Work Text:
Some years ago, when he was still in university, Jungkook saw a movie that started with the sentence: Shakespeare said, “Journeys end in lovers meeting.” and he thought it was complete bullshit.
It’s not that he didn’t like the movie, or Shakespeare’s quote per se (Jungkook has a soft spot for The Author, no matter how hard he tries to deny it - Jimin is the only one who saw the corner of the library in his house dedicated to his writings only), but his journey started exactly when he became Min Yoongi’s self-called-arch-enemy, after what he still defines as the worst fall since Waterloo: the competition between bands that saw Jungkook's group lose to Yoongi's.
The trope is simple: they were roommates, bonded over music, made friends with each other’s friends, and had together the best six months of their life... until they discovered that they would have to compete against each other in the finals of the Battle of the Bands organized by the Music Department every year. Usually, in movies, this is when the main characters are at their lowest, there is a big fight, and then after some time, they make peace, and it ends with a happy ending, sometimes open and hopeful.
Jungkook didn’t argue with Yoongi, not at all. But he still holds some grudges, and the older one still takes advantage of that victory and brings it up to bicker with Jungkook because he’s a tease.
Truth be told, Yoongi’s band was superior in many ways, from the stage presence he, Seokjin, and Hoseok had, to how they could merge melodic singing with rap and make everything sound perfect, and the power behind the lyrics. Jungkook’s band could never.
He initially was their number one fan when there was nobody else around, and Yoongi used to just play with his guitar strings, and Seokjin would sing softly, with Hoseok humming back vocals and such while sketching stage outfits ideas on big artsy sketchbooks. Sometimes he even sat down with Yoongi and helped him with the melody - because they were friends before everything else.
And Jungkook had a crush. He still has one.
But if you ask Jungkook, he still denies he had the biggest crush on Yoongi, even when Taehyung calls him out daily when their bickering starts on social media and ends up in the group chat with him, their friends, and colleagues. Yes, because once Jungkook discovered music, he never let it go and built his own life around it, majoring in production and ending up working in the same company as Yoongi and his other five hyungs Seokjin, Namjoon, Hoseok, Jimin, and Taehyung.
This is the reason why he never got over Yoongi and everything that happened because he still meets him every day at work, and they joke around with each other, bicker to the point Jungkook feels his heart warm, and his cheeks burn, and falls in love with him a little more every single day…
...even if Yoongi has no clue about it.
Yoongi never had a single clue about what was happening in Jungkook’s heart because how could he?
It’s not that he was emotionally insensible because everyone knew what kind of a sweetheart Yoongi ever was; it’s just that Jungkook has a second degree in denial with a master in holding back emotions and did a stage in bottling up while he was majoring in music production. Hence, Yoongi never knew anything about his feelings.
But Jungkook always looked at his back without saying anything, just being there when his hyung needed the most and still needed it. Sometimes it’s a food delivery to his studio when he knows the elder is locked, too caught up in producing some song without taking a pause and eating something properly that is not an iced americano (when Yoongi replaced it with the decaf version Jungkook shivered in disgust and joked about it on Instagram), sometimes is an anonymous bouquet with a nice message when Yoongi’s date would ghost him for whatever stupid reason it might be, and some other times is dropping by his studio unannounced and mess with his instruments but somehow helping him with editing that EDM track the elder is struggling with because Yoongi doesn’t like EDM (he never said it out loud, but Jungkook peeked at how he renamed a file, once, and he found it so endearing he still wants to curl in a ball and cry out of cuteness).
Over the years they have known each other, this became Jungkook’s love language.
This, and the constant quarrel on social media, calling him tiny hyung or grandpa on their public accounts (and none of them is verified, yet , but TXT are doing good, in Jungkook’s opinion, and in some time he is sure Yoongi, Namjoon and him would have the blue symbol near their names), and the annoying comments under each other posts or feeds or whatever it might be. There was a month in which they took their banter to a next level and started sticking post-it notes on every surface of their agency until their CEO had to ask them to please stop, or else the cleaning staff would have obliged them to peel the post-it off one by one, with their teeth.
Deep inside him, Jungkook knows that what he feels for Yoongi is somehow reciprocated. He just doesn’t know to which extent.
He questioned himself a lot because at some point he thought he was delusional, but the soft, gentle, and grateful smiles Yoongi gave him every time he came out after a breakup were unmistakable threw to Jungkook and Jungkook only -- like the elder knew that behind the chocolate boxes and the “ You're allowed to be sad ” messages there was him.
Always him.
And Yoongi was there when Jungkook needed help back in university when he was still the scared, shy kid with big eyes from Busan, introducing him to the same people that now Jungkook calls
hyungs
and hang out with even after work hours because they’re
his
hyungs. Yoongi was there when Jungkook started questioning his whole being and sexual orientations and helped him understand that it was okay to have a crush on a boy (that boy being Yoongi is still a secret); love has nothing to do with sexual orientations or gender. Love is just love, and if Jungkook had some doubt, Yoongi would always be there to help him get through them (and sometimes suggest some outfit to try and go get some well-deserved D.)
Yoongi was next to him for the years in university, the exams, the all-nighters and the project, the graduation, and the job interviews, and, after obtaining the job in his same label, he was there every single time he was crying his eyes out when the songs he produced or wrote were winning prizes, hugging him, and murmuring how proud he was of him.
But there was never more than this taking care of each other without being too loud.
Not everything was always perfect.
Sometimes, their bickering became too serious and too personal and escalated in both of them sending each other greetings from Upper Fuckoff or West-East Screwyou , mostly because Jungkook found it unbearable to see Yoongi reduce himself to a rag for people who clearly didn't deserve him, as a friend or a lover. Yoongi was, and he still is, a giver. There are no such things as doing too much for others or being too gentle with people. He would always sacrifice a part of himself to make other people happy or help them, and Jungkook always coddled him in the only way he knew. But he also bottled his frustrations about the whole thing.
However, this time, the person who ended with his heart broken was Jungkook.
Around July, Jungkook found his eight-months-boyfriend with another girl in their shared apartment. It clicked in that right moment when he locked gaze with his boyfriend on the mirror’s reflection while he was laying in bed with the girl: every single little excuse, quirk, or suspicious behavior he'd had in the last few months, took their place and formed the complete puzzle depicting the biggest bastard in the history of bastards, at least from Jimin and Taehyung’s points of view. That same night, they picked up the pieces of Jungkook’s heart and treated him with ice cream, pizza, and a Marvel movie marathon.
Everyone around him saw it coming, but not Jungkook, who did his best to make things work and ended up being cheated on multiple times.
Yoongi said nothing to him for some weeks, but he was near him the whole time, listening to Jungkook’s ramblings and complaints (and sometimes long crying sessions on his hyung’s shoulder), but never said anything. Until one day, around midday, they went for a coffee outside the label’s building. In the freezing late October wind biting their asses, Jungkook asked what he thought about the whole situation.
And Yoongi said it was stupid.
Thinking about it in retrospect, Jungkook knows perfectly well that Yoongi didn't want to be brusque or rude, he wasn’t, and he certainly didn't want to reduce all of Jungkook's efforts in his relationship to nothing, invalidating them with a single word. And Jungkook knew perfectly well that during that time, Yoongi had some rough weeks on his shoulder because of work and personal family matters, and that beat he was trying to get for days just wasn't coming out right, but Jungkook was still suffering, and Yoongi’s words brushed him in the wrongest way possible.
Their discussion turned from a direct exchange of views to a quarrel, loud voices in the middle of an empty secondary road. Jungkook understood perfectly well that there was something different this time, but he could not realize what had changed in their way of arguing. And the words "I don't take advice from someone who's fucked around without ever having a serious relationship," that came out of his mouth before he knew it, got somewhere inside Yoongi that made him fall silent.
Yoongi looked away, throwing his half empty decaf in a garbage can, and left without adding anything, not even a single word.
And they never spoke again.
Not at work, not off work, not in the group chat with the others, only for work-related matters and without the light-hearted bickering they always had between them. Even though Jungkook tried to keep his behavior at least professional, and Yoongi did the same, their behavior also affected other co-workers. Fewer jokes flying around, fewer movie marathons or out-of-town trips, fewer long sleepless nights preparing their artists' comebacks and debuts, and certainly much, much less interaction in the extra-work group chat Jungkook has with six favorite hyungs.
Even if things changed, nobody addressed them. Or at least nobody addressed Jungkook. He only received some strange looks from Hoseok, but aside from that, nothing happened, and life went on.
–
In the first days of December, their CEO announced a break to allow artists, producers, choreographers, and musicians to recover some energy after the last two intense years of work. Things were going particularly well, and he wanted everyone to take a break so they could come back next year with a fresh and rested mind. They already had everything registered for awards performances, so they only needed to schedule dropping videos on the artists’ youtube official pages.
During the announcement, in the large conference room, many sighed in relief or clapped their hands and cheered, complimenting everyone for the great work. Jungkook remembers looking over at Yoongi. The elder was already staring at him with sad eyes, but when their gazes met, he looked away quickly, bowing his head and leaving the room as quickly as possible.
–
Around Christmas, Namjoon sent his greetings in their group chat. Everyone cheered, but Jungkook and Yoongi avoided interacting.
–
Jungkook felt as sad as ever on Christmas Eve, even if he was back in Busan for his family gathering. He cried in his mom’s arms for an hour straight before his dad, and his brother pulled out the old Disney movies, built a blanket fort with the couch cushions and a lot of blankets, and they had a movie night with snacks and fizzy and excessively sweetened drinks. He stopped sobbing during The Beauty and The Beast , just cried in silence, sometimes sniffling until he fell asleep on his brother’s shoulder during The Lion King .
At midnight, his dad woke him up with hot chocolate and marshmallows, and they opened Christmas presents together.
He decided he wanted to end the year without crying anymore from that night.
–
Jin-hyung🍛:
yo losers, what are we gonna do for new years eve?
Namjoon-hyung💜:
party?
Namjoon-hyung💜:
I have the keys to my new apartment, we could do it there!
Hobi✨:
A new apartment? Wow, this is so cool, daddy! I mean sorry? daddy. SORRY? dAdDY?!?!?
Jin-hyung🍛:
Jwaehope your crush is showing
Hobi✨:
🥵 Joonie is rich RICH
Namjoon-hyung💜:
DEJSHFG
me:
I’m down with everything you want to do
me:
I’ll be back in Seoul on the 30th, I can grab food
Jimin-ssi💎:
Sweet. Tae and I are already back in Seoul after being with his family for Christmas. Namjoon-hyung, I can come over to your place from the first afternoon of the 31st and help with the decorations and the theme for the night.
Namjoon-hyung💜:
decorations?
Namjoon-hyung💜:
wdym?
Namjoon-hyung💜:
theme?
the theme is new year’s eve
Tae-hyungie🎮:
he wants to hang stuff, you know? ornaments and festoons and a Christmas tree because he says you surely didn't have time to do it
Namjoon-hyung💜:
…
Namjoon-hyung💜:
I’m lost
Tae-hyungie🎮:
he’s choosing the tree ornaments on amazon now, he asks which colors do you like most, we have prime delivery so we can send them to you in one work-day
Namjoon-hyung💜:
I didn’t even agree?!
Tae-hyungie🎮:
For the night, I was thinking about a “Three Wishes” themed night.
Tell me which colors do you like the most for the decorations, please. (Jimin)
Yoongles 🖤:
it creeps me out whenever they use each other’s phones
Tae-hyungie🎮:
couple goals, hyung
Namjoon-hyung💜:
CAN WE? FOCUS?
Like?! I don’t know where to put the tree?!
what IS A THREE WISHES NIGHT
Hobi✨:
according to my knowledge: is a night.
Yoongles 🖤:
groundbreaking
Hobi✨:
and three wishes can be expressed
Namjoon-hyung💜:
How does it even work?!
@Jimimimi
@Tetetete
Tae-hyungie🎮:
Never mind, we’re coming your way to sort things out. I can’t choose the colors if I don’t know the apartment’s aesthetic. Get ready in 15’, please. (Jimin)
Jin-hyung🍛:
I love successful plans, now that everything is settled: Jwaehope come drink with me 2night
Jin-hyung🍛:
Jwaehope.
Hobi-hyungie✨:
Jjan. I’ll pick you up at 7 pm
Namjoon-hyung💜:
wait but
WHAT DID JUST HAPPEN
Yoongles 🖤:
you’ve been Jiminie-zed, Joon-ah. better get ready for when he storms at yours and drag your ass out in the winter storm, looking for everything you need for a Jimin kind of party.
Namjoon-hyung💜:
I didn’t AGREE?
me:
LMAO
me:
sorry hyung, I can’t save you this time
me:
wear heavy clothes, it's cold outside :P
Yoongles 🖤:
*giggles*
me:
*giggles*
Jungkook looks at the last message Yoongi sent. This has been the longest interaction they had in months. He’d be lying if he pretended that something didn’t stir in the dip of his stomach after reading it. And he knows it was aimed at him. He just knows.
But he doesn’t want to linger in the thought that maybe, maybe, the relationship with Yoongi isn’t entirely fucked up. That maybe they can still gain some trust back from each other and go somewhere else. It still hurts, what they said to each other. But maybe…
He licks his lips, opens the chat with Yoongi.
The last message dates back to a few hours before their split-up.
A very simple:
Yoongles 🖤:
yo Googles, if I don't drink fake coffee I'll kword someone - are we going out?
Jungkook’s heart stops beating for a second when he sees the three dots of a message under Yoongi’s name.
They disappear.
They appear.
They disappear.
They appear again.
Yoongles 🖤:
so.
Wow, lame , Jungkook smiles even before he registers the corners of his lips are twitching up.
me:
so.
Yoongles 🖤:
how are you doing?
me:
same old, same old. been back in Busan with my people. we had a Disney marathon on Christmas Eve and I’m pretty sure I gained three kilos
Yoongles 🖤:
I don’t believe a single word of the last four.
Yoongles 🖤:
Like.
I’m pretty sure you gained only muscles, you gym nerd
me:
XD maybe
I did some exercise
me:
and you?
Yoongles 🖤:
I didn’t.
me:
hyung >:|
Yoongles 🖤:
:P
I’m bored the fuck out of my mind. I’m in Daegu now, will be back on the 29th to take care of something work-related.
me:
work? Hyung, we're on VACATION! how many songs did you write XD
Yoongles 🖤:
not too many! around 20 I think
I also met with TeteMin when they were here
me:
oh boy
Yoongles 🖤:
yeah, they’re disgustingly in love as always.
I love them so much
me:
relatable
Yoongles 🖤:
anyway. do you plan to do something on the 30th? do you maybe need help with the groceries for the party or… want to meet somewhere? grab a beer?
me:
hyung I don’t want to seem cold but.
Yoongles 🖤:
I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have asked, it was a bit sudden
me:
no, it’s
I just
me:
I think I just need some time
Yoongles 🖤:
Googles, I’m sorry
I just miss you
me:
hyung
Yoongles 🖤:
I’m sorry :(
me:
I miss you too
Yoongles 🖤:
:]
let’s just meet at Joonie's place, yes?
me:
okay :3
Yoongles 🖤:
:*
–
Jungkook decides he doesn’t want to stress about it, about what could happen when he sees Yoongi again. It’s been a whole month without seeing any of his friends, so he will focus on every one of them without exceptions. And, if there is some time, he will try to talk with Yoongi about what happened or, at least, try to apologize for what he said to him months ago.
Because after a long talk with his mother about everything that happened, it’s now clear to him that he wronged Yoongi too. Jungkook’s mom made him realize that he went a bit too far and that, yes, maybe Yoongi was wrong in calling him
stupid
(or, as he guiltily confessed halfway through the talk, addressing his
behavior
as stupid), but he shouldn’t have called Yoongi a
slut
. Because that’s what it sounded like, and it was a bit unfair for Jungkook to not try to clear things up with his best friend.
Jungkook decided to ignore the way his mom said the words best friend , eyebrows wiggling and a knowing smile hidden in the corner of her lips.
In the following days before he goes back to Seoul, they chat once or twice a day, not many words but a lot of photos of the sunset and sea sights and mountains and rivers. They even exchange some funny videos and memes.
Even if their exchanges are mostly chill, he feels something is missing, something switched and he is not sure if he likes the lack of bickering or not.
That being said, he comes back to Seoul on the 30th, and Jimin sends him the list for the groceries to buy, he starts stressing about everything.
Seokjin goes with him to the grocery shop because the elder would cook (with Hoseok and Yoongi’s help), but with Jungkook choosing only Yoongi’s favorite brands of ingredients, snacks, drinks, and sweets, the displeased frown on Seokjin’s lips increases more and more. Every time something that doesn’t quite meet his tastes ends in their cart, he sighs.
It ends with them buying every ingredient nearly twice so Seokjin can "cook for Yoongi's delicate tongue and keep Jungkook happy, goddammit."
Jungkook stubbornly ignores him.
–
December 31 arrives and passes in a blur of phone calls with his grandparents for the New Year’s greetings, a group call with some of his colleagues and artists of the label, a quick lunch, and some light workout, and around 6 p.m. he’s sweating like a sinner in a Church.
Even if he already showered.
Twice.
At 7 p.m. Taehyung comes to save him, makes him chamomile with honey, convinces him to take a regenerative shower, and pulls out an outfit for the night. Since they will be in Namjoon’s apartment, he goes for a simple minty green fluffy pullover over a pretty white tee and jeans ripped in the right places, for the “cuddly but still badass effect”, as Taehyung says. He slaps his ass when he’s putting on some light makeup and almost blinds himself with the rimmel, ending with a black stripe on the bridge of his nose. Jungkook let it pass because he’s too nervous about the night, and Taehyung apologizes a million times, helping him remove the makeup and apply it again. He packs up a backpack with spare clothes and retrieves from the closet his sleeping bag, since they will spend the night (or the day after), at Namjoon’s.
At 9 p.m. they arrive at Namjoon’s place, and Jungkook’s breath gets caught in his throat because that’s some huge open-space apartment he managed to have, right in Gangnam, and even if it’s not a penthouse at the top of the building, from the cells-to-floor windows on the other side in front of him, he can see the outline of the glimmering lights in Seoul.
And yes, Jimin couldn’t have pulled the perfect decorations to make the elegant-looking (even if still a bit more impersonal) place feel a bit more like home, without seeing it first. The place still needs some more rkive-core , but the light walls and wooden floors, and simple furniture without particular furnishing elements, are perfectly merged with all the Christmas decorations Jimin pulled out. Everything is perfect, with fresh mistletoe hanging from the ceiling in strategic points of the open space and that decorates the handrail of the spiral staircase on the left of the door that leads to the upper floor. A high Christmas tree with silver and blue ornaments perfectly placed near the windows with white fairy lights. There is even a fireplace, nothing rustic or cottage-core, it’s very modern looking but Jimin has placed there seven stockings overflowing with sweets and candies, each one with their names hand embroidered, and there are quilted blankets scattered on the couches and around the coffee table that makes everything feel a bit more like home.
“Fuck,” Jungkook mutters softly while stopping at the entrance to take off his shoes along with Taehyung.
“I know, right? He did everything in two days, plus one for the deliveries,” the guy replies.
“Like? How did he do everything in just two days?” Jungkook asks again, looking back at the elder.
“Oh, you know,” Taehyung shrugs, nonchalantly, “Jiminie is an elf, actually. One of Santa’s helpers. He has a lot of magic stored.”
Jungkook pauses, looking at his hyung for some moments. “Makes sense,” he shrugs all along because he never met someone with organizing abilities as skilled as Jimin.
Once, during the debut show of one of their soloists, the staff lost the outfits for the three performances scheduled on a local TV. The poor girl had only her school uniform and some spare clothes to change after performing, basic dance training outfits to use after the performances and to wear once back in the label’s building – and Jimin made changes to the singer's clothes an hour before the debut. It was a success, and a week later girls around their singer’s age (a young seventeen girl) were all imitating her ensembles.
So yeah, Jimin is a genius.
Jungkook gets greeted by all his hyungs, gathered around the kitchen aisle in the right of the living area. Jimin, silver hair combed back on his forehead, and a pink loose blouse with pretty beads sewed around his neck, is perched on a stool and is in charge of closing the dumplings for the mandu-guk , but pauses when he reaches them and hops from the stool to hug him, throwing his arms around his neck, hands full of flour away from him. He hugs him back, and Jimin kisses him on the cheek because he’s sweet like that.
Hoseok is next in toe, all cheers and with a wide smile on his pretty heart-shaped lips. His hyung lifts the wide sleeves of the oversize wool sweater, colored bracelets around his wrists, and engulfs him in a hug close to his chest, saying how much he missed his Jungkookie . When he points out that it’s only been a month, Hoseok just pouts and clenches one hand at his chest, brows furrowing, “And it was uneventful without you, literally the most boring vacation, EVER. Don’t ever try to invalidate my feelings like that ever again, punk.”
Giggling, Jungkook pulls back to give Namjoon a hug, a bit shorter but no less tight. His dimpled smile is warm as his gaze when he pulls back, one hand on Jungkook’s shoulder, “Make yourself at home, Jungkook-ah, I’ll take you on a short tour when you want, it’s not that big, but–”
“You have two guest rooms and a studio on the upper floor!” Hoseok chimes in.
Namjoon blushes, blinking to Hoseok before settling his gaze on Jungkook again, “Yeah, that’s true, but the house is not that big, and–”
“Hyung, hyung, your main bathroom has a whirlpool tub that four of us can fit in, me and Minmin checked out,” Taehyung interrupts softly, one arm on Namjoon’s shoulder and a lazy grin on his lips.
“Yeah, that… okay, but the square footage is not that large if you consider that there are two floors. And–”
“Namjoon-ah,” Seokjin’s calm voice reaches them from the stove, they all turn to look at him. “You have two fridges,” he pauses. “There is a pantry in an adjacent room of the kitchen along with shelves for pots and supplies. And another fridge!”
“Okay, this house is a fucking mansion!” Namjoon blurts out, defeated.
Jimin scoffs, shaking his head “Well come on, don’t overdo it, you’re not Tony Stark.”
There is laughter, and a bit more chatter and Namjoon leans a bit against Jungkook and softly pleads to save him from this misery . Jungkook chuckles softly, but his mind settles for a moment on the thought of that one person he hasn't seen, yet.
“Hey, Googles.”
Jungkook’s heart skips a bit. He turns on his heels to look in the direction of the low voice and finds Yoongi, forehead uncovered and gray dyed hair a bit disheveled, not too much, just enough to give the impression that he has not spent an hour fixing them as Jungkook believes he did. He wears an oversized black sweater with some bright yellow geometric pattern, a belt around his waist, and– and– a skirt.
That is a skirt.
A long, pretty, large, black skirt.
Yoongi in a skirt.
Yoongi is wearing a skirt and Jungkook is not functioning.
He doesn’t even register how the silence falls when he keeps staring at Yoongi with wide eyes, and his head does not register the slight twitch in Yoongi's expression, how he clears his throat and fidgets with the - how many he is holding? - packs of glass noodles he has between his hands - how big are his hands by the way? - standing still at the pantry door.
Jungkook blinks, looking around for a second, before his gaze settles on Yoongi again, "D-do you need help with them?" He steps closer to him, reaching out to take some of the packets.
Yoongi smiles gently, “Thank you.”
Uh. Maybe things are not too much fucked up with Yoongi, if his smile, pink gums on full display say something. Jungkook nods, “Of course, Yoongles.”
And so the night begins.
Somehow, the others become a bit quieter now, there is soft music playing in the background, and while Namjoon and Taehyung are playing with the PlayStation, Jimin, Hoseok, and Seokjin all around the stove, while the elder takes care of the tteokguk . Jungkook also spotted the ddeok , and galbi-jjim , and if he hadn’t had a corndog halfway through Namjoon’s apartment with Taehyung, he would have been salivating on the vegetables he’s cutting with Yoongi. He chats with him while they sort things for the japchae at the kitchen aisle, getting lost in Yoongi’s details he didn’t notice before.
He looks cute, more than ever, cheeks dusted a nice pink, like the tip of his nose, and his knuckles. He wears light makeup, a layer of silvery glitter barely visible on his eyelids when he flutters his lashes, or the light of the kitchen falls on his face in a certain way. His shining earrings. How big he smiles, eyes disappearing into crescents. He looks… fit? Did he start going to the gym? When? And he never stops talking, telling him about Daegu, about Holly, about his parents saying hi and making him promise to take Googles here sometimes since it’s been a while they haven’t seen him , and so on. Jungkook simply watches him, and listens, getting lost in his presence. He doesn’t notice his nervousness until Yoongi clears his throat and pauses, before looking straight into his eyes. “Jungkook-ah, say something please.”
“...eh?” he mutters.
“I’m being annoying?” Yoongi asks, looking away, a slight pout already visible on his lips.
Jungkook doesn’t understand why he’s asking, but all it comes to his mind to reply is, “Of course, you’re always annoying.” He says it as he is simply stating a fact, but with a softness, in the depth of his voice, he can’t suppress. A hint to get back to their friendly bantering.
Silence falls again around them, he notices. Yoongi looks up at him for a moment, a bit of insecurity swelling in his eyes, before he manages to smile sheepishly, and replying a faint, “Just as you’re always a loser.”
Jungkook scoffs a, “Fuck you,” that ends in a light chuckle, and is followed by Yoongi's soft giggle. They lean into each other and the older nudges at his arm before they resume talking.
And Jungkook tells him everything about his holidays in Busan.
–
In the corner of the kitchen, around the stove, Seokjin lowers his head, eyes wide, “You were right, Jimin-ah,” he whispers, “They’re completely gone.”
Jimin shrugs nonchalantly, an expression on his face that says
I’ve known since forever
, while Hoseok peeks at them behind Seokjin’s shoulder with a frown knitting his eyebrows together, slowly munching on a piece of dried squid.
–
As the evening goes by, and the dishes are ready, they settle in the kitchen aisle because Namjoon hasn’t buy a table with chairs yet – much to Seokjin’s displeasure, since he likes to eat comfortably – and they gather all around it with high stools, bottles of beer and soju – and white wine for Taehyung, thank you very much – to finally have dinner and catch up with each other. They talk a lot, eat a lot, drink moderately and laugh until their cheeks are hurting.
Jungkook ends up sitting between Namjoon and Jimin, Yoongi in front of him on the other side of the aisle. He doesn’t miss the glances the elder gives him sometimes, but he won’t complain because sometimes he gets caught staring too, and from nobody else than Yoongi himself. The older hides his grins behind mouthfuls of rice and other delicacies.
However, as long as the dinner goes on, he loses track of the conversations.
At some point, he hears Namjoon asking what the three wishes theme of the night is, and Jimin seems offended by the question.
“We will express wishes, of course,” Jimin explains patiently.
“Okay, but what does it mean, Jimin-ah?” Namjoon queries.
Jimin lets out a long sigh, and then rolls his eyes to the ceiling in a sassy fashion, feigning exasperation, “That every one of us will express a wish for the new year!”
“I got it, but… what is it for?”
“Hyung, it's just to make good memories!”
“Oh. And how will we know that the wishes will be granted?”
“H-y-u-u-u-u-n-g-!” Jimin whines.
Yoongi is chuckling silently on the other side of the kitchen aisle, elbows leaned on the surface and chin resting on his hands, fingers intertwined – he looks adorable, by the way –, “Well I already know what to ask,” he chimes in.
They look at him, Namjoon with his eyebrows raised in a questioning look. “Don’t look at me like that, Joon-ah, sometimes it’s nice to indulge in fairytales, right?” Yoongi smiles, “Besides, I heard of this tradition where you have to hide under the dinner table and eat twelve grapes and make a wish for each one, and then ask for a boyfriend. It’s practically sure that your wishes will be granted and you’ll end up in a relationship.”
“Wait,” Namjoon leans over the table, “You’re not joking? What’s the logic behind it?”
“I don’t know, Joon-ah, having fun and eating fruit? Eating vitamin C?” Yoongi tries, cheeks flushed pink.
There is a short pause, in which Jungkook snorts and laughs amused at it, “That’s a really complicated way to take someone to bed.” – He freezes when he realizes the words he just used and realizes how silence has fallen yet another time. He feels a wave of sudden shame creeping from his chest to his neck, making his cheeks burn. Jungkook looks down to his plate, poking at a slice of carrot with his chopsticks, in the hope that avoiding eye contact with everyone – Yoongi in particular – will keep him from making him feel like an asshole since it’s the second time in a short span of months that he calls his best friend a slut or hinting about him being a one-night-standing type of guy. “N-not what I– uh– meant– wro-wrong wording– I’m just saying–”
“I’ll prove you wrong, Googles, I’ll have a boyfriend within the next year’s eve. Bet?” Yoongi’s voice makes him look up again. His hyung doesn’t look hurt like the first time, he smiles proudly and there is a glint of challenge in his dark eyes.
“Bet…” Jungkook replies, blinking amazed. So he’s not angry? He didn’t go too far this time too? Whew?
Yoongi stands from the stool and reaches for the bunches of grapes in the decorative composition in the center of the aisle, and walks away, winking at Jungkook. "Joon-ah, since you don't have a table I'll go under the desk in your studio."
“O-kay?” Namjoon mumbles, dumbfounded.
“Okay fuckos,” Seokjin intervenes, “If I play, I play to win,” standing up and going straight to where he left his spare clothes bag and retrieves a book, a pretty little thing with strange symbols engraved on the cover, “WHO IS DOWN TO MAKE SOME SERIOUS MAGIC SPELL?”
Hoseok laughs, half in disbelief and half cheerfully, standing up along with Taehyung to join Seokjin and peek into the book, looking for something that hardly any of them believe in, but surely it would be better not to mess around with – so, of course, they will do something they’ll probably regret later.
Namjoon looks around him for a moment, before realizing he’s been left behind with Jungkook, who is still watching in the direction Yoongi disappeared upstairs, and Jimin who is calmly finishing his remaining galbi-jjim.
“Wasn’t it fake grapes?” Namjoon asks.
“Yes,” Jimin replies coolly, drinking a sip of beer.
“Fake…?” Jungkook asks, eyes wide, “He’s–” he lifts from his stool and runs upstairs to search for Yoongi. It’s not that he doesn’t trust his hyung not to recognize something absolutely not edible, it’s just that in their years of university he’d seen him trying to eat everything just for a challenge, and he still remembers how Yoongi ended up throwing his guts after having given a bite to a bath bomb just because it looked fizzy .
–
Jungkook misses the slow, satisfied, knowing grin that stretches Jimin’s lips, mirrored by Namjoon’s as he climbs the stairs two by two.
–
“Hyung?” Jungkook calls softly, opening the third door on the second floor. It’s different from the previous two, a bit more spacious, with dark brown walls and a soft gray carpet on the floor. There is a strip of soft green led lights that run along the edges of the room, soft fabric loveseats, and light wood furniture. At the other side of the room, opposite to the door, there is a large desk in which Namjoon has already settled all his equipment, a nice lamp, a moon jar nearby, and his computer. This is really rkive-core , and clearly, the room Namjoon has wanted to furnish himself, taking his favorite furniture from the previous apartment with him. Jungkook smiles to himself, looking around.
“Hey, Googles,” Yoongi’s voice comes out muffled. He’s sitting under the desk, looking tiny with the large black skirt puffing around him. His eyes are cast down to the fake grapes he has in his hands, and Jungkook’s heart clenches.
He comes closer and crouches down, looking at him, “Why are you pouting, hyung?” he asks softly.
Yoongi shakes his head, nose scrunching in a soft grimace. Knowing him he’s trying not to cry, but Jungkook doesn’t know why he would cry right now. “It’s nothing, it’s just–”
Jungkook kneels, sitting on his crossed feet under him, hands resting on his legs, “You know I don’t think that, right? You know… that I don’t think you are easy, or that you don’t want to commit to a relationship.” He pauses for a moment, looking at how Yoongi gulps, lips sealed in a thin, almost pained line. “Hyung– Yoongles.”
Yoongi looks up at him, eyes shiny with unshed tears. “I don’t think your relationship was stupid, Jungkook-ah,” he speaks calmly, his tone is incredibly steady despite he looks like someone on the edge of bawling his eyes out. And Jungkook is so fucking gone for him it’s almost silly. He nods slowly but doesn’t talk, so Yoongi takes a deep breath, to steady himself. “And I don’t think you were stupid, you were in love. The stupid one was that ass of your ex. To mess with such a fucking amazing person like you,” he clicks his tongue against the palate, jaw clenching. “Well but jokes on him, you’re still amazing and he’s still a dipshit!”
Jungkook is no person to daydream or indulge in assumptions, but – Yoongi never said anything about his relationship, never let slip out an opinion or a comment, never talked because Jungkook never asked until that day – but he had already seen the way Yoongi is speaking now. He looks annoyed, angry, jealous even, and about a person who doesn't even exist in their lives anymore, but who he endured in silence for Jungkook's sake because he knew how involved he was. Yoongi looks a lot like him when he was angry at all the stupid fuckers that let him down.
“Oh, hyung,” he murmurs.
And Yoongi smiles bashfully, looking away from him to the fake fruit he’s still holding between his hands, fidgeting nervously with his fingers like someone who doesn’t know what to do. “Hyung is sorry, Jungkook-ah,” he mutters, “I should have behaved better, be responsible and help you. But that day, I had seen you suffer for so long, and I just– couldn't control myself.” He pauses for a moment, sniffling, “I’m sorry.”
Jungkook leans a bit closer, silently. Yoongi glances softly at him, making him space under the desk. They end up sitting with their backs against the wall, legs stretched outside. There is the faint green light of the LEDs glowing softly, hugging them in a calming luminescence.
“I’m sorry too, for making you feel like someone who doesn’t care about feelings and all, I know how much you care.” Jungkook murmurs, head leaning back to the wall. “I know that when you love someone, you give all yourself, unconditionally. But you do it without being loud, and taking care of your person by being with them every day, doing small things like a good morning message, or asking to write when they head back home. You do that by replacing the empty bottles of water with the full ones in the office, or sneaking donuts for the trainees when their managers are away. You do that with your songs, writing and working on them and listening to what our artists say, their concerns and always helping them...” he pauses for a moment. “Honestly, hyung, I think all the people who dumped you were fucking dumb, you’re great.”
He looks at Yoongi from the corner of his eye, the elder is looking at him with wide eyes, lips slightly parted in surprise. He closes his mouth for a moment, slightly frowning, but it’s not a displeased look, it’s more like he’s processing something. Jungkook can almost hear the noise of the gears in his brain clicking when the realization hits and something finally take place. Yoongi looks up into his eyes, a small smile curling his lips, “Jungkook-ah,” he murmurs, “Tell me if I’m reading it wrong, but… is this a confession?”
Jungkook hums softly, lips pursing in a pensive frown for a moment. He considers it for exactly five seconds, before he stretches his lips in a smile, shy at the edges but still there, “If you want it to be… then, yes, it is.” He pauses for a moment, shifting to turn in his direction, one shoulder pressed against the wall.
“Huh,” Yoongi smiles, averting his gaze to look down at the grapes. The lighting in the room is dim, but over time Jungkook's eyes got used to it, and he can see the blush dusting Yoongi's cheeks, and this time it's neither the heat of the kitchen nor the beer they have drunk during dinner. He lifts the grapes with one hand, looking back at him, “Can we say that this worked, then?”
“It depends, what did you wish for?” Jungkook asks, playfully.
“You know the end game, Jungkook. I can’t tell you the other wishes, it’s bad luck,” he chuckles softly, shoulder relaxing visibly as he leans a tad bit closer. His gaze falls on Jungkook’s lips for a moment, lips parting just slightly nervously like he’s still not sure of what to do with himself.
Jungkook smiles softly, moving just an inch closer to him. They’re close, close, close. Closer than ever, and Yoongi is pretty, smelling like saltwater cologne, and handmade food, and familiar like the roommate he had a crush on in university and told him that it was okay to fall in love with a boy, there was nothing wrong, and he would never be alone. So Jungkook finds strength from all these things and, simply, asks, “Can I be your boyfriend?”
Yoongi closes his eyes and kisses him. It’s a chaste peck, really, and his lips are soft as Jungkook has ever imagined they would be. He tastes a bit like the ddeok he ate right before all the wishes discussion that lead them here, but it’s okay, he likes ddeok , he likes Yoongi, he likes how the elder is gentle and careful, not depending on the kiss too much, but still making him feel how much he wanted it too, what his answer is. Whispering soft “Yes, Jungkook-ah, yes,” and, “Please, yes,” between their kisses.
Their lips slide together, prolonging the last kiss, before slightly pulling away, the tip of their noses brushing softly.
Jungkook smiles when he feels Yoongi chuckling silently, “What?” he asks, opening his eyes just to see the elder looking at him with a fond gaze. “What is it?”
Yoongi’s lips stretch in a gleeful smirk, he pecks his lips again, and then, “I won again, Jeon Jungkook.”
“Jesus Christ, for how long will you brag about it?” Jungkook huffs, jokingly.
There is a glint in Yoongi’s eyes, a lovely mix of mischief and fondness, something that only he could pull out without stopping being the adorable person he is. “Forever,” he laughs.
And maybe, just maybe, Jungkook is more than okay with that.
🍇