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⋆.˚ ☾ .⭒˚
For as long as Namjoon could remember, soulmates had been considered the best thing that could happen to anyone — bar none.
He wasn’t necessarily against the idea of soulmates, per se, it was more the fact that Namjoon couldn’t help but doubt it. He found himself thinking about it constantly, the way that soulmates were portrayed on TV shows, movies, and even by the people around him sometimes.
At the end of the day, Namjoon thought (read: told himself), soulmates weren’t the end all be all of anyone’s existence, nor should they be. He’d seen enough soulmates to know that they didn’t always work out the way that society instilled in everyone from a very young age.
In some cases, one soulmate could fall for the other romantically, while one’s affection remained platonic. There was nothing wrong with that, of course, and different types of love are still love after all. Having a soulmate, regardless of whatever bond resulted from it, whether romantic or platonic, was still considered to be a blessing. The idea that there was someone out there who was meant to understand you in a way that no one else can or will, completely, and love and embrace you as you are, made Namjoon both elated and terrified in equal parts.
Namjoon dreaded the day of his 20th birthday, knowing that he would wake up on that morning to his soulmate tattoo — the one permanent mark on his skin that would be identically inked on his soulmate’s own skin as well (as soon as the person became of age of course). He loved the idea of love, but sometimes, when he laid in bed at night, he couldn’t but think about all of the possibilities. What if I allow myself to fall for someone and they aren’t my soulmate? What if I get into a relationship and meet my soulmate, would they think that I’m cheating? What if I fall for someone and then they meet their soulmate and leave me? What if I fall in love with my soulmate, but they only love me platonically?
By the time his 20th birthday came around, Namjoon could say that he’d had one ‘semi-serious’ relationship with someone a couple of years older than him. A man who he now considered one of his closest friends and confidantes — Min Yoongi.
They had dated for a while when Namjoon was 19 and Yoongi had just turned 22. Yoongi had his soulmate mark and was in the process of looking for his soulmate. They both knew that they probably weren’t soulmates even before Namjoon turned 20, and they were more friends than they ever were anything else, so by the time that Namjoon got his tattoo, they both sighed in relief (and delayed confirmation) that they would be able to go back to being just friends (who are sexually compatible enough to let off steam together every once in a while).
Namjoon used to stay up at night, looking at his tattoo, wondering who his soulmate could be. His tattoo was a small rabbit perched on a moon, a waxing crescent to be precise. He’d always been known for his love of the moon and nature, always one to stay up and wax poetic (no pun intended) while the moon shone through into his bedroom or studio window, words that would eventually turn into lyrics for new songs.
Among the many questions that Namjoon had revolving around his soulmate, the one that haunted him the most was: Why a rabbit? Was the person that was meant for him someone with a lot of energy? Someone who enjoyed jumping around? Maybe like a gymnast? A vegetarian? Someone with a passion for salads or who just loves socialising? Whatever the case, Namjoon was curious, going so far as to writing lyrics based off of his tattoo just to get some of that nervous energy out of his system.
His first year at university, try as he might, Namjoon didn’t find a single person that could pass as the bunny on his tattoo. Not a single person resembled Namjoon’s bunny, either physically or in spirit. The more time went by, the more Namjoon got scared that he wasn’t going to find his one.
The fear got even worse when Yoongi found his soulmate – Park Jimin, a dancer with a bubbly personality from Busan who was Namjoon’s age and somehow fit his hyung’s sometimes admittedly prickly personality perfectly.
As much as Namjoon was happy that Yoongi had found his soulmate, and by extension for Jimin as well (he’d become a close friend of Namjoon’s in a surprisingly short amount of time), he was also jealous.
Namjoon couldn’t help but feel a bit hollow at the idea of the hyung-shaped hole that would now be in his life. He was never one for one night stands, not feeling comfortable doing something so intimate with a stranger, and the comfort that he and Yoongi gave each other physically every once in a while was more than enough to hold him off. That was until Jimin came along, of course. He would never do anything or ask for anything that made either of them uncomfortable. Yoongi was his best friend after all, and Jimin was quickly making his way onto that list.
The resulting loneliness that Namjoon felt had him throwing himself into his schoolwork, trying desperately to fill a void. Sure, he would still go to parties with Yoongi, Jimin, Jimin’s roommate Taehyung and his soulmate Seokjin, and Hoseok (the latter being the prime example of someone with a platonic soulmate), though it seemed like Yoongi and Jimin were heavily interested in him, if the way that they kept inviting him everywhere and even got matching ‘couple’ items with him were to be taken seriously/were taken into account/meant anything.
Namjoon focused on school and his studies so much that during his second year, he decided to add a major onto his plate. He was now a double major in Music Production (where Yoongi was his senior) and in Art History. He was, of course, behind in his art requirements given that he’d just picked the major up, but he was sure that he could somehow make it work and still graduate on time while meeting all of his requirements.
He packed his schedule to the point that he needed to get a special permission form from his college counselor signed, overextending himself to the point where he was barely even aware of which class he was stumbling into or out of at some points of the semester, tending to keep to himself in an effort to focus on taking notes, knowing that he couldn’t risk getting bad grades because failing even one class would endanger his ability to graduate on time.
One of his favorite art classes, art theory, was one of his most challenging by far, both mentally and emotionally. It was mentally challenging because after a day (or night, depending) spent at Yoongi’s studio developing lyrics and fixing tracks, he had to sit through an entire hour and thirty minutes of a mixture between art history and art interpretation.
The reason why it was emotionally challenging? A person. Sometimes Namjoon would space out during class — he tended to sit near the back because of his height, not wanting to take up too much space or call too much attention to himself so that he could focus on learning. Unfortunately, this also meant that he had more than enough time to look at everyone else (or at the very least their backs, and sometimes he caught a glimpse of their side profiles).
There was one specific back, it belonged to a specific man . From a glance at his side profile, Namjoon could tell right away that he was pretty. More often than not (and definitely more often than he was willing to admit), he was drawn to the way the pretty man moved. At first, he brushed it off as plain curiosity for the pretty man who moved in a way that made him look even prettier (almost like moving art). Namjoon would take a good look (or two) and sigh before going back to focusing on the class and fulfilling the requirements that would keep him on track for graduation.
A few classes later, Namjoon admitted to himself (defeatedly) that the pretty stranger definitely sparked more in him than just a passing curiosity. He even found himself daydreaming about talking to the mystery man sometimes, when he came into class with his long hair pulled into a half bun, or on the days where his hair looked perfectly coiffed (and almost annoyingly effortless) framing his face in a way that made Namjoon both envious of him and attracted to him at the same time.
On the last day before Seollal break, Namjoon was almost late to class, sweating through the many winter layers that he’d been wearing to combat the January weather and subsequently had to shed in order to avoid passing out due to a heat stroke mid class. He’d even gone so far as to roll up the sleeves of his long sleeved shirt up to his elbows in an effort to try and cool off, turning all of his attention to the professor, as there were apparently important topics to cover, the most notable of which would be the mid-semester project pairings.
To his luck (or misfortune) it seemed that Namjoon was placed with Jeon Jungkook, a man who was confirmed to be, after a quick glance around the room, none other than him . The one person who had been haunting Namjoon’s thoughts during every single class period (and sometimes outside of them as well).
Their eyes met and Namjoon averted his gaze quickly, not wanting to make prolonged eye contact with him — Jungkook and risk doing something embarrassing like combust or audibly gasp like an innocent high school girl in one of those shoujo mangas that Namjoon had read before (purely for educational purposes of course) thanking whoever it was that decided this would be announced before the break — he could definitely use a few days to process this (un)fortunate development in the comfort of his own home and bedroom.
Namjoon suffered through the rest of the class period, and while he was packing up his stuff, swore that he felt someone’s eyes on him, but was too absorbed in his own emotional turmoil to even lift his gaze and confirm if anyone was indeed watching him.
It wasn’t until after Seollal that Namjoon found himself truly breathless for the first time. The pretty man with the pretty long hair who had always looked so cute and shy, almost innocent with his ponytails and oversized clothes, was gone.
In his place, was a menace. Gone were the oversized clothes and cute Hello Kitty hair pins. This man — Jungkook, his brain supplied — had short black hair with a slight undercut that had Namjoon close to drooling. His clothes weren’t tight enough to warrant being labelled a ‘second skin’ but they were waaay more fitted than whatever Jungkook had been wearing to class earlier in the semester.
Whatever it was that brought about this change, Namjoon was sure that its secondary purpose was to make his life impossible. He (and his dick) were both standing in attention. Namjoon had to look away before he started drooling, or worse, before he got a boner mid lesson.
Somehow, Namjoon survived to the end of the class period (a.k.a the hardest day of Namjoon’s life — no pun intended ), when Jungkook, Namjoon’s walking, talking, wet dream came up to him.
“Namjoon-ssi?”
Namjoon had never heard Jungkook’s voice before, and he was not ashamed to admit (read: he was absolutely very ashamed to admit) that he had to hold back a moan at the surprising depth that it held, biting on his lip to keep himself grounded in the moment and stop the rampant (and frankly concerningly x-rated) thoughts going through his mind, imagining Jungkook’s voice saying his name under other circumstances.
“Y-yes?” Namjoon cleared his throat, wincing internally at the way his voice cracked. Somehow he was already messing up his first impression, Namjoon could feel sweat drop down his back and sweat pooling in the palms of his hands, holding his books tighter in them in an attempt to ground himself. “I mean, that’s me!” Great, that was way better, Namjoon-ssi. Good job.
“My name is Jeon Jungkook. We’re partners for the mid-semester project?”
I know.
“Ah, right. It’s nice to meet you, Jungkook-ssi” Namjoon said, sounding surprisingly smooth even to his own ears, extending a hand out to greet the handsome man.
“Uhh…Namjoon-ssi?” Jungkook said, sounding baffled as he quirked an eyebrow at Namjoon, who then looked down at the hand that he’d held out and realized that in his hurry to shake Jungkook’s hand, he had forgotten he was still holding his books, and was essentially handing Jungkook his journal.
“Oh. Haha. I’m sorry about that Jungkook-ssi.” Namjoon nervously yelled(?), bringing his hand back to his own body so hard that he almost hit himself in the stomach with his elbow.
He looked down at the ground, willing for it to open up suddenly and swallow him whole, that way he wouldn’t have to face the hottest and prettiest guy that he’d ever seen after making a complete fool out of himself in front of him, only to be brought out of his inner monologue by someone muffling a giggle. Ah, what a cute giggle.
“Namjoon-ssi?” Jungkook asked again, a foreign phone coming into view in front of Namjoon’s face. “Could you give me your number?”
Wait, what?! Namjoon’s ears were ringing, his eyebrows shot straight up to his hairline as he looked up so quickly to meet Jungkook’s gaze that it nearly gave him whiplash.
“That way we can meet up and discuss how we want to divide up the work for the project?”
Namjoon could feel his entire face grow hot, the feeling spreading all the way to the tips of his ears as he realized that he’d just made a fool out of himself in front of Jungkook — again .
Jungkook could probably tell that his face fell as soon as he told Namjoon the reason why he wanted Namjoon’s number.
And now, Namjoon needed to move to another country or something, idly wondering if Yoongi had contacts that could help with his new identity and relocation now that he was a semi famous music producer.
“Oh! Of course, Jungkook-ssi. Let me just,” Namjoon took the phone offered to him with both hands cradling it in an attempt to avoid it slipping through his fingers (his hands were not that sweaty, shut up!).
Namjoon put in his number first, and stared at the empty slot for his name. He didn’t know what to do. Realistically, he knew nothing about Jungkook other than how handsome he was, and the fact that he made Namjoon’s heart race (though that last one he would take to the grave). He had no idea about Jungkook’s age, and judging by the looks of him, he could be younger or even Namjoon’s age, so he didn’t want to assume. Namjoon could always ask, but he didn’t know how to, so in the end he stayed quiet, typing in ‘Kim Namjoon’ and calling it a day.
He handed Jungkook the phone back carefully, avoiding eye contact as much as possible, giving a small nod in Jungkook’s direction instead — being respectful is good, just in case. Namjoon thought he heard something that sounded a bit like an “Ah, so cute.” but shook himself out of it quickly, deciding to focus on collecting his stuff to leave as soon as possible instead.
Jungkook cleared his throat, “Can I borrow your phone, Namjoon-ssi?”
Namjoon unlocked his phone and passed it to Jungkook without a single word — not like he could imagine questioning anything that Jungkook wanted regardless, much less when he looked like that.
Jungkook smiled at Namjoon - Smiled! And proceeded to call Namjoon from his own phone, cancelling the call and putting his phone away, saving his contact on Namjoon’s phone.
He passed the phone back to Namjoon and the latter’s eyes went wide in surprise as he stared at the name on the screen.
“Jungkook-hyung?” Namjoon asked, confused both by the fact that Jungkook looked so young, and also – how did Jungkook know he was older?
Jungkook bit his lip and seemed to search for something on Namjoon’s face, ultimately giving him a small shrug.
“Yeah, I’m a fourth year student and I haven’t seen you around before. I just assumed you were younger.”
Namjoon was speechless, nodding dumbly at Jungkook’s perfectly logical response.
“We should speak informally with each other if we’re going to be working on a project together anyway. What do you think, Namjoon-ah?”
At that moment, Namjoon was certain that if he wasn’t already leaning on a table for support, he would have fallen to the ground, his legs turning to jelly at the sound of his name coming out of Jungkook’s mouth.
“O-of course, Jungkook-hyung.” Namjoon stuttered out, looking Jungkook in the eyes, hoping that his face wasn’t completely red at this point, resigned to the fact that he would look like an idiot in Jungkook’s eyes forever.
Jungkook smiled softly at him (Namjoon felt under attack) and seemed to notice the time, sighing at his watch before turning back to Namjoon. “We’ll text, yeah? And figure out a time to meet up.”
Namjoon definitely didn’t focus on the fact that Jungkook sounded hopeful as he asked that, and he absolutely didn’t replay their entire exchange in his head long after the class was over.
⋆.˚ ☾ .⭒˚
They texted sparsely throughout the week, mostly small talk and their schedules/preferences about where to meet up, but Namjoon still felt a small flutter in his stomach every time he saw Jungkook’s name pop up on his screen.
The next time that they went to class, Namjoon couldn’t stop thinking about Jungkook, his stomach in knots as he wondered whether he should say hello to him or do anything different now that they knew each other and even texted a bit. Fortunately, he was put out of his misery by Jungkook walking in, casually waving at Namjoon before settling into his usual seat.
Namjoon’s stupid heart skipped a beat at the action, but then he caught a glimpse of ink behind Jungkook’s ear. Was that…his soulmate tattoo? Right, they both had soulmates and there was always a possibility that Jungkook had already found his. The idea sobered Namjoon up enough to focus on class for the rest of the period, though he did so with a heavy heart.
He’d always thought that meeting his soulmate would be magical, the build up in his head way more dramatic and theatrical than anything that Namjoon had ever felt with anyone else, even Jungkook for that matter (as much as it pained him to admit). So, Namjoon quickly dismissed the small glimmer of hope that wanted to grow in his heart.
They met up at the on campus library that weekend, renting a study room in an effort to divide up their parts and start discussing the project requirements. Namjoon felt a little awkward at first, not knowing how to talk to Jungkook without embarrassing himself again, but the conversation turned to art quickly, and that was something that Namjoon could talk about for days on end.
“Why don’t we stop here for now, Namjoon-ah. Let’s grab some lunch and come back?”
“Sure, hyung. Do you want to just meet back here in around an hour or so?”
“Huh?” Jungkook asked, eyebrows furrowed, a look on his face like he was finally connecting the dots. “Oh! No, I meant, why don’t we grab lunch together?”
Together?
“Oh! I would love to, hyung!” Namjoon practically jumped out of his seat, vibrating with excitement at the idea of getting to hang out with Jungkook in another setting.
They left their stuff at the table and walked off together, deciding on grabbing a quick bite at a Korean restaurant just off-campus, talking about their food preferences and every other topic under the sun on the way.
Lunch was surprisingly comfortable, the conversation between the two flowed easily, and by the end of it Namjoon’s tummy and heart were both feeling nice and full. Jungkook insisted on paying as soon as the check arrived at their table, even going so far as to pay for their coffees on the way back to the library. Namjoon had to try really hard not to squeal at how date-like the entire thing seemed, reminding himself that they were here to work on a project and Jungkook was probably just being a good hyung.
They settled back into their seats at the library and started working on the project again, at one point the conversation shifted into talking about paintings that they had analyzed for class, some of them obscure, others pretty well known.
“The Kiss by Gustav Klimt. This is a good representation of love!” Jungkook affirmed, looking at Namjoon with a lopsided smile, biting at his lip ring. “What do you think about this painting, Joon-ah?”
The nickname had Namjoon’s heart doing weird somersaults, a grin making its way onto his face without his permission at the sound of it from Jungkook’s mouth, loving that they were now on nickname terms. He barely had time to giggle at himself internally before he realized that Jungkook was still waiting for a response, presumably a more eloquent one than just a few words. Shit.
“Well, hyung, I think that it’s probably an accurate representation of love.” He tried, looking at Jungkook for any sign that he should stop talking, but found only attentiveness and pure curiosity in the elder’s eyes, encouraging him to continue.
“The use of gold in both their figures and the background, accompanied by the floral details in their hair and all the way down to the sort of meadow that they are kneeling in, makes the entire thing feel sort of ethereal. Like the entire world is dissolving around them because they are in each other’s arms. I think this is what it would feel like if soulmates met.” Namjoon finished, breathless and biting down on his lower lip to keep himself from saying it’s the way that I feel when I’m around you, hyung.
He looked up at Jungkook shyly, surprised to see that he was already looking at Namjoon with wide eyes as if he could hear Namjoon’s thoughts, a flash of an emotion that Namjoon couldn’t read going through the elder’s expression.
Namjoon suddenly felt very seen , the silence in the room getting a little long for his own comfort, but he didn’t know what to say, going to scratch at the forearm with his soulmate tattoo as a force of habit.
Jungkook caught the movement with his eyes, his hand hovering above the sleeve of Namjoon’s hoodie.
“May I?” He asked, gesturing towards Namjoon’s arm.
Namjoon had no idea what Jungkook wanted to do, but was once again struck by the fact that he couldn’t imagine himself ever denying the elder a single thing (nor did he want to).
Not trusting his words, Namjoon nodded mutely, stretching his arm out in Jungkook’s direction.
Jungkook took his arm and gently rolled the sleeve of his hoodie up to his elbow, uncovering Namjoon’s soulmate tattoo.
Namjoon was baffled. How did Jungkook know where Namjoon’s soulmate tattoo was located? They’d never talked about it before, and Namjoon always wore long sleeves or sweatshirts to class. The question died on Namjoon’s tongue as soon as Jungkook started tracing over Namjoon’s tattoo in the air, close enough to touching him that Namjoon could almost feel the heat coming from his fingers, the thought of experiencing Jungkook’s touch suddenly at the forefront of his mind.
He looked up, meeting Jungkook’s eyes, a clear question in them, and before he could second guess himself, Namjoon found himself nodding in response, not wanting to break the delicate silence that was blanketing them (one so different from the stilted one earlier), afraid that a single word would ruin the moment.
The moment that Jungkook’s fingers brushed Namjoon’s tattoo, it sent a wave of electricity through Namjoon’s body. Every nerve ending alight with the feeling of Jungkook’s touch on his skin.
Namjoon felt the rest of the world slip away from under his fingers, worldview narrowing to include only Jungkook, himself, and the feeling of Jungkook’s hand on his arm.
Jungkook was close enough to Namjoon now that he could feel the elder’s hot breath on his cheek, Jungkook’s hand resting comfortably on Namjoon’s arm, covering his tattoo almost reverentially. Usually, Namjoon would feel embarrassed to be in such close proximity with anyone, scrambling to get away as soon as the person got too close for comfort, but for some reason he felt stuck in place, heart practically beating out of his chest at their closeness, but already addicted to the feeling of it.
Namjoon looked up, eyes locking with Jungkook’s and he could almost feel the soft smile that broke on the elder’s face. Safe.
“Namjoon-ah, can I show you something?” Jungkook murmured gently.
Namjoon gave a small nod, his head tilting to the side unconsciously out of curiosity.
Jungkook pulled out of Namjoon’s space slightly, turning his head and pointing at something behind his ear with his free hand. Suddenly, everything clicked.
Namjoon remembered having caught sight of some ink behind Jungkook’s ear that day in class, wondering about his soulmate before ultimately shutting down that line of thought for his own good. Now that he was actually allowed, no, encouraged to look, that was all that he could do — because right there, behind Jungkook’s ear was not just any tattoo, but — their tattoo.
He couldn’t believe it. The person that he’d been drawn to like a moth to a flame, the one that he’d been trying to get over (?) stop obsessing over (?) stop staring at like the main lead in some coming of age story that would almost look creepy if not for the romantic context of it all (?), was actually his soulmate. The one person that was meant for Namjoon.
“Holy shit.”
Jungkook turned back to look at Namjoon, giggling softly at the dumbfounded look on the younger’s face.
“You’re so cute, Joonie.”
Jungkook slid his hand from where it was on Namjoon’s arm down to hold the younger’s hand, squeezing it lightly.
Holy shit holy shit holy shit.
“Fuck, you’re so adorable, I can’t believe I waited this long to tell you that we’re soulmates.” Jungkook muttered, more to himself than to Namjoon.
Wait, what?
“Huh?” Namjoon questioned, head cocked to the side and brows furrowed in confusion.
Jungkook shook his head, biting his lip in an effort to hold back a smile, drawing Namjoon’s attention to the elder’s lips, noticing the mole under Jungkook’s lip for the first time, one that matches one on Namjoon’s own chin. Jungkook’s words all but forgotten, Namjoon licked his lips subconsciously, imagining what it would feel like to have Jungkook’s lips pressed against his own.
Jungkook caught the movement, leaning in slowly, with purpose, tightening his hold on Namjoon’s hand.
Namjoon was frozen in place, watching Jungkook move until their noses were touching, his lips barely a breath away from Namjoon’s, the air around them felt electric.
Surprisingly, Namjoon is the one who can’t wait any longer, closing the distance to bring their lips together in a soft, lingering kiss that felt everything that Namjoon could have ever hoped for and imagined, and even more beyond that. The feeling of Jungkook’s lips on his just fit somehow. Like puzzle pieces coming together for the first time.
They parted for a moment, Namjoon looking down at Jungkook’s spit slick lips. I did that. Trying terribly hard (and failing spectacularly) to hold back the smitten grin that was threatening to take over his face at the thought.
Namjoon felt shy but also whole, like he could finally let go of something that he’d been holding for far too long, the sudden feeling of relief that he felt flooding through him making him smile. Looking over at Jungkook, at his soulmate, he saw the elder’s emotions all over his face, mirroring Namjoon’s.
Jungkook was quick to kiss Namjoon again, still softly at first, but with an undercurrent of urgency that had him nipping at Namjoon’s bottom lip lightly, pulling a gasp out of the younger, taking advantage of the opening to start kissing Namjoon fully.
By the time they pull back from each other, out of pure necessity to breathe, Namjoon could see how swollen Jungkook’s lips were, and without looking at his own, knew that they would be the same (secretly pleased with that outcome).
With stupid, matching grins on their faces, it dawned on both of them (seemingly at the same time) that they had definitely just made out in public. Sure, their study room had a door that they could close, but it was still located in the university library, where anyone could just walk in and catch them.
Giggling at the situation, still breathless and holding each other close, both of their faces tinged a pretty pink, Namjoon could just barely hold back the urge to squeal at the turn of events, feeling genuinely elated.
They packed up their stuff quietly, the silence that came over them completely different from the earlier one, this one spoke of comfort and acceptance. Namjoon saw how they moved around each other without talking or even thinking about it, like two magnets shifting to accommodate one another, or a couple that’s been together forever — soulmates, meant to be, made for each other.
Leaving the library hand in hand, both men sporting grins so wide on their faces that they redefined the meaning of ‘smiling from ear to ear’, Namjoon realized he wouldn’t change a single thing.
“Why don’t we go hang out at my apartment, Joonie?” Jungkook asked, swinging their joint hands slightly as they walked.
Namjoon froze, looking at Jungkook with a mixture of nerves and excitement, pulling the elder to a stop as well.
Jungkook, seemingly unaware of Namjoon’s inner turmoil until he saw the look on the latter’s face, holding his hands up and waving them frantically.
“I’ll keep to myself, I promise that I won’t do anything you don’t want me to do. I won’t even try to cuddle you.” Jungkook spoke so quickly he was practically rapping, the tips of his ears turning a lovely pink to match the rest of his face. Namjoon was so in love.
“Honestly? I just want you all to myself for a little bit.” Jungkook mumbled, looking away from Namjoon to look down at their joint hands, playing with Namjoon’s fingers as he spoke.
At the idea of cuddling with Jungkook, Namjoon couldn’t help but perk up. If it were anyone other than Jungkook offering, anyone other than his soulmate, then he would have said no, or maybe gotten scared that they were moving too quickly, but with Jungkook he felt almost giddy at the idea, happy to go at their pace.
“If you throw in dinner and a movie, then maybe we’ll see about the cuddles, hyung.” Namjoon teased, squeezing Jungkook’s hand and looking at him with rounded eyes, playing up his innocence.
“Yaah! Didn’t I just get you lunch and a coffee earlier!?!” Jungkook complained in mock anger.
“Yes, but you’re my hyung and my soulmate.” Namjoon emphasized, “You need to spoil me. Those are the rules, I’m afraid. I didn’t make them up, I just followed them, hyung.” Namjoon half shrugged, a wide grin on his face, wanting to push just a little bit more. “Also, don’t think that I forgot about what you said earlier, the whole ‘waited this long to tell you’ thing. You owe me an explanation, mister.” He huffed, wanting to come off as angry or upset, but the smile on his face was too big to make it believable, and there was no real heat behind his words.
Jungkook’s answering grin was just too cute. Namjoon could barely stop himself from melting at the sight of his adorable crush turned hyung and soulmate. Swoon.
“I guess you’re right, Joonie. It looks like I’m going to have to get used to spoiling you.” Jungkook sighed dramatically, as if the idea of it were the worst thing in the world, though Namjoon could tell that he was just messing around, rolling his eyes at Jungkook and starting to walk again, pulling his hyung along.
Jungkook used their joint hands to pull Namjoon back, hard , catching him by the waist as the younger fell against him, leaning in to whisper in his ear.
“As for the explanation, that’ll have to wait until after dinner.” Jungkook gave Namjoon a quick peck on the cheek and moved away, giggling as he tugged Namjoon in the opposite direction.
“My apartment is this way, Joonie.”
⋆.˚ ☾ .⭒˚
Later that night, after Jungkook had ordered their fried chicken and they’d made an emergency pitstop at CU to stock up on banana milk and pokémon bread for dessert, they settled onto the couch in Jungkook’s living room under a shared blanket, Kiki’s Delivery Service on in the background as per Namjoon’s request.
Namjoon had taken his hoodie off before they’d gotten under the blanket, turning to Jungkook and telling him that he was responsible for keeping him warm as they sat on the couch. At first, they were sharing the blanket with a respectful distance between them, but as they settled in with full tummies from their dinner and convenience store snacks, the idea of lying between Jungkook’s arms became more and more tempting, until Namjoon was practically sitting on top of his soulmate, the elder running his hand up and down Namjoon’s tattooed arm reverentially.
“You know, I found out that you were my soulmate right before Seollal break.” Jungkook murmured, looking down at Namjoon’s tattoo. Oh, so it was explanation time. Namjoon turned his head to look at Jungkook while he spoke, not for the first time that day feeling fortunate at just how gorgeous his soulmate was.
“I’m pretty sure you were late to class that day.” Jungkook chuckled, and Namjoon could tell that he was recalling that day. While he waited for the feeling of embarrassment to come, it never did, he had no issue showing all of himself to Jungkook (even the embarrassing parts), in fact, he wanted to.
“You settled into your seat and basically tore off every layer you were wearing, Joonie. Then you rolled up your sleeves, and that’s when I saw it. I just knew that you were mine .”
Namjoon would be lying if he didn’t admit that he wasn’t a little aroused at the possessiveness in Jungkook’s words, but there would be more than enough time for that later, he reasoned, tuning back into what his soulmate was saying.
“After that, I guess it was history.” Jungkook giggled, looking down to see the look of utter endearment on Namjoon’s face, not resisting the need to kiss his pretty button nose, leaning down to give it a quick peck before continuing.
“So I asked around about you, and I found out I had an inside man of sorts. Park Jimin? Ring any bells?” Jungkook held back a snicker as he watched Namjoon process the fact that one of his closest friends knew who his soulmate was, and even helped said soulmate all without Namjoon’s knowledge, the look of utter betrayal on the younger’s face was priceless.
“Before you ask, Jimin went to the same high school that I did back in Busan, and we were in the same dance troupe for a bit.” Jungkook paused again, waiting for the information to sink in.
“Anyway, I asked your friend what you would like and he said you were pretty laid back, but it still made me want to look presentable, I guess. I had a bit of extra time on my hands during the break and well, that’s when this happened.” Jungkook explained, taking his hand off of Namjoon’s arm momentarily to gesture at his hair.
Namjoon tried hard not to focus on the fact that Jungkook took his hand off of his arm (rude!) and leaned up from his place in Jungkook’s arms to plant a small kiss on his lips, too enamored by the lengths that Jungkook went to to make sure that he was the best he could be for Namjoon to even act offended by the fact that he went to Jimin instead of talking to Namjoon first.
“I wouldn’t have minded your long hair, hyung.” Namjoon whispered, running one of his hands gently through the short crop of Jungkook’s hair. “I thought that you looked really pretty with that haircut actually.”
“P-pretty?” Jungkook asked, clearly surprised by the compliment, if the tips of his ears were anything to go by. “Thank you, Joonie. I will make sure to take that into consideration in the future.” Jungkook, that menace winked at Namjoon, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.
“Agh, why do I feel like I shouldn’t have told you that, hyung?” Namjoon groaned, hiding his face behind his hands, “Now you’re going to go and get a big head about it.”
Jungkook went quiet and Namjoon was almost scared to uncover his eyes, but ultimately, he wanted to look at his soulmate’s pretty face now that he was allowed to and he wanted to know what Jungkook was doing — wary of the fact that too much silence could never be a good thing.
Namjoon uncovered his eyes to find Jungkook hovering over him, a mischievous glint in his hyung’s eyes that had Namjoon holding back a full body shiver. Jungkook leaned into Namjoon’s space, caging him against the couch and, in a scene reminiscent of earlier that day in the study room, started nipping at his bottom lip teasingly, asking for entry into his mouth — Namjoon gave in — gladly.
And if the night ended with the two of them exchanging kisses and cuddling each other to sleep on Jungkook’s bed, which then turned into them making a weekend out of it to get to know each other better (in more ways than one) especially one particular way that left Namjoon’s lower back feeling sore, then that was just for them to know.