Archive of Our Own ^beta

“I think I smell waffles.” Jimin whines as they walk near the food-stalls hugging the side walk.

“No, you need a real meal.” Taehyung sighs and pulls him literally by the collar, barely being able to stand straight, Jungkook sighed as they moved Jimin to walk in the middle of him and Taehyung to stop disturbing the poor vendors. 

He was the worst drinker out of the three, even Taehyung, who had the same amount of drinks as him was in a happy tipsy state, occasionally laughing at a random winter ornament which was, albeit comically funny, but a giant snowman is definitely not a lose your ass kind of funny.

There wasn’t a time of day where Jungkook wasn’t down for anything absolutely stupid, but day drinking, well evening drinking. The pop-up rink glittered like a snow globe in the middle of the city square, it was lit with string lights that tangled like stars over the synthetic ice. 

Midterms had just finished, and Jungkook was still assimilating to life after living as a recluse to survive his engineering final. It was definitely not fun to save the city as Spider-man whilst trying to top his class.

He, Taehyung and Jimin decided to go bar hopping and Jungkook opted out to drive the lot of them home safely, getting smashed on the first weekend he has off seemed like a waste if he was nursing a hangover for the next century, plus he really wanted to really stay in bed, maybe go to the gym, but he did enjoy spending time with his eccentric roommates. 

A full week of engineering work had turned his brain into pure soup, although his group survived, just barely, he still felt like he was coming down from caffeine withdrawal and sheer adrenaline. 

As they walked around the city square, the yellow bulbs of street lamps buzzed faintly overhead followed by the loud chatter of groups of people, probably also students, some families who were enjoying the city’s festivities. 

Taehyung, pink-cheeked and full of espresso martini regret, had flung his arms out dramatically the moment they arrived and spun in a wobbly circle on the brick plaza. “Guys we haven’t even made it to midnight! We can’t go home yet.”

“Taehyung for the love of god put your fucking scarf on.” Jungkook sighs.

He wasn’t wearing a jacket and was holding his scarf by his hand, “Winter is a social construct,” He proudly declares with a visible fog from his breath in the cold air. 

“You’re gonna fucking get a cold and you better not compain to me.” Jungkook snorts.

“Don’t talk to me.” Me huffs like a kid, evidently drawing his scarf around and high to cover his mouth. 

“I’m in mourning…I hate winter, plus I spilled hot coco on my favourite pants.” Taehyung lifts his leg up dramatically revealing a shit-brown stain.

“You did that hours ago.” Jimin chimes in unhelpfully, suddenly clutching a sugary churro and walking sideways. 

“Where did you even…? Oh whatever, just get over here-” Jungkook caught him gently by the elbow before he could go back into the trash bin. 

“I’m never drunk sitting again, you will all feel my wrath when I get shit-faced.”

“No lord, do not threaten me with that.” Jimin says so soberly with every ounce of seriousness in his voice and he physically straightens. 

The three of them approached the rink together, they went up to the booth and rented the crappy skates that were blunt as could be. 

Taehyung dragging his skates by the laces over his shoulder. They all sat down, trying to do their laces on a very damp floor from the melted snow earlier that morning, Jimin struggled to put on his laces but Jungkook was not about to intervene out of pure spite.

“You guys better not crack your heads open.” Jungkook feigns annoyance as he grabs his rental skates. 

“What the fuck, is it meant to hurt like this?” Jimin whines, wincing as he tightens his laces.

“Yeah no, I definitely got my size wrong.” Jungkook stood up to go to the booth to change into an equal bad pair but he was not about to bind his foot for the sake of skating, looking around, he could catch the flickers of golden light on every passing face as they skated in a moving circle on the small rink. 

A few kids were weaving way too fast through the crowds, everyone dressed in wooly scarves and puffer jackets, he could see like a hundred couples laughing and clinging onto the railing, yes it was an insanely romantic time of the year. 

“Yeah, could I get a size up?” Jungkook holds his skates up before they’re snatched away and he’s given another pair, the cold was stinging his exposed cheeks but it wasn’t unbearable, the perfect winter night.

 “Cool thanks.” He takes the skates, he was still getting used to moving through crowds without instinctively scanning for danger from rooftops. Old habits. 

Being Spider-Man didn’t exactly turn off because finals were over or he wasn’t in his suit. 

He’s just about to turn around and all of a sudden he feels a not-so-gentle tap on his shoulder. 

“Over here!” Hoseok waves to him happily with his mittens and holding two cups in his hands and a pair of skates tucked under his armpit. “Jungkook! Didn’t know you were chilling around here tonight.”

“Ooh hey hyung!” Jungkook is pleasantly surprised to see him and Hoseok sets the two cups and gesturing behind him. “I’m here with my reinforcement.” He grins widely and Jungkook peeks behind to see Jin sitting on a bench, who was halfway through monologue with Namjoon, standing nearby putting on his skates with his lanky figure. 

And next to them, steady with legs stiffly apart and a frown that could curdle milk was Min Yoongi.

“Ah, I was just about to ask.” Jungkook nods.

“Yeah we wanted to check it out, Jinnie and I wanted to go, it was a real struggle getting the other two, mainly Namjoon.” He shakes his head with disgrace.

“You with anyone? I could’ve sworn I saw Jiminie at a food stall in the distance, but I didn’t wanna ask in case it wasn’t, and embarrass myself.” Hoseok smiles again but this time sheepishly, earning a chuckle from Jungkook and he excuses himself to get everyone else.

Before he knows it they're all together putting on worn-out skates. Jimin was stumbling forward still, somehow more graceful on foot then we would ever be on skates. 

“Yoongi-hyung, why do you look like someone dragged you at gunpoint?” 

Yoongi didn’t even flinch and tied his shoes aggressively. “Because someone did.”

“Yeah I'm with you, this was all Taehyung.” He giggles and Taehyung quips his head around offendedly.

“Liar! You so wanted to, and Jungkookie too.” He points vigorously with his finger.

“Hoseok wouldn’t have peace until we were all here.” Namjoon relents as he shakily tries standing with his skates like a new born giraffe while Jin finds it very amusing.

“That would be me,” Hoseok beamed like he was proud of it, he probably was. “We survived finals guys, Consider this celebration, also Yoongi’s never said no to me once.”

“Untrue.” Yoongi mutters, but the corners of his mouth twitch.

“Name one time.” Jin challenges. 

Yoongi looked like he was about to say something, then thought better of it. Instead, he picked himself up with a visible reluctance and almost trips. “Why are we doing this…” He asks flatly.

Hoseok stands beside him confidently with his skates on like a seasoned professional. “Because it’s festive, and good for the soul, and I look really hot on the ice. Now stop complaining.”

“He’s right.” Namjoon says finally achieving two steps. “About the soul thing, Jury’s outta here on the gloves.” 

“I hate all of you.” Yoongi grimaces as he fights for his life to stand up still.

“You’re all being dramatic.” Hoseok looks at everyone sternly, then at Jungkook, “You’re good at this right, Jungkook?” 

“I guess?” Jungkook replies, having a think, trying not to let his voice do that stupid thing where it rises an octave whenever Yoongi is in the vicinity. 

“He’s annoyingly good.” Jimin says while plopping down next to Yoongi to whine to him about tying his laces, to which Yoongi rolls his eyes at and does the younger’s laces. “Used to skate when he was like, ten or something.” 

“Don’t make it sound like I was a child prodigy.” Jungkook says, embarrassed. “It was like, only a couple winters, my mom thought it’d make me more social.” He admits, running his fingers through his hair.

“It didn’t.” Jimin whispers to Yoongi who secures his laces. 

To Yoongi’s credit, he snorts fondly and shakes his head and sends a weird sensation down Jungkook's spine. By the time they all clambered toward the ink, Namjoon was narrating every minor triumph we had like he was a winning Olympic skater (i.e, standing up and walking without face-planting.)

Jungkook’s already on his way to the rink, he definitely was a fair skater, he’s been to Europe on a couple family vacations to do some sports on the snow, everyone loves ice skating there, but he was more a fan of skiing or snowboarding. 

Eventually, they all trickled onto the ice, laughing hysterically as everyone almost cracked their head open and clung to the railings, everyone but Hoseok and Jungkook. Taehyung was the first to step on, immediately slipping and flailing like a baby deer and Jungkook mockingly claps and he falls on his ass.

“Fuck you Jeon!”

Jungkook laughs as he skates swiftly, and then goes to circle back to actually be a good friend and help him up.

Jimin strides over slowly, if not for the intoxication, he would probably be the best one on the ice but everyone instructed him to be careful and not be too disruptive otherwise they would definitely all be kicked out. “No swearing Tae, there’s little kids here.” He scolds and goes back over to the railing to help a complaining Namjoon.

“Fuck you’re bad Namjoon.” Jin cackles from the bottom of his stomach.

“Hyung if you weren’t older than me right and, immobilised.” His eyes flicking down to the skates sentencing him to humiliation.

“Hey he’s learning.” Jimin reassures as he slips off the ice to go god knows where and leaving Jin 

Jin skated past him with ease once he got the hang of it, not sparing a single glance as Taehyung slipped again. 

“How, it’s so slippery!” He yells while trying to get up.

“That’s the point!” JImin shouted from the edge, now holding an entire bag of mini donuts. 

A couple meters away was another devastating pair, as Jungkook pushed over to observe, Yoongi, stiff as ever, was clutching onto the railing for his life while Hoseok hovered beside him, offering instructions that were a little too enthusiastic. 

“Okay okay, now bend your knees, no, not like that Yoongi. Not like you’re proposing!” He’s having trouble standing up himself as he wheezes at the shorter man’s efforts and Yoongi curses so much all the trees around him wither. Jungkook casually glided around him, pretending not to watch too closely, but he was watching, very closely, Hoseok’s hands were on Yoongi’s arms, steadying him, and Jungkook couldn’t explain the way something twisted in his stomach at the sight. 

He always noticed Yoongi. Even before the spider bite, and afterward, well it became much worse, or better, depending on the day, there was a kind of gravitational pull there, the same kind that kept him scaling buildings in the dead of night just to sit on rooftops thinking about him.

“Honestly.” Yoongi grunts, wobbling from standing still as he tries to push off the railing. “This is a trap. Ice is just water lying about its damn intentions.” 

“Again with your dramatics, has anyone ever told you what the drama queen you are?” Hoseok laughs some more, helping him inch forward. “Isn’t it fine? Look at Jungkookie, he’s great,” 

“That’s because he’s good at everything.”

Jungkook waves off the compliment. “Nah, I just had experience, that's all.” He circles behind Yoong subconsciously ready to catch him as he falls and doesn’t miss the way Hoseok grins. 

Yoongi rolls his eyes. “Yeah exactly, you’re good.”  They both watch as Yoongi lifts his leg and pushes it slightly 

“H-Holy shit…” Yoongi’s figure starts wobbling aggressively. 

“See! You’re doing fine.” 

“I’m doing terribly. ” 

“You’re upright. That’s like…half the battle.” Hoseok gave him a fond pat on the back. 

“Do not fucking let me go right now.” Yoongi feels a surge of panic as the warmth of Hoseok’s grasp slowly lets go.

“You’re doing fine.”

“Do not fucking let go Hoseok!” Yoongi yells unconditionally loud, catching the attention of fellow skaters and Jungkook continued to watch with intent.

“I’m off to rescue Jin from whatever death spiral he and Taehyung are in, Namjoon, Help me out here? Tag in, will you buddy?” 

Namjoon looked over with some mild panic as he talked to Jimin who was over the edge eating. “Oh no, Oh no no no, I read the biometrics of ice friction, not the manual on Yoongi handling.”

“Why do you guys talk like I’m a helpless animal?” Yoongi chimes in still standing helplessly on the ice.

“Because you are Hyung.” Jimin smiles as rests his chin on his palm as he leans.

“You’ll be great.” Hoseok chirps, already turning to skate toward flailing Taehyung who has somehow gotten both legs stuck at opposite angles, surely to sport many wounds after his battle. 

Jungkook skates around Jin who bet ten seconds that they would make it. 

“Honestly that’s a bit generous.” Jungkook says to him while watching.

Namjoon took Yoongi’s elbow, “You just…balance like earth does on its axis. Gentle rotation.”

Namjoon stands next to Yoongi, both of them a good two meters arms length away from the safety of the railing. Just as he says that, Namjoon loses his balance and starts flailing himself, almost bringing Yoongi down with them, disrupting the flow of the moving circle as oncoming people try dodging the hopeless pair and Jungkook hears Jin howl with laughter.

“Give me someone else!” Yoongi clamors from the icy ground due to his embarrassing fall. 

Namjoon huffs, “Listen man, I tried helping.” he says while pushing himself up.

“I hate everything you say with your stupid smart language, talk like a normal person.” 

From the edge, Jungkook tries not to laugh, he adjusts his scarf and pushes off the wall again, skating in a quiet circle before drifting toward them just as Yoongi releases Namjoon’s arm with a suspicious look.

“Okay. I’m trying this alone, screw you guys.”

“Bold choice.” Namjoon says, already beckoning away.

Yoongi’s hands hovered midair like he couldn’t decide what to do with them. He stepped once, then again.

And that’s when gravity strikes him back, Jungkook doesn’t think twice as he immediately lunges forward before he registers a single thought, catching Yoongi with a firm grip on his arm and steadying around his waist.

“I got you.” The words left his mouth before he could think about what he did, busy trying to keep both their weight upright and balanced. 

He’d said the same thing in worse situations, falling from scaffolds or yanking a random kid out of traffic when he was Spiderman, but he wasn’t Spiderman right now, but it still felt equally as dangerous.

Yoongi froze, his breath puffed out in a white cloud between them, rendering him speechless as he felt Jungkook’s muscular arm flex around him and his cheeks instantly flush, and it definitely was not from the cold.

“Jungkook— Y-Yah…that was embarrassing.” He mumbles, voice quiet. “We look like a lead in a bad drama.”

Jungkook chuckles at that, “Better than you getting a concussion or breaking your tailbone though.” Jungkook smiles and pulls Yoongi to the slow, people-less side, his hand unmoving. 

“Oh yeah…sorry about that.” The younger sheepishly says.

“It’s fine, Jungkook. Thanks, I guess I owe you one, for, well, my life” Yoongi jokes but didn’t push him away. Jungkook watched intently as his lashes fluttered as he looked down at the skates, the ice, maybe the dangerous lack of space between them, and Jungkook suddenly thinks he’ll melt through the rink. Jungkook falls for his lashes and sharp eyes every time, he remembers the first time he laid eyes on him, it was in his first year of college and Min Yoongi was already in his second year, he hadn’t meant to stare, but then again, he never meant to. It’s just muscle memory, how he always found Yoongi in a crowd without trying, as if his brain had quietly divided. Yoongi was north and his eyes just defaulted on him like a compass. It was ridiculous, honestly. Stupid, the way his heart sped up just watching Yoongi cruelly frown down at his skates. He could technically fight ten guys with laser eyes, metal arms and flamethrowers, but Yoongi saying his name in that low, hoarse voice. That’s what made his knees falter. The way the soft flush in Yoongi’s cheeks from the cold made Jungkook wanna cup his face and keep him warm forever. And it wasn’t even the dramatic moments that got him, Yoongi didn’t need to do anything grand to undo him, it was the quiet, unguarded details that had Jungkok absolutely whipped. The determined furrow in his brows when he was in deep thought, the delicate slope of his devastatingly perfect button-nose, the way he huffed when anyone teased him but never did anything. Even when he looked mildly inconvenienced, Jungkook loved it, he loved it all. 

It had hit him awhile ago, that he didn’t have a passing crush or something stupid he’d grow out of, he was far gone, just the first wave of his lashes and his fortresses already fell, no fortification, no escape plan, just hopelessly and completely taken by him.

“Let go.” Yoongi says awkwardly, still held in the taller’s clutches.

“I would.” Jungkook smirks playfully, “But you’re still falling everywhere.” 

“I’m not.” Yoongi’s foot slipped again, confirming the lie, and Jungkook reflexively steadied him closer, their coasts brushed and Jungkook could smell the ghost of Yoongi’s citrusy shampoo, and mentally filed it away like a criminal keeping evidence. 

-

Jungkook didn’t particularly like to keep things physical, especially since he’s told one of his punches lead to some major bruises, nothing fatal if he doesn’t try but the spidey-mode just makes him completely overshoot his strength sometimes. 

He pops a web onto the well to swiftly thrust him in front of the petty thief at the end of the piss-reeking alley. “ Why do they always run toward a dark alley? Who raised you!?” He turns just as the guy curses under his breath and runs like he meant it. 

His boots slamming hard onto the pavement, breath coming hard as he clutches the stolen backpack clutched tight to his chest as he tore back around to the next block of ratty buildings. Just past the dumpsters and the flicker of warm lights. 

Unfortonuately for him, Spider-man has a mission to accomplish, Jungkook, perched up from a second-story building leans over the railing like a fucking owl.

“Hey.” Jungkook smiles lazily as he watches the stupid thief frantically look around for a viable escape route. “You forgot your receipt or something?” He snickers.

The guy flinches and grits his teeth with eyes darting upward. “I don’t have time for a stupid kid like you!” He growls and Jungkook rolls his eyes and leaps down with a clean crouch and when he straightens back up he even gets time to fix the sleeves of his cinching suit. He never really liked tight clothing but there’s not much of a choice here. 

The guy immediately stumbles back a step, typical. “Oh shit, w-wait no. I-I didn’t-!” 

“Let me guess.” Jungkook sighs while rolling his neck, “You’re holding that laptop bag for a friend, and that pepper spray in your jacket is just for accessory purposes?” Jungkook snorts but realises he should probably be more serious or intimidating or whatever, so his face stills and narrows. 

“Look man-” And before Jungkook was going to, calmly propose a reasonable compromise the guy books it for the main street, which is pretty silly to begin with but Jungkook is left with no choice but to shoot a quick web to snag the back of the collar of his jacket and yank him off his feet with one swoop. 

The scruffy thief falls to the ground quite comedically. 

Jungkook hears a groan and approaches him with a blank and unbothered look which pisses the guy off even more. 

“You…good? No concussions? Maybe a broken dignity?” No response, just some more defeated groaning. 

Jungkook smirks and gives a petite pat on the back of the neck. “Cool! Stay down, cops are here in two minutes, maybe they’ll believe you!” He chirps and leaves the scene while using the cryptic device in the wrist of his suit to inform authorities of their whereabouts.

No, Jungkook has not meant to be in this situation in an attempt simply to meet his friends, but duty calls. The downtown bustled like no other, there’s clatter in the streets in the late afternoon in the city, the buildings let seep through a golden light, there’s students bustling everywhere trying to catch the next train home.

Jungkook himself is amongst these, driving in the downtown part of the city might be something more punishable than death so he usually opts for the train. There’s music playing faintly and flyers on the tattered walls. As he’s walking, someone on a skateboard yells about their psychology final. Which reminds him, he has his structural engineering lab assignment, the mere thought of opening up AutoCAD might just send him over the edge. 

But yes, he was in fact just kicking straight ass and wiping the floor with some scummy people.

He gets out of his suit swiftly in a damp abandoned hallway of what used to be a butcher shop, no one seeing him thankfully. He stops to lean against a damp brick wall and rolls his sore shoulder to check how bad it was. The suit pinched near his ribs, he did take a hard fall earlier, but the adrenaline had long faded and his entire body was starting to feel like he got his bad car. 

He rubs his face in annoyance, his friend is probably gonna moan and whine about how late he is. 

Suddenly there's a light drizzle that grazes his face, then a couple more discrete droplets, until they’re not so discrete and the clouds decide to unleash some terrestrial downpour. Because of course it had. 

He looks at his mask and it’s limp in his hands and takes a long think about how he’s going to commit to everything while also trying to survive university, and in defeat he shoves it quickly into his pocket before scurrying to pull a hoodie out. Brown hair flattened to his forehead with sweat and rain, he wiped a fleck of blood from his lip and checked the time, 

4:36 Read on his phone. 

“Cool,” He thinks about the bruise blooming on his lip and he rubs his jaw with a wince. Can’t wait to explain this to Taehyung.

He slings his backpack over one shoulder and goes into the backstreet shadows, hoodie up and soft footsteps, perfect, vigilante to college boy in sixty seconds flat. He sighed as he continued walking in the crowd of ordinary people, a couple blocks away he could hear the subtle blaring of police cars probably cleaning up the mess he already took care of. He thinks about his upcoming assignments, if his friends have started their media group project, if there are any tortilla chips in his measly cupboard so he can make a quick nachos. The sweat still beaded down his forehead, everyone around him walks by comically unaware of how he singlehanded fought crime.

Jungkook is making his way back to the dormitories, by the time he made it back to his shared dorm, it was so dark shadows had stretched across the walkway outside, his hoodie still damp at the collar, and the back of his neck stung where a stray piece of brick ahs scraped im during that alley predicament, average Tuesday evening things. 

The dorm building loomed up ahead , five floors of noisy pipes and the smell of burnt microwave popcorn emitting through the halls which he hoped were not coming from his dorm . 

The occasional existential scream here and there echoed through the walls, mainly from the honours floor as the people who lived there probably regretted paying that sweet overpriced shitty dorm space. Jungkook was always the odd one out. He didn’t really need to stay in that close-to-shithole dorm but he wasn’t going to miss out on this experience, he could’ve stayed in that cushy penthouse on the other side of the city, being taken to school by his driver, but something about that innate college experience really convinced him it wasn’t that bad. Especially since he and Tae were young and high off that teenage dream fantasy, and mainly because he could not stand his parents. 

Jungkook quickly scanned the street out of habit before slipping inside, his hand brushing over the back of his hoodie where his mask was tucked deep at the bottom of his backpack, on the way back his peering eyes were able to count three cyclists, one unsuspecting squirrel, and someone throwing up into a campus trashbin nearby. Nothing that needed immediate help or intervening, Not tonight to his relief, he seriously could use some couch rotting time. Climbing up the stairs instead of taking the elevator, again, out of habit, partly because the elevator at their floor never fucking worked and also because they lived on a veranda and the cool breeze brushes past him before he enters the door. His hand braced onto the railing as he caught his breath again, kicking ass might just be a daily occurrence and going to the gym was a task he most definitely did not skip out on, for some reason walking up the stairs to his dorm really took the piss. 

Inside the dorm was as warm as ever. String lights twinkled unevenly overhead but they weren’t on because no one bothered to change the battery, Taehyung swore they gave the room “mystical energy”. Posters along the wall of some of their favourite bands, a framed page from a fashion magazine that Jmin stole from the library and a giant homemade “Live Laugh Love” banner that has been now gratified until it just said “Lie Lick Lava!” Jungkook didn’t even question it anymore. 

“Doors open.” Taehyung chimes from the floor, not even bothering to look up. He was sprawled lazily on his stomach in front of a canvas, splattered in various colours of point and wearing Jungkook’s hoodies without any shame. 

Meanwhile Jimin greets him curled on the raggedy couch, picturesquely looking out the window with socks mismatched. He was texting on two phones simultaneously and chewing on some sour cand. The smell of pizza mingled in the air, mixing with something vaguely lavender and aggressively citrus, maybe an attempt of a new air freshener that made Jungkook’s head hurt.

“Pizza’s in the fridge.” Jimin says from his phone. 

“Right thanks, that’s like…the fifth time this week.” Jungkook raises a brow.

“They’ve got an amazing lunch deal.” Jimin laughs as Jungkook seriously questions how he doesn’t gain 50 pounds a week.

Jungkook drops his bag just inside the door and collapses onto the carpet with a muffled grunt. 

“That good of a day huh?” Jimin asks without looking up from his two phones.

“Better than yours.” Jungkook mumbles into a throw pillow. “Since you still haven't figured out how to match socks like a normal person- and wait…is that mine?” He squints at Jimin’s socks and throws the pillow he was lying on at him.

Jimin yelps as Jungkook doesn’t let up, “Hey! We’re a communist household here, we share everything!” He laughs, trying to dodge the incoming pillows.

“Wear your own goddamn socks!” Jungkook hurls another and Jimin gets up to hide behind Tae painting knowing Jungkook wouldn’t dare.

Taehyung huffs in annoyance as Jimin whines to Jungkok to stop, “You act like you’re a saint.” Taehyung groans. 

“Yeah you mammoth, you eat like it’s your last meal.” Jimin crosses his arms and sits back down not before examining Jungkook and he yields the last remaining pillow. “Plus. it’s some bold take from someone who’s clearly dying.”

“Already I am not dying.” Jungkook presses his lips. 

“You’re moaning and groaning like you fell from a building!” Jimin laughs.

“Knowing him, he probably did.” Taehyung sighs in defeat. 

Jungkook shifted, pulling his hoodie up over his head and wincing as the fabric caught onto his shoulder with a hot pain. Underneath, his black t-shirt was damp with his excreting sweat, clinging to the bruises that bloomed on his back and ribs.

Taehyung whistles low, “Damn. One fire escape again?” 

“Just the one.” Jungkook says, almost breathless. “And it was pretty poorly maintained.” 

“Your joints are sooo gonna hate you by like, twenty-five.” Jimin adds, tossing a protein bar his way. “Eat. You didn’t eat after, whatever it was last night.” 

Jungkook swiftly catches it one-handed, barely. “I just couldn’t sleep dude.” 

“You never sleep spider-boy.” Taehyung says, dipping his brush in green and flicking it toward the canvas like he was casting a spell, Jungkook admires his friend's impressive painting. “Seriously, you’ve got some raccoon circles.” His friend quips back at him, making Jungkook seriously consider how bad he must look.

“I’m built differently.” 

“You’re built pretty dumb.”

Jungkook didn’t think of a snarky remark back, he didn’t argue in fact. He sat up slowly still mindful of the pain and cracked the protein bar open and chewed mechanically. His ribs ached when he slouched, and his muscles hummed with a low, vibrating fatigue that only came after an adrenaline crash. His finger itched to check his phone. To open the scanner app and see if anything else was happening, but he forced himself to lean back instead and laid his head against the couch. 

The apartment buzzes with the peaceful, well peaceful to Jungkook personally, the kind of noise of brushstrokes against a canvas, the distant bass thud of someone’s music upstairs, the hiss of the radiator. Normal things. Safe things. Things he didn’t always get. 

Jimin suddenly over his phone. “Yoongi walked past you today.” 

Jungkook groaned but not out of pain this time, but annoyance.

“You looked like you were gonna ascend,” Jimin continued laughing hard as he recalled earlier today on campus. “You literally froze.”

“Don’t get me started on you with Namjoon.” Taehyung interrupts in, still painting.

Jungkook gets lost in thought while lying on the couch. “He’s so…soft.” Jungkook mutters with closed eyes, “Like aggressively soft. Weaponised softness. It’s not fair.” 

Taehyung laughs at his internal conundrum. “You have some issues.”

“His hand was stuck out of his jumper. Just his hand, and it ruined me.” Jungkook sighs dreamily. 

“Yeah..you need help.” Taehyung continues. 

“I need him to stop existing like that.” 

“You’re in love with a man who has a pretentious music taste and microwaves his tea.” Taehyung shakes his head. 

Jungkook gasps and shots up to give him a burning look despite the throbbing pain in his shoulder. “He does not!”

“He does Romeo…Joonie told me so.” Jimin winks.

“It doesn’t matter, he could commit a heinous crime in front of me and I'd still think he was perfect.” 

“Wow…coming from the hero himself, don’t go around saying that dumbass, they’ll fire you from your post.” Taehyung snorts and Jimin leans back to give him a high-five. The room fell into a rhythm again. Taehyung has almost finished painting for the night, Jimin was texting with the clicking noise on which he refuses to turn off in settings. 

Somewhere above, a faint cello note hummed through the walls, Yoongi of course. 

Jungkook exhales softly, it was fine, very fine. He was fine. 

Totally fine. 

“You think he’d ever like me back like that?” He asks quietly.

Taehyung glances up. “Honestly? Probably. He’s just too emotionally constipated to realize it.”

“Soooo, a match made in heaven!” Jimin chimes mockingly.

Jungkook just smiles faintly before going to his half-zipped backpack where his engineering workbook was poking out, neglected since Monday. Maybe he should go study. Maybe if he kept busy, he could stop thinking about the way Yoongi tilts his head cutely when he’s focused. 

“You know.” Taehyung starts, dragging his brush through a smear of gold. “He’s usually in the music section late at night. No one’s ever there, it’s like his crypt.”

Jungkook blinks. “He knows I don’t study music! Plus how do you even know that?” He frowns.

“Yeah so you’re stalking him now?” Jimin giggles.

“It’s a public space,” Taehyung shrugs, “And i’m just saying/ If someone wanted to shoot their shot…ro something, or do literally anything besides pine and suffer, that’d be a pretty good opening.” He rolls his eyes which are fervent and Jungkook kicks his legs like a stupid idiot in love. 

“I’m not going to stalk him, plus I don’t even know how I'd deal with a relationship with my situation.” He says 

“You liar.” Jimin sneers and Jungkook threateningly brings another throw pillow into the air to which Jimin quickly turns back to typing. 

-

The library at 7:43pm. It was unusually warm, not in the temperature, just the atmosphere. The overhead lighting was dimmer than usual, like the building itself knew everyone inside had already surrendered to quiet. Muffled footsteps passed in the distance, the soft hum of the radiators pressed low against the floor. 

Min Yoongi did not mind, he liked when things were especially slow. Predictable and this quiet was a kind of kindness, it meant no one expected anything from him. He was currently tucked into his usual corner in the back of the music section, where the books were too specialized for even the nerdiest overachievers to bother with, and since not many people decided to take a masteral in music production, he basically had it all to himself. The music practice rooms upstairs rattled faintly with sounds of what was surely someone playing trumpets slowly, playing the same three notes. Yoongi didn’t look up, he didn’t really think they were particularly good, he just liked the repetition. It soothed the edge of his thoughts. 

“Are you aware?” Namjoon says from across the table, “that you’ve been highlighting the same line for like a full five minutes?” 

Yoongi blinks back at him and looks down at the page beneath him, where a bright yellow streak ran aggressively across the phrase diatonic modulation in late Romantic composition . 

“...Oh…huh….” 

Namjoon didn’t even bother to pull a face, as he  flipped a page in his philosophy of ethics textbook. His reading glasses were slightly crooked, like always. “Do you want coffee or another ten minutes of pretending to read.” 

“Yeah sorry, I’m just stressed about the winter showcase stuff.’ Yoongi mumbles and stretches, Namjoon could hear the bones popping faintly under the soft fabric of his oversized shirt. “But sure yeah let’s grab a coffee.” He grumbles as Namjoon gives a look of one that simply did not care why he was stressed but nonetheless reached to get out of his chair. 

“Should I bring a defibrillator?” Jin asks helpfully from his perch in one of the mismatched armchairs nearby. He was pounding dramatically with a stack of romance novels in his lap and half a face mask still stuck to his cheek, “Because this level of academic despair feels medically concerning.” 

“I have been off the red bulls guys, coffees though are another thing entirely.” Yoongi gives a stern look at his hyung. 

“Yeah, especially since you’re one to talk.” Hoseok adds as well from the floor, where he was seated cross-legged against a bookshelf, doodling tiny dancers in the margins of a certain someone’s borrowed philosophy notes. “Didn’t you sleep through your cooking class this morning?” Hoseok snickers. 

“Slept through" is a strong phrase.” Jin replies, sashaying his non-existent long hair. “I would like to think of it more of, mentally or spiritually detaching from the concept of consciousness….”

Yoongi snorts and leans back into his chair, arms limp at his sides. His eyes fell half-closed. Namjoon was already reading dutifully beside him, his pencil tapping against the wood every few seconds. Yoongi admired his friends and their chaotic peace they carved from years of having such differing schedules. 

Hoseok finally convinces Jin to get up off his ass and go to the coffee shop on campus until the energy in the room shifts. Yoongi’s eyes opened wide as someone had just entered the library. Or maybe that wasn’t quite right. More like, it stumbled in, with light footsteps and a faint scuffle. That strangely familiar weight against the air like the room adjusted itself. 

He wouldn’t have looked up, he really wouldn't have.

But then he heard a soft familiar laugh and Namjoon giving a very not-nonchalant cough as he catches Jimin’s eyes from across the room,

And that meant…

Yoongi’s stomach turned over once, light, Jeon Jungkook in all his glory. 

-

Jungkook tried his very best to pretend like he wasn’t scanning the room like a heat-seeking missile the very moment he walked in. Unfortunately, he is terrible at being discreet, he told himself he was there to study, he had his final coming up after all and he had an engineering module due, and at least five unread messages from his lab partner asking about their draft, but that stupid alleyway fight had completely exhausted him the other night so he could pull and all nighter. 

But Taehyung's expression said everything. “Told you.” his friend whispers whilst nudging him with his elbow, he slaps Tae’s shoulder with an annoyed look because of his stupid bruises. “I’m right, he’s always here, crypt boy, just like I said.” He smirks matter-of-factly. 

“I’m just here to study you moron.” Jungkook muttered, eyes darting past the rows of bookcase and tucked-away study cubicles. 

“Sure.” 

“I am. ” 

“Is that why you wore a shirt to show your rolling muscles?” Taehyung teases. 

Jungkook hisses like he’d been caught in a trap. “You’re ruining my life.” 

“Good. I hope it hurts.” 

Jimin had already started veering off toward the linguistics wing, waving lazily over his shoulder, since his major is dance he almost never is caught in a library. “Text me when you’re done swooning, I'll be with Namjoonie.”

That left Jungkook and Taehyung in the wide=open quiet of the entrance, standing awkwardly beneath the flow of the reading lamps, like they’d walked into the final round of a quiz show. 

There he was, Min Yoongi, backlit by the soft amber light of the floor lamps. He was wearing a shirt that almost reached his knees, maybe Namjoon. One hand was tangled in the black tufts of his hair, his posture was curbed, focused and head slightly tilted just as Jungkook imagines in his daydreams. 

Jungkook didn’t think it should be allowed for someone to look that cute when highlighting goddamn words. 

“I cannot go over there.” He whispers.

“You’re literally standing still and breathing like a weirdo! Go save yourself.” Taehyung replies. “Just walk.”

“No! I’ll look so silly.”

“You’re actually such an idiot.”

“I need to be hospitalized, Tae.” He whines into his friend’s arm.

Taehyung gave his shoulder one pitying pat before abandoning him to find a spot near the other group of friends with a wave form Seokjin and Hoseok who have not also noticed them. 

Jungkook stood there for another full ten seconds before his feet finally remembered how to move. He approached the group slowly, orbiting closer like some poor celestial object doomed to Yoongi’s gravity and Hoseok gives him a sunny grin.

“Hey Jungkookie, will you join the dance performance?” Hoseok asks while crossing his legs. Jungkook drops his notebook and engineering at the far end of their table, far enough to be normal , close enough to maybe hear Yoongi breath. 

“I definitely want Hyung, I'll just see if it matches up with my schedule.” He says while opening to a random page of his textbook, flipping past an untouched problem set, pretending to study. He might’ve pulled it off. Hoseok had already invited him the week before to join for the winter showcase, Jungkook was a regular substitute for Hoseok’s dance team, he loves dancing in his past time and honestly envies Jimin for being able to pursue contemporary dance, if he did have the option he would’ve chose to just do a bachelors in arts, major in something that he really liked, music, dance, visual art or hell, even theatre but his parents warned him that he shouldn’t let his brains go to waste, and that if he wanted he could do it after graduating or as a side hobby. Otherwise they would not be paying for his tuition, and Jungkook hardly had time for school, let alone a job, so he didn’t really have much of a choice.

Yoongi looks up with a glance and they lock eyes for a moment, just a moment, and Hoseok joins them by sitting between him and Yoongi to which Jungkook knows for a fact was intentional, his crush on Min Yoongi wasn’t a well hidden secret… only that everyone but Yoongi seems to know.

“All good kids, I'll just compose a song the night before.” He says to which Yoongi replies by sticking his middle finger up. Meanwhile Yoongi’s eyes hadn’t left Jungkook since he wa;lked in. Jeon Jungkook in a black t-shirt that clung just a little too well to his refined abs. Headphones hanging from one ear, hair still damp from a recent shower, maybe. 

His sleeves were shoved up to the elbows, revealing skin that was bruised in place Yoongi was too polite to stare at. But he noticed, he always noticed, always wondered what the hell this guy was doing to look like the mafia was out to get him. 

Yoongi knew he did a ton of sports, and that he was part of the varsity team that got to national in football just because he wanted to join for fun and goes rockclimbing everyweek, which he heard from Hoseok, that was told by Taehyung and definitely not because Yoongi stalked his instagram page, absolutely not…

He tried not to look again, and failed miserably. 

He leaned slightly toward Namjoon. “Did he…follow us here?”

Jimin who was talking to Namjoon and practically begging him to come to support him at the winter showcase, practically on his lap and lisping with him to Yoongi’s disgust, didn’t even miss a blink. “Statistically? Maybe yes it’s plausible, you know Kookie.” Jimin adjusts his golden hair before giggling. 

“I think he’s vibrating…” Yoongi says quietly watching Jungkook busy talking to Hoseok. 

“That’s just him around you.” Jimin adds.

Yoongi frowned. “I’m not that interesting.”

“I agree,” Namjoon grins. “Jokes, you play instruments…and look like a cat, You’re exactly that interesting.” 

“Joonie, you're meant to be flirting with me!” Jimin squawks, offended. 

“I hate your stupid innuendos anyway.” Yoongi shoves his highlighter into Namjoon’s ribs, he didn’t flinch, just smiled like someone who knew he was right. 

-

Meanwhile Jungkook was not staring at Yoongi. He was definitely not watching the way Yoongi adjusted his shirts with the back of his hand. He wasn’t clocking every shift in his posture, every absent little hum under his breath when he got stuck on a passage.

No. He was very focused on his worksheet. On…question seven?

Wait no, five.

Fuck. What was the tension force again?

He frowned. His brain is all fuzzy. And then his pencil cracked clean in half between his fingers, accidental strength once again. 

“Shit—” He whispers, ducking under the desk to grab another pen. It rolled, of course if fucking rolled. He lunged for it and slammed his forehead into the underside of the table harshly. 

The thud echoed embarrassingly.

“Smooth,” Taehyung muttered under his breath into the book he was holding somewhere behind  a bookcase.

Yoongi gave a soft smile as he stared at Jungkook, rubbing his head. “You good?”

Jungkook resurfaced like someone who’d just taken psychic damage and felt his cheeks heat up, he did not want to look back at Jimin and Taehyung. “Fine! Totally awesome. Love desks. I'm a big fan of gravity.” 

Yoongi stared. “Cool.”

Namjoon coughed into his hand, or maybe it was a laugh. Jungkook couldn't tell. He was too busy wanting to throw himself out the nearest window. He turned back to his page and looked at it intently until all the numbers blurred, this was fine, everything was great, normal even. 

Until Yoongi spoke again. 

“Hey.” 

Jungkook nearly dropped his pen again. “Yeah?” 

“You…feeling okay?” Yoongi’s voice was quiet, soft at the edges and made the hair at the back of Jungkook’s neck stand up straight. 

The younger’s eyes looked back up, Yoongi’s eyes weren’t reading, they weren’t sharp or bored or sarcastic. They were just looking with a face of concern. 

“You look like you haven’t slept in a year.” Yoongi adds. 

Jungkook opens his mouth, closes it, considers lying and fails. “I just…think a lot.” 

Yoongi nods, mouth tugging into something thoughtful before letting out a. “Same.”  The silence that followed wasn’t awkward, It wasn’t tense, it was just honest, until Jungkook felt inclined to move that felt cosmically scripted as he knocked frappuccino over.

“Shit!” It spilled in an arc across the wood, soaking two pages of notes and seeping into his pants. 

Before he could even blink, Yoongi was already out of his chair. He didn’t even hesitate and started to grab a wad of napkins from his bag and gently press them into Jungkook’s hand. He didn’t speak at first, just expertly dabbed the mess calmly and efficiently. 

“You drink this crap?” Yoongi chuckled, then their fingers brushed together and Jungkook forgets how to inhale. 

“Sorry hyung if it got on you.”

Yoongi didn’t meet his eyes but his voice was steady. “Relax, it’s fine.” the older’s hand continued to linger for a moment, longer than necessary. Just a second, but it was enough to brand the moment into Jungkook’s skin like something permanent. 

Namjoon clears his throat loudly, almost like a warning and Yoongi pulls away without a comment, like nothing has happend and Taehyung

“What are you fucking sick?” Yoongi turns to him and grimaces and jabs at his friend’s excessive coughing. 

“No Hoseok wants to go out to grab dinner, and he’s trying to drag JIn to a wild goose chase for his jacket.” Something tells Yoongi that he never actually lost that, so with a groan directed towards Namjoon they wave the others goodbye. 

“So uh, good look with that Kook-ah.” He grins toward the messy array of papers scattered on the table. Jungkook was left sitting alone and staring at the coffee stain. His hands were still sticky and damp. Taehyung returned ten minutes later with bubble tea in one hand and a suspicious smile.

“You look like you saw God.” 

Jungkook looks at him, slowly, like someone in shock.

“Did you, like, talk to him?” 

Jungkook nodded. 

“And…?”

Jungkook looks at his hand like it was frozen, burned or lasered off, like many times in battle but just says. “He touched it!”

“Okay now you just sound like a weirdo.”

-

The theater smelled like dust, wood polish and faint leftover incense that Jin snuck in to do a brief experiment with “spiritual stage cleansing.” for some good luck. It was chilly inside, it a;ways was since they probably haven’t renovated the heating in decades. The high ceilings drew your attention with its drafty wings, the heater in the greenroom broken since October. Still, the space pulsed with life as voices echoed and laughter of people practicing ricocheted off the rafters.Tape lines crisscrossed the stage like a grid of intent and choreography. Their entire friend group was scattered in the theatre excited to watch the performance they all had been anticipating. 

A soft, rolling piano melody rang throughout the room. It was 6 o’clock in the evening, and rehearsal for the Winter Showcase was just beginning to spiral into the usual controlled chaos.

Yoongi sat at the upright piano on the left of the stage, head bowing over a tangle of sheet music and worn manuscript pages, scribbling in sharp pencil. The sleeves of his long-sleeve swallowed his wrist. His fingers hovered over the keys in deep thought, flexed, then stilled again, never looking up.

Jungkook sat in the wings along with Taehyung, Namjoon and JIn, he was goofing off and sitting on the cold floor, his jumper bunched at his elbows and a tablet balanced on one knee, pretending to study the lighting interface, he wasn’t looking at the board, he was watching Yoongi as always. 

“He’s not going to notice you if you keep staring there like a squirrel.” Taehyung snickers beside him, one leg bent, stretching against the wall. 

Jungkook startled, glancing over. “I’m not crying.”

“I didn’t say that.” Taehyung snorts, there’s paint splattered over his hoodie and he has a roll of gaffer tape in one hand and he had taken his art final to sketch during rehearsal. “You look like a Victorian widow in mourning.” 

“I just like watching him work.” Jungkook mutters defensively. 

Namjoon overhears their conversation and as his self-proclaimed ‘Yoongi’s favourite person’ (we all know it’s Namjoon) he has a lot of fun getting messy with Jungkook, mid stretch he lifts an eyebrow and pats Jungkook’s back. “You ‘just like’ the way he breathes, the way he stand, the way his sleeves cover his hands like an anime side character—”

“Ew that’s cringe as fuck.” Namjoon urges Hoseok to shut up but he’s too busy laughing with Jin.

“—The way he plays minor seventh chords like they insulted his bloodline, should I keep going?”

“No.” Jungkook hisses.

“Sounds like you’ve got a crush on him!” Jin laughs before the piano playing abruptly stops, they turn to the stage nearby and their hushed giggles fade as Yoongi, oblivious or simply unbothered, adjusted the volume knob on the small monitor beside him and played another bar, this one slower, achingly delicate. 

Jungkook bit his lip as he watched. “He’s composing something different, this wasn’t in the demo file.” He tsks.

“You memorized his demo file?” Taehyung asks.

“No.”

“Right you dirty liar.”

“Maybe…”

Jin flopped down beside him, still in his sweats and apron bunched in his tote bag with tousled hair. “Why don't you just talk to him.” He smiles.

“I have. Briefly, technically.”

“Technically.”

“I said, ‘Nice shoes’ one time ... .and he said, ‘They’re not mine.”

Taehyung wheezes. “Smooth.” Jin and Namjoon shared a bored look. 

“He’s exaggerating, they most definitely talk.” Namjoon grimaces.

“And last week when you passed him a mic cable, you said, ‘Here go,” Taehyung helpfully adds. 

“I was nervous!” Jungkook cries.

“You’re always nervous,” Taehyung sighs, dotting a corner of the sketch with pink. “You’ve had a crush on Yoongi for like what, a year?”

“A year and a half.”

“Not any better.”

“I’m not trying to make it better.”

Jin took a swig of a soda. “You could help him with his music cues, You’re already programming the lights for Hoseok.”

“Only because Hoseok blackmailed me into never letting me dance with the team.”

"You're in the theater every night anyway. Yoongi knows that.” Hoseok gives him a look and shrugs, “Alright guys I'm getting up there, gotta get the team together.” Jungkook waves the others off before disappearing backstage.

“Barely.”

“He looked at you yesterday.” 

Jungkook froze, “He did?”

Jin hums, ‘You are standing under the rig, holding the light bar like Simba in the Lion King, he definitely looked.”

“He was probably looking at the light.” Jungkook continues to sulk dramatically on the ground.

“Sure Kookie,” Taehyung coos from his art, “Whatever helps you sleep.”

Jungkook groaned, dragging his hand down his face. “I hate you guys.”

“You love us.” Jin sings.

“Yeah, I do, tragically.” Jungkook admitted. A sudden whistle cut across the stage, Hoseok appears like a blinding glare of motion, clipboard in hand and scarf tied unnecessarily just to make him look more obnoxious. He sported a head mic he didn’t need already on. “Alright, chaos kids! Positions, please! Jimin, warm-ups! Namjoon, do not start any electrical fires! Jungkook, my sweet darling angel of my tech booth, we’re cursing transitions today!.”

Hoseok’s voice booms so loudly it could probably be heard outside the theatre. Namjoon stumbles out from the side curtain, dragging a milk crate of cables. “Why do the extension cords feel warm?”

“Because you’re a menace.” Hoseok says cheerfully.

“I’m not touching them anymore.” 

“Execellent decision Namjoonie.” Hoseok grins before tapping the clipboard with a pen deep in thought, Jin then strolls in behind them, holding a box of costume rejects. “Would anyone like to see my new capes?” 

“No.” Hoseok says firmly but Jimin interrupts frantically adjusting his costume with a sweet “I do!”

Yoongi, still silent, finally pushed back from the piano as he rolled his shoulders and cracked his neck. As he stood, his gaze flicked once, briefly and to Jungkook. 

Jungkook’s heart stalled for a moment and Yoongi started going toward them.

“Oh god.” Jungkook whispers. “He’s walking over. What should I say?”

“You’re not meeting fucking royalty.” Taehyung sighs.

“But what if I'm weird? What if I say something weird?” Jungkook hisses, already feeling hte sweat prickling behind his ears. 

“You’re already weird if that helps.” Taehyung says without any sympathy and shoves a bag of chips his way. “Chew if you panic.”’ He hands Jungkook like it's a grenade pin.

Yoongi stopped just short of them with a simple, quiet and hesitant way that only Min Yoongi could pull off, like he didn’t mean to exist in anyone’s space for too long. “Hey,” He said with a gravel-low voice, as if he hadn’t spoken much today. His black hair was mussed on one side since he’d been leaning over sheet music all day, his eyes half-lidded but that’s also because he resembles a cat with feline features. 

Jungkook looked up and promptly forgot how the english language worked.

“Erm hi…” He blurts “Hi. Hey. Hello.” He continues.

Yoongi watches all this in slow motion. “Hi….” Taehying nearly chokes beside him, trying not to make a noise behind his hand. 

Jungkook could feel the blood rushing rapidly to his ears, probably betraying by being crimson.His brain shorted out. 

“I, uh…” Yoongi scratched at the back of his neck, sleeves slipping up to reveal one pristine pale wrist, Jungkook’s eyes flicked to it helplessly. “I was wondering if I could talk to you about the light cues for the second piece? Hosoek said you were handling the board?”

It took Jungkook half a second too long to respond. “Yeah! Yes. I am. Handling it. Boards, lights.” He winces mid-sentence at himself. “I mean yeah hyung— I’m running the lighting stuff. For the show.” 

Yoongi’s lips twitched slightly. Not quite a smile, but something warmer than neutral. “Right, cool, I want some transitions to match the tempo shifts, I’ve got the audio file, sorry if it's too hard, I can send it?”

“Please do. I love files.” Jungkook blinks and shakes his head like a puppy, Yoongi finds it endearing.”That sounded…weirder out loud.”

Yoong let out a soft exhale, surely that wasn’t a laugh right. Jungkook couldn’t be sure, but it made his stomach twist like someone had tied a bow in it. 

“It’s fine.” Yoongi’s eyes crinkle faintly. “Thanks a lot Kook-ah.” He gave the barest nod, like it took conscious effort to acknowledge kindness, and turned back toward the piano, shirt sleeve still dragging  at his wrists as he walked, His sneaker made barely any noise across the stage floor. 

“Don’t say it.” Jungkook mumbles, eyes still glued to Yoongi’s retreating figure. 

“I wasn’t gonna.” Taehyung pops his mouth.

“You totally were.”

Taehyung pats Jungkook’s knee with a theatrical sympathy. “You did great, ten out of ten, no one’s died yet so bonus.” 

“I want the earth to eat me.” Jungkook groans, flopping backward. 

-

The rehearsal moved forward as it showed in fits and bursts. Hoseok had orchestrated stage runs with terrifying precision, nobody had the courage to take the microphone away from him. Jin kept throwing sequins into the air like celebratory confetti and Namjoon damn near electrocuted himself again. Jimin was the only one fully capable of dancing through the full number twice gracefully despite everything happening around him. 

“Wonderful Jimin! Perfect form!” Hoseok yells at another perfect run from the dancers, yes he has his favourites, Kai, Jisung and Niki but Jimin was exempted for being in his friendgroup, Jungkook looked back at the stage as the sweat glistened down his neck, body sharp and fluid as a knife. 

Through it all, Yoongi dutifully played his composed music. Adjusted levels and pages, barely spoke to anyone in rehearsal other than Hoseok, his focus was tunnelled and Jungkook is reminded why he likes him so much with that intense but beautiful way of playing, among many other things.

Jungkook was adjusting the lighting board for transitions, programming dimming curves, tweaking BPM settings, trying to match the soft pulse of Yoongi’s second movement, the one he’d watched Yoongi build from scratch over the last three nights, definitely not meant to be studying. 

when the cue track looped perfectly with the war-down tempo, Yoongi finally fave a quiet. “Hat’s it.”

Jungkook stopped what he was doing and when Yoongi gave him a small nod, for a moment, the rest of the room blurred. It was just them, that faint, soft look on Yoongi’s face, like maybe he wasn’t entirely made out of ice. 

Until Namjoon tripped over a mic cable and yelled, “I’m okay!” and the moment passed. 

-

The winter markets stretched across the main bustle of the student village, their campus courtyards were like a scene straight out of a movie. An intricate web of glowing white lanterns strung delicately across the trees, their warm light flickering softly against the darkening sky. The street had plenty of banners advertising different student-led stalls, each booth was crafted from reclaimed wood pallets, wrapped in twinkling fairy lights that would be around poles and draped from roofs, lending the whole area a magical, almost otherworldly glow. The wooden stalls smelled of pine needles, wax of caramelized sugar as students meandered between them, all bundled up in layers of scarves, and knits, their breaths puffing out in white clouds as laughter and chatter filled the crisp air. Somewhere near the back, a student had hauled out a speaker system, which now played a slow, familiar Christmas jazz, even though it was nowhere near Christmas just yet. The loop played continuously, the sultry notes of trumpet and double bass weaving seamlessly into the festive atmosphere.

Hoseok’s voice cut through the mix, sharp and animated like always, as he shouted at someone in the distance for tinkering with his fog machine settings.

The air was thick with a rich scent of roasting chestnuts, mingling with cinnamon and faintly spicy aroma of mulled cider, a symphony of smells that wrapped itself around every passerby. Occasionally, a whiff of smoky wood fires or the sharp tang of hot chocolate. 

Hoseok’s laughter punctuating the tension, his booming energy contrasted the gentle swirl of fog, which danced through the crows like ethereal smoke, catching the light and scattering it into glittering specks. 

Jungkook was lingering near the periphery of the market, the weight of the exhaustion from studying and working out all day pressed down on him like a physical force, though his restless energy refused to be quelled. He clutched a paper cup which was filled with a drink that claimed to be cider but was mostly just sugar and cloves. His gloved fingers wrapping around the cup, savouring the heat seeping through to his skin as he took slow sips. The scarf wrapped snugly around his neck, they were his own but the mittens he sported were definitely stolen, pilfered from taehyung who had in turn swiped them from Jimin’s closet, who he remembers grumbling but resigned himself to losing the battle, they basically all shared clothes anyways, this was their quiet ritual of harmless thievery, a token of their closeness in their friendship. Except for underwear, Jungkook might go ballistic if someone took his underwear. 

Jimin stood near Jungkook's side, one hand curled around the steaming thermos mug filled with rich artisan hot chocolate because he refused to pay for overpriced scammy hot chocolate. Jimin pointed out a student dressed in a full elf costume proudly selling seasonal candles.

“I bet those are overpriced as well.” Jimin sneered and took another sip.

Jungkook hears the jingling bells pinned to his hat and a mischievous grin spreading across his face. “It’s not even Christmas yet.” he sighs.

“In some countries they would’ve started celebrating weeks ago.” The blonde shrugs and tries stealing the cup of ricecakes that Taehyung was juggling in one hand, his other hand steady on his phone as he aimed to capture a perfect candid shot of Jungkook;s face as he bit into one of the sticky rice cakes.

“It’s hot.” Jungkook warns, holding the cup out at arm’s length and blowing on it frantically.

“Just blow on it.” Taehyung says, his eyes twinkling with a teasing glint. “Plus your mouth heals fast anyway. You’re practically a superhero.” 

Jimin coughs loudly, trying and failing to suppress his amusement behind his hand. “I love it when we talk about your ‘healing factor’ in public.”

Jungkook flushes slightly. “Okay okay sorry normal boys things, I still bleed for days that i’m like a Victorian orphan.”

Taehyung snorted with laughter. “Two nights ago you dislocated your shoulder and fixed it right in front of my cup ramen.” 

“Again with the cup ramen—” Jungkook rolls his eyes, though the reading eased some of the tension he’d been carrying for the past few days. 

The group continued to aimlessly walk around the campus and occasionally went to check out the stalls. As sudden as it comes, Hoseok thunders past, cheeks flushes and breath visible in the chilly air, looking every bit as energetic. Being the chaotic force he was known for, he sported a glittery scarf that trailed behind him like a banner and the fingerloss gloves exposed his quick moving finger as he darted through the crowd. 

“If anyone sees Namjoon.” Hoseok calls out breathlessly, “tell him I need him at the performance tent ten minutes ago! Jin’s threatening me as revenge. He’ll sing his rendition of 

Jimin and Taehyung exchange a horrified look, while Jungkook blinks, genuinely confused. “What kind of threat?”

“He’s got the mic in his hand, he’ll clear out the whole cohort if he starts singing.” Hoseok pinches the bridge of the nose, weaving between bundles of students before disappearing around the corner. 

Jungkook tried to suppress the nervous twitch in his leg but his eyes moved anyway, scanning the crowd like a practiced sentinel They all landed on a small raised platform near the courtyard’s far wall, where a digital piano stood ready, flanked by two mic stands and a neat stack of cables coiled carefulled on the ground. Namjoon was crouching beside the keyboard, adjusting a cable with a sort of precision that was expected of Kim Namjoon amidst the bustling chaos. 

And just behind Namjoon… Yoongi.

Jungkook gulped as his breath did that hitching thing it normally did when he saw Yoongi, engrossed in his own musical world, making the cold air feel impossibly heavy. He was wearing a white hoodie under a long coat, the hood was pulled up but not enough to hide the thick green wool around his neck, he wears that scarf a lot as Jungkook recognizes it instantly. His dark hair peeked from beneath a beanie, cheeks flushed from the cold, hands reddened as they poked out from his sleeves.

The man was clutching a pile of sheet music. Today he looked more tired than usual, like freshly fallen snow resting on bare branches, soft, still, layered with hidden textures that only someone paying close enough attention could notice. 

Yoongi had yet to look Jungkook’s way from the raised platform.

“Are you going to say hi?” Taehyung asks with a mouthful of food, eye flicking from him and Yoongi.

“No.” Jungkook murmurs quietly and quickly. “Nope, I'm going to stand here like a wall decoration.” 

“Good plan.” Jimin says while sipping his hot chocolate and a soft smile playing on his lips.

 A cheer arose from the fair side of the market .Someone had lit the first fireworks, where the school got the budget to supply fireworks, remains a mystery. Tiny fizzlers, more for ambiance than a big loud spectacle, and the sky started to burst into silver sparks that trailed smoke. Jungkook tilted his head back to get a better view, the cold nipping his cheeks but the warmth of the moment wrapping around him like a soft, cozy blanket. There were now people around him that weren’t students that wanted to check out the commotion, kids atop shoulders clapping their mitten hands, and somewhere near the fog machine he could hear Hoseok ordering more people. 

Jungkook felt his phone buzz sharply in his pocket, he fumbled to bring it out and a warning flashed on his screen as soon as he turned it on. 

[unknown scanner alert: potential collapse - north scaffolding flagged]

His stomach twisted right away, the tightness became excruciating, instinct screamed at him to move. 

He stiffened, jaw tight and clenched like the enamel in his teeth was turning into dust.

“Hey?” Jimin asks him by nudging him gently. “You okay Jungkook?”

“Fine.” Jungkook’s voice was tight, forcing himself to be barely calm and holding steady. “Be right back…” He shoves his nearly full cup into Taehyung’s hands as he runs away and melts in the crowd, weaving through by saying a multitude of ‘ sorry’ . 

The north scaffolding was spotted, looming behind the performance stage, and a lattice of metal beans and crossbars propping up the second row of string lights and supporting an enormous speaker array that were already booming loudly. The structure’s skeletal frame gleamed cold and menacing in the night. Jungkook ducked behind a thick maple tree, peeling off his coat with quick, precise movements. 

Jungkook has already pulled out something from the bottom of his bed, his mask a familiar black and red mask, he slips it over his face in a fluid motion. Five seconds to suit up, two seconds to leap onto the roof above the student village, piece of cake. 

He couldn’t stop his hands from trembling as he tried to navigate his goal as nimble as possible, the rush of adrenaline was thick in his veins as he crawled across the arrow ledge like a shadow, eyes sharp and flicking as he searched for the imminent danger.

There it was.

One of the vertical supports was cracked near the base, its thin fracture spreading like a spiderweb through the metal. It was an outdoor platformed whimsical stage, probably made centuries ago. The growing night wind nudged the structure gently, a  low groan humming from the stressed beams as the weight of the speaker stack and hanging lights pulled mercilessly on the weakening frame. 

Below, unbeknownst to danger, stood Min Yoongi himself, directly underneath said threat. 

He was chatting with Hosek and Namjoon, laughing softly at something Jin had said off to the side. His gummy smile pulls at everyone of his heartstrings, he sees him look so small in that hoodie and his cat-like eyes that make his face look charming, Jungkook already lost at the first wave of his fluttering eyelashes. 

A tangle of students had clustered nearby, someone dragged over a microphone stand, another taped cables to the ground. The festive mood blurred the peril and Jungkok enjoyed just observing his peers in a warm light. 

Then his vision narrowed, everything else suddenly fading away. 

And then, with a sharp snap that cracked the stillness almost like a gunshot, a bolt had given way. 

The top of the rig jolted sideways, lights swung widely left and right, casting frantic shadows as the speaker array wobbled violently, tilting as it began to fly to the ground. Someone called from below, “Fucking hell, look out!”

Jungkook didn’t hesitate. 

He shot a web line to the far post and yanked himself down in a steep arc, landing in a controlled skid between the structure and crowd. The scrape of his suit against the stone was muffled beneath the gasps and screams erupting him. 

Yoongi barely had time to look up. 

“Get down!” Spider-man shouted, voice sharp and modulated through his techy suit.

Yoongi flinched as spider-man grabbed him by the shoulders, shoving him gently but urgently back before leaping up to the web of the falling speaker rack. The metal continued to creak, then the wires snapped loose, but the thick strands held firm. 

The rigging hung lopsided, frozen mid-collapse, suspended by spider-man’s webbing like a fragile sculpture. 

A wave of silence rippled through the crowd. 

Then, slowly, applause began. First tentative. Then growing as everyone in the vicinity registers the scene.

“Holy shit it’s spiderman!” A person looking up to the platform cheered and then followed by everyone else.

Yoongi laid sprawled on the ground of the platform, eyes wide and dazed directly into Jungkook. People came rushing to hid side to check if he was okay.

“Shit Hyung, are you okay?” Namjoon knelt beside Yoongi assessing his still figure then followed by the rest of the friends.

“You almost just ate shit oh my god!” Jin ran fingers through his hair like he was almost crushed as well.

“Are you real? He literally almost died.” Jimin crossed his arms while Hoseok helped move the remaining wires away as Yoongi assured everyone to stop crowding around him, Taehyung was asking the surrounding people on the set if they were okay before running up to the group and tried not giving Jungkook, well spider-man, a knowing look as he crouched low to Yoongi.

Jungkook’s fingers brushed gently against Yoongi’s shoulder. “You okay?”

Yoongi batts his eyes, voice hoarse as he’s taken aback. “I…what—” 

“You’re safe.” Spider-man’s voice softens. “You’re okay.”

Yoongi’s pupils dilated, taking in the sudden surreal reality. 

“You caught it.”

“You were lucky.” Spider-man chuckles. “Be more careful next time.”

Yoongi opened his mouth as if to speak again, but the space between them was suddenly flooded by a rush of students. Jin was yelling, Namjoon was somewhere demanding to know who’d signed off the rigging, Hosoek was trying to calm down a panicked underclassman. 

But Jungkook looked back at Yoongi’s face, which was still fixed on him.

And then he couldn’t.

Without saying a word, Spider-man webbed himself up, launching into the new night sky.

-

Jungkook was perched alone on a quiet rooftop two blocks away from the winter market. Jungkook slowly peels his mask off, the fabric pulling away from his skin with a gentle tug that somehow felt like a relief and weight at the same time. He’d been going to this rooftop a lot recently to have a ponder about life. The cold evening air rushed in as he looked onto the oncoming cars, it was sharp and biting, filling his lungs with the crisp scent of frost and distant city pollution. His hands trembled as he kept balance, because he knew it wasn’t from the chill

He pressed his palms hard against his face trying to drown the rapid thudding of his heart beneath the tight suit. The world felt so impossibly loud behind his closed eyelids, and Jungkook was having a hard time deterring the pounding headaches that have been more frequent. He could hear the echo of gasps, the sharp crack of metals, the sudden silence that followed his daring, heroic sauces. But beneath all that was just him, and sometimes he has no idea what he was doing.

He gets a call and it’s from Taehyung, he hasn’t gone home yet and it was getting close to their shared dinnertime so he doesn’t hesitate to pick up.

“JK.” Taehyung’s voice buzzed softly through the speakers, careful and steady like an anchor in the storm. “Coming anytime soon?”

Jungkook swallowed hard, his throat was dry so it was difficult to speak. “Yeah,” he finally breathed out. “He’s fine, safe and everything’s fine.” The world felt both true and insufficient, like a fragile thread barely holding together the tangled mess inside him.

A few seconds later, Jimin’s voice also floated in from the background, calm but filled with concern. “You okay?” 

“No.” Jungkook whispers into the phone, a single word with heavy exhaustion, fear, and something unnamed. “No, I'm not feeling too good right now.” 

Then Taehyung’s voice came again, quiet but steady. “Don’t worry, you did a good job, you saved everyone, no one got hurt because of you. That's the important thing.” 

“We did look at each other though, like fully looking at me like a stranger in a suit, well I was, I mean, I am , nevermind, you get it.” Jungkook leaned back against the cold rooftop ledge, staring up at the vast expanse of stars blurred by city light pollution. His fingers flexed and twitched unconsciously, aching with the weight of what had just happened, he was shaken at the mere responsibility he has no one else to share it with, sure he has his friends, and they’re pretty amazing friends, but sometimes all that responsibility was suffocating.

Jimin’s voice broke through again, oft and certain. “He doesn’t know yet, not really at least from what we know, so don’t worry about that.”

But Jungkook didn’t feel entirely safe, not with that look still burning into the back of his mind. Not with the knowledge that maybe, just maybe, everything was changing, whether he was ready or not. 

He closed his eyes, the city lights casting long shadows across his face. The night stretched on endlessly around him, but inside nothing changed, only the scenery. 

-

Min Yoongi was not particularly fond of crowds, there were a lot of voices and too many overlapping thoughts, he especially hates foodcourts, even with friends, it sometimes took a lot of effort not to drift away toward silence. But tonight was different, it was late, the quad had thinned out after the showcase, most of the audience filtering away with scarves and takeaway cups of food in hand. Their little circle remained, drawn in tight around the lingering warmth of a space heater Jin had absolutely dragged there without permission.

There Yoongi was sitting cross-legged on the grass, hoodie zipped up halfway, and his fingers wrapped around a mug Hoseok shoved his way, the steam from the drink curled up against his nose and created a dampness and he inhaled the sugary drink.

“You can drink it if you want Hyung, don’t be shy.” Hoseok gestures to him to drink his abomination of a hot chocolate to which Yoongi makes a disgusted face.

“Fuck no.” He pushes the cup to him and Hoseok doesn’t try after that, he doesn’t say anything for a long while, he just sits there surrounded by low steady breathing of people who knew him well and he was glad that they let him quiet.

Namjoon has laid out a stack of scores beside him, pages fluttering gently in the wind as people dispersed, annotated in several shades of ink, Jin was on the other side of im fiddling with his phone, queuing up  playlist he swore was “the perfect cooldown.” Hoseok was stretched out on his back on the dirty floor which Yoongi instructed he didn’t wanna lay on unless he wanted grot all over his clothes, he didn’t listen because of course, he laid their with folded arms beneath his head and humming faintly along to the loud festive music. 

They weren't saying much after packing up basically the whole showcase set. Yoongi’s fingers twitched with leftover adrenaline. The showcase had gone well, no more than well, his piece played out exactly the way he wanted and the lights also matched perfectly, just like he asked Jungkook to do with the tempo shifts and all, until of course he was nearly squashed in front of the whole cohort. 

“You’re quiet.” Namjoon says not to look up.

Yoongi shrugs curled in a ball, pulling his chin up to his knee. “Nice observation, I'm just tired.” 

“Emotionally or physically?”

Yoongi considered for a second. “Hm, both.” 

“Check out, that was pretty scary.” There was a beat of silence, then Hosoek who was still sprawled. “You were like some frozen deer, hyung, I thought you were gonna faint.” 

Yoongi snorted through his nose and his voice was still dry. “I was trying not to get impaled by the metal beam, thanks.”

“Yeah, exactly.” Hoseok chuckles. “You nearly died, And not even in a cool, blaze-of-glory way. Just crushing like a cartoon! Flat like a pancake! And the last thing I would’ve said to you was complimenting how your ass looked in those jeans through a megaphone.” He whines into Yoongi’s side and the older boy tries pushing him away.

“God.” Yoongi scoots further with a scowl. “Don’t remind me.”

But they all knew it wasn’t the scaffolding he was still thinking about. 

Namjoon finally looked over with an even expression. “You’be been stuck in your head since it happened.” Yoongi didn’t give an answer right away, His hands were still wrapped around the mug Hoseok gave him, now lukewarm as it’s been forgotten. That moment, seconds before the crash, the weightless instant where the world stopped in its place and he looked up, there, that flash of red and black and how time slowed down. 

Strong arms, like really strong.

A grip that steadied him even when his knees didn’t, it was like a scene in a movie where Yoongi was some clumsy female protagonist about to trip in a puddle and some guy saves the day. The warmth so close to his chest it felt like borrowed life.

And then that voice through that masks ‘Got you”

It was all fucking with his head, Yoongi had barely processed what happened when he wa upright again, hearty punching out his ribs like a jackhammer as he probably resembled a tomato with how flushed his face was thinking back to earlier.

Even through the mask, something about that gaze struck straight through him. Like gravity has been replaced by something heavier and infinitely more complicated.

“Oh my god’s Hyung totally getting his panties wet at Spider-man, somebody tell Jungkookie.” Jin laughs as he observes Yoongi up from his phone making everyone else suddenly turn their interest to him.

“You know…” he says slowly, voice barely audible under the distant laughter from a group of students passing by them on the campus. “When spider-man saved me.”

“Glad to see you didn’t deny it.” Jin winks and Yoongi barks at him to shut up . “Sorry sorry, yeah?” Jin mocks as Yoongi starts groaning into his hands.

He hesitates for a moment. “He smelled like invictus and laundry detergent.” 

Hosoek raises a brow. “You smelled him? I seriously doubt he smells like much, considering the suit.” He waves it off.

“I don’t know guys! Maybe I imagined that too! Just like my impending doom.” Yoongi rolls his eyes dramatically. “I was literally pressed against him.” He defends himself, far from his usual deadpan tone. 

“Kinda awesome and weirdly hot.” Jin comments with a grin, “Plus everyone saw, you’re the lucky guy he saved, like a mysterious masked hero saves you and smells nice while doing it? Straight out of the romance books. Totally awesome” 

“Wow. yeah lucky me.”

“Maybe he’ll save you again and you can have an epic love story.” Jin wiggles his eyebrows and looks at Namjoon or Hoseok’s eyes for someone to back him up. 

“Can you not?” Yoongi says and sips in defeat from the very sweet beverage in his hands, to ground himself. “I’m just saying, I thought I was gonna die. Then I didn’t. That messes with your head.”

Namjoon’s voice has become gentler now. “Yeah. That’d shake anyone up.” 

Yoongi nodded once, eyes cast toward the fading lights of the city. His friends' conversations then faded into the background about some dinner plans Jin wanted to host for everyone later, a comfort that made him feel quite tethered. But he was far away for now, replaying that split second, over and over. 

He didn’t know that guy at all! So why was he feeling this way? Not his name, not his face, sue Yoongi sees him all the time on basically all his social medias and blogs and well, around the city fighting crime. And that unsettled him even more that almost dying.

“I think I totally developed a crush on Spider-Man.” He self reports, not entirely joking. 

Hoseok stands up immediately. “ Excuse me?” 

Jin starts his laughter again. “You can get in the line then.”

Even Namjoon let out a laugh from under his breath which really made Yoongi lose it and lightly try to whack all his friends on the head but Hoseok rolls onto his side just to see Yoongi’s face but evading getting a knuckle to the face, incredulous. “Hyung you absolute menace.”

“Whatever, I don't care if you guys think I’m serious or not.” Yoongi says, half exasperated, half-horrified. “There was just… and he looked at me and, nevermind.” 

“I knew you were a sucker for dramas.” Jin out of all people says gleefully, “I can’t believe the first person you’ve expressed interest in is the superhero of the century, to hell with your high expectations.”

“It’s not like that.” Yoongi huffs, but he doesn’t sound convincing. He scrubbed at his face, cheeks beginning to pink again despite the wretched cold. “I don’t even know what he looks like.”

“Guys what if, plot twist, he goes here.” Hoseok offers with a wicked grin. 

Yoongi isn't even allowed to entertain that though, cause there’s truly no way.

-

It was a week later when Jin decided to announce to their shared group chat that he wanted to host a get together at Namjoon's place, with the promise of plenty of Soju and snacks. partly because he wanted to practice all his techniques for his cooking final and Jungkook was totally down because Jin Hyung’s food was amazing.

That’s how he found himself standing in a small but warm living room of Jin and Namjoon’s apartment. By 7:18PM the entire gang was crammed into the small warm apartment, Jungkook and his roommates wanted to move into a bigger space to their even more crammed dorm and invest in a space like an apartment near the city.

He’d only been to Jin and Namjoon’s a handful of times, it was neater than his, Taehyung and Jimin’s, their apartment was tastefully decorated and resembled an art exhibit with plenty of plants, mostly likely thanks to Namjoon. Jin was already in the kitchen with clattering pots, hair clipped back and face flushed with culinary purpose. Namjoon was floating around the rooms, probably checking if all his collectables weren’t broken, he took liberty to collect everyone's coats despite no one asking him to. 

“Why is this place so hot?” Yoongi mutters entering with Hoseok just behind Jungkook and his friends, he shrugged out of his cardigan to reveal a thin long-sleeve underneath. “Are you trying to roast me alive?”

“It’s called hospitality, since we can afford heating.” Jin sneers and goes in to hug Yoongi. “No one asked you to wear a long sleeved, won’t you show your charming elbows.”

Yoongi glares with his sharp eyes and sits next to Jimin who was already on his third shot with cheeks glowing with a faint pink. “You’re pale like a Victorian kid.” Jimin says before earning a slap on his side.

Jungkook was nursing a cruiser and was trying very hard not to be obvious, watching Yoongi from across the room. Something about the way Yoongi tugged his sleeves down making paws with his hands was terrible for Jungkook's heart.

“Wow I didn’t know you were a wuss, c’mon do a shot with me!” Taehyung yells, getting up all in his face and pulling Jungkook aside to drink Soju.

“There’s no shame in a cruiser…and I haven’t even eaten yet, later.” He brushes Taehyung off who was pouting comically with a wobbly lip.

“It’s bad to peer pressure your friends into drinking.” Namjoon laughs as Tae swallows his shot whole.

“Jungkook is the least saint-like person here.” Taehyung rolls his eyes and Jungkook looks at him offendingly. 

“What does that even mean?”

Taehyung sighs, swirling the almost empty Soju bottle. “That he’s either turned Mormon or is making better life choices.” 

He had Jungkook sipping too fast and not tasting anything just to prove a point. It had been a white since that ice skating night, and that moment in Yoongi in his arms, all breathless, had burned hard into Jungkook’s brain and retinas. 

He hadn’t seen him much anyway, which ws dumb because they all shared half a campus and were in multiple group chats together. He passes and chats to Hoseok frequently near the dining hall and when Hoseok hosts meet ups for dance workshops. 

But Yoongi wasn’t always with him and Jungkook felt silly, like he hallucinates those moments they have together and Yoongi is just a mirage. So seeing Yoongi in just group things, made Jungkooks’s chest ache in a confusing way.

New, here he was, his dark black hair tousled and framing his face endearingly probably all messed up from walking here in the wind. Hoseok has arrived with him, of course, and thanks to him as always, the room was filled with nonstop chatter about a late rehearsal and still dressed in track pants.

“Can I sit next to you, hyung?” Jungkook asked before he could stop himself and he tapped Yoongi’s shoulder lightly. 

The older one looked up at him curled in a ball to keep warm, his captivating eyes catching Jungkook off guard, standing up, their height difference was very noticeable, doing absolute wonders for Jungkook’s heart.

“Yeah sure? You don’t need to ask me, I don’t bite.”

“I don’t know that.”

Yoongi raises a brow and squints his eyes, nudging Jungkook with his socked foot. “You’re weird.”

But his voice was soft and his shoulders didn’t move away with the way Jungkook’s broad ones brush against it. 

Then they all gathered on Jin’s and Namjoon’s living room coffee table. It wasn’t the biggest, but they were all too lazy to move and also needed to be stationed near the TV. They ate in rounds as Jin presented everybody with his homemade kimchi jjigae, stacks of pickled radish and crunchy seaweed. Jungkook had eaten pizza every day for two weeks a while ago so he takes advantage of any home cooked meal given to him, Taehyung and Jimin especially eating like it was their last meal. The table was low to the ground, forced everyone to sit on their butt or knees and forced to huddle together in a forced proximity. 

They constantly refilled their drinks and Namjoon took it upon himself to explain the regional differences in soju brands no one asked about. 

All their plates clattered and Namjoon warned Hoseok that if he broke any more of their dishware then he would break into his apartment and drop his toothbrush in the toilet. 

“Yeah, and then you’d accidentally drop Yoongi’s .” Hoseok snorts and grabs another piece of grilled pork. 

“Don’t you dare, I already pay a million dollars to have a separate bedroom from this guy…a separate bathroom was too much though.” Yoongi threatens while chewing a mouthful of food.

“I can’t believe we’re eating brown rice hyung, you tricked us with your delicious soup but we have to eat whatever this is?” Taehyung gestures to the rice in his bowl.

“It’s good for you.” Jin claps his chopsticks in his face and serves Taehyung more meat like a mother. “Now eat up.” He says more of a threat than an ask.

“I’m just saying.” Namjoon concludes, slapping a green bottle of Soju, finally feeling a little tipsy, “Some provinces use rice while others use wheat, It’s a cultural spectrum.” Namjoon continues on and on about his random facts.

“And this one tastes like ass.” Jimin contributes helpfully and pours himself another shot.

“How do you know what that tastes like?” Jungkook asks.

“I’m cultured.” Jimin smiles and gives a high to Taehyung. 

“No you’re drunk.” Yoongi shakes his head. 

“Cultured and drunk, I'm a man of many talents.” Jimin raises his arms like he’s praising god and gets a laugh from everyone on the table. Yoongi had laughed more tonight, smiled a lot than his usual character, and it was probably mostly because of the alcohol, he chews slowly and Jungkook realises he does not eat a lot, he watches as he licks sauce off his thumb without noticing the way Jungkook gulps. 

They all laughed, loose and full as they went for seconds, Taehyung made sure to turn up the music and Jungkook swears that Yoongi shifted closer to him without thinking. 

“You’re house smells like a fucking forest, don’t be mad, but since you live with Namjoon, I just thought it’d smell like a man cave.” Hoseok says to the group with his face almost tomato red from the alcohol in his system. 

“You’re just projecting, I bet Yoongi-hyung doesn’t appreciate how you smell.” Namjoon snides back and takes a sip of his soup. 

“Joon just loves his pine candles, what can I say?” Jin smiles and forces more servings onto everyone’s plates. 

“I don’t care what Hoseok does as long as it’s not disturbing me.” Yoongi says. 

Eventually, Jin stands up and claps his hands, “Alright! Who’s ready for some karaoke?” 

Groans and cheers broke out across the room. 

“Oh my god.” Jimin cackles, eyes wide. “Do you still have that karaoke mic from your ex?” 

“Of course.” Namjoon grins and boots it up onto the TV.

“You got this from your ex?” Jungkook gapes, impressed.

“Yes” Jin scoffs with the offended dignity of someone who refuses to pay for anything he didn’t absolutely have to. 

“You think I would spend my hard earned money on this?” Jin deadpans and then blows dust off the songbook. “This shit is so expensive, and this baby has everything, Korean and Japanese."

“Congrats on not giving it back.” Yoongi says as he lounged on the couch  with a drink in hand, decidingly the only way he will not lose his mind is to be more intoxicated.

“You’re the nightmare ex.” Yoongi lifts up his drink to sloppily cheer for nothing and Jungkook stifles a laugh.

“Let’s ruin some neighbours’ lives!.” Taehyung declares probably the most pumped and already heading toward the speaker setup like a man possessed. “Shit they have two mics! 

As Jin and Namjoon rearranged their furniture to make space for a makeshift stage area, Hoseok slung his arm around Yoongi's shoulder and slapped his flushed cheeks like a baby. “You gonna sing for me hyung?”

“What made you think he was gonna sing for you ?” Taehyung teases and starts flipping through the song book. 

“Yeah you’re right, he’ll probably sing for Jungkookie…just to lull him with his sweet voice.” Hoseok sighs without shame, Only a few people heard it. Jimin snorted into his cup. Taehyung gasped like he offended his bloodline. Jungkook tilted his head in confusion, brows scrunched.

“What—”

“He’s rapping for me you dipshit.” Taehyung insists, like it had been preordained by fate. 

“No he’s going to sing for me, we’re gonna do disney duets.” Hoseok shoots back, plays a dangerous game and squeezes Yoongi’s plump cheeks which make the older man scowl and grab his arms away. “We can do that one Disney one—”

“Did any of you guys wait for the fucking answer?” Yoongi growls before someone else makes another comment against his will, grabbing Hoseok’s wrists mid-squeeze and yanking them away from his face. 

“You just looked like you were thinking about it.” Jimin said brightly, already queuing a song.

“I was thinking about hiding on the balcony…” He grabs the microphone Jin gives to him like it was an excalibur.

“Perfect! That’s the energy we need to start the night.” Jin ruffles his hair and Yoongi whines to stop.

Jungkook raises to the glass. “Cheers to surviving midterms and finals to be here.” 

They all laughed as the first song started to play, a classic 90s pop hit with questionable lyrics and a cheesy lyric screen. Jimin and Taehyung immediately clamored to the microphones, unleashing chaotic choreo and Jimin almost slips to break open his head, they watched as Taehyung shimmied his way behind Namjoon,

“Get off me.” Namjoon says unfazed, throwing his long limbs in the air to defend himself.

“You’re my backup dancer!” Taehyung insists, poking at his ribs and yelling loudly in the mic that made a ringing noise in Namjoon's head.

“You didn’t even ask .” Namjoon continues to groan at the shorter’s prodding.

Meanwhile, Jungkook slid into the corner of the couch beside Yoongi as they watched the pair, Yoongi had a beer in hand and shiny eyes with a quiet kind of excitement that was hard to miss. He leaned in just enough to bump his shoulders and said "You gonna sing later?” 

Yoongi scoffs, tilting his drink toward his mouth and gulps down his beer expertly. “You’re not gonna bully me into singing, kid.” Yoongi smiles toothly and peeks his gums out.

“I wouldn’t dream of it.” Jungkook says and his eyes flick over with a lopsided grin. “But if you did, I'm sure it’d make the room go quiet, you’ll put me into tears.”

Yoongi raises his brow. “You rehearse these compliments now?”

Jungkook just shrugs. “Nah. You just make it easy.”

Jungkook notices how Yoongi falters for a beat right next to him, just long enough for Jungkook to notice, before he turns back to the chaos in front of them, still not shifting away. 

“Shameless.” Yoongi's lips curl upward despite himself.

Jungkook just hums happily, taking a long sip of his drink to move on and flush out his thoughts, dimples flashing like he’d won something, finding Yoongi’s teased self to be the cutest thing ever. 

The room kept buzzing as the microphone was passed to all of them safe for Yoongi who was as stubborn as always and Jimin who only hiccuped and burped into the mic and decided he needed to go to the ‘sober-off’ stool, the lights off the bookshelf casting  dizzy shadow across the floor where Hoseok and Taehyung were setting up cushions and snacks like a demented set design crew. Jimin had somehow gotten his hands on a scarf and was now dramatically tying it around his neck and walking around like he was gonna perform in a Shakespearean soliloquy. 

“Hyungggg sing with me!” Jimin crawls onto Jin who exuberantly sets Jimin to lie down on the couch. 

“Okay.” Jin announced grandly, brandishing the second mic. “You guys are so not ready for this duet that Joonie and I are going to bestow upon you.” 

Jin slurs in between giggles and Namjoon is already hiding his face behind a half-empty green grape soju, he groans. “You always make us do this one.”

The music started and the room erupts into ‘Woops’ and loud laughter, Jin was doing a good job serenading with every ounce of his drama filled soul, walking around the room and launching flirty kisses and carasses, everyone but Yoongi of course who really valued his personal space,  and if Jungkok wasn’t drunk, would’ve been real odd, but the unhinged giggling made up for it. 

Even Yoongi was cracking a smile, hunched over while on the couch, now that Jimin was fighting his sober mind, he was sat on the end which evidently closed the space further between him and Yoongi. 

“I forget how extra Jin-hyung gets when he;s drunk.” Jungkook murmurs. 

Yoongi rubs his knees together and looks down expectantly. “What would we do without him though.”

Jungkook did, he loved all of it, the silliness that filled the hair, Jimin’s giggle fits from seemingly nothing, Hoseok’s endless supply of energy, Namjoon’s reluctant participation, and Taehyung’s occasional existential commentary, but more than anything he loved w=observing everyone else quietly while also being in a happy tipsy state, and maybe because Yoongi is sitting next to him.

“Alright, Alright,” Taehyung interrupts with waving hands once Jin and Namjoon took a bow. “We need someone who can actually sing, guys .” 

“I literally have a degree in vocals!” Jin cries indignantly.

“That you definitely do not have.” Yoongi snorts and catches and breathless Jin on the already crowded couch.

“Let’s get the biggest show off on, c'mon Kook, you’re up.” Jimin sing-songed already trying to find the song with the remote.

“Wow I do not show-off , you ass.” Jungkook glances around and sets his drink down. “Give me that microphone.” 

Hoseok grins, “Wow, it's our main event!” 

Jungkook stood up slowly, his hoodie shifted as he rolled his sleeves up, revealing his toned and tattooed forearms and a confidence that made Yoongi suddenly very aware of his drink and reddening face, he looked away.

“Wow. Now I remember why I hate winter, I never get to see those bad boys.” Jin whistles like a cat-caller at Jungkook rolling muscles. “Might be even bigger than Namjoon’s.” 

“Okay let’s not go there.” Jimin shakes his head. “But Jungkook is truly a wall of a man, but deep down he’s a dork, only no one on campus no so he wets everyone’s panties.” Jimin sighs feverantly and swears he hears Yoongi choke on his drink.

Jungkook finishes off the last of his drink and licking a drop from his bottom lip which Yoongi doesn’t tear his gaze away from, 

“Wow Hyung, didn’t know that’s your ideal type.” Hoseok adjusts beside him, stealing Jungkook’s spot on the couch.

“Shut up.” Yoongi sneers and turns away with a pout.

“What are you singing?” Taehyung asks with a goofy smile and eyeing Jungkook with glee because he was getting ready to cheer the loudest, Jin and Namjoon are going to have noise complaints.

“Dunno, something fun.”

Jungkook, unbothered, clicked something that seemed familiar enough, “o refunds by the way.”

The opening twang of Can’t Fight the Moonlight echoed through the room. 

Taehyung jumped up. “Shut up! Let’s go!” 

“Stop.” Jimin clapped both hands over his mouth. 

“You did not just pick LeAnn Rimes,” Hoseok chokes and shakes Yoongi by the shoulders. “How will we survive this treachery."

“I did,” Jungkook replies cooly, “You’re all so welcome.” 

“No choreography.” Jin warns from behind a counter. “The floor couldn’t already handle your Beyonce performance.” 

“Please do the choreography.”  Jimin whispered.

But Jungkook wasn’t posturing, he just rolled his shoulder out once, like a stretch before a workout and started into the make and not to gas himself up, but he could sing .

Yoongi, who had been in the process of uncapping another drink, paused with the lid halfway off. His eyes flicked toward the TV. Then to Jungkook.

Then back to the TV.

Then back to Jungkook again.

“What the fuck .” Hoseok hissed with impressed eyes, “So effortlessly hot huh.” He elbowed Yoongi and this time he stands up and makes a show to everyone that he’s moving away from his best friend.

Yes he was hot, stupidly hot. Yoongi already knew that. 

“He sings better in the shower, guys.” Taehyung announces over the loud melody of Jungkook absolutely ripping the vocals and hitting every note with ease.

Yoongi, who has been halfway through opening a soda, just stopped entirely, The can hissed in his hand as they all cheered and yelped at Jungkook.

Jungkook didn’t look at him the whole song. He didn’t need to. That would’ve been too much. Instead, he paced a slow circle by the couch like a seasoned performer, eyes half-lidded.

Then just once, he looked over his shoulder right at Yoongi, he held his gaze for a moment and smirked.

And Yoongi was.

Fucked. 

He was irrevocably fucked. His drink still hadn’t made it to his mouth.

Taehyung leans over from across the couch. “Are you still with us hyung~?” 

Yoongi gave him the dirtiest look he could muster and when Jungkook got to the bridge he walked back to the couch and sang it over Yoongi’s head like it was nothing. 

“God.” Jimin whispers. “He’s gonna do the wink.” 

“He better not .” Yoongi mutters, too late and he totally goes in his direction, it was tiny and barely there but it was directed straight at Yongi who was in the middle of everyone's frivolous ‘OHHHH ’.

By the time the final line came, Jungkook let the microphone fall to his side and hummed the last word like he’d forgotten it. 

“Jeon Jungkook, don't you dent my floor.” Namjoon sighs as the microphone makes a thudding noise and Jin was too drunk to register any bad action and Jungkook picks up the mic and tosses it at Jimin while flopping back onto the couch.

“Okay.” He says, stretching his arms over his head. “Next?”

The room erupts and Jimin yells “Not after that , I’m not going you asshat.” 

“You’re not allowed to be that smooth,” Taehyung says and points at Jungkook as if accusing him of a crime. “You’re supposed to be awkward and weird!” 

“I am awkward.” Jungkook grins. “You caught me on a good night.”

“Nope, he’s banned from karaoke.” Hoseok throws his hands up in annoyance. “I’m starting a petition.”

“You’re just a sore loser Hobi-ah.” Yoongi blinks slowly. Jungkook turns to him and Yoongi, who was trying very, very hard to appear completely unaffected despite the fact that he had not moved in several minutes. 

“You okay hyungie?” Jungkook asks with a sickenly sweet voice. 

Yoongi blinks at Jungkook with his rosy face. “Yeah, just tired, ready for bed.” 

“Hmmmm.” Jungkook gives a teasing smile. “Surely sing with me after Jiminie’s turn?” 

Yoongi swallows and looks at him hollowly. “Absolutely not.”

“Awww” Jungkook whines leaning into Yoongi's side and Hoseok adherences. 

“I’ll let you pick the song!”

“Nope.”

“Duet?” Jungkook pouts.

Yoongi looks very conflicted. “Nope.” He pops the ‘P’ while he says it.

Jungkook leans closer. “We could do some Celine Dion—”

“Jungkook”

Jungkook laughs and throws his head back onto a throw pillow. “Alright, Alright.” 

But Yoongi couldn’t stop staring.

Because that performance had too many flirty connotations for it to be a regular friendly thing. 

That had just been unfiltered Jungkook, bright and bubbly, and laughing with his whole body which just reminds Yoongi how he excels in everything he does and how he attracts everyone with his personality. 

He really could do with all the flirty. 

-

The next time they meet it’s the following Friday night. 

The club is tucked beneath a random hotpot shop, the kind of inconspicuous spot you’d only find through a friend of a friend or a series of questionable decisions. Jungkook’s been to his fair share of nightclubs and when he first got to college he had basically warranted a weird look on each bouncer’s face on one particular strip of clubs near the campus, but what can he say, he was going through something. 

Outside the one Taehyung had picked though, there was no flashy sign, it was presented with a narrow stairwell and a faint throb of a loud bass bleeding through concrete walls with a lingering smell of spicy malatang.

“Couldn’t we just get hammered and eat some soup?” Jimin says while pulling at a wedgie from his insanely tight pants. 

Jungkok held back a snicker and gave the blonde a pat. “We need to work on your alcoholic tendencies.” 

“Okay, you guys make it out to be so much worse than it actually is.” Jimin crosses his arms with a pout, still trying to get comfortable in his pants.

“Can we go inside already?” Jungkook tilted his head back, clearly done with this.

Jimin squints at the door. “Watch, this place is gonna be all pretentious, and sticky.”

Jungkook scoffs. “Like your last situationship.” earning a whack on the shoulder and a middle finger.

“Ew gross, I would hope not, the ‘Yelp’ reviews said this place was cool.” Taehyung gave a dazed and vacant stare.

“You found this place off Yelp !?” Jungkook drags his hands down his face dramatically.

Taehyung pauses before letting out a sheepish, “Yes…” and at that, Jimin bursts out laughing and Jungkook simply just rolls his eyes, but there’s a small tug of a smile at the corner of his mouth as he shifts his weight and follows them toward the stairs. 

The bass deepens the closer they get, it’s booming in his chest now, a steady pulse under their feet as the stairwell is narrow enough that Taehyung has to practically walk sideways, his elbow knocking into Jungkook’s arm with every step. Overhead of them, a strip of shitty red LED lights flickers intermittently, casting their faces in strange flashes, Jungkook ignores how it feels like their descending into something semi-illegal.

Taehyung;s already almost down the stairs, one hand trailing along the grimy wall like it’s a velvet runway. “This place is supposed to be unreal . DJ’s got like, a cult following on instagram, everyone majoring in fashions obsessed with him.”

“Of course they are.” Jungkook mutters, but he follows anyway, adjusting the cuff of his sleeve as the beat gets even louder with each step he takes. 

The bouncer at the bottom barely looks up when the descend Just nods them through after a glance at Taehyung smirk. Inside, it’s an even more open burst of lights, neon pink, nuclear green, all dancing across the low ceiling. There were a lot of people, it was a Saturday night after all and Jungkook watched as everyone moved to the bass.

“Damn I’m already overstimulated.” Jimin releases a heavy breath. 

“What, can't you do without ten drinks?” Jungkook laughs.

“Okay maybe you guys are right.” 

The bar is tucked off to the left, the DJ is half-buried behind fog and wires.

“I’m gonna grab a drink.” Jungkook says, already veering off into the abyss of sweaty people. 

“Hey, aren’t we dancing first? Or finding the others?” Jimin probed. 

“I think Hoseok said they were getting a booth or something.” Jungkook says, craning his neck through the crowd. “Back corner, I swear I see Namjoon’s tall ass head.” Taehyung giggles.

Jimin hums. “God, I hope Yoongi’s already drunk.”

Jungkook doesn’t answer that. He’s not sure what kind of answer it would even be. But he lets himself pull forward, lets the heat and music fold around him, and pretends the butterflies in his stomach are just because of the pounding music. 

And definitely not because he already knows Yoongi will be there.

The three of them weaved through the crowd, shoulders brushing against strangers slick with bodily fluids and perfume. The air is thick with the heat of everyone’s body heat. Smoke curling like ghosts from the fog machine near the stage. The music shifts just now, tempo climbing and someone spills a drink to close Jimin’s boots, who yelps loudly before disappearing into the chaos toward the bar. Taehyung grabs Jungkook’s hand without ceremony, tugging him forward with practiced ease. 

“Look who finally decided to show up.” Hoseok grins, chin bent down while sipping a long island, leaning forward to ruffle Jungkook’s hair despite the younger’s half-hearted protest. “Did you guys get lost, or were you busy being fashionably late?” 

“ Someone decided to order the uber after we got ready.” Jimin exasperatedly sighs.

“Well, sorry!” Taehyung gasps, offended. “ Some of us were checking if we looked hot under LED lighting, which I did, so you’re very welcome.”

There’s laughter as they all shuffle into the booth, Hoseok’s already claimed one end, Namjoon leans in from the middle to clink his drink against Jungkook’s. Across the table, Yoongi nurses his beloved whiskey, gaze half-lidded as he watches all of them with his usual calm demeanor. 

Jimin leans in toward Jungkook, nudging his shoulder, eyes glinting under the strobes. “Yoongi’s such a cutie tonight, huh?” 

It's not subtle, absolutely not subtle at all.

Jungkook practically spills his drink. “I-I mean, sure?” he manages to let out, trying not to state too  long at Yoongi’s collar which is slightly undone, revealing a pearly neck.

Jimin smirks. “Someone should tell him.”

“I think he’d punch me square in the face.” 

“I think he’d blush.”

From beside them, Hoseok catches the tail end and raises an eyebrow. “What are we whispering about?” 

“Nothing.” Jungkook quips way too quickly.

“Yoongi looks ravishing.” Jimin helps supply at the same time.

Yoongi, still mid-sip, doesn’t even bother to blink. “Wow.” he says flatly. “So glad I came out tonight.” He says sarcastically.

The night spills out around them in pulses of bass and laughter. Drinks rotate constantly and they all collectively become more and more tipsy. New glasses appear whenever someone stands, sticky condensations slicking the table. Neon lights bloom and disappear constantly, the crowded club is filled with shades of bright magenta, cyan and yellow. 

At some point, Taehyung’s the first to vanish, caught in the tractor beam of someone in a mesh tank top and glittery eyeliner. He disappears with a wink in Jimin’s direction and suspiciously full shot glass in hand.

“That is not going to end well.” Namjoon sighs and everyone nods in agreement.

Jin’s deep in a conversation with a girl, gesturing passionately about something.

Jungkook’s nose twitches at a strong whiff of a citrusy perfume which hangs in the air. The club is in full chaos now, Taehyung manages to drag Jimin to the dance floor sober despite his protests.

“I don’t even know how to twerk!” Jimin shouts, being pulled by the wrist.

“You just need to feel the beat in your soul.” Taehyung yells equally back, dead serious and Jungkook has already whipped his head back to save himself.

Which leaves Jungkook coincidentally, sipping a drink too strong for his usual tastes, staring across the booth at Yoongi. He’s nursing something dark and neat, the kind of drink someone confident orders just once and sticks with it. He’s sitting with his legs crossed, slouched low and the sleeves of his black shirt rolled up in a way that should not be allowed to reveal that much of his collarbone. His eye flick lazily to Jungkook as he swirls his drink in his hand.

“You look like you’re about to write a breakup album.” Jungkook says with a raised brow.

Yoongi glances back at him and smiles into his drink.

“Is that Hoseok at the DJ stand?” Yoongi asks with genuine interest.

Jungkook turns his head in time and sees Hoseok halfway to standing the entire speaker set, drink raised in a toast with the DJ. “Seems like it, how did he even get there?”

Yoongi sat there with one arm slung along the back of the booth, fingers tapping lightly to the beat, but there’s something magnetic about him in the lights, something Jungkook’s not proud of noticing. The shadows curve around his jaw, his eyes keep flicking up. 

A high pitched squeal comes from the other side of the room as a girl loses her heel mid-spin and chases it in a frenzy as Taehyung and Jimin cackle from the dance floor. 

“You’re all idiots.” Yoongi mutters fondly.

Jungkook gives a soft acknowledging chuckle. 

“You wanna go smoke?” Yoongi suddenly spoke up as another cheer echoed through the frivolous room from the DJ changing the song.

“What?” Jungkook blinks, frozen.

Yoongi nods toward the back hallway exit. “Too loud, thought you could use some air.”

It’s not quite an invitation. It’s not, not one either.

“Uh, like I was thinking we could get some fresh air. You don’t need to smoke.” Yoongi mumbles through his whiskey flushed breath.

“No! I can smoke— like, cigarette, lighter, flame, yeah, yeah I could do that.”

“Okay.” Yoongi lifts a brow but doesn’t bat an eye otherwise and Jungkook follows him through the crush of bodies, heart rattling a little too hard in his chest. They slip out the side door into the night, the bass still loud behind them, but muddled now. The air outside is crisp, tinted with the scent of cold concrete and cigarette ash.

Yoongi exhales like he’s been holding his breath all night, 

Jungkook might be doing the same.

Yoongi looks so small in the dimly lit alleyway, this is probably the first time Jungkook has been in a sketchy alleyway for a reason other than kicking some criminal’s ass or finding a tall enough trash can to switch into his suit. 

There’s a cigarette now between Yoongi’s pale fingers glowing faintly as he lifts it to his lips. His eyes squint against the first drag. Jungkook stands a few feet away, arms loosely crossed over his black button-up shirt, trying not to look like he’s unraveling just from being alone with him.

Yoongi leans against the wall, one ankle hooked over the other, the cigarette tucked between his lips. He doesn’t speak at first. Just watch the plume of smoke curl and disappear.

The younger clears his throat. “You come here a lot?”

Yoongi snorts, barely glancing his way and taking in another puff. “What? to this back alley or club?” 

If he didn’t have that, how does Jungkook put it…stature, he would totally look like some thug, but Yoongi definitely doesn’t suit that, he’s an angel in Jungkook's head. 

It’s darker out here, just the flickering of a nearby neon sign above the alley and the amber glow of the streetlamp at the far end. A thin mist hands in the air, catching the light like cigarette smoke. There’s a soft chill to the breeze that cuts through Jungkook’s too-thin shirt.

“Either, Both.” Jungkook says, fingers grazing the hem of his shirt.

Yoongi gave a weary nod. “Sometimes. I guess Hoseok just drags me out more than I want. Jin too, he’s convinced partying keeps him young.”

“That’s…kind of cute.”

Yoongi chuckles around the cigarette, and Jungkook wants to bottle that sound and keep it forever. “Don’t tell him that. He’ll never let it go.” 

They lapse into silence once again, but this time it feels easier. The air between them buzzes not like the club’s static electricity.

“You’re not smoking.” Yoongi points out with a low voice.

Jungkook shakes his fluffy head of hair. “Oh. Right.”

He reaches for the cigarette Yoongi offers, the filter is still warm, Their fingers also brush briefly. It’s nothing. Jungkook takes a drag, too sharp, too deep, and ends up coughing.

Yoongi lets a soft laugh out. “You don’t actually have to smoke, idiot. I just wanted to talk, plus, I didn't take you for a butt-puffer.” He says and retracts the cigarette bud.

“You make it sound so cool Hyung.” Jungkook draws out his words in a mocked despair.

“Yah…you make it sound like I'm some bad influence. Plus aren’t you some, I dunno, stoner?” Yoongi tilts his head.

“Pffff, stoner? What about me gives a stoner? ” 

Yoongi spreads his hands, clueless. “Kidding.”

“Nah it’s chill, I’m off the weed, plus it’s totally different, cigarette is too, old man-y” Jungkook snorts, clearly entertained.

“Oh…Oh wow.” 

“No wait— I didn’t mean it like that—” 

Yoongi chuckles fondly, his foxy eyes crinkling with warmth and it tugs at every heart string in Jungkook. 

Jungkook lets out a breath, this one easier. “So…what did you want to talk about?” 

Yoongi takes too long to answer him. “You’ve been acting odd.”

Jungkook’s brain short-circuits. “Me?”

“Yeah like, I dunno. Nervous.”

Jungkook gives a weak noise. “That’s just how I am.”

“You’re not usually nervous around me.” 

That’s a lie, but Jungkook doesn’t correct him.

Yoongi quirks his face, eyebrows lifted in curiosity. “Is it the club?”

Jungkook shifts side to side under his sharp gaze, and maybe also their ridiculous height difference. “No.” He swallows nastily. “I mean, yes, but also no.”

“Helpful.”

“It’s not the club.” Jungkook admits. “It’s you.”

Yoongi’s eyes narrow slightly, unreadable. “Me?” 

Jungkook's heart stumbles helplessly. He swears the bassline behind the door pulses in time with it. “I mean. Yeah.”

Yoongi doesn’t move. Doesn’t even blink. He just exhales,  smoke curling past his lips.

Jungkook fills the silence with panic “Not in a bad way! I just, you’re really cool, and sometimes I feel like i’m just following you around, like a dumb little moth.”

Yoongi stares at him and then: “You think you’re a dumb little moth.” He parrots with a bewildered look.

“Well you, you’re…you’re like, proper cool and stuff, the stuff you do and wear, this all black— pretty cool to me, and you know how to smoke properly, and I’m—”

“You’re also wearing mostly black.”

“Yeah, but I look like I'm trying too hard.” 

“You always look like that.” Yoongi deadpans.

Jungkook gasps. “You’re such a dick.”

Yoongi gives a gummy smile, cigarette balanced loosely between two fingers. “You’re the one who followed me out here.”

“You asked!” 

“I half-mumbled a suggestion while drunk and you jumped like it was a command.”

Jung scowls with burning cheeks. “Well, sorry for being agreeable.”

There’s a beat of silence. And then Yoongi says, quieter.”You really think I don't notice you?”

Jungkook looks back, almost startled. “Uh, what?” 

The street is quieter than Jungkook expected. Just the faint smell of rain on warm pavement. Yoongi takes a slow drag from his puff, flicking up toward Jungkook. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to sound self-conceited, I was just wondering if you were alright these days.”

“No yeah, I guess I've just had a lot on my plate.” 

Yoongi hums under his breath, letting the silence stretch for another moment, the cigarette smoldering between his fingers. “Is it school stuff? Or…other stuff?”

Jungkook’s shoulders rise then fall in a slight shrug. “A bit of both, maybe. Projects, late nights, group work, among other things.”

It’s a flimsy answer, but Yoongi doesn’t push, just nods like he understands anyway. “You’ve seemed burnt out lately.” 

“Thanks.” Jungkook says sarcastically, but it falls flat under the weight of his own voice. 

“I didn’t mean it as a dig.” Yoongi flicks ash off the edge of the brick wall. “Just…noticed is all.”

Something continues to tug at Jungkook’s chest, it feels tight, like an invisible thread being pulled between them. He presses the toe of his shoe against the crack in the pavement. 

“You, uh…” Jungkook scratches at the back of his neck. “You’re good at noticing stuff.”

Yoongi huffs a quiet laugh. “I’m good at pretending I don’t.”

That earns a faint smile from Jungkook. “Cool, Very emotionally repressive of you.” 

“Thanks.” Yoongi says it's a compliment.

Jungkook glances sideways now. “So, you bring people out here a lot? To smoke and talk about life?”

Yoongi scoffs. “God, no. You think I like people that much?”

Jungkook snorts. “Fair.”

A moment passes, then another until Yoongi looks down at the cigarette and stubs it out against the wall with his thumb. “I kind of like you, though.” The shorter says with the utmost honesty in his voice, too casual for Jungkook to pour soul. 

Jungkook’s brain lurches, he jerks his face with an unreadable expression. “What?”

Yoongi shrugs, annoyingly nonchalant. “I don’t really bring people out here. But you—you looked like you needed it. And I guess you’re…not terrible to be around.”

“That’s high praise.”

Yoongi cracks a small smile. “Don’t let it go to your head.”

Jungkook doesn’t know what to do with himself. His heart's thudding like it wants to sprint laps around the block, and all he can think about is how soft Yoongi’s voice sounds when he’s not hiding behind dry jokes and eye rolls. 

“Hey, Yoongi?”

“Hm?”

“Do you ever wish things were simpler?” Jungkook’s voice comes out smaller than intended. “Like, not everything had to be so…hidden, or hard, or confusing.”

Yoongi turns his head to face him. “You mean, like feelings?”

Jungkook nods his head once.

Yoongi breathed out through his nose and as the evening grew toward a chilly night, you can see both their steady breathing now. “Yeah. I do.” 

“I think I've spent a long time pretending I don't care about stuff.” Yoongi says eventually, “It’s easier. You get good at it. But then someone comes along who—” 

He stops himself with a frown. “I don’t know. Throws off the usual rhythm.”

Jungkook feels his throat tighten. “Like a dumb little moth.”

Yoongi laughs, like, actually laughs, and scrubs a hand through a mop of black hair. “God, shut up, with the moth thing.”

“Too late.” Jungkook smiles. “You’re the porch light now, that’s canon.”

“Are you flirting with me?”

“Maybe…”

“You’re so annoying.” Yoongi mutters, but there’s an ease in his voice as he adjusts his jacket.

“I just…I didn’t think you’d notice me.” Jungkook blurts out.

Yoongi looks at him, really looks this time. “I always notice you.”

Jungkook’s breath hitches. He turns to meet Yoongi’s gaze and finds it softer than expected, open in a way that makes his stomach turn inside out. 

“And before you say anything dumb.” Yoongi adds, “That doesn’t mean I, like, have everything figured out. Or that i;m not a little freaked out by the idea of liking someone who’s constantly surrounded with chaos and weird…late-night bruises

He’s quiet for a moment as the light from the neon signs across the street flash against Jungkook’s cheek, the brunette gulps, fuck does he know?

Jungkooks frozen in place, panic flashing. “What?”

Yoongi blinks. “What?”

“What did you just say?”

Yoongi raises an eyebrow. “That you’re always covered in weird bruises?”

“Oh. Right. Yeah. I’m just clumsy, Gym stuff.” Jungkook quickly says with a forced smile that’s probably crooked and unnatural-looking.

Yoongi gives him a mildly suspicious squint but lets it go. 

“Anyways.” He says, voice dipping low again. “I’m not good at this kind of thing, I'm usually better at pretending.” 

Jungkook swallows hard. “You don’t have to pretend with me.”

Yoongi’s eyes flicker, something unreadable passing through them. Then he nods. “Yeah I'm starting to get that.”

Yoongi tilts his head back slightly, staring up at the sky, the clouds are thick, low, city-lit. He taps ash from the end of his cigarette with a far gaze. “I guess I got used to not saying stuff. Grew up thinking there was a time and place for things, and most of the time…it wasn’t the time. Or the place.” 

Jungkook watches him quietly, breath caught behind his ribs.

“People expect you to be a certain way, and after a while, you stop questioning it. You just play the part, don’t complain, don’t get too emotional, don’t let people in unless you want them to leave.” Yoongi says in a low voice, kicking a pebble into the gutter. “I think I just got good at building walls before I even realised what I was doing.”

Jungkook shifts closer, they stand next to each other, arm grazing Yoongi’s. 

Yoongi doesn’t move away.

“There’s a lot I don’t say. About my music, my family, what I want to do after college. What scares the hell out of me. I pretend like I've got it figured out, but I don’t. Not really.”

Jungkook’s throat tightens.

“I don’t know.” Yoongi mutters, "Sometimes it feels easier to be cool than to be honest.”

There’s a long silence where neither of them says anything. Only the quiet hum of the distant traffic, a muffled scream from inside the club and their shared breath in the cooling air. 

Then Jungkook says, very softly, “Thanks for telling me”. That was probably the first time, Jungkook shared such a deep moment with Yoongi, and his perspective on him has completely changed 

Yoongi nudges his shoulder just slightly. “You’re easier to talk to than most people.” 

Jungkook blinks, barely breathing. “I am?”

“You don’t really expect anything, you just…show up.” He looks at him, eyes a little tired. “Even when I act like I don’t want you to.”

Jungkook makes a noise that might be a laugh, or a breath, or a gulp. “Well. I'm persistent.”

Yoongi hums, amused. “Yeah I noticed.” He huffs a little, not in a mean way, more like he’s trying to figure out what the hell to say next. He rolls the cigarette between his fingers. 

“I dunno.” He mutters out, “Some days I just wanna, like, hit pause,just stop thinking about everything for five minutes, let my brain chill.”

Jungkook listens quietly. 

Yoongi glances over, then looks away again. “I overthink everything, even dumb stuff. Like what I say. Or how I say it. And sometimes it just gets too loud, y’know?”

“This is the most I've ever heard you open up.” Jungkook gives him a little space but stays close. 

“You twerp, you’re telling me you open up often?” Yoongi rolls his eyes.

Jungkook’s giving a hearty laugh out at Yoongi’s narrowed eyes and hands shoved in his pocket. “No—No I get that.”

“I think people assume I don’t care.” Yoongi adds as he looks down to his shoes. “Cause I don’t say much, But that’s not it. I just don’t always know how to explain shit without sounding weird or like I'm trying too hard.”

“You don’t sound weird.” Jungkook says quickly. “I mean, you do, but like in a good way.”

Yoongi scrunches his nose. “Thanks a bunch.”

“Also,” Jungkook is fiddling with the hem of his bomber jacket, “I didn't think you’d ever say any of that. I just figured you thought I was loud, and kinda annoying.” 

“I mean,” Yoongi says dryly. “You are.”

“Wow.”

“But.” He continues, flicking more ash onto the curb and disintegrating it with his heel. “You’re also, kinda impossible not to notice.” 

Jungkook stares at him.

Yoongi looks vaguely uncomfortable now, like he’s said too much and the wind suddenly howls around them, his cheeks emanating a warm pink on his round cherub cheeks. “Not in, like a weird way, just, you’ve got this energy. You show up to places and people pay attention. It’s hard not to.”

“Energy.” Jungkook echoes, grinning a little. “Is that code for being ultra, mega annoying?”

Yoongi groans. “Don’t make me regret being honest.”

“You’re the one who started it.” Jungkook says, nudging his foot lightly against Yoongi’s. “Admit it. You like having me around.”

Yoongi rolls his eyes, but it’s all in a sort of softness. “You’re alright, I guess.” 

Jungkook pursues his lips together, trying not to grin wide like a dopey idiot. “I’ll take it.” 

For a few beats, they’re both content to just sit there, sneakers almost touching and Jungkook swears he can hear Yoongi’s heart thudding louder as he finishes his second cigarette as they both don’t acknowledge the raging muffled bass pulsing from behind the wall. The street they’re in is mostly empty, except for a drunk couple across the road bickering about whether or not to get fries, the air is still cold as shit, but Yoongi hasn’t moved away.

Jungkook doesn’t want to ruin the moment, he’s seen a totally new side of Yoongi and his heart is doing summersaults but he eventually murmurs. “We should probably go back in before someone sends in a search party for us.”

Yoongi makes a face. “God, Jin’s probably already writing my eulogy.”

Jungkook stands up, offering a hand paired with a lazy grin. “Come on, before they start a dramatic toast in your honour.”

Yoongi takes it without any hesitation, and lets Jungkook pull him straight. Their hands linger just a little too long before Yoongi lets go and cleaners a throat, both of them getting hit with a sudden deja vu. 

Making their way inside the club, they’re instantly hit with a mess of lights and heat, along with the thumping music that's blaring. The second they walk in, Taehyung spots them across the dance floor, all red in the face and nearly trips over a fog machine trying to get them. 

“THERE you are.” He shouts louder than he needs to, squirting extra hard with a hand on his hip and Jungkook is ready for the interrogation. “You’ve been gone for like, thirty minutes! Did you guys blow each other outside in the fucking bins?” 

“The fuck?” Yoongi sighs.

Both Yoongi and Jungkook shared an unimpressed look as Jimin appeared beside them, equally noisy with an apparent asian glow on his face.

“So much for the sober streak.” Jungkook face palms as Jimin sloppily puts a slung arm over his broad shoulders. We made bets,  I said you were making out. Hoseok said Jungkookie got kidnapped by a street magician.”

Yoongi blinks. “A street magician?” 

“It’s happened before, what can I say?” Jin yells from a bar, raising a finger mid drink. “And you left your whiskey unattended! Shame!” 

Namjoon, bless him, simply has a raised eyebrow from the corner probably with intent psychoanalysing both of them. Jungkook walks over with Yoongi to sit back down. “What if we just needed some fresh air?” He says.

Yoongi shrugs. “What if some people should mind their own business?” He snatches the cocktail out of Hoseok's hand, intuitively knowing he is at his limit. 

Hoseok grins and snuggles up against Yoongi, all with the touchy-drunk that Yoongi probably only tolerates when it’s his best friend. “Nah, no can do, we live for drama.” the taller one buries his face into Yoongi’s neck when he says that.

Jimin and Taehyung high-five without breaking eye contact.

“Unreal.”Yoongi murmurs wearily, but there’s no real bite to it, in fact, he looks almost amused, especially when Jungkook leans in just a little, voice low near his ear.

The music drops into a new beat. Taehyung lets out a way cry and drags Jimin back to the dance floor. Jin’s ordering something suspiciously pink for everyone, Hoseok’s already gone off to do body rolls on a plethora of people in the middle of the crowd. 

Yoongi watches them all with a small smirk. “This is the dumbest friend group.”

“Yeah,” Jungkook says. “But you loveeee us.” 

Yoongi sighs dramatically. “Unfortunately.” 

-

Jungkook

ok hypothetical question

If i were a person

and you were also a person

would u want to maybe,,,get food sometime?

like for fun. And maybe romance. Idk

Yoongi

what the hell kind of question is that

Jungkook

just answer it 🙏

Yoongi

I guess

if i were a person too

Jungkook

😳

WAIT REALLY???

Yoongi

ur so dramatic

you ask me out like a weirdo and expect a normal response?

Jungkook

ok but is that a yes hyung

Yoongi

yeah it’s a yes

Jungkook

OH MY GOD

I’m picking you up sunday

dont be late

wear sunglasses so i dont pass out from how hawttt you are

Yoongi

bring me coffee and ill think about it

Jungkook

say freaking less.

-

When Jungkooks texts “ outside :D ”, Yoongi peers through the window of the apartment he shares with Hoseok, and yep, there he is.

Pulled up at the curb is a glossy black hatchback that’s a little too nice for a regular college kid, windows down, Yoongi hears a popular rap artist playing. Jungkook leans against the passenger side, hands tucked in the pockets of his navy hoodie, his hair is pushed back, styled that Yoongi suspects involved far too much planning. He shifts from foot to foot like he’s debating whether to knock or run.

Behind him, Hoseok yells from the kitchen, “Tell your little boyfriend he better be hot!”

Yongi grabs his coat and mutters back, “He is, Shut up.”

He’s not nervous.

Not really.

He’s just…

“Hey,” Jungkook says the second he spots him making his way toward his car, straightening up smiling like he didn’t just spend the last ten minutes refreshing Google Maps to make sure he was parked legally, they take things way too seriously in the city. “You look—”

Yoongi waits.

Jungkook clears his throat and holds out his coffee. “You look good.”

The older boy lets his eyebrow raise as he takes it. “Flattery and caffeine. Bold strategy.”

“You haven’t blocked my number yet so I figured I'm still in the game.”

“Barely.” Yoongi snorts despite himself and plays along and coyly leans up against the rolled down window of Jungkook's car. “Not gonna open the door for me?” He teases.

Jungkook’s smile only widens and he doesn’t say anything before getting up and opening the door faster than Yoongi can even blink and makes sure Yoongi’s seated before going back to the wheel.

“I wasn’t serious .”

The brunette sits back and adjusts his seatbelt. “We could drive for a bit, I got the aux all set.”

Yoongi nods, and examines Jungkook's car as the younger boy fiddles with his phone. “Nice, I feel like I pictured you with this sorta car.”

The inside smells faintly like citrus air freshener and whatever cologne Jungkook tried this morning that definitely worked out in his favour. “So what does that say about me?” Jungkook smiles cheekily.

He doesn’t reply, Yoongi buckles in and pretends not to notice Jungkook checking his hair in the rearview mirror before pulling off.

“So,” Jungkook starts, one hand on the wheel, the other tapping on his cup. “I was thinking noodles? Or, there’s this bakery near the station with these stupid good little red bean buns, Unless you hate red beans…in which case, please pretend I never brought it up.”

Yoongi enjoys the ride and admires Jungkook not-reckless driving, then finds himself blushing at the other boy’s easy going demeanor and thinks about how much he enjoys Jungkook’s company. 

“What if I'm allergic.”

“Then I'd heroically carry you to the ER,” Jungkook shoots back playfully, totally straight-faced. “Bridal style.”

“You’d drop me halfway.”

Jungkook gasps offendedly “ No way , and if I would’ve, it’ll build character.” He insists.

Yoongi chuckles, there’s something about Jungkook’s energy that’s hard to ignore, unfiltered, chaotic, kind of intense but yet, very very earnest. 

They reach the noodle place as Jungkook parks in an inconspicuous parking lot, and Yoongi insisted on paying for two hours, to which Jungkook was almost about to throw a fit over, but since he already was deadset on paying for both their food, Yoongi wasn’t about to lose this battle. 

Walking in, there’s a warm clatter of chopsticks and quiet music fills the space. There’s a fair amount of people here, the place looks cozy, when they sit down at their table, Jungkook even adjusts the overhead light like he’s trying to curate a perfect vibe.

This boy, Yoongi thinks, is trying. Not in the awkward, desperate way people sometimes try. Just simply because he wants it to matter. 

And okay, maybe that makes Yoongi’s stomach flutter a little.

“So, no red bean buns?” Jungkook asks while flipping through the menu.

“Later.” Yoongi says, unsure. “I’ll try it if you try it.”

“ Hyung you don’t need to be all humble, just get what you want, I wouldn’t take you out if I wasn’t gonna let you get whatever.”

Yoongi starts quietly. “Well..what if I want, whatever you want.” 

“Choose whatever!”

“I like…chicken, anything with that.”

Jungkook lights up. “Progress.”

Yoongi rolls his eyes playfully and rests his head on his palm to look at Jungkook. “You’re lucky I like noodles.”

They order, Jungkook predictably gets Yoongi’s spice level wrong, and Yoongi doesn’t have the heart to bother correcting him. He watches as Jungkook attempts to hide his watery eyes after the first bite and nearly chokes on his iced cola, Yoongi tries really hard to suppress a laugh as Jungkook starts fanning his mouth, sweat dripping down his forehead.

“Why are you doing this to yourself?” Yoongi asks, amused.

“Because I want to impress you.” Jungkook replies, then pauses. “And plus it’s cold outside!”

Yoongi hums and takes another bite of his chicken Hakka noodles. 

Jungkook takes another big gulp and looks at Yoongi like he’s mesmerizing the moment. The din of the noodle shop hums in the background, there’s a lot of chattering locals in the background and clatter in the kitchen. A muffled pop song playing faintly overhead.

Jungkook's eyes are soft and stupidly font, like Yoongi just told him he invented noodles and personally his life with them.

Yoongi clears his throat and looks down at his bowl “Don’t stare. It’s weird.”

“I’m not starting,” Jungkook says instantly. “Can’t a guy observe.”

“Weird.”

“It’s for scientific purposes.”

“What hypothesis are you testing?” Their chopsticks clink against the porcelain and Yoongi chews slowly with puffed cheeks and Jungkook hasn’t stopped the giddy feeling the entire date. He leans back, folds his arms over his chest and taps his fingers thoughtfully.

“Testing the effects of dim lighting, chinese food satisfaction and proximity to cute guy on heart rate.”

Yoongi blinks then lets out a half-choked laugh. “You’re so insufferable.”

“And yet you agreed to this date.”

Yoongi snorts, he uses his chopsticks to put some pieces of chicken onto Jungkook’s plate in some motherly act, to which the younger’s eyes light up at and excitedly eat. “I know you loved me Hyung~” 

Jungkook smiles, Not a usual flashy grin, but something smaller.

 For a moment, both of them eat their food in peace. Yoongi feels a strange weight in his chest and something also humming and warm, and also kind of terrifying. He hadn’t planned anywhere in his script, this whole, enjoying Jungkook thing.

Yoongi peaks up from his black shiny bangs. “You’re not usually this smooth.” 

“I’m not. This is me at maximum effort.”

“Well, you’re not completely failing.”

“That’s the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me.”

Yoongi just shrugs and takes a sip of his drink. 

Meanwhile Jungkok watches him whilst continuing to slurp his food. “You’ve got some sesame on your face.”

Yongi wipes at his mouth. “Where?”

Jungkook leans over the damn table and uses his thumb to rub away whatever was on Yoongi’s chin. 

“Hey…” Yoongi glares, then flicks a noodle at him. It hits Jungkook’s arm and sticks there pathetically. 

“That’s war.” Jungkook says solemnly, enjoying Yoongi reddening face and plucking the noodle off and placing it on Yoongi’s plate like revenge. 

Yoongi scoffs. “Real mature.”

Jungkook shrugs. “I’m like twenty-two, you knew what you were getting into,”

“Barely twenty-two.” Yoongi mutters, but he doesn’t mean it unkindly. He watches Jungkook as he chews, cheeks puffed out a little and he keeps trying to get Yoongi to open his mouth to allow him to feed him, to which Yoongi was absolutely not for. 

“You’re cute.” Jungkook says before his brain can stop his mouth. 

Jungkook freezes mid-bite. “Hm? What was that Hyung?”

Yoongi suddenly regrets every life decision that has led him here. “I said. You chew loudly.”

Jungkook stares at him and smirks. “No, you didn’t.”

Yoongi sighs deeply, burning his face in one hand. “Don’t make it a thing.”

“Too late." Jungkook says with crinkled eyes, practically glowing. “You think I'm cute.”

“I’m just starting to tolerate you…”

Jungkook and Yoongi continue their conversation over their shared interests, Jungkook can’t help but fall in love with how attentive the other boy listens, Yoongi doesn’t even say much about himself and he doesn’t need to, he nods and gives thoughtful insight to Jungkook, questionable life decisions. And maybe Yoongi can’t help the way he likes to watch how Jungkook’s eyes twinkle. They talk about college, work, sports (Jungkook had no idea Yoongi is a basketball prodigy) and many other things. They both get lost in the moment that neither of them want to end. 

“Do you think you’ll stay in the city?” Jungkook questions, he asks the waiter for more water and pours some for both him and Yoongi

Yoongi looks down to think, picking at his almost finished food, “I always thought I would. I feel like I could find a producing gig, something creative, or if someone needed me elsewhere I wouldn’t mind that either.”

“Wow, that sounds pretty cool. I hope that all works out.” 

“Thanks Kook-ah.” Yoongi smiles at him and takes another bite. 

A buzz rattles against the table, screen flashing and the sound cute through their little bubble. Jungkook’s smile falters slightly as he glances at the screen, just long enough for Yoongi to catch the flicker in his expression. 

“Sorry.” Jungkok says, realising he’s getting an alert for a mission. “Give me one sec?” He sighs sheepishly. 

Jungkook apologizes as he shuffles out of their table, and Yoongi only gives a thoughtful nod off, not thinking too much of it and grabs his own phone to play around with it while waiting for the younger. 

Through the noodle shop’s window, he can see Jungkook frantically pacing outside, the phone is pressed to his ears and Yoongi can see how his shoulders tense. Furrowing his brow, Yoongi goes back to poking at his food, but the moment lingers, warmth cooling at the edges, like something left unfinished. He ponders about how he was so upfront with calling Jungkook cute . Thinking back on it at this moment he wants to scream into a pillow. But Jungkook is cute, Stupidly, obviously, unfairly cute.

And Yoongi had actually been thoroughly enjoying himself.

He sits there waiting, outside, through the grotty window he can hear people yelling and cars honking, typical city things and Yoongi pays no mind to it. Five minutes pass, then ten and Yoongi can no longer see Jungkook through the window.

Yoongi’s stomach starts to knot with an unwelcoming feeling. More minutes go by and Yoongi decides to check his phone, no messages and Yoongi huffs, he tries not to read into it, maybe Jungkook had to take a terribly urgent call. Maybe he had something personal come up, but a part of him itches with worry. Not just disappointment, though it definitely is there too. It’s the way Jungkook had looked outside. Anxious. Like something was really wrong.

He stares out the window again, there’s no sign of Jungkook.

With a frown, Yoongi decides to pull out his phone and shoots off a text.

Yoongi

u okay? ur noodles are getting cold.

He waits for a second, looks at the text bubble, still no response.

Yoongi’s chest tightens. He glances around the shop, sees the couple next to them laughing over a bowl of szechuan noodles. The world keeps going and Yoongi starts to feel ill. His table is still half-full, Jungkook’s chopsticks are resting diagonally over his bowl, the water glass barely touched. 

Yoongi stands, shoulders square, Maybe Jungkook just needed a moment. But maybe he left.

No. He wouldn’t do that, would he?

Just then they are yelling outside and Yoongi gets startled at a barrage of a few people running down the street and car swerving, it almost crashes in the damn restaurant window. What the hell was happening? 

He goes up to pay and heads outside quietly, phone gripped tight in his pocket. The street was unusually loud now, sirens were echoing in the distance and a low panic rippled to every passerby that he saw. Fuck how could he be so dumb. 

 People’s heads are turning, news alerts buzzing through someone’s Bluetooth speaker on a bench nearby. 

“—SPIDER-MAN HAS BEEN SPOTTED, EMERGANCY IN THE 5TH DISTRICT, GAS LINE RUPTURED CIVILLIANS TRAPPED.” The reported blared through 

Yoongi’s heart sinks.

Gas line rupture? 5th district? That’s not far…

He glances around in the cloudy city, no Jungkook in sight still and Yoongi lets out a sigh. That’s what really starts to scare him, he was just here, how far could he have gotten?

Yoongi whips out his phone to call him. 

One ring, two, “Come on, come on.” 

Then Jungkook's cheery voicemail rings through the line. “ Hi if you’re hearing this! I’m probably busy right now, try again later–?” 

He bites his lips, pacing in place. He’s definitely not the type to panic easily, but this is not nothing. Jungkook looked pale when he left. He’s not picked up, told Yoongi nothing, and left him up and dry. There are sirens blaring across the city and a literal explosion reported a few blocks away.

With a muttered curse, Yoongi decides to start moving. He’s not sure where he’s going, only that he’s going to find him. At least he’ll try, otherwise he won’t sit still. He doesn’t know if Jungkook’s okay right now, for god's sake he could be hurt, running toward danger, because he’s so frantic he wouldn’t be able to tell and…and something bad could really happen.

He doesn’t notice the drone overhead, the blur of red swinging across the rooftops. All he sees is the swell of panicked foot traffic turning the block into a tide of movement. Someone brushes past his shoulder really hard and murmurs an apology, Yoongi doesn’t have time to respond as he tries to stop the ringing in his ears.

He hurries through the crowd, squinting toward the direction of a smoke cloud rising just beyond the skyline, where the buildings start to cluster tighter, casting long shadows across the intersection. It’s a part of the city he knows vaguely, industrial, a stretch of old warehouses and maintenance corridors that bleed into the run down residential zones.

“Why would he go this way?” Yoongi curses at himself but he keeps trudging through the crowd.

The further he lets his legs take him, the heavier the air feels. There’s a chemical tang riding the wind now, like burnt copper and gas, and Yoongi pulls his sleeve up to cover his mouth as the air severely reeks of pollution. There’s a moment where he considers going back, but he sees a woman in the distance clutching a child across the street, waving frantically at someone, tears streaming down her face. That decides it.

Then he hears it.

A loud BOOM splits into the air like a crack of thunder, Yoongi swears the ground momentarily shakes, followed by a shockwave that sends car alarms blaring in unison. Yoongi himself stumbles into a streetlamp and steadies himself, heart hammering. A dull roar fills the space around him, like the sky itself is growling.

A massive wave of smoke bursts through the distance, then through a shape of what appears to be someone swinging. A red blur, Yoongi watches as it expertly rips through a crumbling building, launching themselves into the air and somersaulting before sticking to the side of a crumbling structure like a goddamn insect. 

The entire street is either running or craning their neck up admiring what was definitely Spiderman. 

“It’s him!” Someone yells near him.

Yoongi stares, unable to move. That wasn’t the first time he’d seen it with his own eyes, but again he saw him real fast and inhumane.

Before he can register it, the ground rumbles again, and part of a fire escape from a nearby apartment shares off the wall with a shriek of metal. The falling debris aggressively crashes onto the street and everyone around winces at the loud noise, crushing the back half of a parked van and sending glass shattering across the asphalt. Yoongi instinctively ducks behind a signpost, shielding his head.

Then another red streak crosses past Yoongi’s vision.

Spider-man dives right from a rooftop, using webbing on one hand to the broken van and another to a nearby streetlight, using the tension to slingshot himself toward the collapsed building across the way. It’s fucking graceful and Yoongi observes all this controlled chaos amidst a running hoard of people. He crashes through a second-story window and vanishes from sight and Yoongi gulps whilst still scanning the vicinity to find Jungkook somewhere.

Yoongi’s mouth is dry. His legs start moving again toward the corners of each building, almost against his will. His body pulls him forward even as his mind begs him to slow down.

Just then, another drone whirs overhead, Yoongi peers up and ducks immediately, this one’s different, military grade, or maybe a rogue news bot, it’s lens is blinking a red dot, hovering close to the building Spider-man entered, Yoongi watches it scan the zone and zooming in.

Then a voice blasts from the bot’s speakers. “CIVLIANS REMAIN CLEAR, STRUCTURAL COMPROMISE DETECTED, POTENTIAL EXPLOSION—”

The streets become more frantic. Where in the world is Jungkook? Yoongi doesn’t back off. He’s too close now. He cuts into a side alley in a hurry, trying to get a better angle, something, anything. His lungs tighten and his hands won’t stop shaking, curse not being very athletic, this is what he gets for skipping out on the gym. Turning onto a random downtown corner of 5th district, that’s when he sees movement again, a window on the third floor shatters everywhere from inside, and something flies out of it.

Not something, someone. 

A civilian. A young man in a hoodie, coughing harshly, with soot covering his entire face, he’s falling, he’s literally falling!, flailing even—

And just as Yoongi’s about to watch someone’s untimely demise, a sudden white web shoots out from nowhere, latching onto the man’s back and it jerks him quickly midair. The next second, Spider-man himself appears and swings into frame who snatches him out of falling onto the ground like a pancake and rolls midair to shield him as they land hard on a parked car, The force of which dents the roof in.

Yoongi stares from afar in disbelief.

What the fuck? 

Spider-man looks up and for some miracle makes a millisecond of eye contact with Yoongi in a bustling crowd, sirens afoot, Yoongi’s still there, frozen in time looking at Spider-man with a person in his arms.

And Yoongi feels something tug weirdly inside him, something strange and almost familiar. 

The smoke is still thick and infecting the city, clinging into Yoongi’s lung and stinging his eyes. Yoongi coughs as he presses the sleeve of his arm against his mouth as he walks around. He’s not sure how far he’s run from the noodle shop, only that the buildings around him are growing more fractured; the sky above is now dusted with an orange from the fire along the streets. Somewhere behind the smoke, firefighters and policemen are yelling. People shout from the balconies of their high rise buildings.

And above it all, just barely, he hears the sound of something slicing the air.

A thwip . It’s sharp and sounds like an elastic.

Yoongi whips his head up, there across the sky, swinging like something out of a dream, there’s that red streak, a flash of limbs and those iconic webs that Spider-man uses through to travel mid air, attaching to the edge of buildings. 

His breath catches in his own throat. Spider-man .

He doesn’t even have time to think before the blur swings low, dodges a falling beam, rebounds off a lamp post, and launches again, this time closer toward where Yoongi is standing. He should move, he knows he should, find safety, go follow a crowd to emergency services, but he’s too stunned to. It’s not every day the boy you like disappears mid-dinner and then Spider-man launches out of the sky like a goddamn comic book panel come to life, god Yoongi’s life was a sitcom.

Except now Spider-man is striding his way to Yoongi, as in, coming straight for him.

Yoongi gasps as the hero lands barely a few feet away, webbing napping behind him, with bent knees in a clean crouch, his tech-y morphing mask is almost disturbing up close, as it wouldn’t be the first time Yoongi finds himself up close and personal with him.

“Y-You okay?” Spider-man asks, voice all breathless with concern. 

Something is off. It is way too off, a familiar off.

“I’m fine.” Yoongi says slowly, gesturing at the scruffed up suit the other is sporting. “You’re hurt…” Yoongi grumbles.

Spider-man laughs awkwardly that sends tingles down Yoongi’s spine. “I’ve had worse.”

That voice, it’s muffled. But not enough, it's so familiar.

Yoongi narrows his eyes, all logic going out the window and his mind speaks for him. “I…Did we—have we met?”

There’s a second of silence before Yoongi gulps.

“Fuck, that sounds so insane” Yoongi groans to himself, feeling his head spin, there’s another drone attack around the block behind them and it sends dust and debris which they both flinch at and before Yoongi blinks, Spider-man uses his entire body to shield him.

Then Spider-man clears his throat and straightens up. 

“I think you should get to a safer area. They’re evacuating the next block soon. There’s a truck convoy nearby and—”

“Wait.” 

The word slips out before the shorter can even stop it, he has no idea what’s happening right now. The smoke is enough for the setting sunset to hit the side of Spider-man’s face. He sees the faintest semblance up close, the nick on his lower lip, the shape of his nose, the curl of his hair flattened a little beneath the mask.

It’s a punch to the gut, cause there’s truly no way but also it makes sense in every universe.

“...Jungkook?” 

Spider-man halts.

Yoongi’s heart slams around every corner of his chest and he freaks out. “Holy shit. ” He whispers. “It’s you!”

The air between them is still, despite the chaos ensuing around them. The street seems to be paused to them.  A firetruck honks two blocks down, but Yoongi barely hears it over the rushing sound and heat in his ears.

“I—Yoongi—.”

And just like that, in a random corner street, Spider-man pulls him out of the line of sight of people and peels off his mask. 

His brown locks tumble out, hair tousled all messy, cheeks flush from panting and his skin is streak-ridden with sweat and soot from debris. It's him! It was him all along! The same boy who flirted with him so clumsily over coffee, who showed up to his music recital with his starry eyes. Who stammers whenever Yoongi reciprocates his coy energy, the Jungkook that laughs so loudly at every joke and attracts the attention of everyone in the room without trying, he’s wanted Yoongi so obviously for so long and trips over himself just to impress him .

And he’s THE Spider-man. 

Yoongi gapes. 

Jungkook closes his eyes with a smile, rubbing the back of his neck as the scene plays out, it’s like it’s from a movie, there’s people running everywhere.

“I was gonna tell you, promise.” He starts quietly. “Just… not like this.”

“You were gonna tell me…” Yoongi reapers, barely louder than a breath. “You— you—” He can’t help his voice from wavering in an effort to still try and process this discovery, a deep, gnawing ache that starts in his chest and radiates outwards, crawling up his throat. 

“It was you all along!?”

Jungkook winces. “I didn’t want to lie to you Hyung, I swear, I-I would never.”

“Didn’t you?” Yoongi cuts in, with his sharp eyes that narrow. “Because it kind of feels like you did . Every time you bailed. Every time you looked me in the eye and said it was nothing or class, or studio, or something.” He stops, breath hitching again, and he’s looking at Jungkook suited up as Spider-man in all his glory, body built, and eyes staring expectantly at Yoongi, his gaze sweeps over the blood along Jungkook’s rips and can’t find it in himself to be truly mad.

“You came to dinner with me like this.” 

“I was fine.” Jungkook shakes his head, stepping forward, palms out. “I promise Hyung I am fine. I just…I didn’t want you to worry.”

“Too late for that. Don’t ever ask me to not worry over you over again, you’re too important to me.”

Yoongi’s voice is cracking on the last words. He turns his face away with a fierce blush and feels Jungkook suited fingers intertwined and squeezed. The wind picks up through the alley and blows ash and hot air with them. 

“I didn’t tell anyone except Jimin and Tae…It’s not really ideal living a double-life, I played telling you out like, a million times in my head.” 

“It’s fine Kook-ah, I get it.” Yoongi doesn’t pull his hand away. If anything, his fingers tighten around Jungkook’s warmth even through the thin material of the suit. The tension in his shoulders hasn’t left, not entirely, but something in his posture seems to soften, like the gravity of the last half hour is finally catching up with him. 

“I can’t believe this is how you find out.”

Jungkook’s still watching him like he’s afraid he might vanish. His mask is pushed up, bunched on the top of his fluffy brown head like a hoodie, hair sticking to his temples. He looks completely wrecked, cheeks scraped and body trembling faintly but his eyes, those damn eyes. 

Yoongi exhales shakily, the tension still heavy in his shoulders. He squeezes Jungkook’s hand back without thinking. 

“Is this a bad time to say I'm deeply in love with you?” 

“You’re bleeding.” Yoongi mutters, voice as soft as ever, his thumb brushing along the back of Jungkook’s hands, ignoring his question but also giving an obvious answer. “You’re…Fucking hell Jungkook, you’re always bleeding.”

Jungkook only laughs, quiet and breathless, like the release of weeks, no months of fear. "It looks worse than it is.” He says, even as blood soaks deeper into the side of his suit. “I heal fast.”

Yoongi scowls in response, but it’s more fond than angry. “Doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt.”

Jungkok tilts his head. “Oh yeah? You all worried about me getting roughed up?”

“You’re an idiot.” Yoongi replies, not letting go of his hand. “A reckless, but painfully attractive idiot.”

That gets Jungkook smiling cheshire wide, all teeth and eyes crinkling. “You think I'm attractive?”

“I swear I've told you that before I knew you had a six-pack underneath all that.”

A flush creeps across Jungkook's flushed face.” Yoongi-hyung.”

Yoongi finally looks at him full on and there's no anger in his gaze anymore. It’s something raw and stunned. 

“I thought you didn’t like me to be so honest.” Jungkook blurts, because he can’t help himself, because this whole evening has been all chaos and fire and identity revealing when it was supposed to be Jungkook taking out his crush on a romantic dinner. 

Yoongi scoffs, incredulous. “I thought you didn’t like me! You kept on disappearing! I thought you were bailing on me because I'm boring and not your type.”

“You’re literally the opposite of boring. And you are SO my type.”

“Still…I was totally ditched.”

“I was trying to save people!”

“I know that now, idiot.”

They’re both a little breathless as the area around them continues to be loud and noisy, the sounds of the city beyond the alley however, start to fade in a low buzz. Distant fire, the city still burning at the edges of their reality. But here, in the eye of it all, they’re both just two boys blinking dumbly at each other.  

“Like, maybe you liked the idea of me, or the chase, or flirting, but not me.”

Jungkook’s eyes go wide. “Yoongi.” 

“I mean, it’s not like  I've got a cool double life.” Yoongi adds, somewhat amused as he gestures vaguely to the destroyed skyline. “All I do is write lyrics, drink coffee, eat, sleep and repeat.”

“I like what you do,” Jungkook says, voice dim. “You make everything sound so cool.” 

Yoongi stares at him, and it finally hits Jungkook that he’s not the only one who’s been carrying the weight of this, the uncertainty, and definitely the longing. 

“I didn’t want to fall for you if you weren’t serious.” Yoongi says after a beat, quiet, like it costs him something to admit it. 

Jungkook rapidly sharks his head and doesn’t hesitate to speak. “I’m so serious, I've been serious about you since the first time I talked to you.” 

A slow, stunned smile curls the edge of Yoongi’s mouth. “You were really silly back then.”

“I was nervous. You’re terrifying.” Jungkook whins.

“I’m older.”

“You’re gorgeous and brilliant— and moody in a way that makes me want you so much more.”

Yoongi steps back just enough to keep their distance but stares in an obvious awe at Jungkook.

“So it’s you.” he murmurs as if he was staring at his latest piece of work. “Of course it’s you.”

Jungkook winces, sheepish. “I wanted to tell you. But how do you say something like that without completely ruining everything?”

“You could’ve just said, ‘hey Yoongi, I’m Spider-man.” The shorter boy deadpans and Jungkook wants to squish his pliant pale cheeks. 

Jungkooks huffs out a breath, somewhere between a laugh and a sigh. “Yeah, that definitely would’ve gone over well.”

Yoongi still stood staring at him like he’s trying to memorize this version, the real one, like he doesn’t know whether to punch him or pull him close. “You’re unbelievable.” he mutters. 

Jungkook swallows, hesitant. “Sooo, in a good way? Or a bad way?’

“You’re an idiot.” He reiterates.

“Doesn’t answer my question Hyung—”

He’s interrupted by Yoongi stepping forward, closer than they’ve ever stood before, even closer than that one time on the skating rink, all the pretense between them instantly disappearing.

“You’ve been showing up in my life with bruises and excuses for months. You saved me from getting turned into a human pancake and the whole time, I thought you were just some reckless guy who was nice.”

Jungkook twiddles his thumbs like a five year old. “I didn’t want you to worry.”

“How many times do I have to tell you, too late for that.” Then Yoongi grabs him by the suit and kisses him.

It’s not neat, Jungkook is so taken aback they’re teeth clink together and the brunette even has to crane his neck down slightly but albeit he melts immediately into the kiss, months of tension and near-misses crashing all at once. Jungkook lets out a soft grunt in surprise and delight, his hands freezing for a beat before settling on Yoongi slim waist and grounds them both as the chilly air makes both their hair get in each other's faces.

When they finally pull back to what feels like an eternity. Yoongi’s breath is uneven and his catty eyes are narrowed along with a red hue in his face. 

“I swear to God.” He starts, eyes burning into Jungkook and pushing him in his still-suited chest. “If you vanish for another week without a text.”

“I won’t!” Jungkook pulls him close. “I won’t, you’ll know everything now.”

Yoongi nods and melts into Jungkook’s embrace. “Good. Because I’ve got questions.”

“Of what?”

“Like how you thought I wouldn’t recognize your dumb voice under this dollar store mask.” Yoongi rolls his eyes. 

“ Dollar store!? I know this is the best technological advanced mask you can get!” The younger groans, head falling forward to rest on Yoongi’s shoulder. “Please let me keep some of my dignity.”

“Not a chance.”

They’re both embracing each other now, in that messy, dizzy way people do when the world is still spinning but something finally makes sense. They’re interrupted by a crack of police radios, a distant shout makes Jungkook snap back to reality and shift slightly. 

“I have to go.” He says abruptly, “They can’t see me like this.” 

Yoongi exhales, stepping back in reluctance but giving a reassuring stroke on Jungkook's muscular frame making the taller blush. 

Jungkook pauses, the mask dangling from one hand and he stretches it as it coils around his face doing some cybertech morphing which Yoongi cannot comprehend.

“Will you be okay?” Jungkook asks.

Yoongi lets out a pffft . “I just kissed Spider-man, I'll probably survive.”

He watches Jungkook climb and launch himself over to a nearby fire escape, then stopping halfway to call back down to him. 

“Yoongi?” 

“Yeah?”

“Next time, maybe let me take you flying.” Jungkook beams down at him.

Yoongi raises his brow. “Is that supposed to be romantic?”

Jungkook grins behind his mask and jumps to a windowsill. “If you want it to be.” He does a dorky finger gun as a goodbye then he disappears into the sky, swinging high over the city, heart hammering in his chest like it finally has room to beat the way it wants to.

And far below, Yoongi is leant back against the dirty alley wall, fingers going up to brush his burning lips, still ingrained in the memory of a kiss. 

-

Yoongi’s apartment the following night is dim and bleakly quiet, the only light spilling in is from the streetlamp which occasionally flicker outside his window, casting a pale shadow across the floor of his house. Jungkook’s stood just inside their short doorway, all of them joke how Yoongi and Hoseok’s flat is like a dwarf’s home and Hoseok routinely sports a sizable bruise on his head from how short their doorway is. 

There in the doorway tonight is Jungkook still wrapping the suit but his mask is balled up with one hand and he’s breathing like he’s just been out in the wild. Turns out fighting bad guys for two days straight really does a number on a guy, yes he did confess and reveal his identity and undying love for his long-time crush all at once, but duty awaits and despite his mongering fear of eating at Yoongi’s subconscious, he was finally letting himself crash at his place. 

“You should sit down.” A soft voice from inside lulls Jungkook inside the cozy living room.

Yoongi crosses the room in socks and on oversized tee, wordless, and Jungkook finally exhales and he starts to peel off the top half of the suit, letting it fall to his waist, revealing the bruises blooming across his ribs, a pretty constellations of violet and red that makes Yoongi stare longer than he should and almost tear up.

Jungkook does with a tired and pained groan, sinking into the worn-out couch like his bones are full of lead. Yoongi excuses himself to disappear hurriedly into the kitchen to fetch an icepack and glass of water. He comes back to place it on the coffee table.

He doesn’t ask permission to ride Jungkook's suit further up and gently press a cold ice pack to the brunette’s side. 

Jungkook winces as the coldness hits his skin. “You don’t have to.”

Yoongi doesn’t let up and shuts him down. “I want to.” 

The older man’s voice is soft and velvety and Jungkook lets Yoongi tend to his wounds, slightly very into Yoongi being all over him as a personal paramedic. He looks at Yoongi’s troubled expression as he continues to examine his wounds, the awkward engineering student with a shy smile is Spider-man . The same masked idiot Yoongi has been swearing just days ago.

“Are you good Hyung?” Jungkook looks at him with careful eyes then wincing again at another icepack press. 

Yoongi scoffs under his breath, adjusting the ice pack with gentle fingers. “You’re the one covered in all this shit and asking me if I'm okay.”

“Well it’s just the first time you’ve invited me over, is all.”

“Yeah well, Hoseok and I have rules on having no people over, for…for…consideration.”

Jungkook pauses, then realises that that implies and immediately coughs. 

“Well.” He straightens despite the pain. “He’ll have to start getting used to me being here.” He winks and Yoongi shoots back an unamused look but also a fondness stirring inside at how Jungkook never changes no matter what version of himself he decides to be. 

Yoongi’s about to move, to get the first aid kid, to refill the ice pack, when Jungkook shifts on the couch and shrugs off his suits fully. 

“What are you—” Yoong starts, then cuts himself off. Because Jungkook’s completely shirtless now.

And Yoongi’s brain short-circuits for a full minute.

There’s a long, wide bruise across Jungkook's left side, a few scratches new his ribs, a graze across his collarbone. But there are also…abs. Very well, defined, sweat-slicked abs. He has broad shoulders and stupidly built arms. 

“Like what you see?” Jungkook teases and Yoongi doesn’t need to look up to see his stupid smirk so he hits him right on his pecs in retaliation. 

Yoongi licks his dry lips. “Shut up.” 

But his fingers betray him as they hover near Jungkook’s ribs, then settle there gently. He brushes along a bruise, like he’s testing the barriers and edges of a storm. Jungkook shivers, not from pain, that Yoongi can tell, the air seems to thicken between the both of them in this crammed apartment. 

Jungkook’s voice drops as he lets Yoongi continue to do magical handiwork. “You know, I meant what I said.”

“About?” Yoongi asks with his feline eyes, giving Jungkook’s shoulder a massage.

“You, me and this.” Jungkook tilts his chin with a flickering gaze between Yoongi’s mouth and his eyes. “And it's not just adrenaline or the heat of the moment or whatever.”

Yoongi lets out a breath. “Yeah?”

“Yep.” Jungkook's fingers trace lightly up Yoongi's slimmer forearm. “So this makes us official right?” He gives the older one his best puppy eyes.

Yoongi arches his brow. “Is that how it works?” 

“I dunno, I just took down two guys twice my size and confessed my feelings with broken ribs. If that isn’t boyfriend-coded, I have no idea what is.”

Yoongi huffs out a laugh. “God, you’re such a prick.” But he’s already leaning in.

Their mouths suddenly meet again, deeper this time, not too soft or sweet , but slow and burning with passion, they don’t hurry each other this time and Jungkook makes a delighted, deep sound from his throat. He pulls Yoongi even closer by the hem of the shirt and presses him impossibly close which earns a cute whine out of the shorter. Their bodies slot together like it’s instinct and Yoongi’s hands roam Jungkook’s bare chest and waist and kisses back like he’s starved. 

It’s so clumsy yet so perfect in its own way, they make out completely all over the couch with wandering hands about and little gasps mainly from Yoongi when Jungkook doesn’t shy away from sucking the life out of his face. The younger’s fingers tangle in the darkness of Yoongi hair and Yoongi lets out a low groan when Jungkook tugs lightly at his lower lip with a playful bite. 

“ Fuck.” Yoongi breathlessly lets out when they part for air. 

Jungkook grins, also coming out like a starved man. “Still mad at me?”

Yoongi kisses him again, a hard and dizzying class of their lips, then he pulls back just enough to whisper seductively against his mouth, “Mhm, but I like you anyway.” 

Jungkook hums, clearly pleased. “That’s kinda romantic Hyung.”

“Don’t get too ahead of yourself now.” 

Whatever happens next is a plethora of kisses, he ends up kissing Jungkook again, and again, and again, Yoongi has almost no idea how it happens but he can’t help the other’s advances and especially when he’s practically straddling Jungkook’s hips in a tangle of both their limbs, half-laughing with making-out in between, their both flushed warm with the heat their bodies are producing. Yoongi’s sitting in Jungkook’s lap now, and neither of them seem to care about the now melting ice packs. 

Eventually, Yoongi mutters against Jungkook’s jaw. “So we’re official now?”

“Though I made that clear when I took my shirt off.” Jungkook says with a smug look.

Yoongi gnaws his shoulder gently with a furrowed expression.

“Hey!”Jungkook laughs.

“That’s for bleeding all over my effing couch.”

“I didn’t even bleed on the couch!?”

“Well, you would have if I didn't patch you up.” 

“Wow.” Jungkok sighs dreamily. “My boyfriend is so mean.”

Yoongi’s hands tighten around Jungkok’s waist. “Say it again.”

Jungkook drapes a hand over his eyes now and simply lets his cocky smiles visible. “My boyfriend is mean.”

Yoongi kisses him this time like he’s trying to prove a point, and maybe he is.

Then there’s a faint jingle of keys unlocking the door. That’s the scene Hoseok in on.

Hoseok’s frozen in the doorway, keys still in hand and his eyes blown wide.

Jungkook, with Yoongi situated in his lap, shirtless, suit off to the side, waves as he looks up. “Hey Hobi-hyung.”

“ I fucking called it.” Hoseok groans.

“Come back later.” Yoongi calls, not moving from Jungkook’s lap.

With that the door slams shut and silence. 

Then Jungkook’s chest shakes with laughter as Yoongi leans back down to kiss him sweetly. “He’s never gonna live this down.”

Yoongi groans and lets his head fall against Jungkook’s chest, wanting to hear the steady breathing and heartbeat. “Don’t remind me.”

“Too late. I’m your problem now. And I love you.”

“You always were, and I love you too.”