Chapter Text
Namjoon should have known it was going to be a bad day right from the start. He rolled out of bed twenty minutes late, leaving him without enough time to eat breakfast. On his way to the bathroom he collided with his roommate, who gave him an annoyed grunt and a sore arm. He did manage to dress in record time though, and was ready to leave only five minutes later than he should have been.
But being the good friend he was he stopped in his rush when he noticed his roommate sitting at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee and a dark expression on his face that said he was not doing well.
"Yoongi, you alright?"
The older looked at him, eyes narrowed and Namjoon hoped the glare was aimed at the world in general rather than him. "I feel like shit. I think I've caught whatever Hoseok had."
Namjoon offered him a sympathetic smile, not wanting to do much more for fear of being the third one to fall ill. “Do me a favour?”
He glanced at the clock on the wall worriedly, and Yoongi followed his gaze. “It won’t take long, it’s on your way anyway. Can you stop by and tell Seokjin- my boss- I can’t work today? He won't have his phone on him during the day, so…” he trailed off, giving Namjoon pleading eyes for extra effect.
They seemed to work because Namjoon agreed with a sigh. “Alright,” he gave in, already restarting his path to the door. “Take it easy, yeah?” He called over his shoulder. He didn’t wait long enough to hear the other’s reply but he was sure he caught the beginning of the sentence 'which one of us is older-’.
He walked twice as fast as usual, meaning he made it to the mid-point of his journey in a record five minutes. Usually this was where Yoongi left him, and Namjoon would continue to the block of offices he worked in, but today he was the one stopping at the bakery. He’d never been inside Yoongi’s place of work before so he had little idea what to expect, nor had he ever met his boss- Seokjin. He did know he was a friend of Yoongi's from school, but that was all he knew about the man, aside from the fact he owned a bakery.
As he walked through the doors he was hit by the smell of baking bread coming from inside the shop and Namjoon was all too unpleasantly reminded of the fact he'd skipped breakfast. He cleared his throat, before calling out in the direction of the doorway behind the counter, “Umm, Seokjin?”
“One minute!” A voice called back, and Namjoon was mostly relieved he’d been heard more than anything else.
He stood, rocking on his heels as he waited for him to come out. It was a testament to the day he was having that, just as the man appeared in the doorway Namjoon’s stomach decided to loudly express his hunger. He felt his cheeks flush with embarrassment and, before he could say anything, Seokjin had let out a small laugh. Namjoon looked up quickly and that was when he noticed two things: the first was that, if the expression on his face was anything to go by, the laughter wasn’t intended as malicious at all; and the second was that he was pretty. The latter fact made him blush even more.
“Sorry, I didn't mean to laugh. Did you want something?” The question jolted Namjoon out of his thoughts, reminding him of why he was there in the first place. Seokjin was looking at him curiously, clearly wondering who he was or how he knew who he was.
“Oh, yes umm…” He struggled to think for a second before it came back to him. “I’m Yoongi’s friend.” He nodded in recognition, prompting him to continue. “He can’t make it today, he’s not well.”
Rather than looking annoyed or inconvenienced, Seokjin’s face immediately changed to one of concern. “Oh, it’s nothing bad is it?”
Namjoon was sure he was still blushing, and vaguely registered the fact that he found his friend’s boss’s worry cute. “No, he'll be back in a few days at most, don’t worry.”
The concern softened out of Seokjin’s features again. “Ah, I’m glad to hear it. Give him my best, I hope he's better soon."
Namjoon was about to turn to leave, assuming their conversation was done when Seokjin spoke again. “Are you hungry?” He presumed the question was rhetorical but at the reminder of his embarrasment the now fading blush returned with a vengeance. “You can have something if you want: some have just finished baking.”
Regretfully Namjoon shook his head, “I don’t have any money on me.” He had a feeling he was late for work by now, but honestly he couldn’t find it in himself to care too much anymore.
Despite that Seokjin insisted. “I’ll give you Yoongi’s employee discount, it can be our secret,” he smiled conspiratorially at Namjoon and he’d be lying if he said it didn’t do things to his heart. “That is a 100% discount: because he always steals something to eat during the day and I let him get away with it.” Namjoon found himself laughing and Seokjin smiled broadly too; the edges of his eyes creasing, and Namjoon was sure he'd agree with anything the other man suggested if he just smiled at him like that while he said it. “Really, I insist.”
So, he left five minutes later with a sandwich in one hand, a coffee in the other and Seokjin’s smile lingering on his brain. He ended up being fifteen minutes late for work, because that was just the day he was having, but he found he didn't mind the way his luck was going quite as much. That was, until he put the coffee down a little too close to the edge of his desk before he'd even had chance to drink any.
*
When Namjoon got home that evening Yoongi was sat on the sofa, typing something long on his phone. He supposed it was lyrics, but he didn't ask.
"Have you eaten?"
Yoongi shook his head. "Not hungry."
Namjoon hummed to show he'd heard, choosing not to try and fight it out to get Yoongi to eat something. Instead, he headed into the kitchen, threw yesterday's leftovers into a bowl and put it in the microwave. Then he came back and sat on the couch beside him.
"Seokjin said he hopes you get better soon." He informed, the thought of the morning's encounter bringing a small blush back to his cheeks.
Yoongi raised his eyes from his phone, looking at Namjoon like he was trying to work something out.
"What?" Namjoon asked eventually, once Yoongi had stared him down for at least thirty seconds.
"Why did you say it like that?" He asked suspiciously.
"Like what?"
Yoongi waved his hand, "like that. And you're blushing." Then he rolled his eyes. "Namjoon please tell me you don't fancy my boss."
He was quick to protest, "I don't fancy your boss! I don't know the guy." Yoongi looked unconvinced, and his resolve quickly crumbled. "He's cute okay?"
He gave a disbelieving laugh, "I've never known anyone to fall in love quicker than you Namjoon, honestly. Sometimes I swear your brain’s trying to make up for your lack of sexual attraction with excess romantic."
As much as Namjoon would have liked to protest, Yoongi had years of evidence to hold against him to prove his point. "Shut up," was the best comeback he could come up with. In the background the microwave pinged, and Namjoon went to retrieve his dinner.
When he returned for the second time Yoongi had put his phone down, "Tell him thanks." Namjoon raised a questioning eyebrow. "I won't be able to work tomorrow either, my head hasn't stopped hurting all day. If you want an excuse to talk to him again..." He looked at Namjoon meaningfully, with only a small trace of teasing in his tone.
It was times like this Namjoon was truly grateful for Yoongi's friendship, though he knew that ordinarily he'd probably have been teased more for his already budding crush, if only Yoongi had the energy. He chose to ignore how the older wiggled his eyebrows knowingly the whole time he was eating.