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“He’s here again,” Taehyung’s amused voice caught Jin’s attention and he looked up in time to see the man with the pink hair push open the glass door of his small bakery.
The bell he’d placed to announce customers, gave a soft jingle and Jin straightened from where he’d been rolling out cookie dough, in the process of cutting out Halloween shapes for the upcoming holiday. He wiped his hands on his apron more from nervous agitation than to rid them of their flour coating. The man somehow always managed to stir a hopeless anxiety in him that reminded Jin of his middle school crushes. He wasn’t quite sure what it was about the man that fascinated him, but it might - in part - have had something to do with the fact that he was on another level of handsome.
Not the pretty, flower boy handsome that Jin himself had been ascribed to, but the rough, classic handsome of fairy-tale princes and romance novel heroes – not that Jin ever read those. The man’s features were sharp and sculpted, cheekbones defined and leading to a sharp jaw-line that would be the envy of any high fashion model. His brow and expression were usually brooding, but what caught Jin up the most were his eyes. There was something…different about his eyes. They were dark and intense, like a summer storm about to break and they left Jin breathless whenever they rested on him longer than a few seconds.
Jin usually didn’t keep to the register; that was generally Taehyung and Jimin’s responsibility - when they weren’t giggling amongst each other and sneaking sweets. He preferred to be in the kitchen, whipping up new and delicious concoctions for people to try. Though he was known to pop out and give a friendly greeting to his favorite customers. It helped that his bakery had an open floor plan. His customers could see directly into his impeccable kitchen from the front counter, marveling over what Jin was working on next. Jin liked to cultivate an openness and a sense of familial warmth with those who chose to step foot in his little shop and he was rewarded with loyal, returning customers that had helped establish its reputation as one of the premier sweet shops in Hongdae.
Considering Jin’s normal practices, the fact that he sidled his way up to the register every time this man came in was a source of constant amusement to his two employees. The real world version of Tweedle-dee and Tweedle-dum were currently side-arming each other between whispers and giggles, completely riveted on what they considered an unfolding drama. Jin tried to keep his composure, making sure to roll his eyes in their direction so they could see how childish he thought they were behaving but his cheeks were a healthy shade of red by the time his customer stepped up to the register. The man was eyeing the array of colorful desserts on display when Jin first spoke.
“Hi,” he greeted, cringing inwardly at the smidge of hopeful exuberance he hadn’t quite tempered in his voice.
The man’s eyes shifted to him with such delicate, cool appraisal Jin felt like nothing but an awkward, giddy school boy in his presence.
“Hello,” the man answered breezily, his voice as deep and graveled as Jin remembered. “It looks like you’ve been busy.” The man commented, his eyes roving down to take in Jin’s dough sprinkled apron in his favorite shade of pink. “I like that color on you by the way…it brings out your eyes and the…flour,” he finished with an amused curve of his full lips.
Jin frowned slight in confusion. His eyes shifted to the nearest reflective surface and he gasped when he saw that not only did his hair have a light coating of white, there was a smudge of it running across his nose and down one cheek. Cheeks pinking to match his apron, he quickly scrambled for a towel. This was another reason he stayed in his own little world behind the scenes. It was a regular occurrence for him to go home to find frosting in his hair and egg crusted on his cheek.
“I’m sorry,” Jin quickly apologized, wiping at what he could. “I must look-”
“Charming,” the man stated off-handedly, his tone leaving no room for debate as he went back to perusing Jin’s creations.
Jin felt his heart triple it’s normal rate. How was it that a single word from this individual could get him so flustered?
The first time he had seen the man Jin had been in the shop alone. The weather had been overcast and dreary all day which meant customers had been slow to trickle in. Taehyung had come down with a cold and Jimin had needed to practice for a dance showcase he was taking part in. While Jin loved the company of his two little gremlins, he had found himself enjoying his afternoon alone. It was almost six o’clock when the sky opened up with a down pour. Jin had been contemplating the weather out one of the windows and considering shutting down early when the jingle of the front door startled him.
The man had swept in like a fury, rain soaked and cursing.
Jin had blinked at him in surprise, not having expected anyone to make an appearance with the inclement weather. The man was running a hand through rain soaked hair, a distinctive shade of his favorite color that immediately caught his attention. As Jin’s eyes took in his appearance he was further confused by the fact that the man seemed to be the complete opposite of the customers who usually frequented his pink infused bakery.
Jin was left to conclude that being caught in the rain was the only thing that had prompted his visit, otherwise he was sure he wouldn’t have stepped foot inside his shop. The man was dressed in light colored ripped jeans and black combat boots that matched the vintage leather jacket he wore. The white shirt beneath it was damp and fused easily to his pale skin, leaving little to the imagination. Though his build was lean, from the muscle definition Jin could peep through his nearly translucent shirt, he certainly wasn’t lacking in strength.
He wore a set of piercings in both ears but Jin found himself staring rather stupidly at the tattoo he could spy on his chest. Jin couldn’t quite make out the details of what it was because of the man’s jacket and his distance from him, but he could see that it ended in an elaborate curl on his neck, just below his ear. When the man slid out of his jacket so he could lightly shake it free of water, Jin noted it was a creature of some sort and that it spanned the entire side of his chest.
“It looks like the rain caught you unaware,” Jin finally thought it prudent to speak, his voice light and welcoming.
The man’s head snapped in his direction, almost as if he were surprised not to find himself alone. His dark, glittering eyes assessed Jin carefully before he gave a slow, careful nod. His gaze was a swirling miasma of dark and light that had to be a trick of the light somehow. Jin was frozen in place, a shiver racing down his spine as his eyes slowly assessed him from head to toe. He wasn’t sure if he passed inspection, as one of the man’s eyebrows only curved lightly when he was finished.
“I…” Jin swallowed, feeling suddenly nervous – though not in the way one should when faced with a tattooed stranger. “Here,” walking around behind the counter he fished out a white towel, holding it toward the man.
The man cocked his head slightly, but after a second’s consideration walked forward until he was standing in front of Jin. He took the proffered towel slowly, eyes never leaving Jin for a second. Jin’s eyes skipped down to the curving black lines of his tattoo, the picture suddenly clear with his proximity. It was an intricate rendition of a dragon in a fighting stance, its head raised and mouth open to expel the fire and brimstone they were known for.
“I-I should…” Jin cleared his suddenly tight throat, “Let me get you something warm, you’re probably freezing. Do you drink coffee?”
The man nodded and Jin almost breathed a sigh of relief at having something to keep him occupied. For a reason unknown to himself the man left him feeling unsettled.
“How do you usually take it?”
“Black.”
It was the first time Jin heard his voice and he felt a frisson of heat settle low in his stomach. His voice was as foreboding as his appearance, but there was a rich warmness to it that reminded Jin of his most decadent dark chocolate. The one that was so expensive he only used it rarely and so rich it made even the simplest dessert almost sinful.
As Jin brewed him a cup of his best roast, he tried not to stare. It was hard, because each movement from the man commanded attention, even the simple act of him smoothing the hair back from his brow. An act that did nothing to help in the slightest, considering his strands of pink only fell back to swing in front of his eyes in the most disconcerting way. Jin randomly wondered who had done his dye job and if he’d paid a ridiculous amount for it because, whoever it was, had done an amazing job. He couldn’t see a single hint of his natural color, even in his roots.
Once Jin had finished pouring his coffee, he handed the cup across the expanse of white quartz. When the man reached to take it, Jin's sense of smell was stimulated by the acrid scent of smoke and his brows came together in curious confusion. He wondered briefly if the man smoked and he felt an immediate tug of disappointment at the thought.
Jin wasn’t exactly a model of healthy living himself – his love of food could be called gluttonous – but he frowned upon anyone knowingly practicing what he considered self poisoning. He rarely drank and he didn’t understand the draw of drugs and tobacco. He might have been instantly turned off if the scent of the man wasn’t so peculiar.
Jin knew the cloying scent of someone who smoked and the man smelt nothing like that. His scent was almost sweet and reminded Jin of a wood-fire on a winter evening. It was both comforting and soothing and there was a natural element to it as well. It didn’t smell clinical or chemical like cigarette smoke but woodsy and a bit…wild. Jin also picked up on an endnote of cinnamon that made it all the more pleasant, like the man had just popped a stick of Big Red before stumbling through his door.
“Thank you,” he offered politely and his rose tinted lips twitched at the corners to form the barest sort of smile. Jin had a feeling the man didn’t give them often.
“You’re welcome. Do you want something to eat? Pick anything you want, it’s on the house.”
Again one of the man’s dark eyebrows curved, “Do you often offer free food to strangers? Doesn’t seem like a very sound business practice…”
Jin was sure his cheeks could glow in the dark at this point and probably the tips of his ears too.
The man gave a soft, breathy chuckle, “You’re cute, but I don’t feel right…taking from you. I’ll pay for one of those cupcakes though.”
The man pointed to one of the red velvet cupcakes on display, the whipped cheesecake topping so light it could melt in your mouth. It was one of Jin’s best desserts. With heart pounding from the man’s impromptu compliment, Jin extracted one and prepared to offer it on one of the whimsically decorated plates within reach.
“Could you wrap it up for me?”
“You’re leaving?” Jin asked in surprise, finding he didn’t want him to. “But the rain…shouldn’t-” When Jin motioned toward the window to make his point he found the rain had let up to nothing but a light mist. “Oh…”
Jin didn’t think he hid the disappointment in his voice as well as he probably should have. He wrapped up the cupcake in his bakery's signature a pink box, tying it with a white ribbon and handing it over. The man laid a fifty thousand won note on the counter in the form of payment.
“Thank you…er…”
“Seokjin,” Jin answered the silent query.
“Seokjin,” the man sounded out his name, rolling it carefully on his tongue as if he wanted to get every nuance of it correct. Jin had never thought his name sounded so beautiful.
“My friends call me Jin,” he was quick to provide.
The man chuckled again as Jin lowered his head to count out his change. The jingle of the bell at the door was Jin’s only indication that he’d walked away and his head shot back up in surprise.
“Wait! What about your change?!”
“Keep it. In exchange for dirtying your floor and the warm welcome. I’ll be seeing you around...Jin.”
And just like that he was gone. It wasn’t until much later that Jin realized he hadn’t even asked his name.
Jin would have thought the man was some sort of vision if he hadn’t kept true to his word. He had come in every day for a week straight since that evening. He might have flattered himself with thinking the man came to see him if Taehyung hadn’t informed him – he had a bad habit of gossiping with the neighborhood ahjummas – that the man had bought the empty space above Jin’s bakery and was converting it into some sort of studio. Jin had come to conclude the man had taken a liking to his baked treats and stopped in to satisfy his sweet tooth, after all the location of the bakery was convenient. Even with Taehyung and Jimin’s assurances that nobody but him could be that much of a sugar addict, Jin still wasn’t arrogant enough to think the man had any interest in him, romantic or otherwise.
It had, however, become an expected part of Jin’s day for the man to stop in at some point throughout it. Which was how he happened to be standing in front of him again at the register, the by now familiar scent of smoke and cinnamon doing odd things to his mental faculties.
Jin - much to his own frustration and the Tweedle Twins ever growing amusement - still had not asked the man’s name, nor had he volunteered it. Every time he thought to ask, the question stuck in his throat and his cheeks burned crimson. He was so attracted to the leather jacket wearing, tattooed mystery he couldn’t think straight. The boys thought it was hilarious, especially when you considered the man couldn't be more opposite of the men Jin usually dated, who were more bright and effervescent than Jin himself. The stranger in contrast, was quiet and contemplative, his eyes blinking out at the world from beneath his pink fringe with lazy amusement. He was dark where Jin was light and Jin found himself enchanted by the disparity. Jin had also never been so tongue-tied and completely hopeless around another individual.
“How are you?” Jin asked and could have banged his head against the counter at how formal and eager he sounded.
The man’s lips curved, “Well…and you?”
“I-Great! I’ve been…you know...great,” Wow, this was getting pathetic. “What can I get you today?”
The man bit his lip, looking indecisive and Jin considered how utterly delectable he looked in his black beanie. The hair of his fringe was pushed beneath it, putting his features further on display and Jin was completely lost, particularly because there was nothing hindering him from the intensity of his gaze.
Finally he pointed to a set of intricately decorated chocolates in gold foil holders. Jin wondered briefly if the man ate everything he bought from Jin or if he gave them to someone… a girlfriend perhaps. He found the thought depressing. Less enthusiastic now, he wrapped up the chocolates and handed them over.
Again he was assaulted by the man’s curious, unique scent and without thinking he asked, “Do you smoke?”
The man paused, eyes snapping up to him and Jin could have sworn they flashed silver, “No. Why? Do you?”
Mortification settled in like a well-worn cloak, “Oh. No! No, I don’t smoke.”
“Why did you ask?”
“No reason, I was just…curious.”
The man was now staring at Jin speculatively. He studied him for a second longer before taking the box Jin still held out and letting free a soft chuckle. Jin was starting to wonder if he were laughing at him and not with him considering he usually vented the sound whenever Jin was at his most hopeless.
“Right. Well, I’ll be seeing you.”
Jin nodded wearily, turning after the man had walked out the door to find Jimin and Taehyung lost in fits of laugher.
The next day when the man came in Jin was determined not to make a fool of himself. This time he greeted him normally, and he was proud of the fact that he hadn’t stumbled over his words or said something stupid and his cheeks were a normal shade for once.
“How are things going with your studio?” He asked, giving himself a mental pat on the back for sounding only mildly inquisitive.
“Really well actually,” Jin was gratified to see the man’s eyes light up, his voice picking up an excited timbre. “We should be set to move in the sound equipment any day now. I can’t wait to get in and start recording.”
“You…record music?”
The man nodded, a lock of pink hair falling to shade one of his eyes in a charming way, “I’m a producer. I started a label a couple of years ago. I used to work for a big agency but it was sapping my creativity. I decided to freelance; a few artists I had worked with remained loyal and well, now I’m expanding. I started in a rickety basement in Gwangjin but we’ve done moderately well so I got a bigger space with a better location. It’s risky but I think it’ll pay off in the end.”
“I’m sure it will,” Jin agreed, enthralled. And his cheeks immediately pinkened when he next admitted, “I’d love to hear something of yours sometime.”
The man smiled, a full, dazzling smile this time, “Come up sometime. I practically live upstairs most days.”
“What do you eat?” Jin asked with a sudden, frowning disapproval, his nurturing instincts kicking in. Plus, he needed something to distract him from the thought of him and this enigmatic man alone.
The man’s smile imperceptibly softened, “I’ve gotten pretty handy with a pack of ramen over the years.”
Jin’s expression turned horrified, “You’re living on ramen?”
The man shrugged, humor dancing his gaze, “Are you offering something better?”
“I…er…” Jin gathered his courage. “Yes, as a matter-of-fact, I am. If you’re around during mealtimes you should come down. I always have something for me and the boys, and I can guarantee you it’s better than ramen.”
“I’m sure it is,” the man’s smile turned beguiling, “maybe I’ll take you up on that offer.”
“Um…you should…” this was the most forward Jin had ever been in his life, but he couldn’t help himself.
Something told him this man wasn’t like the usual admirers who lavished attention on him. He had no idea if he was interested but he had hope that maybe he might be. And if that were the case, he had a feeling he would need to do a little more foot-work than he was perhaps used to. Though he already knew he would never get up the gumption to actually ask the man out, no matter how much he might want to.
“You should use our Hyung’s voice in one of your songs,” Jin was mortified to hear from behind him. He swiveled around to see Taehyung grinning at him unabashedly.
“Yeah. He’s got the voice of an angel,” Jimin added slyly.
“You sing?” the man was quick to ask and Jin felt like melting into the floor. He was about to be the perpetrator of a double homicide.
“No-Yes…I mean, I-Sometimes. They’re exaggerating,” Jin stumbled to explain.
“You’re definitely going to have to come up sometime. I’d love to hear you.”
“I…Sure…” Jin’s head felt like it might explode from the force of his blush.
In the next moment, the man briefly pulled out his phone to gauge the time – or so Jin assumed. When he next glanced up he was pointing to some brownies on display.
“Do you mind wrapping me up a couple of those?”
“Of course,” Jin demurred, pulling out two and sneaking in a third when the man wasn’t looking.
He was just tying the white ribbon into a bow when the front door tinkled again. It opened on a harried looking young man with hair so black it had a purple sheen. He was handsome, tall and muscular but he looked young. He wore a puffy jacket in an army green color, a red beanie pulled low over his ears and tall, camel colored boots from a brand Jin knew was famous but couldn’t quite place. He was blowing on his hands from the cold while his beautiful, wide set eyes scanned the interior of the bakery. When they landed on Yoongi he lowered his hands and smiled.
“Hey, Hyung!” he called out his greeting, quick steps bringing him to the front where Jin’s stranger looked back at him with affectionate exasperation. “There you are, Namjoon hyung said you’d be here if I couldn’t find you up in the studio. So who’s this guy-”
The kid’s ‘Hyung’ was quick to wrap an arm around his neck so he could muffle his next words with a hand, leaning up to whisper something in his ear. The kid’s eyes widened but he nodded and when the man removed his hand, he was smiling in a bewildered sort of way.
A crash behind Jin nearly startled him out of his skin and he flipped around to see Jimin had ran directly into a stand of cupcakes, too busy staring with enamored attention at the new addition to watch where he was going. The new stranger’s eyes landed on him for a brief second before moving on to pause on Taehyung who was peeking out curiously in the background, pretending quite unsuccessfully to be engrossed in spreading an icing base on a sheet of cookies. The new stranger’s lips edged into an interested smile and Jimin pouted. Jin rolled his eyes, their competitiveness over love-interests petty but harmless.
“Kook, what are you doing here? We’re not supposed to meet up for another half hour.”
“I got done with dance practice early so I came to find you. You must be Seokjin hyung,” the kid turned his thousand watt smile on Jin.
“How did you know?” Jin blinked in surprise.
“Lucky guess. Yoongi hyung talks about you a lot.”
“Yoongi?” Jin’s eyes shifted to the man who’s eyes were already shifting away uncomfortably. He looked at the kid much like Jin did the two banes of his existence behind him.
“That’s my name,” he muttered.
“Yoongi,” Jin repeated, liking the sound of his name. “You talk about me?”
Yoongi’s lips twitched, and Jin was astounded to see his cheeks take on a color he was familiar with, “Sometimes.”
Kook, as Yoongi called him, snorted before turning back to Jin, “I love what you make by the way. Everything Yoongi hyung brings me is always delicious.”
“B-brings you?” Jin looked between the two in confusion.
“Jungkook…” Yoongi hissed beneath his breath, but the younger was on a roll.
“Yeah, he brings something every day. Your cupcakes are amazing! What?” He asked when he realized Jin and Yoongi were staring at each other, “Oh, you didn’t think Yoongi hyung ate all that stuff did you? Don’t take it too personal. He hates sweets-”
“We should get going,” Yoongi interrupted, grabbing Jungkook by the back collar of his jacket and dragging him to the door.
The younger waved brightly, Jin giving a limp response in return while the two idiots behind him tried to outdo each other in waving with enthusiastic glee. By the time the door closed on the two of them, Jin following their progress and watching Yoongi scorch the younger boy with a scolding as they walked by his front windows, Jin was sporting a beaming smile. Yoongi hated sweets, which meant the only other draw…was him.
The next night found Jin at a Halloween party dressed as a risqué version of Princess Peach, which had not been his idea. He’d wanted to go as Mario, but when his costume didn’t arrive in time because of a shipping error, he was left with Hoseok’s treasure trove of role-play paraphernalia. Hoseok worked as a dancer in one of the Hongdae nightclubs which catered to a fantasy theme. It was a tasteful, burlesque type club that was popular to the area and Hoseok was one of their main attractions with his lithe, flexibility and powerful performances. Hoseok was born for the stage and he worked at the little club part-time to play for his dance classes at the same premier academy Jimin attended.
When Jin had told him he wasn’t going to his costume party, considering it was the night of and he didn’t have a costume. Hoseok had made a big show of being devastated before quickly shuffling Jin to his work so they could riffle through their stock of dance costumes. When Hoseok had pushed an intimidating looking get-up of lace and leather in his direction, Jin had quickly snatched up the Peach costume and announced he’d made his choice. A trip to Hoseok’s "friend" Kim Hansol – a veritable pixie with gorgeous, soul searching eyes and white blonde hair, who favored smoky make-up, chokers and the leather costumes Jin shied away from - had Jin in a wig of loose tumbled curls and sweet, natural looking make-up to compliment the frilly, short pink dress and lace topped stockings. He felt ridiculous but he’d gotten nothing but compliments all evening.
Jin had been at Hoseok’s party for hours, laughing at his friend’s antics and generally enjoying himself. But as it neared two in the morning, he was ready to go home. Where everyone else had drunk copious amounts of alcohol, Jin had only had a couple of mixed drinks early in the night and felt he was ok to walk home on his own. Looking first for Hoseok, he left him to his own devices when he found him on the living room couch looking intently up at the beautiful Hansol who was straddling his lap and attaching a chain around his neck with a lock he sincerely hoped they had a key for. They painted the perfect picture of debauchery, particularly considering Hoseok’s costume consisted of little else but red hot pants, profuse amounts of body glitter and devil horns.
On to find Jimin and Taehyung next, he caught them in the middle of a heated argument over who would capture and keep the handsome Jungkook’s attention the next time he made an appearance at the bakery. Jin managed to catch their attention long enough to say his goodbye’s and get a distracted ‘see you later, Hyung’ before he was out the door.
A full moon made him decide to walk the few blocks to him home, its bright light illuminating solitary streets. This time of night there were few people about except for the occasional group of partiers stumbling their way home and hollering out Halloween well wishes to each passerby. The night air was crisp, so he huddled closer into this grey, knee length jacket the costume beneath doing little to protect him from the cold.
The smell in the air reminded him of Yoongi; it smelled of autumn, the air sharp with the scent of leaves and smoky from all the lit fireplaces. He smiled at the thought of him, wondering what he were up to, if he were up in his studio working on his music or out with friends, a stab of jealously preventing him from considering if he were spending the night with someone he loved.
He turned the last corner into an alley that led directly to the street where his apartment was located. He’d been warned multiple times by his friends not to take the short-cut but he was tired and the moon was bright enough that there were few shadows for anyone to hide in and catch him unaware. He considered stopping at his bakery for something sweet to end his night, considering he was less than a block away. And he wondered if he might see lights on in the windows above it.
He’d come to the mouth of the alley when he was startled by bumping into someone coming the opposite direction. He hit the individual so hard he stumbled backward, barely catching himself against a wall. The man stumbled slightly as well, but righted himself quicker than Jin because of his size. Jin could see he was a bulky, tall and clearly inebriated. The man cursed and turned to shout at him, but suddenly quieted at seeing Jin’s appearance. His coat had come open with his near fall, which left him exposed to the lecherous gaze of the man.
“Well, well, lookey what we got here,” he leered, his eyes devouring Jin. “Aren’t you pretty.”
“Excuse me,” Jin mumbled, trying to quickly sneak past but a steel grip landed on his arm and pushed him back. Jin winced when his back hit the wall roughly, his heart pounding with fear. The man was twice his size and clearly not in any condition to reason with.
“Where do you think you’re going, pretty?” the man crowded Jin into the wall and Jin’s stomach roiled when hot, moist breath skimmed along his cheek. “I’m not done with you.”
“Let me go,” Jin grit out sternly, struggling in earnest.
The man chuckled, “But I’m not done playing with you.”
Jin screamed and the man was quick to grab his wig and backhand him. Jin fell back against the wall and slid to the floor, immediately disoriented from the blow. The fall had ripped the wig from his head and tears smarted in his eyes as the man chuckled darkly. He told himself not to cry, to be strong and fight back no matter what happened. The man reached down and pulled him back up by the collar of his jacket. Jin opened his mouth to scream again when suddenly there was a shout and a scuffle.
The next time Jin glanced up it was to see someone standing with his back in front of him protectively. The leather jacket was what tipped him off first, that and the familiar scent of smoke.
The man who had accosted him looked livid, his gaze almost wild.
“Who the fuck do you think you are?”
“You’re worst nightmare,” Yoongi sneered, voice like ice.
The man chuckled, “Cute. What do you think you’re going to do, Shorty? Get out of here before you get hurt. That pretty little thing behind you is mine. Mind your own goddamn business.”
Yoongi stood his ground and Jin felt a sharp stab of anxiety when the man advanced on him quickly. The last thing he would be able to stand was for Yoongi to get hurt. It took less than a second for the man and Yoongi to be locked in a struggle that had Jin’s heart in his throat. Jin was about to leap from the alley to scream for help, for someone to call the police when suddenly Yoongi pushed the man so hard, when he collided with the wall behind him, it cracked the cement.
Jin’s eyes went wide and he blinked to make sure he wasn’t seeing things. The man seemed stunned as well and his eyes widened in fear when a growl issued forth from Yoongi, the sound so menacing Jin actually shivered. Jin’s eyes shot to Yoongi who stood with his hands clenched into fists, lips curled above pointed canines in a deep snarl. His jaw dropped when smoke curled from between his teeth, and when he next opened his mouth a lick of blue flame curled out and disappeared as quickly as it had come.
“Run,” he said without preamble and the man didn't need to be told twice. He scrambled away so quickly he stumbled and fell a few times before he made it to the other end of the alley and out of sight. Yoongi still had his back to him and Jin was too stunned to speak, not sure what he had just witnessed and wondering if he had actually passed out at the party and was in some odd sort of dream.
Yoongi finally turned to him, his eyes flashing silver before returning to their familiar dark depths.
“Are you ok?”
Jin nodded stiltedly, staring at Yoongi in awe. Yoongi shifted forward, and Jin couldn’t help his flinch. Yoongi paused, considering, before his hand continued its trajectory until it was gently cupping his chin. Jin’s heart pounded madly in his chest as Yoongi passed a thumb over his lip and he flinched again, only this time in pain, when his thumb connected with a tender part of his lip.
“That bastard hurt you. I should have kicked his ass.”
“I’m fine,” Jin reassured, voice coming out weaker than he had intended. Now that he was safe, and with Yoongi, it was easy to show his vulnerability.
“Come on. I’ll walk you home.”
Yoongi helped him up and Jin wasn’t sure how to bring up what had happened, because…well, what the hell had just happened? They walked in complete silence and were almost to his apartment when Jin suddenly stopped in his tracks. Yoongi, as if sensing he wasn’t following anymore, stopped as well and turned back.
“What are you?”Jin questioned, finding no sense in beating around the bush. He’d come to terms with the fact that he wasn’t hallucinating, which only meant that Yoongi wasn’t altogether human.
Yoongi looked like he was debating the merits of being honest and Jin crossed his arms, preparing to argue any ridiculous explanation Yoongi thought might satisfy him.
“Dragon shifter,” the response came on a tired sigh and Jin, who had opened his mouth to demand the truth, had to snap it shut when he realized…that was the truth. He half expected Yoongi to deny everything, or to laugh at him and tell him he was hallucinating.
“A what?”
“Dragon shifter. I’m not pure-blood so some of the attributes are watered down but-“
“You can turn into a dragon?” Jin said slowly, trying to get his mind to wrap around this information.
“Not always, it has to do with the seasons and the cycles of the moon.”
“Like a werewolf?” Jin asked stupidly.
Yoongi gave a short chuckle, “Kind of, I guess. You’d have to ask Jungkook what the differences are.”
“Jungkook?!” Jin squeaked, thinking of the sweet kid who'd wandered in to his bakery after Yoongi.
“He’s a wolf shifter, the closest thing that comes to your human myth of the werewolf.”
Jin felt rather faint, “So…you…aren’t human?”
“Yes and no. I’m more of a mutt, an unholy mix of things you’d probably rather not know the details of,” something about his tone of voice broke Jin’s heart. It held a lonely, long-suffering ring to it that made him want to gather him close and kiss the pain away.
“Come on,” Yoongi grunted, already turning back around. “Let’s get you home. You don’t look so good.”
“Wait!”
Yoongi sighed, “Look if you’re worried I might hurt you or something, don’t be. After tonight I’ll leave you alone. I won’t bother you again, but I can’t in good conscience just leave you out here with all manner of fucking idiots who would hurt you-”
As Yoongi had been talking Jin had walked closer until they were standing toe to toe. He was studying him curiously, his eyes roving over handsome features he’d seen more than once in his dreams. Much to Yoongi’s startlement, Jin’s hands came out and cupped both his cheeks without warning.
They were left staring at each other in silence, Yoongi’s cheeks somewhat squished so that his lips were pursed rather adorably. Yoongi’s eyebrows were just descending over his eyes in confusion when Jin leaned forward. He pressed his lips to Yoongi’s in a kiss that immediately took his breath away and surpassed every fantasy he’d ever had of the action.
Considering what he was, Jin thought he might taste like smoke but he tasted sweet, like marshmallows roasted on an open flame. When his tongue swiped out to taste his full bottom lip, he was met with that same endnote of cinnamon, certain now that Yoongi had a preference when it came to gum. Yoongi’s hands landed on either side of his trim waist in a strong, steadying grip before Jin eased back slightly to look at him.
“What was that for?”
“Saving me,” Jin answered, even as he was leaning in for another kiss. This time it was all heat and fire. Yoongi’s tongue plundering his mouth and leaving him clinging and gasping for air.
“And that?” he asked again when they parted.
“Haven’t I made it obvious?”
Yoongi raised an eyebrow.
“Is your hair pink because you’re a shifter?” Jin asked suddenly.
Yoongi frowned, “You have the oddest way of bringing up the most random things in conversation. As soon as a shifter matures into their abilities, their hair turns. It’s supposed to be red but my blood is diluted, so it’s more of a pink. It’s a source of contention for me, considering dying it is nearly impossible. What the hell does that have to do with you kissing me?”
“Well, if we’re going to date you should probably know,” Jin murmured, coming close again. “Pink is my favorite color.”