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The first time.
"I have a sweater just like that" Namjoon muttered more to himself as he watched Jungkook weave his way through the tables of the busy cafe. Yoongi glanced up from his laptop to take in the younger man's appearance before turning his attention straight back to it.
"Sorry I'm late, I couldn't start my car and…." Jungkook was rambling now, gesticulating wildly with his hands as he grumbled through his story, forcing the sweater sleeves to slip over long tattooed fingers.
When was the last time Namjoon had seen his own sweater?
"Namjoon?" A hesitant voice broke into his stream of consciousness. "Are you still in there?"
"Sorry. I was just…So your car?"
Jungkook frowned a little, burrowing his chin into the offending sweatshirt "No? Coffee?"
Namjoon nodded slowly, earning a brilliant smile from his friend.
"You're both so obvious." Yoongi chuckled as the younger retreated towards the counter, "I don't know why you both insist on inviting me to these things when you just stare at each other the whole time."
"It's not like that." Namjoon hissed, "I just think he's wearing my sweater."
Jungkook had joined the queue now, mouthing something that Namjoon knew would be a rehearsal for the coffee order to himself. What were the odds that the younger man would have managed to wear down his sweatshirt the exact same amount as Namjoon had, even down to the holes in the cuffs?
"Oh that's what you're into?" Yoongi raised an eyebrow, "I thought you were far too woke to enjoy possessiveness like that?"
"I'm not into anything."
"Hey I'm not judging, everyone likes the idea of their man wearing their clothes, maybe with nothing else."
"He's not my man," Namjoon whined, scowling at the person he once called his best friend.
"Y-you have a man?" Jungkook's voice was high and he settled back into the seat.
"No he just wants one," Yoongi replied dryly. "Say Jungkook, would you like it if the person you liked wore your clothes?"
The tips of the youngests ears started flushing "I wouldn't say I don't like it? It's never really happened so…"
"So you do like someone?" Yoongi's eyes narrowed.
"Are you morphing into your boyfriend? I didn't know you were such a gossip." Namjoon snapped. He didn't need to hear the guy he likes talking about who he liked. And he definitely didn't need to think about Jungkook wearing just the oversized sweatshirt, but the fact that if he wasn't wearing sweatpants you probably would just see the hem of his boxers and a lot of leg wasn’t lost on him.
"Are you okay Joon? You haven't written anything in twenty minutes," he finally heard Jungkook asking.
Namjoon really meant to reply, instead he asked "Is that my sweater?"
Jungkook looked down, almost as if he forgot he was dressed at all, "Oh yeah I guess it is. I think I wore it home the other night when I left."
"The other night? When were we all last at Namjoon's?" Yoongi wondered aloud, voice remisient of Jimin's smug sing-song tone when he'd heard something particularly juicy.
"It was just us." Jungkook offered brightly, then turning back to Namjoon, "Did you want it back?"
Without waiting for a response, the younger was already beginning to remove the offending item, simultaneously exposing a sliver of his stomach, a tattooed arm and giving Namjoon a small heart attack.
"No!" He yelped, finally remembering how to speak, "Keep it, it suits you?"
Jungkook paused, pulling the garment to cover his torso once more "Yeah?"
Namjoon nodded, trying to focus on his own laptop screen, "yeah."
Beside him Yoongi shook with laughter.
The Second Time.
They had planned everything perfectly. Seokjin had bought the food, Yoongi and Namjoon were in charge of drinks, Hoseok provided the tickets and Jimin along with Jungkook had been the one to arrive earlier armed with blankets and to secure a prime spot for the group. And everything had gone perfectly except…
"I'm cold." Jungkook moaned for approximately the thirtieth time that evening. "You guys said it would be warm tonight.."
"Nobody said that," Jimin replied, concentrating more on trying to position himself in a way where he could both have as many of his limbs touching Yoongi's and still be able to watch every member of the group. "I actually told you the exact opposite of that."
Jungkook muttered something under his breath and glanced around the group taking in everyone else's carefully selected layers. Namjoon couldn't recall whose idea it was to come to an outdoor concert in November, and he couldn't really remember agreeing either but here he was.
"Hyung? Shall we?" Junkook was asking him now, eyes wide.
Namjoon cursed himself, he really needed to start listening more, "Shall we what?"
"Go and check out the dessert stands? Yoongi said the walk might warm me up."
Namjoon nodded, untangling his legs from the unruly pile that Hoseok had managed to entangle him in and to standing. He tightened his scarf at his neck and followed Jungkook away from the group, ignoring the raised eyebrows and exaggerated winks from his friends.
"Why didn't you dress properly?" Namjoon finally asked once they were out of earshot of the group, forcing his hands deep into his pockets to protect his hands from the cold air. Jungkook shivered again, he was only wearing a denim jacket.
"I wanted you to think I looked nice," Jungkook mumbled, not looking directly at his walking companion.
Namjoon's expression softened, allowing himself to take in Jungkook's appearance properly for the first time that evening. On closer inspection, Namjoon noticed that Jungkook was dressed very similarly to how he had done two nights before on their first date.
"I always think you look nice." The older one confirmed easily, "I feel like I should have made more of an effort now."
"You look good." Jungkook shivered again.
"Do you want one of my jackets? I'm wearing two?" Namjoon offered, already pulling his arms out of his overcoat and handing it to the younger.
"I really like you Hyung," Jungkook confessed, gratefully accepting the jacket. The camel coloured wool coat looked alien on the younger man, a stark contrast to his existing outfit, prompting Namjoon to remove his scarf and start wrapping it around Jungkook's neck, covering his lower face.
"I really like you too Kook," he muttered, tucking the ends underneath the jacket. When he was finished, he didn't step away from the other man, he was close enough to appreciate the blush spreading across the younger's cheek and the way his eyes were sparkling from the lights strung in the trees around them. Somewhere behind them he could hear the sounds of the orchestra beginning. It was as if everything was leading towards the perfect moment.
"Are you ever going to kiss me hyung?" Jungkook asked softly.
"You could kiss me?" Namjoom leveled, stepping even closer to the other and curling a hand around his waist.
"You're looking at me like you want to kiss me."
Namjoon didn't reply with words, instead he pressed their lips together.
The third time.
"I asked you not to do it." Namjoon sighed, taking in his soggy...boyfriend? Person he was seeing? Special friend? They hadn't exactly had that conversation yet.
"But they dared me, " Jungkook moaned, tugging at the wet tshirt that was clung to his torso. Namjoon let his eyes linger for a second to the way the black material gripped to the other, highlighting his abs, "I can't refuse a dare."
Namjoon rolled his eyes, throwing a towel over Jungkook's head and starting to towel dry his hair with more aggression than was probably warranted.
"You're mad at me." Jungkook mumbled, peering head out of the towel and staring accusingly at Namjoon.
"I'm not mad at you. You can do whatever you want." Namjoon partly lied.
But he was mad. On hearing the news that Namjoon's undergraduate dissertation was being published in an overseas journal, Taehyung had insisted that the only event fitting this was a cocktail party in their apartment and dutifully Namjoon's friends and peers had attended.
And it was all fine, until it started raining, leading Seokjin and Jimin to dare Jungkook to stand out on the balcony for ten minutes, soaking through his dress shirt and undershirt.
"I embarrassed you," Jungkook sighed.
Namjoon didn't deny this, instead moving to his wardrobe for a change of clothes for Jungkook. "I didn't think."
"Tae worked really hard on tonight, I have my advisors here," Namjoon spoke gently, voice resigned. "I was excited for people to meet my…. Forget it."
He pulled black turtleneck out of his wardrobe, one that Jimin had bought him in a size too small to 'emphasise his arms' and a pair of skinny jeans that looked like they might not swamp the other too much.
"You wanted people to meet me?" Jungkook asked gently.
Namjoon didn't respond, instead motioning to the clothes that he'd laid out on the bed.
"These should fit you."
"Thanks."
Jungkook began peeling off his wet shirt, causing the older man to avert his gaze. It was going to be a lot harder to stay mad at him while he was half naked and damp.
"Hyung?" Jungkook began gently, "I'm sorry I ruined your party. I just felt so out of my depth," his shirt was completely removed now and Namjoon couldn't help but trace the delicate lines of his tattoos on his arms with his eyes. "There are a lot of really smart people out there. And even our friends are all social chameleons then there's just me. Someone asked me what my opinion is on Leviathan. I spoke for ten minutes about sea creatures before they said it was a book."
"I think you're smart," Namjoon mumbled defensively. "Most people wouldn't have even known that The Leviathan is a sea creature. That's smart."
Jungkook shook his head, damp hair falling into his eyes now, "Not like you are hyung. And usually that's okay. I just felt like everyone was expecting your boyfriend to be as brilliant as you. You're literally going to be Dr Kim one day and I'm an undergrad art student."
"It's not a real doctor. Doctorates are just fancy titles and…"
"I just called you my boyfriend for the first time and you're focusing on semantics?"
"That's a smart person's word." Namjoon couldn't help but chuckle, watching the fond smile spread over his boyfriend's(?!) face.
The fourth time
Namjoon hated his job. He really hated his job. He hated when he had to work nights, hated smelling like stale beer, hated that he was working towards a PhD yet was referred to by colleagues as Dr beer, he hated getting home at 3am, long after Taehyung had gone to bed. The only communication he had with his roommate for a week now was via post it notes attached to the fridge. But most of all he hated that between his work hours and school work and Jungkook's internship with one of the most infamously erratic photographers in Korea, he hadn't seen his boyfriend in eighteen days now.
After a particularly bad night that had ended with a underage girl vomiting on his shoes, Namjoon returned to his empty apartment. Tae had informed him (via post it note) that he was going home for the weekend and he hadn't heard from Jungkook for two days now.
That part stung, even more so due to the fact it was their anniversary. Namjoon actually had the weekend off for it now but his partner hadn't responded to his requests to hang out.
"I'm home." He whispered, more out of habit than anything else.
Dropping his bag and coat on the floor near the doorway, Namjoon padded through the apartment contemplating if he should stay up for a few hours longer considering that he had nowhere to be when he noticed the decidedly Jungkook shaped lump on his sofa.
He hadn't forgotten.
Namjoon approached slowly, warmth spreading across his chest as he took in his sleeping boyfriend. "Baby?" Jungkook stated slightly forcing Namjoon to repeat himself a little louder now, "Baby?"
"Joonie? Your home." Jungkook mumbled, voice thick with sleep, "Happy anniversary."
"What are you doing here?" Namjoon asked, voice still low.
"Wanted to be here when you got back," the younger replied, still struggling to open his eyes completely. "Worked two days straight to get the weekend off."
"You didn't need to do that "
Jungkook shook his head, shrinking his body into the hoodie Namjoon had recognised he must have helped himself to from the pile of laundry in the bedroom. The sight of his boyfriend wearing his clothes definitely did something to him, Yoongi was right all that time ago.
"What do you wanna do tomorrow? Jungkook was asking now, making grabby hands at his boyfriend for him to settle on the sofa next to him. When Namjoon didn't respond, Jungkook continued "I can't believe it's been a year. It feels longer"
"Technically it is. The anniversary of our first date was sixteen months and four days ago. "
Jungkook rolled his eyes good naturedly, "Shut up Namjoon."
The fifth time
"Joon? Kook? Are you here?" A singsong song voice rang through the mostly empty apartment, "Guys? We have dinner!"
"And booze." A second voice added.
Usually, Namjoon would be elated to hear that his friends had arrived at the impromptu house warming with food and drinks, however usually Namjoon wouldn't be standing naked in his bathroom at 6pm with an equally as naked Jungkook.
It had started innocently enough, it always did, it was the first day in their new apartment. Logistically they knew moving in together would be hard work considering they both previously lived on opposite sides of the city and were moving to another equally distant shared apartment in Hongdae, so when Jungkook suggested a shower before their friends arrived, the environmentally sound thing to do was to share. Because Namjoon was nothing if not environmentally sound.
"When did you give them the pass code?" Namjoon hissed, cursing his friends for arriving just as they were getting to the good bit.
Jungkook looked up at his boyfriend through his eyelashes, "I think you'll find that that's Yoongi and Tae. You'd have been the one who gave them the codes."
"Just a second!" Namjoon called, scrambling away from the other man and pulling his legs into his dirty sweats.
"Take your time. We'll try and find the plates." Definitely Yoongi called back.
"We could…" Jungkook began, hands snaking towards the elders waist band.
"Don't you dare." Namjoon shook his head, pulling his t-shirt over his head now, wincing slightly at the sweat clinging to the material still, so much for a shower.
Jungkook pouted, teeth resting on his bottom lip thoughtfully for a moment but still dutifully pulled his own clothes back on and followed Namjoon out to the lounge where their friends were waiting.
"Why are you guys wet?" Taheyung asked, eyebrows furrowed.
"Joon broke the shower head trying to figure it out." Jungkoon lied easily, "We’re just gonna go change."
Taehyung nodded, accepting the explanation with an amount of ease Namjoon couldn't help but be offended.
As if to prove his point, Jungkook began lifting his damp t-shirt as they sauntered down the hall back towards their bedroom.
"You picked up my underwear." Namjoon murmured, watching the emerging and familiar waistband over the younger's low slung pants.
"Oh, did I?" Jungkook asked, voice dripping with feigned innocence. His face began morphing into a smirk, "You'll have to help me change them then."
"Wait guys, before you change could you just show us which box your utensils are in?" Yoongi called, immediately breaking up the scenes playing out only feet away, "Your packing system is stressing me out."
Jungkooks shoulders slumped, clearly annoyed that their friends had disturbed his attempts again. Namjoon threw an easy arm around his boyfriend's shoulder leading him back to the lounge, just as they entered, Namjoon dipped down towards his boyfriend's ear.
"If you're wearing my underwear, what am I wearing?"
Jungkook's voice was barely a whisper, "Mine?"
Namjoon mentally patted himself on the back as he shook his head slowly leaving his boyfriend gaping.
The other.
If Jungkook was honest, he didn't really understand the way Namjoon's eyes would darken when he wore the other man's clothes. They were just clothes, and as two men with a similar need for tactile fabrics and taste for overpriced basics, it was hardly a surprise that Jungkook liked to borrow his boyfriend's clothes.
But if that was what did it for Namjoon, who was he to judge? It could be a worse, he could be into buying worn stockings off the Internet or Ed Sheeran music.
The only downside to their new shared wardrobe was the fact that Jungkook now had double the amount of pockets to search when he lost things. And at this moment in time he'd lost a very important thing. Maybe the most important thing.
The pile of clothes behind him was mounting, as the artist tipped through the closet, patting down every jacket, sweatshirt and trouser he could lay his hands on. Where had he put it?
"Babe? Can you come here for a sec?" Namjoon's deep voice called.
"I'm a bit busy." Jungkook called back, he could feel stress hives forming on the back of his neck now. He knew he should have taken Jimin up on his offer to keep it at his apartment.
"I think I might have what you're looking for?" Namjoon called back, something akin to humour in his tone, "well either that or you have something to tell me."
Jungkook scrambled to the lounge, dread in his stomach, and found Namjoon standing in the centre of their lounge with a dazed expression. He was wearing the overpriced windbreaker that Jungkook had let Hoseok talk him into putting on his credit card weeks earlier, the same day that he'd bought it.
"I was just trying your jacket on." Namjoon began conversationally, eyes still filled with a far away look, "I've always wanted a jacket like this."
Jungkook nodded cautiously, "Suits you. You should keep it."
"Yeah?"
Jungkook nodded, hopeful that his boyfriend had called him thinking he was searching for the offending jacket.
"Can I keep what I found in the pocket as well then?" Namjoon asked, his tone becoming more grounded with each word. He pulled out a small black box.
Jungkooks heart sank, "Did you open it?"
Namjoon shook his head, "I didn't think it was mine to open."
Jungkook wanted to cry, it was ruined. "I mean, it's for you if that's what you're worried about?"
"And what is it?"
"Remember when I asked you why you hadn't kissed me? And you said I could have kissed you?" Jungkook began awkwardly, moving towards the other man to take the box from him. When he nodded, Jungkook continued, "well i realised, that i do that a lot. Wait for you to do the things I want to do too."
Namjoon nodded, a gentle smile now playing on his lips.
"So, I guess I'll just do this now?"
Namjoon didn't react.
"I had a much bigger thing planned, tonight actually. Everyone was going to surprise us afterwards and our parents are in town and…"
"I can wait."
Jungkook shook his head, taking in his 6ft boyfriend, dressed entirely in his own borrowed clothes. "Nah. This more us. We can celebrate later."
"What are we celebrating kook?"
"Us getting engaged." Jungkook sounded a lot more confident than he felt, "if you want to marry me that is?"
"Can I keep the jacket as well if I say yes?"
Jungkook laughed, sliding the silver band on the other man's hand. "You can have everything."