Work Text:
after losing your path, the scenery is more beautiful
— around the world in a day, rm with moses sumney
kim namjoon has definitely hit a new low.
he would’ve thought that his low point fell somewhere around making a fake instagram account to stalk his ex.
hmm.
or maybe it was around him accidentally liking one of said ex’s posts with his new partner when he was supposed to be blocked. and he liked it from his main account.
that definitely had to be up there. or down there. he’s not very sure.
he’s not very sure because he’s sitting in his car in the parking lot of him (and his ex’s) favorite brunch spot, staring daggers at the vehicle parked in front of him. it was a black bmw convertible, with a south korean flag hanging from the mirror. the city was small and everyone knows everyone, so namjoon was sure that it was his ex’s car. there absolutely couldn’t be anyone else here who had the same car, make and model and everything. memories of late night automobile rendezvouses start to float back to him in bitter waves, and namjoon is a man who oftentimes leads with his heart and not his brain. so he clambers out of his car and stalks over to the other one, digging into his pocket for his keys. his appetite for an overpriced avocado toast and strawberry smoothie was completely gone, and only one thing was on his mind.
he was going to key this man’s car.
namjoon doesn’t care about the three obvious repercussions of doing this, getting charged with vandalism or feeling really guilty after or hobi giving him a look filled with so much disappointment after he tells him what he did that he melts into a pathetic puddle on the floor. he doesn’t care about any of it and sometimes the pain is too acrid to bear. his ex loved this car, and it brings namjoon joy to think about the anger and frustration he’d feel seeing his most prized possession ruined, even if the ruin was an easy fix. so he untangles his sharpest key out from his jangle of ones and without hesitation or any second or even third thoughts, slashes a sharp line straight across the smooth paint.
he stops.
ponders for a moment.
that felt good, he thinks to himself, adrenaline rushing deep throughout his veins, that felt really good.
it feels good and he forgets all about low points and repercussions as he etches in another line. he scritches and scratches without a care in the world, only looking around periodically to see if he was being watched. when the coasts are clear, he goes back to scraping until he’s satisfied. he shoves his keys into his pockets and steps back with his hands akimbo to admire his quite abstract work.
“i should give him an autograph as well.” he says with a little laugh to himself.
“uhm, why did you just key my car?” a voice suddenly cuts through the otherwise quiet air. namjoon’s head snaps up quickly.
then his heart skips a beat and almost falls out of his ass at the same time.
standing in front of him was the most gorgeous man he’d ever seen in his stupid, gay, pathetic life. and he looked kinda annoyed.
“uhh,” namjoon stalls, seemingly forgetting how to speak, “this isn’t your car.”
the man crosses his very thick arms (one of which is completely tattooed, much to namjoon’s utter dismay) over his very buff chest, and cocks an eyebrow. his eyebrow piercing glints in the sun. namjoon is fucked.
“nope, this is definitely my car. see the bunny on the dash?” he asks, pointing a finger towards the dashboard. namjoon squints his eyes and gasps when he sees the little bunny figure standing cutely on the dashboard.
namjoon is so fucked.
“o—oh my god,” he stutters, his body becoming filled with sheer utter panic, “holy shit, i am so sorry. i just—i thought you were my ex and i had a terrible lapse in judgment and wanted to get revenge and make him hurt and—” he stops himself, watching as the man pulls out his phone. panic starts to bubble up inside of him tenfold.
oh god he’s gonna call the cops on me (repercussion number one)
“here,” the man says, handing namjoon his phone, “put your number in my phone.” namjoon is a little visibly confused and the man can see that, because he smiles and his lip piercing now glints in the sun. namjoon is really so fucked.
“i need your number so i can call you if i decide to tell my insurance company that i know who keyed my car, or just leave it at i don’t know who did it.” namjoon’s lips form a silent “oh” and he quickly types in his name and number. the man takes his phone back and starts to walk towards namjoon, coming to stand next to him and survey the damage on his car. namjoon stiffens up, hyper aware of the fact that he was now just centimeters away from him and he smells so good.
“damn, he really fucked you up, huh?” he asks. namjoon lets out a humorless laugh.
“has shit ever gotten so bad you started praying to a god you didn’t believe in?” the man purses his lips at the question, shaking his head.
“mhmm, you’re one lucky guy.” namjoon muses. the man nods and the air between them goes silent for a moment.
“i should probably get going,” he says after awhile, “probably going to go to the shop and see how much this’ll cost to get fixed. might as well just get a whole new wrap.” namjoon turns to him, guilt washing over him.
“i’m really sorry again, i feel terrible,” he says, “please let me know if there’s anything i could do to make it up to you, buy you dinner or something.” the man gives him a gentle smile, gentle enough that namjoon actually felt slightly soothed.
“it’s alright, no worries. have a nice day, namjoon.” he says softly, and namjoon’s knees almost buckle at the sound of his name coming from the man’s mouth.
“you too.” he responds with the same softness, then makes his way back to his car while resisting the strong urge to not look back. he drives home and flops onto the apartment couch in a daze, the day’s events replaying over and over again in his mind like a messed up record. his roommate comes out of his room with his always bright smile to greet him but his smile falters when he sees namjoon staring off into space with a distant look in his eyes. hobi comes over to sit beside him and waves a hand in front of his face.
“hello?” he calls out, “earth to namu?”
“five years, hobi-cha,” he daydreams, “we’ll have our own japandi style apartment filled with art and plants and books and we’ll cook together every sunday and wednesday evening. we’ll have a japanese bobtail named rosie and she’ll lay on her back in the sunlight that streams through the floor length windows and you know who will be just a ghost in my closet.” hobi looks at him with such bewilderment that namjoon almost laughs, then proceeds to explain everything. once hobi gets over his initial disappointment (repercussion number three, except namjoon didn’t melt into a shame-filled puddle) and slight horror at namjoon’s crime, he thinks to himself.
“do you think he’ll reach out to you?” namjoon slumps back, wilting like a dead flower.
“i don’t know, since he alluded to the fact that he was probably gonna take care of it himself. i might never hear from him again, fuck i never even got his name.”
“you could see him again though,” hobi states, “it’s a small world here, you never know.” namjoon purses his lips, nodding his head in reluctant agreement.
“i’m so telling jin and yoongi about this, you fell in love at first sight with a guy whose car you keyed.”
“please don’t,” namjoon begs him with a groan, “jin would never let me live it down and neither would yoongi but in a quieter way.” hobi just giggles like a mischievous child.
“i hope you see him again, for your sake.” namjoon sighs. he hopes to see him again too.
⋆｡˚𖦹
a few weeks go by and the memories of the car keying incident start to slowly fade into the background of namjoon’s mind. work is busy and grad school is even busier. getting his master’s in creative writing was no easy feat, and there was no room in his brain and heart for distractions.
but for some reason he just couldn’t stop thinking about the guy whose car he vandalized.
in between thinking up short stories and researching the different types of prose, he finds himself day and night dreaming about the man with piercings and a tattooed arm. he’s become a sort of fleeting muse for him, becoming the subject of sappy poetry namjoon writes while lying wide awake in bed at three am. he’s head over heels for him and he doesn’t even know the guy, which is why he spends more time driving around and stopping into various places to hopefully see him again.
things come to a head one friday evening, when his friends are over for drinks and hors d’oeuvres and his misdemeanor is now considered part of the near past. seokjin is going on and on about the preparations for his upcoming marriage to yoongi, which will be a lavish wedding taking place at a nature center down south of where they live. seokjin hopes to be floated down the aisle by a group of monarch butterflies and yoongi listens attentively as he rambles on and on, staring at his fiancé like he hung the moon and stars in the sky. hobi takes notes on everything seokjin says like a diligent student, while offering suggestions and ideas. namjoon listens quietly, less attentively as he stares at his distorted reflection in his glass of iced peach soda mixed with soju of the same flavor. his mind was in a completely different place, save for trying to map out the logistics of how butterflies would be able to carry his very tall friend down the aisle. he’s lost in thought about monarchs and weddings when a loud snap shakes him out of his mind. it’s seokjin, giving him a questioning look.
“were you even listening to a word i just said?” he asks with his perfectly manicured eyebrow quirked. namjoon looks away, focusing anywhere but on his friend’s curious face.
“something about butterflies.” he mumbles. seokjin rolls his eyes.
“what’s on your mind?” yoongi asks him, taking a leisurely sip of his whiskey. he’s hesitant to answer, pursing his lips to the side.
“i think he’s thinking about the guy who he’s in love with,” answers hobi, “the one who’s car he vandalized.”
“wait,” seokjin interjects, “so you’re actually in love with this guy? hobi, he’s actually in love with him?”
“yes!” hobi exclaims excitedly before namjoon could speak, “he’s been writing in his poetry book way more often and i find him daydreaming even more these days. it’s so cute, seeing my namjoonie in love again.”
“namjoon,” yoongi begins, “how are you coping with being in love with someone whose name you don’t even know?” he asks a valid question, and it makes namjoon slump into his seat, curving over like a wilted flower.
“i don’t know,” he says, “sometimes i think i might just be in love with the version of him that i’ve created in my head. he could be a totally different person than how i see him, just like how things were with my ex.” they all silently agree.
“i just wish i had at least asked for his name that day,” he continues, “he never contacted me so i’m assuming he got his car fixed up himself. i still feel horrible though and i still wish i could’ve done something, at least buy him a couple drinks or something like that.” he abruptly stands up and begins to pace around the room, ranting.
“i need the universe to give me a sign, you know? something that says ‘okay namjoon you’re never going to see him again so time to give it up.’,” he suddenly leans his head back, groaning, “i just remembered i have a forty question quiz due tomorrow at noon, why the fuck do i have stuff due at noon on a saturday?”
namjoon sits down heavily, his drink sloshing in his glass. he sets the cup down on the coaster on the table and rubs his arms.
“do you guys think i’m even ready to start dating again?” he asks, glancing between his friends. they all sport weary looks amidst each other, then seokjin breaks the silence.
“if your ex can move on three weeks after you guys ended things, then i see no reason why you can’t move on after three months. the question is not if we think you’re ready though, it’s if you think you’re ready. are you mentally, emotionally ready to potentially let someone in your heart again?” namjoon goes quiet, mulling over his friend’s words.
“if it was him then i’d be ready in a heartbeat.” he basically whispers.
“oh you're hopeless.” yoongi says, earning snickers from everyone. just then, namjoon’s phone pings and he picks it up with his drink, unlocking it to see the notification.
from: (xxx) xxx-xxx
hey, is this namjoon?
to: (xxx) xxx-xxx
yes
who is this?
he sips on his drink with furrowed brows, watching as the person types.
from: (xxx) xxx-xxx
this is jungkook
you keyed my car awhile ago lol
the iced peach soda ends up flying out of namjoon’s mouth and going everywhere as he chokes and sputters, keeling over as his eyes almost pop out of his head.
“what? what is it?” asks seokjin, the three of them completely startled. he doesn’t answer, too busy wiping his lips and typing away to even realize that someone had just asked him a question.
to: jungkook
oh hey! how have you been?
did you get everything fixed with your car?
from: jungkook
i’ve been pretty good, and yes i did
my insurance covered everything too which was great
speaking of which i hope this isn’t too weird of me to ask but
is that offer for dinner still available?
to: jungkook
yeah definitely!
do you like mexican food? i know a really nice place downtown called elena‘s that we could go to
from: jungkook
yeah i love mexican food
that sounds great
how abt i meet u there at 5 tomorrow evening?
to: jungkook
okay sounds good!
i’m glad i’ll be able to make it up to you
from: jungkook
lmfaooo
don’t think of it as making anything up, i didn’t reach out because of that
i reached out bc for some reason i couldn’t stop myself from dreaming abt ur dimples and decided i needed to see them in person again
to: jungkook
oh 😳
well i’ll be looking forward to seeing ur lip piercing again if we’re being honest
and your sleeve
from: jungkook
i figured so, i’ll see u tmrw namjoon ;)
to: jungkook
see you 😊
namjoon quietly shuts off his phone and stares at his three friends, who were staring back at him with such intensity it frightened him a little. so he unlocks his phone again and goes into his most recent message thread, putting the device into yoongi’s gigantic hand. seokjin and hobi lean over both sides of him as they read, and namjoon watches with amusement as their eyes gradually get wider and their gasps gradually get louder until hobi is full on shrieking like a hyena and yoongi is hiding an uncharacteristically large grin behind his fist.
“oh my god,” remarks seokjin, who is fanning himself, “namjoon this is fucking huge.”
“it’s your sign from the universe!” hobi all but screams. namjoon silently hopes they won't get another noise complaint from their upstairs neighbor. it’ll be the third one this month.
“you guys really think so?” he questions, “that this is the universe hearing me out?” the three of them nod quite enthusiastically.
“i think the universe is telling you to go for it.” yoongi responds with a knowing smile. namjoon grins and shoots up out his seat, pacing around.
“okay, tomorrow i want to get him flowers. and i need to wear something really nice—hobi-cha, you’ll help me out right?”
hobi claps, completely ecstatic. “of course i will namu!”
they discuss the plans further and after a few more drinks, seokjin and yoongi head home. hobi and namjoon wash up and tell each other goodnight, then hobi retreats into his room to binge watch more of this romcom drama he’s become obsessed with. namjoon goes into his own quarters and undresses down to his boxers, grabbing his laptop and crawling into bed. with the burst of energy he got from tonight’s events, he takes his forty-question quiz in twenty-four minutes and scores an eighty-six. he shoves his laptop halfway underneath his pillow and lays on his back, staring up at the ceiling with his arms resting on his stomach. daydreams of the man now known to him as jungkook seep into his thoughts just like they have been every night for the past few weeks and namjoon giggles like a schoolboy, mulling over all of the amazing possibilities of what could happen tomorrow. he falls asleep to thoughts and questions of whether he should get butterflies to float him down at his own wedding.
⋆｡˚𖦹
the next day, namjoon is up and buzzing around like a bee in spring. he books a late morning nail appointment for a mani and pedicure, observing how nice the sunlight reflects on the clear polish as he walks to his car. jungkook texts him to ask if their date is still on, to which namjoon excitedly replies yes. this prompts him to stop at a farmer’s market and buy a bouquet of fresh pink asters then head home, eager to get ready for his date. as he walks down the apartment complex hallway, he can hear the muted sound of rnb music coming from his and hobi’s place, and silently hopes again that they won’t get another noise complaint. when he opens the door, he notices that the music is streaming from out of his room, and goes to see what’s going on after setting the flowers down onto the table.
when he walks in, it’s like his closet proceeded to throw up everywhere.
his clothes are thrown in just about every spot you could think of and hobi is standing in the midst of all of it, stroking his chin with his pointer and thumb.
“hobi uh…what the fuck?”
hobi’s attention snaps to him and he smiles widely, motioning to the mountain of clothes piled on the floor.
“hey! i’m just looking for your outfit,” he informs namjoon, holding up two very aesthetically different outfits, “what do you think?”
“i think that i want you to clean up my clothes.” namjoon says with the quirk of his brow. hobi laughs and waves him off.
“i will! but first we have to find you something to wear.” so the two rummage through his plethora of clothes. they both settle on a comfortable but stylish outfit about an hour later, leading namjoon to brush his teeth and quickly jump into the shower afterwards. when he comes out, he finds his room somewhat clean, his outfit ironed and laid out neatly on his bed (socks and underwear included) and the familiar sounds of his friend’s voices filter in from the living room. he gets dressed and fixes his hair, checking himself out in the mirror. hobi styled him in a patchwork jean jacket and matching pants, with a crisp white t-shirt underneath and sneakers to match. he spritzes himself generously with his favorite cologne and heads out in the kitchen, his hands clasped behind his back bashfully.
the apartment is soon filled with whoops and cheers as seokjin and hobi surround him, cooing and smoothing out his clothes while yoongi sits at the island with a gummy grin on his face. namjoon waves them off, trying not to smile as he grabs the flowers from the counter.
“i look good?” he asks.
“of course you do,” hobi tsks, “i dressed you didn’t i?”
“jungkook won’t be able to keep his hands off of you.” seokjin says, yoongi nodding in agreement. obscene thoughts try to inch their way into namjoon’s brain and he has to shake them away, grabbing his keys instead.
“we’re driving you.” yoongi announces, causing namjoon to give him a questioning look.
“are you guys gonna drop me off and go somewhere?” he implores, now noticing that the three of them were dressed up as well. they exchange nervous glances, then seokjin speaks up.
“we’re uh…we’re planning on checking out elena’s as well! just to y’know…eat.” namjoon’s brows furrow at seokjin’s sudden skittishness, but yoongi interrupts before he can ask any questions.
“we’re driving you so we can come inside and spy on you and your date.” he deadpans with a direct nod of his head. namjoon looks at the three of them in disbelief, then shakes his head with a small smile and tosses his keys to hobi because he loves driving namjoon’s car.
“alright, let’s go.”
the four of them cram into the sedan and spend the next twenty-five minutes going over the details of tonight’s events. namjoon wants to get there a little early in hopes his date isn’t there to see three other men climb out of his car.
“sorry, this is just my roommate and our two best friends, they came to eat ceviche and spy on us.” he imagines himself explaining.
elena’s is somewhat packed as they pull into the parking lot, hobi barely being able to find a park. when he does, the four of them get out and stand by the side of the vehicle. hobi starts smoothing out and fixing namjoon’s clothes again, seokjin’s touching up namjoon’s hair, yoongi is giving namjoon a pep talk and he feels like he’s sixteen years old again about to go his first date with the person who he was completely obsessed with. it was the first time he’d ever felt what it's like to be in love and even though things obviously didn’t work out and actually ended pretty sour, namjoon credits them with teaching him about almost everything he needs to know about that funny feeling.
“go inside first so we’re not all going inside together,” yoongi instructs him, “we’ll come in later and sit somewhere where we can see you and you can see us.” he puts his enormous hand on namjoon’s shoulder.
“don’t get too much into your head and start floating away,” he says, his lips twitching as he tries to stay serious and not smile, “make sure you stay here with us on earth tonight.”
seokjin reaches out again, resting his hand on namjoon’s head. “don’t be afraid to reach out if he starts making you feel uncomfortable, or you start feeling anything that isn’t happy.”
hobi reaches out last, squeezing namjoon’s nose softly between the back of his pointer and middle finger knuckles. “enjoy your night,” he tells him with a gentle smile, “you deserve this.” namjoon’s eyes get misty as that same funny feeling fills his stomach so he learns his head back and looks up at the sky, blinking away the tears that threaten to spill over his waterline. seokjin and hobi start to loudly laugh at him while yoongi walks away to hide his face and namjoon waves them all off, getting himself together and heading into the restaurant with one final wave goodbye.
inside of elena’s was cozy and intimate, the atmosphere warm and inviting. the walls were painted in hues of brown and orange, lined with folk art and vintage posters. soft candlelight by candelabras kept the place lit in a mellow, low light while vintage ranchera music streams lightly out of various speakers.
namjoon lets the hostess guide him to a secluded booth near the back of the restaurant. seokjin, hobi and yoongi come in a few minutes after, getting seated at a booth not far from him. he texts jungkook to let him know that he’s here and tries to play sticks with seokjin before someone gives him a weird look so he stops in embarrassment. he hears the faint roar of a motorcycle outside over the chatter of the restaurant as he reads someone’s thoughts on the movie chungking express but doesn’t pay too much heed to it, completely engrossed in the discussion of one of wong kar-wai’s greatest films. he doesn’t notice the man walking towards him and he doesn’t notice hobi wildly waving his arms trying to get his attention from across the room.
“whatcha reading?” his head snaps up and in an instant, every gust of air leaves his lungs. jungkook was standing in front of him, grinning with a bouquet of yellow daffodils in his right hand and a motorcycle helmet in his left. he was wearing a dark blue denim jacket, with a black shirt underneath tucked into a pair of straight legged jeans held up by a bejeweled black belt. silver rings adorn his fingers, his piercings still glint in the low light of the restaurant and namjoon finds himself at a complete loss of words.
“uhh,” he flounders like a fish out of water. “a blog post about the movie chungking express and how change is apparently the biggest threat to romance and relationships.”
jungkook shrugs, holding out the daffodils. “i don’t necessarily agree with that, sometimes a change in romance is good thing. these daffodils represent new beginnings, i really thought about you when i bought them.” namjoon knows what he’s getting at, and his heart swells at the sentiment.
“thank you.” he says softly, taking the flowers and handing jungkook the pink asters he had bought. jungkook thanks him and sets the bouquet and helmet down, shrugging off his jacket. his muscular arms are now completely exposed as he’s wearing a sleeveless tee and his sleeve was now fully visible, the ink curling up to his shoulder and going all the way down to litter his fingers. namjoon has to resist the urge to drool, then the urge to bust out laughing when he spots his three friends gawking at his date. he knows that seokjin and yoongi are probably thinking about adding a third to their relationship now, but they would have to pry jungkook out of namjoon’s cold dead hands before he’d ever let that happen.
he sits down and soon the waiter comes over to ask them if he could start them off with some drinks. jungkook orders guava agua fresca while namjoon opts for horchata. the waiter disappears and leaves them in a slightly awkward silence, so namjoon picks up the menu and begins to skim through the choices, racking his brain for any type of conversation he could muster up.
“so, what did your ex do that made you want to vandalize his—my car?” namjoon looks up and sees jungkook staring at him with his jaw resting on his palm, awaiting an answer. namjoon shifts his eyes back to the menu.
“do you know what you want?” he asks him, avoiding the question.
“yes.” jungkook answers, still waiting. namjoon sighs, putting down the menu, not really needing to look at it because he already knew exactly what he wanted as well. he figures that he at least owes jungkook some sort of clarification as to why he damaged his car, an explanation to his madness.
“almost two years ago, i met this guy at an art museum,” he begins, “and we started bonding over our shared love of cyanotype photography.” namjoon tells jungkook everything and jungkook listens intently. he talks through their drinks and their order of food (jungkook gets a plate of enchiladas, namjoon chooses a birria quesadilla), but tries to keep it short and sweet as he doesn’t want it to just be him talking the whole night.
“i hadn’t even moved out all my stuff from our apartment when he had already announced that he was seeing someone else.” he gripes as the waiter comes back and carefully sets their plates down. they thank him and jungkook picks up his fork, cutting into one of the four enchiladas he got and forks it into his mouth. first he huffs and puffs because the bite is super hot and then his face screws up like he’s angry as he chews more, and he lets out a deep mmmhh, rocking back and forth.
namjoon is completely enamored by this, watching jungkook enjoy his food with a smile so wide he’s surprised that his cheeks don’t hurt.
“you’re so cute when you eat.” he tells him, watching with amusement when jungkook bashfully looks away. he enjoys his own food, careful not to get consomé anywhere on his outfit.
“i’ve realized that i’ve kinda been talking about myself the whole night, so what’s your story jungkook?” namjoon asks. jungkook wipes his lips, poking his tongue around his own mouth.
“i also found out that my ex emotionally cheated on me three months ago, so now i live by myself in what used to be our apartment.” he answers with thinned out lips, “he actually moved out the day you fucked up my car.” namjoon is utterly mortified.
“i’m still so sorry about that,” he apologizes for the upteenth time, “i honestly don’t know what came over me that day.” jungkook waves him off.
“well between the damage on my car and the perpetrator probably being one of the most handsome men i’ve ever seen, it took my mind off things for awhile so thank you.” he says with a smirk. namjoon’s heart almost beats out of his chest and he squeezes his eyes shut, shaking his head with a smile. they talk more about frivolous things and namjoon pays the bill, then they head outside for some fresh air. jungkook leads him over to his motorcycle, which was of the harley-davidson brand. he leans up against the bike, crossing his arms and namjoon stands in front of him.
“i really enjoyed tonight,” namjoon starts, “i’m sorry that i talked so much about myself and my woes.” jungkook reaches out, gently touching his fingers to namjoon’s own, then proceeds to hold his hand. the cool metal of jungkook’s rings against his skin almost makes namjoon shiver.
“i wouldn’t have asked if i didn’t wanna know,” he says sincerely, “by the way, i know our date is over but are you gonna be busy for the rest of the night?” namjoon shakes his head vigorously, making jungkook giggle. his teeth show and it reminds namjoon of a bunny, he genuinely is fucked.
he nods to his motorcycle. “wanna take a ride with me?” namjoon’s eyes go wide.
“uh,” he contemplates, “yeah! i’d love to, let me just…let me just go inside and um…use the bathro—”
“you wanna go tell your friends that you’re leaving?” jungkook asks with the quirk of his eyebrow.” namjoon’s mouth falls open and jungkook laughs again.
“i saw them staring at you when i was coming in, the one with the heart-shaped mouth was trying to get your attention. they were also staring at us while we were leaving, the one with the nice lips was dabbing at his eyes while holding onto the one who has a very intense gaze.” namjoon hangs his head in faux shame.
“those are my best friends, they drove me here to spy on us and eat ceviche.” he admits.
jungkook grins. “they’re looking out for you, you have good friends.”
namjoon nods in agreement. “i do, they’re amazing.” he excuses himself and jogs over to where hobi parked, finding the three grown men hiding behind the sedan and peeking out from the side.
“i need you guys to take these home and put them into some water,” he instructs, “i’ll be home later so don’t wait up.”
“wait, where are you going?” yoongi asks.
“we’re taking a ride on his motorcycle.”
the three of them’s eyes almost pop out of their heads.
“what?” seokjin screeches, but namjoon doesn’t wait for him to finish.
“see you guys later!” he calls, grinning as he rushes back over to jungkook, “like i said, don’t wait up!” jungkook was still leaning up against his motorcycle, waiting for namjoon with a smile on his face.
“have you ever ridden a motorcycle before?” he asks, watching with amusement as namjoon shakes his head.
“okay well,” jungkook begins, reaching out. he grabs namjoon’s hands and slowly slides them around his waist, setting them right above his hips. it’s like namjoon’s cheeks catch fire as he feels the soft material of jungkook’s shirt underneath his fingertips, “just hold me like this, and you’ll be fine.”
“okay.” he responds softly. his hands don’t leave jungkook’s waist as the younger sits his helmet on namjoon’s head.
“you don’t have another one, do you?” he asks as jungkook fits the helmet on his head and buckles it shut.
“no,” he answers, adjusting the fit, “but i promise i’ll be careful.”
he helps namjoon climb on and then gets on after handing him the bouquet of flowers to hold for him. putting the key into the ignition, he turns it to the right and the motorcycle roars to life.
“make sure you keep holding onto me,” jungkook shouts over the rumble of the engine, “and keep your eyes open!” before namjoon can answer, jungkook revs the engine and peels off, out of the parking lot and onto the main road. namjoon yelps in surprise, squeezing his eyes shut and holding onto jungkook so tightly that he squishes the asters. he rests his helmeted head against jungkook’s broad back, the chilly wind whipping at his face as they speed down the highway.
“namjoon,” jungkook calls to him, “open your eyes!” he hesitantly obliges and open his eyes ever so slightly, seeing the buildings and foliage whizz past them. his eyes open all the way as he looks around at the bright city lights in awe, having never seen them from this perspective before. they drive for awhile until jungkook pulls off into the parking lot of a late night bakery. he shuts off the vehicle and helps namjoon off, unbuckling the helmet and laughing at the smushed flowers along with namjoon’s embarrassed smile, and they walk to the building together.
“enjoy the ride?” he asks as he holds open the bakery door.
“yeah.” namjoon replies dreamily, adrenaline still coursing through his veins. the warm smell of baked goods softens him up. they order a gigantic, gooey chocolate chip cookie and split it. after they finish, jungkook offers to take him home.
thirty minutes later, the two of them are standing at namjoon’s doorstep, neither of them wanting to walk away.
“i really really enjoyed tonight,” namjoon says sincerely, “and i really really wanna see you again.
jungkook grins. “that won’t be a problem.”
namjoon smiles widely and they stand there, shuffling their weights from one foot to the other.
“this is probably gonna be a little crazy of me to ask but,” jungkook starts, faint pink blooming underneath his cheeks, “can i kiss you?”
namjoon nods so quick he’s surprised his neck doesn’t snap and jungkook laughs, setting the flowers down and stepping a few inches closer. his hands find namjoon’s cheeks and their eyes flutter shut, and namjoon’s legs almost give out when he feels jungkook’s soft lips press against his ones. his hands finds jungkook’s waist and he pulls him close, so close that namjoon swears he could feel jungkook’s heartbeat drumming against his own. things start to get intense when jungkook’s fingers start threading through namjoon’s hair but they stop themselves, pulling only centimeters away.
“text me you get home, alright?” namjoon murmurs against jungkook’s lips.
“i will.” he responds. jungkook begrudgingly backs away, picking up the flowers. they give each other one last kiss goodbye and namjoon watches jungkook walk to the elevator and disappear inside. he then sighs, grabbing his keys from his pocket and unlocking the door. hobi, seokjin and yoongi are all piled onto the couch, dressed in pjs while watching a reality tv show. they scramble over when they notice he’s inside, trying to read his expression.
“oh,” hobi begins, quite knowingly as his eyes run over namjoon’s face, “namjoon, how bad is it?”
“five years has turned into ten,” namjoon muses, in a daze, “we still live in our apartment but now we have a golden retriever named lilah. her and rosie get along well and our life is so beautiful.” that familiar funny feeling starts to make a home in the pit of his stomach once again and he giggles to himself, dodging his friends and heading to his room. he spots the daffodils in a vase on the counter and grins even harder, he really has amazing friends. the night’s events start to catch up to him as he undresses and brushes his teeth, the adrenaline wearing off and the exhaust setting in. he clambers into bed, the memory of jungkook’s lips lulling him to sleep, until a notification from his phone gets him wide awake.
from: jungkook
im home
im gonna think about that kiss for the rest of our lives
to: jungkook
it’ll be on my mind for even longer than that
goodnight jungkook, i hope i see you again soon
from: jungkook
goodnight namjoon
i hope i see you again soon too :)
⋆｡˚𖦹
namjoon does see jungkook again soon after that, multiple times in a row as well. jungkook ends up buying a second helmet for his motorcycle and gets to meet namjoon’s friends, who take him in and love him with a quickness.
spring starts blooming her flowers fast, melting away the winter and soon the wedding is in a few weeks. namjoon and hobi have been busy running around with the to-be-wed couple, trying to help out with anything that they possibly could help with. jungkook comes with namjoon one day to get his best man suit fitted and tailored, swooning when he sees how pronounced namjoon’s chest is through the white button up. he blushes and just about suffocates jungkook with kisses as soon as they step back into namjoon and hobi’s apartment, which jungkook has been spending a lot more time at nowadays. he now has his own drawer in namjoon’s room, an extra toothbrush sits on his sink and namjoon decides one day that it's time to take things to the next level.
“hey,” he starts one night, threading his fingers through the younger one’s hair while they watch fallen angels, “would you do me the honor of being my plus one at the wedding?”
jungkook grins. “i’d thought you’d never ask.”
one month later they’re driving down a coastal highway with the windows down and the salty sea air billowing through jungkook’s car, singing old love songs at the top of their lungs. the nature center is breathtaking, but not as breathtaking as the ceremony of his best friend's marriage. seokjin wasn’t carried down the aisle by monarch butterflies, but yoongi knees still almost buckle at the sight of his soon-to-be husband walking down the aisle, coming home to him. namjoon and jungkook sneak glances between each other throughout the entire betrothal, and he knows he’s in love for the upteenth time because his fingers ache just to touch him again.
he tears up and bawls through his toast to the grooms during the reception, seokjin standing up and coming over to wipe away his tears. but he (and yoongi and hobi) are crying too, and it makes namjoon let out a wet laugh. he finishes with a raise of his glass, and cheers throughout the room erupt as his three best friends engulf him into a hug. after he opens his closed eyes, he spots jungkook watching him. he’s clapping with a grin so wide his bunny teeth show and it makes namjoon’s heart skip a beat.
when namjoon catches a break in the festivities he slips away, going outside to find jungkook standing on the balcony. he’s staring off into the distance, looking at the moon which hung high and bright in the inky sky. namjoon comes up behind him, wrapping his arms around his waist and burying his face into his neck. jungkook giggles and sighs contently at the feeling of namjoon’s lips grazing his skin.
“i can’t believe seokjin and yoongi will be heading to singapore tomorrow,” namjoon murmurs against jungkook’s skin, “and hobi will be going to greece on vacation with his sister in two days.”
“and i’ll be stuck at home trying to find the meaning of life and writing about it for a grade.” he then grumbles, pouting.
“well,” jungkook starts, turning around to face his date, “at least you’ll get to have the entire place to yourself for the week.” he wraps his arms around namjoon’s neck, cocking his head.
“i wonder what you could do with all that alone time.” he wonders aloud with a smile. right then and there, namjoon knows exactly what he’s gonna do with all that alone time.
namjoon asks jungkook to officially be his boyfriend that next friday evening during an intense round of mario kart. he pops the question during the final few seconds of the race, passing jungkook through the finish line as he gasps, gets distracted and goes off track.
“fuck!” he yells, groaning and tossing his controller to the side. he tackles a snickering namjoon and they wrestle until namjoon has him pinned to the plush sheets while their miis wait idly in the background for any sort of interaction.
“please answer my question baby,” he pleads, his face centimeters from jungkook’s own, “the suspense is killing me.”
jungkook smirks and strokes his chin, locked away in faux-thought.
“if i say yes, promise me you won’t key mine or someone else's car if we ever split.” namjoon rolls his eyes.
“we’re never splitting up and even if we do, it’d probably be your fault so yes i’ll key your car. again.” it’s jungkook’s turn to roll his eyes.
“fine”, he responds with a scowl, that soon melts away into a smile, “i’d love to be your boyfriend, namjoon.”
namjoon cheers, peppering jungkook’s face with kisses, they both can’t stop giggling and that funny feeling catches namjoon again and he can’t help but wonder if morpho butterflies would be a better fit for their own wedding.
the end.