Chapter 4

If Yoongi sends him that “why did you bring me here” look once more, Namjoon swears he’s going to throw his pepperoni pizza at Yoongi’s face.

Why, you ask? Mainly because Yoongi really hates yellow peppers.

...Or because little Taehyung had suggested eating pizza on the floor and Hoseok had chosen to sit right next to Yoongi.

More than once Namjoon caught Yoongi absolutely flustered whenever Hoseok does that thing when he looks at Yoongi dead in the eyes when he’s talking to him.

Oh yeah. His friend definitely had a thing for Seokjin’s buddy.

Soon, with the help of everyone, most of the things were unpacked and put away tidily by ten. Hoseok offered to drive Yoongi home, and he “insists,” so Yoongi gives in, calling Namjoon the first thing he gets home.

Expectedly, Namjoon picks up two heartbeats later. “What?”

“You know what, jackass.” Yoongi spits. “I’m just calling to announce I am never seeing you for the rest of my life.”

Namjoon feigns sadness. “Aw, Yoongi. Is it because of Hoseok?” Yoongi can hear Seokjin nearing the phone, whispers with Namjoon.

“Fuck you, I just don’t want to go to yours anymore.”

“Yoongi.” Namjoon pauses a bit, and Yoongi can almost see his shit-eating grin, “Did I ever tell you you’re a terrible liar?”

Yoongi groans. “He’s hot, okay?”

“Yeah, he really is.” Seokjin butts in, and says, “You should really come over more often. I’ll get Hoseok to pick you up, even.”

“I literally just said-”

He gives up.

-

The fact that the kids had decided to see Yoongi and Hoseok (at the same time) on Saturday did not help Yoongi in the slightest.

“I really don’t want to, Namjoon.” Is what Yoongi repeats over and over on the phone that Saturday morning, staring at his dark themed closet.

“Spectacular. Pick up some tomatoes with Hoseok before you two arrive, yeah?” Namjoon replies, and hangs up.

Really, he gives up.

And when Hoseok shows up in his car, Yoongi prays Hoseok can’t see him gulping and says, “We uh, have to get tomatoes. Namjoon’s orders.”

“No prob.” Hoseok looks over and grins, “Grocery store it is, then.”

Normally, Yoongi is pretty much laid back. But ‘laid back’ is the exact opposite of Yoongi now, jittering and resisting the urge to flinch whenever Hoseok’s hand brushes his thigh in the tight spaced car.

They pull up just a mere three minutes later, and when Hoseok turns a bit too abruptly in the middle of picking 5 tomatoes for a great deal of 1000¥, Yoongi can sense Hoseok’s warmth and smell the faint scent of shea butter body lotion. He could get used to that.

Wait. Him? A guy?

“Yoongi?” Hoseok waves his hand in Yoongi’s face. “Were you listening?”

And him? Another guy? “Ah, sorry. I spaced out. Were you saying something?”

“Seokjin just called. He needs us to grab a specific brand of butter. I guess it should be around here.” What am I thinking?

“Oh, okay. We should better get going.” No. I won’t let this happen. I can’t possibly be——

-

Hoseok mutters curses under his breath as they search the dairy aisle and frozen aisle for the millionth time. Seokjin must have set this up, knowing the butter would be near impossible to find.

Yoongi taps his shoulder, hand cold from flipping through ice cream boxes. “I think we should ask the staff one more time.” Yoongi looks thoughtful, eyes wide and faraway.

He blinks, once, twice, before he opens his mouth to reply. “We asked. He said dairy products belong in the dairy aisle.” Hoseok makes his voice all high and obnoxious, imitating the punk teen working here.

“But we’ve been here for an hour!” Yoongi pouts, moving shelves of milk cartons away and shines his phone into the darkest spots of the shelves.

He’s cute, Yoongi is, whenever he thinks no one is paying attention to him. But those little quirks of his eyebrows and mouth dropping in ‘o’s when something interests him-

“Hey, I found it.” Hoseok calls, cradling the rare bar of butter in his hands. It was shoved somewhere between those annoyingly common butter boxes, hiding the poor tinfoil wrapped butter. Yoongi runs over, Timberlands slapping the waxed floor.

Hoseok checks his phone again, and confirms that this, indeed, was the butter they had to look for. Yoongi grins, a genuine one, gums and little teeth showing. It’s such a remarkable difference from Yoongi’s snappy personality, Hoseok thinks.

“Let’s pay up and go to theirs, yeah?” Hoseok says, turning to pick up their left behind tomatoes.

Yoongi lingers besides the ice creams. “We should get some Melona for the kids.”

“You just want to eat them. Let’s go.” Hoseok turns, and on some stupid impulse, grabs Yoongi’s small wrist and turns.

As he looks back, Hoseok only hopes Yoongi doesn’t notice that he’s blushing just as hard as Yoongi is.

-

“Thanks so much, you two. Go play with the kids.” Seokjin takes the groceries, and... throws the butter inside the fridge.

Hoseok leans on the doorframe of the kitchen, folding his arms. “You actually didn’t need the butter, didn’t you?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Seokjin turns around to wash the tomatoes, leaving Hoseok completely unattended.

Hoseok waits until Yoongi leaves, and pipes up. “Fuck you. You planned this, didn’t you? You set up a plan for us to stick around each other, asking us to find the most scarce item, knowing that it’d take up a whole hour-“ Hoseok’s not necessarily mad, Seokjin can tell, but it’s Hoseok who was shocked, as Seokjin looks at him, eyes wide and innocent.

“An hour? There were a gigantic stack of those next to the soup cans by the cashier.” Seokjin says, and widens his eyes in realisation. “Ohhh, you two dug up the back up supply.”

Hoseok waits, and thinks about how Yoongi snorted when they were paying.

“And,” Seokjin continues, “Judging from the way Yoongi looked at the butter just now, I’m guessing he finally knew when you two were about to leave. To clarify, I only asked for the butter so you could have a chance to talk to Yoongi. It was only supposed to delay your trip for, what, a few minutes, not a full-blown hour.” Seokjin grins, and turns back to his tomatoes.

“But it was a set-up.” Hoseok insists, dangling from a straw.

Seokjin scoffs, shoulders rising in step. “It was, alright, but if I didn’t do that you would be dead silent all along. Then it’d be impossible to get you to take the next step.”

“He’s a guy, Jinnie. And why do I have to be the one to initiate everything?” Hoseok stands beside Seokjin, slicing the tomatoes just like his best friend.

He understands, Seokjin does. Hoseok may be the loudest and the biggest extrovert he’s met, but he still has his shy moments. Especially when it comes to English and relationships. So Seokjin lowers his voice. “You’re a guy too, and for all I know 80% of your hookups are males.”

It’s true. But chances are slim of them together, and even so, Hoseok really appreciates Seokjin’s effort among the mess of his own relationship problems with Namjoon. Hoseok doesn’t vocalise his thanks or support for Seokjin, and instead lies his head on his best friend’s shoulder.

Like always, Seokjin understands, and rests his head back onto Hoseok.

-

The night is silent, and Seokjin is all alone in his double master bed. It must be somewhere around 4am already, but he hasn’t even felt a thread of drowsiness. Seokjin envies Hoseok and Yoongi, because he already knows those two fit like lock and key. He imagines Yoongi’s blushing face, and smiles to himself.

His arm stretches to the empty side of the bed, cruelly cold and lifeless. Namjoon. Seokjin thinks to himself. For a while he couldn’t grasp where he was, and panics before blinking and reeling in himself on a weak thread, lost somewhere inside his overthinking mind.

What had happened this night, and for the past consecutive two weeks, really, was what Namjoon told Seokjin every single night. “I’ll go sleep on the couch. I... I’m not sure for now.”

Not sure of what? Seokjin didn’t know, and yet his legs led him out of bed and onto the cold floor. Right down the corridor is the living room, and Namjoon lies on the dark couch, wrapped up in blankets. The night wind slipping in from the crack in the balcony doors ruffle Namjoon’s brown hair, and the mere sight of it is so ethereal Seokjin thought of lowering his eyes.

Blushing, Seokjin cautiously sits down in front of the couch, tilting his head so it’s horizontal, like he’s lying next to Namjoon. His warm breath tickles Seokjin’s eyelashes, and Seokjin close his eyes, drifts away once more, back to three years ago.

3 years ago<

The first night of sleeping together was as natural as it could be, almost like a daily action.

Seokjin leaps into bed first, snuggling into the warm blankets, leaving only a bare, cold space for Namjoon to sleep in, minus the comfort of the blanket.

Namjoon pouts when he enters the bedroom of their shared apartment. “Am I going to sleep without blankets?”

“I’m warm.” Seokjin mumbles from under the blanket.

With a swift move, Namjoon joins Seokjin under, a rush of cold air entering the little cavern. Namjoon senses Seokjin’s small shudder, he’s never been good with the winter, and wraps his arms around Seokjin’s torso. “Mm, you are warm.”

Seokjin giggles, and Namjoon looks up to face Seokjin. He remembers melting under Namjoon’s warm and loving gaze, and at that moment, just days after they confessed to each other on New Year’s, Seokjin knows he’s in love, and will most likely remain so for the rest of his life.

>now

It must be the sofa.

Namjoon groggily opens his eyes, already used to the bad sleep cycle. His body fights to skim the surface of consciousness with every chance it’s got, yearning for the soft bed.

He’d more than like to sleep on the bed, with Seokjin-

And granted, there lies the mentioned, eyelashes fluttering in sleep.

Namjoon stifles a yelp, and reaches out with shaking fingers. They come into contact with warm cheeks, and Namjoon knows this is true, Seokjin is here.

But the most important question is how? He has to look at his surroundings once more to know that they are in the living room, and at the opened bedroom door. Seokjin must’ve came out, lying right in front of the freezing wind.

Something in Namjoon’s heart breaks and hurts a little, knowing Seokjin is probably shivering in his sleep. So he unwraps his blanket, covers it around Seokjin.

With just Namjoon’s luck, Seokjin decides to wake up at that.

The moonlight bounces off Seokjin’s full cheeks and reflects his bright eyes, all the while a rare and precious moment of eye contact.

Seokjin blinks the sleep away, surprised to find a blanket around him, and it’s only for so long that he notices Namjoon, and that he’s just as awake as he is.

Whether Seokjin was still half asleep or motivated by some impulse, we will never know, but he stands shakily, hands gripping the sofa for support.

The space between them is suffocating, so close, in fact, Seokjin thinks of himself as a magnet and Namjoon the welcoming metal surface, he himself being stupidly drawn towards Namjoon.

And doesn’t Namjoon welcome it, both smart minds now gone pure blank as they lean forward, their distance folding in, sealed shut with lips on lips.

It’s golden centuries after when Namjoon pulls away, overwhelmed with the unique scent of Seokjin, a mixture of melancholy and unforgotten love. Seokjin is practically melting into Namjoon’s embrace, body warm as they press against each other.

It’s so natural, like the three years worth of awkwardness and stifling nervousness had washed away by a simple kiss, and really, the love in their eyes speaks volumes.

Namjoon understands that there’s nothing to fear now, he doesn’t have to go running after love anymore, love found him itself. The love of his life, Seokjin’s title a sparkling fire in Namjoon’s heart.

Namjoon is half aware of the sofa digging into his legs, most likely leaving strange trails and marks imprinted into the skin, and Seokjin probably feels just as uncomfortable on the small leather surface, so he dumbly asks, “Wanna go to bed?”

How right Yoongi was, when Namjoon lies dead awake, Seokjin’s even breaths warming the cotton of Namjoon’s shirt, tied in an embrace, unbreakable, when Yoongi tells Namjoon he’s absolutely whipped, when he’s actually been, for Seokjin and the kids, all the damn time.

Seokjin snuggles up closer to Namjoon, as he always does when he’s cold, so Namjoon pulls the blankets up to Seokjin’s shoulders, just as he did when they were so in love.

It just happens to be that neither had been ever out of love, and life picks up exactly where they had left it three years ago, not a single piece of the passion gone.

Namjoon kisses the top of Seokjin’s head gently, and thinks of inviting the kids to bed together tomorrow night.

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