Archive of Our Own ^beta

“Yoon, don’t forget the pillows!” Yoongi hears Seokjin call from the other room. He rolls his eyes affectionately as he scoops up all the pillows from his, Namjoon, and Seokjin’s rooms before heading back out to the living room. 

His roommates are currently busy preparing for their Epic Bestie Move Night Slash Slumber Party—as Seokjin lovingly named it, and he watches as Seokjin finishes setting up their makeshift bed for the night—Namjoon and Seokjin’s queen mattresses shoved together on the living room floor in front of the TV.

“Why would I forget the pillows when that’s literally the only reason I went back to our bedrooms?” Yoongi asks in amusement. 

Seokjin pauses from laying out the blankets on the mattresses to look up at Yoongi, his lips pursed. “I mean, no offense Yoon, but you can be pretty forgetful sometimes. Like remember that time I sent you to go get coffee for us and you came back with a whole ass cat instead, no coffee in— yah!” Seokjin’s exclaims as he nearly falls off the mattress trying to dodge the pillow that Yoongi threw at his head. 

Before Yoongi can respond, Namjoon appears by his side and slings his arm over Yoongi’s shoulders. “I mean, technically he did come back with coffee. Just not the kind you were expecting.”

As if on cue, their fluffy brown shorthair kitty, Latte, slinks into the room and hops gracefully onto the mattress, meowing as she stops in front of Seokjin expectantly. He sighs, giving in as he scoops her up in his arms and smothers her with affection. She immediately tries to escape his grasp. 

“Thank you, Joon,” Yoongi says smugly, patting Namjoon’s hand where it rests on his shoulder as the younger man grins back at him. “Some people around here don’t know how to be grateful for what they have.” 

Seokjin scoffs. “You know I really don’t think a cat was very helpful in keeping me up all night so I could finish my essay. But that’s just me.” 

Namjoon snorts. “Oh don’t act like you didn’t start tearing up as soon as Yoongi set Latte in your arms for the first time.”

“Whatever,” Seokjin says dismissively, although there’s no bite to it. “Is the popcorn ready yet?” 

Namjoon shakes his head in mock disapproval as he walks back into the kitchen to grab the popcorn, and Yoongi smiles as he thinks back on that day. He really had gone to go get coffee, but since it was later in the evening their usual shop was closed and the only one left open nearby happened to be a cat cafe. He walked in with the intention of buying a cheap cup of coffee but it was all over for him when one of the rescue kitties immediately approached him and meowed softly, looking up at him with big, sad eyes. He signed the adoption papers and never looked back, the actual coffee he was supposed to buy completely forgotten as soon as he walked out the door. 

“You could come, like, I don’t know… help , and also see for yourself, y’know,” Namjoon says as he removes the popcorn from the microwave and dumps it into a bowl. 

“What, you need my help taking something out of the microwave now? I mean I know you can’t cook for shit but that’s a whole new level of incompetence,” Seokjin says with a brow raised. 

“Yoon?” Namjoon says expectantly, turning to Yoongi. Yoongi smiles and nods before chucking another pillow at Seokjin’s face. “Thanks,” Namjoon says with a lopsided smile as Seokjin squawks, nearly falling off the mattress for a second time. 

“No problem,” Yoongi says, grinning at Namjoon. 

Yoongi absolutely loves the dynamic between him and his two best friends. He loves that they’re all equally close with each other, loves that he and Namjoon have this unspoken playful alliance against Seokjin, who they love to tease relentlessly—and who loves to tease them back just as much. Yoongi has never felt so close or comfortable with anyone in his entire life, and his chest kinda feels all fluttery every time he thinks about how lucky he got. 

He hopes things stay like this forever, exactly as they are. 

“Rude!” Seokjin exclaims, staring at Namjoon and Yoongi with a pout. “No respect for anyone’s elders around here, is there, Latte?” he complains as he squeezes the cat to his chest. Latte just meows, wriggling in a futile attempt to escape his grasp. “She agrees with me.” 

Namjoon grins. “Oh, I’m sure she does.” 

Seokjin narrows his eyes, flipping Namjoon off, who blows him a kiss in response. Yoongi shakes his head but can’t help but laugh at their antics. 

“I still don’t understand why we had to go through all the effort of dragging those heavy fucking mattresses out here when we could’ve just squished into any one of our queen sized beds,” Yoongi comments. 

“Because where’s the fun in that, Yoongi ? Where’s the magic, the pizzazz?” Seokjin says passionately as he wiggles his fingers in the air. “The fact that it’s a rare event is what makes it so good. So stop complaining because I know you love our Epic Bestie Movie Night Slash Slumber Parties just as much as me and Joon.” 

Yoongi stares at him in fake annoyance, an eyebrow raised. “I think I’d like it more if you’d stop calling it that long ass title every time you bring it up. Couldn’t we, like, abbreviate it?” 

Namjoon plops down on to the mattress next to Seokjin, setting the popcorn bowl next to him and quickly snatching Latte out of the way, who immediately dives for it. He tosses her gently to the side as Seokjin shoves a handful of popcorn in his mouth. 

“Why would we abbreviate perfection,” Seokjin asks, his words barely distinguishable through his mouthful of popcorn. 

“You’re so lame,” Yoongi says, rolling his eyes. 

“Oh, c’mon,” Namjoon says, holding his hands out toward Yoongi. “Come be lame with us. I know you like being in the middle.” 

It’s true, Yoongi does. He can’t help the big smile that sneaks onto his face as he plops on his side onto the mattress, making Namjoon yelp as he bulldozes over him to get to the middle of the mattress. 

“You little shit. I take it back. Go sit on the couch, I’m too old and frail to have your heavy ass rolling on top of me,” Namjoon complains, pinching Yoongi’s side and making him squirm.

“We’re both older than you, so I don’t wanna hear it,” Seokjin scolds, playfully smacking Namjoon on the head. “Now shush so we can start the movie.” 

Namjoon and Yoongi both giggle but don’t say anything else as Seokjin grabs the remote to start the movie. They’re watching Encanto tonight, and if they’ve all seen the Disney movie enough times to have every single song lyric memorized, no one else needs to know. 

It doesn’t take long for the trio to fall into their usual cuddle pile, their backs propped up against the couch so they can see the TV as Seokjin and Namjoon both sandwich Yoongi. Namjoon has both arms wrapped around Yoongi’s middle, his head resting on his shoulder, while Seokjin’s legs are tangled up with Yoongi’s as he absentmindedly plays with his hair, his elbow resting on the couch behind Yoongi’s head.

This is what Yoongi loves most—when the two baby him. He absolutely loves being doted on, being smothered with love and affection and cuddles by the two people he cares most about in the world, and Namjoon and Seokjin are more than happy to deliver. 

It’s not romantic—no, both men know very well that Yoongi is aromantic and asexual and therefore not interested in anything past platonic affection—not that that’s something they’ve ever considered anyway. Although Yoongi can’t deny that there’s something special about their relationship, that it somehow goes deeper than most regular best friend relationships do, that’s still all they are. Best friends. Soulmates, perhaps, would be the better word. And Yoongi absolutely loves it. Things are perfect. 

“Drawers!” Namjoon exclaims, singing along to the movie, startling Yoongi from his thoughts. 

“Floors!” Seokjin continues, just as dramatically. 

“Doors!” Seokjin and Namjoon yell together as they look at Yoongi expectantly. 

“Let’s go,” Yoongi finishes half-heartedly, rolling his eyes but smiling nonetheless. 

“This is our home, we’ve got every generation,” Namjoon sings against Yoongi’s neck. 

“So full of music, a rhythm of its own design,” Seokjin joins in, poking Yoongi’s cheek playfully. 

“This is my family— Min Yoongi I know you know these lyrics just as well as we do so you better stop being lame and sing along with us unless you want me to tickle you until you piss yourself,” Namjoon singsongs.

“I don’t think that’s how the song goes,” Yoongi deadpans, shrieking when Namjoon pinches his side again in retaliation. 

“Okay, okay, fine,” Yoongi relents, all three of them laughing as they continue singing along to the movie. 

Like Yoongi said—absolutely perfect. 

♡

It’s late one night when Yoongi hears a quiet knock on his door. He looks over at his clock from where he sits on his bed—1:24 AM—before frowning in confusion, setting his book on the nightstand. Both Namjoon and Seokjin should be asleep by now, seeing as neither of them really like staying up past midnight. Yoongi is the only night owl in their household. 

It’s been a couple weeks since their movie night, and Yoongi has seen the other two men a little less than he normally does. They’ve been out of the house more than usual, and when they are home, they haven’t really been waiting up to hang out with Yoongi once he gets off work the way they often do. He doesn’t think anything of it, though—sometimes work just gets busy, and their schedules fluctuate. It happens. 

“Yeah?” Yoongi asks, his voice cutting through the silence of the room.

“Hyung? Can I come in?” comes Namjoon’s quiet, nervous voice from the other side of the door. 

“Of course, Joon-ah,” Yoongi says with no hesitation. Namjoon slowly cracks the door open, peeking in before stepping all the way inside, closing the door softly behind him. “Are you okay?”

It takes Namjoon a moment before he looks up at Yoongi, his brows furrowed. 

“Yeah, I just—” he cuts off when his voice cracks, clearly on the verge of tears. It breaks Yoongi’s heart. “I don’t know, I just—”

“Come here, Joonie,” Yoongi prompts, scooting over and lifting the covers for Namjoon. He shoots Yoongi a look of gratitude, his bottom lip quivering as he slides into bed next to Yoongi. Yoongi maneuvers so he’s laying all the way down, wrapping his arms protectively around Namjoon and pulling him against his body as the younger buries his face in Yoongi’s chest, his arms snaking around Yoongi’s waist. 

“What’s wrong, jagiya? Tell hyung,” Yoongi says gently, running his hands through Namjoon’s hair as he sniffles. The term of endearment slips out naturally, as the three of them freely call each other all kinds of pet names. It’s very normal for them, although it might seem weird from an outside perspective. 

“I just—I don’t know. I don’t even know,” Namjoon mutters, and Yoongi just waits patiently, kissing his head in silent support. Sometimes Namjoon gets like this, when he’s really emotional, where he has trouble explaining the things he’s feeling. Yoongi suspects that sometimes he probably doesn’t even know, himself. So Yoongi just waits as long as it takes, lets him take his time and find the right words to express his thoughts. 

Namjoon speaks again after a minute. “Nothing’s even wrong, I don’t think,” he says with a watery laugh. “I just. Ugh.” 

Yoongi chuckles softly in endearment, kissing his friend’s head again. 

“Can I help you figure it out?” Yoongi asks. This isn’t an uncommon question for him—sometimes Namjoon needs another person to work through his emotions, needs someone else to help him interpret the flurry of thoughts and feelings running rampant in his mind. Namjoon pretty much always says yes, grateful for the help, but Yoongi still asks just in case. 

“Mhm,” Namjoon mutters, his arms tightening around Yoongi’s waist.

“Okay. Is it about something that happened? Or do you just feel weird for no reason in particular?”

Namjoon takes a moment to think. “Nothing really happened, I guess. I just feel…” 

“Sad? Anxious?” Yoongi supplies when Namjoon doesn’t continue. 

He nods into Yoongi’s chest. “Both. I think mostly anxious.” 

“Okay, that’s okay,” Yoongi soothes, lightly scratching Namjoon’s scalp. He knows his friend is prone to some pretty bad anxiety—with how smart he is and how much he overthinks things it’s pretty inevitable. “Let’s try to figure out what you’re anxious over, yeah?” 

Namjoon nods again. 

“Is it… work?” Namjoon shakes his head. 

“Okay, uh, something with your family?” Namjoon shakes his head again. 

“Maybe just… life, in general? The future?” Namjoon tenses up, then nods after a moment. 

“Okay,” Yoongi breathes out. “Maybe… change? Are you scared of something changing?” Yoongi knows he hit the nail on the head when Namjoon finally breaks, a sob wracking his body as he squeezes Yoongi tighter. 

“Oh, Joonie…” Yoongi says sadly, peppering kisses all over his head. “It’s gonna be okay, sweetheart. Change is inevitable, but we’ll get through it. As long as we have each other.” 

Namjoon pulls back after another minute of crying, his cheeks pink and wet with tears. “Will we?”

Yoongi frowns. “Will we what?”

“Always have each other?”

Yoongi’s frown deepens. “Of course, Joon-ah. I’m not going anywhere, and as far as I know Jin hyung isn’t going anywhere either. Are… are you planning on going somewhere?” Yoongi asks, sounding a little more accusatory than he meant to, but now he’s concerned. Yoongi is just as afraid of change as Namjoon is.

“No, I—” Namjoon cuts off, shaking his head desperately as he looks up at Yoongi through teary eyes. “No. Never. I just… I really love you, hyung. I don’t ever wanna lose you.” 

“Joonie…” Yoongi whispers, pulling his arms back to cup Namjoon’s face. “I love you too, jagiya. So much. More than I can even tell you. And you will never lose me. As long as you want me around, I’ll stay right where I am. Okay?” 

Namjoon stares at Yoongi for a long moment, eyes moving back and forth as if he’s searching for something on Yoongi’s face. Yoongi is slightly confused, not exactly sure what Namjoon is getting at, but he smiles softly regardless, just wanting to comfort him. 

There’s a split second where Yoongi thinks he sees a pained look flash across Namjoon’s face, but before he can process it Namjoon is burying his head in Yoongi’s chest again. “Okay,” he breathes out. “I’d like that, hyung.” 

Yoongi really wants to press, wants to ask where this sudden fear came from, but he doesn’t want to upset Namjoon further. It’s up to Namjoon, anyway, how much he wants to reveal to Yoongi. So instead he just hugs him tight, nuzzling against his hair. “You gonna sleep in here?” 

“Can I?” Namjoon asks quietly, something unrecognizable in his voice. Something like… hesitance. Unfamiliarity. The same tone in which he asked to sleep in Yoongi’s room for the very first time, several years ago. Yoongi doesn’t like it. 

“Of course you can,” Yoongi assures. “You always can, you know that.” Because he does. Yoongi, Namjoon, and Seokjin all have their separate bedrooms, but it’s more just a space to keep their individual stuff. They alternate beds constantly, most of them preferring to sleep with another person the majority of the time. Sometimes Yoongi will slip into Seokjin’s bed at night, once he gets home from work, just wanting to cuddle up with his hyung and forget all his worries. Sometimes Seokjin and Yoongi will barge into Namjoon’s room, not even saying anything before jumping into bed with him and slipping under the covers, all of them giggling as they attack him with affection. They sleep together constantly, share their stuff just as often, so Namjoon’s question feels out of place. 

Yoongi forces himself to shrug it off, to not think too hard about it because Namjoon is clearly in a vulnerable state. Maybe he just needs the extra reassurance. 

It doesn’t take long for the steady warmth of Namjoon’s body to pull Yoongi into a slumber, completely oblivious to the fresh set of tears pouring out of Namjoon’s eyes. 

♡ 

Yoongi wakes up to an empty bed. It’s nothing unusual—they all have different schedules and wake up at different times so it’s not rare for one of them to be long gone when the other wakes up. But after the emotional night Namjoon had, Yoongi had kinda hoped to find Namjoon still wrapped around him.

It’s a Saturday, so none of the three have work, which makes it even more unusual that Namjoon is gone. Deciding to go investigate, Yoongi sits up and swings his legs over the side of the bed. He quietly opens his door—in case Seokjin is still asleep—and slips out into the hall. He makes his way out to the kitchen, freezing in place when he hears whispers. It’s hard to hear what they’re saying, but it’s definitely Namjoon and Seokjin’s voices. 

“I know, baby, it’s hard for me too. I understand,” he hears Seokjin whisper, the sound muffled and distant. 

“I just…” a sniffle. Namjoon. “Hyung, I don’t want anything to change. I really, really don’t.” 

“I know, Joonie. Me neither. I don’t either. But we don’t know that they will, yeah?” 

“I guess,” Namjoon responds softly after a moment of silence, and Yoongi decides then that he should probably stop listening in on what’s clearly a private conversation, although he’s now dying of curiosity. So it was something in particular that was bothering Namjoon—because Seokjin apparently feels the same way…?

Frowning, he tiptoes back over to his door and closes it loudly, announcing that he’s awake. He yawns as he walks around the corner into the living room, trying not to give away the fact that he was just eavesdropping. Namjoon clears his throat in surprise, and Seokjin looks up at Yoongi with his brows raised. 

“Hey,” Yoongi greets, voice still raspy from sleep. 

“Hey, Yoon,” Seokjin says, smiling warmly at Yoongi. “Sleep well?”

Yoongi nods with a smile, glancing over at Namjoon. His smile drops when he sees that Namjoon is very clearly avoiding eye contact with him, his brows furrowed. 

“I was just gonna make us and Joonie breakfast, you wanna help?” Seokjin asks. Yoongi forces a smile back on his face, trying once again to not overthink things with Namjoon. 

“Sure. How can I help?” 

“You wanna make the eggs? I was gonna make pancakes. With chocolate chips, just how Joonie likes them,” Seokjin says fondly, reaching over to pat Namjoon’s shoulder, who still hasn’t looked at Yoongi. 

“Of course,” Yoongi easily agrees, going over to the fridge to take the eggs out. He’s just about to address Namjoon directly, to ask if he’s okay after last night, but when he turns around, he’s no longer in the kitchen. He blinks a couple times, confused, before shaking his head and busying himself with the eggs. It probably isn’t personal. Namjoon is probably just upset in general, not upset at Yoongi in particular. At least he really hopes so. 

After a couple minutes of cooking in silence, Seokjin sets his spatula down, letting the pancakes sit for a minute before he flips them. He walks up behind Yoongi, slipping his arms around his waist and hugging him from behind, his head resting on his back. 

“Hi,” Yoongi says with a chuckle, his friend’s random clinginess amusing him. 

“Hey,” Seokjin replies, planting a kiss on Yoongi’s shoulder blade. “You doing alright?” 

Yoongi frowns. “Am I doing alright?” 

“Yeah, you,” Seokjin confirms, gently squeezing Yoongi’s sides.

“I mean I am doing just fine, but, uh…” Yoongi trails off, craning his head toward the living room to make sure the coast is clear. “Is Namjoon? Doing alright? I don’t know if you know but last night he came to me crying. He was really upset, but I wasn’t exactly sure why.” 

It takes Seokjin a moment to answer, which Yoongi also finds odd. “Yeah, I know.” Yoongi waits patiently for Seokjin to continue, leaning into him when he lifts his head to prop his chin on Yoongi’s shoulder. “He’s… he’s alright. I think it’s just his usual anxiety, you know? It’ll pass, I’m sure.” 

Yoongi waits a moment before responding. “Okay… but do you know why he was avoiding me?” he asks, his voice coming out more small and vulnerable than intended. “Did he say something to you? Like, did I… did I do something?” 

Seokjin tenses for a moment when Yoongi’s voice breaks, before melting further into him and nuzzling their cheeks together. “Oh, Yoongi, baby, no. You did nothing wrong, I promise. You’re perfect,” Seokjin reassures, planting a gentle kiss on Yoongi’s cheek before pulling away, walking over to flip the pancakes. Yoongi immediately misses his warmth. 

“Are you sure?” Yoongi asks softly, looking at Seokjin with a pout. “Because I was trying my best to help last night, but I don’t think I was saying the right things and I—”

“Hey, hey,” Seokjin cuts him off, walking back over to stand next to him, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. “I promise you, you didn’t. You did great. Joonie was really grateful you were there for him last night,” Seokjin assures, planting a soft kiss on Yoongi’s temple. 

Something is weird. It’s not that Yoongi doesn’t enjoy the extra affection—he really, really does—but clearly Seokjin knows something he doesn’t, and he’s trying to make up for it. He’s talking like it’s a ‘you vs. us’ kind of thing, ‘Yoongi vs. Namjoon and Seokjin.’ He doesn’t like it. They don’t keep secrets from each other, ever. 

“Okay, if you’re sure…” Yoongi mutters, turning his attention back to the eggs as Seokjin finishes up the pancakes. 

“Namjoon-ah,” Seokjin calls down the hall as they bring the food over to the kitchen table. “Get your ass out here! Your hyungs were nice enough to make you breakfast.” 

Yoongi snorts, knowing it won’t be long before Namjoon trudges out to them. They both know better than to ignore Seokjin when he uses that tone with them.

“Yeah, yeah, coming,” Namjoon calls out, emerging from the hallway a moment later. He looks really tired, the dark circles under his eyes indicating that he’s been losing sleep over… something. 

“Yah,” Seokjin says, smacking Namjoon lightly on the arm. “Yoongi was nice enough to make you eggs, just how you like them. Say thanks.” He gives Namjoon a meaningful look. Yoongi still doesn’t know what it means. 

“Um,” Namjoon begins, sitting in the chair next to Yoongi. Finally, finally, he looks at him. His expression is hard to read. “Thank you, hyung. For the food and for, um, last night. I’m sorry about that.” 

Yoongi frowns, reaching out to take Namjoon’s hand in his own. “Hey, don’t apologize. You’re always welcome to come to me, I don’t mind. I want to help you. You know that, right?” 

Namjoon gives him a small smile. “I do. Thank you.” 

Things go mostly back to normal after that, and it doesn’t take long for the three to slip into their usual conversation and banter. The weird little situation with Namjoon slips further and further to the back of Yoongi’s mind the more they all talk, and by the end of breakfast, things seem fairly normal again. Yoongi thinks that’s the end of it—whatever it is. 

♡ 

Things don’t go fully back to normal after that, although they’re pretty close. Namjoon remains a little bit distant, and Seokjin seems to do the exact opposite. He has been unusually clingy with Yoongi, always needing to be touching him when they’re together and going out of his way to spend most of his free time with him. Yoongi would be lying if he said he didn’t enjoy the extra attention, though he doesn’t know the reason.

Yoongi’s at work when he gets a text from Seokjin, the notification sound startling him out of his thoughts. He’d be annoyed usually, considering how hyper-focused he had just been, but he could never be annoyed by a text from Seokjin. 

Jinnie hyung

pssst

Yoongi

???

Jinnie hyung

joonie is spending the night at jeonggukkie’s

tell me u don’t have plans

i don’t wanna be aloneeeee:’(((

Yoongi smiles at his phone, feeling touched that Seokjin wants to spend time with him—not that that’s an unusual thing. But still, Yoongi never gets tired of the feeling of being wanted. 

Yoongi

so dramatic :p

Jinnie hyung

excuse u

i pour my heart out to u, tell u i wanna hang out with u so i’m not lonely and u MOCK ME ??

nvm i take it back. i’ll stay at hobi’s >:-(

Yoongi

like i said: soooo dramatic

u don’t mean that tho u love me too much

Jinnie hyung

i do:/

Yoongi

yeah i know

and to answer ur question no i don’t have plans

wanna watch a movie? 

Yoongi watches as the little typing bubble pops up on the screen, staying there for a solid thirty seconds before disappearing. That’s weird. How much typing is required for a yes or no question? Yoongi is in the middle of typing out ‘hyung ?’ when several texts come through. 

Jinnie hyung

actually

i was thinking we could like. do a sunset picnic or something? if ur up to it. the weather is just so nice rn

if not that’s ok!! we can just watch a movie. whatever u want

Yoongi’s heart warms at the suggestion. It’s not often that the three of them actually leave the house to go do something—unless it’s with their four closest friends—so Yoongi actually feels excited over the prospect of doing something out of the ordinary.

Yoongi

i’d love to hyung

…will u be making the food tho? i’m tired;((

Jinnie hyung

…brat

yes i’ll make the food🙄

Yoongi

sick

i think i’ll only be here another hour or so then i’ll come home n change then we can go

that okay?

Jinnie hyung

perfect

♡ 

It is, of course, the longest hour of Yoongi’s life. 

Luckily it’s a Friday, so Yoongi has the next two days to recuperate and fully enjoy his little friend date with Seokjin. 

He sighs as he walks through his front door, greeting Latte and kicking off his shoes before falling face first into the couch. 

“Hey, hey, none of that,” Seokjin immediately scolds. “I know you. If you lay down right now you’re not gonna be able to get back up.” 

Yoongi lifts his head from where it’s pressed into the couch cushion, turning toward the sound of Seokjin’s voice. He’s about to make some snarky remark when he’s rendered speechless. 

Seokjin looks… really pretty. He always does, of course, but it seems like he put extra effort into his appearance today. He’s wearing a soft pink sweater that brings out the natural rosy blush of his cheeks, and he has some very subtle, glittery eyeshadow and soft brown liner on his eyelids. His skin looks airbrushed and glowy and his plush lips are glossy and tinted a soft peachy color. His hair is styled, slightly wavier and fluffier than normal and god Seokjin just looks so soft. 

Yoongi may be aroace, but that doesn’t mean he can’t appreciate beauty. And sometimes, Seokjin is so pretty it hurts. 

“You look nice,” Yoongi comments as he pushes himself off the couch. “Why’d you get all dolled up though? It’s just me.” 

Seokjin frowns. “What if I wanna look nice for you?” 

Yoongi gapes at him, not expecting that answer. “Um, I—”

“Honestly, I just felt like doing my makeup today. Now hurry and go change so we don’t miss sunset,” Seokjin rushes out before disappearing into the kitchen. 

That was… strange. 

Ten minutes later they’re out the door, loading into Yoongi’s car because the park Seokjin wants to go to is about a ten minute drive, too far to walk if they wanna make it before the sun disappears. They chat and joke and sing along to the music the whole way there, windows rolled down to let in the cool air and the smell of cherry blossoms, and it all just feels so perfect. Like one of those magical moments Yoongi wants to just bottle up and relive over and over again. 

The only thing that would make it more perfect is if Namjoon were there with them, but oh well. Yoongi is still gonna enjoy and savor his time with Seokjin. 

It doesn’t take them long to find a nice grassy spot in the park, and Yoongi spreads the blanket onto the grass as Seokjin starts taking the food out. Seokjin sits on one side, facing the setting sun, and Yoongi sits across from him. It doesn’t take long for them to dig into the food, both of them starving from not having eaten since lunch. 

“Okay, so,” Yoongi starts after swallowing the bite he was chewing. Seokjin looks at him inquisitively. “Not that I’m complaining, because I really am enjoying this. But why a picnic? And why, uh, just us? I would’ve thought you’d want to wait and go with Joon.” 

Seokjin tilts his head. “This doesn’t have to be the only picnic we ever take, you know.” 

“Well yeah, I know that but still—”

“I never get alone time with you,” Seokjin interrupts, his usual confident demeanor slipping away as he looks at Yoongi shyly. “Me and Joon see each other more because our schedules line up better, but I don’t see you as much. And sometimes I just, I don’t know… it’s nice to just spend time with you, just the two of us.” 

Yoongi’s face softens, and he reaches out to set his hand on the blanket in between them. Seokjin immediately takes it. “I know, Jinnie, I agree. It is nice to spend time with just you. It’s been a while, hasn’t it?” 

Seokjin nods, chuckling. “We really don’t get that much time alone. Not since college, anyway. Before we met Joon-ah and he obnoxiously nudged his way into our hearts.” 

Yoongi snorts. “Yeah, he kinda did, didn’t he? It really was just you and me before we met him. I mean, we had Hoseok of course, but still. It’s, like… different. With the three of us.”

Seokjin nods. “I know it is.”

Yoongi smiles as he thinks back on their time in college. He and Seokjin were juniors when they met the wide-eyed, dimpled, shy little freshman that they couldn’t help but immediately take under their wings. The older men were walking to class one day when they spotted Namjoon sitting on a bench, nearly hyperventilating as he stared with wide eyes at a map of the campus. 

“Hey, kid, you alright?” Seokjin had asked, approaching Namjoon tentatively with Yoongi trailing awkwardly behind. He had tried to convince Seokjin to keep walking, that having a mental breakdown on your first day of college was a rite of passage and a much needed, humbling experience, but Seokjin wasn’t having any of that. 

“I— I—” Namjoon had stuttered out, looking startled at their sudden appearance. “I don’t know where my class is because this map is really hard to read and I came here alone so I have no one to help me and I’m really, really—”

“Woah, dude, chill,” Yoongi had said, surprising himself by talking to the kid. He hadn’t planned to, but the obvious panic in his eyes unexpectedly melted Yoongi’s heart just a tiny bit. “You’re okay, we’ll help you. Where are you trying to go?” 

Namjoon stared at Yoongi for a few seconds, eyes wide, before breaking out into a big, grateful smile. Seokjin and Yoongi just so happened to be going the same direction as Namjoon, so they walked him all the way to the building, the kid talking their ears off the whole way there. When they said goodbye, Yoongi turned to leave, thinking that was the end of that, but yelped in surprise when the younger boy pulled him into a bone-crushing hug. 

“Uh…” Yoongi said awkwardly.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you. You guys are, like, my guardian angels or something. Seriously. I thought I was gonna be late to class and be in big trouble.” 

Yoongi snorted a laugh, gently peeling Namjoon off of him as he stared at him, amused. “You realize this isn’t like high school, right? No one gives a fuck if you don’t show up to class. The teacher won’t even notice.” 

Namjoon’s eyes went wide again. “Really?” Yoongi nodded. 

“But… but how do they know if you’re, like, learning everything?”

“They don’t. People don’t hold your hand in college, kid. You’re the one paying to be here. It’s up to you to take charge of your own education.” 

Namjoon stared at Yoongi for a moment before nodding solemnly. “I see. Well, then I’ll try my very best,” he had said seriously, as if making a personal pledge to Yoongi and Seokjin. 

“Um. I honestly couldn’t care less but, uh, good for you?” 

Seokjin scoffed. “Jesus, Yoon, you really need to work on your people skills.” Yoongi scowled at Seokjin as he stepped closer to Namjoon, patting him on the head like a dog. It was an especially funny sight, considering that the two men were pretty much the same height. “I believe in you, dude. You got this. Ignore Mr. Grumpy Pants here.” 

Suddenly it was Seokjin’s turn to cry out in surprise as Namjoon pulled him into a tight hug. At least Seokjin had the decency to half-heartedly return the affection, lightly patting Namjoon’s back as he nuzzled into Seokjin’s neck. 

“Okay, so he’s a hugger,” Seokjin said awkwardly, glaring at Yoongi as he shot him a smug look. 

“Oh! Sorry,” Namjoon said suddenly, the words making him pull back. “I am a hugger. I get carried away sometimes, sorry,” he had said shyly, a little pout on his lips. Yoongi remembers having to bite his lip to keep from cooing at the sight. 

“That’s okay,” Seokjin assured. “Hey, we gotta get to our class, but good luck out there, okay? College seems scary at first, but you’ll adjust quickly.” 

Namjoon nodded, that same curious, wide-eyed look back on his face. “I hope so. Thanks again, uh…”

“Seokjin,” Seokjin provided. “And this is Yoongi.” 

Namjoon smiled, an adorable, innocent, warm little smile, and in that moment Yoongi was suddenly struck with the overwhelming urge to protect the boy from all the evils of the world. 

He tried fighting it at first, when Namjoon somehow kept finding them around campus like he was their own personal magnet, but Seokjin ignored Yoongi’s protests every time. 

“Of course you can sit with us, Joonie,” Seokjin would say, laughing at the overjoyed expression Namjoon would give them as he sat down at their lunch table. Yoongi would just roll his eyes, but really he had to fight hard to keep the smile off his face. Namjoon’s innocence was overwhelmingly adorable. 

It didn’t take long after that for Yoongi to completely warm up to Namjoon—maybe only a few weeks—and soon enough he was the one inviting Namjoon to hang out with them. Within the first couple months of the semester the trio became nearly inseparable, and Namjoon was hanging out at Seokjin and Yoongi’s little dorm room almost every minute that they were there—except when they were sleeping, of course. 

(Yoongi and Seokjin always invited him to crash there despite that being against the rules but Namjoon always refused, saying he wouldn’t do a single thing to jeopardize his academic career— ‘not even to cuddle my favorite hyungs,’ he’d say with a pout.)

Seokjin and Yoongi’s best friend Hoseok gladly welcomed Namjoon into their little group, and a couple years later they all found Jimin, Taehyung, and Jungkook. They’ve been like a little family ever since, though obviously Yoongi is by far the closest with Seokjin and Namjoon. 

Yoongi remembers the turning point, though, when their relationship with each other went from close best friends to something more like soulmates. At this point Seokjin and Yoongi had already graduated two years prior, were already fully situated at their full time jobs, yet they’d still gravitate toward that familiar college campus because Namjoon was still a student there. 

It was the afternoon before Namjoon’s graduation, and he was sitting on the couch in the apartment Yoongi and Seokjin had gotten together as soon as they graduated. 

“Hey, Joon, what’s wrong?” Yoongi had asked in concern when he realized Namjoon’s eyes were glassy. He and Seokjin had hurried over to sit next to him on the couch, Seokjin running a hand soothingly up and down Namjoon’s back as Yoongi cupped his face. 

“I’m just— God, I don’t know,” Namjoon had said, his bottom lip trembling, barely holding it together. 

“You don’t know?” Seokjin asked gently. 

Namjoon shook his head. “I don’t even know what’s wrong in particular I just feel a lot of emotions and it’s just too much, it’s too much—” 

“Hey, Joon-ah, look at me,” Yoongi had interrupted gently, stroking Namjoon’s cheek with his thumb. “Deep breaths. You’re probably just stressed and overwhelmed because of your graduation. It’s a big, scary day. It’s okay to feel a lot of things, even if they’re not all good.” 

Namjoon sniffed. “But I’m supposed to be happy. Tomorrow is supposed to be a perfect day.” 

Yoongi scoffed. “Don’t you remember what happened the day of our graduation? Seokjin having an impromptu cooking session out of nervousness mere hours before the ceremony and accidentally setting his graduation robe on fire?” 

Namjoon couldn’t help the snort he let out, and Yoongi smiled in victory. 

“Yah!” Seokjin yelled. “You promised you would stop teasing me over that! It’s been two years for God’s sake—”

“I just don’t understand why you didn’t like, I don’t know, maybe take your graduation robe off while you were working over an open flame? Also, you made me run and buy you a new one because you were too busy panicking. I got all sweaty and had to rush to shower and get ready. I think I earned the right to tease you.” 

Seokjin rolled his eyes, Yoongi yelping in protest when he lightly smacked his forehead. They stopped their bickering at the refreshing sound of Namjoon’s laughter. 

“Thanks, hyungs,” Namjoon said gratefully. “I’m still scared as shit but I feel a little better.” 

Yoongi smiled, reaching up to brush the hair from Namjoon’s eyes. “What are you scared of, jagiya?” 

All of their eyes widened in surprise a tiny bit at the sound of the pet name—knowing full well that Yoongi is the least openly affectionate of the group—but Yoongi found that he liked the way it felt to say, and Namjoon clearly liked being called the name. So he had just never stopped. 

“I don’t know what I’m doing. Like seriously, what am I even supposed to do after graduation? I’m not ready to be a fucking adult. And like, where am I supposed to go?” 

Seokjin and Yoongi both looked at him in confusion. “What do you mean where are you supposed to go?” Seokjin asked. 

Namjoon frowned. “Like, where am I supposed to live? I have to be out of the dorm room within the next month.” 

Yoongi tilted his head. “Um. I thought it was, like, insanely obvious that you were gonna move in with us after you graduated. But, uh… guess not?”

“Whoops,” Seokjin said. “Probably should’ve clarified that earlier.” 

Namjoon snapped his head up. “I… what? You want me to live with you guys?” 

“Of course, silly,” Seokjin said like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “You practically live here anyway. We have a spare bedroom. And you’re our best friend. Why wouldn’t you live with us?”

When Namjoon didn’t respond, still in shock, Yoongi cleared his throat. “Um, if you want to, that is. Obviously you can make your own decisions and if you want to live with someone else or move away from Seoul or— ahh!” 

Yoongi was cut off by Namjoon tackling him into one of his familiar, loving, bone-crushing hugs. He tried resisting for a total of two seconds before giving in and squeezing him back just as tightly. 

“So I can live with you?” Namjoon asked hopefully. 

Yoongi was about to pull back to look at him but Seokjin threw himself on top of them, joining in on the hug, making that impossible. 

“Yes, Joonie, we’d love it if you lived with us,” Seokjin reassured, peppering Namjoon’s face with kisses as the younger giggled at the ticklish sensation. “You know we love you, right?” 

Yoongi yelped when he felt someone pinch his arm. “Yes, we love you, Namjoon-ah,” Yoongi muttered, mildly annoyed by Seokjin’s prompting. His annoyance didn’t last long though. Not when Namjoon pulled back to look at them, all the love in the universe pooled in his eyes as he told them he loved them, too. 

And the rest was history. It didn’t take Namjoon long to find a job after that, what with how incredibly smart he is, and within a couple weeks it had felt like Namjoon had lived with them forever. It felt weird to think about the fact that at one point Namjoon didn't live with them, actually. He became such a big part of Yoongi and Seokjin’s lives that they honestly couldn’t imagine a life without him in it. It’s been almost five years since the day of Namjoon’s graduation, and none of them have made any kind of attempt to move out. 

Why would they, when they have all they need with each other?

“Yoon?” Yoongi registers the sound of Seokjin’s voice, and he blinks a few times as he comes back to reality. 

“Sorry, what?”

“I said, come lay next to me. So we can watch the sunset.” 

It’s then that Yoongi realizes Jin is already laid back on the blanket, one arm tucked under his head and the other reaching out toward Yoongi. 

“Oh! Right, okay,” Yoongi says, scrambling to lay down next to Seokjin and almost spilling soy sauce all over them in the process. He doesn’t know why he suddenly feels so flustered. 

Yoongi lies there awkwardly for a moment, not really knowing if Seokjin wants to touch him at all, but that dissipates when Seokjin scoots closer, their shoulders brushing as he reaches down and laces his fingers with Yoongi’s. 

“Okay?” Seokjin asks, and Yoongi nods, smiling slightly. 

Yoongi fully relaxes as Seokjin’s warm, familiar hand squeezes his own, as he looks up to see the sky painted in stunning pinks and oranges. 

“Wow,” Seokjin says softly. “We picked a good day for this, huh? Prettiest sunset I’ve seen in a while.” Yoongi just nods in response, fully enthralled by the sight above them, so much so that he almost misses Seokjin’s next comment. “But maybe that’s just cause you’re here to watch it with me.” 

Yoongi blinks a couple times before turning to look at Seokjin. He’s already staring at him, an amused expression on his face as if he knew the flirty comment would fluster him. But Yoongi just clicks his tongue. “That was really fucking gay, dude.” 

Yoongi lets out a noise of complaint when Seokjin reaches his free hand up to flick him on the forehead. “I know it was.” 

Yoongi just laughs, shaking his head fondly as he turns back to watch the painted sky. Seokjin doesn’t turn back, though, and Yoongi can feel his eyes on him. Curious, he turns to look at him after a moment. Seokjin is looking at him with such intense love and adoration that it makes Yoongi feel a little dizzy. 

“What?” Yoongi asks, his voice barely a whisper. 

“You’re so pretty, Yoongi,” Seokjin whispers back, turning to fully face Yoongi as he brushes some hair off his forehead. He looks at him in reverence. “Do you know how beautiful you are?” 

Yoongi turns to look back at the sky in attempts to hide the blush spreading on his cheeks, but Seokjin notices. Or maybe he just sees a reflection of the sunset painted on his skin, as he trails his fingers across Yoongi’s skin and watches in awe. Yoongi sees it, too, reflected on Seokjin’s face. Seokjin is composed of varying shades of pinks and oranges and yellows and he looks like a masterpiece. Suddenly, Yoongi needs Seokjin to know this. 

“Do you know how beautiful you are?” Yoongi asks, turning to face Seokjin as well so they’re both laying on their sides, a mere foot away from each other. But it doesn’t feel weird or scary. It just feels familiar, being this close to each other. “Seriously, Seokjin, it’s ridiculous. You look like a renaissance painting.” 

“Oh, stop,” Seokjin says, shyly covering his face with his hands. 

Yoongi just laughs, reaching up to pull his hands away. 

“No, I’m serious. The first time I saw you in college I thought you were a model or something. Your genes are insane.” 

Seokjin snorts. “Please. I looked like a total dork when we met. I had practically just fried my hair off attempting to go blonde and I had no idea how to dress myself.” 

Yoongi laughs at the memory. No, he really didn’t. “Maybe. You were still beautiful, though. I don’t think there’s any universe in which you wouldn’t be absolutely stunning.” 

Yoongi has no idea where the words are coming from. He’s not usually one to compliment so freely, and so poetically, but he feels so overwhelmed from all the beauty surrounding him that he just has to express it somehow. 

Yoongi kind of expects Seokjin to laugh, to tease him for saying something so corny, but he doesn’t do either. The smile slowly disappears from his face as he watches Yoongi intently, and he reaches up to touch his cheek again. Yoongi waits patiently as Seokjin seems to map out his entire face, as he trails his finger along the dip of Yoongi’s nose, the length of his brows, the soft curve of his jawline. Yoongi is very used to Seokjin’s touchiness—both his and Namjoon’s—but it’s not usually quite this… intimate? Yoongi doesn’t know what to think about it. But he thinks he doesn’t really want it to stop. 

His eyes close as Seokjin drags his finger down further, tracing the shape of his cupid’s bow before trailing it down across his bottom lip, and then suddenly the warmth is gone. He opens his eyes to see that Seokjin is now laying on his back again, no longer facing Yoongi. He looks a little dazed. 

“You don’t mean that,” Seokjin says, Yoongi almost asking what he means before remembering his previous compliment. This time it’s Yoongi who reaches up to touch Seokjin’s face. 

“I do. I wouldn’t lie to you,” Yoongi says honestly, brushing the hair from his eyes. “You and Namjoon-ah are two of the prettiest people I’ve ever seen in my life. And I mean that wholeheartedly.” 

Seokjin’s breath hitches as Yoongi brushes his thumb against his cheekbone, as he stares down at him in adoration. 

Seokjin stares up at Yoongi, holding his breath as he watches him. After a moment he blinks a few times, then frowns. “Can we go home?”

“What?” Yoongi asks in surprise. They haven’t been there very long—the sun hasn’t even fully set yet. “Home?”

“Yeah,” Seokjin says, sitting up and beginning to pack the leftover food back into the picnic basket. “I just. I don’t know, I kinda wanna be home right now.” 

“Okay,” Yoongi says tentatively, watching his best friend as he helps him pack their stuff away. “Is everything okay? Did I say something?” 

That question gets Seokjin’s attention, and he pauses as he looks over at Yoongi in surprise. His skin is still painted golden and he’s so, so gorgeous. 

“What? No, no, you didn’t do anything. I really do just wanna be home, I don’t know,” he says softly, breaking eye contact as he goes back to cleaning up their mess. There’s something that Seokjin isn’t telling Yoongi, obviously, but he isn’t about to pry. 

His anxiety is soothed a little bit when, on the way back to the car, Seokjin moves the picnic basket to his other hand so he can hook his pinky with Yoongi’s. The touch is light, but still comforting. 

Once they’re back on the road, Seokjin turns the radio on softly before rolling his window down, sticking his arm out and feeling the wind between his fingers. The sun is just barely above the horizon now, just visible enough to paint Seokjin’s skin a deep, rich crimson, and that paired with the sight of the breeze gently pushing his hair off his forehead is unreal. He has to look away so he doesn’t crash the car. 

They drive home in silence, and though it’s not uncomfortable, Yoongi is still confused over the sudden mood change. He worries, despite Seokjin saying otherwise, that he did or said something wrong and killed the vibe and now Seokjin doesn’t want to hang out with him anymore. He just doesn’t know what it is that he said. 

He lets go of this fear momentarily, however, when Seokjin casually hums a melody on the elevator ride up to their apartment, smiling sincerely at Yoongi when their eyes meet. He doesn’t seem to be mad, at least, although something still seems off. 

When they finally step into their apartment, Yoongi doesn’t make it more than a few steps in before Seokjin places a hand on his shoulder. Yoongi turns back to look at him, and the hand drops quickly. 

“Wanna watch a movie?” he asks calmly, the same sincere smile on his face. 

“Oh, uh, sure. I’m down,” he says awkwardly. Seokjin just smiles even bigger. 

“Cool. I’m gonna get changed, meet in my room in five?” 

Yoongi nods. “Okay.” 

Seokjin sets the picnic basket and blanket on the coffee table before skipping off to his room, Yoongi trailing behind shortly. He enters his own room, changing into a black oversized hoodie and matching sweatpants. The baggy clothes make him feel small, and, secretly, he likes the feeling. 

“Yoonie!” Seokjin calls from the other room, and Yoongi realizes he’s just been staring at his wall, lost in thought. 

“Coming,” he calls back before rushing over to Seokjin’s room. He’s seated on the far side of his bed, now in his own comfy clothes, leaving a lot of empty space for Yoongi. Yoongi climbs into bed awkwardly, settling in under the blanket and leaning back against the headboard. 

Seokjin, for whatever reason, keeps a safe distance, which is unusual for him, but Yoongi decides to be respectful and give him the space that it seems like he wants. 

After they decide on a movie, they both settle in fully, a couple feet in between them as they focus on the screen. Seokjin is uncharacteristically quiet, the only sounds coming from him being the occasional chuckle from the cheesy comedy they’re watching. Yoongi doesn’t like how far away he feels, both physically and emotionally. He’s not used to the space. 

He decides to take a risk, hesitantly extending his hand and placing it on the bed in between them, a clear invitation for Seokjin to hold his hand. The older man glances down after a moment, looking up at Yoongi—whose eyes are glued to the TV screen—before slowly taking Yoongi’s hand in his own. Yoongi immediately sighs as he relaxes further, grateful for the skin-to-skin contact. 

It’s weird that there’s this sudden air of awkwardness or unfamiliarity between them, just like there was between Yoongi and Namjoon. He has no idea where it came from, what he did wrong to cause it. 

This is all he can think about as they continue watching the movie, Seokjin’s grasp on his hand loosening the more time goes on. It begins to feel like he’s clinging to Seokjin, and Seokjin is merely tolerating it. He decides to pull his hand away, feeling like an annoyance. Seokjin glances over at him curiously, but doesn’t say anything. 

The more time ticks by, the more Yoongi overthinks. And for some reason, he already feels more emotional today than he usually does. He tries incredibly hard to will the tears away that threaten to fall, desperately biting his cheeks and lip because how the hell is he supposed to explain to Seokjin why he’s randomly crying like a little kid? 

But his attempts are proven futile when Seokjin glances over at him, laughing at something that happened in the movie, the smile dropping from his face completely upon seeing Yoongi’s expression. 

“Yoon?” Seokjin asks. “Are you okay?”

Those four words are all it takes for the first few tears to spill over, and Yoongi’s face burns in shame as the salty tears burn his eyes. 

Burning. Everything is burning today, just like the sky. Yoongi squeezes his eyes shut, burying his face in his arms in a sad attempt to hide his emotions as he feels Seokjin scramble to sit closer to him. 

“Yoonie, what’s wrong? Why are you crying?” Despite Seokjin’s obvious concern, he still doesn’t touch Yoongi. 

Yoongi fully intends to come up with some excuse as he lifts his head from his arms, to just say that he’s tired and stressed from work, but when he opens his mouth, the words just burst out. 

“What did I do? Why won’t you touch me?” Yoongi asks quietly, his bottom lip trembling. 

Seokjin suddenly looks like he’s been shot. His eyes go wide as it sinks in that Yoongi is sad because of something he did, or rather what he didn’t do, and his brows furrow in obvious concern. 

“Oh, baby, no, you didn’t do anything. Nothing at all, I’m so sorry,” Seokjin says, reaching out to touch Yoongi but hesitating before he does. 

“See, that,” Yoongi emphasizes, nodding toward Seokjin’s hand. “Why are you doing that? Why is Namjoon suddenly awkward around me and why won’t you touch me anymore? Did I do something to make you guys uncomfortable? I’m really sorry if I did, I—”

“Oh, Yoongi,” Seokjin says soothingly before finally, finally, pulling Yoongi into his arms. He actually pulls him partially onto his lap, spreading his legs and settling Yoongi in between them so he can be as close to him as possible. “Always so selfless,” he murmurs, nuzzling into Yoongi’s neck as he fully wraps his arms around him, holding him securely against his body. The relief from the touch only makes Yoongi even more emotional, and he’s hit with a new wave of tears as he melts into Seokjin’s arms. He didn’t realize until this moment just how crucial physical touch is to his well being. 

“I thought you were m-mad at me,” Yoongi stutters out, feeling humiliated over his lack of a filter but too emotional to fight it. 

“No, love, I’m not mad. Neither of us are mad at you, shhh, it’s okay,” Seokjin soothes, peppering kisses on Yoongi’s head as he gently strokes up and down his sides. “I’m sorry that I made you feel that way. I’m sorry that I just pulled back with no explanation, that was—fuck, I wasn’t thinking. I’m sorry, Yoonie.” 

All Yoongi can do in response is hiccup, trying desperately to get his emotions under control as Seokjin leaves kisses up and down his neck and shoulder. He never wants him to stop. 

“Will you sleep in here with me tonight?” Seokjin asks, gently rocking Yoongi back and forth. Yoongi immediately nods. He thinks that Seokjin is going to circle back, to explain why he and Namjoon have been acting weird, but he does no such thing. And once again, Yoongi is too much of a coward to ask. Or maybe he’s just too scared to know the answer. 

It doesn’t take very long, though, for him to forget all about it. Not when Seokjin holds him so lovingly, touches him like he’s the most important person in the world. He falls asleep with Seokjin spooning him, his arm wrapped securely around Yoongi’s waist and face tucked against his hair. 

♡ 

Yoongi should’ve seen it coming. He really, really should’ve seen it coming. 

If he were smart, he would have. 

If he were more observant, he would’ve noticed the signs. Namjoon and Seokjin falling into each other’s beds more often than his, their hushed whispers when they think Yoongi can’t hear them. Even the soft sound of their kisses echoing in the hallway, which Yoongi didn’t think anything of at the time because, hey, they all kiss each other sometimes, right?

He should’ve noticed the way that Namjoon emerges from his room wearing Seokjin’s clothes over his own 9 times out of 10, and how Seokjin almost always smells like the cologne Namjoon uses. 

And above all, he should’ve noticed the most obvious sign of all, manifesting itself clear as day over the last few weeks as Yoongi pretended that everything was okay—Seokjin and Namjoon pulling away. 

They’ve been friends for years, and they’ve never pulled away from each other. Even when they’re fighting, they still find their way back to each other by the end of the day. They’ve always been inseparable, and Yoongi was incredibly, incredibly stupid to choose to live in ignorance, to pretend like he didn’t see what was happening right in front of him. 

After the strange night he had with Seokjin several weeks back, things went back to normal for about two days before Seokjin began hesitating again. He still made sure to touch Yoongi, because he clearly didn’t want to hurt him, but it wasn’t the same. There was this new wall between them that hadn’t been there before. 

And Namjoon. Namjoon, who came to him crying months ago, desperately telling Yoongi how much he loved him and how he’s terrified of anything changing between them. Namjoon, who, even when he’s smiling at Yoongi, has this ever-present touch of pain behind his eyes. 

Yet Yoongi chose to live in ignorance. He was too much of a coward to press for more information, to demand to know why things were suddenly changing, why his two best friends suddenly began acting like strangers around him. 

Deep down, Yoongi thinks, he probably knew. If you looked at the evidence objectively, it was incredibly obvious. But that doesn’t stop the words from sending a sharp, painful jolt of electricity through his body; doesn’t prevent his heart from clenching so hard he thinks it might actually break. 

“Namjoon and I are dating.” 

Namjoon and I are dating. 

The words immediately echo in Yoongi’s brain so loudly that he can hardly think. 

They’re dating. 

His best friends are dating. 

Seokjin and Namjoon are dating. 

Seokjin and Namjoon are in a relationship that Yoongi is no longer a part of.

Suddenly there’s a scorching pain against Yoongi’s arm and he curses as he jumps back, away from the pot of boiling water he just burnt himself on. 

“Oh, shit,” Seokjin says, rushing over to Yoongi. “Are you okay? Come here, come put it under the tap,” he says, gently pulling Yoongi over to the sink. Yoongi follows along in a daze, allowing Seokjin to turn the tap on and stick his arm underneath the cold water. He doesn’t even feel the wound anymore. It pales in comparison to the awful ache in his heart. 

“Probably shouldn’t have told him while he was boiling water,” Namjoon mutters quietly as he rushes over to turn the burner off. Seokjin ignores him. 

“I’m so sorry, Yoon, are you alright? How does your arm—”

“Fine,” Yoongi says firmly, yanking his arm back and turning off the sink. He didn’t mean to say it so harshly, to practically yell the word as the room is suddenly bathed in uncomfortable silence. “It’s fine, hyung, I’m fine,” he repeats, softer this time, and they all know he’s not just talking about his arm. 

Seokjin and Namjoon both stare at him then, their eyes wide and uncertain as they hold their breaths waiting for Yoongi to acknowledge what they’d said.

Yoongi musters every last bit of strength he has within him to put on a fake smile, and turn to his best friends. 

“That’s great. I’m so happy for you guys. I’m sure you’ll be great together.” 

Both of them frown, obviously not convinced by his words. 

Why does he even feel so upset over the revelation? He’s aroace. It’s not like he wants to be in a relationship with them, right? He doesn’t think the feelings he has toward his best friends are romantic but he also doesn’t think they’re purely platonic. It’s this weird in between, and he has no idea how to even go about explaining that to himself, let alone to Namjoon and Seokjin. 

He doesn’t know how he feels or why he feels. All he knows is that he’s really, really upset. 

Yoongi digs his nails into his palm to ward off the stupid, traitorous tears that threaten to fall, because crying in front of them right now would be absolutely humiliating. 

Oh, poor, fragile little Yoongi, who’s apparently far too selfish to just be happy for his friends like he knows he should be.

“You…” Namjoon begins, but trails off as he watches Yoongi visibly swallow the lump in his throat. 

“Do you… not have any, um. Questions for us…?” Seokjin says hesitantly, frowning as Yoongi tenses. 

“Questions?” Yoongi asks obliviously. “You guys like each other, and you decided to date. What is there to question about that? I’m happy for you, really.” 

Yoongi turns away then, busying himself with finding a bandage for his arm just so he doesn’t have to face the pair of concerned eyes that are boring a hole into his back. When Yoongi returns to the kitchen, neither of them have moved. 

“We didn’t keep it from you for long,” Seokjin says, unprompted. “I promise. We didn’t officially decide to go for it until a couple weeks ago and it’s been killing us to keep it from you. I’m sorry we didn’t tell you right away, I just—I didn’t know how to bring it up.” 

Yoongi focuses all his energy into steadying his breathing, into not letting the tears fall. He smiles again, although it’s much less convincing this time. 

“Why are you sorry? You don’t owe me anything. It’s not like the decision has anything to do with me anyway, right? You didn’t even have to tell me,” Yoongi says, struggling more and more the more he speaks to keep the bitter edge out of his words. 

“I mean… it kinda does have to do with you,” Seokjin argues. “You’re our roommate and our best friend. You’re probably the only person in the world that it does majorly affect.” 

Yoongi takes a deep breath in and out before turning to face Seokjin. “Well, then thank you for telling me. I appreciate your honesty, and, like I said, I’m very happy for you. I just want you both to be happy.” That part’s not a lie, at least. 

Seokjin opens his mouth to say something else, but seemingly decides against it, instead looking down at the ground in silence. 

“Um,” Yoongi begins after a long moment of silence, and Seokjin’s head snaps up. “Do you guys think you can handle dinner? Sorry, I just realized there’s this errand I need to run and—”

“Yeah, yeah, of course,” Seokjin reassures, finally breaking out of his trance and walking slowly over to the counter, just to give himself something to do. 

It’s a pathetic excuse, and they all know it. No one actually believes it, but they at least have the decency to not call him out on his lie. 

“Okay, cool, I—yeah,” he says lamely, backing out of the kitchen. “I’m not sure how long it’ll take me, so you don’t have to wait up or anything, just—”

“Hyung,” Namjoon’s quiet voice interrupts, and for the first time since the announcement, Yoongi really looks at Namjoon. And he really wishes he didn’t, because he looks like a wreck. His eyes are glassy, there are deep, dark circles under his eyes, and his nose is all red and runny. Yoongi had been too distracted earlier to notice that Namjoon had clearly been crying before they even approached him. 

Yoongi stops in his tracks, but doesn’t say anything. Doesn’t know if he has the strength to respond, a new wave of emotion overcoming him as he takes in just how distressed Namjoon looks.  

“Hyung,” he repeats, just as quietly. His breathing is shallow. 

“What,” Yoongi finally responds, barely above a whisper. He doesn’t look Namjoon in the eyes. Doesn’t have the strength. 

“Hyung,” Namjoon repeats, more desperately this time, taking a hesitant step toward Yoongi. They’re only a few feet apart. 

“What, Namjoon,” Yoongi repeats softly, still unable to meet his eyes. Namjoon takes another step forward, until there’s only a couple feet of space between them. Yoongi resists the urge to run. 

“Hyung, I—” sniff. “I’m so—” hiccup. “I’m—I—” Yoongi watches in horror as Namjoon cuts himself off, his face crumpling as he bursts into tears. “I-I’m so s-sorry, hyung, I d-didn’t want anything to change and—”

Yoongi can’t help himself when he steps forward and pulls Namjoon into his arms. 

“Shhh, Joonie, it’s okay,” Yoongi soothes, rubbing Namjoon’s back gently as he completely melts into the touch. 

“T-told you I was s-scared of change a-and now I’ve r-ruined everything and—”

“You didn’t ruin anything, baby.” 

Yoongi startles at the sound of Seokjin’s voice, not having realized he’d walked over to them. The sound of the pet name, in its new context, sends a fresh wave of pain through his chest. Namjoon is Seokjin’s baby. Not Yoongi, not anymore. 

“It’s okay, sweetheart, shhh,” Seokjin says as he presses against Namjoon from behind, leaving kisses on his head and neck as he rubs his back in comfort. 

Yoongi suddenly feels extremely awkward, with Namjoon in his arms and Seokjin simultaneously so close to Yoongi that it makes him dizzy. He needs to get out. Now.

Yoongi feels like the world’s biggest asshole as he begins pushing Namjoon away from himself, peeling his arms off of his body as gently as possible and nudging him back into Seokjin’s arms. Namjoon looks confused for a moment before realization sets in that Yoongi is desperately trying to get away from him, and then he recoils back as if Yoongi were toxic. 

“I’m sorry,” Yoongi whispers, avoiding eye contact as he backs away from the pair. There’s a shock through his body when he looks up again, noticing that Seokjin now looks more angry than upset. He needs to get out, now. “Sorry,” he repeats. “I just can’t—” his voice cracks. “I can’t be here right now.” 

Yoongi turns away just in time, the dam finally breaking and the tears pouring out as he grabs his keys, slips on his shoes, and rushes out the door. 

He doesn’t know where to go. His parents are back in Daegu, so he can’t go to them for comfort. He can’t go to his friends, because they’re not going to understand why he’s so upset, and he doesn’t want to try to explain it to them. And the two people that are his biggest comfort, the ones he always runs to when things get tough, are now the ones he’s running away from. 

He leaves with the intention to get into his car and take a long, long drive but he realizes as he descends the stairs that he feels far too restless to just sit there. So instead he runs down the stairs, exiting his apartment complex and taking a left toward the little park that’s a ten minute walk from their apartment. 

Their apartment. What does this mean now? Is Yoongi going to have to move out? Surely that’s what his friends would want—their own space to start their new lives together. 

Fresh tears pour out of his eyes at the thought and he squeezes them shut, trying not to think about it anymore. Before he knows it he’s made it to the park, and he makes sure to walk far down the path to an area laden with trees so there’s less of a chance of people seeing him. He collapses onto the nearest bench, tucked partially behind a large cherry blossom tree, hugging his knees to his chest and burying his face in his arms as he cries. 

He doesn’t know how long he stays like this, but by the time he finally lifts his head it’s much darker than he anticipated and noticeably colder. His tears have long subsided by this point, leaving behind an empty, hollow feeling in his bones. 

Now that he doesn’t have the sharp pain in his chest to distract, he notices just how bad his arm hurts. He sucks in a breath as he pushes his sleeve back and carefully peels back the bandage, his eyes going wide at the sight of the long burn mark on his forearm, the wound an angry, blistering red where he’d touched it to the hot metal of the pot. He stares at it as he feels the skin pulsate, suddenly feeling angry because the burn is just the cherry on top of an already shitty situation. 

Burning. He remembers that night a few weeks ago, the one with Seokjin, where everything was burning. Maybe the warm, colorful hues projected onto Seokjin’s skin weren’t so beautiful after all. Perhaps they were a warning. Foreshadowing. Because where before the burn in his chest was mild, a dull, flickering flame that he hoped would go out on its own, it’s now a raging fire, the blazing heat scorching him from the inside out. And the cold temperature of the night is doing nothing to douse the flames. 

Everything just hurts. Everything hurts, and Yoongi doesn’t even know why. He knows he’s aromantic—it’s one of the only things about himself that he’s almost completely sure of. He’s never enjoyed having a partner in that way, has always found the expectations set in a romantic relationship suffocating and uncomfortable. 

Sometimes he wonders if he just hadn’t found the right person yet, except that for the most part, when he watches other people be intimate with each other in a romantic setting, it’s just never really interested him. Didn’t make him feel anything—any kind of desire. 

Except for today. 

It’s not even that seeing Seokjin and Namjoon be romantic with each other bothers him—in fact, the thought might’ve made him happy, in theory. The three love each other so much that the lines between platonic and romantic have always been blurred for them anyway. 

No, the part that hurts is that he now feels like an intruder. The trio’s relationship is no longer spread equally between the three of them, there’s now a heavier weight placed on Seokjin and Namjoon’s side that Yoongi won’t be able to balance out. 

Whereas before they all belonged to each other equally, now it’s just Namjoon and Seokjin who belong to each other. And Yoongi is just… there. He’s there, intruding on their space and their love, watching them find more happiness in each other than they’d ever find in Yoongi. 

Because even if they did love Yoongi in that way, which is doubtful, it’s not like he could give him what they want. Seokjin and Namjoon are two of the biggest hopeless romantics he knows, and Yoongi would never be able to reciprocate that. That’s probably why they’d felt so scared to tell him. They know Yoongi well enough after all these years to know that this is exactly how he’d feel. Like an intruder; a burden. 

He may love the two just as fiercely as they love each other, but it’s a different kind of love. One that will never be as much of a priority to Seokjin and Namjoon as the type of love they provide for each other. 

Unfortunately, everything is different now. The scale has been tipped, the relationship is no longer equally balanced between all of them. And it will never be able to go back to the way it was. 

The only thing that confuses him, now, is why they were so worried about the change. Yoongi assumes that they were mostly just concerned for his own feelings, that they knew he’d feel like a burden. But why is it that they seemed so distraught over the thought of their relationship with Yoongi shifting? 

The shift is inevitable, of course, when two of them begin dating. And that hurts for Yoongi, because although there’s nothing in the world that could push him away, that could convince him to stop being friends with Seokjin and Namjoon of his own accord, it will never be the same. He’s losing a piece of the cosmic connection he shares with them, losing several layers of their relationship that had steadily accumulated over the last 9 years. 

But Seokjin and Namjoon? They have each other. They are each other’s main priority now. Why should it affect them if their relationship with Yoongi tips back into strictly platonic territory? 

Maybe they just worried they’d lose Yoongi completely. Yes, that’s probably it. He’ll come home soon, reassure them that he’ll still be their friend, and everything will be okay. They’ll laugh it off, and Seokjin and Namjoon will return to normal, and Yoongi will bury his own feelings deep, deep down where neither of them will ever find them. They don’t need to know the extent of Yoongi’s feelings, after all—it’ll only make them feel guilty. And he doesn’t want that. 

He takes a few deep breaths to pull himself together before standing from the bench, turning to walk back toward his apartment. As much as he still doesn’t feel ready to face his friends, it’s far too cold to stay outside. And he needs to stop being selfish, because it’s not fair to Seokjin and Namjoon to leave them hanging like that, to leave them feeling like they did something wrong. 

Because they didn’t. They did everything right. Their love is beautiful, and no matter how bad Yoongi hurts, he’ll always mean that. 

The sun has just fully set by the time he makes it back to his apartment complex, and he takes his sweet, sweet time climbing the stairs. He checks his appearance with his phone camera to make sure that he doesn’t look like a complete mess, and it’s luckily not as bad as he expected. His face is a little red and splotchy, but it’s not like Seokjin and Namjoon would be surprised that Yoongi had cried. He’s always been very emotional and they know that. 

It’s silent when he steps into their apartment, and he shuts the door as quietly as possible behind him to avoid disturbing the peace. He slips off his coat and shoes, walking into the living room and looking around. No sign of either of his best friends, just Latte curled up on the couch. The kitchen counters are wiped clean, too, so they’d either eaten already and put the leftovers away or just abandoned dinner altogether. 

Frowning, Yoongi makes his way quietly down the hall, his heart pounding as he seeks his friends out. Namjoon’s door is closed. Are they asleep? Did they go somewhere?

But then he notices Seokjin’s door is cracked, and he hesitantly peeks inside. 

Both men are sitting on Seokjin’s bed, Namjoon curled into Seokjin’s side, his face buried in his sweatshirt as the older man holds him. They’re turned away from Yoongi, so they don’t see him. 

Then Yoongi finally hears the sniffles, and he realizes Namjoon is crying. He draws in a few sharp breaths as his body shakes, and the sob he lets out a moment later feels like a dagger through Yoongi’s heart. 

“You’re okay, Joonie, you’re okay. Hyung’s got you, okay? Everything is gonna be okay,” Seokjin murmurs into Namjoon’s hair, although he doesn’t sound too convinced himself. Yoongi notices the subtle waver to his voice that gives away the fact that he’s crying, too—or about to cry. 

“C-can’t, it— it hurts, hyung, didn’t know it would h-hurt this much,” Namjoon laments, his voice muffled by Seokjin’s sweatshirt. Seokjin kisses and holds Namjoon so gently and tenderly that it’s nearly dizzying to watch.

“I know, baby. I know. It sucks. It really fucking sucks, for all of us, but it’ll be okay. We’ll get through it, okay? We at least have each other and—”

Yoongi can't bear to hear any more. He pivots away from the door, hurrying across the hall and shutting his door behind him. 

He listens as he leans against it, holding his breath, but he’s met with silence. Namjoon and Seokjin have gone quiet. 

Yoongi came home and the first thing he did was hide out in his bedroom, without even saying as much as a ‘hello’ to his friends. They’re definitely going to think he’s mad at them and, once again, he’s being horribly selfish. 

But he really, truly doesn’t think he can face them tonight. Not when the wound is so fresh. He can’t bear to watch them openly love each other, can’t handle seeing the concrete proof that things really have changed. So tonight he’ll be selfish, and tomorrow he’ll face them. Yes, he’ll sleep on it, let the emotions settle, and talk to them when he wakes up. 

Neither of them disturb him as he lays in bed and attempts to sleep. Maybe they’re giving him space, or maybe they simply don’t want to talk to him. He wouldn’t blame them. 

Yoongi doesn’t get much sleep, his tears continuously flowing, and after a long, painful night of tossing and turning and overthinking, his 9 AM alarm goes off. 

Right. Work. His still-existent life outside of his best friends. 

He sighs deeply before willing himself to climb out of bed, going to use the restroom but stopping in his tracks when he sees himself in the mirror. 

His face is all swollen and splotchy, the skin under his eyes so puffy that it’s immediately noticeable that he’d been crying for hours. And that swelling isn’t gonna go down any time soon. He can’t go into work like this. 

So he sends an email to his boss, letting her know that he had an emergency and won’t be in today, before crawling back into bed and hiding under the covers. At some point he finally drifts off to sleep, and when he wakes again, it’s almost 1 PM. 

He debates for a moment whether it’d be possible to just stay in his room forever and never face Seokjin and Namjoon but then his stomach growls loudly and he realizes he hasn’t eaten anything in over 24 hours. 

He climbs back out of bed with a sigh, taking a deep breath before leaving his room and walking out into the kitchen. Luckily, it’s empty. He digs through the fridge as quickly as possible, grabbing the first thing he finds—leftover gimbap—before heading back to his room. He’s pretty sure his roommates are at work by now, but he wants to be safe. 

When he turns the corner, though, he almost runs right into Namjoon. 

“Fuck,” Yoongi curses in surprise, nearly dropping his food on the ground. Namjoon’s eyes are wide in shock. 

“Sorry,” he immediately says, taking several steps back to give Yoongi space. “Sorry, I’m sorry. I didn’t—”

He cuts himself off, shoving his hands into his sweatshirt pockets as he looks anywhere but at Yoongi. 

“I thought you were at work,” Yoongi mumbles. 

“Called out,” Namjoon says, just as quietly. 

“Oh. Me too.” 

“Oh.” 

There’s an awkward silence. 

They both jump when they hear Seokjin’s voice. “Joon, are you— oh,” he says when he rounds the corner and sees Yoongi standing there. “You’re… you’re here,” he states the obvious, sounding surprised. 

“Called out of work,” Yoongi repeats. “Wasn’t feeling well.” 

“Oh.” 

“Yeah,” Yoongi mutters. “Just came to get food, so, uh…” He trails off, hesitantly taking a step forward toward his room. “I’m just gonna eat in there, so I’ll see you, um. Later.”

Seokjin and Namjoon just stare as he moves around them, walking toward his bedroom. He makes it almost all the way there before freezing. 

“So are you just gonna avoid us forever now, or what?”

Seokjin. He sounds mad. It takes several seconds for him to work up the courage to turn and face them. And Seokjin looks mad, too. Namjoon stands behind him, partially hidden, his brows furrowed. 

“I wasn’t…” Yoongi trails off pathetically. 

“Okay, right,” Seokjin scoffs. “So you didn’t say a word to us last night when you came home hours after leaving even though I know you heard Namjoon crying—” Namjoon and Yoongi both flinch, “—and then you leave your room for, like, five seconds in the middle of the day to grab food before hurrying back into the safety of your room, then won’t say more than a few words to us when we catch you. But yeah, not avoiding us.” 

Yoongi feels his stomach sink, his face heating up as he stares at Seokjin with wide eyes. “I-I don’t, I’m…” he trails off, completely at a loss. 

Seokjin shakes his head. “Whatever, Yoongi, go enjoy your alone time or whatever.” 

Namjoon frowns. “Hyung, it’s fine—”

“No, actually Joon, it’s not fine,” Seokjin interrupts, turning to Namjoon. “Because we didn’t do anything wrong. We did nothing wrong, so we shouldn’t be feeling as guilty as we do right now, and Yoongi shouldn’t be as upset as he clearly is.” 

Yoongi flinches as Seokjin spins around to face him again. “Why are you upset, Yoongi? Because last time I checked, you were aromantic. So why are you so bothered by us dating? Why does it feel like we’re the bad guys here, and why should we have to tiptoe around you when—”

“Hyung,” Namjoon says, more forcefully this time, placing a hand on Seokjin’s shoulder. “Hyung, that’s enough. No fighting. Please, no fighting.” 

Seokjin’s chest heaves as he tries to calm down, his eyes still fixated on Yoongi. He snaps out of it a moment later, sniffing once as he looks away. 

“You’re right, sorry. I’m sorry, I don’t know why I—”

“It’s okay,” Yoongi says softly. “You can be mad. You’re right, I was avoiding you, and I shouldn’t have. I’m sorry. I just… I had a lot to process and I just didn’t know what to say to you guys. But I should’ve tried anyway. I should’ve at least tried.” 

Namjoon steps around Seokjin, a sad expression on his face as he slowly walks over to Yoongi. 

“A-and I don’t really know why I was upset,” Yoongi lies. “You’re right, there’s nothing for me to be upset over. I think I was just… worried about change, I guess. But it’s alright,” Yoongi says, forcing a smile. “Things will change, but it’s alright. Change can be good. I’ll adjust. And I’ll still be your best friend, as long as you want me to be.” 

Yoongi is engulfed in a hug a moment later, his body immediately relaxing as Namjoon holds him close. The container of food falls to the ground in the process, but neither of them care. “Of course we want you to be. We always want you. Always will.” 

There’s a pang in Yoongi’s chest from the sound of the promise, and he’s once again confused by his emotions because those words should make him happy. That’s what he was afraid of—not being wanted anymore. But still, for some reason, his heart aches. 

A minute later there’s another warm body pressed against him, this time from behind, Seokjin and Namjoon sandwiching Yoongi in a hug. 

“We do,” Seokjin agrees. “You’ll always be our Yoongi. Don’t wanna lose you.” 

Yoongi’s heart alternates between aching and soaring as he’s held by his best friends, as they reassure each other that things won’t change. It’s a lie, Yoongi knows it is. Everything already has changed. But it doesn’t mean he can’t pretend. 

He hears a gasp after a minute, Seokjin pulling away from him. 

“Fuck, your arm,” Seokjin exclaims, grabbing Yoongi’s arm from where it rests against Namjoon’s back. He hisses when Seokjin accidentally rubs the wound against Namjoon’s shirt. 

“Sorry, sorry,” Seokjin apologizes, Namjoon pulling back and looking at his arm in concern. “Fuck, we need to get this taken care of. Have you cleaned it? Or put anything on it?” 

Yoongi cringes, shaking his head. 

Seokjin clicks his tongue. “God, I know you’ve been busy, like, wallowing and stuff, but that’s no excuse to ignore the fucking open wound on your arm. Seriously, Yoongi, are you trying to let it get infected?” 

Yoongi can’t help but break into a smile at Seokjin’s familiar scolding tone, and he smiles even more when Namjoon lets out a watery laugh. 

“I know, I’m sorry. I kinda just forgot about it.” 

“Aish,” Seokjin mutters, gently grabbing Yoongi’s wrist and pulling him over to the sink to clean the wound. “Joonie, grab the first aid kit. … No, wrong cabinet. Not that one either… Nope—” Seokjin says in exasperation as he watches Namjoon struggle. “God, do you seriously not know where we keep our first aid kit?”

“I’ve never needed to use it!” Namjoon defends, throwing his hands up. 

“You’ve lived here for five years, Namjoon. Five!” 

Seokjin and Namjoon fall into their usual playful bickering, and it’s music to Yoongi’s ears. He can’t help but chuckle as he watches them, and eventually, Namjoon does find the first aid kit. All of them are smiling and talking like normal as Seokjin takes care of Yoongi, the tension finally cut. 

And so, life goes on. 

Days pass, and then weeks, and they all attempt to readjust, to settle into their new roles. Things do change, unfortunately, but it’s not like it’s unexpected. And there’s nothing to be done about it, anyway.

It’s not that Namjoon and Seokjin treat Yoongi much differently. No, they attempt to cling to Yoongi the same way they did before Namjoon and Seokjin started dating. It’s Yoongi, mostly, who acts differently. He keeps his distance, physically and emotionally, making sure to give his friends plenty of space. Their relationship is just beginning to bloom, and he doesn’t want to do anything to interfere with that. They need their space, and, as much as Yoongi doesn’t want it, he needs space too. 

So Yoongi sits alone on the other couch when the three of them have movie nights. He politely declines when Seokjin or Namjoon invite him to spend the night in their beds, spends less time in the living room to give them privacy. He stays a little later at work every night to allow them alone time to eat dinner together, spends his days off with Hoseok and their other friends to let the couple have the apartment to themselves for a bit. Because they deserve it. They deserve everything good, and Yoongi will do everything he can to give it to them, to make them feel more comfortable. 

And things are good, for all of them. Yoongi begins to readjust after a few months, and although he still feels slightly hollow, like a piece of him is missing, life is bearable. And it is good for him to spend more time with his other friends—he feels guilty that he didn’t make very much time for them before. 

Things are good, but there’s an ever-present ball of guilt in Yoongi’s chest that only grows stronger as time goes on, telling him that he needs to be doing more. That he needs to stop being selfish, to finally accept the fact that his life is no longer intertwined with his best friends’ the way it was before. That his future doesn’t belong to the two of them anymore, like their futures belong to each other. And the longer Seokjin and Namjoon date, the more serious they become, the more Yoongi feels like an intruder. 

Which is how he finds himself curled up on the couch with his laptop one day while Seokjin and Namjoon are at work, snuggled against Latte as he googles current apartment listings. 

He forgot how stressful and frustrating it is, finding an apartment, especially when you have to do it alone. 

Alone. Yoongi has never lived alone before. He’s lived with Seokjin for almost ten years now, Namjoon for five. Before that, he lived with his parents. 

It’s going to be hard to adjust, and he might feel a little lonely at first, but he’ll get used to it. Worst comes to worst he’ll look for a roommate to share a place with if he ends up feeling too isolated. 

He groans after about an hour, startling Latte, his voice loud in the silent room. 

“Sorry, girl,” Yoongi says, petting her in apology. She meows at him once before jumping off of the couch, slinking over to her empty food dish in the kitchen and mewling again. “Oh right, you’re probably hungry, aren’t you?” 

He sets his open laptop on the coffee table before jumping up, heading over to the pantry to grab her food. He startles slightly when he hears the front door open a minute later, relaxing when he realizes it’s just Namjoon and Seokjin. He can tell by the sound of their laughter, bright and happy. It makes him smile. 

“Hey, Yoon,” Seokjin calls from the other room. 

“Hey guys,” Yoongi calls back, his back turned away from the kitchen entrance as he finishes preparing Latte’s food. When he turns back around, he startles again because Namjoon is standing frozen in the entryway, staring at Yoongi, his eyes wide and sad. 

“Hyung,” he says softly. 

“Joon?” Yoongi says with a frown. “What’s wrong, are you—“

He cuts himself off when Seokjin walks up behind Namjoon, the same upset expression on his face, Yoongi’s laptop in his hands. 

Oh.

“Yoongi,” Seokjin says slowly. “What is this?” 

Yoongi blinks at the screen as Seokjin turns the laptop around, a cheap one bedroom apartment listing clearly visible on the screen. 

“Oh, um…” Yoongi says awkwardly. “I was just looking at some apartments. You know, to see what’s out there.” 

Namjoon frowns. “You’re… moving out?” 

Yoongi mirrors his expression, confused over why they seem so upset and surprised. 

“I mean, yeah, eventually? I thought you guys would want some space.”

“Space,” Seokjin echoes flatly. 

Yoongi nods, still confused. “Yeah. You know, space for yourselves. You guys have been together for a while now, and you seem to be getting more serious so I figured I’d, like… you know. Stop intruding, and let you be happy. Let you start your lives together.” 

“Stop… intruding,” Seokjin says slowly, almost bitterly, as if the words offended him. 

Yoongi nods. 

Namjoon finally speaks. “Why do you say ‘your lives’ as if you’re not a part of them?” 

Yoongi tilts his head. “I mean, I know I’m a part of your lives, of course, but I think it’s time I back off a little. I don’t want to get in your way anymore.” 

Yoongi flinches when Namjoon lets out a frustrated laugh, his expression pained. “Really? In our way?” he asks in exasperation. Yoongi is now extremely confused. Why are they so upset?

“Um… yes?” 

“Why would you be in our way?!” Namjoon suddenly shouts. “I literally love you!” 

Yoongi’s eyes go wide at the sudden outburst, his confusion only growing. 

“I… I know, Joon, I love you too but—“

“No, Yoongi, you don’t get it,” Namjoon interrupts, crossing the kitchen to stand right in front of Yoongi. “I am in love with you.” 

Yoongi’s jaw drops at the sudden confession, and he blinks rapidly as he searches Namjoon’s face for any sign that he’s joking. He finds none. 

“You’re… what?” 

Seokjin groans then, setting the laptop down on the counter and walking over to stand next to Namjoon. 

“You have got to be the most oblivious person on the planet. Of course he’s in love with you. We both are. Have been for years. How could you not know? It’s not like we’ve been subtle.” 

Yoongi leans back against the counter for support, suddenly feeling lightheaded.

“You’re… in love with me,” Yoongi says slowly, the words tasting weird and foreign on his tongue. 

“Yes,” Namjoon says with a sigh. “Why do you think we were so scared to tell you about us? We knew you would get all weird about us dating and pull away. And you did.” 

“And selfishly, we didn’t want you to,” Seokjin adds. “We didn’t want anything to change. Our dynamic was so perfect exactly the way it was before and we didn’t want to do anything to jeopardize it.” 

“But we know you well enough to know that you were going to be the one to change things,” Namjoon says. “So as much as it hurt us, we backed off and tried to give you space because we didn’t want to make you uncomfortable. We know where you stand on romance.” 

“Wait,” Yoongi says, shaking his head. “But I was trying to give you guys space. I was trying to not make you uncomfortable.”

Seokjin laughs humorlessly. “Like you could ever make us uncomfortable. We want your affection, dummy.” He pauses for a moment, his voice coming out softer and more vulnerable the next time he speaks. “As platonic as it may be, we want it all. Want to touch you freely the way we did before. To be as close as we were before…”

Yoongi opens his mouth to say something—although he doesn’t know what—but he’s interrupted. 

“We want to be in a relationship with you,” Namjoon blurts out. Seokjin’s head whips toward him in surprise. 

“Namjoon-ah, you weren’t supp—“

“No, I don’t care,” Namjoon interrupts Seokjin desperately. “I can’t do it anymore. I’ve held that in for so long, have wanted to say it for months.” 

Yoongi sucks in a breath, his head spinning as he tries to process his words, but Namjoon continues on. 

“I want to feel like I’m yours again. I want to fall asleep next to you, and hold your hand. I want you to play with my hair like you used to and call me jagiya and kiss my forehead when I’m sad. I want to share calendars, plan our lives around each other and eat dinner together every night. I want it all, Yoongi. With you, I want it all.” 

Namjoon is nearly breathless at this point, and Yoongi’s heart breaks again when he sees the tears gathering in his eyes. 

“Joon, I… I mean, I want that too,” Yoongi says honestly. “B-but you have to understand that it was never romantic for me. It may have been for you, but it wasn’t for me. It n-never will be.” 

“I know,” Namjoon says with surety. “I know, and I don’t care. I still want to be with you. The way we were before.”

Yoongi sighs. “Joon, I don’t know what to tell you. I can't give you what you want and—“

“I want you,” Namjoon says. “In whatever way you come. Even if the type of relationship is different for you than it is for us.” 

Yoongi’s head spins even further as confusion washes over him. Namjoon isn’t understanding what he’s trying to say. 

“But people like m-me don’t belong in relationships, it’s not—“

“Yoongi,” Seokjin interrupts gently, reaching out to touch his arm. “Have you ever heard of a queerplatonic relationship?” 

“No?” Yoongi says, still confused. He knows what all those words mean separately, but he’s never heard them together like that.

Seokjin smiles. “How about we go sit on the couch? Is that alright?” 

Yoongi agrees in a daze, following them into the living room. They both sit on his left, so he can look at them at the same time. 

“Okay, I’m going to try to explain this to you,” Seokjin says. “It’s something that me and Joon have done a lot of research on over the last few weeks. But I am absolutely not trying to speak for you or your own personal feelings, so if this isn’t something that sounds even remotely appealing to you, that’s okay too.”

“Okay…” Yoongi says cautiously. 

Seokjin takes a deep breath. “So, some aromantic people don’t want life partners. Like, they want to live their own completely independent lives without being tied to anyone. They’ll still have friends, but they won’t go as far as, like, planning their lives around those friends.” 

Yoongi nods. He knows this. 

“But aromanticism is a spectrum, and some aro people do want partners. Not in a traditional, romantic sense, but in a customized way, on their own terms.”

Seokjin pauses for a moment, giving Yoongi time to process, before continuing. 

“Most people think that relationships are very black and white—that there’s a hard line between romantic and platonic relationships, and no in between. No overlap. But that’s not true. It’s a giant spectrum, and queerplatonic relationships are relationships that fall somewhere within that spectrum.” 

Yoongi frowns as he stares at Seokjin. “I’m… not really sure I understand.” 

Seokjin reaches out then, his hand hovering next to Yoongi’s in  a silent invitation. Yoongi happily laces their fingers together. 

“Correct me if I’m wrong, Yoon, but our relationships with you have never really been strictly platonic. I mean you’ve told me many times over the years that there’s just something… different about us. That your relationship with me is different from your relationship with, say… Hoseok. That there’s just something there. Something you could never really explain.” 

“You feel it, don’t you hyung?” Namjoon asks softly, his eyes wide and hopeful. 

Yoongi thinks for a moment, staring blankly at his friends. Yes, he does know what they’re talking about. But he’s still struggling to understand what they’re asking.

“I mean, yeah, but… but like I said, it’s not romantic for me. It’s different than my other friendships, more… intense, I guess? But still not romantic…” 

Seokjin smiles gently, rubbing the back of Yoongi’s hand with his thumb. It’s soothing. 

“I know it isn’t. But answer this for me: if you could go back to how things were between us all, before that night that Namjoon came to you… would you?” 

“In a heartbeat,” Yoongi answers with no hesitation. “I miss how things were.” 

Namjoon breaks into a smile, then, leaning around Seokjin to take Yoongi’s other hand. 

“Hyung, do you realize we were basically in an unspoken queerplatonic relationship before?” 

Yoongi’s eyes go wide. “We… we were?” 

“By definition? Yeah, kinda,” Seokjin says with a chuckle. “We essentially built our lives around each other, without making any plans to eventually separate them. We were just as loyal and committed to each other as people in conventional romantic relationships are, even if it was unspoken. We were touchier with each other than what’s considered normal for strictly platonic friends. There was more intimacy between us than with any of our other relationships. I mean, Hoseok would literally always ask me if we were all dating.” Seokjin and Namjoon both laugh at that, and Yoongi can’t help but crack a smile, relieved to see his friends happy. 

“I… I guess that makes sense. I think?” Yoongi says, still feeling confused despite the warm relief that’s steadily blooming in his chest. 

“Now we are in no way trying to force a relationship on you,” Seokjin says, schooling his expression. “You make all the decisions in your own life, and if you want to, like, move out and kinda… separate from us? I’m not gonna lie, it’ll really, really hurt. But if that’s what you want, then we will respect it. One hundred percent.” 

Yoongi looks away from Seokjin for a moment as he thinks, the wheels turning in his head. He doesn’t want that. He really, really doesn’t want that, despite his attempts to convince himself otherwise. No, he wants all the things that Seokjin and Namjoon described. He wants their old life back. 

“But hyung,” Namjoon says, pulling Yoongi from his thoughts. “If you do want that, then please know that we want you just as much as we want each other. We want you to be ours so badly, Yoongi. In whatever way that may be. On your terms.”

The initial shock from the conversation finally dissipates as Yoongi looks at Namjoon, as he watches tears well up in his eyes for the second time. Yoongi blinks hard, suddenly overcome with emotion, his own eyes watering. 

I want that, he desperately wants to say, I want to be yours, too. But he can’t get the words out, because there are still too many concerns in the back of his mind to give them a definitive answer yet. 

“But…” Yoongi begins, the other two watching him patiently. “It’s… it’s never gonna be equal. The bond that you two have with each other will always be deeper than what you have with me because it is romantic.” 

“Not deeper,” Namjoon corrects gently. “Just different.” 

“Yes, different,” Seokjin agrees. “Different expectations, maybe, and feelings expressed in different ways. But it wouldn’t be less important in any way. For us, at least. Like we said before, we love you just as intensely as we love each other.”

Yoongi blinks a couple times, a tear rolling down his cheek, and Seokjin gently wipes it away with his free hand as Namjoon squeezes his hand in support. 

“But… but you guys l-love me romantically, right?” 

They both nod in confirmation, although the way they look at Yoongi is an answer in itself.

“Then that’s what I mean when I say I c-can’t give you what you want… Because I-I don’t think I love you the same way. I mean, I love you just as much , if not more, b-but it’s… It’s still different, I think. I can’t reciprocate the way you want.” 

“We’ll accept your love in any form, hyung, any way it comes,” Namjoon says with no hesitation. “Just love us the way you know how, and we’ll love you the way we know how.”

“It’s more than enough for us, Yoongi, I promise it is,” Seokjin says, his own voice wavering. 

Yoongi sucks in a breath then, feeling like a thousand pound weight was just lifted from his heart. He’s so overcome with so many different emotions in that moment that he can’t help it when he bursts into tears. Seokjin immediately pulls Yoongi into his arms, Namjoon moving to the other side of him so he can hold him, too. 

“You… you w-want me to be with you guys? Like, long term?” 

“Ideally, yeah,” Seokjin says with a happy chuckle, nuzzling into Yoongi’s hair. “If you want that too.” 

“I do,” Yoongi says, desperation in his voice as he clings to his best friends like they’ll disappear if he doesn’t. “I really, really do. I’ve missed you guys s-so much. So much it hurts.” 

“We missed you too, baby,” Seokjin coos, peppering kisses on Yoongi’s head, just like he used to. “Things don’t feel right when we don’t have you like this, always felt like something was missing.”

“We’re incomplete without you,” Namjoon murmurs, his warm tears dripping onto Yoongi’s skin as he nuzzles into his neck. “Incomplete without our Yoongi.” 

So they stay like that for a while, crying and clinging to each other and letting out every bottled up emotion they’d all been feeling over the last few months—or perhaps even years. 

But as relieved and happy as Yoongi feels, there’s something else still weighing on him. 

“What are you thinking, love?” Seokjin asks softly after a while, noticing Yoongi’s furrowed brows, nudging his nose against Yoongi’s cheek. 

Yoongi sniffs. “I’m just… afraid. Afraid that I won’t be enough for you guys. I mean, I can’t even give you, like… sex and s-stuff,” Yoongi mutters shyly, looking down at his lap. 

“Yoongi, baby,” Seokjin says gently with a chuckle, placing a hand on his cheek. “I promise you that, uh… that will never be an issue.” 

Yoongi looks up just in time to see the meaningful look Seokjin and Namjoon give each other, and his face burns at the realization. 

“Oh.” 

“Yeah,” Namjoon says with a small laugh. “We’re good there. Like we said, there are no expectations. That’s the beauty of queerplatonic relationships—there are no rules. You get to define exactly what the relationship means, and what it entails. If you want us to call each other partners, or boyfriends, or just best friends, any of those are fine. If you want to call it a friendship rather than a relationship, that’s fine too. If at any point you don’t want us to touch you, or sleep in each others’ beds, that’s perfectly okay too. There’s no set of rules like there are in romantic relationships. We’ll take whatever you’re comfortable giving us. You’ll always be enough for us, no matter what.” 

Seokjin chuckles when he sees Yoongi pouting. “What, baby?”

“Don’t want you to stop cuddling me,” Yoongi mutters. “I think I might actually die of touch deprivation.” 

Namjoon and Seokjin burst into laughter. “I don’t think that’s possible,” Seokjin says, Yoongi swatting his hand away when he pokes his cheek. 

“I’m serious,” Yoongi complains, still pouting. “These last few months were torture. My bed felt all cold and sad and I had to resort to cuddling Latte all the time and you know how much she hates being held. I had scratches everywhere.” 

Namjoon giggles, leaning in to kiss Yoongi’s cheek. “Then I guess we’ll just have to cuddle you forever. You know, so you don’t die the most melodramatic death in the history of humankind.” 

Yoongi rolls his eyes, but he can’t help but break into a grin when he sees Namjoon’s amused expression. “Sounds perfect.”

Yoongi smiles even bigger when both of his friends wrap their arms further around him, squeezing him so tight he can barely breathe. He loves it regardless. 

After a minute Yoongi hears Namjoon huff lightly, and he pulls back with a brow raised to see that he’s pouting. Chuckling, Yoongi pokes his cheek. “What’s wrong, Joonie?” 

Namjoon takes a moment to respond. “Were you really gonna move out?” he asks, eyes wide and sad.

“Um… yeah, probably,” Yoongi says sheepishly. “I mean I didn’t want to, but I really did think it was for the best at the time.” 

Seokjin scoffs. “You were really just gonna up and leave Latte like that? She’s too young to be a child of divorce! Split custody would be way too messy and stressful for her, are you kidding? She’s practically a baby, she needs stability . Think about the children, Yoongi!” Seokjin scolds as he throws his hands up, the words coming out loud and rushed. 

Namjoon and Yoongi both burst into laughter. “You’re so right,” Yoongi says with a smile. “I honestly didn’t even think about that.” 

As if she had just been summoned, Latte jumps up onto the couch next to Seokjin and mews. 

“I think you owe someone an apology,” Seokjin says as he picks Latte up with both hands and dangles her in front of Yoongi, her stubby arms sticking straight out. 

Yoongi rolls his eyes, but can’t resist leaning in to kiss her grumpy little head. “Sorry, Latte. I really hope you can find it in your teeny heart to forgive me.” 

Latte meows . 

“She said she accepts it,” Seokjin translates. 

Another meow. 

“But also to not let it happen again.” 

“Fair enough,” Yoongi says with a shrug, holding her paw between his thumb and index finger and shaking it up and down as if they’re making a business deal. 

“Oh my god,” Namjoon says as he watches the action, his expression pained. 

“…You okay?” Yoongi asks with a brow raised. 

“No, yeah, sorry it’s just—” he cuts himself off, squeezing his eyes shut. “That was literally the cutest thing I’ve ever seen in my entire life.” 

“Hard agree,” Seokjin adds. “I’m currently fighting the urge to squish your cheeks and burrito you in a warm blanket and never let you leave.”

“Please do not do th— mm!” Yoongi is cut off by Namjoon squealing and squishing his cheeks together with both hands, forcing his lips into a pout. Yoongi makes a noise of complaint as Seokjin simultaneously leans in and attacks his face with kisses—though he can’t help but giggle over the affection. 

They relent a moment later, Yoongi finally winning his half-hearted struggle to escape their grasp. He narrows his eyes at Namjoon. 

“Sorry, I let the cute aggression consume me,” Namjoon says sheepishly. 

“Not our fault you’re so squishable,” Seokjin says with a shrug. 

Yoongi rolls his eyes in mock annoyance, but truthfully, his heart kinda feels like it’s going to burst. He can’t keep the smile off his face for very long. 

Seokjin reaches up to brush the hair from Yoongi’s eyes, a soft, content smile on his face. “Yoongi-yah,” he says sweetly. Yoongi looks at him in question. 

“I really love you, you know that?” 

Yoongi’s heart melts when he sees the sincerity and utter adoration in Seokjin’s eyes. 

“I do,” Yoongi answers honestly. “I love you, too.” 

They stare at each other for a moment with soft smiles on their faces, before Yoongi hears Namjoon clear his throat behind him. When Yoongi turns around, his eyes are narrowed. 

Yoongi snickers, before wordlessly leaning over and planting a soft kiss on Namjoon’s cheek. He loves the way Namjoon immediately looks shy over the action, his cheeks turning pink. “I love you too, Joonie.” 

“You better,” he responds. “Pining is exhausting. It’s been years and I’m over it.” 

Yoongi snorts, shaking his head, before a thought comes to him. 

“Wait, you guys both said you’ve been in love with me for years? Why didn’t you tell me until now?” 

Yoongi turns to Seokjin when he hears him sigh. “I was actually going to a few years back, had a little speech prepared and everything. But then you told me you were aromantic, and I was kinda crushed.” Before Yoongi can respond, Seokjin’s eyes go wide and he shakes his head. “And don’t get me wrong! I was so proud of you and happy that you were able to discover that about yourself. I’m not trying to guilt you in any way. I just… I mean, I didn’t learn until recently that it is possible to be in a non-traditional relationship with an aroace person so I didn’t think there was a point, you know?” 

Yoongi nods. “That makes sense. And I’m sorry you had to go through that, hyung, that must’ve been hard. Even if it was no one’s fault.” 

Seokjin gives him a sad smile. “That’s okay. Things turned out alright. In fact they turned out more than alright, because here I thought I’d never have either of you and now I have both.” 

“Are you kidding?” Namjoon scoffs. “I’ve literally had a crush on you both since, like, the moment I met you my very first day of college. You could’ve proposed to me at any point since we met and I would’ve said yes without even thinking about it.” 

“Ohh,” Yoongi says in understanding, nodding his head. “That would explain why you followed us around like a lost puppy for two years.” 

“Yah!” Namjoon exclaims, flicking Yoongi’s forehead as Seokjin cackles. “I did not follow you around like a— okay yeah no I definitely did, sorry.” 

Yoongi grins, ruffling his hair affectionately. “Don’t apologize. Seokjin and I were old and boring and jaded at that point, and you always kept us on our toes. Made us feel young.” 

Seokjin scoffs. “Speak for yourself, loser. I was the life of the party.” 

“Mhm, cause the life of the party totally comes home from class and binge watches dramas every single day until he inevitably passes out in the early evening.”

“Hey! That was only like… 70% of the time!” 

Yoongi is about to respond with another teasing remark but is interrupted by the sound of a loud, annoyed meow, and it’s at that moment that he realizes he’d never finished feeding Latte. 

“Whoops,” Yoongi says, looking at her apologetically as the three of them laugh at her scowl. “Sorry, baby, I’ll feed you now.” 

He stands from the couch to head over to the kitchen, but doesn’t make it very far before Namjoon is wrapping his arms around him from behind, clinging to him like a koala. Yoongi keeps walking and Namjoon walks with him, both of them stumbling because of the awkward position. 

“This is not very practical,” Yoongi complains. 

“Don’t care,” Namjoon says, kissing Yoongi’s neck. “I’ve missed you too much.” 

Yoongi is about to respond when he feels another pair of arms wrap partially around him, Seokjin pressing up against Namjoon from behind and walking with them. 

“This is even less practical.” 

“Shut up and let us love you.” 

Yoongi snickers, patting Seokjin and Namjoon’s hands as they slowly move forward. Seokjin breaks away after a moment to go refill Latte’s water dish, but Namjoon remains in place as Yoongi dishes up the kitten’s food. 

“Hyung,” he says softly. 

“Hm?”

Yoongi turns his head when Namjoon doesn’t respond, and he’s staring at the counter in front of them, looking nervous. 

“What’s on your mind, jagiya?” 

Namjoon relaxes a little bit at the sound of the pet name. “Um. I was wondering… how you would feel if I called you my boyfriend? And like. You know, told people we’re in a relationship. If that makes you uncomfortable that’s totally fine! It’s not a big deal anyway, I just feel… possessive,” he mumbles the last part, sounding embarrassed. 

Yoongi chuckles, kissing his cheek before turning back to the counter. 

“It’s never been labels that bother me in relationships, it’s more just the expectations. So call me whatever makes you happy, Joonie, I don’t mind.” 

Namjoon squeezes Yoongi a little tighter, sighing as his body relaxes. “Thank you,” he says quietly. “You’ll always be my best friend, though, that’s most important.” 

Seokjin walks over then, casually leaning against the counter next to Yoongi and poking both of their cheeks. 

“Same. I have a feeling we’re gonna do just fine together, considering that we already have such a strong foundation and deep love for each other. You two are my best friends in the whole universe.”

“Soulmates,” Yoongi corrects.

“Soulmates,” Namjoon and Seokjin repeat, smiles on their faces.

♡ 

One month later

“Fuck, he’s going to kill us.”

“He’s not going to kill us. Stop being dramatic.” 

“Okay but he almost killed you the first time. This is the second time, hyung.” 

Yoongi snorts as they step out of the elevator onto their floor. “Well maybe you should’ve thought about that before insisting we pull over at the shelter on the car ride there.”

“Hey! Can you blame me?” Namjoon asks with a pout, holding up the orange tabby cat they’d just adopted, before squeezing him to his chest and kissing his head. “The kitties in the window were adorable and then I saw him and just couldn’t bear leaving him behind!” 

As if trying to sell Namjoon’s point, the cat nuzzles into his neck, purring in contentment. Yoongi smiles. 

“I know, Joonie. You have such a big heart. It’s what I love about you.” 

Namjoon’s eyes sparkle, and he flutters his lashes. “Love me enough to take the blame?”

“Absolutely not. Come on, let’s go in.” 

“Wait, no! I’m not ready! Quick, hyung, hide him under your sweatshirt!”

Yoongi yelps as Namjoon lifts his sweatshirt with one hand and attempts to shove the cat under with the other.

“Yah! Knock it off!” Yoongi scolds, gently pushing the cat away from his body. “I will not let you suffocate the poor thing ‘cause you’re a coward.”

“I’m not a coward! I just… need more time! Oh god I didn’t think this through, Jin is going to—”

“Jin is going to what?” 

Both men jump at the sound of Seokjin’s voice, and Yoongi looks up to see him leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed, staring at them in suspicion. Namjoon’s back is turned to the door, the cat obstructed from Seokjin’s view by his body. Yoongi smirks as he stares at Namjoon, the younger’s eyes widening in fear.

“Uhh… You’re going to, uh—“

Meow.

It’s almost comical, how long the silence stretches out before they hear a long, drawn out sigh from Seokjin. Yoongi has to bite his lip to keep from laughing.

“Namjoon,” Seokjin says slowly.

“Yeah?” Namjoon squeaks out, turning his head to glance at Seokjin over his shoulder. 

“Please tell me it was you who made that sound.” 

“Uh…”

Yoongi takes the cat from Namjoon then, moving around him and presenting him to Seokjin. 

“This is Mocha. Namjoon here insisted that Latte needed a sibling.” He clicks his tongue, slowly shaking his head as he pets Mocha. “I tried to stop him, hyung, I really did.”

“Hey! Stop throwing me under the bus you brat, that is so not what—”

“Are you fucking kidding me,” Seokjin mutters, squeezing his eyes shut. When he opens them again, he looks incredulous. “I sent you two out for groceries. Groceries! They don’t even sell cats at grocery stores! Seriously, how did you even manage to veer that badly off course?!” 

Yoongi bursts into laughter as he looks at Namjoon’s— terrified—face, before kissing him on the cheek and strolling past Seokjin into the apartment. Latte hops off the couch and runs over to Yoongi to investigate, mewing curiously. He cautiously sets Mocha down, staying close to make sure they won’t hurt each other. Luckily, after a few moments of tentative sniffing, they both purr, nuzzling into each other as if they’ve been best friends their entire lives. Yoongi beams at the adorable sight.

“Yoongi! Get back here! I’m too young and hot to die!” Namjoon yells, staring at Yoongi pleadingly. 

“Nah, I think you got this, jagiya. Have fun!” Yoongi says cheerfully before skipping into his room, giggling as he shuts the door behind him. He’s not that evil, he’ll come out to help defend Namjoon in a minute, but he couldn’t resist teasing him. 

“KIM NAMJOON,” he hears Seokjin yell from the living room. “Do I have to do everything around here?! Seriously, all I asked was one thing. One simple thing to help your poor hyung out, and you come back with a living creature?! Please tell me you at least got the groceries.”

“Um…”

“ARE YOU KIDDING ME.”

Yoongi bursts into laughter, knowing Seokjin’s anger won’t last long because as soon as he pets Mocha he’ll immediately fall in love with him. 

He falls onto his bed with a happy sigh, wondering how even the sound of Seokjin yelling sounds so lovely and comforting to him. He turns his head to look at the picture framed on his nightstand, the one they took a week after their confession. Yoongi is smiling at the camera, and Seokjin and Namjoon are on either side of him, squishing his cheeks as they both kiss him on the cheek. It’s one of his favorite pictures. 

And so, everything changes. 

The three of them go back to how they had been months ago, but this time even better—there’s a new depth to their relationship that wasn’t there before. Namjoon and Seokjin smother Yoongi in all the innocent affection that he desires, and in return Yoongi gives them every last ounce of love that he possesses. 

It no longer hurts to see Seokjin and Namjoon kissing, to be intimate with each other in a way that Yoongi doesn’t quite want for himself. In fact, it makes him happy . He loves watching how in love with each other they are, thinks it’s the most beautiful thing in the world. Knowing they feel the exact same way about Yoongi, too, wards off any feelings of jealousy. 

They also set boundaries with each other—a new aspect to their relationship that was neglected before. Yoongi sets his own boundaries as Namjoon and Seokjin set theirs, and it provides a newfound stability and balance to their love. They make sure to spend a healthy amount of time apart, making more time for their other friends and family, and it just makes it that much sweeter every time they come back to each other. Every time they come home. 

Everything is warm now. Their touches, their affection, the way they all look at each other. Yoongi feels warm all over every time Seokjin and Namjoon tell him they love him, warm every time he says it back. Nothing is burning anymore. The fire has been doused, leaving only a beautiful and fulfilling heat behind in his heart. 

And finally, finally, everything is as it should be.