Chapter Text
When Kim Namjoon, Jungkook's prospective new housemate, opened the front door, Jungkook fell straight into his arms.
This was almost entirely Jungkook's fault. In fairness, he hadn't expected the door to be answered so quickly. Really– it was pulled open almost the moment he rang the doorbell.
Also, in fairness, he did know that being pressed up against the front door was not socially acceptable. But come on, he was trying to see through the cute little pane of stained glass set into the door, and work out if the fresh-baked bread smell was really coming from inside. How was he supposed to stand back with the smell of baking in the air like that? Unreasonable.
But that was Jungkook. A little too eager, so far ahead of the game that he was behind. All through his life, he'd never quite gelled with his friends or his classmates, unable to pick up on their social cues.
His lease with his current housemates was coming to an end soon, and they'd arranged to downsize. Without him. They'd told Jungkook just last week that he wouldn't be moving into the new rental with them, and so he was left with less than a month to find a new place.
He hadn't quite gelled with them, either.
The circumstances under which Jungkook was having to find a new place to live, though, were beside the point.
The point was that he had had one opportunity to make his new housemates think that he was not a weirdo, and now he was accidentally hugging one of them.
...And Namjoon was hugging him back.
"Cuddly, aren't you?" Asked Namjoon. His voice was soft, warm, deep – altogether too nice – and Jungkook almost died of embarrassment, trying to pull away. But Namjoon was tightening his arms and then he just– lifted Jungkook bodily over the door sill and deposited him on his feet in the entryway. The cold was shut out with a resounding clunk, and Jungkook awkwardly pocketed his gloves.
"I'm not– not a cuddly– I swear…” Jungkook managed, face bright red and fumbling as he bent down to untie his shoes, and he only realised he had made things worse when Namjoon laughed.
"Just with me, then?"
Jungkook cringed, placed his shoes on the rack, wondered if maybe he could stay on the floor forever. Why did he have to be so bad at human interaction? Not even a minute into meeting Namjoon, and he'd already messed things up. These people would never let him take their spare room, and he'd be stuck begging his old housemates to let him sleep on their sofa–
His panic was cut short by Namjoon wrapping a hand around his forearm, and tugging him back to his feet.
"Well, hugging suits you. Wait until you meet Hobi, he'll love you." Now, Namjoon was rubbing his palm over the back of Jungkook's neck, and Jungkook had no idea where Namjoon had been all his life. He needed to live in this house. Somewhere where people weren't surprised by his mistakes, didn't hoard their touch to themselves like the last packet of ramyeon in the kitchen cupboard.
He let himself be led into the house with an arm around his shoulders, taking in the decor. These people had pictures on the walls. In actual frames. The rug in the hall matched the one in the porch. There was brickwork that looked exposed on purpose, funky ornaments on the windowsill and, as he learned when Namjoon took his coat from him a moment later, a real-life cloakroom. Jungkook had never seen a house with a cloakroom. He'd kinda thought that they only existed in art galleries.
He soaked in the smell of baking bread, trying not to turn into a content puddle when Namjoon finished hanging his coat and his arm found his way back over his shoulders.
And then promptly let out a yelp as the biggest dog he'd ever seen came bounding up to him.
The dog put on the brakes comically as soon as it heard him, but the creature was too large to stop itself in time and still ended up crashing into him. Jungkook whimpered.
"You're not... one of those, are you?" Asked Namjoon, frowning, taking his arm away from around Jungkook's shoulders. Jungkook missed the warmth immediately.
There was fur and claws everywhere and he was so frazzled he hardly knew what he was being asked, but he could only assume Namjoon was asking if he was scared of dogs – and normally he wasn't, ok, but this one has come out of nowhere and had teeth – and he was desperate to land a spot in this house. He only had a few days until his current lease ended, and this was his last chance at securing a decent place.
"No, no! Not at all," he claimed. He didn't really want to put his fingers near all those teeth, so he gave an awkward little wave to the dog, who had backed up maximum two inches, tongue lolling and tail whipping, and looked like it was seconds away from leaping at him again.
"Hi?" He tried, and immediately felt stupid talking to a dog. "You're just... very big?"
At this, the dog seemed to puff up proudly, and Namjoon's smile crept back onto his face as if it had never left. Phew. Maybe he'd said the right thing?
"Ah, that's good, because Tae would be another one of your housemates, and you'll see his fluffy backside a lot around the house." Namjoon slapped a hand on Tae's butt, and Jungkook almost whimpered again as the dog let out a fearsome, rolling growl. Namjoon just laughed, and used his hand to push Tae away down the corridor.
"Get gone, shoo, we can't have a proper chat with Jungkook-ah with you like this–" Namjoon was almost pulling him along the corridor, and Jungkook had never had a stranger be so handsy with him before, but again– He didn't mind. And he was desperate. He really didn't want to have to move into a hostel.
The dog wandered off down the corridor, tail still wagging, and Jungkook hardly heard Namjoon pointing out which doors led where because he was so caught up in processing what had just happened. At least the dog seemed well-trained? But it probably wasn't a good sign that Namjoon referred to Tae as a 'housemate'. Visions of dog hair in his laundry and being woken up by slobber every morning floated into his head– But, no. He couldn't afford to be picky.
Namjoon was still talking, he realised. They'd entered a well-lit kitchen, decorated in oranges and blues, with a huge round table in the middle. Jungkook spotted a bread machine whirring away on the counter. One side of the kitchen was taken up entirely with patio doors, and through the glass he could see a path leading through a scraggly lawn to a summer house.
"–and we have a shelf on the fridge all cleared out ready for you. These would be your cupboards, you can use the plates and bowls, they're all communal. The rice cooker is broken right now but we're going to get a new one on the weekend, everything else works–"
Jungkook just blinked and let Namjoon ramble. He wasn't sure why Namjoon was being so relaxed with him. Every other house he'd viewed, the current tenants had been... less than friendly. Namjoon was talking as if moving in was a given.
He liked Namjoon. Liked him a lot. He radiated warmth, security, authority. Jungkook had known him five minutes and he was pretty sure he would be miserable if he never got to see him again.
"–in the summer, we eat outside, but this time of year it's best to keep patio doors shut, or Jin will go ballistic–"
"Oh, are we doing hugs already?" A husky voice interrupted, and Jungkook ended up with a face full of wool as he tried to turn around in Namjoon's arms. Namjoon did not let him go, and just like that he was surrounded.
Warm arms crushed around his shoulders and he was smooshed even more into Namjoon's knitted jumper. He couldn't help himself, shutting his eyes and sighing as the incomer tucked their chin over his collarbone.
"It's decided then?"
"Jungkook hasn't even seen his room yet, Hobi, back it up a bit."
"I'll show him!"
Jungkook hadn't managed to even catch a glimpse of Hobi's face yet, and already he was vying for Namjoon's position of New Favourite Person. Hobi made him feel like morning dew evaporating from grass and Jungkook decided it was ok that the first thing he'd done upon meeting him was squash him.
“I was going to show him the living room first,” whined Namjoon, and huh. Jungkook hadn’t thought that Namjoon was capable of whining, or acting cute, but now he sounded like he was pouting at Hobi and, lodged between them, Jungkook was soaking up their dynamic.
“We can finish with that,” Hobi insisted, and then with strength Jungkook hadn’t thought he had, tugged both Namjoon and Jungkook easily out of the kitchen to corral them up the stairs. Even the stairs were nice. They were solid wood, carpeted, curving in a loose spiral around three walls.
The landing opened onto a large area which seemed to have multiple purposes. There were a few comfy chairs, a vanity with enough makeup and jewellery laid out for a dozen people, a keyboard with a few guitars leaning against it, a bookshelf stuffed full of magazine files and bric-a-brac, and two yoga mats laid out on the floor. Four doors were set into the walls, a few of which were open, and he spotted unmade beds and desks covered in paper as he was guided to the door farthest away.
“We were keeping this as a guest room, so it’s fully decorated,” started Namjoon. “But if you want to change anything, just let us–“
“Come check out your fairy lights!” Crowed Hobi, dragging him across the threshold. The guest room had a large window, overlooking the garden, and someone had attached fairy lights all around the window frame. Hobi bent down to flick a switch, and Jungkook managed to turn his gasp into a sharp intake of breath. The lights were little stars, and Hobi proudly picked up a tiny remote and started changing the colours to show him.
“You can have yellow, green, red, blue, purple, white, pink, I don’t know if this is blue or green, yellow again–”
“–The wardrobe is a good size,” Tried Namjoon from the doorway, “So you’ll hopefully have room for all your–“
“That’s not everything!” Grinned Hobi. He finally turned from the window, and Jungkook got a good look at his face for the first time. He was handsome in a way that made Jungkook wish he would hug him again, framed by the glow from the window lights. “I got a matching mood lamp!”
Jungkook turned obliging towards the bed to watch Hoseok prod the star-shaped lamp attached to the wall above the bed.
“It was Yoongi who painted the walls, so sorry if you think the white is boring, but I picked out the bedspread–“
The aforementioned bedspread was a bright red with strawberries dotted all over it.
“And the rugs. And the towels, actually, I quite like these, I might swap them…”
Jungkook assumed that Hobi had also picked out the pictures on the walls, and wondered what had possessed him to put a larger-than-life print of the Mona Lisa next to a huge Brazilian flag. The bedroom looked like it belonged to a six year-old who happened to have a lot of pocket money. Jungkook would never have chosen it for himself.
He loved it.
Jungkook nodded along as Namjoon tried again to take over the tour, pointing out the radiator and under-bed storage, only realising that he’d been pacing the perimeter of the room when Hobi opened a side door to let him into the ensuite too. He shuffled back out of the little bathroom sheepishly to find both of them smiling at each other.
“You like it?” Asked Hobi, and Jungkook’s shy nod was enough of an answer for Hobi to whoop and drag him back out to the landing.
They clattered down the stairs and Namjoon made four hot chocolates, one with an obscene amount of whipped cream, to carry through to the living room.
Jungkook froze in the doorway. There was another boy on the sofa, piercing eyes fixed on him, and, wow, the floor was so interesting. He had a hole in one of his socks. He should fix that–
A strong arm clasped around his waist from behind, and Jungkook clutched his drink helplessly as Namjoon dumped him on the sofa right next to the boy. He shot a betrayed look at Namjoon, who raised an eyebrow and sipped his own hot chocolate.
And that was something. Jungkook wasn’t huge, but he wasn’t all that much shorter than Namjoon was. An inch or two if he was being optimistic.
Namjoon had lifted his full body weight in one arm without spilling the drink in his other hand.
Jungkook would die for Namjoon. He nodded to himself, happy to have that decided, and promptly squawked as a cold nose dug behind his ear. He’d forgotten the boy next to him.
“Taehyung, you’re still not helping your first impression,” warned Namjoon, nudging the hot chocolate that was covered in cream closer to him.
“But he smells nice," said Taehyung happily. Jungkook shifted on the sofa uneasily. Taehyung was pushing him, testing his limits, he could tell. He couldn’t really admit it, but it comforted him when Taehyung grabbed the side of his neck and inhaled more deeply. He’d rather not be in charge of dictating their meeting.
“Taehyung…” Namjoon sounded serious, and Jungkook sagged as the other let him go. He turned to Taehyung just in time to catch a smirk on the other’s face, and then he was being pulled fully into the other’s lap. Jungkook squirmed, and Taehyung bounced him up and down, shocking him still.
Namjoon and Hoseok were watching him carefully, but– well. Taehyung had started it. Who was Jungkook to argue when his lap was actually kind of comfy?
"So, what's the rent?" He asked, deciding to ignore the hand now stroking his knee. He’d only heard about the spare room from a customer at the corner shop he worked at, and rent hadn’t been mentioned in their texts so far.
Namjoon gave him an odd look. "We don't really do that, as a group. We own the house. Everyone puts a third of their paycheck into our expenses account. Whatever's left in there at the end of the month, we spend on home improvements or group activities."
Jungkook was flummoxed. "But I don’t earn much, and I didn't help buy the house. How is that fair?"
Namjoon tilted his head. “If you don’t earn much, all the more reason you should pay less. It's a common arrangement. If you feel like you need to do more, then you can sign yourself up for extra chores."
Jungkook had no idea what kind of world this arrangement could be called common in, but he wasn’t going to argue. The corner shop paid him just barely above minimum wage, and they kept cancelling his shifts after he’d already arrived there ready to work. He’d been struggling to do much other than make rent each month for too long.
“You are moving in, right?” Asked Taehyung, and it didn’t feel like a question. Jungkook wasn’t sure if that was because he was being told, or if he just didn’t want it to be.
“I want to,” he admitted easily, and was rewarded by Hobi leaping off his own chair to join them on the sofa.
“We hoped you would,” Said Hobi. “The others can’t wait to meet you, either.”
Jungkook nodded, eyes struggling to remain open as Taehyung’s nose once more traced his neck.
"Sleep on it, ok?" Said Namjoon sternly.
"Text me when you've packed, I'll drive you," whispered Hobi in his ear, poking at Jungkook’s thigh with his toes. Namjoon sighed dramatically, and then surprised Jungkook by standing up to sit on Taehyung’s other side.
A warm hand stroked his hair, and Jungkook realised he’d shut his eyes. Every part of him that had been nervous to meet these new people had been soothed. He knew he should be weirded out. This was not a normal way to get to know new housemates. He knew that much. These people were weird.
But he was weird too, and something in him was starting to realise he might be able to belong.
~❀~❀~❀~
Jungkook started packing as soon as he got home. He'd jammed his rusting key in the door, almost tripped over the piles of shoes in the entryway and dashed up the creaking staircase to his room.
Chipped walls, gross curtains, a carpet that had seen better days. Five housemates who had apparently spent a whole year smiling at him while wishing him gone. Jungkook couldn't wait to be free. He yanked his suitcase out of the wardrobe and started throwing clothes into it. All his electronics and art supplies just about fit into his rucksack, bar his biggest sketchpad, which he'd just have to carry. An hour later his room was stripped bare, several bin bags of trash and donations at the door. He had to unpack partially to find his jacket and beanie again before he left for the shops, returning just as the sun set with cleaning supplies.
One of his housemates was standing in his room when he got back.
"You're moving out early?”
"Tomorrow," Jungkook nodded. He opened the packet of cleaning cloths, and climbed onto his bed to dust for cobwebs. There weren't any, and he felt silly stood with his arms in the air, so he put them down again.
"You'll still have to pay full rent for this month."
"I paid already..."
His housemate shrugged. Jungkook hopped off the bed, struggling to match his mood to his housemate's. Surely they would be happy he was going?
"We can keep in touch?" He offered, opening his arms in the vain hope that his housemate didn't hate him.
The man just frowned at him, looked him up and down, and left.
Jungkook deflated, letting his arms drop back down to his sides. He cleaned in silence for a few minutes, before he remembered that it was his last night in this place.
Grinning, he threw himself back onto the bed. He really hoped that the new house would be better. It would mean a longer commute for him, sure, but Namjoon, Hobi, even Taehyung… They were so nice, it would break him if they were pretending.
Emotionally exhausted, he hadn’t intended to fall asleep, but he woke in the middle of the night after a sickening nightmare with the realisation that he had forgotten to take his medication. His limbs were stiff and unresponsive as he wrestled himself out of bed and tore through his bags to find where he’d stashed his pill box. Tuesday, Tuesday… Crap. He’d forgotten Monday as well.
Jungkook swallowed Monday’s pills dry and put Tuesday’s back into the main container. Missing a day was way better than a double dose.
He felt woozy and sick as he sank back to sleep, but at least the nausea the pills caused was better than the dreams he got otherwise.
Time was pulled out from underneath him, and he woke to cold light with a headache.
Five in the morning. Too early. He tried and failed to go back to sleep, then got up and made breakfast. By the time he was dressed and finished cleaning, it was seven o’clock - just about acceptable to message.
He grabbed his phone and texted Hobi his address.
Can you pick me up?
His phone buzzed not even a minute later.
On my way!
~❀~❀~❀~