Work Text:
Yoongi dragged himself out of bed and got dressed. It wasn’t even six in the morning, but he’d chosen to take the early shift at work. A dumb decision.
His eyes still cloudy with sleep, he got in his car and drove to work.
“It’s Friday,” he mumbled to himself. “It’s Friday, there’s no work tomorrow. Then I can sleep.”
He pulled into the parking lot of Spring Day Café, unlocking the door and stepping inside. He set up all the chairs, swept the floor, and then turned the sign on the door from “CLOSED” to “OPEN”.
He didn’t hate his job. It was fairly easy, and there was a satisfaction he got from making people’s drinks. He tried to remember that as he desperately tried to stay conscious.
“Good morning, Yoongi,” a rich voice said as the door opened.
“Good morning, Taehyung,” Yoongi replied, smiling at him. “Your usual?”
Taehyung nodded.
“Yep, but add an extra pump of espresso. I have a long day today,”
Yoongi nodded and went to make his drink. Taehyung came in every morning except Wednesdays, and he always got the same thing. Yoongi had caught on after his first week of working at Spring Day Café, and the two were now on a first name basis.
“Here you go,” Yoongi said as he handed Taehyung his drink.
“Thanks, you’re the best,” Tae handed him cash to pay and strolled out the door.
Yoongi checked his watch. 6:17.
Namjoon would be arriving soon, which meant he wouldn’t be bored out of his mind.
In the mean time, Yoongi checked around the counter, refilling coffee stirrers and lids. He hated when things weren’t refilled, so he did it himself.
“Good morning, Yoongi,” Namjoon said with a smile as he walked in.
“Morning Boss,” Yoongi replied, wiping the counter down for the second time that day.
“Aish, don’t call me that,” Namjoon said with a laugh. Technically Namjoon was his boss, but they were friends too.
Yoongi shrugged.
“If you say so, Boss,” he smiled.
Namjoon shook his head with a grin and went into the back and checked the shipments coming in that day.
“Are we low on half and half?” He called to Yoongi.
“Yeah,” Yoongi called back after checking the fridge. “We only have two cartons left,”
“That’s good,” Namjoon said with a sigh as he came out of his office. “Because I accidentally ordered twice our usual amount,”
Yoongi laughed.
“Now why would you do that?”
“I honestly have no idea,” Namjoon shook his head. “Let’s just hope we use it all,”
The pair worked the early busy shift, seven to eight, used to the rush of people trying to get to school or work. Most coffee shop owners wouldn’t work as a barista, but Namjoon had started this shop for a reason: to give people coffee.
“Ah, I forgot to tell you,” Namjoon said around 8:12. “We have a new guy coming in today, and I want you to show him the ropes.”
Yoongi held back a grimace. He didn’t feel like dealing with a new guy.
“Sure thing,” was all he said in reply.
“He’s working the summer between grad school, like you, and he’s eager to learn. Shouldn’t be too difficult,” Namjoon continued, slapping him on the back.
It was a friendly gesture, but Yoongi couldn’t help but flinch a little. Not only was Namjoon too strong for his own good, but Yoongi wasn’t big on physical touch.
Yoongi sighed deeply, causing Namjoon to look at him with concern.
“You ok?” He asked.
“Hmm?” Yoongi looked up at him. “Oh, yeah. Just tired is all,”
Namjoon nodded.
“Ah, I feel you,” he went back to the pantry to check inventory.
Yoongi ran his hand across his face. He hadn’t mentioned that he was tired from insomnia, not just a regular morning sleepiness.
He hadn’t been getting more than a few hours of sleep as of late, and it was wearing on him.
Yawning, Yoongi turned as he heard the door open.
“Good morning,” he said, not looking up. “Welcome to Spring Day Café,”
“Hi, good morning, uhm, I’m here for my first day?”
Yoongis eyes flitted up to meet the owner of the voice. He felt his eyes widen slightly. That was the prettiest man he had ever seen.
His dark black hair was parted in the middle of his forehead, soft swoops of hair framing his face. His eyes had a shine to them, which complimented his gorgeous smile. He was so beautiful, Yoongi was convinced he was an escaped statue from a museum.
He wore a simple silver chain over his t-shirt with rolled up sleeves, wide leg jeans with rips in the knees, and chunky white sneakers with neon yellow accents. He had a cross body bag draped over his shoulder, plus silver bracelets hanging from his wrists.
“Hello?” The guy asked slowly, his eyebrows creasing with amused confusion. It was then Yoongi had realized he had been staring.
Heat rose to his face as he scrambled to say something.
“I…” come on, Yoongi. Say something. Anything. “I, uh-“
“Hoseok!” Namjoon greeted the man whose name was Hoseok, apparently, before Yoongi could embarrass himself further. He quickly began to focus on cleaning the already spotless coffee maker.
“Welcome, welcome. I see you’ve met Yoongi,” Namjoon gestured to him with a smile.
Yoongi threw up a little wave in Hoseoks direction before turning back to the coffee maker. He was definitely bright red.
“Let me show you where staff keep their belongings during the day,” Namjoon led Hoseok into the back room.
Yoongi let out an exhale, attempting to slow his heart rate. Why couldn’t he say anything? It seemed the second he met Hoseoks eyes he couldn’t form words. Yoongi traced the outlines of his nails with his thumb, a nervous habit he’d had for a while.
Ok, he thought. He’s a person. Just talk. Say words. Try to ignore how fast you’re breathing and how sweaty your palms are.
“Ok, so,” Namjoon and Hoseok returned from the back. “Yoongi here’s gonna walk you through how everything works today. I’m in the back if you have any questions Yoongi can’t answer, but I’m sure you’ll be fine.”
He sure is fine.
“So, Yoongi, I want to know everything,” Hobi said excitedly when Namjoon left. “How do you make the little foam drawing thingys? And what’s the difference between espresso and regular coffee? I don’t really drink coffee, so I’m not too sure about anything,” Yoongi tried to keep up with everything he was saying.
“I- uh, yeah so I can, uhm, show you all that,” Yoongi stammered. At least he said something.
“Hoseok, right?” As if he could forget the prettiest name for the prettiest guy in the universe.
“Oh, you can cal me Hobi. Hoseok is my full name, but it’s so long. Hobi is much better,”
Yoongi smiled. Hobi. Adorable. Like him.
“S-sure, yes, Hobi. Uhm. Ok, well, what do you want to learn first?”
They decided it would be best to teach Hobi how all the machines and things work before getting to the technical stuff. Yoongi took extra care to make sure Hobi didn’t burn himself while he tested out making and pouring coffee, plus cleaning the machine.
“This is the foam…thing,” Yoongi mentally kicked himself. It was a frother, but he couldn’t think straight with Hobi standing so close to him. “You, uh, put milk in it and click the button,” he clicked the power start button on the frother. “And then when it stops you pour the now frothed milk into a cup like this,” he demonstrated, glancing quickly at Hobi who was watching intently with curious eyes. God, he’s just like a puppy.
“Ooooh, that’s so cool,” He said in awe as the foam started rising toward the top of the frother. “So the foam thing is how you make the foam art?”
Now that Hobi had said it, Yoongi would forever refer to it as “the foam thing”.
“It’s part of the process,” Yoongi said. “I can show you that tomorrow, if, uh, you’d like,”
Hobi beamed at him.
“Would you? That’d be great,”
Yoongi nodded, his brain unable to come up with a response. He looked so genuinely happy, Yoongi could have melted into the floor.
He snapped himself out of it, refusing to get caught staring again.
“I think you’re, uhm, ready to deal with a customer,” he said, grabbing a towel and slinging it over his shoulder.
Hobi’s smile widened.
“Oh, really? Ok, yeah. Yeah, I can do that. You’ll still help me though, right?”
The interaction reminded Yoongi of a child learning to ride a bike.
“Of course, uhm, I’ll be right here if you need anything,” He smiled at Hobi.
“Ok! Thank you,” Hobi turned to face the door as a customer came in. “Hello, welcome to Spring Day Café,” he said happily to the young woman as she examined the drinks board.
“Hi, I’ll have a small iced coffee, please,” she said.
Hobi nodded, turning and giving Yoongi an excited smile as he went to fix the drink.
Yoongi was glad his first order was simple. His first order, on the other hand, had been from a group of tween girls who asked for the most complicated drinks. And, they had barely any coffee in them.
“Here you go,” Hobi said, handing the woman her iced coffee. “Have a nice day!”
“You too,” she said with a small smile, heading out the door.
Hobi turned back to Yoongi.
“How’d I do?” He asked eagerly.
“You, uh, you did great! Really good,” Yoongi assured him with a smile. He checked his watch quickly. “Ah, it’s the end of my shift now,” he said.
“Oh,” Hobi said before turning back to the machines. Yoongi thought he saw a flash of disappointment in his eyes, but he could have imagined it. “What time is it?”
“One,” Yoongi replied. “I think you only have one more hour here, and Jimin is coming to take my place,”
Hobi nodded.
“Ok, sounds good. What hours are you working tomorrow?”
Yoongi paused.
“Oh, well it’s the weekend and I don’t take weekend shifts so…”
“Oh, yeah, ok,” Hobi nodded again. “I, uh,”
For the first time all day it seemed like Hobi was nervous. Yoongi tried to ignore how adorable he was when he was flustered. “What if I need help tomorrow?”
“You could ask-“ Yoongi started, then paused. He was going to say ‘you could ask whoever’s working,’ but thought better of it. “I mean, uh, you could ask me. I can, uhm, give you my number,”
Hobi flashed his beautiful smile, and Yoongi couldn’t help but smile back as butterflies swarmed his stomach.
“That would be great. Thank you so much for today, you’re a great teacher,”
“Oh, well, y’know,” Yoongi smiled, his face reddening. “I’m glad I could help,”
Hobi handed him his phone and he typed his number in. He titled his contact “Min Yoongi :)”
wanting to seem friendly, but not unprofessional.
“Text me if you need anything,” Yoongi added as he slipped off his apron and hung it on the wall.
“I will. Have a good night, Yoongi!” Hobi smiled as Yoongi waved and walked to his car.
For the first time ever, Yoongi was disappointed to not work weekends.
ㅁㅁㅁㅁㅁㅁㅁㅁ
Yoongi went through the rest of his day on auto pilot, replaying moments with Hobi in his head like a movie. Yoongi hadn’t had crushes like this in the past. He found it embarrassing to allow someone’s existence to affect you so much. Yet, here he was, smitten. Another thing he found embarrassing about crushes: the terminology. Seriously, what the hell is that? Smitten? But that’s what he was, absolutely smitten with Jung Hoseok, a man he’d only met that day.
He got home from grocery shopping and had dinner. He prepared for another long, practically sleepless night of lying in his bed uncomfortably. He’d tried everything. Melatonin, tea, lavender scented candles. Even hypnosis, which not only failed, but left him feeling foolish. Thank god he didn’t have a roommate.
To his surprise, he slept soundly for the first time in what seemed like ages. He woke up the next day around 11:30, energized.
He checked his phone.
For some reason, he had been hoping there was an emergency at the café that needed him to rush down there and maybe save Hobi from something. But that was his imagination talking.
The weekend passed at an excruciating pace. No texts from Hobi. Yoongi had never wanted to go back to work as much as he did Monday morning. He’d taken the early shift, again, hoping that Hobi had too. Around 6:30, after Tae had gotten his usual, Yoongi got a text.
Feeling the phone buzz in his pocket, he rushed to check who it was. He was disappointed when he realized the message was from Namjoon, not a certain new barista.
namjoon☕️
hi Yoongi, I had something come up last night and can’t make the early shift today. Hoseok will be there before 7 to help you out
yoongi
ok, dw abt it
namjoon☕️
also i was thinking you me Jimin and Hoseok could go out for drinks this Friday? kinda as a welcome to the team thing for Hoseok
yoongi
sounds good, I’m down
Yoongi was filled with excitement not only for the early shift, but for Friday as well. He and Namjoon hung out after work every once in a while, sometimes with Jimin. Yoongi didn’t love social gatherings, but those were always fun. And this one will have Hobi. So it’ll be even better.
“Morning Yoongi!” Hobi’s melodic voice rang through Yoongis ears as he entered the café.
Yoongi looked up his phone so fast it gave him a slight headache, but he didn’t really care.
“Morning,” Yoongi replied, breaking into a smile as he scanned Hobi’s outfit.
He had sunglasses sitting on top of his hair, small silver hoops hugging his ear lobes. He had a black t-shirt tucked into beige dress pants with a belt. Yoongi couldn’t help but wonder if he had a personal stylist to make him look this good at 6:42 in the morning.
It was his opinion that fashion made no sense. But Hobi made him want to learn all about it. Solely in hopes of impressing him.
“How was your weekend?” Hobi asked, grabbing his apron from the wall. Yoongi noticed it had a small flower shaped pin on the shoulder. He smiled to himself and saved that observation for later.
“It was good. How was yours? Getting the hang of everything?”
Hobi nodded happily.
“Yeah, I am. Jimin is really nice, we had a great time,”
Yoongi shoved down the twinge of jealousy rising in his chest. It was good that he was making other friends. Yeah. Good.
“Mm, yeah…Jimins a great guy,” Yoongi said, hoping Hobi couldn’t hear the strain in his voice.
“He is. But you’re my favorite teacher,” Hobi added with a smile as he brushed past Yoongi to grab a new whole milk carton. Heat rose to Yoongis face, along with a giddy smile that he kept to himself.
“Did Namjoon tell you about Friday?” Yoongi called as he heard the fridge door open.
“No?” Hobi called back.
Yoongi noticed how much easier it was to talk to him when he couldn’t see him.
“Oh, well Namjoon wanted to get drinks with you, me, and Jimin after work on Friday,”
Hobi re-entered the behind counter area.
“Oh yeah? That’d be so fun, I’m just not a big drinker,”
Yoongi shrugged.
“That’s ok, uh, you could always have…lemonade,” now that Hobi was back in Yoongis general vicinity again, he was having trouble forming words. He just couldn’t focus on anything but his beautiful smile.
Which Hobi flashed at him once again.
“Mm, I’d say I’m more of a sprite kinda guy,”
In his head, Yoongi was making a list of things he knew about Hobi.
- Hoseok (Hobi)
- Amazing fashion sense
- More of a sprite kinda guy
“Hellooo?” Hobi playfully waved his hand in Yoongis face. He laughed as Yoongi flushed bright red. “You do that a lot,” he noted.
“I- I mean I, uh-“ Fuck. Yoongi couldn’t think again.
Hobi laughed again at Yoongis inability to talk.
“No need to be so nervous, I don’t bite,”
Yoongi was thankful when the next customer came in, forcing him to focus on anything but the embarrassment he was feeling.
“Hello, what can I get you today?” He asked, hoping the red would drain from his cheeks before he had to talk to Hobi again.
The day passes at a pace much quicker than Yoongi would have liked. By the time his shift is over, he is dreading going home. He even asks Namjoon if he could pick up an extra shift.
“You’ve worked enough today, Yoongi. Go home, you deserve it,” was Namjoons response.
Sometimes Yoongi wished Namjoon was a worse boss.
ㅁㅁㅁㅁㅁㅁㅁㅁ
As the week progressed, Yoongis list of things he knew about Hobi grew.
- Jung Hoseok (Hobi)
- Amazing fashion sense
- More of a sprite kinda guy
- Has a sister
- Grew up in Gwangju
- Likes to dance
- Has a dog (Mickey)
- Did odd jobs before getting hired at Spring Day Café
- Can sew
- Drinks tea as supposed to coffee (like an old man)
Yoongi was quite proud to not only know the things on said list, but he also memorized them. Which wasn’t creepy at all.
And if Hobi had been keeping a list of things he learned about Yoongi, which of course he hadn’t because why would he only smitten people create lists about other people and Hobi certainly was not smitten with Yoongi. (As a side note Yoongi had accepted the term “smitten” into his vocabulary).
The list would have consisted of:
- Min Yoongi
- Kinda ok fashion sense sometimes if he tried he didn’t rlly know
- Has a brother
- Grew up in Daegu
- Enjoys making coffee for people
- Likes dogs, but acts more like a cat
- Is a plant dad
- Cannot form words for his life when Hobi looks him in the eye
That last one was getting better, to Yoongis joy, as he learned to navigate his absurd mind block when he made eye contact with Hobi.
It’d be funny, if Yoongi wasn’t so utterly embarrassed all the time, how when Hobi’s eyes met his, his mind filled with nothing but nonsense. It was extremely difficult to form coherent sentences, but he tried anyway. Most of the time it was ok, Hobi understood a good amount of what he was trying to say, and often Yoongi made him laugh. That was always a win in Yoongis book.
On Thursday, the two made it to a point where they could sit in comfortable silence with one another. Hobi learned how to make “foam art thingys”, Yoongi learned how to not die when their shoulders brushed as they slipped by each other behind the counter.
Thursday afternoon, just as Yoongi was leaving his shift, his perfect fantasy was interrupted.
“Oh, hey Jimin,” Hobi said with a smile as Jimin came into the café. “Are you working today?”
Jimin shook his head.
“Ah, no, I was, uh, hoping to ask you something?”
Yoongi pretended not to be listening as he went to the back room to grab his bag.
“Sure, what’s up?” Yoongi heard Hobi put the coffee maker back into the machine.
“Well, I was, uhm, wondering if maybe you’d want to go out with me sometime?”
Yoongis held his breath, his heart sinking.
Please say no. Please, please, please say no.
“Oh! Wow, I’m flattered…” Hobi paused.
“I don’t want to, you know, mess anything up between us, and maybe I should’ve waited until after tomorrow night but I wanted to see if you’d be interested,” Jimin added, rushing to fill the silence.
“Can…can I think about it?” Hobi asked.
“Sure! Yes, of course. I, uh…see you tomorrow,”
Yoongi heard the café door open and close.
Only then did he emerge from the back.
“Did you hear all that?” Hobi asked as Yoongi.
“Well…kinda. The walls are, uh, pretty thin,” Yoongi replied truthfully.
“Mm…” Hobi hummed thoughtfully.
“Are you gonna say yes?” Yoongi asked suddenly.
Hobi raised an eyebrow at him.
“God, sorry that was invasive. It’s none of my business,” Yoongi voiced quickly, feeling guilty.
“No, its…” Hobi paused with a small smile. “Well, yeah, a little bit, but don’t worry about it,” he added with a teasing tone.
Is he the greatest man in the world or what.
“I am sorry though, I uh, I won’t invade your privacy like that again,”
“Really, Yoongi, it’s ok,” Hobi smiled at him.
Yoongi couldn’t get enough of hearing him say his name.
“Well, I’ll uh, see you tomorrow,” he smiled and went to his car, his anxiety and outright jealousy of Jimin temporarily forgotten. Temporarily.
When he finally got to his apartment it all crashed down on him.
He said he’d think about it, which means there’s roughly a 50/50 chance he’ll say yes.
But it also means he likes men, most likely, which is good. But it’s also bad because Jimin is gorgeous, and that was bad for Yoongi. Who wouldn’t go out with Jimin? And of course Jimin likes Hobi, who wouldn’t like him? But how in the world did he just ask him out like that? He barely even said “uh” that much, which Yoongi couldn’t go ten seconds without saying in Hobi’s presence.
He really hoped he would say no. Not that he didn’t want Jimin to be happy, but there are plenty of guys, gals and non-binary pals in the city who’d be happy to date him so he’d be fine. Yoongi, on the other hand, never had feelings as strong and all-encompassing as these, and he wouldn’t survive if Hobi dated someone, much less his co-worker.
God, he felt so stupid. He felt like a child, letting someone have so much impact on his life. But at the same time, he couldn’t imagine his life without Hobi. He lead a simple life. Work, eat, sleep. Pay rent. He had a few friends, like Namjoon, he went out some times. But Hobi made life interesting. He gave Yoongi something to look forward to, a spark. It sounded silly. But Yoongi had feelings, and this was a lovely example of human emotion. He wanted his life to always have that spark. And he knew he wanted the spark to come from Hobi’s presence, and no one else’s.
ㅁㅁㅁㅁㅁㅁㅁㅁ
Friday passed relatively quickly. Yoongis nerves about the Jimin thing plus anticipation for getting drinks with both him and Hobi made things move fast. Yoongi didn’t know if that was a good or bad thing.
He’d planned his outfit in advance, and was quite proud of it actually. They were going to a new nightclub down town, Namjoons choosing, and he’d said he’d been there before. He also said to dress fancy-casual, whatever the hell that meant. So Yoongi rolled with it to the best of his ability.
A black button down shirt with black skinny jeans seemed to fit the dress code. He also wore black boots because he had no idea what shoes to wear. Black boots went with virtually everything. He added a slim silver necklace with silver earrings, and tried to do his hair but it ended it up looking the same as it always did. He didn’t mind though. He quite liked his hair.
When he got to the nightclub, he didn’t really know what to expect. He didn’t go to nightclubs, they were always loud and scary. But he figured if Namjoon liked it, it would be fine. Hopefully.
Yoongi walked over from his apartment to the club. It was a ten minute walk from where he lived, and he figured it would be good to reduce fossil fuels and all that. He paused before he went inside, already feeling the bass from the music in the floor as he approached the entrance. This would be fun.
He took a deep breath and walked in, immediately overwhelmed by all the people and noise. He quickly found a slightly quieter corner and hid there, texting Namjoon to ask if he was close. Suddenly he felt a hand on his shoulder.
“Jesus Christ, Namjoon,” Yoongi griped through an exhale when he turned to see his friend.
Namjoon smiled broadly at him.
“Sorry, I called your name like twenty times but you didn’t hear me,”
Yoongi took a deep breath to slow his heart rate as Namjoon took a scan of the room.
“Have you seen Jimin and Hobi?” He asked.
“What, here? Together? Like if they came together?” Yoongi replied quickly, his nerves on end.
“I mean…I meant just here in general? Are you ok, dude? You’re pretty jumpy,” Namjoon asked, looking at Yoongi with a mix of concern and confusion.
Yoongi shook his head.
“Yeah, I’m fine. Just… a little overwhelmed.” He said truthfully. The mix of the of people in the room plus the loud music, and the anticipation of seeing Hobi, along with stressing about the Jimin thing was not a great feeling.
Namjoon nodded.
“Ah, ok well let’s grab a table in a quieter spot, ok?”
Yoongi nodded. He followed Namjoon to a table far enough from the noise that he could hear himself think, but not so far that they were completely isolated. It was perfect. Namjoon went to get him and Yoongi drinks from the bar, and Yoongi held the table. Before Namjoon got back, Hobi and Jimin came over. Together, to his dismay. But he tried to ignore the bitter taste of jealousy in his mouth as he greeted them.
Hobi looked gorgeous, to no one’s surprise. He wore a plain black t-shirt and dress pants, a jacket slung over his shoulder. Yoongi guessed he’d probably taken it off due to the heat from the club. He wore small jeweled studs on his ears, and a silver bracelet on his wrist. Yoongi couldn’t get over how he saw Hobi every day and yet he was captivated by his existence.
He silently said thank you to whoever decided to but colorful lights in the club to mask the blush rising on his face.
Namjoon got back and handed Yoongi his drink. He couldn’t really tell what was in it at first glance, but he’d gone out with Namjoon enough to trust him. Hobi and Jimin went to the bar to get themselves drinks.
“Mm,” Yoongi hummed after taking a sip of his drink. “That’s good,”
Namjoon glanced at him.
“Yeah? I’m glad,“
Hobi and Jimin returned, sitting at the little rounded booth table with them. The seating order went Jimin, Hobi, Yoongi, and Namjoon from right to left. Yoongi tried not to pass out whenever Hobi looked at him or brushed shoulder with him. They were in very close proximity to one another, and it was stressing Yoongi out.
The group talked and laughed for a bit. Eventually, Namjoon and Jimin went to refill their drinks.
“Sprite?” Yoongi asked, gesturing to Hobi’s drink with a smile.
“Yep, it sure is,” Hobi replied, taking a sip. “What about yours?”
Yoongi shrugged.
“Dunno, Namjoon got it for me,” he took a sip. “I think I taste…lime? I can’t tell,”
When Namjoon and Jimin returned, Yoongi had finished his drink. He didn’t plan on getting a refill, drinking always made him tired. And if he was tired, he might say something stupid. That was a risk he was unwilling to take with Hobi around.
“Hobi, do you wanna dance?” Jimin asked after some time had passed.
Yoongi tensed as Hobi nodded.
“Yeah, sure,” he said, following Jimin over where to people were dancing.
Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck fuck.
“I’m getting another drink,” Yoongi mumbled, getting up and going to the bar. He felt like his heart had been hit by a truck. For all he knew, Hobi hadn’t said yes to going out with Jimin and he was overreacting for no reason. But he didn’t really care. He was sad.
If he wasn’t so tongue tied all the time when Hobi was around maybe it would be him asking him out, maybe it would be him asking him to dance. But it wasn’t him, because he was scared and shy and couldn’t imagine being rejected by Hobi without it seriously ruining his life. And because of that, he missed his chance. He couldn’t be spontaneous ever, and it lost him the guy.
He asked the bartender for a drink, he didn’t really know which one, he just chose one from the menu. And then later he got another. And another. They say drink your feelings, so he gave it a shot.
Four drinks later, Jimin and Hobi returned to the table. Everyone continued to talk and laugh, but Yoongi stayed mostly quiet.
“Hey, are you ok? You don’t normally drink like this,” Namjoon asked quietly after Yoongis fifth drink. He was officially hammered.
“Who, me? I’m fiiiine, I’m fine yes that’s what I am,” Yoongi replied, his words melting together.
Namjoon raised his eyebrows at him.
“Mm, ok, no more drinks for you,”
Yoongi pouted.
“Why noooot, Namjoon, really, I’m fine. The drinks taste good! They taste like…alcohol,”
Hobi turned when he heard Yoongi talking loudly.
“Damn, is Yoongi drunk?” He asked with an amused smile.
Namjoon nodded, his eyebrows now creased with concern.
“Yeah. I think I should take him home,”
“Noooooo, Namjooooooon,” Yoongi whined. “I’m having fuuuuun,”
“I live really close, let me take him home,” Hobi offered. Had he not been so drunk, Yoongi would have been terrified of the guy he liked seeing him in such a state. But drunk Yoongi was fine with it.
“Would you? That’d be great. I really don’t know why he drank so much, he’s not a big drinker…” Namjoon peered at Yoongi, searching for any indication of why he was acting like this. He got a drunken smile in return.
“Don’t worry about it, I got it. Yoongi?” Hobi looked at Yoongi in his eyes. “I’m going to take you home, ok?”
Yoongi nodded happily.
“Okaaaayyy,” he smiled up at him. Hobi grabbed his arm and guided him outside.
Yoongi could barely see anything, his head was pounding from all the noise and alcohol.
“Hobi, I can’t see anything,” he giggled, something sober Yoongi would never do.
“Aish, you’re very drunk, aren’t you?” Hobi asked with a smile.
Yoongi shrugged.
“I drank my feelings,” he replied.
A flash of confusion appeared on Hobi’s face, but it was soon replaced by one of decision.
“Here, I’m going to take you to my apartment,” he said, placing himself under Yoongis shoulder to steer him in the right direction.
When they got to Hobi’s apartment on the fifth floor, (something very difficult to do while trying to get a drunk person to walk properly up flights of stairs), Yoongi crashed onto Hobi’s couch.
“Mmmm, your apartment smells like you,” he observed.
Hobi smiled, putting his keys on the counter.
“Does it?” He asked, grabbing a glass of water.
“Mhmm, it smells like your cologne and English tea, which is your favorite,” Yoongi babbled.
Hobi laughed.
“You know my favorite tea?” He asked, sitting on the couch next to Yoongi.
Yoongi nodded.
“I do, I know lots and lots of stuff about you,”
Hobi smiled.
“Mmm, that’s not creepy at all,”
“It’s not,” Yoongi agreed. “Because I’m allowed to do that because…I just am,”
“Yoongi?”
“Mm?”
“Why’d you drink so much tonight?”
“I told you, silly, I drank my feelings,”
“And what feelings were those?”
“I was sad,”
Hobi looked at him with concern.
“Sad?”
Yoongi nodded, yawning. His exhaustion was starting to hit him.
“Sad, and jealous, and sad again,”
“Why were you sad and jealous?”
“Because of you and Jimin,” Yoongi continued. “Because you and Jimin are gonna date and fall in love and it’s all my fault,”
Hobi couldn’t help but laugh a little.
“I’m sorry, what gave you that idea?”
“Because he likes you and you like him and what does that make me?”
“Did I ever say I like him?” Hobi asked patiently.
Yoongi furrowed his eyebrows.
“Well I mean, I…I don’t think so but-“
“So you thought I liked Jimin and that made you jealous?”
Yoongi nodded.
“Yessir, that is correct,”
“Yoongi?”
“Yes?”
“Does this mean you…like me?”
Yoongi chuckled, another thing sober Yoongi wouldn’t do.
“Well, duh,” he continued. “You came into the café all…all pretty and stuff, and you turned my whole world upside down and inside out and sideways and…yeah!” He paused to yawn.
“Mmm, I’m tired,” he added, resting his head on a pillow.
Hobi got up from the couch.
“Let me get you a blanket,” he grabbed a quilt from his bedroom and draped it over Yoongi who smiled.
“Thank you Hobi,” he shifted on the couch and closed his eyes. “Thank you for everything,”
“Everything?”
“You’re the reason I get up in the morning,” Yoongi said quietly, his consciousness starting to drift away.
Hobi smiled at him from where he stood next to the couch.
“Goodnight, Yoongi. Sleep well,”
He turned off the lights in the apartment, and quietly closed the door to his room, leaving Yoongi dead asleep on the couch.
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Yoongi woke up the next morning. But he really wished he hadn’t.
“Auuugghh,” he groaned, grabbing his head. He couldn’t think. He couldn’t remember. All he felt was his head about to explode.
“Morning,” Hobi said, smiling as he leaned on the kitchen counter with a mug of tea in his hand.
Yoongi blinked.
And then he blinked again.
“I-“ he paused. “Wh-“
“I have a feeling I know where this is going so I’ll start: you’re in my apartment, you got super drunk last night and you slept on my couch. I have been thoroughly enjoying the fact that you drooled on my pillow in your sleep, and will never let you live it down. I made you some tea if you’d like,”
Had Yoongi been in a state of mind where he could have thoughts besides how much pain he was in, these were the things he would think:
1. Hobi looked way too good in a t-shirt and pajama pants
2. He had drooled on his pillow, he was quite embarrassed about it
3. Dear God what had he said when he was drunk
“Mmm, I’ll let you process, your teas on the counter,” Hobi smiled slyly and went into his room.
Yoongi blinked.
And then he blinked again.
More thoughts:
1. Did Hobi just smirk at him?
2. He wanted tea because he was soooo dehydrated
3. Did Hobi just SMIRK at him??
Gingerly, Yoongi lifted himself off the couch. Everything spun around him, but he forced himself towards the kitchen counter anyway.
There were reasons he never drank a lot. One of them was hangovers. He picked up the mug of tea that Hobi made him and took a sip. Slowly, he made his way over to Hobi’s bedroom door.
“I, uhm,” he swallowed. “Thank you for letting me crash here. I don’t usually drink like that so…thank you,” he hovered around the door to Hobi’s room, not going in.
Hobi went over to meet him, leaning against the door frame.
“Yeah, no problem. You should really thank me for getting you up five flights of stairs. It was an incredible feat.”
Yoongi laughed quietly.
“Oh God, you deserve a medal for that,”
Hobi smiled and nodded.
“I believe I do,”
The two stood in silence for a moment.
“I didn’t…say anything stupid last night, did I?” Yoongi asked finally.
Hobi paused.
“No, nothing stupid,” he replied, brushing past Yoongi to go back into the kitchen.
Yoongi let out a sigh of relief.
“Good, I was worried I’d…scare you away or something,”
Hobi shook his head, turning towards the fridge to conceal a smile forming at his lips.
“I think the best thing you said was how you knew my favorite tea,” he teased.
“Oh great, that’s just…great,” Yoongi laughed.
“Well, I’m glad I didn’t say anything too utterly humiliating,”
“You said nothing of the kind,” Hobi turned around to face Yoongi who was still standing near his bedroom door.
“I, uhm,” Yoongi paused. “I think I’ll head home now, I don’t live too far,”
Hobi nodded.
“Yeah, ok,”
Yoongi went over to the entry where his shoes sat. Even drunk he tried to be a good guest. He slipped them on and turned back to Hobi.
“Thank you agai-“
Before he could finish, Hobi suddenly wrapped his arms around him in an embrace, tucking his head into Yoongis shoulder.
At first, Yoongi went into panic mode which happened when people touched him.
But then, he realized how right it felt.
He didn’t get to enjoy it for very long, to his dismay, because Hobi pulled away pretty quick, his cheeks stained with crimson as he looked back up at Yoongi.
“I, uhm, yeah, get home safe,” he mumbled, heading back into the apartment. Yoongi stepped into the hallway and shut the door, standing in shock as he processed what had just happened. As soon as he left the building, he wanted to run back inside and finish that hug. His clothes smelled a bit like Hobi’s cologne, his hair was a disaster from sleeping on a couch, and he still had a headache.
In spite of all that, he couldn’t remember the last time he had been this happy.
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Slowly, throughout the day, Yoongis memory came back to him. Bits and pieces, that was, so nothing really made any of sense.
He remembered Hobi covering him with a blanket before he passed out.
He remembered watching Jimin and Hobi Walk to the dance floor together.
He remembered Namjoon looking at him with concern.
But most importantly, he remembered something Hobi said.
“Did I ever say I like him?”
Yoongi was hung up on that sentence. It was true, Hobi never confirmed nor denied having feelings for Jimin. Yoongi just kinda assumed, in a very pessimistic manner. Another thing he was hung up on: the hug. He felt like that wasn’t a normal hug. However, he didn’t hug people often, so he had no idea if it was or wasn’t normal. His instincts told him he’d waited long enough, that he should just go for it. But a voice in the back of his head told him to wait just a little longer. He listened to the little voice.
The week passed at a normal rate. Little moments with Hobi lead Yoongis hope to grow.
A smile passed between them.
Shoulders brushing behind the counter.
Catching him looking at him before he could turn away.
“Alright, I’m going to head out,” Hobi said after the last shift. They had closed the place down, sweeping the floors and putting up the chairs. Hobi started to open the door and Yoongi panicked.
“I- uh, wait!” He said, his voice cracking a little.
Hobi paused, raising an eyebrow at him.
“I- just-“ fuck fuck fuck, come on Yoongi just say it. “Would you want to go out with me some time?” He blurted.
Hobi paused before breaking into a smile.
“Ugh, finally! I thought you were never gonna ask,”
Yoongi looked at him in shock.
“You knew?” He asked, incredulously, his heart still racing.
Hobi nodded.
“You kinda let it slip last week before you passed out on my couch,” he said with a smile.
Yoongis eyes widened.
“And you didn’t say anything?!”
Hobi laughed.
“I wanted you to tell me you liked me while being sober,” he admitted. “And I’ve kinda enjoyed watching you hype yourself up all week,”
Yoongi grinned at him, taking annoyance.
“Wow, you’re kinda evil,” he said with a laugh.
Hobi shrugged.
“Maybe,” he agreed.
A beat of silence passed.
“But…but you feel the same?” Yoongi asked finally in a small voice.
Hobi smiled.
“Yes, I do indeed. To quote you, ‘you turned my whole world upside down and inside out and sideways’”
Yoongi groaned.
“Ugh, of course I said that,” he laughed in disbelief. “So, I’ll uh, text you the details?”
“I await your text with great anticipation,” Hobi replied, re-opening the door of the café. “I did tell you not to be nervous the first week I worked here, and I see you’ve finally gotten the message,” he slipped out of the café before Yoongi could reply.
After a minute, Yoongi just smiled to himself.
“What a man.”
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