Chapter Text
Masking: v. the act of suppressing behaviours that are found comforting; mimicking behaviours or creating scripts to 'get by' in social situations
Yoongi repeated the definition in his head as he waited in line. The employees always complimented his punctuality, teasing him about arriving at the same time every weekday.
He didn't know how to tell them it was just part of his before-work-routine so he smiled and nodded. Today was the same. He stepped through the doors at 6:00, fiddling with the sleeves over his hands at the sight of a long line. He morning was timed perfectly. Wake up at 5, leave the house at 5:45 and walk to the coffee house, leave by 6:10 and walk the 20 minutes to his work building. It was perfect. He was never late, or agonisingly early. It made sense.
He gnawed on the inside of his cheek as he watched the line creep forward. Out of the corner of his eyes, Yoongi saw one of the barista's wave him over. He tugged sharply on the hair by his ear and stepped out of line.
"I know you're usually here by this time so I made your drink already! It's still fresh don't worry." Yoongi looked at the cup on the counter. The black lid looked strange on the soapstone. He name was scrawled in black sharpie on the side. He avoided the barista's face but glanced at their name tag.
"Thank you." He looked briefly over his shoulder at the rest of the customers.
"Don't worry, we do the same for some of our other regulars."
"Oh, okay."
"Have a good one, Yoongi-ssi."
"You too." He took the cup and spun, checking his watch as he pushed open the doors. 6:06. Yoongi frowned. Opening his phone, he scrolled through Instagram until the clock read 10 after. He tucked it back in pocket and turned onto the sidewalk.
Yoongi had been into music for as long as he could remember, so it only made sense his career reflected that. He had released music of his own in the past, though most of it sat growing spider webs in a computer folder. Now he preferred to produce music for others in the industry. He was well known and had people lined up to work with him, but he refused to meet anyone in person, preferring emails and short online meetings.
His studio also reflected his preferences. It was largely decorated in black and gray with tan walls and lamps instead of overhead lights. It was easy on the eyes, especially after staring at a bright screen for a couple hours.
He left his bag in the chair by the door and threw himself into his office chair. He swivelled in a circle before moving closer to his monitor. His password was a couple numbers pushed to the tune of the Super Mario intro. He put on his headphones and booted up the computer, opening his standard tabs and connecting the speakers.
He scrolled through windows, bringing his brain up to speed on where he left off. After responding to the emails he had gotten overnight he set some background music. The beat was muffled through his noice canceling headphones but it was enough to quiet his fumbled thoughts.
At 10:00 Jungkook usually stopped by with lunch. Instead Yoongi got a message saying he wouldn't be able to make it because his company had sent him across town. Yoongi had met the younger years ago when he was a still a gangly child with wide eyes. He had tucked himself under Yoongi's wing and carved himself a little spot in his life. Now they were best friends.
Yoongi sighed and put his computer to sleep. He slipped his feet back into his shoes and grabbed his bag before heading back to the shop from this morning. Before crossing the street, he slipped a mask behind his ears and pressed it around his nose. His palms were sweating in his hoodie pocket as slipped into the building, nodding to the person holding the door.
The coffee house was a lot busier in the middle of the day. His breath caught in the mask and pinked up his cheeks as he looked around. He wrapped his arms around his middle as he waited in line for the second time. He tried to read the food menu, but without his glasses it was too fuzzy. He whined under his breath and shook his hands in his sleeves. Even standing at the counter the menu print was too small to read. He glance at the door, contemplating just stepping out of line, but an employee hopped in front of him.
"What can I get for you today?" Yoongi recited his usual coffee order, but trailed off as he squinted at the menu. The employee followed his line of sight.
"Oh, we have bagels, breakfast sandwiches with egg cheese and either ham, bacon or sausage, and donuts." Yoongi chewed his lip.
"I'll just do a bagel with cream cheese."
"Sure what's the name for that?"
"Yoongi."
"I'm sorry?" Yoongi huffed, reaching to pinch his face mask and pull it over his chin.
"Ah, Yoongi-ssi! Welcome back!" He smiled. Yoongi smiled back, hoping the heat in his cheeks was invisible.
"Thank you." Yoongi glanced at his name tag. Jimin.
Yoongi took his drink and sandwich to a table in the back. He swiped off the crumbs and then set down his belongings. There was a strict rule about food in Yoongi's studio. He frequently went shoeless and despised the feeling of crumbs or grit on his socks.
He pulled his feet up onto the edge of the chair, nearly folding himself in half as he unwrapped his bagel and picked it apart. He frowned with furrowed eyebrows and began wiping the excess cream cheese onto the wax paper wrapping before tearing a bite off. It was surprisingly good. He glanced at the coffee cup sitting across the table. The extra caffeine would probably make him jittery and anxious, but the taste was addictive.
After a couple more hours Yoongi started to make his way home. His eyes were stinging and his shoulders were tense but at least he had a new song to show for it. Jungkook had promised an extra special lunch tomorrow to make up for today, but Yoongi was nervous to see what that meant. He crossed the street but passed by the coffee shop. His apartment was always the same.
Everything had it's place. Yoongi knew exactly where to leave his shoes, where to hang his coat. He hung up his work bag by the door and headed for the shower. He scrubbed his hair and body in the hot water, letting his brain melt out of work mode. He wiggled his toes against the wet shower floor. Now that he was more aware of his body, he felt the tiredness and tension in his shoulders and back. Yoongi contemplated doing some more work at home, to let the high of productivity numb the feeling.
Yoongi stepped out of the bathroom in a towel, hating the chill of the air on his skin. Once he was dry and warm in his sweats he ventured into the kitchen. His stomach hurt with hunger, but nothing seemed appealing. Guess it's time for pizza. He gladly rattled off his order into the phone, feeling almost self conscious for calling so often. While waiting for the food to arrive, he wandered around the kitchen. Time ticked by as he finished tasks he'd started this morning, and then started new ones. He was sorting through the contents of his spice cabinet on the floor when the door bell rang.
He avoided the delivery man's eyes as he handed him the tip. Once the door was closed he let his smile drop and set the pizza box on the stove. It was still warm so he ate a slice right from the box before grabbing a plate.
The rest of Yoongi's week passed as expected, until Friday. He entered the coffee shop on time as always, though lately Jimin usually has his order waiting for him. Today he didn't. But he did wave Yoongi to the side where he was building a drink.
"I'm sorry. We've been super swamped this morning, Yoongi-ssi. I'll have your coffee in a second." Yoongi smiled, trying to look understanding.
"That's okay. Don't worry about it." Jimin waved a dismissive hand.
"Anyway, I had a question," he pulled out a new cup and started Yoongi's drink.
"I was wondering what you were doing this weekend?" Yoongi's brain went silent.
"Ummmm," suddenly he forgot every hobby he had. "Not much, I usually just stay home." Jimin grinned.
"Well, I don't work the weekends. Do you wanna meet up somewhere?" Yoongi pressed his lips together, watching Jimin steam the milk as he dug up a response. Weekends were usually for recharging, could I handle making plans?
"Okay, do you already have something in mind?" Jimin nodded, handing him his order.
"Sure do. I wrote my number," he tapped the side of the cup. "So text me and I'll send you the details, okay?" Yoongi nodded, rubbing his fingertips together behind his back. He left the shop and walked to work, completely wrapped in his mind.
Jungkook brought a whole buffet at lunch time to make up for his absence the day before. They ate on the floor outside of Yoongi's studio as usual, but Yoongi was oddly quiet. Jungkook watched him chew slowly, before picking up another bite while staring absently at the wall.
"Okay, what's going on in that head of yours?"
"Nothing."
"I call bullshit. You're always thinking about something. So what is it."
"The barista this morning gave me his number." Jungkook perked up.
"That's good, right? Did he say anything?"
"Just that he wanted to text me to make plans this weekend."
"Min Yoongi! Did you get asked out on a date!?!" Yoongi shrugged.
"I'm not sure." Jungkook scoffed.
"I am constantly impressed by your inability to read a situation." Yoongi pouted so Jungkook bumped his shoulder with a smile.
"Just teasing." Yoongi grinned and took a bite of his pizza.