A chorus of violins played from the speakers within the studio, but the sounds did not reach the hall through the heavy soundproofing in the walls and door.  Jungkook leaned on one hand against the door frame, his eyes moving with the dancer within.  He knew the music by heart, he had heard it so many times now.  He watched as Jimin lifted his body gracefully, performing seemingly effortless leaps and turns, and even the moments where his body seemed still were filled with energy and poise.  

Jungkook knew well that he was welcome to enter the studio at any time, the way he often had in recent weeks and even months, but he couldn’t bring himself to interrupt the routine.  Jimin’s audition was the next day, and Jungkook could picture it now.  Jimin up on a stage, under the powerful lights, body moving so gracefully, the room enraptured by his passion and talent.  The company would be lucky to have a dancer like Jimin, even if he was a little older than the average applicant.

Whatever else Jimin was, when he danced, he was absolutely breathtaking.  Jungkook didn’t realize how lost he was in the motions until Jimin had stopped, turned around, and was waving at him through the small window.  His smile was bright, his eyes scrunched up as sweat dripped past them down his cheeks.  Jungkook couldn’t help but return the smile as he leaned over to pick up his guitar and adjusted the practice bag on his shoulder before he stepped inside.

“Hey!  I told you that you could let yourself in any time while I was practicing,” Jimin welcomed Jungkook as he went to take a drink of his water.  Jungkook set his guitar down gently and then slumped his bag onto the floor next to Jimin’s.  “H-how’d it look from out there, though?”

There was a little stutter in Jungkook’s breath when Jimin looked at him that way, eyes wide with hope and a little bit of uncertainty.  For someone so talented, Jimin had a great number of insecurities, but it was strangely endearing on him.  Besides, Jungkook found more and more that he didn’t mind doling out a few well-deserved compliments.  “I didn’t want to interrupt,” he muttered as he tried to organize his thoughts in his mind.  

“I didn’t want to interrupt,” Jungkook tried again with a steadier voice, “because you were so completely in the zone.  It was beautiful, hyung.”  As he spoke, he looked down at his feet, so he missed the delicate blush on Jimin’s cheeks.

A moment of silence passed between them before Jungkook looked up again.  “Alright, come on.  I know you’ve been drilling that all afternoon, so it’s time to let loose.”  Jimin laughed but nodded in agreement all the same and moved to the sound system.

Jungkook grinned and quickly began to stretch to warm up a bit.  Soon a quick rhythm began to fill the space, and each of the men took position in the center before the mirror.  When the bass dropped, their bodies began to move in tandem.

It had started casually, not long after the first time Jungkook saw Jimin dance.  If he showed up early for band practice and Jimin was tired of his rigid ballet practice (he always was), they would let off steam by allowing their bodies to carry them through the motions, just as they had each once done on their own.

Eventually, playing around with each of their own styles had led to teaching each other, and then they had just naturally created a choreography.  It flowed through each of them easily, highlighted their strengths and made them shine.

When Jimin swooped his body low to the ground, Jungkook circled upward, and then they faced one another and linked arms, their bodies bending backwards before they pulled up and spun to press their backs together in an intricate pass.

To anyone who didn’t know them, it would seem they had been dancing together for years.  As it was, Namjoon gave Seokjin a knowing smile outside the doorway as they watched through the small window.

Hours later, Jungkook sighed as he set down his spoon and leaned back in his chair.  “That was delicious, hyung!  I didn’t think anyone could beat my mom’s kimchi jjigae.”

Jimin laughed and picked up the bowls to carry to the sink.  “Well, to be fair, the kimchi makes the jjigae, and Mom sent me some for extra strength and luck for the audition,” he admitted with a shrug and a laugh.

Jungkook beamed and pushed himself off the chair.  “Fair point, but you deserve at least some of the credit.”  He moved in long strides into the kitchen until he stood next to Jimin.  With a gentle nudge of his hip, Jungkook scooted in front of the sink and rested his hand on Jimin’s shoulder.  “Let me do the dishes, hyung.  You should start getting ready for bed.  Big day tomorrow.”

Beside him, Jimin ducked his head to hide the blush on his cheeks as he ran a hand through his hair.  “Yeah,” he replied with a little nod, “yeah thanks.”

Still, Jimin hesitated for a moment until he ruffled his hair and shook his head.  “I’m not very good at dealing with my nerves, to tell you the truth.  I usually don’t really sleep before something big, and I kinda, you know.  Try to keep busy.”

Jimin’s eyes closed, and before he could open them, a warm hand fell onto his shoulder.  “I tell you what, hyung,” Jungkook said in a warm, soft tone as his fingers began to gently knead the tense muscles of Jimin’s shoulder.  “You keep yourself busy by getting ready for bed and then I’ll try to loosen some of these knots until you’re ready to sleep.  Sound good?”

Jimin nodded his agreement and sighed, not moving until Jungkook’s hand left his shoulder.  He turned before he left the kitchen, but Jungkook had already started to fill the sink with water, so Jimin gave only a soft sigh as he made his way to the bathroom.

The looming promise of his audition the next day was certainly present in the back of Jimin’s mind, but his thoughts were far more clouded by the man in the next room as he washed his face.  It had been weeks since they had returned from Busan - even since he had met with Marie - but Jimin hadn’t been able to breach the topic of his feelings for Jungkook just yet.

As he dragged the washcloth across his face to swipe away the last of the cleanser, Jimin stared at his reflection in the mirror.  With a deep breath, he set each of his hands on the counter and gave a determined nod.  “After the audition,” he told himself firmly, boring into the dark eyes of his own reflection.  His heart raced at the concept, he had to remain steadfast.  It was tomorrow or never, and the latter wasn’t truly an option at all.

In the kitchen, Jungkook let the hot water and the suds of dish soap wash away the remaining buzz of static energy in his hands along with the traces of dinner from the dishes.  The past few weeks had brought more questions and uncertainty than ever, but he hadn’t been able to pull himself back.  

When it came to Jimin, every old instinct of self preservation and solidarity seemed to disappear.  The closer they became, the easier it was for Jungkook give in to little touches of comfort and conversations that carried them into the wee hours.  They were good friends, he told himself; anyone would feel tied to one of their best friends after meeting their family and attending a ceremony as intimate as the celebration of Yoona’s birthday had been.  Their relationship wasn’t really all that different from the ones they had with Hoseok and Taehyung, he reasoned.  It was easier to cling to those thoughts than to admit to the one nagging at the back of his mind.

The worst of it would be over soon, anyway, Jungkook thought.   Well, not the worst, he quickly corrected his thoughts.  It was just that Jimin would have his audition the next day, and certainly he’d be even busier after that.  It would be easier to get back to life a little more like it had been before they had met, then.  With Jimin focused on making a stellar impression in his early days with the company, Jungkook wouldn’t worry about him so much.  He would have more free time to go out to the clubs.  To meet new people.

He was definitely ready for that.  Absolutely.  Jungkook wanted to have that freedom again.  Not that he didn’t have it now.  He was just being a good friend, because Jimin needed that from his roommate right then.

The sound of the bathroom door opening and heavy, tired footsteps moving down the hall pulled Jungkook from his circular train of thought, and when the next door closed he released a sigh along with the drain plug.  For the moment, Jimin needed Jungkook, and he wasn’t about to deny one of his best friends on the eve of the biggest day of their life.

Jungkook had dried his hands and just made his way to the sofa when Jimin came out in his pajama pants and an oversized white t-shirt.  “Hyung… did you raid my dresser?” Jungkook teased fondly.  A rosy hue dusted Jimin’s cheeks as he laughed and flopped down on the cushion next to Jungkook.

“Hah, I didn’t even think about it until you said that but wow,” Jimin laughed as he shook his head.  “Whatever will the neighbours think if they see us like this?”  It felt good, easy for both of them to laugh and let themselves relax.  For a moment, they could forget the complications that had arisen in their relationship and just enjoy the camaraderie they had found in one another.

When they lay in their beds not long after, Jimin and Jungkook were each soaking in their night in their own way.  

For the first time in days, maybe longer, Jimin was able to truly relax beneath the warmth of his duvet.  Jungkook had been right - he needed something to ease his tension, and while the shoulder rub had done wonders to help with that, the laughter had been every bit as important to him.  Between those things and the resolution he had made earlier, Jimin was quick to fall into a much-needed deep sleep.

Jungkook, on the other hand, was wide awake as he turned from side to side, unable to find that comfortable spot in his queen sized bed.  In his efforts to ignore the thoughts that wouldn’t quiet themselves, he found himself focused instead on the way his fingers still seemed to tingle with the warmth of Jimin’s skin.  When he pulled his attention from that, he came to notice how empty his bed felt, but he could not find the will to get up, to put on fresh makeup and take himself out to fill the void.  In fact, the mere thought had him turning over again, and he sighed as he finally sat up.

The underlying meaning beneath Jungkook’s reluctance to go to the underground only brought him back to the thoughts that he just couldn’t seem to shake.  He closed his eyes and tilted his head to the ceiling.  Why was it, that when it came to Jimin, everything was different?  Jungkook didn’t want to hold back, didn’t want to maintain that barrier that kept him safe from intimate connections.  He wanted to fall, to care, to accept that Jimin was always going to be there for him, and that he wanted to be there for Jimin in turn.  Nothing had ever terrified him more in his life.

When Jimin’s alarm woke him in the morning, he felt truly rested and ready to face the day ahead.  He rose as he always did, quietly moving to turn off the alarm and slip out of his bed so that he wouldn’t wake Jungkook.  Just as he pulled the covers up to the top of the bed, though, Jimin caught a scent in his nose that made him do a double take.

With a quirk of his brow, Jimin stood up straight and inhaled deeply again, and there was no doubt about it.  That was the smell of fried eggs.  Jimin’s lips turned up into a smile, and a faint blush rose on his cheeks as he ruffled his hair.  As he walked out of the room, his teeth were pulling at his bottom lip, his ears perked to confirm all he was thinking.

Just as he expected, Jungkook could be heard singing along with the music playing softly out of the speakers, accompanied by the scrape of utensils in the pan.  Jimin made a quick effort to smooth his hair, although it was really pointless given that Jungkook had seen him worse for the wear, and his hair never had been keen to cooperate in the mornings.

Turning the corner from the hall toward the kitchen, Jimin was met with a bunny-toothed grin and scrunched eyes as Jungkook pulled the pan away from the serving plate.  Spread on the counter was a full meal - kimbap, leftover kimchi jjigae, rice, fish, and plenty of vegetables and