Chapter Text
Seokjin sets his alarm to ring at the loudest volume possible, but he was too nervous to sleep in the first place. He kept on waking up. Just a couple of hours ago during dinner Jimin noticed he wasn't eating as enthusiastically as he usually did.
"Hyung, are you worried about the jungle?" Jimin asks.
“Not a bit,” Jin replies, smiling at his dongsaeng. Not about that, he wasn't. He’s psyched about his first reality show guesting without the others.
He looks across the table and watches Yoongi, who, like Seokjin, is uncharacteristically quiet during their meal.
“Do you guys like the noodles? It has less sesame oil than the usual,” Seokjin asks the members. Hoseok nods, “So that what’s different.”
Taehyung answers him by inhaling an insane amount of cold noodles. Seokjin watches him and laughs, and all of a sudden he got reminded that this would be his last meal with them until he comes back from shooting. That wouldn’t be for a week. He wonders how much cupped noodles Jung Kook would consume during the entire time.
Taehyung reaches for the last piece of chicken in front of him, but was intercepted by Yoongi’s chopsticks. "Hrng!" Taehyung whines, his mouth full of noodles. Seokjin giggles and catches Yoongi looking at him. Both look down on their plates as soon as they catch each other's gaze.
That should not have been awkward, Jin thinks. They have been roommates for almost two years, bandmates for almost four, and trainees for who knows how long.
So why does Jin feel like a bolt of lightning hits him whenever Yoongi looks at him?
"I've been reading about Sulawesi, hyung, it's gonna be wild! The beach looks amazing though," Jung Kook says. "So I've heard," Jin replies nonchalantly. He didn't feel like talking all of a sudden. The youngest and Jimin then starts talking about the possible dangers of the jungle.
"Why would you even agree to go to the jungle, hyung?" Hoseok asks. "How many wild animals could be there? Are you even allowed to bring nose packs?"
Yoongi speaks up for the first time. "I think his priority should be surviving, not making sure that he doesn't have blackheads or he gets sunburnt."
"I think there are tarsiers there! They're really, really small monkeys as small as Jiminnie's pinky finger!" Taehyung exclaims, reaching all the way across the table to grab Jimin's free hand. Jimin shakes Taehyung off, "Screw you!" Everyone around the table laughs.
Taehyung grins at Seokjin. "Hyung," he says, "do you think you can bring us one? The monkey? It's pretty small. I bet it's cute." Everyone looks at him incredulously.
Before Seokjin could reply Namjoon exclaims "Do you want him to go to jail? That's illegal!"
"Make sure to come back alive, Jin hyung!" the leader looks at Seokjin. "The 'wings' of our choreography can't lack one member."
"If coming back alive meant seeing you crazy bastards again, I might just let myself get eaten by a tiger," Seokjin replies before stuffing his mouth with chicken.
And there he was a couple of hours later, awake and about to leave for Sulawesi. He had gotten up at 2am, not an unusual time for him especially when the group had a schedule, but this time he was alone. One of their managers is waiting for him in the car downstairs.
He stands up and notices that Yoongi isn't curled up in his bed on the other side of the room. Seokjin suddenly feels a brick hitting the pit of his stomach. He had wanted to see Yoongi, even if the latter was asleep, before he leaves. After dinner Namjoon, Hoseok, and Yoongi left to go to their studios, while Jimin, Jung Kook, and Taehyung hung out in their rooms.
Seokjin hopes Namjoon remembered what he had told him earlier before they left, about not letting Yoongi work himself to death in the studio. He has been the only person in the group who puts a limit to himself when it comes to practice. Several times he’s scolded Jimin and Jung Kook for practicing dance from three in the afternoon until two in the morning. And Yoongi – it takes him several phone calls to even consider going home and resting.
"Probably still at his studio," Seokjin tells himself as he changes into a hoodie and jeans. A sudden bout of annoyance consumes him. "He shouldn't be staying up this late. He doesn't even eat a lot of vegetables. That boy's gonna die early if he doesn't take care of himself," he mutters as he dries his hair. And he was going to be in some far off island for almost a week. Who else is going to take care of Min Yoongi?
He grabs his phone and decides which member he should text. Ideally it should be Namjoon, but most of the times it was him who stayed up with Yoongi during said ungodly hours. He settles for the next eldest, Hoseok.
Hoseokie, please make sure Yoongi eats at least one other kind of vegetable that's not lettuce while I'm gone. He presses send and puts his phone in his pocket. Five seconds later he fishes it out and starts texting again.
And don't tell him I said it. Thanks - hyung. Seokjin would have to surrender his phone in the island and wouldn't be able to check up on them until the whole filming is over.
After grabbing his backpack he makes his way out of their dorm, but not before he crashes into a dark figure he didn't see.
"Son of a-"
"Shit. Fuck, ow."
"Yoongi?" Seokjin asks. All the dorm lights were closed and only the light from the lamp post outside was guiding them to untangle themselves from each other. Seokjin looks at Yoongi's silhouette, and even though his head was still recovering from the crash, he feels elated for some reason.
"Oh shit – uh, yes, hyung, it's me. You're leaving already? Why didn't you open the lights?" Yoongi stands up and turns the living room lights on. Seokjin stares at the younger's small frame. The black hoodie and jet black hair had completely hidden him in the dark.
"Yeah. I didn't want to wake the kids up. Manager Sejin's downstairs, he's waiting for me. You just arrived, you didn't see him?"
"I-" Yoongi stammers. "Yeah, I think I saw him."
Seokjin turns his back and makes his way to the kitchen to get a bottle of water. "How's music writing so far?" he asks Yoongi, who had followed him to the kitchen. Seokjin wasn't all that thirsty – he was really just about to leave – but he wanted to delay his departure in the dorm for a while, now that Yoongi was there.
"I just finished a song, I’ve been tackling it for the past couple of weeks.”
“That’s great! I can’t wait to hear it.” Seokjin grabs two bottles of water from the fridge and tosses one to Yoongi.
“Thanks, hyung,” Yoongi replies sheepishly as he opens the bottle.
Aside from the sound of the two of them drinking water, Seokjin can't hear anything else. This is mostly how he and Yoongi have lived in their dorm room for the past year or so. Very quietly. They would be in their own beds, minding their own businesses. He'd be playing a game while Yoongi would be working on his laptop. The moment Yoongi closes the lid of his computer Seokjin would save his game, turn off the console, and prepare for bed.
Sometimes Jin and Yoongi would watch a movie together. Yoongi would push his bed beside his roommate’s and they would watch using Seokjin's computer. Four times out of five, Yoongi would fall asleep halfway through the movie, his head leaning on Seokjin's arms. Seokjin would carefully, carefully close the laptop, cover Yoongi with his blanket, and look at him - at his delicate eyelashes, at the smooth slope of his nose, at his thin lips, and most of all, at the way Yoongi's eyes would be moving, indicating that he was dreaming.
Yoongi liked bath bombs, and sometimes he would smell like fruit, sometimes pine. Seokjin hasn't found a smell that he doesn't like so far. Slowly, Seokjin would close his own eyes, drowning himself in Yoongi’s smell. That is his favorite way to fall sleep.
His phone buzzes. We leave in five minutes, the text from Manager Sejin says.
"I need to leave now," Seokjin tells Yoongi who's leaning against the counter, his one hand on the water bottle, his other hand in his hoodie pocket.
"Oh, okay."
Seokjin adjusts his backpack straps and makes his way to the door.
"Hyung," Yoongi calls out. Seokjin turns around and almost crashes into him again, not realizing that Yoongi had followed him to the door.
"Jesus," Seokjin clutches his chest, "I didn't hear you behind me."
To his surprise, Yoongi takes his wrist, pulls out a pink bottle from his hoodie pocket, and puts it in his hand. His hands are cold from holding the water bottle, but Seokjin doesn't flinch.
It was sunscreen. More specifically, it was Seokjin's favorite brand of sunscreen. He smiles at Yoongi. "Yah!" Seokjin exclaims, "You didn't have to. Thanks, I need this. This -- this is really sweet." He can feel the blood rushing to his ears, but he hopes that their living room’s shitty lighting doesn’t expose him.
Yoongi shrugs. Then they both notice that they're still holding hands, with Seokjin's hand being held by both of Yoongi's. The latter drops his hands and leaves the bottle in the other's palm.
"It's nothing. You'd need that if you're shooting all day in the sun." He looks up at Seokjin. Strands of his hair were covering Yoongi's eyes. It takes all of Seokjin's might to fight the urge to part them. "I thought my priority should be surviving, not worrying about a sun burn?" the older asks, taunting Yoongi.
"Well," Yoongi retorts, "getting a sun burn can eventually kill you if you don't protect yourself. Skin cancer and shit."
Seokjin cackles, thinking how the reply wasn't probably as smooth as Yoongi thought it would be. "We'll be eating out the whole time next week. You're paying for it when you get back."
"I'm the one who gets stuck in the jungle and I'm the one paying?" Seokjin scoffs.
"You're the one getting a reality show," Yoongi replies, smirking.
"True, true," Seokjin nods as he pats Yoongi's shoulder.
"Taehyung won't be eating much, that picky son of a bitch will miss you." Yoongi flashes him a gummy smile.
They both laugh. "And you won't miss me?" Seokjin blurts out. The words escape him before he could stop.
Yoongi raises his eyebrows in shock. "I-"
"Let him starve, then," Seokjin replies, cutting him off. He wasn't sure if he wanted to hear Yoongi's answer.
And then they stop talking, not really knowing how to say goodbye. They have never been apart like this for so long, even during their trainee days. They only get a couple of days, four at most, to spend with their families during the holidays. And even then they would still be texting each other. Seokjin will be gone for six, maybe even more, without a phone in his hands.
Do they shake hands? Hug?
They don't do anything but stare at each other. After what seemed like an hour instead of five seconds, Seokjin puts his hand down from Yoongi's shoulder. Seokjin opens the door. "Bye, Yoongi."
"T-take care, hyung."
How can there be so much tension in a goodbye?
"Don't let anyone touch-" Seokjin suddenly says.
"-your Mario collection. Yeah, I won't let them," the other interrupts this time. Yoongi then raises his hand, as if in a goodbye. "Take care," he repeats. This time more firm. Like it was an order.
Whenever anyone told him to take care - fans, the members, his family, even the CEO of their company - Seokjin was always ready with a witty retort. I'm too handsome to die, my handsomeness will take over Sulawesi, always something along those lines. Yet when Yoongi said it he felt the sincerity, almost like he was really worried?
"I will," Seokjin finally answers, before he closes the door and makes his way down the stairs.
Seokjin swears Yoongi almost looked sad. He sounded sad. Why would he be? He'd be having the room to his own for the week, Seokjin's sure Yoongi would be looking forward to that. No weird roommate playing video games or using a computer until one in the morning.
He opens the door to the van and greets Manager Sejin. "You ready?" he asks Seokjin.
Seokjin nods. The manager starts driving, reminding him of what he must and mustn't do while filming. That he was doing this all alone for the first time, and he shouldn't be afraid, if he were.
His words weren't really registering with Seokjin.
He looks at the pink bottle in his hands. He smiles and turns his head to look at the dorm building, before it disappears when they make a turn. Seokjin opens his backpack and places the sunscreen beside a bottle of the exact same brand, which he had bought two weeks ago.