Chapter Text
seokjin isn’t having the greatest of days.
he sent his little brother, taehyung, to school a few minutes before school starts, he ended up late for his shift at the coffee shop and got yelled at ( honestly , being five minutes late to a coffee shop shift shouldn’t mean the boss should yell at him), he nearly panicked because he thought he lost some work for a strict professor (which, by the way, he didn’t -- taehyung just thought it was a good idea to stack everything together in order to “organize and help”), and now he needs to rush his way back to the apartment with groceries in his arms to pick up taehyung. he prays that taehyung won’t get too upset that he’s a bit too late and that his best friend jimin’s father would let jimin stay a bit longer so he won’t get lonely.
he doesn’t even want to go through speaking with taehyung’s teacher about how taehyung and some kid fought because the dumb kid made fun of the flowers growing behind taehyung’s ears and how they’re smaller than average for an eight year old. he might just fight the kid himself.
seokjin shifts his grip on the paper bags when he gets closer to the complex. he can faintly feel the impatiens in his hair slowly weaving away, and, upon reaching up, he smiles when he feels pansies and olive flowers growing in its place. peace and thoughts . much better than impatience.
seokjin gets knocked out of his thoughts when he bumps into someone, and he looks up to rapidly apologize, quick “i’m sorry!”’s flowing from his mouth. he watches in bewilderment as the man says “it’s fine” and walks off, staring curiously at the mini solar system above his head.
he’s never met someone with a solar system above their head -- well, he has, and that one person was jimin, but he never encountered another one.
as seokjin turns and rushes towards the apartment complex, he thinks of the planets and tries to remember what they mean. mercury, mars, and pluto. thoughts, anger, and sadness. seokjin frowns at the thought but brushes it off, patting his pockets as he enters the complex and heads up to his apartment. he gets his keys out by the time he reaches the door, and seokjin quickly unlocks the door and sets away the groceries. he grabs the car keys before leaving his apartment and locking the door, rushing to down to his car to go pick up taehyung.
seokjin doesn’t notice the small lavender roses managing to weave their way through his hair.
seokjin’s glad that he doesn’t look disheveled and exhausted, because that’s honestly how he feels and he doesn’t want taehyung to be worried about him. the last thing he needs is a super pouty eight year old begging for him to go sleep or else “the monsters will eat you!”. (it’s cute though, but seokjin probably doesn’t have the energy to deal with that).
as soon as he steps out of the car and starts to make his way to the school’s entrance, taehyung races towards him, hugging his legs. “hyung! you’re late!”
“sorry, tae,” seokjin smiles, bending down to taehyung’s height to hug him. “did jimin stay with you?”
“yeah, but then his dad said they have to go,” taehyung pouts. “but it’s okay! miss joy kept me company!”
“did you thank her before coming to me?”
“yup!”
seokjin studies the flowers weaving through taehyung’s hair to make a flower crown. chrysanthemums and crocuses. cheerfulness and youthful gladness . how cute.
“so how was your day, tae?” seokjin hums as he leads taehyung into the car, making sure he puts on his seatbelt before moving to the driver’s seat.
“it was good!” taehyung grins, putting his backpack next to him. “me and jiminnie gave ms. joy flower crowns!”
“oh? and did she like them?”
“yeah, she said they were super pretty! as pretty as the flowers i have!”
seokjin smiles at that, deciding that he can discuss the fight taehyung had later. he can’t bring down taehyung’s happy mood so suddenly. “what would you like to eat for dinner today?”
“meat!”
seokjin manages not to roll his eyes fondly and focuses on the road. “just meat?”
“and japchae!”
“nothing else?”
“.. and dinosaur nuggets..”
seokjin chuckles fondly. “well, you’re lucky i went and bought some more for you. we wouldn’t have been able to make any if i didn’t go.”
“hyung is a lifesaver,” taehyung sighs dramatically. seokjin grins at this and parks the car in the complex’s parking lot. “there are actual lifesavers out there, i’m not one of them.”
“but hyung’s cool!” taehyung exclaims as he reaches for his bag and waits for seokjin to get out and open the door for him (seokjin had turned on the child lock on taehyung’s side of the car so he wouldn’t open it by himself on the inside; he doesn’t want to experience a curious taehyung suddenly opening the door on a highway again). “the bestest of them all!”
seokjin smiles and gets out of the car to open the door for taehyung, who jumps out immediately with joy. he looks up at seokjin and says, “hey, we match!”
“hm?”
“our flowers!” taehyung giggles. “the chrys flowers!”
“chrysanthemum?”
“yup!”
seokjin hums, holding taehyung’s hand as he leads him to their apartment. (taehyung started whining when seokjin made them use the stairs, wailing that he’s going to die young). “and what does that flower mean?”
“cheerfulness! are you happy, seokjin hyung?”
“very happy, because now you’re here.”
taehyung giggles with delight as they finally reach their apartment, seokjin unlocking the door and taehyung racing into the apartment, immediately jumping onto the couch.
“can you go take a shower?” seokjin hums, shooing taehyung upstairs. “i don’t need you running around all sweaty. it can stink up the apartment.”
“will it bring the sweat monsters?”
seokjin nods solemnly, and taehyung gasps, racing upstairs and yelling, “i won’t let the monsters come for us, don’t worry!”
seokjin laughs lightly and goes up to his own room to change into a loose shirt and sweatpants. he checks his plants and, after seeing they’re healthy and well-watered, he goes back downstairs to start on dinner. while he’s cutting the vegetables, taehyung races downstairs, freshly showered and changed. “i smelled japchae!”
“i think that nose of yours is only good for smelling food,” seokjin teases, tweaking taehyung’s nose.
taehyung pouts up at him, but says, “can i put the nuggets in the oven?”
“the oven is hot, tae, you could burn yourself.”
“but i’ll be careful! i’ll even wear the mittens!”
seokjin sighs, but he lets taehyung put on the oven mittens and helps him put the oven tray filled with some nuggets in the oven. taehyung closes the oven door and grins happily at seokjin. “see, i did it!”
“you’ll become a great chef one day,” seokjin hums, and his lips tug up into a smile as taehyung exclaims, “i’m gonna be as great as hyung? awesome!”
maybe seokjin’s day isn’t so bad.
the next day, taehyung started out with pouting because seokjin had to go to work and leave him. but of course, as soon as seokjin mentioned that he’s staying with jungkook, taehyung lit up and said, “i’m gonna stay with uncle kookie? awesome!”
seokjin manages to keep in his chuckles as he hands over an order to one of his co-workers and turns back, saying, “hello, welcome to big hit cafe, can i take your or--”
seokjin blinks in shock at the boy that bumped into him the other day -- space boy , he’ll dub him. space boy tilts his head and says in amusement, “aren’t you the guy that bumped into me the other day?”
seokjin feels himself getting flustered, quickly apologizing. “i-i’m really sorry about that, i didn’t mean to..”
“it’s fine, don’t worry about it,” space boy reassures, and seokjin briefly glances up and struggles not to frown at all the little plutos circling space boy’s head. it gives away his smiling demeanor and tells everyone he’s actually sad.
“so what would you like today?” seokjin says a little softer.
space boy raises an eyebrow at the concern in his eyes, but he says, “just a hot chocolate will be fine.”
seokjin hums and writes it down. he hesitates, then scribbles something else down. before he could say the price, space boy hands him the proper amount. seokjin raises an eyebrow, and space boy sheepishly says, “my friend told me the exact price since he works here.”
“oh? who is it?”
“jung hoseok.”
“oh?” seokjin definitely knows hoseok. in fact, his shift is with seokjin’s .. he glances over his shoulder at hoseok, who’s humming as he prepares some coffee. “so we have mutual friends, then.”
“well, i guess we do,” space boy says with a mischievous grin. “maybe he’ll formally introduce us one day.”
seokjin laughs lightly and nods. he pauses, and says, “oh, may i get your name? f-for the order.”
space boy grins at him. “it’s namjoon.”
seokjin nods, watching namjoon take a seat at one of the tables before handing the order to his co-worker and turning to the next person in line, bright smile back on his face.
he doesn’t notice namjoon staring at him curiously, spacing out as he studies the purple flowers behind seokjin’s ears, watching as pansies carefully weave their way around them. he’s snapped out of it when seokjin calls out, “one hot chocolate and chocolate cake for namjoon?”, confusion spreading through him as he makes his way towards the counter. when did he order cake?
as he goes up to seokjin, he quietly says, “i-i’m sorry, but i don’t think i ordered cake..”
“oh, no, it’s fine!” seokjin smiles reassuringly. “you seemed a bit down, so .. don’t worry about paying for it. it’s fine, i put it down as though you did.”
namjoon blinks in shock, before smiling slightly and taking the drink and plate. “thank you ..,” he glances at the blond’s name tag and smile more, “seokjin-ssi. thanks.”
seokjin bows his head in acknowledgement, and namjoon heads back to his table with a smile still on his face.
he doesn’t fail to notice how the little flowers decorating the top of the cake were nearly identical to those behind seokjin’s ears.
namjoon’s mind has got to be playing tricks on him.
because there is no way that he is in the same english literature course with flower boy -- seokjin -- from the coffee shop.
but he’s there, looking bored as he seemingly doodles in his notebook. why has namjoon never noticed him before? (in his opinion, he doesn’t think it’s possible for someone to forget a really beautiful person; but he can’t say that out loud, he doesn’t want to get blackmailed by yoongi).
namjoon thinks it’s best to approach him and thank him again, so he readjusts his grip on his bag and goes up to seokjin nervously. he clears his throat, and seokjin looks up in surprise, a smile slowly forming on his face. “oh, hey. namjoon, yeah?”
namjoon doesn’t question how seokjin remembers his name (he opts for screaming internally loudly -- really loudly) and nods. “s-seokjin?”
“glad you remember,” seokjin chuckles, closing his notebook. “something wrong?”
“just, um..” wow, out of all the times for your brain to not think of something, it’s when it’s to a cute guy. good going, namjoon. “j-just wanted to say thank you again.”
“for the cake?” at namjoon’s nod, seokjin shakes his head with a smile. “i told you, it was nothing. don’t worry about it. besides, with all those plutos that were circling your head, how could i not attempt to cheer you up?”
namjoon smiles gratefully at him, and he turns to go to his usual seat when seokjin blurts out, “w-wait, if you want, you can sit here. i-i don’t mind.”
namjoon blinks, but his smile widens as he takes the seat next to seokjin. “thank you, i hope i’m not a bother.”
“oh, don’t worry, you won’t,” seokjin chirps. “there isn’t really much people to talk to around here, so i hope i’m not the bother.”
“i don’t see why no one wouldn’t talk to you,” namjoon says quietly, not intending for seokjin to hear. but seokjin does, and he smiles shyly at namjoon before turning to the front, where the professor walked in and started to speak. namjoon does the same, a similar shy smile on his face as well as he thinks about how he should have talked to seokjin earlier. maybe they’d be good friends.
namjoon doesn’t notice the small venus’ popping up around the solar system above his head and floating around happily.
“hyung!”
seokjin braces himself as taehyung tackles his legs, hugging them tightly as seokjin attempts to waddle into jungkook’s apartment. “i missed you, hyung!”
“i missed you, too, tae,” seokjin chuckles. “can you get off of me so i can greet uncle kookie? go get your things.”
taehyung immediately lets go of seokjin and races around to get his backpack and toys, and seokjin goes up to jungkook, hugging him. “hey, kookie. how was he?”
“i don’t think he missed you,” jungkook teases, hellhound ears perking up happily, “he kept talking about how much cooler i am than you.”
seokjin reaches up to tug on one jungkook’s ears playfully, and jungkook whines, “i’m sorry! just let go, that hurts!”
“says the one that tugs at them when he’s embarrassed.”
“yeah, but you do it really roughly. like a mom. or maybe you’re into some sadistic shit.”
“not in front of tae!” seokjin hisses, glancing behind him to make sure taehyung wasn’t listening. “what are you trying to do, make him know all of your kinks and all the kinks in the world at eight years old? i’m not allowing that until he’s in college . when he can actually live on his own.”
“a mom,” jungkook sighs dramatically. “besides, i wouldn’t teach him that. you think i’m a bad uncle to him?”
“you’re not even part of this family, i can easily make hoseok watch him instead.”
“dude,” jungkook groans, “why hoseok, of all people.”
“because he knows how to deal with kids, unlike your emo self,” seokjin scoffs. “honestly, i get you love black and red, but put on some other color for once.”
“what is this? is today national roast jungkook day?”
“that’s everyday,” seokjin sings as he sits in front of taehyung, who had called out for help to see if he tied his shoes correctly, helping him fix the ties.
jungkook huffs at him and crosses his arms. “i take care of your brother, and you decide to roast me? disrespectful.”
“calling hyung disrespo -- disprespec -- disrespectful! calling hyung that isn’t nice,” taehyung pouts at jungkook, who stares in disbelief.
“do you know what that means, taehyungie?” seokjin asks, raising an eyebrow.
“well, doesn’t it mean no respect?” taehyung tilts his head. “seokjin is nice and respectful! i live with him, so i would know, not you!”
seokjin chuckles as jungkook stares with shock. “i can’t believe i’ve been roasted by an eight year old,” jungkook whines. “what is my life coming to?”
“it’s okay, uncle kookie, i still like you,” taehyung says solemnly, hopping off the couch and putting on his backpack.
“i think i’ll forgive you if you give me a goodbye hug,” jungkook grins, bending down, and taehyung races over and hugs jungkook tightly. “ah, there we go. i forgive you now.”
taehyung giggles and lets go of jungkook, racing back to seokjin and holding his hand, waving at jungkook as seokjin leads them out. “bye, uncle kookie!”
“bye, tae,” jungkook chuckles, waving back. “bye, seokjin hyung. don’t die with all your homework.”
“i’ll try not to,” seokjin hums. “thanks again for watching tae.”
“it’s nothing, now shoo, go home and rest.”
seokjin smiles at jungkook before leaving the apartment, holding taehyung’s hand as he leads them out of the complex. jungkook’s apartment complex isn’t too far from seokjin’s, so he had decided to walk to jungkook’s apartment and back.
“how was your day, tae?” seokjin asks, and taehyung lights up immediately at the question.
“it was good! me and uncle kookie played mario kart -- i beat him! and we played hide and seek, and he couldn’t find me! he also baked us cookies, and they were very yummy.”
“how many did you eat?”
“two, because hyung says i can’t have too much cookies or else my tummy will hurt,” taehyung grins, looking up at seokjin, who smiles back down at him.
“sounds like a lot of fun,” seokjin coos, ruffling taehyung’s hair.
“what about you, hyung?”
“hm? what about me?”
“miss joy says it’s nice to ask people about their day after they ask you about yours,” taehyung says, tilting his head. “so how was your day?”
seokjin’s smile widens at this. “my day was good, just classes and work. i made a new friend today. but my day isn’t as exciting as yours.”
taehyung takes this as a good enough answer and nods, but then asks, “you made a new friend? what’s he like?”
“he’s like jimin, he has a solar system above his head.”
“whoa!” taehyung looks back up at seokjin, eyes shining and wide with curiosity. “that’s so cool! maybe he’s related to jiminnie!”
“just because he has a solar system as well doesn’t mean he’s related to jimin,” seokjin chuckles. “but we never know. maybe you should ask jimin whether he has an older brother in college and what his name is.”
“he did say he has one!” taehyung exclaims excitedly. “i can ask him on monday again!”
“but remember to be polite, okay?”
“how do i ask? ‘jiminnie, my hyung wants to know if you have a cool big bro and what he looks like’?”
seokjin laughs at this, and taehyung blinks up at him innocently. “no sweetie, just ask if he has a big brother and what he’s like. you don’t have to get into details.”
“but what if i get lots of details?” taehyung hums as they enter their complex and go up to an elevator. “ooh, wait, i wanna press it!”
“then you get lots of details,” seokjin chuckles as taehyung excitedly presses the up button. “don’t ask unless he tells you them.”
“okay!” taehyung sings, racing into the elevator as soon as the doors open. seokjin steps in with him, pressing their floor number and watching the doors close. “hyung, can you help me with my homework?”
“what is it?”
“math. blegh.”
taehyung makes a disgusted face, and seokjin does one to match his to appease him. “how much math?”
“two pages! they want me to die , seokjinnie hyung,” taehyung pouts.
“they’re just preparing you for the real life, taetae,” seokjin chuckles, taking taehyung’s hand as soon as the elevator doors open and leading them out and to their apartment door. “but of course i’ll help you.”
“yay!” taehyung says excitedly, waiting for seokjin to unlock the door and skipping in as soon as it’s open. “let’s do it now, hyung! so we can play mario kart and i can show you how i beat uncle kookie!”
seokjin shakes his head fondly, entering the apartment and shutting the door behind him. “i think you won because i taught you some tricks.”
“yeah, so then we can battle! so please?”
and who is seokjin to deny taehyung’s pout and pleading expression?
(he makes sure taehyung finishes all the homework he didn’t finish before playing mario kart with him.)
((he lets taehyung win half of the rounds just to hear him cheer with excitement.))
“hoseok, i didn’t call you to ask if you know about namjoon to ask me if i met him in a club and got a “grade a premium succ”, double c instead of ck at the end like how you always text it to me. do you really think i’d go out to a club and get sucked off and leave tae alone? what the hell , hoseok.”
seokjin shifts the phone pressed between his ear and shoulder, glancing over at taehyung to make sure he didn’t hear. he sighs in relief when he sees that taehyung’s still entranced by the tv, which was currently playing miraculous ladybug. he turns back to the food he’s cooking and says in a quieter tone, “i’m serious though. he came in the cafe and he said he knows you. he keeps coming over to the cafe. it’s been a few months now.”
“ maybe he’s just a loyal customer, ” hoseok suggests. “ i mean, if i didn’t work there as well, i would be a loyal customer, too. you make some bomb ass cakes. ”
“he comes during our shift only, hoseok. and stands off to the side until i’m the one taking orders.”
“ oh. ” seokjin hears some shifting and waits for hoseok to speak again. “ well, yeah i know him. i mean, he did tell you that. you know how i do underground rapping? he does it with me. so does his roommate, yoongi. ”
seokjin hums. “is he any good?”
“ he’s amazing. one of the best ones along with yoongi. i don’t even know how i managed to convince them to rap with me. ”
“what’s their stage names? maybe i’ve heard of them.”
“ yoongi is suga and namjoon is rap monster. ”
seokjin stills, and he reaches up to hold the phone against his ear properly. “are you telling me the guy that comes to the cafe everyday and now sits next to me in english literature is rap monster ?”
“ i sit with them for music theory class. i think he talked to me about you, ” hoseok hums in thought, and seokjin raises an eyebrow.
“oh really?”
“ yeah, something about a barista that gave him free cake with his hot chocolate and now lets him sit next to him during class. that’s you, right? ”
“yeah, it is,” seokjin sighs, turning off the stove and staring down at the pot. taehyung had requested a dinner that was a delicacy -- in taehyung’s words, a delicacy meant mac and cheese, dinosaur nuggets, and apple juice. seokjin couldn’t find the heart to argue -- as much as he doesn’t admit it, he craves mac and cheese and nuggets, too. just not as often as taehyung.
“ he only spoke nice things about you. said you were cute, too. ” hoseok is silent for a bit before he curses. “ wait, fuck, i wasn’t supposed to tell you that. mention it to namjoon when you see him again and you’re attending my funeral. ”
“i won’t out you like that,” seokjin reassures, slipping on an oven mitt to get the nuggets out of the oven. he places it on a mat and takes off the oven mitt, tossing it to the side. “thanks, though.”
“ no problem. and, if you do get that far, i still hope you get a grade a premium succ. and yes, double c at the end ”
“does your mind only revolve around sucking people off?”
“ no, i think of other things, too. ”
“you mean gaming and rapping?”
“ ... yes. ”
seokjin sighs, running a hand through his hair. “okay, well, i need to go and make sure taehyung eats dinner. again, thanks. bye, hobi.”
“ you’re welcome, hyung! bye! ”
seokjin hangs up and sets his phone aside, calling out, “taehyung, dinner’s ready, come on!”
he hears taehyung scrambling off the couch and to the kitchen as he starts putting food on the plates. “did you make the mac and cheese?”
“yes, and nuggets, too.”
“awesome!” taehyung exclaims, trying to look at the food seokjin’s putting on the plates.
“can you go get the apple juice?” seokjin asks, and taehyung nods and skips to the fridge, opening it and getting out the apple juice. he goes back to seokjin and hands it to him, and seokjin pours some in two cups.
“here, put these on the table and sit down, i’ll get the food,” seokjin says, handing taehyung the cups. he watches taehyung carefully place them on the table and chuckles fondly, putting five nuggets on each plate and grabbing spoons before going to sit with taehyung. he hands taehyung his plate and spoon, and taehyung squeals out a “thank you, hyung!!” and immediately starts eating.
seokjin smiles gently at him before he starts eating as well. a comfortable silence settles over them, with the occasional humming from taehyung. (listening closely, seokjin realizes that he’s humming the miraculous ladybug theme song). seokjin takes a sip from the apple juice and asks, “so, how was school, taehyung?”
taehyung shrugs. “it was okay.”
“miss joy told me that you got in another fight today,” seokjin says, raising an eyebrow.
“he was making fun of jiminnie,” taehyung huffs, angrily biting into his chicken nugget. “jiminnie is nice, he shouldn’t be called mean things.”
“i understand, but can you try and take a less violent approach next time?” seokjin asks, running his hand through taehyung’s hair. “i’ll let it slide this time, but don’t think i’d do it again, okay?”
taehyung nods happily at the idea of not being punished, shoving the rest of the nugget in his mouth. as soon as he chews and swallows, he says cheerfully, “oh, oh, and i asked jiminnie if he had a brother!”
“oh?” seokjin finishes the last of his mac and cheese and sets the spoon down. “and what did he say?”
“he said he does,” taehyung says happily, pausing to take a big gulp of apple juice. he sets the cup back down and continues, “he said he’s gonna turn 22! so he’s younger than you, right? he said he goes to college and he really likes the cafe you work in! and that he has green hair! that’s so cool. i want my hair to be green!”
“when you’re older, baby,” seokjin chuckles. in all honesty, so far, all that taehyung just said makes him think of namjoon. maybe namjoon is jimin’s older brother.
“oh, and jiminnie wants to know if he can come over this weekend,” taehyung hums. “he said his parents said okay! they just wanna know from you!”
seokjin thinks about whether or not they have any plans that weekend. he didn’t have any classes from the weekend all the way to the next one, and he can tell his boss that he can’t work whichever day jimin comes over and that he’ll work extra the next. “yeah, that’s fine. but what day?”
“he said he wants to sleep over, so friday and saturday!”
oh, so two days of two eight year olds running around the house. okay, he can deal with that. maybe he can let jimin’s older brother stay just in case (although, jimin’s been over plenty of times, but … just in case). “all right, tell him tomorrow that it’s fine by me, okay?”
“yes, hyung!” taehyung shoves the last dinosaur nugget in his mouth and eats it, saying as soon as he swallows, “thanks, hyung! and this was some yummy food.”
“you always think mac and cheese with dino nuggets are yummy,” seokjin chuckles, picking up the plates and cups and going to put them in the sink. “we might need to cut down with the dinosaur nuggets. i can’t let you eat them every other day, you know.”
“but i wanna be a big, scary dinosaur!” taehyung says, pretending to roar and baring his teeth. seokjin chuckles and ruffles his hair absentmindedly.
“but if you eat too many, you will become a dinosaur too quick and get too fat.”
“but grandma likes us chubby!” to add extra emphasis, taehyung squishes his tummy, which really isn’t all that chubby, but seokjin lets it slide, pinching taehyung’s cheeks and saying, “but if you get too fat, you could get sick and die. we don’t want that, do we?”
taehyung pouts but nods up at seokjin. “so every time i do good?”
“taehyung, that’s almost every day,” seokjin sighs, washing the dishes. “how about extra good? or on the weekends?”
“weekends!”
“is this so you and jimin can eat lots of dinosaur nuggets?”
“... maybe.”
seokjin rolls his eyes, but he still smiles down at taehyung. he places the last dish in the dishwasher and closes it, turning off the water in the sink as well. “but you have to promise to be good, okay?”
“of course, hyung!” taehyung smiles innocently, and seokjin knows taehyung’s gonna mess up and that he still would give him dino nuggets. he’d rather not deal with a pouty taehyung; there’s no point in trying if he knows he’s going to lose that battle. “can we go back and watch miraculous ladybug now?”
seokjin pretends to hum in thought, before nodding. “we can. but remember, you can’t stay up too late. you still have school.”
taehyung groans in exasperation before racing over to the couch, flopping on it and yelling, “but hurry up! ladybug and chat noir are about to defeat antibug!”
seokjin shakes his head fondly before going to sit next to taehyung, letting him cuddle next to him and watch the show happily.
(he doesn’t have the strength to tell a happy taehyung he needs to do his homework -- he’ll just tell his teacher that they were busy and didn’t have enough time and will certainly finish it all along with the next day’s homework.)
((he’s going to have to deal with a whiny taehyung the next day over five pages of homework.))
“so, i think it’s a great idea to formally introduce you two to each other, since i am your mutual friend!”
hoseok is going to be the death of namjoon.
“hoseok, honestly, i don’t think this is a great idea,” namjoon says gently. “we already talk a bit in english class. for five months. what more is there for you to say?”
“expose both of your deepest secrets,” hoseok grins, taking off his apron and hanging it up. he takes namjoon’s hand and leads him to a table, making him sit in one of the seats. “now you stay here while i get seokjin.”
namjoon watches hoseok skip back behind the counter, starting to energetically talk to seokjin as the older takes his apron off as well. seokjin raises an eyebrow at hoseok before catching namjoon’s eye, and he smiles shyly before hoseok takes him to namjoon’s table.
“now i think this is where i properly introduce you two,” hoseok says happily, making seokjin sit down in front of namjoon. “seokjin hyung, this is namjoon, aka rap monster when he’s underground rapping with me, but he’s a fucking nerd okay. namjoonie, that’s seokjin, and he is the sweetest thing alive and if i see you hurt him, i will kill you.”
“well, that’s reassuring,” namjoon says sarcastically, and seokjin snorts, covering his mouth to keep in his laughter. “i’m glad to know i could potentially get killed if he says “ow” from something i do.”
“i’m glad you got that covered!” hoseok says cheerfully. “now talk and become friends. i don’t care if you already did. do it again. i need to feel good about myself.”
“you already do amazing, hobi,” seokjin coos, and hoseok smiles brightly before skipping out of the store, saying, “have fun!”
namjoon scratches the back of his neck awkwardly, looking up at seokjin shyly. “is it bad to make it seem like i’m about to ask you on a date -- a friendly date! -- to the same cafe you work at?”
seokjin laughs, not covering this mouth this time, and namjoon feels like he’s been blessed by his smile. “i never thought i’d get asked that, to be honest. but i don’t mind.”
namjoon watches as flowers start to weave through seokjin’s hair. looking at them, he sees that they’re morning glories and coral roses. he doesn’t know what the fuck they mean, but he hopes it’s something good and not seokjin thinking he’s an idiot.
“what would you like?” seokjin asks, already reaching for his wallet, and namjoon rushes to stop him -- “no, no -- you just got off of your shift and you’re already acting like a barista. let me pay, please.”
“are you that insistent?” seokjin asks, raising an eyebrow.
“yes. and i’m afraid hoseok will bite my head off and curse me with rain surrounding me for two decades because i’m not being a proper gentleman, as he always calls me.”
“we’re college students. ”
“he still calls me an improper gentleman.”
seokjin smiles up at him and leans back in his chair, putting his wallet away. “okay. if you say so.”
namjoon grins in satisfaction and pulls out his own wallet instead. “what would you like?”
“hot chocolate’s good.”
“no coffee?”
“i’m trying to cut down on coffee since my little brother wanted to try it,” seokjin shudders. “he did once. it was awful.”
namjoon winces at that. “that doesn’t sound fun. i’ll get you pure hot chocolate, then. if i trick you and get you coffee, you can dump it on me.”
“i’m not that mean,” seokjin rolls his eyes, but he smiles. “thanks.”
namjoon smiles back and goes up to the counter, ordering for the two of them. seokjin watches him for a bit before turning to look out the window to stare at his reflection. he raises an eyebrow at the morning glories and coral roses, eyebrow raising higher when he sees that the petals of the roses were tinted with lavender. he tries to will them to go away (it never works, but he can try), but he’s startled out of his thoughts when namjoon comes back with their order.
“you okay?” namjoon asks in amusement as he sets down seokjin’s hot chocolate in front of him, as well as his own cup and -- is that cake? seokjin smiles giddily at the fact namjoon likes the cake. “you look like you’re planning to kill your reflection.”
“it’s nothing,” seokjin reassures, taking a sip from his hot chocolate and smiling when he sees namjoon eagerly take a piece of the cake and eat it. “is that good?”
“oh sorry, do you want some?” namjoon asks sheepishly. “i mean, i got another fork just in case..”
“oh, it’s fine,” seokjin says nonchalantly, taking another sip from his drink. “just wanted to get an opinion on my baking.”
“you -- you baked this?” namjoon says in shock, and at seokjin’s nod, his eyes widen with awe. “this is so fucking good . what the fuck . are you like, a magician or something? this is amazing .”
seokjin shrugs and grabs the other fork, taking a small piece of the slice and eating it. “i’m sure it’s not that great.”
“are you sure? maybe your taste buds have died, because this is amazing,” namjoon sighs in satisfaction, and oh , seokjin now notices the little dimples namjoon has when he smiles. how cute.
“they might have, since my brother’s trying to make me eat dinosaur nuggets everyday with him,” seokjin hums, taking another piece of cake and smiling when namjoon continues eating. “you can have it. i don’t mind. you paid for it anyway.”
“are you sure?” namjoon asks timidly, and at seokjin’s nod, namjoon smiles that cute, dimpled smile again, and seokjin feels very attacked all of a sudden.
“so,” seokjin starts, taking a long sip of his hot chocolate as he thinks of how to word his next sentence, “hoseok told me that you do underground rapping with him.”
namjoon chokes, covering his mouth with a napkin as he coughs. seokjin raises an eyebrow in concern. “did i say something wrong?”
“no, it’s just..” namjoon takes a deep breath. “he told you that?”
“sure did,” seokjin smirks. “glad to know i actually have a class with rap monster.”
namjoon blushes at that, and seokjin notices the little galaxies dusting over his cheeks, but says nothing. “does that mean you listen to my raps?”
“and go to the occasional underground rap battle,” seokjin shrugs. “have to support hoseok somehow. guess i’ll go to support you as well.”
namjoon smiles shyly at that, but manages to pull off a smirk and say, “but then, would that mean in the tracks hoseok hyung made, are you the one singing in them?”
it’s seokjin turn to suddenly choke, and he stares at namjoon in shock. “h-how would you know that it’s even me?”
“because he showed me one and he said, ‘this was with my friend, seokjin’.”
“i’m going to kill him.”
“that’s not a good thing to do,” namjoon chuckles, “i don’t think he’d take that lightly.”
seokjin rolls his eyes and finishes the last of his hot chocolate. “don’t worry, i wasn’t actually planning to kill him. me, a murderer?”
namjoon shrugs. “you’d be a good one. no one would suspect you.”
“are you saying i should become like, a hitman for a living? when i have a little brother to take care of? and can potentially find weapons?”
“i wasn’t suggesting for you to do it,” namjoon chuckles. “do you .. do you, um, have anything to do? i’m not holding you back from anything, am i?”
“you’re not,” seokjin chuckles. “though, i admit, i should probably pick up my brother. whenever he stays too long with my friend, he pretends to be all angsty because my friend claims that his black and red clothes phase is his lifestyle.”
“oh, don’t let me keep you from doing that,” namjoon hurriedly says. “you can go if you need to.”
“why don’t you come with me?” seokjin says suddenly, and he blushes in embarrassment. “i-i mean, if you want. if we pass by your complex or a place you need to go to, you can go to it.”
“i’d like that,” namjoon smiles, standing up and taking his and seokjin’s cups, disposing them in the trash. “shall we go?”
seokjin smiles back and gets up, walking out the cafe with namjoon to go pick up taehyung.
(along the way, namjoon manages to hold seokjin’s hand and intertwines his fingers with his).
((seokjin doesn’t say anything or pull away; instead he blushes shyly at the gesture)).
(((namjoon screeches with excitement and success internally))).
“jimin’s coming, jimin’s coming, jimin’s coming!”
the (dreaded) friday finally came, and seokjin watches with amusement as taehyung bounces up and down with excitement, screeching about how jimin was going to finally sleep over. seokjin chuckles and says, “i think it’s best if you calm down a bit.”
“but jimin’s coming! ”
“yes, he is. but you know he’s a bit shy, even though he’s used to your yelling. tone it down, okay?”
taehyung pouts but mumbles a small, “okay, hyung”, flopping on the couch. “when is he gonna get here? it’s been forever!”
seokjin rolls his eyes fondly, smile widening as the doorbell rings and taehyung screeches, “jimin’s here!”
taehyung hops off the couch to open the door. seokjin can hear taehyung squeal excitedly and jimin greeting him happily. he raises an eyebrow when taehyung says, “oh, are you jiminnie’s hyung?”, getting up to go see who it was.
he stops behind taehyung, staring with wide eyes at jimin’s big brother, who was staring back with equally wide eyes.
“well,” namjoon says with a smirk, “i figured we’d meet again soon, but not this soon and in this circumstance.”
seokjin nods awkwardly and recovers by smiling down at jimin, ruffling his hair. “hey, jimin! did you get taller?”
“i’m one centimeter taller,” jimin says shyly, but proudly. taehyung stares in awe, exclaiming, “that’s so cool! you’re gonna be super duper tall one day, like a dinosaur!”
jimin’s eyes sparkle with fascination, little stars popping up around his head. he lets taehyung lead him into the living room, the two excitedly talking about miraculous ladybug ( again. honestly, do they ever get tired of that show?).
seokjin clears his throat and looks at namjoon. “um.. are you staying as well?”
“our parents thought i should stay, just in case,” namjoon shrugs. “but if you’re not okay with that, i can leave and tell them that i know you and you’re trustworthy.”
“no, no, you can stay, if you want,” seokjin says hurriedly, moving so namjoon can enter. namjoon chuckles at seokjin’s embarrassed expression and walks in, hearing seokjin close the door behind him.
“mister, mister!” taehyung yells, running up to namjoon. “what’s your name?”
namjoon smiles down at him. “my name’s namjoon. and you’re taehyung, yes?”
“sure am!” taehyung suddenly blinks and looks at seokjin. “hyung, didn’t you say your new friend’s name was namjoon?”
“yes, this is the same namjoon,” seokjin says, and taehyung grins excitedly.
“cool! hyungs are friends!”
taehyung sits down on the couch, while jimin continues standing shyly. seokjin frowns and bends down in front of him, asking gently, “what’s wrong, jimin?”
“y-you’re really pretty,” jimin whispers, and seokjin blinks in surprise. of all the times he’s seen and conversed with jimin, he’s never said something like that. he then smiles and ruffles jimin’s hair, saying, “thank you, jimin.”
jimin beckons for seokjin to come closer, and when he does, jimin whispers in his ear, “hyung thinks you’re cute, too. but don’t tell him i said that!”
seokjin stares as jimin giggles and hops onto the couch next to taehyung, who already put on miraculous ladybug and was enthusiastically singing the theme song.
“what did he say?” namjoon asks, and seokjin catches jimin’s curious stare, waiting to see if seokjin will expose him.
“that’s confidential information,” seokjin sings, winking at jimin, who smiles with relief and turns to the tv happily.
“is it now?” namjoon raises an eyebrow. “that’s not fair. he tells me everything.”
“maybe this one he just wanted to share with me only,” seokjin giggles, standing up. “tae, jimin, are you hungry?”
taehyung and jimin both nod, too interested in the show to look at seokjin. seokjin smiles fondly and says, “what would you like to eat?”
“a delicacy!” taehyung exclaims, looking at seokjin. “jimin deserves the best of kids food!”
“you classify three things as a delicacy,” seokjin counters. “you know the options. which one do you want?”
“the classiest delicacy!”
“... so ramen, ramune, and dino nuggets.”
“of course!”
“is that okay with you, jimin?” seokjin asks, and jimin glances at namjoon briefly for permission. when namjoon nods, jimin smiles and says, “yes, please!”
“what a polite kid,” seokjin coos, going into the kitchen to start the food.
“so dinosaur nuggets are a delicacy, huh?” namjoon says from behind seokjin, and seokjin jumps, not expecting him to show up so suddenly.
“tae thinks he can become a dinosaur if he eats enough,” seokjin laughs. “i’m letting him enjoy his childhood. but i’m cutting down on it. only on weekends now.”
“it’s a friday?”
“jimin’s here, so i can’t deny him.”
namjoon hums in understanding, standing near seokjin. “i can’t blame you.”
“oh, and, why did jimin glance at you before answering me?” seokjin asks, turning to namjoon. “is he still shy?”
“oh, no, it’s not that,” namjoon shrugs. “it’s just that we rarely have ramune in the house. our mom doesn’t want him drinking too much. but i always buy him some when we go out, and make sure he finishes before we go home.”
“well, here, we have lots,” seokjin chuckles. “i hope that’s okay with you.”
“oh, that’s fine. what flavors do you have?”
“um..’ seokjin leaves the stove for a bit to check the fridge. “original, blueberry, cherry, grape, green apple, mango, orange, peach, strawberry, and watermelon.”
namjoon blinks. “do you just … grab one of everything in sight?”
“well, no, not really,” seokjin hums, going back to the stove. “we always get more than one strawberry and watermelon because tae loves those. i get mango and cherry more often. the others are just because taehyung like to organize them in colors and drink them in order.”
“that’s cute.”
“is jimin’s favorite flavor there?”
“yeah, it’s orange and strawberry. will taehyung mind if he gives one to jimin?”
seokjin snorts, and namjoon raises an eyebrow. “did jimin ever tell you about a friend giving him strawberry ramune?”
“yes..?”
“that friend was taehyung.”
“oh.”
seokjin grins at him before going to the freezer and getting out the box of dinosaur nuggets. “listen. my brother likes your brother. he says he’ll be his “bestest friend forever and ever”. so, don’t try to think he’s a bad influence and make jimin not be friends with him. because i will personally kick your ass, and don’t think i won’t and can’t do it.”
namjoon blinks in surprise as seokjin turns back to put the nuggets on a baking pan. “well, that isn’t something i expected when i came over.”
“there’s lots of things you won’t expect from me,” seokjin sings. “put the pan in the oven, will you?”
namjoon takes the pan and does as seokjin asks, while seokjin places the box back in the freezer. “but threatening to kick my ass? that’s really something i wouldn’t expect.”
“mhm,” seokjin smirks. “oh, and keep your emotions in check. i know what all those planets mean.”
namjoon chokes in surprise as seokjin laughs, the older going to sit with the kids. pulling out his phone, namjoon checks his reflection and groans at the mercurys and venuses surrounding his head. great, he thinks, shoving his phone back in his pocket and going out to join the rest.
he’s met with the sight of taehyung and jimin excitedly cheering on ladybug for calling out lila for her lies about her and ladybug being friends. he swears he even hears jimin whisper yell, “don’t let her take adrien from you!”
he sits next to jimin quietly, ruffling his hair. “i didn’t know you were that into miraculous ladybug.”
“it’s so cool,” jimin says, eyes sparkling with fascination. “tikki is adorable!”
“no, plagg’s cuter,” taehyung huffs, crossing his arms.
“plagg always eats yucky cheese,” jimin says, wrinkling his nose. “tikki is cute and helpful.”
“... yeah, you’re right,” taehyung says, and namjoon blinks at how fast they compromised, seokjin smirking at him. “but i say plagg is cuter, and you can say tikki is cuter. but they’re both cute. deal?”
“deal!”
“who’s your favorite, tae?” seokjin hums, fixing taehyung’s hair.
“marinette!” taehyung smiles up at seokjin, who smiles back down at him.
“would that include ladybug?”
“yup!”
“why do you like her?”
“because she reminds me of you!” taehyung hums, making seokjin blink in surprise. “she -- she likes baking, and she’s a good gamer! and she’s shy unless you’re friends with her, and, and, she’s pretty and a good artist!”
“and all of those remind you of me?”
“mhm! because you like cooking, and you’re good at mario games, and you were first shy around uncle hobi and kookie! and you’re super pretty and you can draw nice. but uncle kookie’s are better. that’s why he’s like nathaniel!”
seokjin looks at namjoon with a raised eyebrow at his sudden chuckle, before looking down at taehyung. “that’s nice, sweetie. thank you.”
“and you, jimin?” namjoon asks.
“adrien,” jimin says shyly. “he’s cool. and he’s not mean and stuck up like other models.”
namjoon blinks in surprise. “is that so?”
“yup! and he’s handsome and funny. reminds me of you, hyung.”
“is this make your hyung melt of sappiness day?” namjoon jokes, tickling jimin’s sides and making him squeal with laughter. “because that’s what you’re doing.”
“i’ll save you, jimin!” taehyung declares, hugging jimin and pulling him towards him and seokjin. “seokjin’s a nicer hyung than namjoon hyung!”
“hey!”
“good job, tae,” seokjin snickers, patting taehyung’s head. “i don’t mind taking care of jimin, too. he’s polite and nice. not like his hyung.”
jimin giggles as namjoon gapes at seokjin. “what?! is it now make fun of namjoon day?”
“all we need is uncle yoongi and then it can be!” jimin grins, cuddling closer to taehyung in case namjoon decided to tickle him again.
“sorry namjoon, i win this battle,” seokjin sticks his tongue out at namjoon before turning back to the tv. “look, lila’s being akumatized!”
taehyung and jimin gasp and settle down immediately, watching with great interest as hawkmoth akumatizes lila into volpina. seokjin smirks at namjoon over the two kids’ heads, whispering, “ that’s how you take care of kids.”
namjoon huffs and turns back to the tv, crossing his arms (a bit childishly) and watching the show. out of the corner of his eyes, he can see jimin excitedly mimic adrien’s transformation into chat noir, and he manages to stifle a smile at how cute the sight is.
a minute or so later, he jumps when he feels someone cuddle and hug him. looking down, he sees jimin smiling cutely up at him, and namjoon can’t help but smile back down at him.
the peace doesn’t last long, since seokjin soon stands up to go check on the food. namjoon can already see jimin perking up and sniffing the air, exchanging glances with taehyung and giggling.
“tae, sweetie, can you set up the table?” seokjin calls, and taehyung pouts but hops off the couch immediately, racing into the kitchen to help.
namjoon makes his way to help, too, but jimin beats him to it, tugging on his hand and whispering, “hyung, we should help!”
“that’s what i was going to say,” namjoon gasps in mock shock, smiling when jimin giggles delightfully and letting jimin pull him off the couch and to the kitchen.
“mister seokjin, can we help?” jimin pipes up, tugging on seokjin’s pants.
“jimin, i said calling me hyung is fine,” seokjin smiles. “and you don’t have to, it’s fine.”
“but i wanna!” jimin pouts. “so does namjoonie hyung!”
namjoon nods when jimin looks up at him expectantly, and seokjin chuckles. “if you say so. how about you get ramune for everyone?”
“yes, mis-- hyung!”
jimin skips to the fridge, opening it and letting out a gasp of awe at all the flavors. “there’s so many!”
“ooh, ooh, jiminnie, have you tried the watermelon one?” taehyung asks, coming up next to jimin and peering into the fridge. “it’s super yummy!”
“i haven’t tried it,” jimin says shyly. “i only tried orange, strawberry, and cherry.”
“then you can have my watermelon ramune!” taehyung declares, taking out the last watermelon flavored ramune and handing it to him.
“b-but, tae, it’s yours,” jimin insists, trying handing it back, but taehyung shakes his head and says, “and i want you to have it!”
jimin turns to seokjin and namjoon worriedly, and seokjin nods reassuringly. “taehyung’s already made up his mind, so there’s no point in arguing. i’m sure you know that.”
jimin turns back to taehyung and smiles shyly, whispering, “thank you, taetae.”
“you’re welcome, jiminnie!” taehyung sings, skipping to seokjin to take the plates of nuggets from him.
jimin peeks back in the fridge and gets out a strawberry flavored ramune for taehyung. he looks back at seokjin and namjoon and says, “hyungs, what flavor do you want?”
“mango would be good, thank you,” seokjin says over his shoulder, and jimin takes it out, giggling at the cute characters on the front.
“you decide, jimin,” namjoon answers, and jimin pouts in frustration. he didn’t like choosing for others. what if he got it wrong?
jimin hesitantly picks out the orange flavored one and shows it to namjoon, who smiles and nods reassuringly. he smiles more when jimin breathes out a sigh of relief, carefully handling the four bottles as he carries them to the table and places them in front of the plates.
namjoon turns to seokjin, watching him put ramen in bowls. “want some help?”
“hoseok told me you’re disastrous in the kitchen,” seokjin sniffs, but he hands him two bowls with a smile. “i hope you can at least not drop these.”
“i’m not that bad,” namjoon scoffs, but he takes the bowls and carefully places them on the table. he rushes back to take the other two before seokjin can take them himself. seokjin raises an eyebrow, but he lets namjoon take them, not wanting to admit he likes his dimpled smile.
his eyebrow raises more when he sees taehyung and jimin whispering to each other, and he says, “what’s going on here?”
taehyung yelps and jimin gasps, scrambling away from each other and sitting up straight in their seats. namjoon squints suspiciously as he puts the bowls of ramen in front of them, saying, “what were you two doing?”
“n-nothing, hyung!” jimin squeaks, avoiding his stare and picking up his chopsticks, snapping them apart. taehyung does the same, and they catch each other’s eyes before giggling.
“it’s top secret,” taehyung teases, and he and jimin rush to start eating before namjoon and seokjin can question them.
“ugh, now big brothers can’t be part of the fun?” namjoon pouts playfully, sitting down and taking his ramune.
“but if you know, then what we’re talking about wouldn’t work,” jimin says after swallowing a mouthful of ramen. “then it’s no fun!”
“well, as long as it’s nothing illegal,” seokjin shrugs, already slurping up some ramen. “i’d rather not have to deal with two kids getting arrested.”
“what would be classified as illegal?” taehyung says innocently, shoving a whole nugget in his mouth and chewing it happily.
“i’m not giving you any ideas,” seokjin scoffs. “don’t think i’ll fall for that.”
namjoon sighs from his seat as jimin and taehyung giggle to each other, playing with their nuggets so that it’s like the dinosaurs are having a battle.
okay, he can so do this. he can definitely take care of his brother, as well as his crush’s brother, and sleep over at said crush’s house for a night.
what can go wrong?
“good night, hyungs!”
as soon as namjoon and seokjin leave the room and shut the door, jimin hops up onto taehyung’s bed and scrambles under the covers with him. “what’s the plan?”
“my hyung and your hyung like each other,” taehyung whispers. “that’s obvious enough.”
“but how can we get them together?” jimin questions. “we have only tomorrow to start trying!”
taehyung hums in thought. “we can knock them into each other lots! make them accidentally kiss.”
“but wouldn’t that make them awkward?”
“hm, that’s true,” taehyung sighs.
“maybe..,” jimin starts, “maybe, we can do stuff that will require them to be together!”
“like what?” taehyung raises an eyebrow curiously. “make them bake a cake?”
“maybe!” jimin says excitedly. “but namjoonie is bad at cooking. seokjin hyung can teach him!”
“and then, maybe we can play up here and they’ll have to stay downstairs and bond!” taehyung exclaims quietly. “this is a good start!
“after you go back home--” both boys make a disgusted face at that “--we try to make them go on dates!”
“then at school, we keep each other updated on how we’re doing?” jimin asks, and taehyung nods eagerly. “i’ll ask my uncle yoongi for help!”
“and i can ask my uncle kookie and hobi for help!”
“okay, it’s official,” jimin whispers as they pull the covers up to their chin and cuddle. “operation get our hyungs together is underway!”
“yes!” taehyung yawns, mumbling, “i’m sleepy. let’s sleep. g’night, jiminnie.”
“g’night, taetae.”
the two boys are definitely up to something.
they’ve been giggling all morning, since they’ve woken up and woke up namjoon and seokjin as well. when they woke namjoon and seokjin up, during dinner, while watching tv, and even now, staring at them innocently and waiting for them to acknowledge them so they can ask something.
“okay, what do you two want?” namjoon says, raising an eyebrow at them.
“hyung, can we have cake?” jimin says shyly, and namjoon blinks in surprise.
“um.. hyung, do you have cake?” namjoon asks carefully, and seokjin furrows his eyebrows.
“i can bake some. but do you really want cake?”
“yes, please!” taehyung and jimin sing.
“okay.. i guess i’ll go bake some,” seokjin says slowly, standing up and heading to the kitchen.
“hyung, you need to help!” jimin insists.
“but jimin, you know i can’t cook,” namjoon protests, trying to resist taehyung and jimin pulling him off the couch and to the kitchen, and failing quite miserably.
“seokjin hyung can teach you!” taehyung sings, pushing him into the kitchen. “hyung! teach namjoon hyung to bake cake!”
“hm?” seokjin pauses in putting on his apron and smirks at namjoon. “so namjoon wants to learn?”
“yes!” jimin says happily, shoving namjoon at seokjin. “please teach him so he stops living off ramen only!”
“now that’s a problem, isn’t it, boys?” seokjin hums, and taehyung and jimin nod eagerly. “come on, namjoon. baking cake isn’t going to kill you, i promise.”
“you haven’t seen me in the kitchen yet,” namjoon huffs, but he stands closer to seokjin, and seokjin winks at the younger boys, saying, “you two go on to tae’s room and play, okay?” taehyung and jimin nod and race upstairs. seokjin shakes his head fondly and finishes tying his apron. “now, i don’t think that getting ingredients should be too much for you?”
namjoon scowls as seokjin smirks at him playfully, and he goes to get all the ingredients seokjin lists off. namjoon raises an eyebrow when he sets them all down in front of seokjin and asks, “what, no cake mix?”
“excuse you,” seokjin scoffs. “i make everything from scratch. i only use already made cake mix with tae if we don’t have all the ingredients to do it from scratch.”
“is that so?” namjoon hums as he blankly watches seokjin add some things to a bowl and mix them. “no wonder your cakes are always so good.”
seokjin smiles bashfully at him and turns back to the bowl. namjoon’s never really baked cake (well, except for the rare times jimin begs him, and those are with already made cake mixes), so he just decides to stare at seokjin blankly while handing him the ingredients he asks for.
“is there something on my face?” seokjin asks, and namjoon blinks as seokjin raises an eyebrow at him. “or is my face that pretty?”
“the second one,” namjoon blurts, and he finds how seokjin blinks in surprise and suddenly blushes cute.
“w-well,” seokjin stutters, turning back to his mix and whisking it some more. “i-i wasn’t expecting that.”
“so you can flirt and i can’t?”
namjoon watches with amusement as seokjin splutters indignantly, shoving the cake batter away. “j-just get me a pan!”
namjoom chuckles and reaches over for the pan that was already out, handing it to seokjin and watching him spray it with … something… and pour the batter into it. “but i was being serious.”
“oh, shut up,” seokjin huffs, putting the pan into the oven and getting out another bowl. “i might as well kick you out of the kitchen. you’re too distracting.”
“am i that hot?” namjoon chuckles, and he chokes when seokjin looks at him and deadpans, “yes.”
they’re silent for a while as seokjin makes some icing -- frosting -- what’s even the fucking difference, namjoon thinks with a scowl. he’s shaken from his thoughts when something hits his cheek, and he furrows his eyebrows in confusion as seokjin gasps out, “oh, i’m sorry!”
“what did you do?”
“some frosting got on your cheek,” seokjin hums, and namjoon watches in disbelief as seokjin wipes it off his cheek and sucks it off his thumb. seokjin sends a wink to a now red-faced namjoon before turning back to the frosting, and namjoon swears he can hear jimin and taehyung giggling outside the kitchen; but when he turns to look, there’s no one there.
“so,” seokjin hums, putting the icing off to the side and turning to namjoon, “i hear your brother is very … intent on the fact that he and taehyung are bound to be ‘best friends and brothers forever and ever, to infinity and beyond.’”
namjoon snorts at that, shaking his head. “isn’t that your brother, too? they just want to be friends forever. nothing wrong with that.”
“quite honestly,” seokjin grins, “i wouldn’t want them to not be friends. they just fit together, you know? cute little brats.”
namjoon grins back at him. “i agree. if they stop being friends, i’d be concerned.”
“mhm,” seokjin hums, wiping off the counter. “i’d come to you and tell you that you need to help get them back. they make each other happy.”
namjoon nods in agreement. “oh, and -- yesterday, when you, uh, said you knew what those planets mean -- were you being serious or--?”
“oh, i was very serious,” seokjin giggles. “jimin taught me. he likes to point them out to me and see if i still remember his little lessons. it’s adorable.”
“fuck,” namjoon groans, embarrassed. “now you know what i’m feeling, but i can’t know yours?”
“well, i never said you couldn’t learn,” seokjin shrugs. “there’s just lots of flowers that we know of, and so little planets that actually mean something.”
they stay in silence for a few minutes, letting it settle over them in a comfortable manner. it was by no means awkward, and they could feel themselves smiling softly at merely being in the presence of the other, unknown to that the other was thinking the same.
seokjin soon jumps when the timer for the cake beeps. “oh!” he says excitedly, rushing over as he grabs a toothpick and opens the oven. namjoon raises an eyebrow as seokjin pokes the cake with the toothpick, constantly inspecting it before grinning and putting on an oven mitt to pull out the pan. “why were you poking it?”
“if some of the batter sticks to the toothpick, then the cake isn’t ready,” seokjin hums. he sets the pan down on the kitchen counter and closes the oven door, turning it off as well. “want to help me put frosting on it?”
“you do realize i might fuck it up.”
“you do realize jimin and tae want you to help me out.”
namjoon rolls his eyes and goes over to seokjin. “how do i help?”
“you’re going to put the icing on the cake,” seokjin says giddily. “and don’t worry about messing up, i’ll help you along the way.”
namjoon nods and seokjin hands him a strange looking spatula, saying, “just gather some icing on it, and spread it on the cake. it’s simple, i promise.”
namjoon huffs at this, grumbling, “you haven’t seen me work in the kitchen”, but does just as seokjin asked him to, being as careful and precise as possible to not make seokjin disappointed in him (and jimin and tae. definitely not just for seokjin. shut up). seokjin claps his hand happily when namjoon finishes, taking the strange spatula from his hands and putting it in the sink, saying, “good! i would ask for more, but i don’t think you know how to do little decorations..?”
“oh, no,” namjoon says quickly, shaking his head. “i don’t. that’s entirely your job. i don’t want to fuck it up for you. or the kids.”
“mhm,” seokjin smirks, “just remember i know what those planets mean, joonie. you have lots of venuses floating around you.”
namjoon groans in exasperation as seokjin chuckles at him, and namjoon decides to stay silent and watch seokjin concentrate on decorating the cake with lavender and green icing in the shapes of little roses, then red icing for .. little planets?
“we both know what venus means,” seokjin says at the confused look namjoon has on, “now, you need to figure out what lavender roses mean.”
namjoon squints at him suspiciously, but before he can ask anything, seokjin calls out, “jimin, tae! the cake’s ready!”
the two boys come much too quickly into the kitchen for namjoon to not be suspicious, but the thought is driven away at the excited yells from taehyung and the little awed gasps from jimin of, “it’s so pretty !” as seokjin smiles and cuts out slices for the four of them.
he’ll ask about the lavender roses later.
(“tae, can i talk to you?” namjoon asks nervously, sitting down at the table next to taehyung, who was coloring and waiting for jimin to grab more colors from their room.
“mhm!” taehyung says, looking up at namjoon in confusion. “what is it, hyung?”
“do you know your flowers? like, the meanings?”
taehyung blinks at him innocently, tilting his head. “some of them,” he finally says, shrugging and returning to his drawing. “why?”
“what’s the meaning of lavender roses?” namjoon asks, wringing his hands.
“oh!” taehyung doesn’t look up as he answers, “those mean, um.. love at first sight! like in the disney movies, when the princess sees the prince and she really, really loves them! seokjin hyung really likes those flowers,” he adds as an afterthought, “i dunno why, though. i think it’s maybe because they’re really pretty, and he likes pretty things, like you. but don’t tell him i said that!”
“i won’t, taehyung,” namjoon reassures. “thank you. you’re the best at this!”
taehyung beams at him happily before going back to his coloring, and namjoon watches him color in flowers with purple and red. love at first sight? why would seokjin put those with the venuses, if he knew that namjoon liked him?)
((namjoon suddenly blinks in realization, mouth agape as he remembers the lavender roses weaving through seokjin’s hair every time they were together, and--
oh.))
(((“taehyung,” namjoon starts gently, “what are seokjin hyung’s favorite flowers?”
“ooh, ooh!” taehyung says excitedly. “he -- he likes all the roses! orange, lavender, dark red, white, all of ‘em!”
“any other flowers?”
“um .. chrysanthemums, forget-me-nots, heliotropes, and morning glories!”
“and what do these flowers mean? besides forget-me-nots, those are obvious.”
“chrysanthemums mean cheerfulness, heliotropes mean eternal love, and morning glories mean affection! he really likes all these flowers because it’s about love and he wants to love someone and have them love him back just as much!”
taehyung suddenly blinks up at namjoon, and namjoon tilts his head in confusion until taehyung adds, “you should date seokjin hyung! especially because you both like each other, right?”
namjoon watches with disbelief as taehyung grabs his things and races upstairs to join jimin.
maybe taehyung’s right .. he should make a move and start dating seokjin ..)))
“you can do this namjoon, fucking hell, just stop panicking .”
namjoon glares at hoseok, who pouts up at him immediately. “thanks for making me panic more.”
“joonie!” hoseok whines, throwing his arms around namjoon’s neck dramatically and wailing into his shoulder. “do it for seokjin hyung!”
“you know, this whole time, i thought you two actually were dating,” yoongi snickers, little snake tongue flickering out of his mouth as he speaks. “it seemed like you two were. the fuck you mean you haven’t made a move?”
namjoon groans at this, fidgeting with the bouquet of flowers in his hands. it’s been two months since he found out seokjin liked him back, and he really wants to make a good impression when asking him out. he had specifically made sure they were the same flowers taehyung had told him were his favorites, and he fidgets nervously, glancing up at the sign of the cafe where seokjin and hoseok work at. “what if he doesn’t like me anymore?”
“all he talks about is you,” hoseok snorts. “just go and ask him. he’s almost done with giving out the last orders on his shift, so he’ll be out here with us soon. in fact, there he is right now! got to go, joonie, bye!”
“wait!” namjoon called out frantically, but both yoongi and hoseok walk away from him quickly, and he squints suspiciously at their linked hands. he jumps in shock when he hears seokjin softly say, “namjoonie?”, turning around quickly and hiding the flowers behind his back. “h-hi hyung!”
“hi, joonie,” seokjin smiles brightly. “was that hobi that left just now? and who was that with him?”
“that was yoongi hyung with him,” namjoon grumbles, shuffling his feet nervously. “u-um..”
“are you hiding something behind your back?” seokjin tries to take a look. “i wanna see! is it for a girlfriend? a boyfriend? maybe it’s for me , your favorite hyung?”
namjoon looks away shyly as he shoves out the bouquet in front of seokjin, who blinks at it in shock. “i-it is for you. my favorite hyung.”
“o-oh,” seokjin whispers, carefully taking the bouquet from namjoon and studying it with a smile. “hey, these are my favorite flowers! how’d you know?”
“i asked taehyung,” namjoon shrugs. “a-and.. asked him about the lavender roses..”
“oh.”
seokjin bites his lip nervously at that, saying, “w-well, i really appreciate these flowers, joonie. they’re really beautiful. i’ll be sure to treasure them.”
“th-there’s something else,” namjoon blurts, and seokjin raises an eyebrow. namjoon takes a deep breath, thinking, okay, what’s the worst he can do, say he just wants to stay as friends? that’s cool. i can deal with that. all good.
“you’re turning red, joon-ah, are you okay?”
“willyoubemyboyfriend?” namjoon says quickly, blushing under seokjin’s intense stare. “u-um.. i mean… w-will you be my boyfriend?”
“weren’t we already like … unofficially dating?” seokjin giggles, making namjoon chuckle nervously. “yes, i will.”
“well, okay, i understand if you want to stay as friends, and-- wait, what?”
“i said yes, dummy,” seokjin laughs. “it took you two months after finding out what lavender roses meant to ask me out? you’re so lame, honestly.”
“me, a ball of stress and anxiety,” namjoon grumbles, and seokjin coos sympathetically, leaning up to kiss his cheek, singing, “it’s okay, joonie, you don’t have to be stressed around me!”
seokjin holds out his hand, and namjoon hesitantly takes it. seokjin smiles at him brightly and says, “how about we have an impromptu date with our brothers? they’ve wanted us to start dating for a long time, you know?”
“complete with the classiest of all delicacies?” namjoon teases.
“and with milkshakes afterwards,” seokjin grins, intertwining his fingers with namjoon’s as they walk over to where seokjin’s car was parked. “i’ll even add in some animes.”
“i’d love that,” namjoon grins back, nuzzling his nose against seokjin’s. “i’m glad you said yes. i thought you wouldn’t.”
“remember what lavender roses mean? love at first sight?”
“what about it?”
“it’s just as it means; i fell in love the moment i saw you. i may not have realized it, but i did. how could i deny the cutest little squish?”
“and how would i be able to deny the most perfect and gorgeous hyung?”
seokjin and namjoon look at each other before bursting into laughter, and seokjin opens the passenger side door and shoos namjoon in his car. “get in, you nerd. we have little brothers to pick up.”
“you know, there was this one pick up line i never got around to telling you,” namjoon hums when seokjin gets into the driver’s seat and puts on his seatbelt.
“oh? and what is that?”
namjoon looks over at him with a smile and says,
“if i had a rose for every time i thought of you,
i’d be walking through my garden forever.”