile never fading from his face.

“Hi yourself,” Jin returns the sweet smile. “You look prepared.”

He holds the bag close, nodding affirmingly. “I wanted today to be a good day. I brought things that will make it as such.”

“I’m intrigued.”

“You should be!” He giggles.

“So, where, oh where, are you taking me?”

The two met just outside of the city, not entirely secluded but not in a crowded place either. Their date could really be anything in Seokjin’s mind. The younger motions with his head for him to follow behind him as he leads them to their final destination. Yoongi is dying to reach out and grab the elder’s hand as they walk side by side. He has a very distorted memory of holding his hand as they walked through the crowded house party. It almost didn’t feel real when it happened, especially since it was only for a few seconds. At the very least, Jin was being nice. He didn’t want the boy to get lost or left behind. That’s the only reason he grabbed his hand. Why else would he have done so?

Nevertheless, he keeps his hands to his side, clutching the straps of his tote bag to fill the void. Yoongi maintains a pep in his step, walking with almost a skip due to his excitement. “Now, if we were closer to a nice beach, I would’ve taken you there.”

“A beach, huh?”

“I happen to adore beaches, thank you!” he jokingly sasses. “But, since I didn’t want to make you sit in a car for a long time, I had to go for the next best option!”

“Uh huh,” he raises a brow, “which would be?”

The younger halts his walking, turning in the direction of a wide open park. There’s a few people scattered throughout, sitting on blankets or walking around. Jin begins to put two and two together, quickly figuring out it’s a picnic that the boy has planned for them. It’s oddly fitting for Yoongi, he thinks. Picnics are quite cute. 

He leads him into a big grassy patch, further away from the other park goers. From inside his magic bag of wonder, he first pulls out a blanket. As he unravels it, Jin grabs the other end, helping him lay it out nicely. Yoongi catches him smiling at him but his nerves get the best of him and he immediately turns away with rosy cheeks. Instead, he clears his throat, head slightly shaking as he tries to regain actual thoughts. “You can, um, you can sit.”

Seokjin knows it’s his kind smile that’s turned Yoongi into a bundle of nerves so he pulls back but not completely. He keeps up the expression, enjoying how flustered the younger becomes by his simple actions. “Are you also going to sit?” he teases, staring up at Yoongi, who’s still standing.

He shrugs, “actually, I was thinking of just letting you sit there by yourself.”

“Where’s the fun in that?”

“Sitting is fun.”

“Not by yourself.”

“Says who?”

“Says me.”

“Seems fake to me.”

“What if I’d rather sit with you?”

“Would you?”

“Yes, actually.”

“Well, that’s all you had to say.” He happily plops down next to Seokjin, a big smile on his face.

Jin chuckles, unable to keep a straight face. Yoongi’s actions are too cute for him to deny. He doesn’t comment on it but he does keep a bright smile on his face, letting the younger know he’s thoroughly impressed. If Jin didn’t know any better, he’d say Yoongi was flirting with him. (He is). Maybe he should start flirting back for once. (Because he hasn’t been doing that before now, right?). 

“So,” the elder says, “what’s in that little bag of yours?”

“Close your eyes!” He gives a skeptical look. He trusts Yoongi but then again, who knows what his plan could be? “Come on! Just do it!” His voice is one step away from a whine and his lips two seconds away from turning into a pout. Jin actually wants to see that. He raises a brow, teasing the younger. Ah, there it is. There’s the pout. “Please!”

He laughs, “okay, okay.” 

As soon as Seokjin closes his eyes, Yoongi digs in his bag, searching for the small gift he bought the elder. When he pulls it out, he smiles at it. It’s still just as cute as when he first saw it. He finds the matching pen, setting it on top of the set. He gently places it in Jin’s hands, giggling as he mumbles, “okay, open!”

Jin slowly opens his eyes, looking down at the gift in his hands. He seems a bit confused yet endeared. Yoongi clears up the confusion. “I told you I’d buy you one of your own. Now, you can write letters to anyone you want. Friends, family,.... me.”

“You bought this for me?”

“Mhm! I went this morning and got it. I saw it in the store and thought, huh, hamsters holding tiny bread loaves, seems perfect!”

“How’s that perfect?”

He playfully shrugs. “I don’t really know. You just remind me of a tiny hamster and when you smile, your cheeks are like little bread rolls. So, it just made sense.”

“Is this your way of encouraging me to write you a letter?”

“Not necessarily,” he answers with blushing cheeks. “But, if you wanted to write me a letter on such cute paper with such a cute pen, I wouldn’t mind at all!”

Seokjin smiles, eyes glancing over the set. The designs are cute, just like him. “You didn’t have to do this. You know that, right?”

“I know but I wanted to. Even if you want to take the gift and run, which I hope you don’t, but even if you do, I’d still want you to have it.”

“You’re too kind.”

“I think it has to do with wanting my soulmate to be impressed and like me but that’s beside the point, I suppose.”

He half-chuckles in response. “Yeah. I suppose.”

Yoongi exhales deeply, clasping his hands together. “Well! Now that we have that out of the way.” He begins digging in his bag again, pulling out various tupperwares. “I tried my best to make things that I thought you would like. I went really simple so hopefully you enjoy them!”

“You cooked?”

“I promise I didn’t poison any of it.”

“Well, I wasn’t worried about that before but now that you’ve brought it up, I’m not so sure,” he jokes.

“Only one way to find out?”

He smiles with a nod, “I guess we’ll see!”

The younger unveils the dishes, a mixture of fried rice, various grilled meats, and even a handful of dumplings (the ones that he didn’t mess up on). Seokjin is quite impressed with his efforts. He watches Yoongi’s joyful expression as he shows off each new food item. His joy is contagious. Jin feels happier just by looking at him. He is positively radiant and part of the elder is sure that Yoongi knows it. He must be self aware of this. He must know the effect his radiance has on people. He makes them feel comforted and happy. It’s so hard not to smile around him. 

They begin to dig into the food, Yoongi watching Jin’s expression to make sure he likes the food. The elder catches him doing so, so he does his best to keep a straight face, confusing the boy. Yoongi can’t stand not knowing so he finally caves, “do you like it?”

“It’s….” he pauses for dramatic effect, “very good. Really delicious.”

A wave of calm comes over him. He had no idea what he was going to do if Jin said he hated it. “You said you were allergic to garlic and potatoes so I tried not to cook with them. It was hard but this meal is allergy free!”

He did all of this, just for Jin? Not even his ex put in that simple kind of effort. “That’s really thoughtful of you.”

“It’s nothing, really.”

“No, I’m serious. It’s a kind gesture. I appreciate it a lot.”

“Oh. Um, yeah. Yeah, of course.”

The pair engage in small talk, mumbling on about the food or passersby, as they finish off the meal. When there’s only a few remaining pieces of meat and one dumpling left, Yoongi turns to reach into his bag once again. Jin watches him carefully, “what else could you possibly have in that thing, hm?”

He giggles, pulling out a laptop. He sets it in front of the two, opening it and logging in. “I don’t really know what your thoughts are on movie dates but I think when they’re simple like this, they can be fun.” He turns to face Jin. “Tell me now if you hate them, I won’t be upset.” 

“What’s the movie?” he asks, his interest peaking. 

Yoongi nervously answers, “Big Hero Six?”

He is positively adorable. 

“I love that one.”

“Really?” His eyes light up.

“Mhm. Don’t you?”

“Yeah, I love it a lot.”

“Then, what are you waiting for?”

“Ah, right!” He turns back to the computer in a hurry, making Jin laugh. 

He quickly pulls up the film, turning it on to let it begin playing in the background as they finish the food. Their attention is, by all means, on the film, but they’re also focused on one another. Yoongi’s heart is racing so fast that he’s sure any doctor would hospitalize him if they were to hear it. Jin makes him nervous yet so, so happy. It’s a feeling that he never wants to let go of. 

With one dumpling left in the container, both boys reach for it at the exact same time. It’s unintentional but now they’re at a crossroads. Yoongi pushes the container Jin’s way, insisting he take it. Jin does the same, pushing it back towards Yoongi. They go back and forth, the younger reminding him that, “this was made for you!” and Jin informing him that, “you worked hard so you should enjoy it”. 

All it takes is one single pout from Yoongi for Seokjin to cave, giving in to the request that he takes the last dumpling. He reaches to pick it up with his utensils but then an idea pops into his head. An idea that he’s almost positive will turn Yoongi into a pile of mush, flustered beyond belief. 

Rather than lifting the dumpling to his own mouth, he lifts it to Yoongi’s, holding it there for him to bite. Jin doesn’t say anything, he only motions with his head for the younger to take it. He can’t actually mean to just bite it off his utensils, can he? There’s no possible way. Yoongi reaches for his own chopsticks with the intent of taking it from Jin that way but his hand is swatted at. The elder shakes his head, again motioning for him to take the dumpling. His heart is doing leaps and flips inside his chest. 

Slowly, he opens his mouth and Seokjin only inches the food closer. He gently bites it, taking it from the elder. Jin pulls back with a smile, watching Yoongi enjoy the last dumpling. The latter’s cheeks are flushed, just as the elder hoped they would be. His eyes stay on Jin as he chews, his nerves starting to get the better of him. 

“You did that on purpose,” he says once he’s swallowed the food.

“Did what?” Jin asks with a devious smile.

“ That .”

“Can you use your words?”

“Not really, no. My brain is not capable of thinking right now.”

He chuckles, “should I not do that ?”

“Are you saying you’ll do it again?”

“Are you asking me to?”

“Do I have to ask?”

“Only if you want to.”

“What if I don’t want to?”

“Then, maybe it’ll happen, maybe it won’t.”

“What’re the odds of it happening?”

Jin smirks. He even eyes Yoongi up and down, making him feel ten times more nervous than he already did. All the while, Hero is seconds away from mourning Tadashi. Maybe it’s a good thing Yoongi isn’t focusing on the movie because that’s one scene that will always make him cry. But, then again, the way Seokjin is looking at him right now has him second guessing that. He feels frozen in place. 

After just a few seconds of making the younger wait, Jin finally says, “high.”

“Oh.”

“Quite high, actually.”

“ Oh .”

He laughs, enjoying how easy it is to make Yoongi blush. He’s like putty in Jin’s hands and the elder is having fun with it. He playfully nudges the boy, helping bring him back to reality. “Should we watch the movie now?”

“Huh? Oh, um, yeah. Yeah, let’s do that.”

As much as Jin is enjoying this, there’s one thought lingering in the back of his mind: he really hopes he doesn’t end up breaking Yoongi’s heart by the end of this.

Yoongi’s eyes have been glued to the screen the entire time but only because he’s too nervous to even glance at Jin. Every time the elder looks at him, he can feel it. He knows he’s being watched and he has to do his very best to keep his cool. His cheeks absolutely betray him, though, flaring up whenever Jin spares him a glance. It’s not that Seokjin is trying to tease him or even intimidate him. Truthfully, he just likes looking at him. He likes watching his reactions to the movie, how invested he becomes. He seems to love it so much and Jin is captivated by his smile, which he keeps trying to hide. He wishes he wouldn’t do that. 

“Which one would you be?” Yoongi finally looks at him with confused eyes. “Of the characters, which superpower would you want?”

“Oh, um, I like Honey Lemon. She’s really smart but always bubbly and kind.”

Jin smiles. “Sounds like you.”

“Plus, my parents would call me Honey Boy when I was little. As I got older, it just changed into Honey and then it kind of fell off. But, it’s a nice connection I think!”

He smiles even bigger. “Honey. I think that suits you.”

“You do?”

“Mhm, I do. You’re sweet like honey but also you’re, how should I say this?” He scrunches his nose, staring at Yoongi as he thinks. “You’re kind of… golden.”

“What do you mean?”

“Just inside and out, you are golden.”

The younger’s heart warms and he kindly smiles at Seokjin. He didn’t realize being called golden would affect him this much yet here he is, lovingly staring at the elder. There’s such a warm, positive connotation that comes with the word golden. Is that how Jin sees him? Warm and positive? He wants to believe it’s a good thing but with Jin, he can never keep his thoughts to himself. He always blurts things out and right now is no different. 

“That’s a good thing, yeah?

He lightly chuckles, “yes, Yoongi, it’s a good thing.”

“Oh, okay. Good, good, yeah, good.” He turns to face the screen again, cheeks already baby pink. It takes him all of two seconds to realize he never returned the question and now he’s dying to know what character Jin sees himself as. He quickly turns back, excitement growing inside of him. “Who would you be?”

“Of the five of them?”

He shakes his head, “six. Baymax is included!”

“Oh, right, of course!” He smiles, playing along with Yoongi’s excitement. “As great as Baymax is, I think I would be GoGo.”

Yoongi’s lips form an ‘oh’ shape as he vocalizes an, ‘ooooo’. “Why her?”

“She’s tough and a little sarcastic at times but she cares about her friends. I think that’s fitting for me.” The younger begins to giggle, covering his mouth with his hands. Jin is confused. “Why’re you laughing?”

“It’s just…” he continues to laugh, holding it back as best as he can, “you don’t seem too tough to me.”

“No?”

He’s 100% sure about his answer. Seokjin is the furthest thing from tough in his mind. At least, the Seokjin he knows isn’t. The Seokjin he knows is kind and sweet. He tolerates Yoongi’s antics, even playing along at times. He has sarcastic tendencies but they come across more as teasing rather harsh sarcasm. He’s gentle with Yoongi, listening to what he has to say, even if it’s something he doesn’t believe in. Someone tough and sarcastic wouldn’t end a phone call, only to call back just to say goodnight. 

His head shakes, “nope. You’re too nice.”

“Huh, maybe I’ve changed, then.”

“Are you saying that you used to be tough and sarcastic?”

Jin shrugs, “I suppose so. My ex was quite like that so I must’ve picked up on his tendencies. Everyone said we were a lot alike, that's why they thought we’d last for a long time.”

“That’s why you thought you two were soulmates?”

“I guess you could say that but I never really used that word. I’m sure if they exist, he’s the closest I’ve come to it.”

They do exist, Yoongi mentally notes. And, the closest you’ve come is right now, he adds.

“Did you think you’d be with him forever?”

“Yeah, I did.”

“Oh.” His previous excitement has dwindled, turning into somber. Jin can see it, too. He expected this conversation to come up at some point, whether he initiated it or not. Just as he thought, Yoongi isn’t exactly thrilled to be talking about his ex, discussing the genuine feelings that he had. “Why did, um, why did you break up?”

The elder offers a small smile, trying to comfort him without using words. “He became someone that I didn’t want to be with anymore. I finally gave up and I told him it was up to him. If he wanted to keep me, he had to change. And, well, you can guess what happened.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine.”

“You thought he was the one, though? That’s not really ‘fine’,” he air quotes the word.

Jin chuckles, “I promise it is.”

“Was he a good person?”

He shrugs, “most of the time. As our relationship started deteriorating, so did his morals and his values. I wanted to fix him, make him the guy I fell in love with again. I thought if I could make him more like me, we’d be happy again. But, at the same time, he was slowly changing me into someone I didn’t like.”

“Make him more like you?”

“I was trying so hard to hold onto the past, how I felt when we first started dating. We were so happy and in love, I thought if he could think that way again, he might be okay. We might be okay again.”

“But, you weren’t?”

Seokjin shakes his head slowly, a hint of sadness in his voice. “No. We weren’t. I realized I couldn’t change him. He’d already changed me. That’s why I left when I did. And, I think part of that is still with me, those qualities I picked up from him.”

“Do you want those parts?”

“Yes and no. No because they’re shitty attributes. They’re things that I wish weren’t part of who I am. But, oddly yes because it connects me to him. Like you said, I thought he was the one. It’s hard to let go of sometimes.”

Yoongi glances at the ground, staring at the random shapes in the blanket they’re sitting on. He bites his lip as he thinks. He lets out the smallest hum and Jin watches his every move. The elder knows it’s probably the last thing Yoongi wants to hear but no matter what comes from this, the boy deserves honesty. He deserves to know the truth about Jin, the good and the bad. Just as Jin deserves to know the truth about Yoongi. 

He finally looks up, sincerity in his eyes, “do you still love him?”

Seokjin smiles. “No. I’ll always care about him but love is off the table.”

“For good?”

“For good.”

“Okay.”

He tries to boost the younger’s spirit, teasing him just a little, “why? Trying to set me up with someone?”

“I might have a few people in mind.”

“A few ?! That’s news to me! I was only aware of one!”

Yoongi bites his cheek, trying to stop the giggles from erupting inside of him. “Hm, well, if you tell me the one you’re aware of, then I can tell you the rest.”

Jin is tempted. There’s the smallest smirk on his face, it matches the one forming on Yoongi’s. “It’s that easy?”

“That easy!”

“Sounds too good to be true.”

“Try it and find out.”

“You really want to know?”

“Mhm, who do you think I’m trying to set you up with?”

He smiles, slowly eyeing him up and down. If Yoongi’s heart didn’t feel like it was going to explode before, it most certainly does now. “Honey Boy.”

Yoongi’s eyes momentarily go wide and Jin is sure he’s one this mini battle between them. But, the younger doesn’t want to back down. His smile grows, it’s both a voluntary and involuntary action. Whether he wanted to smile or not, Jin’s words would’ve made him. “Good answer.”

“I figured it would be.”

“Do I get to know the others?”

“There’s only three in total.”

“I see,” he says in a hushed tone. Both boy’s are fully aware of how close he’s leaning in. Yoongi can’t help but wonder if it’s a tactic he learned from his ex, to be so flirty and teasing whenever he wants. “So, let’s say one is you. Fair statement?”

He nods, “fair statement. One is me.”

“Then, who are the other two?”

Yoongi’s courage to be so bold in front of Seokjin can only last so long. He uses up all that he has left, leaning towards the elder and meeting him where he’s at. They’re dangerously close to one another. If the world were to go silent around them, the only thing that would be heard is Yoongi’s heart beating a million miles a minute. 

“It’s me,” he pauses.

“Uh huh,” Jin adds.

His smile grows, “myself and I.”

His giggles finally erupt and Jin can’t stop his smiling from forming. He lightly shoves at Yoongi’s chest, creating distance between them. The younger’s cheeks are so round, a result of all his smiling. Even in the midst of their small back and forths, Jin is still captivated by him. He’s so joyful and there really isn’t a better word for him than golden. Yoongi is golden, sweet as honey. 

“How long were you planning that one in your head, hm?”

“Actually not that long!” he answers with a giddy smile. “It just came to me. Guess that happens when you’re naturally funny.”

Jin playfully rolls his eyes, “oh, right, of course, because you’re so naturally funny, huh?”

“Hey, you laughed didn’t you?”

“That’s true, I did.”

“And, it helped you stop thinking about sad things, didn’t it?”

He clicks his tongue, shaking his head. “Was that your plan? Make me stop talking about my ex?”

“Not necessarily. I do like learning things about you and I think that’s an important thing to learn but when it comes to relationships, I think it’s important to focus on the future rather than the past. The past only comes back to hurt us. The future is bright and holds so many opportunities. The universe is good to us after we’ve been through something bad.”

“By that definition, I should have something good coming to me soon, then?”

It’s sitting right in front of you, Yoongi notes in his mind. He slowly nods his head, “I like to believe so.”

“You said the past can hurt us? Does that mean you’ve got a past coming after you? Something that can hurt you?”

“Everyone has demons, Jin.”

“Even a golden, honey boy like yourself?”

He lightly chuckles, lowering his gaze. “Yeah, even me.”

“Do I need to beat up some exes for you? Let them know you’ve got a …. bodyguard now?”

He was so hesitant with his words. Yoongi’s heart almost stopped hearing him speak. Beating up exes sounds like something a boyfriend would threaten, doesn’t it? Perhaps even something a soulmate would threaten?

The younger smiles, “no, um, you don’t. There’s not really anyone to beat up.”

“None?”

“None.”

“Have you never been….?”

“I’ve dated before but nothing ever stuck. I was caught up in the idea of finding my soulmate. None of them ever felt like it. It was fun, don’t get me wrong, but they just weren’t the one for me.”

“Oh.” For once, it’s Seokjin who’s left speechless. He didn’t expect Yoongi to not have truly dated someone. He seems like the perfect fit for a relationship, the ideal boyfriend. 

He shrugs, “it’s no big deal. It just means that when I finally do, it’ll be with someone I really care about. Someone I’ll want to be with for as long as we’re able.”

“Like your soulmate?”

Yoongi’s eyes contain the tiniest sparkle every time Jin says the word ‘soulmate’. Even more so when he brings up the idea on his own. Maybe it’s just the younger rubbing off on him, like his ex did, but still, that has to mean something, right? 

“Yeah. Like my soulmate.”

“And, you still think that’s me?”

What part of Yoongi repeating ‘you’re my soulmate’ or ‘I like you’ or ‘I’m setting you up with me, myself, and I’ is this guy not understanding? 

“Yes. I do.”

“Ah.”

“But, sometimes it doesn’t always work out how we want. I know what I believe but I can’t make you believe the same. Maybe you’re mine but I’m not yours.”

Jin takes a deep breath. “Can that actually happen, though?”

“I don’t know,” he says softly. “I don’t particularly like the idea but I’m sure it could. I just like to believe the world is kinder than that.”

“Yeah, me too.”

It’s his response that gives Yoongi just a small sliver of hope. Maybe he’s actually starting to feel something, too. Maybe he’s actually giving the idea of soulmates a real chance. Maybe things might actually work out just how Yoongi wants them to. Regardless of what their relationship turns into, he knows that he never wants to lose Jin. He’ll do everything in his power to make sure he never loses him. 

With just a few minutes left in the movie, Yoongi’s eyes are focused on the screen, hanging on to every word the characters say. Seokjin looks at him carefully, making sure the boy doesn’t notice. He smiles to himself, watching every new reaction that Yoongi has. He probably doesn’t even realize that he’s making half of these faces. It comes so naturally to him, just like everything else in his life. His kindness, his wits, his joy, his optimism. All things that seem to come so naturally to him. He’s positively golden. 

Having seen the film before, Jin has noticed something about the characters. He told Yoongi that he’d be GoGo if he could, for reasons that were true, but he left out one reason. 

GoGo secretly seems to be quite fond of Honey Lemon. 

━━━━━━

“You cannot be serious,” Jimin says when he walks through the front door of Yoongi’s place. He’s staring at the elder, who’s sprawled out dramatically on the floor. His eyes are glued to the ceiling and his arms are wide like a starfish. “What could you possibly be doing this for now?”

Yoongi shoots him a very tiny glare before relaxing his face, staring up at the ceiling again. “I happen to like doing this.”

“Yes, but,” Jimin’s already closed the door and is at his side, “you only do it when you’re being dramatic over something that’s happened between you and Jin. So, what is it? What happened?”

“Nothing happened.”

“I’ve heard that one before. Come on,” he grunts as he sits down next to his friend, “what is it?”

Yoongi turns his head, staring back at Jimin. “No, really, nothing happened.”

Jimin eyes him curiously. “Then, why’re you -”

“He’s perfect.” The elder interrupts his question. He looks back up at the ceiling, scared to look at Jimin while he says all of this. Spilling his heart usually comes easy to him but talking about Seokjin, especially in such a loving way, has proven to be more difficult. But, it’s only hard because of how much he cares. He becomes giddy and his heart races inside his chest whenever he talks about him. If he looks away from Jimin, he can pretend that the younger isn’t making fun of him for feeling like this after such a short time. They’re coming up on two months of knowing one another, talking almost every day, but Yoongi is still worried that at any moment, Jin will run for the hills. 

“He makes me happy. I never want to stop spending time with him when we’re together.”

“All this after one date?”

Yoongi bites his cheek, a small frown trying to form but he pushes it away. “One official date,” he clarifies. “I think we had mini dates along the way.”

“Is that what you’re calling them?”

“Is that such a bad thing?”

“No,” Jimin quickly answers, “but, I know you. I don’t want you to see them as one thing when he sees them as another. That’s how you get your heartbroken, hyung.”

The elder sighs. He knows Jimin is right. He shouldn’t get his hopes so high when Jin hasn’t really confirmed the idea of mini dates. At the very least, it was just two friends hanging out. Is that even what they are now? Friends? Just friends? Friends who maybe flirt? Friends who watch cute movies together? Friends who feed each other dumplings? The longer Yoongi thinks, the less they start to sound like things ‘just friends’ would do. In fact, they kind of sound like something people in a relationship would do. 

Jimin notices his silence, “maybe you should talk to him about how he feels about all of this? Tell him exactly how you feel?”

Yoongi turns to face him again, his arms and legs still sprawled across the floor. “Why?”

“It might give you some idea about what you two are? I’m not saying you need to label it but if he doesn’t see this going anywhere, that’s something you deserve to know.”

“Do you think it’ll go somewhere?”

“Do you?” The elder slowly nods his head. It’s a cautious response but his response nonetheless. “Then, I do, too. Your universe hasn’t let you down yet, has it?”

“Well, no.”

“Then, why would it now?”

Yoongi lightly giggles. “I think I’m starting to rub off on you. You almost sound like you believe in the idea of fate. At this rate, you’ll be telling me about your soulmate tomorrow.”

“I wouldn’t go that far, hyung. But, I will say that you have optimism that radiates. You make it hard to be negative.”

“Good! Nobody should be negative!”

“Weren’t you just -”

“Nope!” He says cheerfully. “No negativity here!”

Jimin raises a brow, a joking scoff coming with it. “Right.” He stands and begins moving over to the kitchen area, planning on making himself some food from Yoongi’s fridge. The elder doesn’t mind, as he knows Jimin just left work and must be hungry. He continues to lay on the floor, staring up at the ceiling. 

He softly smiles to himself, thinking about Jin. As much as he loves letting fate decide his future, the urge to take matters into his own hands is getting stronger. Sometimes when he sees Jin, he just wants to hug him or hold his hand or even kiss him. But, it all has to come at the right time. If he rushes things, it might ruin it. Whatever ‘it’ is. Part of him wishes there was a label for what they are. Labels would make it easier, it would give Yoongi an idea of what Jin is thinking, where he wants this to go. 

Jimin’s voice brings him out of his thoughts, “hey, lovestruck idiot!”

Yoongi just barely lifts his head off the floor to see his friend, glaring at him for his non-affectionate name calling. “What?”

He eyes the elder’s device on the counter, “phone’s ringing.”

━━━━━━

“You’re not even going to tell me about it?” Namjoon asks, sitting across from Jin at dinner. He’s been pressing his friend for details about his date with his so-called soulmate for two days now. Seokjin just won’t budge. He hasn’t said a single word about it. When anyone asks, and by anyone, that means Namjoon or Jieun, he changes the subject or avoids the question completely. 

Jin bites into his sandwich, looking at him with a confused expression. “Tell you about what?” he asks with a full mouth.

“Your date, you ass. I’ve been asking for days and you won’t tell me.”

“Didn’t realize,” he nonchalantly shrugs.

“Was it seriously that bad that you don’t even want to talk about it?”

The elder glares at his friend. Bad? How could that date ever possibly be bad? It was the furthest thing from bad. “No?”

“Then, why won’t you tell me about it?”

“Does it really matter?”

Namjoon puts all his focus on Jin, sliding his plate to the side so that he can prop his elbows up on the table. He rests his chin in his hands, leaning forward towards his friend. His brows remained furrowed, trying to understand the situation. “So, it wasn’t bad?”

“Nope.”

“But, you don’t want to talk about it?”

“Nope.”

“That’s a little suspicious, don’t you think?”

“Nope.”

“Come on, you can’t even tell me one single detail?”

“Nope.”

“Why not?”

Jin finally grows agitated, mumbling, “for fucks sake, Joon. Why do you want to know so bad? It’s not like it’s your life.”

The younger immediately backs off, raising his hands in defense. “Damn, okay. Sorry. I didn’t mean to overstep.”

The elder pushes his own plate away from himself, crossing his arms over his chest and sinking back into his seat. He huffs as he does so, a look of annoyance plastered on his face. Namjoon didn’t mean to push so many buttons. He didn’t even realize these were buttons that could be pushed, ones that relate back to Yoongi. But, it seems that they can. It’s as if one simple push equates to about fifty pushes, actually. 

“Hyung, what’s going on?”

“Mind your business, Joon,” he grumbles.

“Fuck that. Tell me what’s up. You can’t keep it in forever.”

Jin rolls his eyes, “I can try.” Under the table, Namjoon kicks at his leg, inciting an immediate vocal response from the elder. “Ow! What the hell was that for?”

“You’re being a dick. Now talk. What the hell has got into you?”

“Nothing.” The younger glares, not buying his answer for one second. Seokjin scoffs, leaning back against his chair again. “Fine, fuck, okay. The date was good. It was great actually. It’s just things we talked about are starting to get under my skin, okay?.”

“Like what?”

“Exes.”

“Ah.”

“Yeah. And, it’s not like there’s still feelings or anything there, that ship sailed long ago.”

Namjoon interrupts with a half-chuckle, “thankfully.”

Jin shoots him a look. It’s not that Namjoon necessarily hated Seokjin’s ex but he didn’t particularly like him either. Especially not once he saw the person Jin was becoming when he was around him. For lack of better words, he was an even bigger asshole than he is now. Now, he’s tolerable, he’s a friendly asshole. Back then, not even Namjoon wanted to be around him for more than five minutes. 

“I just don’t want that shit coming back up. I know the person I was still hangs around and comes out from time to time. And, I don’t want that coming out around him.”

“Him being Yoongi?”

Seokjin nods. “He doesn’t deserve that. I’m sure he’s had enough shitty people in his life. I don’t need to be another one.”

Namjoon rests against the table again, exhaling deeply. “I don’t think you need to worry about that. From what you’ve told me, and the little I’ve seen, the guy doesn’t seem like the type to really bring that side out of you.”

“Maybe not. But, what if it just happens? What if I say or do something I regret and things go wrong? What if he gets hurt?”

Well, that’s an interesting question, Joon thinks to himself. This conversation just became that much more entertaining. “Since when do you care if he gets hurt?”

If looks could kill, the younger would be dead in seconds. Jin is shooting daggers right at him, appalled that he would even ask such an idiotic question. Why wouldn’t he care? Regardless of beliefs or current feelings, he knows Yoongi well enough to know that he deserves something good. He deserves to be happy at all times. Jin is willing to do anything to make sure that happens. Even if that means removing himself from the boy’s life.

“I just do, Joon.”

“So, you like him?”

“I don’t know if that’s what I’d call it exactly.”

“But, you want him to be happy?” He nods. “And, you like spending time with him?” Another nod. “And, you enjoyed going on a date with him?” 

Jin rolls his eyes, “yes, Namjoonie. Holy fuck, how many questions are you going to ask?”

“Dude, you like him.”

“Says who?”

“Riddle me this. Do you want to go on another date with him?”

“I don’t know, maybe.”

“No, you’re avoiding the question. Give me a simple yes or no.”

Seokjin groans, looking away from his friend. Namjoon’s eyes are dagger’s of their own, boring holes right into the elder. “Fine. Yes. I think it’d be fun. Are you happy now?”

He chuckles, shaking his head. “Why is that so hard for you to admit?”

“I don’t believe in soulmates, Joon. You know that.”

“Nobody said you had to believe in soulmates to go out with the guy. If you like him and he likes you, that’s kind of all there is to it. The soulmate part can come with time. Or, you can make up another word for it. But, damn, hyung, running away from your feelings won’t help you either.”

“I’m not running away from anything,” he mumbles, keeping his gaze lowered. He hates it when Namjoon is right. Because, once Namjoon starts making sense, he can no longer deny it. He can’t live in the fantasy world he wants to anymore. He has to face reality. 

And, the reality is: Jin likes Yoongi. 

The younger keeps his voice at a calmer volume, “I think you should tell him how you feel.”

“Why?”

“Because, you don’t have to be a genius to realize the guy likes you. I’m pretty sure he liked you even when you first met in the mall parking lot.”

He brushes it off, “that was just the soulmate bond or whatever he calls it. Those weren't real feelings.”

“Maybe not,” Namjoon shrugs, “but, I think it’s safe to say he likes you now, doesn’t he?”

“Yeah,” he answers quietly. He should be more excited about that. The person he likes, likes him back. It should make him happy but all it does is bring nerves and worry. He’s scared that he’ll mess this up for Yoongi. His last relationship ended in heartbreak so who’s to say this one wouldn’t? 

Because Yoongi is nothing like your ass of an ex, his inner thoughts remind him. It brings the smallest smile to his face. 

“Just tell him how you feel, see what happens. You can’t keep running from it or pretending it doesn’t exist just because you’re scared.”

“I’m not scared.”

“No?” Jin adamantly shakes his head. “Prove it then.”

He puffs his chest up, a spurt of confidence emerging. “I will.”

Seokjin grabs his phone from the table, abandoning his friend. He leaves his wallet behind, though, a signal to Namjoon that he’ll be back in a minute or two. He exits the building, walking just a few feet away from the front door. The night air is cold, making his hands shake. (It couldn’t possibly be nerves doing that). He taps Yoongi’s contact, smiling to himself for a moment. He forgot he placed a small honey emoji next to his name. He hits the ‘Call’ button, dialing his number.

He hasn’t even thought about what he’s going to say. Or, how he’ll say it. Maybe he won’t say anything at all. Maybe he’ll just call to wish him a good night, tell him to sleep well. They’ve only talked one or two times since their date, neither conversation lasting very long. What if Yoongi doesn’t even pick up? What if he ignores the call and - 

“- Hello?” his voice sounds. It’s so soft and sweet. It warms Jin from the inside out.

“Hi.”

Yoongi lightly giggles, “hi back.”

“Hi.”

“Didn’t we just cover that?”

“Yeah, um, yeah, we did.” He stumbles over his words. Since when does Jin stumble over his words? Especially when talking to Yoongi? He never does that.

“What’d you call for?”

Jin stays silent, the words feeling trapped in his throat. It’s very reminiscent of his first conversations with Yoongi, when the younger would remain totally quiet. He wouldn’t say a single word because of how nervous he was. 

“Jin?” Yoongi asks. 

He clears his throat. “I need to tell you something.”

“What is it?” His voice is so cheerful. Jin admitting how he feels is the last thing on his mind. 

“I, um, I, uh,” he hesitates. 

Yoongi lightly giggles on the other end of the line. “Since when are you the nervous one?”

“I’m not.”

“Doesn’t sound that way.”

“I’m not,” he repeats in an attempt to sound confident. It’s unknown if he’s trying to convince Yoongi or himself. 

“Okay, whatever you say.”

“Yoongi, I,” he pauses again. The words keep getting trapped in his throat. He wants to say them but he just can’t bring himself to do it. Why is admitting it so hard? The younger hums, waiting for him to finish his sentence. “I had a lot of fun on our date.”

He giggles once more. “ That was what was making you so nervous? Telling me you had fun on our date?”

“I, um, yeah.”

“So you admit you were nervous?” he asks cheekily, having caught Jin in his white lie.

“Oh, be quiet!” 

“That’s kind of cute that you were so nervous to tell me that. Usually it’s the other way around.”

Jin doesn’t notice it himself but the smallest pout forms on his lips. His bottom lip curves out, his tone of voice mimicking his facial expression. “Only kind of cute?”

“Oh, I’m sorry. Would you like it to be fully cute?”

“As a matter of fact, I would.”

“I’ll think about it.”

“And, I’ll think about taking away all those cute comments I made about you.”

Yoongi fake gasps, emphasizing the action. He even clutches his chest. “You wouldn’t dare!”

“Try me.”

“Your nerves were very cute, Jin.” 

He should tell him. He should tell him just how he feels. He should give him some kind of confirmation. He shouldn’t leave him wondering. He should actually grow a pair and say it like he means it.

But he just can’t. Not yet. 

Instead, he asks, “are you by yourself?”

“Hm? Oh, um, Jiminie is here. I’m outside on my balcony, though. Just wanted a little more privacy to talk to you.”

“Oh.”

“Why?”

“No reason.” Actually, a very big reason. 

Jin can hear him moving around on the other end. He doesn’t say anything for a few seconds. All he can hear is the phone being muffled, like something has been dragged over it or swept across the mic. When Yoongi still doesn’t say anything, the elder mumbles, “Yoongi?”

“Oh, sorry,” he answers quickly. “I was grabbing a blanket from my room.”

Great. Now all Jin can think about is Yoongi bundled up in his blanket, sitting and looking at the night sky. Great. That’s just great. 

“Oh.”

“Are you by yourself?” The younger returns the question. 

“I’m with Joon, my friend from the party. The one who was drunk.”

“Oh.”

He answers softly, “yeah.”

“Are you sure there wasn’t a reason you asked?”

Yoongi is practically begging for there to be a reason. He doesn’t care what it is but he has one specific thing in mind for what he’d like for it to be. It may be late but any chance to see Jin is a chance he’ll take in a heartbeat. 

“Yeah, I’m sure. Is there a reason you asked?”

“Not if you don’t have one, no.”

Come on, Jin, say what you really feel, his mind yells at him. But, he just can’t. He can’t do it. He’s scared to ruin things, to ruin Yoongi. If he doesn’t get too close, he can never hurt him. If he keeps his distance, things can remain as they are. Everything can remain good. 

“Sleep well, yeah?” Jin says quietly. 

“Yeah, you too,” he answers before hanging up the phone. Yoongi knows that’s the end of their conversation. He doesn’t need to wait for Jin to mumble a goodbye or anything of the sort. Sleep well means goodbye for them. 

He sets his phone to the side, pulling his knees up to his chest under his blanket. Jimin is waiting for him but he can wait a few more minutes. Yoongi isn’t ready to go back inside yet. First, he has to get past the disappointment that he won’t see Jin today. It’s not like he really expected to but their phone call only gave him hope. Jimin was right. He should stop getting his hopes so high. It only ends up hurting him in the end. 

But, maybe the universe is on his side after all. 

His phone lights up in front of him. 

jin - soulmate

there was a reason. 

Yoongi’s heart begins to race. 

yoongi

yeah? and what would that be? 

jin - soulmate

wanted to see you 

yoongi

and you couldn’t tell me that on the phone? 

Seokjin’s next message is probably the fastest he’s ever replied. It makes Yoongi giggle and his cheeks blush.

jin - soulmate

no.

yoongi

aren’t you with your friend?

jin - soulmate

i don’t have to be. but you’re with jimin so

yoongi

i don’t have to be

jin - soulmate

oh

Yoongi doesn’t even give it a second thought. He has no problem ditching Jimin, especially for his soulmate. Jimin might take a bit of offense but he’ll surely get over it quickly. He knows how important this is to him, how important Jin is. Now, his next response might generally be considered a risk, maybe overstepping a boundary, but he’s grown a little desperate. All he wants to do is see Jin. It’s been two days for crying out loud. That’s a long time! 

yoongi

hillside apartments 903. you can come over if you want?

His heart races as he waits for Jin’s response. It takes nearly ten minutes for him to do so. There’s a sigh of relief when Yoongi’s phone finally lights up. 

jin - soulmate

sorry, i had to pay for my meal and tell joon bye 

yoongi

so you’re coming? 

jin - soulmate

already on the way, honey boy 

Yoongi smiles widely, feeling his heart warm. He’s always said that only his parents could call him such a name but he thinks he’ll make an exception for Jin. He races back inside, darting straight to the living room where he’s bound to find Jimin eating on his couch. Sure enough, there is he, instant noodles and all. 

He’s out of breath from running and Jimin can only stare at him, noodles hanging from his mouth. “You good?” he asks with stuffed cheeks.

“You have to leave.”

“Why?!”

“Jin is coming over.”

“At this hour?!”

“Yes!”

“Why?!”

“Because I asked him to!”

“Why?!”

“Because I wanted to see him!”

“So you’re just going to kick your best friend out?!”

“Yep!”

“Oh, come on, man!” He whines, throwing a small fit before standing up, taking his noodles with him. Yoongi pays him no mind, scrambling to straighten up his home. It’s decently clean, only a few things scattered about but he wants it to be perfect. This is a first impression. He has to make his home look nice. It has to be presentable. Not in a ‘make it look like nobody actually lives here’ kind of way but a ‘someone lives here but in a very neat way’ kind of way. Jimin stands by the counter, watching him run back and forth as he cleans. He manages to scarf down the rest of his noodles in the meantime, not wanting to take them with him. 

“You don’t have to impress the guy, he already likes you!”

“We don’t know that!” he says in between cleaning. 

“We kind of do but okay,” Jimin mumbles to himself, ensuring Yoongi can’t hear. 

The blanket that Yoongi used to keep himself warm outside has been wrapped around his neck the entire time, resting across his shoulders. Jimin is almost certain that he has no idea it’s there. It’s like he’s completely oblivious, his mind only focused on Seokjin. He has no intentions on telling his friend either, he’ll have to figure it out on his own. 

As Yoongi straightens the pillows, Jimin asks, “what do you even plan on doing when he gets here?”

“I don’t know. I haven’t thought that far yet.”

“Are you going to watch a movie or something?”

“I don’t know.”

“You gonna cuddle with him?”

“I don’t know.”

“Are you going to kiss him?”

“I don’t know, Mini!” he shouts. He’s completely out of breath, breathing heavily from all his quick actions. “I don’t know what will happen, okay?”

Jimin approaches him, putting a hand on his shoulder. “Hey, it’ll be okay. You two will have fun no matter what you do.”

Yoongi smiles, “thanks, Jiminie.” His smile drops and his blank expression reappears. “Now, you have to go! He’s going to be here soon!”

The elder begins pushing him towards the door, Jimin playfully fights it. “Come on, let me at least hang out for a few more minutes!”

“No, you can’t!”

“Please, hyung?”

“Mini, I’m serious, you really have to,” he opens the door mid-sentence and he really wishes he wouldn’t have. Jin is standing right in front of him, hand just barely lifted as if he were about to knock. “Go,” he says quietly, finishing his sentence. 

Jimin quickly assesses the situation, “I’ll see you tomorrow, Yoongi-hyung.” He turns to Jin, politely bowing his head. “Nice to see you again.”

“Likewise,” the elder returns the polite bow before Jimin heads off. The youngest manages to give his friend a look, teasing him about his night ahead with Seokjin. It only makes Yoongi blush that much more. 

Once his friend is completely gone, Yoongi mumbles, “come in.” Jin does as asked, taking off his shoes by the door. “You got here faster than I thought you would.”

“Oh, um, the restaurant we were at was close by. I didn’t expect to be here so quickly either.”

It’s funny how both boy’s seem to turn into a pile of nerves when around each other. They were so confident not too long ago and now they can barely look at one another. It’s a normal occurrence for Yoongi to be nervous around Jin but for Jin to be nervous around Yoongi? That’s a new one. 

“Did you enjoy your meal?” the younger asks, further stepping inside his home so that they aren’t crowded by the door.

Jin follows behind him, “I did. Namjoon and I talked about a few things. It was nice.”

“About what?” The elder raises a brow. “Sorry, that was overstepping. You don’t have to tell me.”

“It’s okay, Yoongi, I don’t mind sharing,” he chuckles.

“You don’t?”

He shakes his head. “It was actually about you.”

“Me?” His heart stops.

“Mhm.”

“What, um, what about me?”

“That I enjoyed our date. That I enjoy spending time with you.”

Yoongi’s eyes light up and Jin can’t take his own off the boy. He tries to hide his smile but it peeks through. He’s a smiling idiot, full of joy when he’s around Seokjin. “Oh. Well, um, I’m glad. That makes me happy.”

“I’m glad. You deserve to be happy.” The younger is practically melting at every word Jin says. Just as Jimin did, the elder notices the blanket still hanging around his neck. Unlike Jimin, though, he makes a point to call it out. “Do you always carry a blanket with you like that?”

“Hm?” He reaches up, feeling the soft fabric around him. He quickly removes it, holding it in his hands. “Oh, um, I had it with me outside. I must’ve forgotten it was there.”

“Outside? You go there a lot, don’t you?”

He nods. “Do you want to see it?”

“Sure.”

Yoongi has needed an excuse to hold Jin’s hand again and this is the perfect time to do so. Like the elder did at the party, he grabs Seokjin’s hand, leading him back towards his room. He realizes how silly this must look, considering there’s no possible way of him getting lost but Jin doesn’t fight it. In fact, he holds his hand tightly, keeping the two close. Yoongi tries to get through his room quickly, as he didn’t focus on cleaning it so much. He’s thankful, though, that he keeps the majority of it clean. He steps out onto the balcony and slowly releases Jin’s hand. He has no reason to continue holding it any longer, despite how badly he wants to. 

He pushes the elder in front of him, guiding him to the lounge chair. He only has one so he wants Jin to get the best experience possible. “Here, sit. I’ll sit on the end.”

“You’re sure?”

“Very sure!” he answers happily. “You’ll get the full experience if you sit there.”

“Okay,” he chuckles, taking the seat. Yoongi does as he said he would, sitting on the very end of the chair, practically the furthest away from Jin he could possibly be. 

The younger looks out at the sky, admiring the stars and the moon, since it’s in view from his position. He doesn’t even realize Seokjin looking at him, admiring how the moonlight reflects off his face. Even in such a white light, he’s still golden. He’s still somehow so radiant and glowing. He has the smallest smile on his face when he gazes at the night sky. Jin is almost sure that he’s mentally saying hi to every single star, greeting it with warmth and kindness. 

“It’s really pretty, isn’t it?” Yoongi asks, quickly turning his head back to Seokjin. 

The elder blinks, doing his best to make it seem like he wasn’t staring. Thankfully, it seems as if he has no idea. “Yeah,” he makes eye contact with Yoongi, smiling at him, “it really is.”

And, Yoongi would be lying if he said he had no idea Jin was looking at him. He’s known from the second they sat down. 

“This is where I was that night you asked if I could see the moon,” Yoongi says softly, staring up at the sky. 

Jin looks up but there’s no moon in sight. He doesn’t realize that it’s hiding from him, just out of view. “But, you can’t even see it from here?” 

Yoongi giggles, not even thinking twice before grabbing ahold of Jin’s arm and pulling him forward. The elder’s hand rests on the seat, keeping him from falling directly into Yoongi. The boy points up, head leaning to the side just slightly so that he can see around the building. “Now you can,” he smiles. 

“Oh,” he breathes out, “you’re right.”

Yoongi turns to see Jin’s expression but he’s yet to realize how close they are. When he cranes his neck, he comes face to face with the elder, leaving only a few inches of distance between them. He’s captivated by his eyes, how the moon reflects in them. Yoongi would be the earth a million times over if it meant Jin was the moon, always by his side.

The younger breaks the gaze first, turning to look back at the sky. He clears his throat, hoping it’ll give him the courage to speak but it doesn’t. He remains just as nervous. From the corner of his eye, he sees Seokjin beginning to move back to his original seat. He lets go of the breath he’s been holding, letting the blanket around his neck fall down his back. He wraps it around his body, making himself feel safe. Nothing bad can happen inside his blanket cocoon. 

“You like to come out here?” Jin’s voice breaks the silence.

“Yeah. It’s a nice thinking spot.”

He lightly chuckles, “yeah, I can see why.” Jin pauses. “Do you, um, do you always bring people out here?”

“Mmh, not really. Jimin’s been out here a few times but I like to keep it to myself. It’s special to me.”

“To yourself?”

Yoongi looks back at him, nodding his head. “Yeah.”

“But, you let me come out here?”

“Oh, well, I, um… you’re different.”

The elder’s head tilts, one of his most endearing little qualities. “Why’s that?”

Yoongi stifles a laugh, running his hand through his hair. He nervously shakes through it, letting his hand fall to his nape. Is it even possible that Jin still doesn’t know how important he is to Yoongi? “You just are,” is what he settles on. 

“Is it a good different?”

“Yes.”

“A very good different?”

“Yes.”

“A very, very good diff -”

“How many times are you going to ask that, hm?”

Jin lets out the softest laughter, melting Yoongi’s heart even further. “Just thought I’d see how far you’d let me take it. How long can I get away with it, you know?”

“You should know by now that I’d let you get away with just about anything,” he blurts out. But, rather than shy away from his word vomit, like he has in the past, he owns up to it. His nerves might be screaming inside but he maintains eye contact with the elder, never once looking away. 

“Anything?”

“Just about,” he clarifies with a tiny smile. 

Jin raises a brow, the faintest smirk already on his lips. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

“I bet you will,” he teases, causing both of them to break into laughter. Yoongi shakes his head, hoping to regain some kind of thought process. He and Jin are becoming flirty, maybe even too flirty. Granted, that’s exactly what Yoongi wants but he also wants it to happen naturally, not because they’re trying to force it. He wants Jin to like him for him, not because Yoongi keeps pestering him to do so. Fate will make it happen, they just have to let it. “Did you enjoy your meal with your friend?”

“Mhm, I did. Namjoon can be stubborn at times, maybe even a little pushy, but he’s my best friend. Spending time with him is important to me.”

“I know the type,” he chuckles.

“Jimin, right?”

He nods with a small hum. “It’s hard to be around him sometimes. We’re very different people.”

“Different how?”

“I dunno,” he shrugs, “just different personalities, I suppose. I’m easily excitable, usually full of energy. Jimin is calmer, more laid back. I like giving hugs and Jimin hates receiving them. I buy cute letter sets and Jimin only tags along to make me happy. I believe in soulmates, he thinks fate is a waste of time. We’re just… different.”

“Sometimes the people who are most different, get along the best.”

Yoongi can’t tell if he’s talking about Jimin anymore. It almost sounds like he’s referencing himself. But that’s crazy, right? Why would he bring himself up? 

“Sometimes, yeah,” he responds quietly. 

“I’m sorry I called them shitty friends at the party.”

Honestly, Yoongi had forgotten all about that. He was too focused on being with Seokjin, making him laugh, holding his hand. “Oh, um, it’s okay. They are at times. But, they mean well.”

“Still, I shouldn’t have said it. I know I’d be upset if someone said that about my friends.”

“Like the girl? The one who called you baby?” Even though Jin shut down those worries in Yoongi’s mind, it still doesn’t make him feel good. He doesn’t like the idea of anyone calling Jin that. One playful comment could turn into something more and unless it’s with Yoongi, that’s the last thing he wants. 

It’s also the last thing Seokjin wants, but he doesn’t say so. 

He laughs, “ah, yeah. Jieun. She’s a pain in the ass but she’s still my pain in the ass. Only I get to call her stupid shit.”

“Do you two always… um… flirt?... with each other?”

“Only sometimes. She just does it to get under my skin.”

“Oh.”

“You seem to be forgetting that I’m gay, Yoongi,” he says, catching the boy off-guard.

He stumbles over his words, “oh, um, no, no, I didn’t. I remember. Yeah, I remember that for sure. Don’t worry.”

Jin chuckles, leaning forward and placing a hand on Yoongi’s arm. It’s over the blanket so there’s a lack of physical touch but it still sets the younger’s body on fire. “I’m just teasing, Yoongi.”

“Right, yeah, I knew that.”

He leans back, removing his hand. Yoongi curses the blanket for being there. But, he has no one to blame but himself. “Right, of course.”

A few minutes of silence pass, both boys looking up at the sky and admiring the stars. With Yoongi being closer to the end of the chair, it’s hard for him to look back at Jin. He does so a few times but only in an attempt to catch him looking at him again. He knows that he’s doing it but he can’t catch him in the act. Jin is sneaky, only looking at Yoongi when his eyes aren’t also on him. It’s hard to look away, though. The younger is so beautiful in this light. Slowly but surely, Seokjin is coming to terms with the fact that he likes Yoongi. He’s just too much of a coward to say anything about it. 

“You want to know a secret?” Jin asks out of nowhere.

Yoongi looks back at him with kind eyes. “Sure.”

It gets harder to look at him. Seokjin has to pull his eyes away, focusing on his hands or the chair or even the sky. He can’t seem to look at Yoongi right now. “When you came up to me at the mall that day, I was confused but also,” he pauses.

The younger is on the edge of his seat, physically and metaphorically. “Yeah?”

“I don’t know how to explain it. I just felt like I knew you. You were a stranger, by all means, but something inside of me just kind of… clicked. That’s why I’ve been so willing to try this, I think. I don’t know,” he tries to laugh it off, “that probably sounds weird, right?”

Yoongi recalls the feeling he had when he first saw Jin’s photo. The moment he knew he found his soulmate. It all just… clicked. 

“Not weird,” he confirms. “Not weird at all, actually.”

“I wanted to just brush it off but when I first contacted you, that night everything just seemed to fall into place.”

Because we’re soulmates, Yoongi internally shouts. “Yeah?”

“I wasn’t sure if you’d actually respond or not.”

“I came up to you and gave you my number, Jin. Believe me, I was going to respond.”

“Yeah,” he chuckles. 

Yoongi decides to be honest, too. “I actually didn’t think you’d even call me, or text me, or anything. By the time you did, I was in full dramatic mode. I was convinced I scared you off, that I’d never see you again.”

“Dramatic mode?” he questions with a small laugh. 

“That’s what Jimin calls it. Personally, I just like to lay on the floor and air out my feelings but as soon as Jimin sees it happening, he thinks that I think the entire world is about to end.”

“Well, did you think the entire world was about to end?”

“Actually, yes,” he admits, making Jin laugh out loud. His smile is so bright. Yoongi immediately begins thinking of a million different ways he can make Jin laugh like that again. He’d do just about anything to see him smile like that. “I thought I was losing my soulmate, okay?! By my standards, that means the world is ending!”

Seokjin smiles once more, “that’s cute.”

It doesn’t even phase Yoongi like it normally would. It makes him feel warm inside, his nerves threatening to appear but he pushes them down. Instead, all he responds with is, “I like that you call me that.”

“What? That I call you cute?” The younger nods. “Aren’t you usually hiding behind your hands? Running away from the conversation? Since when do you like that?”

He (very cutely) shrugs, “dunno. Just do.”

“Well, if you’re so immune to it now, I might have to come up with another word.”

“No, no, let’s not do that,” he panics. He’s not entirely sure his heart could handle a new word. It only just got used to cute. “Cute is good. I like cute. Let’s stick with cute.”

Jin is so endeared. “Okay, okay. We’ll stick to cute for now.”

“Good. Because I am very cute!” He puffs his chest up, making an adorable expression. Jin’s crush is growing. 

In between laughter, Seokjin rubs at his arms, an attempt to create heat friction. The night air is starting to get to him, forming chill bumps along his skin. Yoongi notices right away, his small shivers giving him away. The younger’s eyes are filled with worry, “do you want a blanket? I think I have another in the closet!”

He shakes his head. “I’m alright.”

“We can go inside? Where it’s warm?”

“I’m alright.”

“But, you’re cold!”

“I promise it’s okay, Yoongi.”

“Let me get you a blanket. Here, take this one and I can get another one!”

Yoongi attempts to shove his towards Jin but the elder refuses, pushing it back. “Keep it. I’m okay, really.”

“But, it’s cold! You need to be warm,” he talks in pout. 

Jin makes a bold move, lightly shrugging his shoulders. “Just share that one with me then. It’ll save you a trip inside and you won’t have to search for another.”

The boy’s eyes go wide. Did he just hear that correctly? Jin wants to share a blanket with him? No, there’s no possible way. But, he keeps staring at him. He seems genuine. It doesn’t feel like a prank. It feels real. He only has a limited time in which to respond. He panics, blurting out, “but it’s too small to share.”

Good one, Yoongi. 

“Then, we’ll just have to be close.”

Oh.

“Are you sure?” He stands to his feet, already moving towards the balcony door. “I really can just go get you another one -”

Jin grabs his wrist, stopping him from moving any further. He gently pulls him back to the lounge chair, responding softly, “I’m sure.”

“We… we have to be close, though.”

“I don’t mind. Do you?”

No. A million times no. He lightly shakes his head.

“Then, come here,” Jin whispers. Yoongi’s heart does about ten backflips in under three seconds. That’s a new personal record.

Seokjin carefully pulls him towards the seat, blanket in hand. The elder leans against the backrest, leaving a space between his legs for Yoongi to sit. His nerves have completely taken over, forcing him into silence. He can only do as Jin instructs, which is sitting right in front of him, his back facing the elder. 

Yoongi jumps when he feels hands on his waist. Jin quickly mumbles, “sorry. Can I, um,” he doesn’t know what he’s even trying to ask. Yoongi only nods. He no longer cares. 

Jin places his hands gently on the boy’s waist, pulling him back towards him. Yoongi sits upright, unsure what he’s meant to do next. He feels a tug on his torso, politely asking him to lean backwards. He does so, slowly leaning back. His back collides with Jin’s chest and he takes a deep breath. None of this feels real. 

He makes himself more comfortable, sinking down just a bit so that his head lays against the elder’s chest. His hands visibly shake as he unfolds the blanket, laying it over top of them. Jin wants to wrap an arm around his waist but he doesn’t want to make him uncomfortable. He opts to let it rest on top of the blanket, right across where Yoongi’s torso is. The entire encounter is awkward, both boy’s equally as nervous but once they find the perfect position, it all feels right. 

“Is this okay?” Jin asks.

“Yeah. Yeah, it’s okay.”

“Are you comfortable?”

He nods. “Yeah. Are you?”

“Yeah.”

“Good.”

Seokjin’s heartbeat is so loud that he’s almost certain Yoongi can hear it. He’s become so nervous around the younger, so worried that he’ll say something wrong. All he wants is for Yoongi to be happy, to be okay with what’s going on. He never wants to push too far and he’s starting to worry that this is pushing every boundary.

“You’re sure this is okay?”

Unexpectedly, Yoongi turns his head to look up at Jin. With their faces so close, one thought remains on both their minds. “I’m sure. You’re kind of comfy.”

“That so?”

“Mhm.” He adjusts his position, unintentionally curling in closer to the elder. As he moves, so does Jin’s arm. He holds him closer, still over the blanket. “Very comfy.”

“Good. I was worried.”

Yoongi’s brows furrow, “why?”

“I worry about a lot with you.”

“Why?”

“I just want this to be perfect for you. I don’t want to ruin anything.”

The only way you can ruin it is if you walk away, Yoongi thinks. 

He half-smiles, “you won’t.”

“And, I don’t want who I was, who I used to be, to come out again. He’s a shitty person and the last thing you deserve is some shitty guy in your life. I don’t want to hurt you.”

Yoongi can’t help but smile even wider. “Careful, you actually sound like you care about me, Jin.”

“Is that a bad thing?”

Oh. 

“No.”

“Good.”

“Does that mean you do?”

“I might.” The younger playfully pinches his side, teasing him. “Okay, maybe I do.”

“Was that so hard to admit?”

“Yes.”

Yoongi snickers, “you sound like me.”

“Sounding like you is a good thing.”

“Is it?”

“Mhm,” he nods. “You’re kind and caring, you see positivity in the world even when there is little left of it. You make others around you smile. If sounding like you means I get even half of those traits, I’m happy to sound like you any day.”

Yoongi has to break eye contact, turning back to look at the stars in the sky. It must be the night air that’s getting to Jin. The stars have placed him in a trance, the moon whispered a magic spell when it saw him. Something must have happened in the past thirty minutes to make him act this way. Jin doesn’t talk like this. He doesn’t say things like this. 

When the younger leans back against him, Seokjin readjusts his own position. He places his arms under the blanket, allowing one to gently drape over the boy’s abdomen. If Yoongi asks, he’ll claim he was cold, that he needed a little extra warmth. But, Yoongi doesn’t mind one single bit.

“Kinda sounds like you like me,” Yoongi mumbles, not thinking anything of it. 

Jin smiles, “it does, doesn’t it?”

Neither Yoongi or Jin seem to realize how fast time passes. They’re too caught up in conversation to notice that the night has turned into even later night. The younger hasn’t moved an inch. He remains laid up against Seokjin, the elder’s hand draped loosely across his mid section. He’d rather fall asleep right here than ever get up ever again. If this is all pretend, if Jin has absolutely zero feelings, he sure is doing a great job at acting like he does. He’s found himself playing with Jin’s hand under the blanket, mindlessly intertwining and undoing their fingers over and over again as they talk. Yoongi’s only barely aware he’s doing so. He covered up because of the cold but Jin’s hand happened to be there, too. It was only a mere coincidence.

“Tell me something I don’t know about you,” Yoongi murmurs, his eyes fixated on the stars in front of them.

“Mmh, like what?”

“Anything. I like knowing things about you.”

Jin smiles. Yoongi can’t see him, though. “Do you want childhood facts?”

The elder can hear his excited gasp. His body vibrates with happiness as he shakes his little fists under the blanket. His voice even goes up a few octaves when he responds. “Yes, yes! Tell me all about tiny Jin!”

“Tiny Jin was a real catch.”

“Mhm, I bet he was!”

“He was very smart, too. Always made the best grades. He was very handsome, had everyone swooning over him.”

Yoongi giggles to himself, “I think you still have that effect on people.”

“Do I?” The younger nods adamantly, still looking straight ahead. Jin can just barely see his face, the expression he’s making. He’s so happily confident in his answer. “Well, tiny Jin was too shy to talk to anyone. He was a lot like you.”

“Like me?”

“Mhm. Anytime someone would flirt with him or give him compliments, he’d run and hide. Or, he’d turn into a blushing mess.”

Yoongi huffs, ready to defend himself. Jin is prepared for it. He knew his comment would make the younger playfully retaliate. “I don’t do that!”

“No?”

“Nope!” He shakes his head. “I take compliments with ease!”

“Well, if that’s the case, then -”

Yoongi quickly turns around and puts his hand over Jin’s mouth to stop him from talking. Their eyes lock for a few seconds, a wave of silence coming between them. Yoongi was certain before but he’s extra, extra, extra certain now. Jin is without a doubt his soulmate. The look in his eyes proves it. That’s not just any ordinary look. That’s a soulmate look. Jin, on the other hand, is too focused on how pretty Yoongi’s eyes look to realize the way he’s staring back at him. There’s so much care and, dare Yoongi say, love in his eyes. Is he really this good at pretending? Can he really feel nothing?

“Maybe we should talk about that another time?” He slowly pulls his hand away.

“Yeah, maybe,” Jin whispers.

Yoongi turns back around, leaning his head back against the elder’s chest. He takes a deep breath, letting all of the feelings subside. He needs to feel calm again. “What was your family like growing up?” he asks, shifting back to the original subject. 

“My brother and I were close. He always looked out for me since he’s older.”

“Do you still see him a lot?”

He hums, “mhm. When I can. I talk to him a lot, though, just to stay in touch.”

“That’s good. Family is important.”

“Do you have siblings?”

Yoongi nods his head. “A brother, like you.”

“Close?”

“We try to be. We’re different in a lot of ways but I think the differences are what bring us closer. I think he’s more like you. Kind and giving but also a little headstrong at times. He’s funny, too, like you are. I’m happy when I get to spend time with him.”

“And, are you happy when you spend time with me?” Is he that unaware? Yoongi looks over his shoulder at the boy, his brows furrowed. He stares in disbelief, waiting for Jin’s brain to kick back into gear. The elder immediately starts laughing. “Okay, okay, point taken!”

Yoongi playfully scoffs, turning back around. “The fact that you even have to ask that at this point,” he mumbles. It’s meant to be a comment to himself but with their proximity, Jin hears every word. A hint of worry begins to set in, nervous that he’s somehow upset the boy.

“I just like to be sure.”

“Well, now you are,” Yoongi firmly states. He must admit, he’s a bit annoyed that Jin is still questioning things like this. He’s been relatively honest with his feelings. He doesn’t like to have them questioned so often.

“Plus, I just like hearing you say it.”

Okay, annoyance gone. The younger smiles to himself, his tongue poking at his cheek. Smooth move, Jin. Smooth move. 

“You should just know that already,” Yoongi tries to challenge him, not wanting to back down just yet.

“Mhm, I should. But hearing you say it is more fun.”

“Yeah?” He cranes his neck to give him an angle to look at Seokjin. “And, why’s that?”

He smirks, “because usually you get nervous. You turn to mush and hide behind your hands like a little kid. It’s cute.”

“What about when I’m not nervous? What about when I can look you in the eyes without hiding and say I enjoy being around you? What am I then? Still cute?”

“No.” Yoongi frowns. “Then, you’re actually kind of hot.” And, Yoongi smiles. Or, at least, on the inside he does. He has to remain completely zen on the outside. Seokjin is working with an already built-up ego here. Can’t give him anymore ammunition. 

His heart races but he does his very best to make it seem like it’s not. “Only kind of?”

“Confidence is attractive. But, in your case, so are nerves. They’re just attractive in a different way.” Yoongi’s head tilts, trying to fully understand what he means. Jin sees the confusion in his face and clarifies for him. “When you’re nervous around me, it’s cute. It’s attractive but in a ‘that’s adorable’ kind of way. But, when you’re confident, it’s hot. It’s attractive in a ‘you have my full attention’ kind of way.”

The younger pouts, his bottom lip turning outward. “What if I always want your full attention?”

Jin cheekily rolls his eyes, a tiny laugh following the action. “I give you not one but two compliments and you decide to completely ignore those and ask for more attention?” Yoongi shrugs nonchalantly, the look on his face wondering what’s so bad about that. “You are something else.”

“That a good thing or a bad thing?”

“What do you think?”

“Doesn’t matter what I think.” Yoongi sits upright, turning so that he’s completely facing Jin. He sits between the elder’s legs, criss-crossing his own. Seokjin’s dangle off the side of the lounge chair but he doesn’t mind. The younger instinctively reaches for Jin’s hand, which the latter allows him to take. He matches up their hands, staying silent as he does so, interlocking their fingers. The blanket, which used to be covering both of them, is now laying across Yoongi’s back as it was previously in the evening. It drapes down, just barely reaching Jin’s legs since they’re sat so close together. “I only care what you think.”

“What I think?” Jin asks, his eyes fixated on his and Yoongi’s hands. The younger nods. “I think a lot of things.”

“Such as?”

“Such as, I like holding hands with you.”

“Mmh?”

“That I have wanted to ever since the first time at the party.”

Yoongi momentarily freezes, his hands halting as they play with Jin’s fingers. He has to mentally slap himself to make himself start moving again. Otherwise, Seokjin will think he’s broken. “Why didn’t you?” he asks, gaze lowered.

“Didn’t know if you’d want me to.”

“That’s a dumb excuse,” he mumbles. “You know what I think of you so I easily would’ve held your hand if you wanted to.”

“I’ll keep that in mind then.”

Yoongi keeps trying to force his smile away but it keeps coming back. He gives in, letting it form on his lips. “You should.”

“You know, if you keep facing me then you might miss a shooting star. Or, maybe even miss a chance to spot a constellation.”

The younger finally makes eyes with Jin, playfully smiling. “Are you saying you know how to spot constellations?”

“There’s a lot of things you don’t know about me, Yoongi.”

The boy turns around where he sits, facing outward to look at the sky. It must be the stars or the moon’s spell but something about being with Jin feels so different tonight. It’s as if something in the air has changed, something inside both of them has changed. Yoongi has only been turned around for a few seconds before he feels Seokjin scooting closer to him. Arms wrap around his waist, holding him close and a chin rests upon his shoulder. He has to stop himself from shrieking or even running back inside. Fate is doing it’s thing. He has to let it do it’s thing. 

“Do you see any constellations?” Jin asks, his voice sending chills down Yoongi’s spine. His voice is lowered but with his face so close to the younger’s ear, it’s louder than ever before.

“I thought you knew them,” he remarks.

The elder lifts his hand up, pointing at the sky. “See those right there?” Yoongi has not a single clue where he’s pointing but he nods his head anyway. “That’s the Big Dipper.”

The younger scoffs, “everyone knows the Big Dipper!”

“Why didn’t you show me then?”

“I was waiting to be impressed by your knowledge of stars,” he murmurs.

“And, were you?” Yoongi can just barely see Jin out of his peripheral, a smirk on his face. “Impressed with my knowledge?”

He turns his head to look at the elder. It puts their faces even closer. “Not at all but it’s cute that you tried to impress me.”

“I’ll take that,” Jin chuckles. 

Yoongi turns his head back, feeling the boy’s arms tighten around his waist. He’s holding him so close that they’re practically becoming one. It’s as if two souls are finally coming together, just as the universe has always planned for them to. The younger can’t stop himself from stating the obvious, though. “You’re very close to me.”

“Is that okay?”

“Just an observation,” he says quietly. 

“Mm, you’re warm.” He feels him settle against him, his chest pressing against his back as Yoongi remains seated between his legs. 

Warm. Is that all this is? A way to escape the cold?

The intrusive thought overcomes Yoongi and he pulls away from Jin, scooting further down the seat. He turns around to face him and is greeted by a confused elder. Seokjin didn’t expect him to move, much less pull back. The blanket stays wrapped around Yoongi’s body, he pulls it taut around him, leaving the front of it open. 

“If you’re cold, I’ll get you a blanket,” he states.

“I kind of liked sharing. Didn’t you?”

Yoongi is torn between his feelings and the worrisome thoughts that keep invading his mind. The thoughts that tell him none of this is real and Jin doesn’t care like he pretends to. The thoughts that keep fighting with his heart, which tells him the complete opposite. He doesn’t speak, fearful that his voice might betray him, so he nods, agreeing with Seokjin’s statement.

The elder smiles, reaching out towards Yoongi. He grabs both sides of the blanket, lightly tugging on it. The younger goes to remove it, assuming that’s what Jin wants but his hand is lightly tapped away. He stares at the younger boy, his supposed soulmate. His eyes are like small little orbs, delicately placed and painted in the prettiest color. He’s captivated by him. Yoongi looks absolutely lost, confused with what Jin wants. He grips the blanket again, using it to pull Yoongi towards him. 

With one fell swoop, Seokjin crashes his lips onto Yoongi’s, kissing him gently. His hand slowly moves from the edge of the blanket to the younger’s nape, bringing him in closer. The latter is taken aback, stunned by the action but quickly adjusts and forgets about everything else around him. Jin’s lips are soft and plush, seemingly matching his perfectly. He feels that spark, the spark that no other kiss has ever made him feel. This is all he wants forever. Jin is all he wants forever. His heart is sure to explode any second now.

When Seokjin pulls away, he swiftly leans back in for one final peck, almost like a parting gift. It drives Yoongi mad, making him crave even more. The younger’s eyes flutter open, just as slowly as Jin’s do. His hand moves involuntarily, touching his own lips. 

“Is that okay?” Jin asks with the softest voice.

“Can we do that again?” Yoongi blurts out.

He chuckles. Yoongi hasn’t done that in a while. He hasn’t spoken without thinking first in a while. Jin kind of missed it. “I should go.”

“Why?” There he goes again.

“Come on,” Jin says, beginning to stand up. He grabs Yoongi’s hand, trying so hard to ignore the pout on his lips. 

The elder leads the pair back inside, directing them towards the front door. Is Yoongi really that bad of a kisser that Jin wants to leave this quickly? The intrusive thoughts keep coming one after another, convincing Yoongi that this is a one time thing, that he’ll never get to experience that again. The worst thought of all that plagues his mind is what Jimin said to him so long ago. Maybe he felt the spark but Jin didn’t. Maybe Jin is his soulmate but he simply isn’t Jin’s. 

Seokjin opens the front door once he’s got his shoes on, stepping out into the hallway. He turns back to see a frowning Yoongi. He’s not afraid to hide his sorrow. He doesn’t want Jin to leave and he doesn’t care if he knows that or not. The elder sweetly smiles, his cheeks puffing up.

“You’re pouting.”

“And, you’re leaving.”

Once again, he’s speaking without thinking first, Jin mentally notes.

Actually, Yoongi is thinking everything through. He doesn’t want Jin to leave and he doesn’t mind expressing his sadness over that. 

“Promise me you’ll get some sleep?”

Yoongi leans against the doorframe, his arms loosely crossed over his chest. He’s defiant like a little kid but again, he doesn’t care. “Yeah.”

Jin knows there’s only one way to fix the upset attitude he’s caused. He steps forward, lightly grabbing under the younger’s chin. He holds him still, keeping his gaze focused only on Seokjin. “Promise?”

“Kiss me again and I’ll promise.”

He smiles, placing a soft peck on Yoongi’s lips. It’s short and sweet but not nearly enough. Even still, Yoongi feels the same spark he did before. He wonders if Jin does, too. He’d probably never admit to it if he did. 

“Good night, Yoongi,” Seokjin whispers as he pulls away.

“Good night,” he returns, watching the elder slowly begin to walk away. He closes the front door, leaning back against it. He feels so happy yet can’t help but worry he might’ve just watched his soulmate walk away for good.

Seokjin sits in his car for nearly fifteen minutes before he pulls out of the parking lot. There’s a million and one thoughts on his mind. He keeps touching his lips over and over again, trying to decipher this feeling he has. A feeling he’s never had before.

━━━━━━

Two weeks. Actually, 12 days to be exact. That’s how long it’s been since Yoongi has seen or even heard from Seokjin. He’s called him three times, wanting to just hear his voice but it rings all the way through to voicemail. Even the five or six  texts have gone unanswered. Jin hasn’t said a single word to him. He hasn’t tried to reach out, hasn’t tried to talk to him, hasn’t tried to do anything involving Yoongi. The latter wanted to believe that things might finally be happening for him, that Jin kissing him was a sign of good things coming his way. Yet, it seems it was merely a parting gift, something to say goodbye. 

If he tries hard enough, he can still feel Jin’s lips on his or even his arms around his waist. It’s like a phantom, once here but now gone. Yoongi stopped trying to contact him on day 6. If Jin wanted to see him or wanted to talk to him, he would. And, Yoongi can’t force things to happen. That’s not how fate works. He can’t control it even if he wants to. 

The only solution to this is laying on the floor, complaining to his friend, both of them, about how absolutely terrible his life is. Hobi doesn’t see this side of him that often but Jimin does. He’s used to it and the other is starting to as well. Yoongi has been listening to sad piano music for days, not caring if it makes his mood worse or not. It’s the only emotion he has so he might as well as express it through his music choices.

“Hyung,” Jimin says, sitting criss-crossed on the floor beside him. Hobi is directly across from him on the other side of Yoongi. He lightly pokes the elder, “hyung, come on. You can’t keep doing this.”

“Says who?” he asks, staring straight up. He’s been avoiding their gazes for quite some time now.

“You’re dwelling on the negative.”

“Well, there’s no positive to dwell on.”

Hobi takes over, trying to ease the situation. “But, he kissed you. That’s a positive, right?”

Yoongi scoffs, a sarcastic laugh. “He kissed me then he left. That’s a negative.”

“But, the kiss itself? Positive?”

He huffs, keeping his eyes on the ceiling. Seokjin kissing him is the biggest positive to ever happen to him. He would do anything to have just one more kiss, even if it only lasts for a single second. If he knew it was going to be his last, maybe he would’ve savored it just a bit more. Maybe he would’ve pulled Jin in for another, taking control of the situation for once. Maybe he would’ve done a lot of things if he knew this is how it was going to end. 

“I guess.”

“Then, why don’t you dwell on that? If it’s a positive?”

For the first time, Yoongi leans his head towards Hoseok, making eyes with him. “I can’t dwell on a positive when it was followed by such a negative, Hobi.”

“Why not?”

“Because all I can think about is the negative. All I can think about is the fact that he hasn’t spoken to me in two weeks and doesn’t appear to want to either. All I can think about is how stupidly perfect that night was and how horribly it ended.”

“Okay, okay,” he stops him, putting a hand on his shoulder. “I get it. It was a shitty situation.”

Yoongi leans his head back, staring upwards again. “Yes. Very.”

“Hyung, I know you don’t want to hear this but have you considered maybe he isn’t the one? Maybe it’s just something you wanted to happen so badly so you convinced yourself it was him?” Jimin’s words cut like knives. 

Yoongi has spent months wondering if Jin is actually his soulmate or not. He’s gone over every feeling, every instance they were together, every single thing Jin has said to him. There isn’t a doubt in his mind who Seokjin is to him. Although he’s never felt it before, he knows that this is what finding his soulmate is supposed to feel like.

There’s this rush that he gets every time he sees Jin. His heart rate increases and he can barely think straight. He can barely even look the guy in the eyes because he’s so nervous. Jin makes him feel a certain way, something he’s never experienced in his life. He makes him happy. He’s kind and he’s sweet but he’s also a little sarcastic and witty at times. He’s the perfect balance to Yoongi’s personality. He’s the boy’s other half. Yoongi has no doubt in his mind about that.

He knew it from the moment he saw Jin’s picture. He was even more certain when he saw him at the party and they spent the night walking around together, talking about anything that came to mind. Their date made the feelings even more real. And, that last night they spent together, that’s when everything became solidified. Yoongi has never felt more safe or at home than he does around Seokjin.

Seokjin is his soulmate. That much he knows for sure.

“He is. I know he is,” Yoongi confirms to his friends.

“You’re 100% sure on that?”

The eldest cocks his head towards Jimin, finally having had enough of his doubts. “I’m 150% fucking certain, Jiminie!”

His eyes go wide, as do Hoseok’s. Yoongi rarely swears. If he does, that’s when they know something bad has happened or he feels strongly about something. Jimin backs down immediately, making a swift apology. Hobi keeps a hand on the eldest’s arm in an attempt to coax him out of his sudden anger.

“Remember what you said to me that day at the mall?”

“I said a lot of things at the mall.”

“That’s true,” he chuckles, “but, right before you went after him, you asked me, ‘what if I’m wrong?’.” 

Yoongi rolls his eyes. “Yeah, so?”

“And, I told you, ‘what if you’re right?’. So, hyung, if you know this is what’s right, if you know that this is what’s meant to happen, then don’t give up on him.”

“Jimin’s right, hyung.” Yoongi turns to look at the other boy. “I don’t know the full extent of what’s going on but I do know that I’ve never seen you happier than when you talk about him. I mean, you dragged me to the mall in the early morning just to buy him a stationary something.”

“You bought him a stationary something?!” Jimin exclaims and without looking, Yoongi shoves his hand up into the younger’s face, shushing him. The latter swats his hand away, frowning that he wasn’t informed of said purchase. In Yoongi’s defense, though, he knew Jimin would make a big deal out of it. Hobi, on the other hand, didn’t.

“I know,” Yoongi says softly.

Hoseok continues, “so, I think you should listen to Jimin this time. If he is your soulmate, don’t let him just walk away so easily.”

“I’m scared,” he admits.

“Why?” Jimin asks from his other side.

“You wouldn’t understand.”

Both boys exchange a look, one of ‘this kid cannot be serious right now’. They look back at him and in unison, they say, “try us.”

“Soulmates are something that the universe brings us. I’ve avoided dating anyone for so long because they never felt like the one. But, he does. He feels like the one a million times over.”

“I’m not really seeing the issue, then?”

He exhales deeply, “soulmates and the universe and all of that, it’s by fate. It’s destiny. I was destined to meet him and everything that has happened is because of fate bringing us together. You two don’t believe in that so I don’t expect you to understand.”

“Then pretend for a few minutes that we do believe it,” Hobi interjects. “Explain it to us in a way that you would to someone who believes in it.”

Hoseok has always been so much easier going than Jimin. He’s like Jimin in a lot of ways but he also knows how to reel it all in. He knows when to share a little more compassion and kindness. He knows how to lighten any burdens that Yoongi may be feeling due to his current circumstances.

“If I do something to alter that fate, if I take matters into my own hands, I might change things. I might change what’s supposed to happen.”

“And, what’s supposed to happen?”

“Ideally, Jin realizes I’m his soulmate and we fall in love,” he answers nonchalantly, making his two friends smile. “But, I digress. If I go for it, like you two keep insisting I do, things might not work out that way. Things might change.”

“What if by going for it, things change but they change for the better? What if your actions cause a reaction in him? What if the universe wants you to go for it?”

Yoongi snorts, “the universe likes to play it’s own game.”

“Then, sit down at the table and play it’s game but make your own moves,” Jimin firmly states. 

“What if I lose?”

“What if you win?”

Stupid Jimin twisting his own words back on him. “I don’t think I know how to go for it. Even if I wanted to, I don’t know where to start. Jin won’t even talk to me. He won’t pick up my calls, he won’t answer my messages. I even left a voicemail asking him to call me when he could, if he wants to. And, look at where we’re at.”

“Look, you know just as well as I do that men are dumb. Jin is no exception to that. Sometimes, we need a little push.”

“Well, why doesn’t the universe give him one then?”

Hobi steps in, seeing Jimin make little to no progress. “How do you know that the universe isn’t giving you one?”

“I would know if it was.”

“Are you sure? Because, what if all of these good things happened and now the universe is trying to tell you to go get your man? What if it’s like ‘okay, we got him this far, he can handle the rest?’. What about that?”

Yoongi chuckles, “I don’t think that’s how the universe works, Hobi.”

“Says who? This is the first time you’ve ever experienced this. You wouldn’t know any different. At best, you’re just guessing your way through this.”

“That’s not fair,” he sulks.

“Maybe not but I’m also not wrong.” Yoongi refocuses his gaze on the ceiling, not having any courage left to look at his friends. They’re challenging everything he thought he knew about soulmates, everything he’s believed in for so long. The universe is meant to bring things to him, not have him chase after them. At that point, it merely becomes life. It’s no longer the universe giving him a gift, it’s him seeking out his own. That’s not how Yoongi likes to live life. He wants things to happen naturally. If he has to go after something, sure, fine, whatever, but he prefers to let life happen as is. It brought him Jin to begin with so clearly something is going on outside of his control. But, his friends are starting to get in his head. If he doesn’t want to lose Seokjin forever, maybe he has to go for it. Maybe the universe isn’t always going to be on his side like he’s spent years believing. 

“From what you’ve told us, hyung, the guy is head over heels for you. He’d be an idiot to let you go and you’d be an even bigger idiot to let him,” Hoseok adds.

“I know you don’t like to take control, it’s terrifying, I get it,” Jimin also throws in his opinion. “But, sometimes you have to take the terrifying leap to get what you want. And, I know that what you want is him.”

Yoongi tries to hide any emotions from his friends, fearful that they’ll only begin to prey on them. He bites his lip, speaking through gritted teeth. “You don’t know anything.”

“I’m sorry, have we been sitting on your floor for almost two hours because you don’t want him? Because, as I recall, you said he was perfect. You call him your soulmate then tell me you don’t want him? Something doesn’t add up there, hyung.”

“Fine, okay. Yes, I want him. I want him more than I have ever wanted anything more in my entire life. He makes me happy and I like to think I make him happy. I’m more at ease with him by my side despite how incredibly nervous I feel around him. The worst part is, he knows all of that, he knows where I stand, and he still walked away.”

“Maybe he’s scared of falling. You said he doesn’t believe in soulmates and maybe his thoughts are changing.”

Yoongi scoffs, “yeah, right.”

Jimin blinks, “yeah! Right!” He emphasizes the elder’s own words. “Look, if one day I woke up and everything I thought I knew about love was changed, I’d be freaked out, too. Maybe he doesn’t know how to handle it or even understand it. I’m not saying his methods of ignoring you are perfect but you have to consider the possibility.”

“Well, a simple ‘hey, sorry, I realized I believe in soulmates now and I don’t know what to do’ text message would have sufficed. But no, what did I get? He walked away. He kissed me good night then walked away. Complete and total silence.”

As if on cue, Yoongi’s phone dings across the room and all three heads turn in it’s direction. He sits upright and his heart stops. He can’t even bring himself to move. It may not even be him. It could be another random text that he doesn’t care about. 

Jimin does the honors of standing up to grab his phone for him, moving slower than a snail and Yoongi almost has to yell at him to walk faster. He picks it up, staring at the screen for a few seconds before walking it back over to Yoongi and handing the phone to him. 

It takes him a few seconds before he finds the courage to look at the screen. If it wasn’t him, Jimin would’ve said so. His silence is all the answer that Yoongi needs to know it’s Jin. He takes a deep breath, Hobi’s hand on his shoulder for added comfort. 

When his eyes meet the screen, Jimin’s voice sounds, “What was that you were saying about complete and total silence?” But, Yoongi can’t focus on anything else besides Jin’s message and how suddenly, everything feels like it’s falling apart.

jin - soulmate

hey, we should talk. 

Yoongi is hesitant to respond. He wants to see Jin more than anything but he also doesn’t want to fall into his trap. If he’s going to get his heart broken, he’d rather know right here and now. It’d be easier to not have to face the elder if that’s the intended outcome.

yoongi

talk about what? 

jin - soulmate

us

yoongi

is there an ‘us’ to talk about? 

jin - soulmate

stopped believing already? 

Jin’s message almost feels like a taunt. He wants Yoongi to step outside of his comfort zone and see him. But, the boy doesn’t want to get hurt. If all Jin has planned is to tell him that this won’t work, that it was all for nothing, Yoongi would rather know now. It’ll still hurt, it’ll still make him break down into tears, but at least it’ll be with his friends at his side. At least he’ll have someone with him. At least he won’t have to break down in front of Seokjin. 

yoongi

are you going to break my heart?

jin - soulmate

is that what you think?

yoongi

that’s not an answer

jin - soulmate

can you just come over? pacific apartments 412. please?

yoongi

i guess

Hoseok has been looking over his shoulder, reading each message that the boy sends, relaying them to Jimin out loud. They have their own opinions but they keep quiet. It’s not about what they want, it’s only about what Yoongi wants.

“You’re sure, hyung?” Hobi asks.

“Not entirely,” he half-chuckles, “but, I also can’t help how badly I want to see him.”

“You’re going to do great,” Jimin encourages.

The ride to Jin’s isn’t short but it isn’t that long either. It gives him just enough time to think. Everything that’s on his mind and has been on his mind for two weeks, he’s planning out the perfect way to say all of it. If this is the last time he’s going to see Seokjin, he wants him to know exactly how he feels. He wants Jin to know exactly what he’s walking away from and what his actions will do to Yoongi. He’s not trying to guilt trip him by any means but he does want him to know the weight of his words, how his actions can affect others. Yoongi has no plans of walking away as quietly as Jin did. His heart will be heard. 

His knock on Seokjin’s door is almost too quiet to be heard. He has to knock again, putting more force behind it to make sure Jin can hear it on the other side. His nerves are starting to get the best of him, just as they always have but he refuses to back down. Fate is what brought him back to Jin but for once, he’s taking control of the situation. For once, he’s going to say exactly what he wants. Their relationship will start or end because of his actions, not because of the universe making decisions for him. It’s terrifying yet completely thrilling at the same time. 

When Jin opens the door, the first thing Yoongi notices is how puffy his face is. It appears he hasn’t slept in a while. He’s the one who walked away. Why would he be having trouble with anything like that?

“Hi,” he says softly.

“Hi,” Yoongi returns.

“Do you want to come in?”

He scoffs, “well, I didn’t come all the way here to be left outside.”

“Right, yeah,” Jin mumbles, stepping aside for the younger to enter. He closes the door gently, turning back to face Yoongi. “I’m glad you came.”

“It’s the first time I’ve heard from you in almost two weeks.”

“I know.”

“Why?” He continues to pressure the elder with questions. He’s been left in the dark for days. All he wants is answers. 

He runs his hands through his hair, clearing his throat. “I’m sorry.”

“That doesn’t answer the question, Jin.”

“I know. Yoongi, I -”

“Do you even know how that felt?” He cuts him off mid-sentence. “Do you know how it felt to have the best night ripped from under me and to have nothing but silence on your end?”

Jin begins moving towards the living room area, Yoongi following behind him. His courage is building and he doesn’t want to lose this momentum. He’s never seen Seokjin so nervous, so at a loss for words. But, he can’t even focus on that right now. All he can focus on is the feelings he’s been dealing with for the past two weeks. All he’s wanted is to see Jin, be near him again, yet now that he is, he doesn’t know what to do. Or, even what to think.

The elder breathes out, “I know, I’m sorry.”

“No. No, Jin, you don’t know. I’ve been honest with you this entire time yet the one time you actually start to feel something, you run away?! I saw the way you looked at me, you can’t tell me that there weren’t feelings there.”

“There were.”

Were . Got it.

“Then, why? Why did you just leave when all I wanted was for you to stay?” Jin stays silent, staring at the floor. Yoongi is begging for him to show some kind of feeling, show that he has an ounce of care for the younger but he can’t even do that. “God, Jin, I like you! I like you so much it hurts. And, you can’t pretend not to know that because I’ve made it very clear.”

“I know.”

“What is it? Do you not like me? Is that what this is? Did you kiss me and realize you actually hate me?” Again, the elder stays silent. It’s the loudest answer he’s given so far. Yoongi feels his heart sink. He gets choked up, spewing all of the emotions that he’s been feeling. He came here for a reason and he won’t leave until Jin knows exactly how he feels. “I know you don’t believe in soulmates and I’m not asking you to. I’m just asking you to believe in me, believe in us. I want to be with you more than I have ever wanted anything in my life. I could go on and on about how happy you make me, how nothing else seems to matter when I’m with you. And, I know you felt that same feeling I did when we kissed.”

Seokjin’s eyes have been glued to the floor, unable to look up at Yoongi. His nerves are evident and it’s clear he’s being careful with his thoughts. But, that’s the thing. Yoongi doesn’t want him to be careful. Yoongi wants him to say every single thing on his mind, good or bad. He wants to know the thoughts on his mind because that is what makes him who he is. It makes him the person Yoongi wants to be with. The person he’s fallen for. 

“You make it seem so easy, saying what’s on your mind, on your heart.”

Yoongi is so desperate. He reaches forward, grabbing ahold of the elder’s hands. He holds them tightly in his own, gently squeezing them to signal to the elder that he is here, he isn’t going anywhere. “It’s easy if you let it.”

“It’s not.”

He places a finger under Jin’s chin, directing his line of sight at himself. “I tell you how I feel because I don’t want to lose you. But, the bigger of a wall you build, the more you push me away, the easier it is for me to walk away. Is that what you want?”

“Yoongi -”

“No,” he interrupts, knowing the elder was only going to say something to stall even longer. “Tell me. Do you want me to walk away? If this is it, if I’m losing the person I believe is my soulmate, then I want to hear it from them. I’ll leave if that’s what you want.”

“You’d walk away from the person you think is your soulmate?”

“If that’s what they want. Is that what you want?”

Rather than answering, Jin does without thinking and leans in to kiss the younger. It’s soft and sweet but only lasts for a few seconds. Yoongi is the one to push him away, much to both of their surprise. “No,” he says firmly, a hint of regret lingering in his voice. “You don’t get to answer like that. You have to use your words.”

“Words are hard, kissing you is easier.”

Yoongi lightly chuckles at his silly comment. “I’m glad kissing me is easy but if I don’t know what you’re thinking, I can’t do this. I want to be with you but not if you can’t talk to me.”

“What happened to letting fate decide? Letting the universe make decisions for you?”

“The universe is taking too long and I don’t think I can wait any longer.”

Jin’s hands move to cup the boy’s cheek, gently holding his face in his hands. His thumb pad runs over Yoongi’s skin, just barely grazing under his eye. He’s admiring him, gazing at him. “Life with you seems so simple.”

“Then, why do you keep running away from it?”

“If I’m with you, I’ll only end up hurting you. You don’t deserve that. You deserve something better.”

Yoongi places his own hands on top of Jin’s, forcing even more of a physical connection. “You walking away hurts me more.”

Seokjin is silent for a few seconds. He hardly breaks eye contact with Yoongi, staring into those eyes that he loves so much. That’s one thing he’s always noticed about the younger. One look at the boy and Jin turns to mush. Those eyes have a power over him, they could make him do anything.

“That night when I kissed you, I never felt anything like that before. I was so scared because it was such an unfamiliar feeling. That’s why I left. I haven’t been able to find the words for that feeling yet. But, I knew I had to see you.”

“Not to jump to my own conclusions, but I think that means you like me.”

“I’ve liked you for a while, Yoongi.”

“You could’ve been a bit more open about that,” he murmurs.

Jin’s eyes go wide, “I fed you a dumpling. That’s basically a marriage pact.”

“So, we’re getting married now?” Yoongi teases, wiggling his eyebrows. It helps ease the tension in the room, relaxing both of them. 

“I think starting with a simple relationship is a better idea.”

“So, you’re not running away?”

He kisses him again. This time it lasts for a few seconds longer, bringing a smile to both of their faces mid-kiss. Jin manages to get a few words in, only disconnecting their lips to speak. “I can’t guarantee that this will be the most perfect relationship, that I’ll be the most perfect partner.”

“I don’t care,” Yoongi quickly answers, not wanting to take his lips off of Jin’s.

“I can’t even guarantee that I’ll ever truly believe in the idea of soulmates.”

“That’s fine,” he again mumbles against his lips.

Seokjin giggles, pulling back from the younger. “I may not believe in soulmates but you asked me to believe in you, believe in us, yeah?” Yoongi nods. “That much I can do.”

Kissing seems to be their go-to response for most things but Yoongi switches it up, wrapping his arms around Jin for a hug. He holds him tight, determined never to let go. He presses his face against the boy’s chest. He’s convinced that he can hear his heart beating rapidly. It makes him smile.  He keeps his arms around Jin’s torso, pulling back just enough to see his face.

”If this is going to work, you can’t hide your feelings from me. I have to know those things. Even if you’re scared, you have to be willing to talk to me. I’ll always be honest with you if you’re honest with me, okay?”

“I can do that.”

“And, another thing?”

“Mmh?”

“When I’m standing in my doorway, pouting that you’re leaving?” He gently punches the elder’s side. “Don’t leave, you idiot!”

Seokjin chuckles, kissing his forehead to hopefully make up for his mistakes. Yoongi accepts the semi-decent apology. He has his Jin back. And, as much as he wants to be angry with him for ignoring him for two weeks, he’s falling too hard to care. 

“Stay here tonight.”

“That sounds more like a demand than a question,” Yoongi remarks.

“Because it is.”

Oh. 

“What if I don’t want to?”

“Don’t you?”

“Not sure.”

“Why not?”

“You ignored me.”

“I said I was sorry.”

“Barely.”

He kisses him quickly, smiling into it. “Better?”

“Try again,” Yoongi adamantly shakes his head.

Jin does as requested. “How about now?”

“Mm, try again.”

“You’re impossible.”

“Don’t worry, you’ll have plenty of time to make it up to me!”

“Oh, because soulmates are forever or something like that?”

Yoongi beams the brightest smile that Jin has ever seen. “Exactly!”

That night, Yoongi stays, curled up in Seokjin’s arms. This is all he wants forever. Jin is all he wants forever. 

The next day, the younger insists that he has a surprise for Jin. Forcing the elder to keep his eyes closed is a challenge but he manages to do so, trusting that he won’t peek and look at their final destination. Seokjin has a fairly good idea of where he’s at, based on the sounds and smells, but he plays into his boyfriend’s game, allowing him to drag him through the busy building. Yoongi was so giddy about it when they left that Jin can't bring himself to spoil it. The younger’s smile in the end will all be worth it. 

He hears Yoongi giggling before he cheerfully says, “okay, open your eyes!” 

Right in front of Jin is the same photo booth that he took photos in months ago. The same photo booth where Yoongi found the film strip of him laying in the dispenser. He looks at the boy, who already has a big smile on his face. “Really?”

“Mhm! And, you have no choice! You were mean to me for two weeks so I think this is only fair!”

Yoongi drags him towards the booth. ‘Drags’ is subjective considering Seokjin would probably follow him anywhere. “I wouldn’t say I was mean.”

“You ignored me! That’s mean!”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” he mumbles. 

The two sit squished together in the booth, concealed from the outside world by the black curtain. Yoongi convinces him to make a silly face for the first two photos. In the third, Yoongi intended for both of them to be smiling at the camera but Jin catches a glimpse of the boy’s smile and ends up looking at him instead. It still makes for a cute photo, just not the exact one Yoongi hoped for. (It’s actually better). The last one, though, Jin takes the initiative to kiss his boyfriend, catching him slightly off guard. All in all, the photos come out perfectly but Yoongi’s favorite part is choosing the decorative frame for the strip.

“Wait! Don’t look!” He quickly shields Jin’s eyes. “I want it to be a surprise!”

“So many surprises today, huh?”

“Exactly!”

Seokjin follows Yoongi’s request, averting his eyes from the small screen. The boy’s giggling is enough to tell the elder he should be worried about what frame is being chosen. It’s sure to be something silly, something that only he would laugh at this much. 

But, when they step out of the booth and the photos finally print, even Jin gets a small chuckle from his chosen design. “Really?”

“It seemed fitting,” he confidently smiles.

The frame is entirely black but printed at the very bottom of it, right across their kissing photo are the words, soulmates 4ever . 

Maybe Jin is coming around to the idea after all.