Chapter Text
Out-of-reach Mugs and Workout Sessions
It’s a quiet day in the dorm as Yoongi stirs awake, afternoon sun beating obnoxiously through the window Seokjin opened earlier when the older woke up. Reluctantly leaving his warm blanket-cocoon, he rises up and stretches his arms over his head while releasing stuttering, raspy noises, voice still scratchy from sleep. Rubbing his eyes to remove the last hints of tiredness, Yoongi hobbles toward the bathroom to brush his teeth and wash his face.
Coming out of the bathroom and heading toward the kitchen to brew his morning coffee, he is greeted by none other than the maknae, who is way too cheery for Yoongi’s pre-caffeinated brain.
“Hi hyung, good morning! Well, more like good afternoon,” Jungkook quips, mirthfully chuckling at the realization. He is still clad in his school uniform. While the rest of the members have a bit more freedom for their days off, their maknae almost always has to use that time to go to school.
Yoongi simply grunts in acknowledgement, too grumpy to really offer anything beyond that. He was really hoping that Jungkook would let him be and allow him to enjoy his coffee in peace, but given that none of the other members were home, Yoongi was the only target available for Jungkook’s never-ending bouts of energy.
At least having the decency to stay silent while Yoongi got his coffee ready, Jungkook merely walks a little path around the kitchen during his wait. After living together for so long, they are both used to silences, both introverted in nature. However, Yoongi can tell the difference between a comfortable silence and a heavier one waiting to be broken.
As the pot of coffee finishes brewing, Yoongi chances a glance at the still fidgeting brunet, who looks like he has something to say. Before he addresses the younger though, he has to drink his coffee. He opens the cabinet to grab his mug, only to see it resting on the topmost shelf, the one that’s slightly out of reach for both him and Jimin. Yoongi remembers that Taehyung was in charge of washing the dishes yesterday, and that damn brat just had to put his coffee mug on the top shelf. Of course it could have been an accident, but when he spots Jimin’s mug next to his, he knew the rascal did it on purpose, though it was probably in retaliation for Yoongi and Jimin laughing at him during rehearsal. They shouldn’t be blamed though, Tae is a very talented member, but try as he might, rapping just doesn’t suit him just like singing doesn’t suit Yoongi.
Lost in his own thoughts, Yoongi fails to notice Jungkook coming up behind him. Caught in the middle of scowling up at his mug, Jungkook’s breath fans hotly against the top of his head as he asks, “is something wrong hyung?”
Even without turning around to see the younger’s face, Yoongi knows there’s a smirk dancing on the younger’s face given that he’s clearly playing dumb. He feels Jungkook chuckle as his strong arms wrap around Yoongi’s waist, levitating him just enough to grab the mug. Bringing him back down again. He turns around to redirect his scowling at his bandmate, but Jungkook just gives him an unapologetic smile. Rolling his eyes, Yoongi fills his mug up with the aromatic coffee. Before forgetting, he calls out to Jungkook.
“Hey Kookie, did you want to talk about something? You keep walking around waiting.”
“Well, not anymore hyung.”
“What do you mean?”
A faint flush travels through Jungkook’s cheeks, as if he's embarrassed about something. Despite that, he looks Yoongi in the eye and answers his question. “It’s just that whenever I go to school, I get reminded that I really don’t have friends, but then coming home and seeing you made me happy,” the younger smiles as he responds earnestly.
Yoongi can feel a warm tingly feeling spread across his chest at Jungkook’s words, and can’t help but smile over his mug as he takes a sip of his coffee. “Don’t mention it kid.”
Jungkook simply gives him an earsplitting smile, eyes turning into crescents in the process. Yoongi finds himself leaning forward and affectionately ruffling the younger’s hair. After some time of a comfortable silence this time, he lets the maknae know that he’s going to head over to the studio in a little while to work on his mixtape. It’s pretty much all he works on whenever he has any free time at this point. Jungkook simply nods, but before Yoongi can leave the kitchen he hears the younger say, “wait hyung!”
Yoongi turns to face Jungkook, waiting for him to continue. He’s slightly worried about what might come out of his mouth, since the younger’s expression seems solemn, eyebrows furrowed and mouth downturned. His worry is short-lived however, when Jungkook’s expression shifts to mischief as he asks, “are you sure you don’t need any more help getting things from the top shelf, I could totally use the extra workout.”
“You cheeky bastard, go use your adorable muscles for something else,” Yoongi scoffs.
Jungkook visibly wilts at the statement. He shifts from his spot in the kitchen at goes to stand in front of Yoongi. With a prevalent pout that makes him seem far younger than he is, he pulls his arm out and flexes.
“My muscles are not ‘adorable,’ hyung,” he all but whines. Yoongi just laughs and pokes Jungkook’s biceps as he steps around him to get to the sink. “They sure are, Kookie-yah,” he chuckles as he rinses his mug.
“Well I hope there’s something out of reach in your studio,” the other mumbles, though there’s still a blush creeping onto his cheeks. Yoongi revels at how easy it is to fluster the maknae. He merely ruffles his hair again, telling the younger to eat some lunch as he walks out the door.
Jungkook has designated his Seokjin hyung as his gym partner because he is the only member who'll willingly work out beyond dance and concert rehearsals. Well, Seokjin claims he hates working out, probably more than the others bar Yoongi, but Jungkook surmises that though the oldest Bangtan member hated working out, he sure did enjoy the benefits from it. Jungkook can’t lie and say he isn’t the same however, he most certainly reaped the benefits from the exercise as well.
Always deemed the strongest member, Jungkook’s often in charge of some of the more physically demanding portions of their choreographies. He also loves playing around with the other members as well, always pushing them around, seeing how far he can push his hyungs’ patience. Jimin is always the easiest target, Seokjin following soon thereafter. However, it wasn’t until last week he played around with Yoongi as well. That hyung was always the most reserved, but for some reason, he seems a lot softer and nicer to Jungkook when it was just them alone. Something just feels different with Yoongi, and Jungkook wants to find out why that’s the case.
Finding that rare opportunity after coming back from school, he took it and literally lifted him up. All it earned him however was a hair ruffle and having his muscles called ‘adorable.’ Jungkook can’t quite put his finger on why that phrasing sticks out to him, but he quickly realizes that he both hates and loves it at the same time. Making sure he has everything he needs for the impending workout session, Jungkook takes his bag and heads out to the living room waiting for his oldest hyung to get ready as well.
“Come on Jungkook, you can do it!”
Jungkook hears his hyung encourage him as he tries to deadlift 130 pounds. It’s ten pounds more than before so he asked Seokjin to spot for him. Planting his legs firmly on the ground and squatting in front of the barbell with perfect formation, Jungkook places his gloved hands on the bar and grips tightly. He quickly lifts the barbell over his head and balances it on his shoulder. Breaking a new line of sweat from the exertion, he steadily rises till his knees are no longer bent. He hears Jin cheering besides him. Egged on by the cheer, Jungkook bravely starts to bend again for a proper squat. Though he could definitely feel the strain in his quads, hamstrings and gluts, he’s able to do it with near perfect formation.
“Stop counting Jin hyung,” Jungkook grunts out as he completes his fifth squat. The entire time, Seokjin was counting each successful squat, which inadvertently added more stress on the younger. He hears his hyung giggle, but actually listen to him for once. Only able to do two more after that, the younger slowly removes the barbell from his shoulder. Eyeing the clock on the other side of the wall, he notices that it’s time to go home, given that it’s almost ten at night.
Since the gym came with their new building, both Jin and Jungkook often opted to just take the elevator up and shower in their own bathrooms rather than the gym ones. Once they were in the elevator, Jin smiles at him. Jungkook smiles back as well, the post-exercise endorphins making him feel airy and giddy.
“You did really well today Kookie! 130 pounds is no joke.”
“Thanks Jin hyung. I wouldn’t have felt comfortable even trying without having you as my spotter.”
“Aww that’s so sweet Kook-ah,” the oldest hyung croons. He pats Jungkook’s shoulder as he adds as an afterthought, “no but seriously, it really is impressive. You can even use Yoongi-yah as a barbell instead from now on!”
Before Jungkook has the chance to react or respond to that statement, the elevator dings as it opens to their floor. Jin moves in front of Jungkook and speedily types in their house code on the key pad, rushing to the bathroom attached to his room. Jungkook crosses the threshold as well and goes to the common bathroom, only to find it blocked by Taehyung. One of his biggest pet peeves is not being able to take a shower right after the gym. He hates the stench of his body after a workout. Jungkook knocks on the door and can’t help but add, “remember to air it out this time!”
He gets rewarded with a shut up jackass, I’ll leave it extra stinky for you. Chortling at the declaration, Jungkook goes back to the living room to wait it out. He thinks back to what Jin said. Just the thought of doing squats while carrying his petite hyung brings a soft blush to his cheeks. He really needs to find out why he has that reaction. It’s not like he’s crushing on his hyung…is he? The realization hits him like a truck and he urgently wills his mind not to go down that route.
“Stop it.”
Jungkook veers his head toward the hallway to meet Jimin’s glare. He wasn’t doing anything to him so he didn’t know what the other was even going on about. Sensing his confusion, Jimin walks his way to the couch and sits next to him.
“I don’t know what you’re overthinking, but overthinking it so stop it.”
Before Jungkook can say anything else, Jimin once again reads his mind and offers, “all the rapper hyungs are in their respective studios and Tae and Jin hyung are in the bathroom.”
Jungkook critically eyes a smirking Jimin but doesn’t say anything yet. He knows he can trust Jimin to no end, and he can be assured that the other won’t ridicule him, but he’s not even sure about this himself. Jimin patiently sits next to him waiting, for him to sort out his thoughts. As much as he’d like to get a few more minutes to really think it through, the other members in the bathroom will come out and this small window of time he has with Jimin will be gone. Slowly taking in a breath and facing the other, he tries to explain what he thinks is happening.
“Jimin hyung I think I’m crushing on someone.”
The yelp that statement earns him makes Jungkook physically wince at how loud his bandmate is getting. Before he can even hope to shush him down, Jimin asks, “Wow how did you not tell me before! Who is she…or he?” He quickly amends when he sees Jungkook’s face fall slightly.
Shit.
Jungkook never really thought about what gender he likes or his sexuality or anything like that because, he hasn’t had the time. From the age of thirteen, all he really had were his hyungs and the Bighit staff, he—more than any of the other members—did essentially trade his youth for his dream. Jungkook doesn’t even know what his band members would think if they knew he might like guys (well, a guy, but the specificities don’t matter at this moment). Deep down he’s sure no one would say anything negative, but what if it makes them act weird around him? What if it ruins their band dynamic? Panic starts to set in once Jungkook realizes that he could potentially fuck up everything Bangtan is, just because of his stupid feelings. Before he can delve into full panic attack mode however, he feels the small soft hand of Jimin stroke his face.
“Kook-ah it’s okay you know? We wouldn’t feel any different.”
The older lets his voice lilt with a heavy Busan satoori, the bouncing speech doing just a smidgen more to calm Jungkook down. Jimin is that one member who knew exactly how to comfort each of the members, and he was a godsend to them all, really. Despite the comforting words though, Jungkook still feels uneasy because his crush isn’t on any guy, but his bandmate. Regardless of what Jimin said, it will feel different once he puts it out there.
Releasing a small puff of air, Jungkook gets ready to tell Jimin.
“I think…I think I’m crushing on—”
“Oh my goodness who?” Jimin interjects when the silence spreads out for too long. Try as he might, but Jungkook simply can’t bring himself to look into Jimin’s eyes and continue. He hears, well moreover so feels, a gasp signifying that Jimin just had an epiphany. There's no way this is going to end well, Jungkook thinks dejectedly as he sees Jimin’s ever-knowing smirk emerging.
“It’s a bandmate isn’t it? Jungkookie’s got a crush on his hyung!”
“I…Jimin hyung its not tha—”
“It’s Jin hyung right? That’s why you help him out in the kitchen so much, and have him drive you to school, and work out with him. Hah, platonic nipple play, my ass!”
“Eww what the hell Jimin hyung, it’s not my fault that’s how he chooses to wake me up! And it’s not Jin hyung at all. That would be like me crushing on you!”
Jimin feigns offence and puts a hand over his heart, letting out a disgruntled noise. The obnoxious acting lightens the mood a bit and Jungkook couldn’t be more grateful to have a friend like Jimin. Unfortunately for him though, Jimin looks like he’s going to keep asking till he gets an answer. He was like this last year on his birthday too. Jimin listed every single food he could think of before he guessed the right one.
He feels that this situation will be no different and that Jimin will continue guessing until he gets it right. It would be quicker for Jungkook to just tell him, especially because their time alone is running short, but he’s going to prolong this as long as he can. After taking a moment to think it through, Jimin resumes with his guesses.
“Well it’s Joon hyung then. There’s no way anyone would go up to a virtual stranger and go ‘whoa thighs’ unless they li—”
“Nope.”
“Hobi hyung?”
“No.”
“Please tell me it’s not Tae because then—”
“It would get weird between us three, I know. It’s not him”
Jungkook blushes once he realizes that by process of elimination, he’s admitted to liking Yoongi. The smile Jimin offers him is a warm one. The older moves a little closer and rests his hands gently on Jungkook’s shoulder. He finds reassurance in the action even though there are no words. Jimin breaks the silence soon however.
“Listen, I promise that I won’t tell anyone, but…I don’t think you should say anything about this yet either.”
Jungkook feels his heart drop. Just because he has a stupid crush doesn’t mean he gets to say anything and ruin the band dynamic. He definitely wasn’t planning on confessing anytime soon (or at all, if he was being realistic), but hearing Jimin actually advising against it drove the point home. Hell, he isn’t even sure if Yoongi liked guys. He probably doesn’t since it’s not normal to think like this. He should like girls, but ever since he was a young preteen, he just didn’t like females like that. He was so awkward that he couldn’t even meet his middle school ‘girlfriend’ in person. Everyone always passed it off due to his shy and reserved nature, but he knew it was more than just his introverted personality. This conversation really brought all of those buried feelings and questions to the forefront of his mind once again.
“Kookie-yah. It’s not because there's anything wrong with liking Yoongi hyung, I actually think it’s really cute! It’s just that…you're still underage and I don’t think that hyung will feel comfortable getting a confession from a minor.”
“What? First off, I’m seventeen, not twelve. Second, why would I ever confess?” Jungkook asks, surprised that Jimin even thought he would risk something like that so quickly. Jimin tilts his head in confusion.
“Why not? Though I don’t think it’s the best idea to confess to him now, I totally think you should take a chance later!”
“Wait, Jimin are you implying that Yoongi hyung is—”
“IamnotimplyinganythingJeonJungkook!”
Jimin looks super flustered and Jungkook has an idea as to why. A side effect of being the go-to member for emotional comfort also means that Jimin owns the go-to pair of ears for secrets. Of course with a group as close-knit as theirs, secrets are downright impossible to keep for long periods of time. But oftentimes, Jimin is the first to know many things. However, the revelation that Yoongi might not be completely averse to idea of possibly dating Jungkook in the future spreads a warmth throughout his chest. He thinks back to all the moments he’d spend in the past with Yoongi and smiles distantly at how he failed to realize how smitten he has been with the rapper.
It’s eleven o’clock by the time Jungkook gets out of the shower. Surprisingly enough, Seokjin came out before Taehyung did, who still hogged the other bathroom doing god knows what. Nevertheless, it worked out in Jungkook’s favor since Jin allowed him to shower in his and Yoongi’s shared bathroom and now Jungkook gets to go to sleep smelling like the petite rapper. It’s downright creepy how satisfied he is with this fact, but with sleep hazing the edge of his consciousness, he doesn’t really care.
The last thoughts before Jungkook succumbs to slumber is how Yoongi’s gummy smile and knobby hands gliding over the piano are some of his favorite things in the world. It’s the first of many nights he falls asleep with thoughts of his Yoongi hyung dancing across his mind.