Chapter Text
The dirt is getting under Yoongi’s fingernails when he digs in to pull out a particularly stubborn weed in between his carrots. They have grown really fast in the past few warm summer days but it will still take some time for them to be ready for harvest. His gardening is interrupted by footsteps on the gravel path that leads to the back of his cottage where he has his garden.
“Yoongi!” Seokjin’s voice reaches him bright and clear.
“At the back!” Yoongi yells back at Seokjin. He gets up from the ground and brushes off any visible dirt on his clothes.
Seokjin appears from behind the corner of the house and waves at him. He is dressed in moss green clothes and he has a red cap on. He has clearly been hunting earlier or maybe he’s going soon.
“Going hunting?” Yoongi asks and Seokjin shakes his head, “Then do you want to come in for tea?”
They move inside from the garden filled with plant beds next to a tiny greenhouse. Through the terrace they get into Yoongi’s small cottage and into the kitchen that opens up to his living room. They exchange pleasantries while Yoongi makes the tea. A few days ago, Yoongi baked cookies so he sets them on the table along with the tea pot filled with hot water and a mix of herbal tea Yoongi had blended himself. Seokjin tells how he’s been wanting to try a new recipe he got from Jimin but he hasn’t had the time as they wait for the tea to steep.
“You’ve heard of the dead animals recently?” Seokjin brings up the recent cases of dead animals that the hunters have found in the forest. It’s been few and far in between but too frequent to go unnoticed.
“Again?” Yoongi asks and Seokjin gives a sad nod. He takes the teapot to pour two cups and sets them on the table too.
“We found one this morning. It was a wolf this time but just like the previous ones it was a terrible sight. I don’t understand what animal kills another so brutally and doesn’t even eat it.” Seokjin tells him. “We have been trying to track whatever beast is doing this but it leaves barely any tracks other than a short bloodtrail.”
“That’s awful,” Yoongi grimaces at the mental image of the poor wolf, “You’re trying to kill it?”
“It’s better that way. It’s killed quite a few animals and we think it might be rabid.” Seokjin sips on his tea while eyeing the plate of cookies.
“I thought it has only killed smaller animals but a wolf now?” Yoongi takes a cookie from the plate and pushes the plate slightly forward at the same time. “I guess the earlier you find it the better.”
Seokjin takes his second cookie happily and nods along to what Yoongi is saying. Seokjin doesn’t look too worried about the beast that’s terrorising the woods but Yoongi knows that even though Seokjin is a hunter he is very much an animal lover and is always very careful about making sure he has a clean shot and only killing what’s necessary to feed their village. He even makes sure all the parts of the animal are used with nothing going to waste resulting in Yoongi owning more than one knife with a carefully crafted bone handle.
“We don’t know what we’re dealing with here. I thought it might be a marten but would a small marten be able to take down a wolf, let alone why it would do that in the first place.” Seokjin speculates, “Maybe it could be another wolf defending its territory but whatever it is, Yoongi, I want you to not go too far in the woods until we find it.”
Seokjin has always been so protective of him to the point where he is kind of overbearing. Yoongi still finds it a little endearing that the elder takes such care of him. He especially looks fondly back on the time when he first moved in here. Without Seokjin, he would have felt a lot more lonely.
“I know,” Yoongi dismisses Seokjin’s worries, “I know these woods like the back of my hand. You don’t think at this point I can’t take care of myself?” Seokjin snorts. “I’ll be fine Jin. I don’t have a need to go there yet anyway. The berries won't be ripe until another month.”
“Okay,” Seokjin is clearly satisfied with the answer.
Seokjin stays for a little while longer before they bid their goodbyes and Yoongi is once again alone in his house. The forest has never scared him. It’s just a part of his life. He has mentally mapped out the best spots for different berries and mushrooms and doesn’t worry about getting lost even though the next village beyond the trees is a day’s hike away if you take no breaks. Even then you might miss it if you don’t stumble across someone's backyard. He’s never been scared of the animals either even though he once had an encounter with a bear. It was scary but it ended with the bear looking at him for a bit before walking away.
The next day is spent catching up with all the sewing work Yoongi is procrastinating on but needs to be delivered soon. Yoongi started with working on a jacket he was commissioned for a wedding. The young couple is getting married in a few weeks and the jacket needs to be done well before that. Yoongi doesn’t often get these types of deals so it is refreshing to work with fine fabrics and embroidering small details into the jacket. It also pays well so it’s a win-win situation. The second project for the day is fixing torn pants. The guy who ordered the fix is a regular customer and often asks for Yoongi to fix his torn clothing. These pants are no different: the seam on the side of the left leg is split and for a moment Yoongi thinks it would almost be easier to make a new pair of pants than to fix the old ones. At least then he could make a proper seam instead of the flimsy ones these pants have.
It is almost dinner time when Yoongi is finally done with the pants. He made sure to make the seam extra secure so he wouldn’t have to fix them again. It seems he got them done right in time because there is a knock on his front door. When Yoongi answers it he is met with a tall handsome man who is here for his pants.
“Hello,” Namjoon greets politely and steps into the mudroom to take off his shoes after Yoongi welcomes him in.
Yoongi leads him to the room Yoongi uses for work and presents the pants to Namjoon.
“The seam is fixed but the fit might be a little tighter than earlier since there wasn’t much fabric to work with,” Yoongi explains, “You can try them on but I can’t promise I can fix it if they don’t fit.”
Namjoon agrees to try them on and goes to change behind the folding screen Yoongi has set up in the corner of the room. Namjoon is always nice and polite when he comes in although he often looks like a scolded puppy when he brings in a new piece of clothing for Yoongi to fix. Yoongi doesn’t get how he manages it, maybe the thick thighs are too much to handle for the clothes. Or maybe he is just clumsy. Yoongi never questions it and Namjoon is a solid source of income so he doesn’t complain either.
“It’s not too bad,” Namjoon comments as he steps out from behind the screen, “See?”
To Yoongi’s relief the slight difference between the two pant legs isn’t noticeable unless you look really carefully and Namjoon seems happy with the fix. The thighs are definitely too much to handle in the tight fit so Yoongi is grateful when Namjoon disappears behind the screen again to change back to his previous pants. Namjoon pays for the fix and they chat for a bit before Namjoon leaves.
After that Yoongi got to cooking dinner. He debates if he should open a bottle of wine so he can sip on it while cooking to celebrate the weekend but decides against it. He will probably drink enough wine to cover today too at the dinner party Seokjin is hosting tomorrow. Instead he just focuses on stirring the garlic on the frying pan he has on the stove. The delicious smell of garlic paired with fresh rosemary fills his kitchen. Soon Yoongi has a delicious stew on his plate paired with potatoes and a sprinkle of thyme brings some green to the brown of the meat, the orange of the carrots and the yellow of the potatoes.
As Yoongi expected, Seokjin’s dinner party offers a lot of wine, lots of people and great food. There is no reason for celebration other than Seokjin wanted to enjoy a dinner with his friends. That includes the very same Namjoon whose pants Yoongi just fixed, Jimin who is currently enamoured by Hoseok’s metal bracelet that the goldsmith made himself and Taehyung whose low baritone singing fills the small living room with Yoongi accompanying him on the piano.
Out of all the people there, Taehyung is closest to him. They started as neighbours when Yoongi moved into the empty cottage next to him. Neighbours is a little bit of a reach though because Taehyung lives a couple minutes away through the forest or five following the road. Yoongi went to introduce himself when he first moved in as a common courtesy but they quickly became friends after Yoongi had helped Taehyung to replace a wobbly closet handle. Yoongi carved a new one out of wood and glued it in. After that Taehyung helped Yoongi out to clear the overgrown garden of the cottage and Yoongi has shared all the things he bakes with the younger one. Taehyung can be excitable and a little bit odd at times but Yoongi finds it endearing and genuinely enjoys his company. It has made the quiet nights in his cottage feel less lonely while living all by himself. Seokjin is to thank for that too.
The song they were performing comes to an end and they receive enthusiastic applause from their friends. Especially from Jimin who seemed more interested in Hoseok’s wrist than their song just a moment ago. Yoongi gets up from the piano and takes his empty wine glass with him to the kitchen. While he's filling up his glass he hears someone enter the kitchen.
“Thank you for playing for us. I liked the song,” Namjoon says as he walks up to Yoongi, “You play really well.”
“Thanks,” Yoongi doesn’t think it’s much. Yoongi offers the bottle to Namjoon after he’s done filling his glass.
Namjoon pours wine into his glass and asks, “How long have you played the piano?”
“I was taught from a young age. My mom thought it was important.” Yoongi really likes playing and couldn’t imagine not owning a piano himself. It’s only a bonus he gets to play Seokjin’s piano on occasion too.
They stay in the kitchen to talk about Yoongi’s love for music and sipping on the wine. There is no hurry to get back to the others while Namjoon tells a little about his childhood too. Just a short anecdote but it’s nice to get to know Namjoon a little better other than their brief chats when Namjoon comes by for Yoongi’s sewing services. And maybe it’s the wine getting to him but it’s also nice to look at Namjoon. Not just his handsome face but he’s wearing a tee so his well toned arms are on full display and Yoongi’s eyes wander. Namjoon is already really tall but his strong muscles make him seem like a small giant.
“So what do you think?” Namjoon asks and smiles. Dimples adorn his cheeks and it makes him look way too cute for a tall muscular lumberjack.
Yoongi snaps out of his thoughts and has no clue what Namjoon was saying. “Sorry, what did you say?”
Namjoon chuckles. “It doesn’t matter. Do you want to go back to the others?”
“Sure. I should probably put the wine away for tonight.” Yoongi leaves his glass on the counter. Namjoon’s smile is sweet and compassionate but Yoongi gets an uneasy feeling at the pit of his stomach. Maybe it’s really for the best to leave the wine be.
They get back into the living room where Jimin has taken over the piano and is playing nonsense while Taehyung giggles right next to him on the piano seat. Yoongi smiles and forgets about anything negative he might have felt earlier when he watches the younger ones mess around.
The rest of the night passes by with laughs and soon Yoongi starts feeling more sober. It is already past midnight when they say their goodbyes to the rowdy group of friends. He walks home with Taehyung who leans on him for support, visibly more intoxicated than him. Yoongi makes sure Taehyung gets home safe and makes the short trek through the woods to his own cottage.
Once he enters the garden, he hears rustling at the edge of his yard. He squints trying to see what might have caused the noise but it’s too dark. The leaves rustle again and Yoongi decides it’s better to get inside so he hurries to his terrace and gets in. After locking the door and turning on the lights, Yoongi feels a little silly about being scared of a little noise. It wasn’t particularly loud, probably just squirrels or at the most a cat. Yoongi brushes it off and gets ready for bed. He falls into a restless drunken sleep and dreams of nothing.
It’s a few days later when Yoongi gets scared again by noises coming right next to him in his garden. He is tending to his strawberries at the back of his yard when he hears something move to his left. He startles and after the initial scare he wonders how he’s gotten so skittish lately. This time in broad daylight, Yoongi gets up and goes to investigate. At first he doesn’t see anything so he assumes his gut was right and it was just squirrels but then something white catches his eye. When he looks closer, he finds a small round white hare trying to hide in the branches and leaves.
“Were you the one making the noises this whole time?” Yoongi whispers and the hare keeps laying low with its ears pressed flat against its back. The ears are on the shorter side so it must be a mountain hare. “You nearly scared me to death the other night if that was you.” Yoongi squats down to look at it. He wonders how the hare is still white and how it hasn’t been eaten yet since it can’t blend in with nature with its white fur. “You’re a cute one so I’ll forgive you.”
When Yoongi gets back up to stand the bunny takes it as its sign to bolt. It hops away incredibly fast, the short ears pointed up and alert now.
“Don’t get eaten!” Yoongi calls out as he watches the bunny disappear into the forest.
Yoongi goes back to his small strawberry field. It’s just two rows of five plants but it takes a lot of work to cultivate them. After he’s done getting rid of the weeds, he goes back in to fetch a small bowl and he picks the first ripe strawberries. Yoongi has already eaten one here one there but now there are finally enough to collect. He picks enough to fill the bowl, careful to choose only the fully ripe ones. There are so many that are still yellow on the other side while the sunny side is a beautiful bright red. It’s been warm and dry all week and it doesn’t seem to be raining any time soon so he finishes off with watering the plants.
Next on Yoongi’s agenda for the day is to pick up groceries from town. Yoongi grows most of his food himself but he doesn’t have some essentials like flour or eggs, both of which he is running out of. Yoongi puts some of the strawberries in another bowl and takes the rest with him in his basket when he leaves. He stops by Taehyung’s cottage but when he finds it empty he just leaves the covered bowl for him on his back porch with a note. Yoongi will stop by again when he gets back.
The walk to town is short so Yoongi is soon out of the woods and on one of the roads that connects his town with the next. A carriage pulled by two horses passes him on his way past the sparse houses that become more closely knit as he walks deeper into the town. His first stop is the mill’s shop that sells flour and sugar. The shop is small but it’s almost empty apart from him and the lady who mans the register.
“Slow day?” Yoongi makes chit chat as he brings a flour bag to the register.
“People are more interested with the recent news than buying flour today,” the lady comments and punches in the price Yoongi needs to pay.
“What news? I haven’t heard any.” Yoongi questions. He’s curious and a little worried over what might be such big news that the whole town's talking about it. Yoongi counts the money and hands it to the lady.
She accepts the money and counts it again. “The hunters found a body in the forest this morning. I don’t think they know who she is.”
“She?” worry washes over Yoongi when he tries to think if it could be any of his relatives.
“Apparently it’s a woman. Younger.” The woman prints out a receipt. “It’s such a shame to lose a young life so early.”
“It’s terrible.” It could be one of Yoongi’s sisters but he shakes his head and figures it’s not that likely. The lady looks at him sympathetically and hands him his things. Yoongi thanks her for them and heads out of the shop towards the market square.
The square is bustling with people and every so often he hears someone talking about the recently discovered body. Yoongi can’t help but think about it too as he makes his way to the next shop for his eggs. He keeps wondering who the woman was. He’s almost certain it can’t be his sisters but he decides to go see his family as soon as he gets the eggs. He also figures Seokjin must have been with the hunters when they found the body. He makes a mental note to stop by Seokjin’s place too.
He gets the eggs and goes straight to his childhood home. He's welcomed by his older brother's wife and a very excited little boy who is over the moon that his uncle is visiting. Yoongi moved out when the house had started to get too small for so many adults and with a baby on the way he and one of his sisters saw it best to make space for the new addition to their family. Yoongi found his cottage and his sister moved in with her fiancé. Now the house is occupied by his parents, his brother and his wife, their son and the youngest of the sisters.
Yoongi is relieved to hear that both of his sisters are alive and fine. His mother fusses about his life living all alone in the cottage even though it's been years since he moved.
"So have you found a special someone yet?" his mom asks tentatively.
"No, mom," Yoongi shakes his head and if his mother is disappointed she doesn’t show it. His mother has always been adamant about settling down, getting married and having a family. Yoongi is afraid he'll have to let his mother down.
While it would be nice to have someone to share his home with, he's been fine alone. Yoongi likes his own company and he likes spending time in his garden with his plants. He is very happy with the way he's shaped his garden. Still, sometimes Yoongi longs for a partner who would sit in his garden with him and who he could care for. It’s the family part where his mother’s wishes fall flat.
His mother leaves the subject be and starts talking about what she will cook for dinner. She insists Yoongi stays to eat and Yoongi is happy to have some of his mother’s cooking. Yoongi plays with the boy while his mother cooks and eventually his brother and sister come home too and they all share a nice dinner.
It’s getting dark when Yoongi finally reaches Seokjin’s. Seokjin answers the door and invites Yoongi in without much of a fuss. Yoongi leaves his basket at the entrance and follows Seokjin to the living room. He sees an opened bottle of whiskey next to a nearly empty glass on the end table. Seokjin wordlessly fetches a glass and pours some for Yoongi.
“I take it that you know about the woman?” Seokjin offers the glass which Yoongi accepts with a nod.
“It’s the talk of the town,” Yoongi replies. Seokjin looks a little rough, his usual light and happy demeanour nowhere to be seen.
“It was bad Yoongi,” Seokjin shakes his head, “I wasn’t the one who found her but I saw her.”
Yoongi had heard the talk that her death wasn’t pretty but to hear it from Seokjin knowing that he would never exaggerate something like that for the dramatics is another thing. “I’m sorry,” Yoongi offers empathetically.
Seokjin takes a sip, “I am sorry too. For her and her family. We still don’t know who she is.” He thinks for a moment, swirling the brown liquid in the glass. “She might have been from another town. No one has been reported missing here.”
Yoongi nods. That makes sense. With one question sort of answered another rises, “What killed her?”
“Blood loss? Her stomach ripped apart? I’m no doctor but the kinds of wounds she had were lethal.” Seokjin grimaces at the bad attempt at a dark joke. “It looked like a bear had attacked her but bears don’t often attack people if they aren’t threatened.”
Yoongi shivers imagining the poor woman. He takes a sip of his drink and it burns going down. “Think she ran into a mother bear and a cub?”
“Not sure,” Seokjin downs the rest of the drink and pours another, “I don’t want you to think I’m crazy but…” Seokjin looks at Yoongi before he continues, “I think it’s the same animal we have been hunting.”
Yoongi is surprised to hear that but he only sips on his drink and lets Seokjin explain himself.
“A bear would have left plenty of marks for us to see and follow. Especially if it got into a fight. But once again there were no tracks and a lot of blood.” Seokjin sighs defeated.
Yoongi feels bad for him. While he is not entirely sold on the theory of this mystery animal Seokjin has been tracking, he trusts him and knows Seokjin would do his best to figure it out. This was already pressing on him but now with the added weight of a human casualty it must be tough.
Yoongi stays to tell Seokjin about his family to distract him from today’s events and once they are done with their drinks Seokjin puts the bottle away and Yoongi takes his cue to leave. Seokjin accompanies him to the door, making Yoongi swear to stay out of the forest until they have gotten rid of the animal. Yoongi promises to stick to the roads and in turn makes Seokjin swear he takes care of himself too. They part with a hug and Yoongi makes his way home, realising it’s too late to visit Taehyung. He hopes he found the strawberries on the porch.
The next day Yoongi found himself deep in work to get the suit jacket ready for a final fitting. The client who commissioned it came and went quickly. He was happy with the jacket and Yoongi has never felt more relieved after a project. Now all there is left is to clean up the seams with plenty of time before the wedding day. All of this makes Yoongi wonder for a bit if he will get married someday too. He remembers his brother's wedding day and how happy everyone was. He pushes the sappy thoughts aside and makes sure there are no loose threads peeking out and drapes the jacket on a mannequin.
Once he's done cleaning up his workspace he decides to finally visit Taehyung. He takes the shortcut to Taehyung's backyard and knocks on his door. He's the only visitor who uses the door because that’s where the shortcut leads. The sound of footsteps rushing to the door is loud enough to be heard outside and soon Taehyung appears at the door.
"I see you liked the strawberries," Yoongi points at the now empty bowl on Taehyung's porch.
Taehyung's eyes widen and he whips his head to look where Yoongi is pointing. "Strawberries?" Taehyung's mouth is parted in surprise.
"I left them for you yesterday when you weren't home," Yoongi explains now with a little more confusion in his voice.
"Oh?" Taehyung moves onto the patio and picks up the bowl.
The paper wrap that covered the bowl is ripped open and there are only juices left of the strawberries.
"This is the first time I'm seeing this," Taehyung scrunches his eyebrows.
“Are you sure?” Now Yoongi is just as confused as Taehyung seems to be.
He laughs a short airy laugh. “I would know if I had eaten a whole bowl of strawberries.”
Taehyung has a point. It makes Yoongi’s lips curve up a bit.
“Maybe some animal got to it first. Crows maybe?” Taehyung looks a little sad but then he smiles without a trace of disappointment. “Thank you!”
“Why are you thanking me for nothing?” Yoongi murmurs.
“It’s the thought that counts so thank you,” Taehyung offers the bowl back to Yoongi.
Yoongi takes the bowl. “Next time I’ll wait for you to come home so I can hand them to you personally. I didn’t think it would be eaten when I’ve left you stuff before.”
“To be fair it’s usually carrots and potatoes,” Taehyung shrugs and then thinks for a moment, “I could give you a spare key. It would also be good for you to hold onto it in case I lose mine so it’s a win-win.”
Yoongi hadn’t thought of that. “That’s smart. I’ll give you mine too. You’re welcome to come by any time.”
Taehyung invites Yoongi in and they exchange keys. Yoongi is glad he has Taehyung as company and Yoongi is sure Taehyung appreciates him too. Just like Yoongi, Taehyung moved out early but unlike him, Taehyung didn’t part with his parents on good terms. That’s partially why Yoongi is so protective of him. Taehyung has been taking care of himself from a much younger age and he knows what he’s doing but Yoongi wants to be there for him like an older brother would.
Yoongi comes back home to find a familiar looking white hare in his yard. It has to be the same because there wouldn't be two hares who haven’t changed off their winter coats.
"Well, hello there!" Yoongi says gently to the hare that perks up its ears. "I see you didn’t get eaten."
Yoongi keeps distance from the hare so as not to alert it. Moving slowly, Yoongi walks to his terrace to place down his belongings. The hare keeps an eye on him but doesn't run away this time.
"Are you going to stick around while I water my flowers?" Yoongi asks the hare even though he knows it won't answer.
They look at each other for a while before Yoongi decides he will just have to get on with his tasks even if he scares the hare. Just as he expected the hare hops away from him when he goes to fill his watering can with the last of the rainwater he has collected. What Yoongi doesn’t expect is that the hare stays at the edge of the woods, partially hidden by the plants, to watch Yoongi work in his garden.
Yoongi can’t help but talk to the animal, "I really like my dahlias. Don’t tell the others but they are my favourites." Yoongi brushes his fingers along the petals. "They are like little fireworks but instead of disappearing in seconds into the night they bloom all summer far into the fall."
It feels a bit childish to talk to the bunny like this, like it actually listens. But when Yoongi looks at the bunny, it really seems like it’s all ears. Not just because it has beautiful long ears. It looks at Yoongi with its big black eyes and the ears are pointed at him instead of being flattened on its back.
"I hope it rains soon. I don’t want to carry all the water from the well." Yoongi goes to put away his can. “It would be good for the plants too.”
Yoongi takes a moment to look at the bunny. It hasn’t moved from its spot the whole time, thinking probably that it can’t be seen there. Just like earlier Yoongi wishes it won’t be eaten and goes back inside.
It keeps happening more and more frequently. The hare shows up in Yoongi’s yard and slowly it becomes familiar enough with Yoongi that it doesn’t run away as soon as Yoongi tries to approach it. Yoongi took his time just keeping his distance and talking to it and now it seems comfortable enough to stay a little closer to Yoongi when he works.
The hare is the most beautiful thing Yoongi has seen. Its white fur is fluffy and clean apart from a few twigs sticking to its belly. The black eyes tell Yoongi it’s not an albino hare which makes Yoongi even more puzzled about why the bunny is still white and not brown. Whatever the reason might be, Yoongi still thinks the bunny is elegant and adorable in the way it tilts its head when Yoongi talks to it.
Yoongi is plotting to get closer to the hare by offering it some of his strawberries which Yoongi has fenced away to avoid any animals or birds getting to it. He comes out with a handful of berries and gets as close as the bunny has let him before. With about a metre to the bunny Yoongi sets the berries down, moving as slow as he can. He backs up just as slow and sits down to wait.
Yoongi is patient but the bunny is testing his patience with how long it’s taking to do anything. Yoongi is about to give up and go back in when the hare takes a small hop forward. Yoongi is holding his breath and trying his best to not pose a threat to it and finally it hops to the strawberries. It still doesn’t eat them but keeps looking at Yoongi like he had poisoned the strawberries. Yoongi could laugh at how distrusting the hare is but he understands it’s a wild animal and he doesn’t want to make a sound. Finally, the bunny starts eating the berries. Still a little cautious of Yoongi, it munches on the berries and Yoongi could start crying at how cute it is. He won’t though.
“You liked them?” Yoongi whispers at the bunny when it has finished eating.
The hare rises its head now fully alert about Yoongi's presence, its ears pointed at him.
“I guess you wouldn’t have eaten them if you didn’t,” Yoongi takes it as a win to have managed to feed the hare and starts getting up. He goes back inside but turns to look back at the bunny at the door. At first, he doesn’t see it so he assumes it ran away but then he spots it at the bottom of the stairs that lead up to Yoongi’s terrace.
“Oh, you’re escorting me to the door? Aren’t you a gentleman?” Yoongi chuckles. “Or are you a girl? You look small for a hare so I’ll assume you’re a boy.” The bunny stays at the bottom of the stairs and Yoongi says goodnight to it before closing the door.
Namjoon asked Yoongi for dinner. What Yoongi didn’t expect is that he is the only one invited. Namjoon didn’t exactly say it was a date but he did say that he wanted to spend time with just him, in turn making Yoongi feel stupid for expecting other people. It’s making Yoongi a little bit anxious because it’s hard to tell where they stand. Yoongi would say they are friends because, in addition to Namjoon being a long time customer, they have also bonded over Seokjin’s dinner parties. So yes, Namjoon is more than a customer but does Namjoon wish to be more than friends? Yoongi knows he has no other choice but to ask.
Before leaving, Yoongi made sure his hair wasn’t a mess and his strawberries were wrapped nicely and that's how Yoongi finds himself at Namjoon’s front door. He knocks a couple times and waits. Soon enough Namjoon answers the door and invites Yoongi in. Namjoon is wearing an apron so he was clearly in the middle of cooking but underneath that he's dressed in a nice shirt with its sleeves cuffed.
"I brought strawberries," Yoongi lifts up the cover on the box so Namjoon can see, "we could eat them for dessert."
"That's perfect! Thank you!" Namjoon accepts the box from Yoongi with a dimpled smile and he brings it to the dining table.
Yoongi finds the dining table set very simply: plates, forks, knives, wine glasses and another glass for water for each of them. The table itself is a heavy wooden table and there is one candle at the end. Yoongi is convinced it’s a date now. Namjoon’s decor is very simple with lots of wood used in his furniture. Yoongi saw many plants on his way in and the kitchen is not an exception. There are potted plants scattered around and even some of them are hung up from the ceiling. It creates a very homey feeling in the small kitchen and dining area.
"I thought cooking steaks would make a nice dinner. I already got started on the potatoes." Namjoon explains happily.
Sure enough, Yoongi sees two large steaks on the kitchen counter Namjoon has been preparing and the stove is on. There is a slightly burnt smell lingering in the air.
When Namjoon doesn’t notice it in any way and just stands there happily, Yoongi asks, "How are the potatoes doing?"
Namjoon perks up and clearly smells the potatoes now. He rushes to the stove and turns it off while simultaneously moving the pot off. He peeks into the pot and sighs defeated.
"That bad, huh?" Yoongi moves to look at Namjoon’s cooking to find peeled potatoes in the pot and no water. "You do know that boiling potatoes means adding water and not frying them?"
Namjoon sighs again and mumbles something about there being water. He takes out a plate and pours the potatoes to it with some sticking to the bottom of the pan. "Think they are still edible?"
"The ones that aren’t burnt to the bottom of the pan look alright. Are they cooked through?" Yoongi thinks it’s salvageable.
Namjoon fetches a fork and pokes at one. It doesn’t go smoothly through it and Namjoom shakes his head.
"Okay, what if we pop them in the oven with some seasoning and let them cook while we make the steaks." Yoongi suggests and can see the dark cloud parting around Namjoon.
"Yeah," Namjoon finally smiles at Yoongi, "That sounds good."
Yoongi helps Namjoon set the potatoes on a baking sheet, sprinkle some olive oil on them and cut garlic cloves to place next to the potatoes. Namjoon grows herbs just like Yoongi and they have fresh rosemary, parsley and thyme to season the potatoes with. Together they work side by side in the kitchen chatting and sharing laughs while they fry the steaks and some onions in the leftover juices. In the end they have cooked a delicious dinner that not only smells but looks amazing.
Yoongi is still laughing at something Namjoon said while they plate the food and sit down to eat. It’s really nice to eat together like this. It’s different from the dinner parties and Yoongi bringing his dinner over to Taehyung's so they can eat together and not alone. He and Namjoon click well together and Yoongi is starting to think he wouldn't mind being something more. They steal glances at each other while eating mostly in silence. When their eyes meet Namjoon smiles brightly at Yoongi and he returns the smile but there's something sharp in Namjoon’s that makes Yoongi quickly turn his eyes back to what’s left of his meal.
Once they are finished, Yoongi insists on helping Namjoon clean up the kitchen. Namjoon washes the dishes and Yoongi wipes them dry. It goes by fast when they work together and soon all the dishes are clean and the leftovers are put away. Yoongi is debating if he should start leaving and the night is over but Namjoon asks if Yoongi would like to stay a little while longer and finish up the bottle with him. Yoongi is delighted to hear that Namjoon, too, doesn’t want the night to be just over yet. They take their glasses and Namjoon leads Yoongi to the living room.
The living room is neat and this room has the most plants out of the previous ones. Yoongi guesses it has to do with the large window that lets in a lot of sunlight. Right now, it's dark outside and Yoongi can see their reflections in the window. Namjoon has folded up his legs on the sofa and he's sipping on the wine. Yoongi likes how cosy it is.
"Yoongi," Namjoon starts and he's fumbling a little with his words, "I think you're very kind and no words do justice to how beautiful you are." Namjoon smiles sheepishly. "What I'm trying to say is I like your company and I'd like to ask you out on a date."
"Oh?" Yoongi is surprised by not only his kind words but, "Isn't this a date?"
"I… well I was going to pretend that it wasn't if everything went horribly wrong but yes, it is." Namjoon rubs at his neck with his free hand. "But I think we hit it off well and I'd like to do this again if you'd like that too?"
"Yeah, I'd like that," Yoongi is smiling, gummies and all, and he sees Namjoon breath out of relief. Yoongi is more than happy to get to know him more on dates.
Yoongi has once again hauled his dinner over to Taehyung’s so they can eat together. Doing the dishes is less annoying this way too. Right now they are focused on eating.
“So…” Yoongi starts, looking at his plate, “What do you think of Namjoon?”
“He’s nice,” Taehyung says easily, “He helped me cut down a few trees here. The firewood lasted me a whole winter even though I told Namjoon he should take some of it since it was his hard work cutting the trees down. Why?”
“Well he asked me on a date,” Yoongi says tentatively.
“What? When?” Taehyung asks with excitement. “Please tell me you said yes!”
“Yeah,” Yoongi watches Taehyung smile a wide boxy smile. “It was when I was at a dinner at his place. Technically, that was already a date but Namjoon didn’t label it as such. So yeah at the end of the dinner he asked me to go out with him.” Yoongi rambles on about the night before.
“So you already went on a date with him?” Taehyung exclaims. “How was it? I bet he looked at you constantly with those heart eyes.”
“No, he didn’t. It was nice.” Yoongi shoves more food in his mouth to avoid rambling like an infatuated teenager.
“I’m telling you he’s fancied you for a long time. Ah, I’m so happy he finally had the guts to do something about it.” Taehyung keeps smiling like he knows better than Yoongi or maybe he’s just content that something more exciting than strawberries and carrots is happening in Yoongi’s life.
“Do you know him well?” Yoongi asks to turn the conversation away from their alleged feelings.
“Aside from hanging out with him at Seokjin’s, not really. He keeps to himself a lot of the time but he’s visited me a few times.” Taehyung finally continues eating. “I think he’s a nice guy and those arms he has from all the wood chopping he does…” Taehyung lifts a playful eyebrow at Yoongi and Yoongi glares back at the insinuation. Taehyung giggles.
Yoongi laughs too. This is why Yoongi likes Taehyung’s company. The air around him is always light and it makes Yoongi feel a little lighter too.
Yoongi hums to himself as he mops the floor. He hums melodies from songs he knows and completely made up ones. The latter he could try to recreate on the piano later when he’s done cleaning. He doesn’t think about much as he wipes back and forth, stopping to rinse the mop once in a while. A full house cleanup may be a little overkill when it’s just Namjoon coming over, hell, Yoongi hasn’t even asked Namjoon yet. Yoongi just wants to have everything ready so that he only has to panic about cooking dinner.
Namjoon took Yoongi on a date as promised. They went out to the farmers’ market, an ordinary thing, but with Namjoon, it felt much more exciting. The very first berries are being sold right now and he and Namjoon managed to buy a small bowl of blackberries that they shared while sitting far away from the crowd. Yoongi walked Namjoon home since his house is right in the city and it wouldn’t add much of a detour to Yoongi’s trip home. But Yoongi would have gladly taken a much longer detour just to repeat Namjoon shyly asking if he can kiss Yoongi before saying their goodbyes. They kissed briefly right at Namjoon’s doorstep and it had Yoongi smiling the whole way home.
Yoongi is finally done sweeping the floors so he discards the water and sets the mop away. He took his bedding out along with his rugs so they are next on Yoongi’s to do while the floor dries. He puts on his shoes and goes outside. As he approaches the clothesline where he has hung up his things, a familiar ball of white fluff catches his eye. The hare is once again in his yard like it was living there with Yoongi.
“Hello again little one,” Yoongi greets the bunny. The hare looks at Yoongi and doesn’t hop away when Yoongi walks closer. He sits down on the grass a polite distance away. “You’ve made yourself home here, haven’t you?” The bunny doesn’t obviously respond to Yoongi but he keeps talking. “I’ll have a lot of strawberries soon so don’t go eating those before they are ripe. I’ll even leave you some if you behave. So make yourself at home but please don’t eat my plants. I’ve worked really hard to grow them.”
The hare sits unmoving opposite Yoongi. Its ears are pointed alert and it looks like it actually listens. Yoongi can only hope the bunny could understand him and heed the warning.
“I’m going to have to do something that will scare you away now,” Yoongi warns the hare despite knowing the bunny doesn’t understand.
Yoongi gets back up and goes over to the clothesline to bring his bedding in before starting on the rugs. Yoongi starts quietly to try and scare the bunny away without giving it a heart attack and just as expected the bunny hops away. Once it’s no longer in sight, Yoongi really gets to it, dust coming out of the mats in puffs.
When Yoongi finally brings in the last rug and sets it down where it belongs, he breathes out, satisfied with his work. Yoongi loves the feeling of a clean home for it makes him feel like he has organised his thoughts at the same time as he has cleaned the house. After hours of mopping, dusting and washing everything, Yoongi does the next logical thing: he takes out the flour.
Yoongi mixes yeast and syrup in warm water. He sprinkles in cardamom and a pinch of salt before he starts mixing the flour in. When it is thick enough he starts kneading it with his hand, the warm dough sticking to his fingers. Next, in goes melted butter and the rest of the flour and then it's just kneading. The dough goes from sticky to soft and stretchy quickly and with a little more kneading, Yoongi can leave it to rest. He covers the bowl with a towel and sets it away.
While the dough rises, Yoongi rests. He’s done enough for today and there is still plenty of time before Namjoon gets off from work so he doesn’t have to worry about getting ready any time soon.
The dough has risen nicely when Yoongi checks on it. He dusts the table with a thin coat of flour and rolls out the dough onto the table. It’s still a little sticky but that’s better for the cinnamon rolls than too much flour. With ease Yoongi kneads a bit more flour in and rolls it out with a rolling pin. He spreads a generous amount of butter, sugar and cinnamon on it and starts rolling it tightly into what will become beautiful swirls once cut. The dough is enough to fill three baking sheets worth of rolls which he leaves for the second rest. While the dough rises Yoongi does the dishes and cleans the counter.
Baking the rolls in the oven is the most crucial part. They need to be that perfect golden brown but they must not be raw. After giving the rolls an egg wash and sprinkling some sugar on top for decoration, Yoongi puts in the first sheet. Then the second and finally the third sheet goes into the oven and now Yoongi has enough rolls for him and to deliver to his friends. Yoongi packs the buns in cute containers and covers them. Before closing the lid, Yoongi takes out a piece of paper and writes a small note to Namjoon. It’s simple; all it says is “enjoy” and after adding one heart at the end Yoongi debates if he should add another and decides that fuck it he will add two more despite it starting to look a little like a teenager loveletter. Yoongi just can’t help but feel the excitement bubbling up in his chest as he thinks about his developing relationship with Namjoon.
With his containers packed in his basket, Yoongi is off to Taehyung’s first. He crosses the woods and knocks before using his spare key to enter Taehyung’s cabin. He yells a hello but when he gets no response, he goes to the kitchen to leave a container on the table. It will be a nice surprise when Taehyung comes home. Next up is Namjoon who should already be home. Yoongi walks to the town and knocks on Namjoon’s front door.
Namjoon answers the door and he beams at Yoongi when he sees him. “Hi! I didn’t know you were coming today.”
“Oh, I’m just dropping these off,” Yoongi pulls out a container from his basket, “It’s cinnamon rolls. I baked them earlier today.”
Namjoon happily accepts the gift. “You didn’t have to come all the way here just for these but thank you!”
“I also wanted to ask if you want to come over for dinner on the weekend?” Yoongi asks, hoping Namjoon will agree.
“So you’re bribing me with these?” Namjoon laughs.
Yoongi laughs too. “There will be more good food if you come. Is Saturday okay?”
“Well, in that case, I have to be there.” Namjoon smiles, dimples appearing at the corners of his mouth. “Saturday is perfect. I can’t wait. Do you wanna come in for a bit?”
“I’d love to but I still have to go to Seokjin’s. I wouldn’t want to leave if I did.”
“Okay, fair, I wouldn’t want you to leave either. Can I at least have a goodbye kiss?” Namjoon asks.
Yoongi smiles a full gummy smile and he steps closer for Namjoon to lean down. They both smile into the kiss, making it difficult but Yoongi doesn’t care. He’s just happy. “I have to go,” Yoongi says when they part.
“I can’t bribe you to stay with the promise of more kisses?”
“No,” Yoongi shakes his head and chuckles. “I’ll see you on Saturday!” he backs away from the front door as Namjoon waves at him.
Seokjin doesn’t live too far away from Namjoon. Still, it takes a while to walk over to his house. Yoongi doesn’t mind walking when the weather is nice like today. The sun shines bright for another four or five hours and it’s warm and even the cool breeze isn’t cold enough to warrant a jacket. The perfect weather. Yoongi gets to Seokjin’s porch and knocks on the heavy wooden door. Soon Yoongi hears sounds from inside the house and Seokjin comes to the door to welcome him in.
“I brought you cinnamon rolls,” Yoongi hands over the container after he’s taken off his shoes and they’ve moved away from the entrance. “Baked them today.”
“You’re the best,” Seokjin compliments when receiving the gift. “I’ll take them to the kitchen. Just sit down wherever.”
Seokjin heads to the kitchen and Yoongi follows to stop by the kitchen island. “How are you doing?” Yoongi asks as he sits down.
“I’m good, actually,” Seokjin says as he sets down the box and opens it up. “Yoongi, I know you love me but aren’t the hearts a bit much?” Seokjin chuckles.
“What?” Yoongi asks in confusion. It sinks in when Seokjin waves the note that was meant for Namjoon’s box in front of him. “I- That- It wasn't for you,” Yoongi feels heat crawling up his cheeks.
“Aww, so you don’t love me after all,” Seokjin says and pouts.
“Shut up and give that to me,” Yoongi holds out his hand for the note.
“Nuh uh,” Seokjin lifts his hand above his head as if the card wasn’t already out of Yoongi’s reach, “Only if you say you love me.”
“I’d rather die,” Yoongi gives up and folds his arms on the table to rest his head on them. On any other day he'd tell Seokjin he loves him but right now it’s about principle.
“I really thought we had something special,” Seokjin says dramatically and sighs loudly.
“I love you,” Yoongi mumbles into his arms.
“What was that?”
Yoongi lifts his head just enough to glare at Seokjin. “I love you, you idiot.”
“Ouch, but I’ll take it,” Seokjin laughs, “I love you too, you grumpy little old man.”
Yoongi bursts out laughing, not being able to hold it back anymore. “You are aware that you’re older than me, right? Or did the dementia already get you?” he says when he’s able to catch his breath again.
“Time is a social construct,” Seokjin ponders. “Okay but who was it for then? I know you don’t go around handing out handwritten notes with hearts to everyone. Ohh is it Namjoon?” Seokjin hands the note over.
“Did Tae tell you?” Yoongi is surprised at how fast the word spreads. Well, he didn’t ask him to keep it on the down low but he didn’t expect him to tell all of his friends in the matter of a few days.
“I haven’t seen that kid in weeks. How is he doing? No, wait, so it’s Namjoon?”
“Yeah, it was meant for Namjoon,” Yoongi admits, “Taehyung’s good. He’s been busy with the fields since it’s harvesting time. Didn’t you see him last week? He told me about that.”
“I did. It feels a lot longer than that.” Seokjin shrugs. “So, Namjoon?”
“You tell me how you knew about it first.” If it wasn’t Taehyung then was it Namjoon who told him, Yoongi wonders.
“He asked about what you like to eat and you know how you eat basically anything so I just told him that you like a good home cooked meal. You know, I had a feeling he was into you but I had no idea you were into him!”
Why did everyone else know about Namjoon’s feelings before him? “It’s been developing. Can we talk about something else? Taehyung already made me tell him everything. I’m sure he’ll fill you in.”
“Yeah, of course. Do you want coffee or tea so we can eat the cinnamon rolls?”
“Tea,” Yoongi prefers tea late in the day. Coffee would just keep him up when it’s already difficult to sleep as it is. “How is the hunt going?” Yoongi asks while Seokjin boils the water.
“There isn’t anything to hunt this month. I’m on vacation until August. We’re still looking for the monster but there aren’t any signs of it.” Seokjin sets them plates and mugs.
“The monster? That’s what you’re calling it?”
The kettle starts to rumble on the stove. “If you had seen the damage it did, you would agree with the name. And the way it strikes and disappears, it has sort of become a mythical beast of the old tales for us. We still have no idea what it is. I was thinking it could be a bobcat but there is only one time I’ve seen one here.”
It’s strange to see Seokjin so at a loss. Usually the elder is confident about anything to do with hunting or the forests in general. Yoongi may know the best foraging spots but Seokjin knows the forest even better than him. He grew up hunting and roaming the forest so for him to be completely clueless about it is making Yoongi a little uneasy.
The kettle whistles so Seokjin goes to turn the stove off. He pours water for the both of them and lets Yoongi choose what tea he’d like to drink. Yoongi opts for a black currant flavoured black tea and lets it steep.
“Speaking of odd animals, there's a hare in my yard that’s still white,” Yoongi brings up the adorable ball of fluff that has been keeping him company this summer.
“Albino?” Seokjin guesses the same thing Yoongi thought about.
“See that’s the thing. The hare has completely black eyes instead of red so I don’t think it is. Do you think, somehow, it still hasn’t changed its coat?” Yoongi speculates.
Seokjin hums as he takes out the teabag from his cup and sets it aside. “Could be but I don’t see how that’s possible. What I’m wondering is how it’s still alive if it’s completely white.”
“I was surprised about that too. I’m guessing there aren’t any predators near my yard where he hangs around. Maybe that’s why it’s there so frequently.”
After they are done eating they move the conversation to the living room. They keep talking late into the evening, forgetting about the hare and Seokjin squeezing out more details of Yoongi’s new relationship. When the sun starts to set, Yoongi takes it as his sign to head back home.
Yoongi takes out the stew from the oven to add water and stir it. Opening the lid releases the hot steam trapped in the cast iron pot and the smell of cooking fills the kitchen. It’s already been in the oven for about an hour now so it will soon be ready. Namjoon should also arrive any minute now. Yoongi tried to time it so that the stew will be ready a little after Namjoon gets here. It’s a little bit ridiculous how Yoongi has been fussing about everything needing to be perfect tonight. It’s not like they didn’t have a nice time cooking together at Namjoon’s earlier but Yoongi sort of wants to impress Namjoon. With his trusted stew recipe, he’s sure he will win Namjoon’s heart. Just in case he didn’t already. The pot goes back into the oven for a little while longer.
In the meantime, Yoongi turns on the stove to start boiling the potatoes and sets the table. Just as the water starts to boil and Yoongi turns the stove to a lower heat, Yoongi hears a knock at his front door. After making sure the potatoes don’t boil over, Yoongi hurries to the door. He smoothes out his hair before opening the door.
Namjoon stands there dressed in sand coloured loose pants and an oversized tee. He has a bag slung over his shoulder and he wears a dazzling smile on his face. Yoongi’s heart skips a beat. This time Yoongi initiates and leans closer for a kiss and Namjoon meets him halfway. It’s just a quick peck and then Yoongi is ushering Namjoon in.
“Wow it smells amazing! What are we eating?” Namjoon asks as they make their way to the kitchen.
“Moose stew and mashed potatoes,” Yoongi replies. “The potatoes just started boiling so it will be a little while before everything is ready.”
“Then we have just enough time to cork this bottle. I didn’t know what we were going to eat so I hope this one is fine?” Namjoon pulls a bottle of wine from his bag.
Yoongi receives the bottle and goes to fetch a corkscrew. “Yeah, this will work perfectly.”
The bottle opens with a pop and Yoongi pours them both a glass. Time passes by quickly as they chat while sipping on the wine. Before Yoongi notices he’s done making the mashed potatoes and they have plates full of steaming stew with vegetables from his own garden.
“Yoongi, this is seriously good,” Namjoon says and scoops another fork of food into his mouth.
Yoongi preens under the compliment. “Thank you,” he says, focusing his gaze on his plate.
Just like earlier, they do the dishes together and Namjoon helps Yoongi put everything away. When the kitchen is clean they move to the living room side.
“Will you play for me?” Namjoon asks. He asked about the piano in the room earlier while they were eating.
The piano sits in the corner of the room. It was important for Yoongi to have a piano to play when he moved in. Letting his fingers dance on the keyboard is like therapy for him. The piano can convey all of his emotions in a way words can’t. Yoongi sits on the seat and opens the cover to reveal the row of black and white keys. For Namjoon, Yoongi plays a slow melody. It’s calm but uplifting and Yoongi lets the melody drift him along.
Namjoon sits mostly quietly. He listens carefully and watches Yoongi play. “Beautiful,” Namjoon comments.
Yoongi feels heat crawl up his cheeks but he keeps playing. When he finishes he keeps smiling and looking down at the keyboard.
“You really play so well,” Namjoon says. Yoongi turns to look at him and Namjoon is smiling in wonder.
“Have you played?” Yoongi asks.
“No, not really,” Namjoon shakes his head, “I know only one children’s song and I don’t even know what keys I’m pressing.”
Yoongi thinks for a moment. “Come here,” Yoongi scoots to give space on the seat for Namjoon.
Namjoon sits next to him and now they are pressed side to side on the small seat.
“Place your fingers here,” Yoongi shows Namjoon and Namjoon mimics Yoongi’s position. Yoongi puts his hand over Namjoon's and plays the chord. “That’s C major,” Yoongi explains. He moves his hand to another position and presses down the keys to play the chord. “G major. Try it.” Namjoon moves his hand to where Yoongi’s was and plays.
“Look at me, already a professional,” Namjoon chuckles.
“Mmhm,” Yoongi smiles too. He shows Namjoon two more chords and Namjoon carefully follows them. “Can you play each of them back to back? Like this.” Yoongi shows Namjoon what he means. “It’s okay if you don’t remember them all yet.”
Namjoon tries playing them. It takes a few corrections but mostly Namjoon gets the hang of it.
“Keep playing them. I’ll play you a melody.” Yoongi says and Namjoon starts from the first chord.
They play together like that. Every time Yoongi steals a glance at Namjoon he sees him focused hard on his task. Yoongi forgets to play as he watches Namjoon. Namjoon notices quickly how Yoongi stopped, stopping himself and turning to look at Yoongi.
“Did I play it wrong?” Namjoon asks.
“No, you just,” Yoongi can’t put it into words. Namjoon makes his heart skip a beat and melt into a puddle. Because he can’t form words, he gently cups Namjoon’s cheek and guides Namjoon closer. They are sitting so close Yoongi barely has to move to connect their lips. Namjoon draws in a sharp breath and closes his eyes. The lips slide against each other with ease and Yoongi places his other hand on Namjoon’s neck. Namjoon’s hands find Yoongi’s waist and he holds him as they kiss. When they part, Yoongi smiles. His hands are still wrapped around Namjoon’s neck and he plays with the strands of hair at Namjoon’s nape. “This is nice,” he says. He could get used to this, looking at Namjoon’s beautiful eyes from such a short distance, holding him, kissing him.
“Yeah,” Namjoon agrees and dives in for more.
Yoongi smiles like a fool throughout the next few weeks. Every time he has time to breathe and stop, his thoughts drift back to Namjoon. It’s like he’s under a spell and can’t think about anything else. Doing the dishes brings him back to when Namjoon helped him clean. Looking at his piano reminds him of them making out next to it before moving to lounge on the sofa. Each time he’s reminded of him, he yearns for more. Yoongi has the feeling Namjoon feels the same way. They have been going on dates and just spending time together more frequently.
Taehyung comments on it by saying how Yoongi seems unusually happy and it’s creeping him out. Which is a little unfair in Yoongi’s opinion. He is often happy. He just doesn’t show it like that. Taehyung laughs it off and says that Namjoon has been good for him and he swears he will gut him if he ever does anything to wipe the smile off Yoongi’s face.
In the middle of the week, Yoongi visits Namjoon again. It’s a short visit before Yoongi has to head back but they manage to sneak in many more kisses. They are saying their goodbyes in the entrance.
“Do you want to come over again this weekend?” Yoongi asks, hoping to spend more time with him.
“Oh,” Namjoon rubs his neck, “I actually can’t do this weekend. It’s a family thing. I’ll be out of town.”
Yoongi is a little down about that but he understands. Family is important. It comes as a little surprise to him because Namjoon hasn’t mentioned his family once before this. Yoongi won’t pry though. “That’s okay. I’ll see you next week then?” Yoongi asks.
“Definitely,” Namjoon replies.
They spend five more minutes trying to leave but neither of them wants Yoongi to go yet. With a couple more kisses Yoongi is finally out of the door.