Work Text:
“Where are you going?” Hoseok asks, stopping behind Namjoon.
“Huh?” Namjoon says, not even realizing that he had been drifting off toward the local animal shelter. He goes so often that he thinks his bird brain just directs him toward the front door without him even thinking about going there. “Oh.”
Hoseok and Seokjin laugh at him, clearly not understanding how important it is for his mental health to stop in and see the shelter dogs. Especially after he’s had a particularly hard day at school.
Namjoon’s landlord doesn’t allow pets, but he buys the shelter’s preferred brand of dog food and brings one or two bags per month, depending on how many shifts he’s able to pick up at his cafe job.
He knows that he’s not supposed to be allowed to go in so often, but the front desk workers are all fairly young and pretty cool and mostly seem to like him and his food donation, so they let him come in as often as he pleases just to say hi to the dogs and pet them for a little bit to reduce the stress of double majoring in English and Korean Literature.
“Sorry,” Namjoon mutters to his kind of annoying friends. “I just go to the shelter a lot so, you know, my brain was just taking me there.”
“Oh,” Seokjin says, sounding surprised. And he would be because Namjoon has kept the place and his visits a secret from his friends for a reason. “You volunteer there, or something?”
“Or something,” Namjoon mutters. “Let’s just forget about it and go to the-”
Hoseok interrupts Namjoon’s attempts to change the conversation, though, clearly not being a good friend and letting Namjoon keep his favorite place in the world a secret. “No, I want to go to this place if it’s so important to you.”
“I agree,” Seokjin says, narrowing his eyes. “You’re acting really sketchy about it and I want to know why.”
Namjoon is being sketchy about the animal shelter. Mostly because he’s never been a good liar or a good actor, so he always seems like he’s doing something really illegal when he doesn’t want to share something with his two closest friends.
So Namjoon follows them into the animal shelter, praying that either Taehyung or Jungkook, or even Jimin, is behind the desk (because, yes, Namjoon goes into the shelter often enough that he’s on a first name basis with all four of the employees). He hopes that it’s anyone but-
Okay. No. Of course Namjoon can’t be that lucky.
Jungkook and Taehyung are both behind the desk, which would be lucky, but Yoongi also is behind the desk. And the brooding, quiet man who works there is the biggest reason that Namjoon can’t talk about this place.
Because if he started telling Seokjin and Hoseok about going to the animal shelter, he’d never be able to quit talking and he’d definitely spill all of his secret feelings for the man behind the counter who pays him absolutely no attention.
Which is entirely true.
Jungkook and Taehyung are polite with him. Jimin, apparently deciding that he’s allowed to be overly familiar with Namjoon, is constantly teasing him like they’ve been friends for their entire lives. But Yoongi has barely said three words to Namjoon.
And Namjoon is absolutely obsessed with him.
Genuinely, Yoongi might be the prettiest person that Namjoon has ever laid eyes on. But everytime that he comes into the animal shelter and Yoongi is the only worker, Yoongi simply waves him through to the backroom where they have dogs in various crates. Sometimes he’ll motion toward the play area if the dogs are in that room with Jungkook or Taehyung, but he never really says “hi,” or “bye,” or “thank you for the dog food,” or “do you want to get married right now,” like Namjoon wants him to say.
“Holy shit,” Namjoon hears Jungkook say and his eyes widen. Jungkook, like Yoongi, is on the quieter side of the workers here. He talks more than Yoongi does, but Namjoon usually just sees him talking a lot to Yoongi while Yoongi nods, hardly ever looking up from his phone.
Namjoon looks toward Jungkook who is staring at Seokjin like he’s never seen another person in his life before.
“Ah, three of you here today?” Namjoon says, trying to break up what feels like some really awkward tension in the air.
“You, too,” Taehyung says, nodding toward Seokjin and Hoseok.
Namjoon nods. “Ah, yes,” he says, clearing his throat. “My friends thought that I was being sketchy about coming here, so they forced me to come here even though we have plans to stuff our faces with as much frozen yogurt as we can individually consume without throwing up.”
“I might throw up,” Seokjin adds. “I’m lactose intolerant.”
“I would never take you somewhere that even sells dairy products,” Jungkook says suddenly and Yoongi snorts.
Seokjin tilts his head toward Jungkook, a small smirk on his face. Namjoon sighs. Now this place will never be just for him again. Not when Jungkook has fallen in love with Seokjin in less time than it took for Namjoon to fall for Yoongi.
“Maybe,” he says, something entertained in his voice.
Namjoon watches uncomfortably as Seokjin and Jungkook stare at one another. Namjoon is kind of worried for Jungkook. Seokjin will absolutely eat him alive.
Taehyung apparently feels the tension in the air as well, because he says, “I’m the only one on shift. Jungkookie worked the morning shift and Yoongi is here to pick him up for their weekly lamb skewer date-”
“Not a date,” Jungkook shouts, wide eyes looking at Seokjin. “Definitely not a date. Just two bros who like to get lamb skewers together because Jiminie-hyung and Taehyungie-hyung don’t like them-”
Namjoon stifles a chuckle at Jungkook’s endearing attempts. He also hopes that he isn’t this embarrassing when he’s trying to talk to Yoongi.
“Come on,” Yoongi says, that gruff voice that haunts Namjoon’s wet dreams sounding more heavenly than Namjoon remembered. “We have lamb skewers to eat and making out to do.”
“Hyung,” Jungkook whines. Then, to Seokjin, he says, “I’m not even remotely interested in Yoongi-hyung. Like, maybe for, like, three months when I first met him, but there’s nothing going on because hyung only likes men who are built like-”
Seemingly, just to annoy Jungkook and shut him up, Yoongi places a sloppy kiss on Jungkook’s cheek and Jungkook’s face burns red. Namjoon is sure that his isn’t any better because Jungkook had at least confirmed for Namjoon that Yoongi likes men and he isn’t quite sure how to process that fact.
He really wishes that Jungkook had finished that thought.
“Let’s go now,” Yoongi says quickly, face tinged pink. “Before you say something that you regret.”
He then grabs Jungkook’s arm and forcibly drags him around the desk and out the front door, never once making eye contact with Namjoon.
Namjoon falls even harder for him.
“So,” Taehyung says, for once seeming like the most normal worker in the store. “Want to see the dogs?”
Hoseokie > Team Kim Seokjin [8:04 PM]
So….
Yoongi?
Me > Team Kim Seokjin [8:04 PM]
don’t even
Hoseokie > Team Kim Seokjin [8:05 PM]
😭
I think you two would be really cute together!
He’s shy and quiet
Just your type
Seokjinie-hyung > Team Kim Seokjin [8:06 PM]
Jungkookie says that he likes men built like trees 😏
Who look like they’re about three seconds away from a
mental breakdown until they get to pet some puppies and
they interact so cutely with the dogs that he feels the need
to just scream so he doesn’t say anything to the boy even
though he’s exactly his type
Just a btw
Hoseokie > Team Kim Seokjin [8:08 PM]
Namjoonie!!!!
I’ve never met someone more tree-like than you!!!
That’s great news!!!
Also the rest seemed oddly specific to your interactions
that I don’t know anything about!!!
Me > Team Kim Seokjin [8:10 PM]
how did you get jungkook’s number so quickly
It only takes Hoseok and Seokjin (and Jungkook via Seokjin) two more days to convince Namjoon to go back to the animal shelter.
Namjoon knows, against his will, that Yoongi is the only person working that evening. Apparently Jimin and Taehyung had both conveniently called out with the flu, something that Jungkook said is one-hundred percent not true and just what they do every year on their anniversary. Apparently annoying Yoongi is their anniversary gift to one another and Namjoon hopes that he and Yoongi love each other that much some day. Enough to gift annoying their closest friends to one another for anniversaries.
“Oh,” Yoongi says when Namjoon enters the shelter ten minutes before closing time. “We close really soon, but I can let you in the back if you really need-”
“I, um, actually came to talk to you,” Namjoon says, feeling the tips of his ears heat up.
Yoongi looks slightly shocked. Then, suddenly, less so as he mutters, “Fucking Jungkook.”
Namjoon nods, feeling kind of guilty. Despite the fact that Jungkook and Seokjin had forced all of this knowledge onto him without him asking, he still feels bad. Not bad enough to not show up and tease Yoongi, of course, but still a little bad.
“So,” Namjoon says, a slight smirk on his face. “Built like a tree, huh?”
Yoongi rolls his eyes. “I should have known that someday Jungkook would betray me like this,” he says solemnly. “For years he’s thought that I’m the coolest person in the world and would do absolutely anything for me. And all it takes is one- one!- pretty boy to ruin and topple the whole system!”
“Must be a fragile system,” Namjoon jokes.
Yoongi spares him a smile at that. “Ah, it always is when it comes to Jungkook. He really likes your friend.”
“I really like you,” Namjoon spits out. He’s started to tease Yoongi about harboring a secret crush on him but Yoongi hadn’t even attempted to figure out Namjoon’s feelings in return and Namjoon really doesn’t think he can go another second without saying them. “I came in here for the dogs originally, but I stayed for you.”
“That’s really cheesy,” Yoongi says, a smile playing on his lips.
Namjoon smiles back. “Then I won’t feed that line to Seokjinie-hyung. You know, because he’s lactose intolerant.”
This time, Yoongi full-on laughs, gums gracing his features in a way that makes Namjoon want to lick his teeth in a non-sexual way. “That was awful,” he says, still laughing. “Terrible joke. Three out of ten.”
“But a date with me would be a ten out of ten,” Namjoon supplies, feeling bolder now that Yoongi has basically said that he likes Namjoon. Or, at least, hasn’t rejected the idea. “No regrets.”
Yoongi nods. “I suppose you know that I get off in five minutes-”
“Jungkook is way too willing to give up all of your personal information for Seokjin,” Namjoon admits.
Yoongi shakes his head, though he still looks fond. “You feel confident in your ranking of a Namjoon date?”
Namjoon nods.
“I guess I’ll rate it myself once we go out tonight,” Yoongi says. “If that sounds good to you?”
“Yes,” Namjoon practically shouts. “It’s perfect- I’ll just- I’ll wait outside for you to finish up?”
Yoongi nods, barely able to hide his smile any longer. “Perfect.”
“I’ve been wanting to go out with you for a really long time, by the way,” Yoongi adds when Namjoon is halfway out the door, smiling like an idiot. “I’m glad you feel the same way.”
Yoongi > Me [11:12 PM]
11/10. Would date again.
Me > Yoongi [11:12 PM]
Tomorrow?
Yoongi > Me [11:13 PM]
Perfect
See you then :]