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Chapter Text

How it all begins...

Jungkook pokes his head up from behind the cash register, pushing aside a rotating display of keychains so he has a clearer view of the produce section. He stays crouched while he looks, but the illusion seems to have vanished. The section is empty save for a bird that flew into the store a few hours ago, still perched on top of a row of refrigerators, staring back at him in challenge. Minutes ago, Jungkook had been plotting an elaborate strategy for the bird's removal. Now, Jungkook stares up at it and wonders if it too is an illusion.

"Are you ok?"

Jungkook jerks at the sudden voice behind him, keychain display toppling to the ground when he hits it with an elbow. In his haste to turn around, he bangs the side of his face against the metal base of the cash register, and any pain he felt in his elbow is quickly replaced by a throbbing in his nose. When he looks up, he finds the illusion (ghost? man?) standing before him, arms now full of canned soup and bags of coffee beans. The look of concern on the stranger's face is only slightly outweighed by a look of horror.

"Your nose- oh shit-" the stranger starts, but Jungkook is already swiping his hand through the blood at the base of his nose and staring at it in bafflement.

"What the fuck?" Jungkook doesn't mean to say it so loudly, but his ears are ringing slightly, probably because he bashed his face into a metal surface. His voice is enough to startle the bird at last, and it flies gracefully from its perch and through a hole in the screen of the entry door. Jungkook stares after it in envy.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to startle you-" the stranger starts again, but Jungkook waves at him to stop, ducking under the counter to grab a paper towel and bunch it under his nose.

"It's fine, it's fine, it's not your fault-"

"It kinda seemed like my fault-"

"No, honestly, it happens all the time-"

"You slam your head into the cash register all the time?"

Jungkook looks down at the register, and then back up at the stranger. Up close, he seems solid. Jungkook has a sneaking suspicion he might not be an illusion or ghost after all.

He gulps, then nods. "Yeah, that's- yeah, it actually happens more often than you'd expect."

The horror on the stranger's face has mostly returned to its original concern, and Jungkook calls it a win. He clears his throat to start fresh.

"Welcome to Boulder Market, how may I assist you?" Jungkook asks, voice slightly muffled by the bloody paper towel.

"Uh-" the stranger keeps staring at him, mouth hanging open just a bit, but eventually he gingerly slides his groceries onto the counter. "Just wanted to buy this stuff."

Jungkook starts ringing him up, but he can only use the hand that isn't covered in blood, so it's slower than usual. He looks up at the stranger, trying to determine the best kind of small talk to make with someone you've already humiliated yourself in front of.

"Crazy weather out there, huh?" Jungkook asks, skillfully rolling a can of soup over the scanner and straight into a paper bag at the end of the counter.

The stranger looks out the window behind Jungkook's head and squints in confusion, and it's only then that Jungkook remembers it's a calm, sunny day.

The stranger throws him a bone though. "Well there's certainly a lot of snow on the ground, you guys must have gotten a storm recently?"

Jungkook nods enthusiastically, and throws a can of soup into the bag without scanning it, partly in thanks for the distracting conversation, and partly because he wants to speed up the checkout.

"Yeah, a few days ago, we got about 35 centimeters. Are you visiting the area for skiing?" Jungkook asks, trying to sound polite even as he bleeds. When he finally scans the last item, the stranger shoves his credit card in the chip reader before Jungkook can announce the total.

"Ah, not for skiing, no. I'm renting a cabin a few kilometers up the road. I'll be here for a few months, I think."

Jungkook tries his hardest not to choke on his tongue, and instead slides the paper bag across the counter, receipt tucked inside.

"Oh wow, that's- wow. We don't get a lot of new people up here."

The stranger looks from Jungkook's bloody nose to the register one more time, and nods like that makes sense. "Well, I'll be around." He picks up the bag and hugs it to his chest. "I'm Min Yoongi, by the way."

Jungkook clears his throat, and then raises the bloody paper towel in a timid wave before he puts it back in place. "Jeon Jungkook."

The stranger (Yoongi, Jungkook repeats in his head) nods once before he walks towards the exit. He pauses with his hand on the screen door and looks back at Jungkook. "White vinegar should get the blood stain out of your shirt."

Jungkook's head whips down, and he frowns when he sees the smear of red across the collar of his cable-knit sweater. It was a Christmas gift from Hoseok. His frown deepens, trying to remember if Hoseok said he knit it himself.

By the time he looks back up, the bell above the door is jingling as it swings shut, and Yoongi is gone.

"What the fuck," Jungkook repeats out loud to himself.

Chapter Text

Chapter Text

Jungkook is helping a customer bag their groceries when the front door opens, letting in some of the cold morning air. He calls out a greeting but doesn't look up until he's finished bagging, not wanting to seem eager. He's been waiting all morning, so when his eyes land on a person bundled up in a puffy coat by the fruits, he manages not to smack his face into any hard surfaces.

The only other people in the shop are a customer and one of the student workers they employ. They both seem preoccupied, so Jungkook runs a quick hand through his hair before he walks over to produce. He wore a nice sweater today, one that doesn't have any pulls in it, and Taehyung had stared at him in suspicion when he arrived at work. Jungkook had just stood there in silence as he put on his work apron, determined not to make it into a thing, until Taehyung finally shrugged and retreated to the office in the back of the store.

When Jungkook gets to the produce section, he politely clears his throat.

Yoongi looks up and smiles when he sees him. "Oh hey, it's my tangerine dealer."

Jungkook huffs out a laugh, scratching at the back of his neck because he's suddenly forgotten what you're supposed to do with your hands when faced with an attractive person. "So, how do they look? Are they up to your city standards?"

Yoongi hums, tossing one in the air before he slips it into his basket to join the others. "Not too shabby. I'm just trying to decide how many l'll eat in the next week."

Jungkook leans his hip against a display of potatoes. "I'd say a dozen, but who knows. We've only just met."

Yoongi looks over at him, tilting his head to the side.
"I seem like a two tangerine a day kind of person?"

"Well–" Jungkook blushes under his gaze. "You've shown a lot of enthusiasm for the fruit."

Yoongi laughs, rolling one between his hands. "I have, haven't I.”

Jungkook warms up under his smile and tries to feel more confident. "I'd even say some days you verge into three tangerine territory."

Yoongi grins, and Jungkook feels like he got an answer right on a test he didn't know he was taking. He nods and tips a few more into his basket. "Ah, it's like you know me already."

Jungkook ducks his head so Yoongi won't see how pleased his smile is. He gestures over his shoulder as he backs away. "Well, whenever you're ready, I'll be at the register."

He bumps into the cabbages as he turns around, but he thinks he pulls it off with grace.

He tries organizing a display of windshield wiper fluid while subtly watching Yoongi go through the rest of the aisles, but he ends up just clutching a bottle to his chest while Yoongi frowns in concentration over a shelf with different types of pasta. Jungkook is tempted to tweet about how cute his pout is, but Yoongi finally makes a decision and comes over to the counter before he can manage to. Jungkook reminds himself to remain calm.

"So, not gonna break any bones this time, are ya?"

That’s all it takes for Jungkook’s face to go red again. He fumbles as he starts ringing Yoongi up. "Listen, that was- an unfortunate series of events, and I think we should forget about it."

Yoongi hums, nodding as he leans both elbows against the counter, watching Jungkook pack away his groceries into a paper bag. "No promises, it'll be hard to forget. I mean, there was just so much blood-"

"There wasn't that much."

Yoongi barks out a disbelieving laugh. "It dripped on your shoes-"

"Oh!” Taehyung's voice comes loudly from where he's approaching them from the back of the shop. “Yoongi-ssi, it's good to see you again!" 

"Oh god," Jungkook mutters, packing the groceries away as quickly as he can.

"Hey,” Yoongi smiles at Taehyung, straightening from where he was leaning on the counter. “Thanks for the tip about placing orders. Jungkook's been really helpful."

"Our Jungkookie is very helpful," Taehyung nods, sidling up to them. The gleam in his eyes makes Jungkook go pale. "He's got a lot of great attributes, you know. He's smart, and funny, he can bench press 200 pounds, I've heard his stroke game is-"

"Okay!" Jungkook interrupts, pushing Yoongi's bag towards him. "That's enough from Taehyung, thank you, Taehyung."

"I wasn't finished-" Taehyung tries to interject, but Jungkook walks around the counter to push him away. Taehyung stands his ground, though, so Jungkook opts for putting him in a headlock as he turns back to Yoongi.

"Did you want to start a tab with us? Most villagers just pay at the end of the month rather than every time they come in." Jungkook tries to sound professional while he asks, but Taehyung is wriggling in his hold, so it comes out in huffs.

Yoongi stares at them with his mouth ajar, but eventually, he nods his head. "Um, yeah. Tab sounds good. I'll leave you guys to..." He waves a hand at where Taehyung is grunting and trying to stomp on Jungkook's feet. "To do whatever this is."

"Thank you, Yoongi-ssi," Jungkook smiles, face red from the effort.

"Hyung. Feel free to-" Yoongi pauses when Jungkook shrieks at a sudden tickle attack, and continues when Jungkook manages to trap both of Taehyung's hands between his knees. "Feel free to call me hyung."

Taehyung's voice is choked when he speaks from under Jungkook's armpit. "Welcome to the mountain, hyung. We're excited to have you."

"Super excited," Jungkook agrees.

Yoongi stares at them both for another second, and then nods, backing away. "Careful with his windpipe, Jungkook, his face is going kinda red."

When the door closes behind Yoongi, Jungkook lets go of his hold on Taehyung and lets him flop to the ground. "My stroke game?" His voice verges on hysterical.

Taehyung grunts, rolling onto his back. "You're welcome.”

Jungkook sighs and lays down next to him in defeat. The other customer, an older woman who lives nearby, steps over them, not phased at all. Taehyung calls out after her. "Mrs. Lee, your hair looks lovely today." 

They talk back and forth for a minute, but Jungkook ignores them as he stares at the ceiling, going over the past 20 minutes in his head. When Mrs. Lee wanders further down the aisle, Taehyung rolls his head back to look at Jungkook.

"So?"

Jungkook sighs, and props himself up on both elbows, hair flopping in his face while he looks over at the tangerine display.

"He's pretty cute."

“Well, then…” Taehyung gives Jungkook's belly a sympathetic pat and then stands up, reaching down to help Jungkook, too. Before he pulls him up, Taehyung grins down at him. "Let the adventure begin, buddy.”

Chapter Text

Chapter Text

"Well, well, fancy seeing you here." 

Yoongi hears the voice from behind him while he picks through a tray of tangerines. When he looks up, Jungkook is standing a few feet away, grinning as he dusts off his work apron.

"Yeah, it's almost like I told you I'd be here or something," Yoongi jokes. He watches as Jungkook laughs and brushes at the front of his apron again.

"And it's almost like you have an exclusive diet of very tiny oranges," Jungkook jokes back, and Yoongi stops himself from joining in on laughing so he can pout.

"Not true. Look–" Yoongi tips his basket forward so Jungkook can see the two pints of ice cream rolling around. "I'm multifaceted."

Jungkook huffs out another laugh and slips his hands into the pockets of his jeans. He's wearing a short sleeve shirt today and it's the first time Yoongi has noticed that one of his arms is covered in tattoos. Before he can think about it, he steps closer to look at them.

"Okay, well if I had seen these before, I would have known you were a city boy at least at some point." Yoongi points to the tattoos, and Jungkook blushes as he rubs a hand over them.

"Ah, I usually wear longer sleeves so the grannies on the mountain don't lecture me about them." He seems shy under the attention, but it doesn't stop Yoongi from leaning closer to look.

"They're nice. You got them in Japan?"

Jungkook nods, letting the hand rubbing at his arm fall to his side. 

Yoongi hums in appreciation. "Tokyo's got a lot of good tattoo artists, my friend wrote a feature about it once. He got a few himself."

Jungkook bites his lip and smiles, turning his arm a little so Yoongi can see all of them. "Yeah, it's hard to be a chef in Tokyo and not get at least one tattoo. Feel lame if you don't, surrounded by all those creative types, you know?"

Yoongi reaches out to swipe a thumb over a flower on his forearm, but quickly retracts it when he realizes what he's doing. "Sorry." It's Yoongi's turn to blush now. "But yeah, I get what you mean. They look good though, I hope you don't regret them.”

Jungkook puts a hand over the flower and steps back when Yoongi does, but there's a smile on his lip when he shakes his head. "Definitely don't regret them. I like having the memories right there. It makes me feel sentimental, but not in a wistful way, you know? Just like- I don't know. Happy to know I've experienced things I'd wanna remember."

Yoongi nods, and leans a hip against a shelf, content to stay for a bit longer. "Are they all related to specific memories?"

"Oh no, definitely not." He points to a stick figure holding a fishing rod, the line of the fishing string ending at a misshapen mole above his elbow. "I was just fucking around with this one." He shrugs, smiling. "Not everything has to be serious."

Yoongi chuckles at the tattoo, and looks up to make eye contact with Jungkook. "I like it." 

They stand there smiling at each other for another minute, until Yoongi realizes they must look a little stupid, and blushes. He coughs in his hand and refocuses on the fruit around him, straightening from where he was leaning and moving to another bin.

"You sure that one isn't an homage to Seokjin-hyung? He was pretty adamant about me going fishing with him once there's a sunny day sometime soon," Yoongi jokes over his shoulder, picking through the apples.

Jungkook follows him around as he goes through the produce section, keeping a few feet back, but close enough that Yoongi can feel his presence. "Well, I got it way before I knew hyung, but please don't even suggest that to him. He'll start trying to write his signature next to it every time he's drunk "

"No promises. You're already at your max secret capacity and that sounds like a hoot." Yoongi heads toward the dry food aisle, and when he looks over his shoulder, he finds Jungkook still following him. He has to turn his face back toward the shelves before Jungkook can see the pleased flush creeping up his neck.

"A hoot, hyung? Really?" Jungkook mocks behind him.

"Shut up."

"Only my grandma says hoot, are you sure you're only 30?" Jungkook giggles, and Yoongi can only flap a hand in feigned annoyance because Jungkook scrunches his nose when he laughs like this, and Yoongi is too distracted by it to feel any offense. All he can really think is, Cute.

"Yah, respect your elders," Yoongi murmurs, tucking a bag of rice into his basket and bumping his shoulder into Jungkook's before he walks away.

"Are you sure I shouldn't be calling you ahjussi? I don't want to be disrespectful," Jungkook calls after him. Yoongi huffs out a laugh under his breath before he starts laying out his groceries on the checkout counter, not bothering to wait for Jungkook to catch up.

"I'm never shopping here again," Yoongi announces when Jungkook ducks under the counter to start ringing him up. Jungkook must hear the lie though, because he just smiles as he bags the items.

"Did you get the firewood dropoff by the way?” Jungkook asks, hands moving slow as he places items into a paper bag. “Staying warm in your little cabin?"

Yoongi hums in agreement, leaning an elbow on the counter and propping his chin in his hand. "I'm a fire master now. I've got the formation down pat, I should enter a competition or something.

"Maybe not a competition for identifying fire vessels though, huh?"

Yoongi rolls his eyes as he watches Jungkook's hands, and notices that half of the items Jungkook puts in the bag, he doesn't bother to scan. Yoongi feels the flush on his chest grow a little warmer.

"Shut up," Yoongi mumbles again, deciding not to point out Jungkook's generosity. When Jungkook pushes the bag toward him after everything is packed away, Yoongi reaches in and tosses a tangerine across the counter. "Make sure you get your vitamin C."

Jungkook catches the fruit and smiles down at it, rolling it between his palms before he looks back up at Yoongi. "Will do, hyung."

Really cute, Yoongi thinks again. He walks out of the store before he accidentally says it out loud.

Chapter Text

Chapter Text

Jungkook is sitting cross-legged on the floor behind the checkout counter, valiantly trying to untangle the Christmas lights he finally remembered to take down, when he hears someone clear their throat from the other side of the counter.

"Sorry, one sec!" He takes one last look at the mess of lights before he shoves them into a storage box to worry about next year.

As he pulls himself up off the ground, hand gripped on the edge of the counter, the source of the throat-clearing comes into view. When they make eye contact, Jungkook promptly forgets all his muscle strength and falls on his ass.

"You know, I appreciate the clumsiness," Yoongi notes from above, peeking his head over the counter to look down at him. "You must have known it'd be embarrassing for me to come in today and you just wanted to make me feel more comfortable. That's very kind, Jungkook."

Jungkook rubs at his tailbone as he stands back up, wobbling on his knees and desperately trying to control the blush blooming on his cheeks. He always seems to lose control of his motor skills when Yoongi is present, but he decides to fight embarrassing fire with embarrassing fire.

He wills his face into a look of innocence. "Ah, hyung, you're right. I knew how embarrassing it would be for you to show your face here. Like, mortifying. Humiliating, even."

Yoongi rolls his eyes and settles back on his heels until he’s out of view. Jungkook still manages to glimpse the embarrassed twist to Yoongi's mouth.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Jungkook hears Yoongi mutter.

Jungkook continues on, lifting himself into a standing position and dusting off his apron. "No, really, you should be commended for showing up at all. I mean, after all those drunk texts?" Jungkook widens his eyes as he leans an elbow on the counter. "I'd probably just leave town entirely."

Yoongi pulls at the inventory log under Jungkook's elbow, causing him to very nearly faceplant into the counter. He manages to steady himself before sustaining any more injuries, but not before letting out an ungraceful squawk of alarm.

"What happened to respecting your hyung?" Yoongi swats Jungkook's arm with the inventory book.

“Ouch!” Jungkook can’t quell the giggle rising in his throat, grabbing at Yoongi's wrist before he can land another blow. "I don't remember agreeing to any sort of respectful relationship.”

The blush at the top of Yoongi's cheeks grows a touch more red, and Jungkook has to focus on not letting his heart beat straight out of his chest. He realizes he's still got a tight grip on Yoongi's wrist, but it takes him a hesitated second before he talks himself into letting go.

"Well," Yoongi clears his throat before continuing more firmly. "Well, I demand the respect I'm due."

Jungkook hums. "Whatever you say, little fishie hyung."

"Yah!" Yoongi swats at him once more. "We never bring this up again, you hear me?"

Jungkook smiles instead of answering, reaching over the counter to pull Yoongi's basket out of his hands. "I didn't hear you come in, did you find everything you need? I stacked the tofu in a pyramid this week, did you see?"

Yoongi huffs out a laugh and leans his weight on the counter, nodding as he does. Jungkook can't help but think that even though it's only been a month since Yoongi got here, the sight of him across the counter like this, laughing and relaxed, already feels so familiar.

"I did see that, it was very impressive. You've got talent, kid." Yoongi says, fond.

Jungkook shrugs, tucking items from the basket into a bag as slowly as he can. "A few of the local grannies said the same thing. I actually think we sold less tofu this week because they didn't want to disrupt my masterpiece."

Yoongi hums. "Bad business strategy."

"Yeah," Jungkook agrees, sighing in mock regret. "A better business strategy would have been to put some hangover remedies out on the counter. I know one mountain resident who would have been lured right into that sales trap."

Yoongi raises a brow in challenge. "And I'm assuming you're referring to Hoseok? Hm?"

Jungkook gives up on pretending to look like he's packing away items, opting instead to lean against the counter behind him, crossing his arms as he matches Yoongi's challenging look. "Hoseok hyung doesn't get hangovers. Alcohol just evaporates inside him and turns into, like, kombucha or something. He only knows how to radiate pure, organic energy at all times.

Yoongi sighs. "Honestly, I'd be willing to believe that's scientifically true. He texted me a pic at like 6am on Sunday morning of himself at the top of some mountain peak. Like - how is that possible the morning after a bottle and a half of champagne?"

Jungkook shrugs. "That's just Hobi hyung. He doesn't get hangovers and he's never woken up with a pimple. His anatomy isn't the same as ours."

"Speak for yourself, I don't get pimples either." Yoongi scoffs, lifting up his nose.

Jungkook frowns playfully, unfolding his arms to lean over the counter separating them. He squints as his eyes scan Yoongi's face. "I don't know hyung, I think I might see some clogged pores-"

Yoongi shoves at his shoulder with one hand, using the other hand to cover his nose in outrage. "Yah!"

"There's nothing wrong with a little acne hyung, let me see-"

"Cut it out," Yoongi orders, but a squeaky giggle slips out of him as he evades Jungkook's grabbing hand. "Keep that up and I won't tell you the gossip I have."

Jungkook perks up at that, hand stilling from where it tries to uncover Yoongi's face. "Gossip?"

Yoongi lets his hand fall, shrugging in faux nonchalance. "Maybe," he sniffs. "Don't think you deserve it, though."

Jungkook leans further over the counter, looking around the shop quickly to make sure no one is there to eavesdrop before settling back, ducking into a secretive huddle. "Tell me, tell me," he whispers eagerly.

Yoongi grins as he drops to Jungkook's level, holding up a hand on one side of their faces to maximize their privacy. Jungkook fights down his own smile, knowing there's no one else in the store.

"Well, Hoseok had quite a few things to say about the mountain's star couple," Yoongi whispers conspiratorially.

Jungkook frowns, tilting his head to the side. "You mean the Choi's? Down on Daemongni-gil?"

Yoongi rolls his eyes and flicks Jungkook's wrist. "I mean Taehyung and Seokjin-hyung, idiot."

"Oh my god!" Jungkook gasps, raising his voice and straightening up at the revelation. Yoongi huffs fondly and pulls him back down by the front of his apron, and Jungkook has to ignore the way his stomach tightens at the action.

"Be quiet, Taehyung will hear you." Yoongi tugs again, softer this time, before he unwinds his hand from the apron. Jungkook doesn't mention that Taehyung is still at home, instead just leans in closer across the counter.

"Oh my god," Jungkook says again, this time at a whispering level. "What did he say?"

Yoongi perches both elbows on the countertop and rests his chin in his hand. Their faces are only a few inches apart, and Jungkook idly thinks that if another customer walked in right now, it would probably look inappropriate. He ignores the voice in the back of his head telling him to put space between them.

"Well, I don't want to expose him word for word, but you already seem to know the basic gist." Yoongi wrinkles his nose cutely as he thinks. "Mostly just how lucky Taehyung and Seokjin are to have each other. He couldn't stop talking about what a nice couple they are, it was actually really sweet."

"Aw," Jungkook pouts in endearment.

"It was less sweet when he started talking about how between Taehyung's hands and Seokjin's shoulders, they both must be packing massive you-know-whats, and how that must make for a very exciting sexual relationship as well, which he again, was very happy for them about."

Jungkook's pout turns into a grin. "You-know-whats?"

Yoongi rolls his eyes again. "I'm not gonna say 'dick' in your wholesome general store.”

Jungkook's grin widens. "You just did!"

Yoongi shrugs, straightening into a standing position. "You provoked me."

Jungkook giggles, but cuts himself off with a gasp when he registers what Yoongi has told him. "Oh my god, he's like fully crushing on them. I didn't realize we had progressed that far."

Yoongi snorts. "I'm sort of willing to bet he's past just crushing."

Jungkook's eyebrows shoot up. "You think so?"

Yoongi shrugs again, running his hands along the counter in thought before he looks back up at Jungkook. "I mean, having a crush on someone you're already friends with? That can turn into love pretty quickly.”

Jungkook thinks about that. "I guess so," he says, nodding slowly in agreement. He tilts his head, curious as he watches Yoongi. He tries to sound offhand when he continues. "You speaking from experience, hyung?"

Yoongi's eyes flicker at the question and Jungkook instantly worries about overstepping. But after a few seconds his face smooths out, initial surprise fading into thoughtfulness. He scratches the back of his neck while he hums in reflection, and Jungkook tries not to twitch with nerves.

"I've certainly... had my fair share of crushes on friends." Yoongi nods to himself, then up at Jungkook. He smiles before he continues. "Let's just say high school and college were filled with a lot of pining for me."

Yoongi doesn't seem bothered by it anymore, but Jungkook's heart tugs just a little in his chest at the admission. "You weren't the type to confess your feelings?"

Yoongi sways his head back and forth as he thinks. "I mean, not always. There were a few exceptions. In high school, I confessed to the person who eventually became my first boyfriend, but it was only after we snuck soju into my childhood bedroom and got tipsy together and he admitted to watching gay porn." Yoongi flushes a little in embarrassment even as he laughs, eyes flickering to Jungkook's before moving on. "Not exactly a courageous confession. And there was the girlfriend I had my senior year of college - I got up the nerve to ask them on a date, but only after months of awkwardly flirting while they worked at the library information desk."

"Ooh, you dated a librarian. That's very sexy," Jungkook waggles his eyebrows, hoping to deflate some of the shyness out of Yoongi, and he's pleased to see it works when Yoongi laughs in exasperation.

"Shut up," Yoongi mutters, leaning back into the counter and using the shift in position as an opportunity to flick a stray paperclip into Jungkook's arm.

"So you've just dated those two people, then?" Jungkook asks, hoping he doesn't seem like he's prying too deep, but he can't help but be curious.

Yoongi seems comfortable when he responds though, flicking the paper clip back when Jungkook swats it over to him in rebound, starting up a game of finger football. "No, I've dated a few more people than that. Just not people I had prior crushes on, you know? It's really just been people I've met at bars and at the end of the night they ask for my number. You know how it is."

Jungkook hums instead of answering directly, because honestly... he doesn't know exactly how it is.

In Japan, he had been too busy working to really date anyone, and life on the mountain has just been a string of seasonal one night stands that he never hears from again. The last time he had a proper boyfriend was in the few months between moving back to Korea and buying the general store – back when he was living on Taehyung's couch in Seoul and had started dating one of Taehyung's school friends. It had been nice, really nice, but once Jungkook and Taehyung moved out of Seoul, it had only taken a few weeks before his now-ex had told Jungkook it just wouldn't work. That he couldn't focus on making their relationship work when Jungkook was so far away. It had crushed him.

"Jungkook?"

His eyes jerk up to Yoongi's and he realizes he's just been fiddling with the paperclip instead of passing it back to Yoongi. "Sorry," Jungkook rushes, refocusing. "I was just- nothing, I mean yeah! Yeah, I get what you mean. Crushes.”

Yoongi is looking at him too closely, his eyebrows furrowed, but Jungkook just smiles as he trudges along, finally remembering to finish packing the grocery bag. He clears his throat as he scans the last few items.

"Well, if what you're saying is true, I really hope Hoseokie-hyung gets up the courage to tell them how he feels." Jungkook slides the bag over to Yoongi, who only hesitates for a moment before he picks it up to cradle it to his chest. "I'd hate to see him pining. Life's too short, don't you think?"

Yoongi watches him for a few more seconds before his mouth lifts into a soft smile. "Yeah. I do think so."

The bell above the door rings as a new customer walks in, and Jungkook shakes himself out of a daze. It looks like Yoongi does too, because he coughs a little before lifting up a hand in goodbye.

"See you, Jungkook."

Jungkook lifts his hand in response, mirroring Yoongi's. "Talk to you soon?"

Yoongi nods, and Jungkook sees a smile widening at the corners of his mouth before he turns toward the door. "Definitely," Yoongi calls over his shoulder.

Once he's gone, Jungkook lowers his forehead to the countertop, taking a deep breath. His heart thumps in his chest as he replays the encounter in his head, cataloging each laugh, each smile, each playful swat to the arm.

"Cool it, Guk," he mutters to himself, tilting his head to the side to push his cheek further into the cool surface. Another deep breath. "It's just a crush."

It's only later when he's checking out the next customer that Jungkook realizes that next to the register, Yoongi left him a tangerine.

Chapter Text

There’s a knock on the door, and Yoongi runs one last hand through his hair before he goes to answer it. 

He smiles to himself when he gets there and instead of opening it, he calls out. “Who is it?”

“Who else would it be?” Jungkook calls back, voice only slightly muffled by the door. “You have no other friends.”

Yoongi scoffs, and he’s glad for the door separating them so Jungkook can’t see his smile. “I’ve got plenty of friends. And how do I know you’re not one of those murderers that wander around the mountainsides?”

Jungkook sounds affronted when he responds and it makes Yoongi smile wider. “Well, if I were a murderer, this is a terrible way to find out. You can’t just flat out ask, hyung, why would I ever tell you? It’d give away my murder plot.”

Yoongi hums in thought. “You aren’t doing a good job convincing me you aren’t a killer, Jungkook.”

“Hyung,” Jungkook whines, long and loud. “It’s cold outside, my toes are going numb.”

Yoongi opens the door enough to peek his head out, frowning. “You just said over text that it wasn’t that cold out tonight.”

Jungkook doesn’t answer him, just smiles warmly and pushes all of his body weight against the door until Yoongi is stumbling back and he can slip inside. “Hiya, hyung.”

Jungkook’s wearing a thick padded jacket with big chunky snow boots, a few stray snowflakes resting in his hair. Yoongi looks out the window next to the door, but it’s pitch dark out.

“Shit, is it snowing?” Yoongi asks, reaching out to pull Jungkook’s jacket from his hands when he takes it off.

Jungkook hums happily, letting him. “Just a little.”

“I wouldn’t have made you drive here if I knew the roads might get messy, I’m sorry.” Yoongi frowns as he watches Jungkook take off his boots, but Jungkook waves away his apology.

“It’s no problem, hyung, really. I’ve got chains on my tires, I can handle a little snow.” Jungkook straightens and pokes a finger into Yoongi’s cheek until the frown dissipates and Yoongi jerks his head away.

“Get off.” Yoongi swats at him, but then waves him into the living room. From the corner of his eye, he notices Jungkook’s socks have teddy bears printed on them, and he has to hold in a sigh of endearment. He coughs roughly into his hand instead. “Now fix my window, it’s freezing in here.”

“You’ve got the heater on and a fire going. It absolutely is not freezing.” Jungkook rolls his eyes playfully and goes to crouch at the window sill. While he inspects it, Yoongi joins him on the ground.

“Well, it’s cold around the window, and this is my favorite place to sit.” Yoongi points to the armchair next to him. “I’ve had to switch to sitting on the sofa and it’s not as soft.”

Jungkook hums in sympathy, but he’s focused on where he’s trying to jiggle the window in its tracks. He makes another thoughtful sound as he stands up, and Yoongi stands with him.

“Well, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with the springs. Honestly, these windows are just super old and they look like they were painted shut at some point, so everything’s a little wonky.” Jungkook tugs at the cuff of his sweater to push up his sleeve and Yoongi watches as his tattoos come into view.

“So,” Yoongi starts to say, but he gets distracted by the way the tattoos look in the warm lighting of the fireplace. He shakes his head to focus, blinking up at Jungkook. “What’s the solution?”

Jungkook shrugs and grins, bracing his hands on the top of the window pane. “It just needs a little elbow grease.”

Jungkook pushes down, and the window creaks dangerously, moving down half an inch before sticking again. Yoongi takes a step back to give him space, but the change in position just brings Jungkook’s shoulders more into view, and the way they shift as he pushes on the window makes Yoongi’s throat go dry.

Jungkook grunts again and the window slides down another few inches, squeaking loudly as it does. Yoongi wishes that he hadn’t pushed his sleeves up, because his forearms keep flexing and Yoongi swears he can see Jungkook’s eye tattoo wink at him. He’s starting to feel a little hysterical, but before he can spiral any further, Jungkook gives one more firm push and the window finally snaps shut.

Jungkook huffs out a breath in triumph and turns around, a proud grin on his face. “I did it!”

Yoongi can’t help but smile back at his excitement. “Way to go, muscle man. I wouldn’t have managed that on my own.”

Jungkook shrugs, pulling down his sleeves, and peeks up at Yoongi through his bangs, grin still on his lips. “Yeah, probably not. You’re puny.”

Yoongi laughs as he shoves at his shoulder, but his breath stutters in his throat when he feels the muscles under Jungkook’s sweater. He quickly pulls his hand away, hoping his blush is mostly invisible in the soft lighting of the room.

He clears his throat and points a thumb over his shoulder towards the kitchen, shifting shyly on his feet. “Did you want to stay for a little bit? I have a bottle of wine I was gonna open. You could hang out until the snow dies down a little?” 

Jungkook is nodding eagerly before Yoongi finishes speaking, and they both laugh at the awkwardness that settles around them. Jungkook scratches at the back of his neck, still grinning. “Yeah, I can definitely stay for a bit.”

Yoongi waves him toward the sofa and then goes to the kitchen to pour them both a glass. When he comes back, he finds Jungkook crouched in front of the fireplace, stoking the flames with a fire poker.

“Yah! Don’t mess up that fire, it’s perfect the way it is.” Yoongi nudges him in the back with a toe before tucking himself into a corner of the couch.

Jungkook grins when he stands up, accepting a glass from Yoongi and sitting on the opposite side of the couch from him, both with their backs positioned against the armrests so they can face each other. “I’m proud, hyung. A month ago and you were crying at the idea of having to build your own fire. Look at you now, it’s like you’ve lived in the wilderness your entire life.”

“I was not crying.” Yoongi rolls his eyes. “I was just cold and distressed.” 

“Ooh, right.” Jungkook’s eyes widen comically in recollection. “That’s my mistake. You didn’t cry at the fire, you cried about the squirrels.” Yoongi is kicking him in protest before he can finish speaking.

“You said you would stop bringing up squirrel stuff.” Yoongi can’t keep the whine from his voice, and he notices the way Jungkook’s eyes light up when he hears it.

“Aw, hyung, don’t be so shy. Does talking about squirrels scare you? Because you fear they’ll come back?” Jungkook tilts his head in mock sympathy.

Yoongi chews at his lip, trying to fight down a smile. “I mean...” 

Jungkook barks out a laugh, tilting his head back over the end of the couch. “Oh my god, you dork, you do think talking about them will summon them!”

Yoongi giggles instead of defending himself. Normally he’d be embarrassed by someone teasing him, but here in the warmth of his living room, with Jungkook’s thighs close enough that he could tuck his toes under them for warmth if he wanted to, wine cradled to his chest - here, he only feels comfort and familiarity. 

Jungkook laughs along with him, and somehow they find themselves laughing harder and harder the longer Yoongi goes without denying Jungkook’s accusation. Soon, Yoongi feels tears pinch at the corners of his eyes, and Jungkook’s face grows more red by the second.

“Hyung, you wanted to cover your doorstep in squirrel repellent-” Jungkook gasps out between fits of laughter. Yoongi laughs harder.

“The worst part is,” Yoongi chokes out, trying to catch his breath. “The next day I felt so guilty, I went out with a bag of cereal to try to feed them. But I couldn’t find them anywhere and the woods around the house were so packed with snow, I was just stumbling around for like an hour, trying to figure out what sounds a squirrel makes so that I could call them. But it wasn’t working, and the guilt mixed with the exhaustion of trudging through snow made me start crying.”

Jungkook lifts a hand over his mouth, laughter still shaking through his shoulders, but eyes wide in sympathy. “Oh, hyung.”

Yoongi wipes a tear from his eye, giddy laughter fading until he manages to get out a contented sigh. “Yeah. I’m a mess of a human.”

Jungkook is still giggling, but he shakes his head vehemently, reaching out to pat Yoongi's ankle. “No, no. You’re just sensitive, it’s sweet.”

Yoongi sighs, closing his eyes to rest his head against the back of the couch, smile on his lips. “I called my friend Jimin afterwards, to explain what happened. He threatened to come here to take me back home. Said I was gonna end up having a breakdown in the woods and freezing to death, all because I wanted to apologize to a squirrel.”

Yoongi hears Jungkook hum, and opens his eyes so he can see. Jungkook is watching him, a matching smile at the corner of his lips, and Yoongi feels a familiar clench in his heart, one he’s been noticing more and more when Jungkook is near.

Jungkook clears his throat, and takes a sip of his wine like he’s only just remembered it was there. “So,” he starts, swirling his wine around in his glass. “Jimin is one of your friends back in Seoul?”

Yoongi nods, taking his own sip of wine. “Yeah. He’s the travel writer I mentioned. We’ve been friends since I was in college.” Yoongi smiles behind the lip of his glass. “You would like him, we were rivals in our literature program.”

Jungkook grins at that. “Rivals, eh? I didn’t realize people had rivals outside of books and movies.”

Yoongi laughs quietly, nodding. “If you met him, you’d get it. He thrives off aggressive energy.”

Jungkook tips his head sideways, leaning it against the back cushion of the couch as he watches Yoongi. “Tell me about him. What’s he like?”

Yoongi hums, tapping his fingernails against his wine glass in thought. “Well,” Yoongi pauses, working out the best way to describe his friend. “You know when you meet a new parent, and they won’t stop showing you pictures of their kid? Like, they’re super impressed by everything their child does, so they just have like 60 photos of them in the same onesie and they make you look at all of them?”

Jungkook nods, eyes twinkling a little in the firelight, and Yoongi almost loses his train of thought when stares for too long. 

Yoongi clears his throat, looking back down at his wine glass. “That’s Jimin with his friends. Like, my own mother doesn’t brag about me to the level that Jimin does. Every time he throws a party and I meet a new friend of his, the first thing they say to me is ‘Oh, Jimin told me about your new book’ or ‘Jimin said you were up for a literature prize,’ stuff like that. Like- these are people I’ve never met before and probably will never meet again, and yet they know every accomplishment I’ve ever had. Just cuz Jimin can’t shut up about the people he cares about.”

Jungkook smiles softly. “Well, that’s really nice to have in a friend, right?”

“Yeah.” Yoongi hums, but it turns into a huff as he laughs. “To my face he’s an absolute asshole, though. It makes all the sweetness much more bearable. Like, I don’t think I’d ever feel worthy of all the love and support he gives me unless he was also lowkey trying to ruin my life.”

Jungkook grins as he listens, leaning over to put his half-filled wine glass on the coffee table before he goes back to his position, knees hugged to his chest. “And you said he was dating someone, right? And they travel together a lot?”

“Yeah, Namjoon. They’ve been together forever.” Yoongi smiles as he thinks of them. “I actually met Jimin the same day Namjoon did, just separately. Me and Namjoon were roommates, and I started coming home complaining about this new freshman in the literature program who was a total fucking dick, and at the same time Namjoon started coming home talking about this hot guy who kept flirting with him at the coffee shop he worked at. It took us nearly a month to figure out we were both talking about Jimin, and after that Namjoon kind of forced us to be friends so he wouldn’t have to hear us shit talk each other.”

“How long did it take for you to stop hating him?”

Yoongi scratches his chin in thought. “Hmm, maybe like a week? We all got drunk as a way to resolve our tension and I’m pretty sure I blacked out. But I guess I came across as a nice person because the next morning Jimin decided we were best friends and I just went along with it.”

Jungkook giggles and all Yoongi can do is sit there and watch. There’s something about the way Jungkook pays such close attention to everything he says, something that makes him feel warm all over. 

“And is Namjoon a writer, too?” Jungkook asks.

“Yeah, he writes historical fiction. It actually works out really well for them, because Jimin has to travel a lot for the articles and books he writes, and Namjoon usually tags along for his own personal research. He interviews people all over the world for his books, it’s wild how much effort he puts in. It’s what makes his books so good, he’s the best historical writer I know.”

Jungkook pokes him with a toe. “I bet he says the same about you.”

Yoongi starts to blush, but he hides it with a joke. “You think he says I’m the best historical writer he knows?”

Jungkook just rolls his eyes. “No, I bet he’d say you suck at that.”

“Heyyy,” Yoongi complains, giggling when Jungkook pokes him again.

“But I do bet he says you’re the best writer of sad funny books he knows.”

Yoongi grins. “Sad funny?”

Jungkook tilts his head, thoughtful. “To be honest, I’m not really sure your stuff has a genre. Like what would you really call fictional stories that make you kind of sad but also make you laugh really hard and afterward you feel like you’ve grown as a person?”

Yoongi is shaking his head before Jungkook has even finished. “Alright, no, that counted as your weekly compliment.”

“What?” Jungkook laughs, balking. “I didn’t compliment you! I was just explaining the kind of books you write, that doesn’t count.”

Yoongi is still shaking his head, unyielding. “You said they make you laugh, it counts.”

“But that’s just a fact! Facts can’t count as compliments, that’s like saying me telling you you have black hair is a compliment. I’d have to tell you your black hair is pretty for it to be a proper compliment, there’s a difference, hyung,” Jungkook argues.

“Nope, no, stop it. You already hit your quota, you have to stop talking. Or else you’ve gotta give me free tangerines.” Yoongi holds his hands over his ears. “I’m serious, Jungkook.”

“Hyung,” Jungkook whines. “Come on, hyung, just one more actual compliment. You didn’t give me a proper shot.”

“No.” 

“Hyung,” Jungkook whines again, cuter this time, wiggling his toes under the soles of Yoongi’s feet. “Hyung, please.”

Yoongi tugs his feet away, trying not to let out a giggle at the way it tickles. “God, fine! No tickling.”

“Hyung, are you sensitive to tickles?” Jungkook grins, wiggling his toes towards Yoongi again, but Yoongi hugs his knees to his chest to stay out of range.

“Shut up, stay back. You get one more compliment and then they’re off-limits until next week.”

Jungkook celebrates quietly from his side of the couch. “Ok, ok, let me think.” 

“Don’t drag it out, come on, put me out of my misery. 5, 4-”

Jungkook squeaks in alarm. “Wait, these things take time, hyung-” 

Yoongi ignores the protest, raising his wine glass to numb his agony. “3, 2-”

“You’ve got nice hands,” Jungkook blurts out, shoulders dropping in relief when he gets it out before Yoongi finishes his countdown.

Yoongi chokes on his sip of wine. 

“What-” he starts, but he cuts himself off to cough more.

Jungkook is grinning now, pleased. “What, do you not like that compliment?”

“My writing, Jungkook,” Yoongi wheezes out, coughing a few more times. “The compliments are supposed to be about my writing.”

Jungkook shrugs. “You gave me a time constraint! Plus I imagine your hands help you out in your pursuit of writing.” He says it thoughtfully, even with the wicked glint in his eyes. “I’d say they’re instrumental to the whole thing.”

Yoongi weakly kicks out a foot, cheeks heating up. “Yah, smartass.”

Jungkook snickers, and grabs his ankle, holding it firmly so Yoongi can’t get away. “Fine, fine. I’ll think of another one, ok? It’ll be exclusively about writing. No body parts involved.”

Yoongi can only swallow in response, staring at the hand wrapped completely around his ankle. His heart rate picks up in his chest, and then goes even faster when Jungkook swipes a soothing thumb over his ankle bone. 

Yoongi tries not to shiver.

“Your writing,” Jungkook hums, contemplating his answer. “Hm, let’s see.”

While Jungkook thinks, Yoongi feels the grip on his ankle get tighter. He keeps as still as he can, afraid to disturb the moment.

“Your writing feels- well, it kind of feels like talking to an old childhood friend? Like, it’s familiar, and safe.” Jungkook shrugs like he’s lost for words, but Yoongi can tell he means each one. “Like those friends you haven’t heard from in a while, but even if they have new stories and experiences to tell you about, stuff you’ll never truly be able to know or experience yourself, they never feel like a stranger. And it’s a comfort to get to hear the stories from them, to see something foreign through the eyes of someone you know so well.”

Yoongi feels his throat go dry. 

The grip on his ankle feels unbearably hot, and it should make him feel claustrophobic. If he were anywhere else, with any other person, he’d be tugging his foot away and running to throw open a window, desperate for air. But here, he just wishes Jungkook would pull him closer.

Yoongi can’t see Jungkook’s face, because his own eyes are still trained on where they’re touching, but Yoongi hears him clear his throat. 

“And honestly, hyung, you have really lovely hands.”

Yoongi finally looks up when the grip on his ankle loosens, and when he does, he catches the way Jungkook gulps, sees the wobble of nerves in his smile. Yoongi feels his heart pang in his chest, and before he can think about it too much, he puts his wine glass on the coffee table and then reaches out to put his hand over Jungkook’s, where it now lies limp on his ankle.

He pushes at Jungkook’s hand with his own, until its grip tightens over his ankle again. “You’re really good at compliments, Guk.”

Jungkook’s eyes are wide, and all the boldness from before is gone. He looks young now, and for once Yoongi becomes conscious of the fact that he’s the older one.

Jungkook looks down for a second, and when he looks up at Yoongi again, there’s a blush working its way across his cheeks. “You’re easy to compliment, hyung.”

Yoongi chews at his lip. His mind starts circling around the same few words as he tries to build up his courage. 

Thinks you’re the hyung, be brave, come on, be brave, you’re the hyung over and over again until he speaks.

“Remember how you said I owe you two secrets? Back when you told me about Hoseok’s crush on Taehyung and Seokjin?” Yoongi asks, trying to keep his voice steady. He lets his hand drift up to hold onto Jungkook’s wrist, anchoring himself.

Jungkook doesn’t say anything, just looks down at Yoongi’s hand and nods after a moment.

Yoongi gulps. “I thought of one. Do you wanna hear it?”

Jungkook nods quicker this time, and Yoongi watches as he lifts his other hand to slide it over the hand Yoongi has on his wrist, hands overlapping and grounding each other. “Yeah.”

Yoongi's heart is beating too fast in his chest, but he tries to not lose his nerve. Jungkook squeezes his hand when he stays silent.

“You can tell me, hyung,” Jungkook says, voice soft.

Yoongi takes one last bolstering breath, and then leaps. 

“I really want to kiss you right now.”

Yoongi only has a moment to panic about his confession, because suddenly Jungkook is a blur of movement. One second he’s sitting across from Yoongi, and the next he’s kneeling on the couch, cupping Yoongi’s face with his hands and dragging him in for a kiss. 

Yoongi makes a noise of surprise in the back of his throat, but he breathes out in a rush of relief, reaching up to pull Jungkook closer by the back of his neck. Jungkook kisses him hard and Yoongi lets him, keeping up with the pace as best he can, feeling the same frantic energy itch under his skin.

Jungkook pulls away after a few minutes, chest rising and falling as he tries to steady his breath. Yoongi rubs a soothing hand up his back, feeling dizzy himself, and Jungkook pushes their foreheads together. 

“Hyung-” Jungkook whispers, breath still coming out in soft gasps. “I wanna kiss you, too.”

Yoongi finally laughs, pulling Jungkook in for another kiss, this time giggly and uncoordinated. He pulls away before he accidentally knocks their teeth together, but Jungkook just follows his lips, closing his mouth over Yoongi’s bottom lip before Yoongi laughs again and tugs at the hair on the back of his neck to get his attention. 

“Yeah, Guk, I gathered that much information.” Yoongi fondly rolls his eyes, and Jungkook finally shakes himself out of his daze long enough to smile. 

Jungkook’s eyes glint in challenge. “Then kiss me. Quit wasting time.” 

He looks ridiculous, Yoong thinks as he looks at him. Lips swollen from kissing and eyes shining dangerously with mirth. Hair already a mess and a flush working its way down his neck and under the collar of his sweater.

Yoongi feels that familiar clench in his heart again, chest flooding with warmth, and he leans in to give Jungkook what he wants.

***

***

***

When Yoongi wakes up the next morning, he shivers at how cold the air feels on his bare shoulders. He tugs the comforter up higher, but his brows furrow when it comes without resistance.

His stomach dips before he even opens his eyes, but he can already sense what he’ll see.

The space next to him in bed is empty, and Jungkook is gone.

Chapter Text

Chapter Text

Chapter Text

Yoongi wakes up to the sound of dishes clattering in the kitchen, and for a brief moment he thinks he’s back in his childhood home. As his sleepy mind drifts into awakeness, he waits to hear his mom yell for him to hurry up before breakfast gets cold, but the shout never comes and he feels his face twist into a bleary frown.

In the next moment, he remembers he’s 30 years old and hasn’t lived with his parents in over a decade – and that’s when he’s bathed in the sudden realization that he’s being robbed. 

A burst of adrenaline mixes its way through his sleep-delirious mind and he scrambles to sit up in his bed, trying to think of ways to scare off the intruder. He’s clumsily reaching for a pillow to act as a makeshift shield when the bedroom door swings open and Yoongi shrieks in fear–

Then he remembers Jimin’s arrival last night, and he feels like an idiot.

“You’re an idiot,” Jimin says out loud, shaking his head in disapproval as he leans against the doorframe, a mug of coffee in his hand.

Yoongi grunts in agreement as he flops back down on his pillow. “‘M sleepy. Forgot.”

“I spooned you for hours last night and you just forget?” Jimin scoffs, coming forward to shove the coffee cup over Yoongi, waiting for him to take it. “I’m insulted. Burn in hell.”

Yoongi grunts again, but accepts the coffee, scooting back carefully until he’s resting against the headboard. He takes a sip, relishing in having someone else make it for him for once. “Thanks. Back atcha about the hell thing.”

Jimin hums and slaps his knee before he heads back to the kitchen. “Now get up, I made you toast.”

Yoongi chokes on his next sip. “You made me toast?” 

He hears Jimin’s huff from the other room. “Don’t act like me cooking you something is that out of character.”

“I mean, I’m not sure I’d call toasting bread cooking,” Yoongi mumbles to himself as he pushes out of bed, waddling toward the kitchen with his coffee mug pressed into his chest to ward off the slight chill in the house. He needs to start a fire, he thinks, it’s colder than usual today.

When he sits at the counter, Jimin slides him across a piece of toast, decorated with three blobs of jam that are roughly shaped into a smiley face. Yoongi stares at it. 

“Jimin.” He looks up to find Jimin staring down at his masterpiece, a proud smile on his face. “I’m not dying, I just said I was lonely.”

Jimin rolls his eyes, but pulls his phone out to take a picture of Yoongi with his creation. “I gotta send Joonie a pic, he’ll be sad he isn’t here to see. I never cook for him.”

Yoongi just rolls his eyes instead of pointing out again that toast doesn’t qualify as cooking. “Where’s Namjoon anyways? He could have come with you, I didn’t mean to make you drive here by yourself last night.”

Jimin shrugs, pouring himself a cup of coffee too. “He’s pretty wrapped up in research right now so I thought it’d be best if I came alone this time.”

Yoongi’s brow furrows, unconvinced. As far as he knew, Namjoon was in the final stages of one of his books, and most of the research had already been done months ago. Yoongi squints at Jimin’s nonchalant pose, and when Jimin makes eye contact with him, he huffs in annoyance.

“Alright, fine,” Jimin amends. “And we also didn’t want to overwhelm you with both of us coming at once.”

“Overwhelm me?” Yoongi’s head tilts in confusion.

Jimin leans his elbows down on the counter as he watches Yoongi carefully.

“The last time me and hyung tried to give you advice at the same time, you accused us of trying to hold an intervention and then stormed out of your own apartment.”

Yoongi feels his ears go pink. “It was an intervention, and I don’t appreciate being cornered.”

“We were just trying to tell you we thought grey paint would go better in your bathroom than yellow would,” Jimin frowns.

“I had already gotten used to the idea of yellow, Jimin,” Yoongi hisses. “I already picked out the yellow swatches, you can’t just change a color palette on me completely, do you know how many yellows I had looked at? Do you even care?” Yoongi puts down his mug in frustration and gets ready to stand from the stool.

“Don’t you dare storm off again, hyung, you painted your bathroom two years ago and we’re not rehashing this.” Jimin tugs him by the elbow to sit back down and Yoongi goes willingly.

“I painted it yellow.” Yoongi nods, feeling triumphant even after all this time.

Jimin nods too, pityingly. “You did, and you wish you had gone with grey. And you feel spiteful every time you go in that bathroom now.”

Yoongi doesn’t bother nodding again, even though they both know it’s true. “Whatever.”

“So,” Jimin says, leaning his elbows on the counter again. “You ready to talk about it?”

Yoongi sighs, and finally picks up the toast to start eating. The jam isn’t spread evenly, but he still finds himself enjoying it, if only for the sentiment. He’s just happy to have Jimin here.

Last night, he had arrived a little before 11pm, pounding loudly on the door and threatening to kill Yoongi if he didn’t let him into the house and out of the cold night air. Before Yoongi could even mock him for his overdramatics, Jimin was pushing through the open door and pulling him into a hug so tight he could barely breathe, and Yoongi had been caught off guard by the tears that had suddenly sprung to his own eyes. He had blinked rapidly until his vision cleared, and hugged Jimin back until he thought he could school his face into one neutral enough to pull back and complain about how he was letting cold air inside.

They had gone to sleep soon after that, Jimin saying they’d talk about it in the morning, and Yoongi had been thankful. 

But now it was morning, and in the light of day, Yoongi feels unprepared for the weight of Jimin’s knowing gaze.

Yoongi finishes his toast without it being brought up again, but when he stands up to wash his plate, Jimin pulls it from his hands and drags him toward the couch instead. 

“Stop stalling, just tell me what happened,” Jimin chastises gently. He sits cross-legged on the cushion next to Yoongi, facing him as he waits.

“I’m not stalling, I just don’t know what to say. Nothing happened really, I just felt lonely all of a sudden.” Yoongi shrugs.

“Did Jungkook do something?” Jimin asks, ignoring him. “Is that why you turned your phone off yesterday?”

“Jungkook didn’t do anything,” Yoongi sighs, resting his head against the back of the couch to look up at the ceiling.

“You know, I don’t like this Jungkook guy.”

Yoongi puts a hand over his eyes and groans, already sensing a rant brewing in Jimin.

“No, I’m serious. Like what’s his game? How could he sleep with you and not stay the next morning? This isn’t some bar in Seoul, you’re trapped on this wholesome mountain together, he knew you guys would keep running into each other.”

“Jimin-” Yoongi tries, but Jimin cuts him off.

“And if you had a crush on him then he must be nice, you don’t just like dumb assholes. So what’s he doing? Is he just that oblivious that he’s hurting you? He’s a grown adult, where’s his class? I mean seriously, has he even reached out again since last weekend?”

“He reached out,” Yoongi says quickly, finally managing to cut in, and Jimin stops from where he’s been gesticulating angrily.

“He did?” Jimin asks, eyebrows raised.

Yoongi nods. “He saved some tangerines for me since I didn’t go grocery shopping on Monday like I usually do.”

“Oh my god, you have a designated grocery day?” Jimin’s face curls up in disgust.

Yoongi ignores him. “And then on Thursday he got drunk and asked me to come over.”

Jimin's mouth pops open, confused. “Come over, like…”

Yoongi nods up at the ceiling, head still pressed against the couch. “Yeah.”

There’s silence for a moment, and Yoongi wonders if Jimin heard him. 

“That bastard,” Jimin whispers in disbelief.

Yoongi rolls his eyes and finally lifts his head up. “Ok, bastard is a bit much-”

“You let him off the hook for leaving you last week with the excuse that he was ‘overwhelmed’,” Jimin air quotes, “and then he asks you for round two? Who the fuck is this guy?”

“It’s not his fault, I made it seem like something casual would be ok,” Yoongi sighs, raking a hand through his hair. “When we talked to clear things up, I said it was just sex between friends. Of course that would make him think it could happen again.”

“Sex between friends? What the fuck does that even mean?”

“I don’t know, I just didn’t want to lose him. He was freaking out and-” Yoongi sighs, hand pulling at his hair in frustration.

Jimin pulls his hand down, and places it on his lap so he can play with Yoongi’s bracelet. “And?” 

“And I just like him a lot, the idea of possibly scaring him away felt shittier than just saying whatever I could to make it easier between us.”

“Ok,” Jimin nods slowly. “So what did you say to his drunken proposition?”

“I said no and I haven’t returned his texts since.”

Jimin nods again, like he saw that coming. “Right. Ok, so your plan at making things easier isn’t really working out, is it?” 

Yoongi stares at him unimpressed, and Jimin returns the look tenfold until Yoongi grows sheepish under his gaze.

“No,” Yoongi mutters.

“So, you have to just tell him what you want so that you can figure out if he’s actually being an asshole or if he’s just being as useless as you are, right?”

“No,” Yoongi repeats, clearer this time.

“Yes, hyung.”

Yoongi keeps shaking his head. “Nope, no.”

“God, stop sabotaging yourself,” Jimin groans, exasperated. “It would make you happy to date your silly little grocery boy on your silly little mountain, so just do it already,” Jimin presses, swatting at Yoongi’s hand still in his lap.

Yoongi pulls his hand away and crosses his arms in irritation. “I don’t know what would make me happy. I’m not even staying here, I’m practically done with this draft of my book. I can’t just stay up here forever, Jimin.”

“Yes you could, you great big idiot,” Jimin argues, swatting at his arm harder this time, and Yoongi picks up a pillow to smack him in retaliation. 

“Stop being mean to me, I’m lonely and you’re making me feel worse,” Yoongi huffs, hitting him a few more times even as Jimin picks up a different pillow to shield himself.

“I’m making you feel better and you value our friendship more than you’ll ever admit, you horrible gremlin.”

Yoongi body tackles Jimin into the far side of the couch, attempting to smother him, but Jimin just ends up pinning him down and squeezing him into a hug. Yoongi groans at the pressure around his chest. “Stop hugging so hard, I can’t breathe.”

“Good,” Jimin mumbles from where his face is tucked into Yoongi’s chest. “You haven’t been getting proper hugs since you’ve been gone and it’s made you cynical.”

“It hasn’t-” Yoongi starts to argue, but Jimin squeezes tighter and it turns into a wheeze.

“It has, and I’m curing you so just shut up.” 

Yoongi sighs, but doesn’t fight against the hold anymore. Because Jimin’s right. The last time he cuddled someone (other than in the post-coital bliss of last weekend) was over a month ago now. And it’s not like he’s an especially cuddly person, but he’s gotten used to the way Jimin hugs him hello every time they see each other, or the way him and Namjoon share a blanket on movie nights because they both prefer the red fleece one at his apartment and refuse to let the other have it for themselves. Little things like that.

And he needs this, he realizes, the physical contact of someone he trusts. He didn’t realize how much he did, not until he didn’t have it on a regular basis, but he feels like something was rattling under his skin and now it finally calms.

They lie in silence for a bit, and Yoongi wonders if maybe Jimin has fallen asleep.

“Why did you become friends with me?” Yoongi asks, out of the blue.

Jimin jostles a bit on top of him, like he wasn’t expecting the question, but then settles back into Yoongi’s side. “Namjoon was going to withhold sex if we didn’t stop fighting,” Jimin answers, like it’s obvious.

Yoongi pinches his side, and Jimin squirms. “Seriously. We got drunk that night and the next morning you acted like you could trust me with your bank information. Did I hit on you or something? Boost your ego a bit?”

Jimin giggles. “No, but god I wish. I would have held that over you for the rest of our lives.”

Yoongi shudders at the thought, and then pokes Jimin’s side again. “So? What did I do?”

Jimin shrugs, and then wiggles to the side until they’re both on their backs looking up at the ceiling. “That night I was talking about how I’d been offered an internship at a local paper, and I was mostly talking about it to try to brag in front of you. I wanted you to be impressed. But then you asked if it was an unpaid internship, and when I said yes, you got so angry. Like standing on the table, ranting, angry.”

“Well, fuck unpaid internships. You should be paid for your labor,” Yoongi mumbles.

“Yeah,” Jimin huffs out a laugh. “You said that many times. And then you started yelling at me for not valuing my own writing enough to demand to be paid for it, and how I shouldn’t settle for less than I deserved. Namjoon took a video of it, I’m surprised he’s never shown you.” 

“He’s probably waiting to use it as blackmail,” Yoongi shrugs, and Jimin hums in agreement.

“Well, anyways. It was nice to hear all that from you. I hadn’t even known you’d read my stuff before that night, so hearing you say I was good and not like, I don’t know, a complete fraud,” Jimin shrugs where he lies next to him, “it was really nice. Especially since you were such a hot shot in the program, everyone thought you were the second coming of christ.”

Yoongi wrinkles his nose in disgust, and Jimin must be looking at his face instead of the ceiling, because he laughs. 

“And I figured if you were willing to tell me it like it is while still supporting me like that- you know, telling me not to settle for less than I deserve, then,” Jimin shrugs again. “Then, you were someone I wanted in my life.”

Yoongi clears his throat, still looking up at the ceiling, resisting the urge to say something too heartfelt in response. Even so, he blindly reaches to slip his hand into Jimin’s, and feels the returning squeeze when he does.

They lie there in silence again for a few minutes, and Yoongi remembers what he was thinking about yesterday before Jimin came. He feels some of past thoughts cement themselves more now that he can so closely recall the comfort of having Jimin and Namjoon always just a short 15 minute subway ride away in Seoul.

He clears his throat again. “I’ve been thinking.”

Jimin squeezes his hand to show him he’s listening, so Yoongi continues.

“I’ve been thinking I should probably come back to Seoul now.”

Jimin makes a noise of confusion. “Why would you do that?”

Yoongi keeps looking up at the ceiling, despite the fact that Jimin shifts so that his head is propped up on his elbow, looking down at Yoongi now.

“I already said. My first draft is basically done, I’m gonna have to meet with my editor.”

“You can drive to Seoul for the day for that, you don’t have to move back just for one meeting,” Jimin argues.

“There’ll be lots of meetings, Jimin. You know my novels go through, like, at least six drafts before we have anything publishable. It’ll just be easier this way.”

“Hyung,” Jimin huffs, but pauses to push himself up so he’s sitting, and pulls Yoongi up too until they’re side by side. “Remember what I just said about settling for less than we deserve?”

Yoongi frowns, but nods. “What about it?”

“Don’t you think you’re settling for less by living in Seoul?”

Yoongi’s frown morphs into a scoff. “No, of course not.”

Jimin looks at him in disbelief. “Even though you don’t like living there and you had to escape it just to be able to do the thing you love?”

Yoongi is silent for a longer beat this time, but he’s still shaking his head in disagreement. “I just had writer's block, I can write in Seoul. I always have.”

Jimin’s frown deepens. “Just because you always have, doesn’t mean you have to keep forcing yourself to stay.”

“I’m not forcing myself-”

“Hyung,” Jimin cuts him off. “You tell me it like it is and I do the same to you, right?”

Yoongi sighs. “Jimin-”

“Are you sure this isn’t all just because you’re afraid of things not working out with Jungkook?” Jimin asks him with imploring eyes. 

Yoongi feels the onslaught of questions chip away at his patience, and finally something in him cracks.

“This doesn’t have to do with Jungkook,” Yoongi groans in frustration again. “This is about the fact that I don’t know what I want, ok? I don’t know what I want, but I know how to live in Seoul and I know how to be in the same city as you and Joon, so that’s what I want right now. I don’t want to live in this rental, alright? I feel like I’m just playing house for a life that’s not even really mine.” Yoongi’s voice cracks, and Jimin’s pout deepens, but he charges on. 

“I like it here, but I just-” Yoongi sighs, annoyance washing out of him slowly. “I just want to be able to change the color of the bathroom walls if I want. And I want to understand what’s going on in my head, but it’s hard when everything here feels temporary, and I don’t know how I’m supposed to figure anything out until I’m back on solid ground with people who know me. And that’s in Seoul.”

Yoongi doesn’t mention that there are people here who know him now, too. Maybe not as well as Jimin or Namjoon, but with the potential to. He doesn’t mention that the ache in his heart from his last conversation with Jungkook is absolutely a part of his desire to leave. He doesn’t mention it, because Jimin already knows, and that’s the whole point. Yoongi just wants to be somewhere where he doesn’t need to say everything out loud to be understood. Wants to finish his book, and wants to figure out exactly what he wants, surrounded by people who have known him for a decade. 

That’s what he wants, and Jimin already knows. 

So Jimin pulls him in for another hug. “Ok.” He squeezes Yoongi once more around his middle before pulling away to look him in the eye. “We can go home if that’s what you want.”

Yoongi bites his lip and nods, and this time he’s the one to quickly pull Jimin in for a hug, mildly surprising them both. Jimin doesn’t make fun of him for being clingy though, just huffs out a laugh and rubs his hand soothingly up and down his spine.

Yoongi doesn’t mention how his heart pinched when Jimin said home. He doesn’t mention that he doesn’t know exactly where home is anymore. He doesn’t need to, because he thinks Jimin already knows.

Jungkook can hear his cell phone rattling against the dashboard as messages come through, but he’s too focused to spare it a thought. He takes a deep breath so he doesn’t step on the gas too hard, making note of the tilted oak tree up ahead that means he’s almost at the rental’s driveway.

He grips the steering wheel tighter once he gets on the icy dirt road that leads through the woods. The path is shrouded in darkness, but only for a minute before the trees open again, finally showing him the cabin that he woke up in just a week ago. 

He can’t believe how long it feels since then.

He knows the truth when he gets out of the car and sees the driveway is deserted apart from his own pickup, but he still finds himself pacing to the front door to push aside the mat where he knows Seokjin keeps a spare key. He practically growls when his hand shakes too hard to unlock the door on the first try, but it comes out too choked to be heard over the rustling of the trees around him. 

When he finally pushes the door open, he feels his blood run cold in a way it’s never really done before. It feels like the top surface of water that’s frozen too quickly, bitterly cold but thin and brittle, like it would only take a twig to crack the surface. 

The fireplace is dark and silent, none of the crackling warmth of last weekend. The sheets on the bed are folded neatly, and the kitchen counters have been scrubbed clean, the smell of cleaning products still in the air. All the lights are off, but the window shades are open and it’s bright enough outside to show everything in clear detail.

The house is empty, and Yoongi is gone.

Chapter Text

Chapter Text

Yoongi stares at his phone for a few seconds before he fumbles to answer the call.

"Jungkook?"

"No, it's the water deer," Jungkook's voice comes through the phone, all rumbly like he's trying to make it deeper. "We've stolen Jungkook's phone and are calling for ransom."

"Wow." Yoongi's eyebrows are still raised from the sudden call, but he plays along. "This isn't a very good deer impression, Jungkook. Why are you making the voice so low?"

Jungkook scoffs, voice back to normal. "Whatever. I'd like to see you do better, hyung."

Without being face to face, Yoongi is forced to only imagine what Jungkook's pout looks like right now. He tries and fails to hide his smile behind the pillow tucked next to him on the couch.

"Nah, I'm good," Yoongi laughs softly. He's quiet for a second before he continues. "Hey."

"Hey, um," Jungkook's voice goes soft, like he's suddenly shy. "Sorry, it wasn't weird to call, right?"

Yoongi is shaking his head even though he knows Jungkook can't see. "No, no. Definitely not weird. It's good."

"Cool, alright." Jungkook clears his throat. "It's cool to like- uh, hear your voice. You know, it's been a while but like-" He trails off, and then coughs again. "Yeah, I don't know. It's good."

Yoongi feels his throat stick together with nerves all of a sudden, but he pushes himself to break the tension for Jungkook. "I mean it's not great, since I think you're about to shove your phone out of a window to make me hear horrible animal shouts."

The joking works, because Jungkook responds with a burst of giggles.

"Not out the window, hyung. I'm just gonna open the front door and put you on speaker. Just some easy animal listening for your relaxing Monday evening. Doesn't that sound nice?"

"No, not at all actually-"

Jungkook cuts him off. "Ah hyung, I can't hear you, did you say 'Yes, Jungkook, it sounds really, really nice'?"

Yoongi huffs. "You can hear me fine, you brat-"

"Oh my god, hyung, are you begging me to go outside? Wow, I never realized how much you care about these deer. I'll get as close as I can, don't worry."

"Such a loser," Yoongi mumbles.

Jungkook gasps at that. "Hyung, that's mean."

Yoongi rolls his eyes even as he smiles. "Oh, so now you can hear me?”

Jungkook just laughs to himself instead of answering. "Ok, you're on speaker now. I'm opening the door, listen carefully."

Yoongi sighs loudly, hoping Jungkook can feel his mock frustration through the speaker, but even as he does, he curls deeper into the couch, ready to listen to whatever Jungkook wants him to.

Nearly a minute of silence passes.

"I don't hear anything-" Yoongi starts, but Jungkook hushes him.

"Shhhh, wait for it. Patience, hyung."

Yoongi bites his bottom lip to stop himself from smiling. There are another few seconds of silence before Yoongi hears noises in the distance. They get louder, and soon enough Yoongi can identify them as the same kind of barking shouts he heard outside his cabin just a few weeks ago.

There's rustling through the phone as Jungkook moves it back to his face.

"Did you hear it?" Jungkook whispers.

Yoongi finally lets out the laugh he was holding in.

"Yeah, I heard it. Why are you whispering? You afraid of disturbing the peaceful night air?"

Jungkook keeps his voice low and close to the phone. "No, I walked into the trees so you could hear better- Shit!"

"What is it?" Yoongi shoots up in his seat, alarmed.

"Nothing, just brushed against a branch and some snow got on my neck. Yuck, yuck," Jungkook whines and Yoongi has to suppress a blush at how cute he sounds.

"I thought you were being attacked, god, Jungkook," Yoongi chastises. "Get back in the house. Don't go in the woods this late at night, that's how people die."

"So dramatic," Jungkook mumbles, but Yoongi thinks he maybe sounds fond. "I'm back in my house now, happy?"

Yoongi can hear him taking off his shoes, so he knows he's telling the truth. He imagines the chunky waterproof boots Jungkook wears most days at the store, black and thick-soled with bright blue laces, imagines him tucking them beside his front door, ready to be put on for work tomorrow morning. He wonders how cold it is, wonders if Jungkook's nose is red from being out in the night air.

Just thinking about it makes his chest feel wobbly and warm.

Yoongi clears his throat, refocusing. "I wouldn't say I'm happy. You made me listen to 2 minutes of animal noises, I feel like I was just inducted into a secret society."

"Aw, hyung," Jungkook gushes. "I'm so glad I could help you feel that way.”

"It wasn't a compliment-"

Jungkook hums, cutting him off. "I know, it was fun. I thought so too, hyung."

Yoongi's next breath bursts out in a cackle. "Stop it, you brat! It's not cute when you cut me off so much."

Jungkook giggles along with him. "Then why are you laughing? You're giving me mixed signals.”

"Yah," Yoongi chuckles softly. "I'm only laughing to stop myself from hanging up. It's how I cope with the pain you make me go through."

"Ah, right, of course. Well, whatever helps with the pain."

Yoongi huffs. "I wonder what it's like to be friends with someone who doesn't constantly try to immerse me in wildlife against my will."

Jungkook giggles again, bright even through the phone. "I don't know, that sounds pretty boring. I hope you never have to find out, hyung.”

Yoongi lets himself settle back into the cushions of his couch, soothed by how close Jungkook's voice feels. "You're up pretty late. You have to wake up so early on Mondays for deliveries, I thought you're usually passed out by now."

Jungkook hums, and Yoongi hears a blanket rustling on the other end of the line. "Yeah, I just got distracted watching TV. I've been binging a lot recently, I don't know why," Jungkook sighs. "Tired now, though."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. Didn't sleep much last night, either. I keep waking up in the middle of the night-" Jungkook breaks off in a yawn, mid-sentence. "Ah, sorry. It just caught up to me, I think."

"Well, go to sleep," Yoongi orders softly. "The deer aren't still being noisy, right?"

"No, they're quiet now," Jungkook mumbles. Yoongi can tell he's lying down in bed now, just from the way his breathing slows down.

"Thanks for taking me on that adventure, even when you were tired." Yoongi hears himself speaking in a hushed tone, like he's afraid speaking too loudly will disturb the stillness of Jungkook's bedroom.

"Course, hyung. S'fun."

Yoongi breathes out a laugh at how drowsy Jungkook sounds now. "You get tired so fast, you were outside fighting deer a few minutes ago. Where'd all the adrenaline go?"

Jungkook hums happily, and Yoongi can picture him rubbing his face into his pillow. "It drained me of all my energy. Was so scary, hyung.”

Yoongi smiles. "I bet it was. You're very brave," he jokes.

Jungkook ignores the sarcasm and hums again, softer this time. "Brave bunny."

Yoongi feels his heart stutter in his chest.

It feels too familiar, feels too much like it did the night they slept together. The way they spoke in whispers as they both fell asleep, the bubble around them keeping everything soft and warm, safe from the vulnerabilities that come with daylight. The way Jungkook had insisted on keeping his nose tucked into Yoongi's collarbone because he said he liked the way he smelled there, and Yoongi had let him even though he complained Jungkook's hair kept getting in his mouth. The way Jungkook had struggled to stay awake, had continued to murmur into Yoongi's chest even when the words he was saying stopped making sense.

Something in Yoongi's chest tilts sideways when he realizes tomorrow he's going to have to wake up without Jungkook next to him again.

He tries to keep his voice steady as he speaks. "Well, you should go to sleep-"

"Hyung?" Jungkook asks, sounding a little more awake now.

Yoongi clears his throat. "Yeah?"

"It was nice talking to you again. Texting, but also like this. It was really nice.”

"Yeah, it's-" Yoongi swallows, feeling more vulnerable than he'd like. "Yeah. Missed you."

Jungkook sighs, seeming satisfied by Yoongi's response, letting himself return to being half asleep. "Me too.”

"Good night, bun."

Jungkook yawns. "Sweet dreams, hyung."

Yoongi waits for the line to go dead before he pulls the phone away from his face.

"Shit." He rubs at his face with both hands and groans. He can't tell if he wants to cry or laugh, so he just flops back on the couch and sighs, arm draped over his face.

He goes over their conversation again in his head, and rolls over to bury his face in a pillow when it just ends up stirring up more feelings. He goes to sleep like that, pillow hugged to his chest, and in the morning tries to pretend he didn't dream of a warm nose pressed to his collarbone.

Chapter Text

...

...

Chapter Text

“Yah, Jungkook.”

Jungkook startles on the plastic bin he’s sitting on, the box of paper towels he’s supposed to be restocking still next to him where it’s stayed untouched since he got distracted on his phone. He looks up to find Taehyung standing over him, hands on his hips.

Jungkook sighs and slips his phone into his apron pocket as he stands. “Alright, you can’t complain about me texting while customers are around when you were the person I was texting-”

Jungkook gets cut off when Taehyung pulls him into a hug, ignoring Jungkook’s confused grunt to squeeze him tightly around the shoulders.

“What-”

“Hey,” Taehyung mumbles into the crook of his neck. “You can do this. Don’t be scared.”

Like déjà vu, the words take Jungkook back to their childhood. He thinks of the first time he took a plane ride on his own to visit family in New Zealand, and of the first time he failed a test in high school. He thinks about the day Taehyung left for university in Seoul, leaving him behind in their quiet rural town, and of all the times in preschool when he took a tumble at the playground and Taehyung was there to dust off his knees. He thinks about how no matter what, Taehyung would give him a hug and say don’t be scared and it’s no big deal and you’ll be okay.

The words work now just as they did back then. Jungkook feels air fill his lungs, and the uneasy swirl in his chest settles down until all he can feel is the quiet pat pat pat of his heart, warm and steady. 

He hugs Taehyung back, letting himself cling for a moment before he nods into his shoulder and pulls away. Taehyung is still frowning when he looks down at him, but it slips away and turns into an easy grin when he sees some of the tension has left Jungkook’s body. 

Taehyung shoves his shoulder lightly and nods to Jungkook’s pocket, where his phone rests. 

“What are you waiting for?”

Chapter Text

Jungkook is standing behind the checkout counter with his back to the rest of the store, hunched nervously over his phone as he waits for a response, when there’s a cough behind him. He sighs as he straightens his back, already rolling his eyes as he turns around to berate Taehyung. 

“You can’t seriously be telling me to get off my phone, you just gave me your blessing-”

He chokes on his tongue when he turns to find Yoongi standing on the other side of the counter, hand raised in a timid greeting.

“Hey-”

Before Jungkook registers what’s happening, he bangs his elbow into the cash register and curses so loudly, the only customer in the store gasps all the way in produce.

“Fucking shit- sorry, Mrs. Choi!” Jungkook calls desperately, clutching his arm to his chest to soothe the throbbing. 

“Sorry, fuck. I should know by now that you startle easily,” Yoongi apologizes, reaching out to comfort Jungkook, but his hand drops when Jungkook makes another wheezing noise. 

“Hyung? You’re-” Jungkook cuts himself off when he hears how squeaky his voice is, but he needs to finish his sentence, so after a few seconds he continues, voice embarrassingly high. “You’re here?”

Yoongi flushes, and he brings a hand up to rub at the back of his neck. “Ah, yeah, um. I was outside in my car? I drove here to talk to you, but I thought it’d be rude to come in while you were working, so I was just waiting until you finished. But then your messages-” Yoongi’s cheeks go even brighter, and Jungkook would tease him if he wasn’t sure his own cheeks looked the same. “Ah, I just felt creepy sitting outside while you were texting me. But now I’m realizing the whole thing is probably creepy.”

Jungkook stares at him in disbelief, and it’s only when Yoongi averts his gaze and coughs into his fist that Jungkook realizes he’s been standing in silence for several seconds, jaw hanging open.

“Oh, that’s-” Jungkook wets his lips while he tries to lower the pitch of his voice to a less squeaky tone. “That’s not creepy. That’s okay with me. But why were you-”

“Jungkook, why did Mrs. Choi just come back to tell me you were saying foul words-” Taehyung calls out as he makes his way to the front of the store, but he halts when he rounds the end of an aisle and comes into view. “Oh- holy shit.”

Taehyung stares in surprise, wide eyes shifting between them both until Yoongi clears his throat awkwardly.

“Hey, Taehyung-” Yoongi starts, but Jungkook cuts him off.

“Taehyung-ssi, I’m gonna need to step away from the counter for a few minutes.” Jungkook clears his throat and then gestures vaguely to the space around him. “Can you, um…”

Taehyung stares at him in confusion at the formal form of address, but quickly shakes it off to nod. “Yeah, yeah. I’m done in the back office anyways, if you wanna-”

Jungkook is pulling off his apron before Taehyung finishes, stepping out from behind the counter to head to the back of the store. After a moment’s hesitation, he takes hold of Yoongi’s elbow to gently drag him along.

Once they’re inside the office and Jungkook has clicked the door shut behind him, there’s a long moment of silence. Jungkook rubs at his sore arm as he tries to collect himself, thinking over all the texts he just sent, but before he can spiral any further, Yoongi waves his hand at the room around them.

“So this is the mysterious back office, then.” Yoongi swallows and furrows his brow like he’s struggling to find anything casual to say.

Jungkook nods slowly, still pressed against the closed door. “It sure is.”

Yoongi nods at the desk on the far side of the room, desktop screen still on, where it’s clear that Taehyung was in the middle of working when he was interrupted. Jungkook wonders if he’s pressing his ear to the other side of the door right now, maybe with Mrs. Choi beside him, but the possibility is too high for Jungkook to spare it any more thought without growing self-conscious.

“Is that the desk you hid under yesterday?” Yoongi asks, mouth twitching up into a smile.

Jungkook bites his bottom lip to stop his own smile. “Is it just how you imagined it?”

Yoongi tilts his head in consideration, eyes flicking back to Jungkook every few seconds like he can’t help himself. “It’s bigger than I thought. You really couldn’t fit yourself under there easily?”

“Come on, hyung,” Jungkook whines softly. “How many times do I have to tell you? I’m-”

“Beefy. Yeah, yeah.” Yoongi rolls his eyes, grin growing wider. “I know.”

Jungkook smiles back, giddy at having Yoongi in front of him once again, but he feels it dip a little in uncertainty.

“Hyung?”

“Yeah?”

Jungkook tries to suppress the nerves swirling in his stomach. “Why are you here?”

“Ah, yeah.” Yoongi shifts on his feet, and looks around the room again. He gestures to the chair sitting opposite the desk, and tilts his head in question. “Wanna sit?”

Jungkook nods, pushing against the door to come take a seat at the chair while Yoongi sits on the edge of the desk, hands gripping the edge nervously. There’s a meter of space between them, and Jungkook has to tilt his head up a little to look at Yoongi’s face, but the closer proximity settles him. 

Jungkook tucks hair behind his ear and waits for Yoongi to look up from where he’s scuffing his feet against the linoleum tile. When he finally does, his brow is furrowed. 

“So, I have a few things I wanted to say. And some of it might be, um, redundant now that you explained how you feel in those messages, but I’m still gonna just say it all so you know exactly where I’m at. Okay?” Yoongi’s hands grip the edge of the desk as he’s speaking, like he’s trying to control his nerves, and Jungkook desperately wants to reach out to hold his hand. Instead, he nods quickly.

“Yeah, definitely. I’m listening.”

Yoongi nods, and looks back at his feet, but then he shakes his head and makes himself look back up at Jungkook’s face.

“So, I guess I have three main things I wanted to say.”

Jungkook nods, patient, and Yoongi takes a deep breath.

“And, well. The first thing is, I’m selling my apartment in Seoul.”

Jungkook's mouth pops open in confusion, but he forces himself to stay quiet so he doesn’t interrupt.

“I came to the cabin originally to… well I came for a few reasons. The obvious reason is that I came to write my book because I had writer’s block and I needed to be in a new space to think clearly. But another reason was just for me to see-” Yoongi shrugs his shoulders while he searches for the right words. “To see if this could be a possibility for me. If living somewhere new could be something that would make me happier than continuing to live in Seoul. And even though I knew that was something I was curious about, it still took me a while to come to terms with it, once I did. Figure it out, I mean.”

Yoongi is silent for a moment, and Jungkook tries to help him along. “Figured what out, hyung?”

The corner of Yoongi’s mouth turns up in thanks. “Just that... I really was happier away from the city. And that I was actually ready to leave, even if I’ve been in denial about it for a while now.” Yoongi sighs, like he’s still annoyed at himself for that denial. “I was just scared about- I don’t know. Admitting somewhere isn’t the home it once was to you is scary, it feels like you’re opening yourself up to so many unknowns and I wasn’t ready for that. But then I came here and saw what home could feel like. And then being back in Seoul after that-” he shakes his head and looks back at the ground.

Jungkook stretches out a leg to nudge his foot against Yoongi’s, where it’s still scuffing the floor. Yoongi stays silent for another moment, but pushes back on Jungkook’s foot in acknowledgment.

Yoongi looks up, gaze steadier. “I felt silly when I went back. It was all so much more obvious to me that Seoul- it just isn’t the right fit for me anymore. I don’t know how it took me so long to see that.”

Jungkook wants to tell Yoongi he’s not silly, that he understands what he’s feeling, but instead he stays quiet, waiting.

“So,” Yoongi breathes in, deep. “I’m selling my place. I talked to a real estate agent this morning, they think it’ll only take a few months to get a buyer to sign. And apparently my neighborhood's value has increased since I bought my apartment, so I should be walking away with enough to have a budget to, um,” Yoongi clears his throat, fingers flexing on the edge of the desk again. “To, uh, buy a decent house in a more rural area. At least according to the estimate from the real estate agent.”

Jungkook’s brain tries to absorb all of the information he’s being given, but it feels like he’s fighting through the haze of a dream, not letting himself connect the dots until Yoongi’s spelled it out for him. 

Yoongi wets his lips, nervous. “So that brings me to the second thing I wanted to say.”

He puts more pressure on the side of Jungkook’s foot, seeking comfort, so Jungkook pushes back just as hard.

“The second thing is, I’d like to move here, to the mountain, if that’s something you’d be okay with.”

A pin drops in Jungkook’s mind, and all he can feel are the ripples washing through his body as he finally understands.

Yoongi charges on, foot still pressed to Jungkook’s. “I just- I loved how I felt while I was here. I liked that all I had to do to be outside was open my door. I know that sounds like an obvious thing, but after years of living in crowded apartment buildings where it’s a maze just to get out… that ease is something I didn’t know was important to me until I had it. And I felt that ease everywhere here, not just in logistical things but like,” Yoongi shrugs. “Making new friends felt easier than it has for me in years. Talking to the grannies at the store wasn’t an inconvenience, it was sweet and made me feel welcomed. Writing a new chapter didn’t seem like an impossible task, it just happened naturally. And talking to you-”

Yoongi cuts himself off, but Jungkook leans forward in his seat.

“Talking to me...?”

Yoongi sighs. “Talking to you was - is - the easiest thing I’ve ever done, Jungkook.”

Jungkook feels his head go dizzy, heart tripping in his chest. 

Yoongi’s ears are red, but he continues on. “I had forgotten what it was like to live with that kind of ease in my everyday life. I’ve relied too much on Jimin and Namjoon over the years for comfort, but it’s not enough to just have one source. And I feel like I’ve already managed to build a support system here, not just of friends, but of figuring out how to be alone with myself. How to be happy.”

“You have,” Jungkook agrees, voice just loud enough for Yoongi to hear. 

Yoongi’s eyes fill with warmth. “I have.” 

He smiles at Jungkook for a moment before he ducks his head again. “Anyways, um. I’ve talked to Hoseok about all of this, and he’s been trying to get me to agree to move into his guest room. And I was thinking about taking him up on the offer? At least until a house comes on the market that I’m interested in. I mean, I’m sure Seokjin would be willing to sell his cabin to me, but if I’m gonna buy a home I want it to be perfect for me, you know? I wanna see the options.”

Yoongi coughs into his fist, blushing. “But all of this really depends on whether- Ah, this part seemed like a more nerve-racking question before your messages about -” he gestures vaguely between them, and Jungkook stifles a smile. “But still, I wanted to make it clear that I don’t want to move here unless you’re totally ok with it. These are your friends too, and it’s your home, and if there’s a chance you’d be uncomfortable with me being here, then I want to respect that.”

Jungkook opens his mouth to speak, but Yoongi shakes his head quickly. “Sorry, just- Before you answer, I need you to hear the third thing.”

Jungkook feels like he might burst if he stays silent any longer, but he holds steady for Yoongi.

“I want you to know the whole picture before you say you’re okay with me moving here. And the whole picture is,” Yoongi gulps, and Jungkook feels his throat bob along with his.

“The thing is- I’m in love with you.”

An ocean swells in Jungkook’s chest, ready to spill out. 

Yoongi’s voice drops to a whisper. “I’m in love with you, and you should know that before you agree to something as big as me moving here.”

There’s been a tickling pressure at the back of Jungkook’s eyes for the past few minutes, and it finally grows until his vision goes blurry. Tears spring to his eyes, filling them in a split second, and he’d be embarrassed if he could feel anything over the warmth that’s spreading through his entire body. 

Yoongi sees and instantly drops to his knees, reaching to pull Jungkook’s hands out of his lap, intertwining them in his own.

“No, no. Don’t cry, please.” Yoongi’s eyes are alarmed, but the sight just makes Jungkook’s chest grow warmer. “Hey, it’s okay. Don’t cry, bun.” 

Jungkook sniffles and a few teardrops spill over his lash line, wetting his cheeks. Yoongi frees one of his hands to swipe them away with a thumb, and Jungkook ignores his murmurs of concern to ask a question, voice wobbly. 

“Hyung. You love me, too?”

Yoongi keeps rubbing at Jungkook’s cheeks, even though the tears are brushed away. He nods. “I do.” Yoongi strokes down to his jawline, and Jungkook leans into it, even as another tear slips down his cheek. Yoongi sighs in exasperation. “Aish, how are you still so pretty even when you cry?”

Jungkook sniffles again, closing his eyes when Yoongi brushes the new tear away. “That was a lot of information, hyung. I think I’m handling it really well.”

Yoongi is smiling when Jungkook opens his eyes again. “You are. I’m sorry, you’re right. That was a lot.” He squeezes Jungkook’s fingers, where their hands are still intertwined in his lap. “After yesterday’s conversation- I just had a lot still to say. I guess it was the same for you, yeah?”

Jungkook nods, trying not to jostle the hand that’s still sweeping gentle strokes across his cheek. “Sorry for all the messages. I thought I was being all brave, meanwhile you had driven all the way here.”

“Hey, you are brave. Everything you said was so- wait, wait,” Yoongi’s spine straightens suddenly, and his hand drops to Jungkook’s knee, face contorting in surprise. “Did you say ‘too’?”

Jungkook blinks. “Too?”

“When- when you asked if I loved you. You said ‘too’.”

Jungkook's cheeks go pink, and he wishes Yoongi was still cupping them, to at least partially block the blush from view. “Ah-”

“Do you love me?” 

Yoongi stares up with wide, hopeful eyes. Looking down at him, Jungkook doesn’t feel nervous when he finally nods. 

“Of course I’m in love with you, hyung.”

Before Jungkook knows what’s happening, Yoongi is pushing on his knees to stand up, pulling Jungkook up by his wrists as soon as his feet are under him. 

“Can I-” Yoongi starts, but Jungkook doesn’t give him time to finish the question before he’s sliding his hands on either side of Yoongi’s face to pull him into a kiss.

It feels impossibly sweet, even as Yoongi tightens his grip in the hair at the back of Jungkook’s neck to bring him closer. It’s sweet in the way a tremble runs through Yoongi, relief and excitement consuming them both. Sweet in the way Yoongi has to tilt his head up to reach Jungkook’s lips, nudging up on tiptoes to deepen the pressure, just enough for Jungkook to notice and grin. Even sweeter in the way he feels Yoongi grin back, loosening his grip so he can stroke at Jungkook’s neck, somehow with more care and love than Jungkook’s ever felt in a touch.

Jungkook sighs into it, winding his arms around Yoongi’s neck, pressing their chests together until there’s no more space between them. He goes dizzy with how good it feels, and his nose nudges into Yoongi’s cheek as he parts his lips, letting the feeling surround him. 

Yoongi slides his palms down the length of Jungkook’s back, coming to a stop at his hips, holding them steady. He pulls away for a breath, but Jungkook follows him, catching his mouth in another kiss before Yoongi can draw in any air. His eagerness makes Yoongi’s chest vibrate with a laugh, and Jungkook feels his nerves light up at getting to be close enough that he can feel the laugh seep directly into his own chest. 

They keep kissing for what could be a few minutes, or maybe an hour, Jungkook isn’t sure because he’s lost all sense of time. They eventually part when Yoongi draws Jungkook in closer by the small of his back and sighs, pecking him twice more before resting their foreheads together. 

“That’s-” Yoongi sighs again, face lighting up in a smile. He pauses to pull back more, until he can look Jungkook in the eyes. “That’s nice.”

Jungkook returns the smile, and when he does, his lips feel tender and red. “Nice, huh? What is, the kissing or the fact that I’m in love with you?”

Yoongi shrugs, grin refusing to fade. “Both.”

Jungkook wrinkles his nose cutely, and Yoongi’s eyes go soft at the gesture. “Mmm, I don’t know. Nice feels like too small a word.”

Yoongi shakes his head, leaning in to rub his nose against Jungkook’s, playful and sweet. “Nah. Everything is nice with you. There’s nothing small about that.”

Jungkook catches his lips in a kiss before he can pull away, and it’s another few minutes before either of them can convince themselves to come up for air.

Yoongi, eventually, is the one that slows them down, pecking the side of his mouth, then up his jaw, featherlight. As if he can sense Jungkook’s urge to pull him up again for another kiss, his breath comes out in a soft shhh between each touch to his jaw, hushing him until his pulse slows, calming the air between them until Jungkook feels like nothing more than putty. 

Jungkook keeps his eyes closed until Yoongi pulls away, one last kiss to the freckle under his bottom lip, and when he reopens them, he can’t believe he didn’t understand how Yoongi felt this entire time. His face is filled with the gentlest care, and even though it’s more acute now, Jungkook realizes it’s been there ever since they started to get to know each other. He basks under its warmth.

“My belly feels like it’s made of jelly,” Jungkook whispers.

Yoongi bursts out in a laugh, head tilting up towards the ceiling, and Jungkook giggles along.

“You’ve got a real talent for saying things that exactly fit the mood of the room, you know that?”

Jungkook flutters his eyelashes under the praise. “I do?”

Yoongi shakes his head, grin twisted in consolation. “No, absolutely not. Sorry, bun.”

Jungkook sighs in disappointment, but the nickname makes him giddy, so he darts forward to rub his nose against Yoongi’s chin, as bunny-like as he can. Yoongi giggles, and squeezes at Jungkook’s middle, fingers tickling at his sides until Jungkook squirms his hips away, laughing too. 

“So.” Jungkook brings his hands from behind Yoongi’s neck to smooth them down his chest. Yoongi hums in response, and Jungkook feels the vibration in his palms.

“So,” Yoongi smiles, thumb drawing circles on Jungkook’s lower back.

“You’re gonna move here? Leave the big city to live on our little mountain?” 

Yoongi licks his lips and his face goes more serious, but it’s still open, nothing masking what he really wants. “Is that something you would be okay with?”

Jungkook grins, face just as open as Yoongi’s. “Yeah, it is.”

Yoongi’s shoulders relax, and his smile returns in full force. “Well, then. Yes. That’s exactly what I’m gonna do.”

Jungkook’s smile goes dopey. “Cool.”

Yoongi sighs, content, and rests his forehead on Jungkook’s shoulder, swaying them back and forth to a silent tune. Jungkook hums in appreciation, kissing the top of his ear before leaning down another inch to whisper.

“Just to clarify though, this still means we’re just friends, right? These are friend kisses?”

Yoongi squeaks and shoves him away by his chest, laughing even as he swats at Jungkook. “No, you loser, it definitely doesn’t mean that.”

Jungkook laughs along, managing to grab both of Yoongi’s wrists before he can land another hit. “Okay, hyung. Then what are we?”

Yoongi rolls his eyes at his teasing tone, but then he leans into Jungkook’s grip, letting himself be held still. “Boyfriends work for you?”

Jungkook pretends to think about it, but he stops once Yoongi starts wriggling again to get out of his hold, huffing in playful annoyance. Jungkook lets go of one wrist to smooth his hand up Yoongi’s neck, thumb against his pulse and fingers threading through the back of his hair. Yoongi stops his huffing, and his eyelashes flutter for a moment before he looks up at Jungkook, eyes clear, warm, ready.

Jungkook nods into the space between them. “Boyfriends,” he murmurs. 

The word feels like gold in his mouth, but spoken out loud it blossoms like a spring flower. He feels it swirl in the air around them, planting seeds and taking hold.

Jungkook closes his eyes as he leans in for another kiss, and the last thing he sees before he does is his boyfriend smiling up at him.

Chapter Text

One and a half years later...

Another month later...