Work Text:
Jungkook stretches out his arms and lets out a huge yawn. Somehow he’s managed to binge nine episodes of this drama and, despite his brain feeling like mush, he’s about to play the next episode when he hears the front door slam shut.
“Hyung? Is that you?”
Jungkook struggles to unearth himself from the mountain of blankets that surround him, glancing at the clock. It’s three in the morning.
“Hello? Hyung?”
Silence. Jungkook frowns and gets up from the couch. He walks over to the hallway, the door to Hoseok’s bathroom slightly ajar.
Still, he knocks, not wanting to barge in.
“Hoseok-hyung? Is everything okay? Can I come in?”
There’s a pause before Hoseok answers.
“Sure, I guess.”
Jungkook tentatively opens the door and peeks his head in, spotting Hoseok by the sink.
“Everything okay, hyung? You’re home later than usual.”
Hoseok looks ragged. As he droops over the sink, Jungkook watches him push at the dark circles beneath his eyes.
“Yeah, well. Comes with the job, you know.” His laugh is brittle, completely absent of humor. “Patients, incompetent staff, mind-numbing hours. Nothing you’re unfamiliar with.”
Jungkook hums, shutting the door behind him. “Do you want to talk about it?”
“I feel like all I do is talk about work.” Hoseok sighs and abruptly pulls off his shirt. “I’m gonna shower. You gonna go to bed or…?”
Jungkook stares at Hoseok’s half-naked body for a beat too long. His excuse is that Hoseok looks skinnier than usual.
“Uh, I’ll just sit here.” Jungkook perches on the edge of the tub. “You know, in case you fall asleep in the shower or something.”
Hoseok raises an eyebrow, opening his mouth to say something before apparently deciding against it.
“That comfortable for you?” He says instead, unceremoniously shoving his pants and underwear down in one go. He balls up his clothing to toss in all at once but reconsiders, instead neatly folding them to put in the hamper.
“Hyung, that’s gonna get washed anyway,” Jungkook clicks his tongue, grabbing one of Hoseok’s many bath bombs and tossing it up and down. “Why bother?”
Hoseok grunts. “Can’t teach an old dog new tricks. Or whatever.”
“That doesn’t make any sense.”
“You don’t make sense.” Hoseok glowers, sticking out his tongue.
Jungkook snorts, shaking his head. “Good one, hyung.”
As he swings his feet, Hoseok drags himself to the shower, stopping right in front of the glass door to stretch his body briefly. He twists his torso around and catches Jungkook looking at him.
“Whatcha looking at?” Hoseok challenges, narrowing his eyes.
“The view.” Jungkook wolf whistles, letting a playful grin take over his face. “Obviously.”
“Uh huh. Sure am giving you something to look at, huh?” Hoseok slaps his ass. “Hot stuff. Should be charging you money for this.” He slaps it again.
The sound reverberates in Jungkook’s ears and he huffs out a laugh to drown it out.
Hoseok turns on the water, testing the temperature before stepping into the spray. As soon as the water hits his body, he lets out an appreciative groan.
“Hell yeah. That feels amazing.”
Jungkook watches the mirror over the sink steadily cloud with condensation. He’s surprised to hear Hoseok start whistling, the sound ping-ponging around the room. Feeling antsy, he fiddles with the bath tap, watching the water pool in the basin.
“Hyung. Why don’t you take a bath and relax? I can wash your hair for you.”
Hoseok cracks open the shower door and scowls. “Couldn’t you have asked before I got in the shower?”
“It’s better for you to rinse off anyway.” Jungkook opens the bath tap, testing the hot water. “Or do you wanna marinate in hospital juice?”
Hoseok wrinkles his nose. “Gross, Kook.”
“What? It’s like you’re steeping tea–”
“Alright, alright, I don’t need that imagery. Gimme a minute, I’ll come out.”
The water rises steadily in the tub and Jungkook periodically dips his hand in to make sure it’s not too hot. He hears the shower door open again and the sound of Hoseok’s wet feet smacking against the tile.
Before he can say anything, Hoseok heaves himself into the tub. Water sloshes over the sides.
“Aw, hyung, really?” Jungkook stares in dismay at the growing wet spot on his sweatpants. “What if the water was burning hot or ice cold?”
“I don’t think I would even notice.” Hoseok slumps further down. “So numb, Jungkook-ah.” He lets out a long sigh, his hands coming up to grip at the sides of the tub.
Jungkook watches Hoseok’s knuckles turn white. “D’ya want a bath bomb too while you’re here?”
Hoseok opens one eye. “Are you mocking me?”
“No! I just know that’s how you like to relax.”
“...Fine.” Hoseok exhales. “Indulge me.”
Jungkook picks through the options and selects a sun-shaped bath bomb, gently dropping it in the water by Hoseok’s leg. The water fizzes and turns a bright orange, with pink and gold glitter speckling the surface.
“Wow.” Hoseok drags his arm through the water, creating small waves. “It’s like I’m bathing in orange soda.” He raises his right arm above the water and there’s an obvious shimmer to his skin.
Jungkook watches a drop of water spill down the curve of Hoseok’s shoulder.
“Doesn’t smell like it though.” The bathroom is filled with the smell of honeysuckle and pear. It makes Jungkook’s nose tingle.
“Well, duh.” Hoseok waves his hand halfheartedly. “It’s not actually soda.”
He then fully submerges himself, coming back up and brushing his hair away from his face.
“Damn. That’s nice. I really needed that.”
Jungkook hums noncommittally, grabbing a bottle of shampoo. He squeezes a dollop onto his hand and lathers it up.
“Come here, hyung.”
Hoseok goes easily, tilting his head to give Jungkook better access. Jungkook works the lather through Hoseok’s hair, running it through every section. He digs his fingers gently into Hoseok’s scalp, feeling him relax under his touch, and slowly works his way towards his nape.
“That’s it. Right there.” Hoseok groans as Jungkook squeezes a spot near the base of his neck. “Harder, please.”
Jungkook swallows as he presses his fingers deeper. He feels it, that touch of possessiveness that he has no right to have. His fingers twitch slightly, threatening to go rogue.
Instead, he travels back up to scratch the back of Hoseok’s head, absorbing all of his satisfied sounds while reaching over to grab the shower head. He switches it on, carefully shielding Hoseok’s eyes as he rinses out the shampoo, watching the soap swirl with the glitter water.
“Conditioner, hyung?”
“Always. If I can’t be a good doctor, at least I can have nice hair.” Hoseok throws Jungkook a wry smile.
“You are a good doctor.” Jungkook plucks the conditioner from the line of products along the tub. “One of the best, actually.”
Hoseok presses his lips together, water dripping from his mouth and into the tub. “I think you might be a bit biased there.”
Jungkook wants to argue that they’re not even in the same specialty but keeps quiet, diligently rubbing conditioner into the ends of Hoseok’s hair. Hoseok tips his head back again, sighing in satisfaction while Jungkook massages the sides of his head.
It’s hard not to stare at Hoseok’s face; Jungkook traces the gentle slopes of his facial features. Hoseok seems more relaxed than he has been in a long time, completely pliant under his hands.
Jungkook watches his fingers push into Hoseok’s skin, dimpling the surface.
Moldable.
Something pulls inside of him.
Hoseok suddenly opens his eyes, looking straight at Jungkook. This startles Jungkook, but he doesn’t show it, moving to gently cradle Hoseok’s head instead. For a minute, they simply stare at each other, though Jungkook shifts his focus to the mole on top of Hoseok’s lips when his gaze becomes too intense.
“Jungkook.”
This makes him look back into Hoseok’s eyes. He waits, but Hoseok says nothing more, holding his gaze steady as he studies Jungkook’s face. This time Jungkook is determined not to look away, even as he nervously licks his lips.
Whatever had been pulling inside of him is fully taut, threatening to snap.
Maybe now is the time.
Jungkook opens his mouth and promptly gets a mouthful of suds.
“Oops! Sorry!” Hoseok’s eyes widen in panic as Jungkook coughs violently. “Shit, I didn’t think you were going to say something.”
Jungkook stumbles to the sink, wincing at the bitter taste in his mouth.
“It’s fine,” he croaks, turning the tap on and pushing his mouth under it. “No worries.” He grabs some mouthwash and violently gargles it.
Jungkook looks back towards the tub and finds Hoseok standing outside it, clearly worried.
He’s about to reassure Hoseok that everything really is fine, but he can’t help trailing his gaze down Hoseok’s wiry body, over lean muscle and soft belly. Hoseok follows his gaze, ears going red.
“I’m just gonna—” Hoseok jerks his thumb toward the shower—“rinse off real quick.”
Jungkook breathes out slowly. “Okay. I’ll clean up.”
Careful to not look at Hoseok, he drains the tub and watches the colorful water swirl down the drain. He rinses away as much of the glitter as he can and then rearranges the array of soaps back into a neat line. By the time he’s done, Hoseok is wrapped up in a bathrobe, staring at himself critically in the mirror.
Jungkook tilts his head. “What’s up, hyung? Why aren’t you getting dressed?”
“I wanna shave.” Hoseok wrinkles his nose. “Look a lil’ scruffy.”
A snort escapes from Jungkook’s mouth. “You’re gonna shave now? After your long-ass shift? What’s the point of doing it right now?”
“Jungkook.” Hoseok turns to him with a slight pout on his face. “I just want a little control over something—I mean, not that I’m not in control in the OR, but…” His gaze turns far-off as he squeezes and unsqueezes his hands.
He gets it.
Jungkook approaches Hoseok, gently placing a hand on his back and rubbing.
“Let me help, at least.”
For a moment, Hoseok looks like he’s about to refuse. While Jungkook watches him through the mirror, he sighs and sinks into his touch. Yielding.
“Okay. Sure. Thank you.”
Jungkook rummages in a cabinet until he finds the bottle of shaving cream. He dispenses a dollop of it into his hands and spreads it around.
“Aish, there’s no need for that.” Hoseok frowns and watches the cream turn foamy.
“What, the cream? Do you want to bleed?” Jungkook clicks his tongue and shakes his head. “Come here.”
Hoseok jolts when Jungkook first presses his hands to his face. Alarmed, Jungkook steps backwards but Hoseok catches his wrist.
“S’okay. Just cold.” Hoseok softly chuckles.
“Oh. Okay. Sorry.”
Hoseok is still after that, Jungkook spreading the cream around his chin and mouth. Truthfully, Hoseok’s skin feels smooth to the touch and Jungkook wonders what minute bit of stubble has caught his eye. Nevertheless, he dutifully makes sure every inch of Hoseok’s face is covered before wiping his hands and grabbing Hoseok’s razor.
“Okay, hyung, stay still.”
Jungkook gently cradles Hoseok’s chin as he glides the razor over his skin. He concentrates on swiping up every bit of shaving cream, unable to resist feeling over the smooth skin that’s revealed each time. It’s satisfying, a small reward for his efforts to see the unblemished surface. He quickly finishes up the sides of Hoseok’s face, rinsing off the razor and starting on the jaw area.
It’s silent in the bathroom, his focus taken by the task at hand. One swipe up Hoseok’s neck reveals a small cut, and Jungkook hisses an apology, pressing his thumb to stop the blood. He feels Hoseok swallow.
“You’re fine.” Hoseok licks his lips. “Keep going.”
Jungkook makes quick work of the rest of Hoseok’s face, gliding the razor over the skin and finishing off with a warm, wet towel pressed to his jaw.
At this point, Hoseok is half-asleep, having nodded off at several points, to where Jungkook has to steady him.
As he wipes off the last bit of cream, Hoseok nuzzles into his palm.
“Thanks, Jaykay.”
“For what?”
“For all of this.” Hoseok looks up at him. “You’re the only one that I can—well, you know.”
Jungkook’s heartbeat thumps loudly in his ears. The greed from before beckons.
“How about I dry your hair?” Jungkook offers loudly, too awkwardly, and hastily steps back.
Hoseok blinks at him. “Uh, I guess? It’s almost dry, but sure. Dryer’s in the cabinet.”
Jungkook grabs the hair dryer in one hand and Hoseok’s hand in the other. Seeing the questioning look on Hoseok’s face–
“Let’s go to your room. You’re sleepy. This way, too, you can go to bed right after I’m done.”
“You’re so smart.”
“That’s how I became a doctor.” Jungkook grins and pulls Hoseok down the hallway to his room.
Once inside Hoseok’s room, Jungkook gently pushes Hoseok to sit on the bed and begins drying his hair. Keeping the dryer steady, he cards his fingers through the strands of hair, occasionally scratching in places he knows Hoseok likes.
These little sighs of happiness that Hoseok makes, how he melts against him, feels like a reward.
This is what Jungkook likes to see: Hoseok splayed out, a smile pulling at his lips, no signs of tension anywhere. It feels like an honor to see him like this, underneath the professionalism, the mask they have to put on to survive the job.
And he wants to see it for a long time.
“I love you, hyung.”
“What did you say?” Hoseok frowns, turning to look at him. “The dryer’s kind of loud.”
The dryer whirrs. Jungkook cards his fingers through Hoseok's hair and pushes him back to forward-facing.
“I love you and thank you for trusting me,” he says, “I hope you’ll have me.”
Hoseok grabs the dryer and switches it off.
“Jungkook? What the heck were you saying?”
Jungkook softly laughs. “Ah, nothing. Just—” He nuzzles into Hoseok’s nape and shoves his hands under Hoseok’s shirt, seeking warmth—“Let me sleep here; I’m tired too. Don’t wanna go all the way back to my room.”
“Aish. You’re insufferable.” Hoseok groans, slapping Jungkook’s thigh.
But he doesn’t kick Jungkook out; instead he drags Jungkook to lie down with him. Pleased, Jungkook yanks the covers over their bodies and huddles close.
“G’night, Kook. See you when I wake up.” Hoseok curls into Jungkook’s chest and is out within seconds.
Jungkook presses his nose to Hoseok’s hair and takes a deep inhale.
“Goodnight, hyung. Love you,” he murmurs, as he finally falls asleep.