From: Jin-hyung
Wanna hang out today?

The week after 'camping', Jin had been texting Namjoon nonstop. Sometimes, Jin would ask for help on his homework, despite Namjoon being a grade below him. Sometimes, he would ask to hang out, like this time. Sometimes, he would text just to ask if Namjoon was okay. Namjoon opened the message and asked his mother if he was free.

From: Jin
Wanna hang out today?
Read ✓

On the other side, Jin was panicking. Read? Namjoon read it? Why isn't he answering? Was I being too forward? What if he knows? Oh gosh, he probably knows. He knows. He knows. He knows. Jin clutched his flip phone anxiously, a bead of sweat rolling down his face. He was thinking up random scenes of how Namjoon would react when suddenly, his phone pinged.

From: Namjoon
Sure, my umma says I'm free for the whole day

Jin sighed in relief, then cackled at himself for overthinking so much. Of course, he was just asking his umma. Calm yourself, Seokjin. He doesn't know. 

From: Jin-hyung
Ok
I still have my Super Mario coupon, so we can go to the mall
No flirting with cashiers, though, kekeke
I'm also making dinner at home tonight, so you can stay if you want

Jin froze after he sent the texts. Did I just ask him if he wanted to stay over for dinner? Did I just tell him to not flirt, even though he didn't mean to last time? What if I was too forward? No, no, no. He probably knows now. Why am I so stupid-

From: Namjoon
-.-
Sounds good, though
I'm coming over in 30 min

Jin took a deep breath and slapped himself on the cheek. What the heck is wrong with me?

He spent the next 20 minutes looking for an outfit that wasn't too dressy but wasn't too casual either. An outfit that said, 'I'm trying but I'm not trying that hard. I naturally look this good.' The door flung open, startling Jin and making him jump. He was greeted with the displeased face of his father.

"Seokjin, what are you doing?"

Jin shot his father a phony smile, "I'm choosing something to wear."

Mr. Kim raised an eyebrow and asked suspiciously, "Why? Are you going somewhere?"

Jin stuttered nervously, "Um, N-Namjoon's coming over in a few minutes."

Mr. Kim scoffed and eyed Jin from head-to-toe, "No wonder you're looking for clothes." He rolled his eyes at Jin's (in his opinion) stupid decisions. He sighed and exited the room, mumbling under his breath.

As Jin's mother walked past her husband and noticed his scowl, she chuckled and pecked his cheek, "What is it this time?"

A small smile appeared on his face but was quickly replaced with a grumble, "Seokjin is going out with Namjoon-ssi again."

Mrs. Kim sighed and rolled her eyes playfully, "Why did I get a feeling that it was about Namjoon again?" Her face grew a bit more serious, "But we talked about this, you need to go easier on Seokjin. So what if he wants a boyfriend? He's already in his last year, you have to let him grow up someday."

Mr. Kim nodded in understanding, "I know. I just have this Namjoon-ssi will hurt Seokjin one day."

His wife chuckled, "You know that won't happen. Namjoon is a sweet boy, he wouldn't do something like that. Just trust him, okay?"

Mr. Kim wrapped his arms loosely around his wife's waist and placed a sweet kiss on her forehead, squeezing a giggle out of her. They were interrupted by Jin, who grimaced, "Umma and appa, you're so gross."

Mr. Kim turned, sighed, and gestured toward Jin, "Says the boy who spent almost half an hour picking out something to wear, just because he's seeing his little boyfriend."

Jin blushed and looked down at the floor, "H-He's not my boyfriend."

Mrs. Kim hopped toward him and pinched his cheeks, whispering, "But you want him to be!"

Jin groaned, "Umma..." He checked his phone and gasped, "He's going to be here soon, I still have to do my hair!"

He turned toward the bathroom but was interrupted by his mother, "Seokjin-ah, you look fine. Don't worry!"

"Okay...if you say so."

A knock was heard on the door and Jin's heartbeat accelerated into hyperdrive. He walked as calmly as he was capable of doing and opened the door. Smiling, he said, "Hi, Namjoon. I just have to get the coupons and we can go."

Shortly after, they were both in the car. Jin was shakily driving, his hands trembling on the steering wheel.

Namjoon looked up from his phone, "Hyung, are you okay? You seem really tense."

"H-Hm? No, no. I'm fine."

"You hesitated," Namjoon snickered.

Jin brought his finger up to his own lips, "Shhhh."

Namjoon suddenly brightened, "The song is done, by the way! I'm really excited to present it next week. Wanna hear it?"

Jin nodded and handed Namjoon the AUX cord. Happily, Namjoon plugged his phone in and let the ever-familiar sound fill the car. Jin's face contorted when he heard his voice.

"Namjoon, I sound so bad," Jin whined.

"You sound fine, hyung. Don't worry about it," Namjoon reassured.

As the song progressed, Jin's cringed and squirmed in his seat more and more. Namjoon rested his hand on Jin's shoulder to calm him, but it only made things worse. When the color sprung in his vision, Jin swerved the car wildly. Namjoon immediately retracted his hand and clung helplessly to his seatbelt as Jin straightened the car, ignoring the other cars honking angrily at him.

"Hyung, what was that?!" Namjoon half-shouted half-squeaked, his eyes as large as saucers and his breath coming out shallowly.

Jin tried to quickly come up with an excuse, "Y-You startled me."

"I startled you?! You almost crashed the car!"

"S-Sorry, Namjoon."

"Are you sure you're okay? You've been really weird."

No, no, no. He thinks I'm acting weird, he probably knows now. He knows. He knows. He knows. Jin quickly blurted out, "I've just been thinking about something. It's not important, though, so don't worry."

"O-Okay. Just, just, don't do that with the car anymore. You have a really bad habit of swerving."

"Sorry..."

The rest of the ride was painfully awkward, especially with their song playing in the background. Jin mentally slapped himself so many times that it physically hurt. Why are you so stupid. He knows now, Jin, you screwed everything up. Now you'll be the sad seventh wheel and you'll die alone with five million cats or at least get arrested for having too many cats; whatever happens you're going to miserable for the rest of your life. Why must you make every single car ride awkward? Maybe you should just stop driving Namjoon around and meet up at the destination just to save your sanity. Jin stole a glance at Namjoon, who was, once again, staring at the screen of his phone. Jin quietly sighed to himself. At least he has something to distract himself with.

 ~.~.~.~.~

Namjoon chuckled when they were greeted by the shining sign in front of the KakaoTalk store. He raised his finger and pointed at the store, "Hyung, wanna go there again?"

Jin scowled, "As long as that dumb clerk isn't there. I hope she got fired." He imitated her with an obnoxiously high-pitched voice, "'So, do you come here often?' We should've reported her for ual harassment!"

"Hyung, she was not harassing me," Namjoon deadpanned, chuckling and rolling his eyes playfully.

"Oh yes, she was, Namjoon-ah. Did you not see the look in her eyes or her dumb little smirk? That girl, I swear."

Namjoon hushed Jin and said with a hint of sarcasm in his voice, "Okay, okay, hyung. You win, she was totally harassing me and I felt so threatened. Just...calm down. That was a long time ago, don't think about it. It's stressing you out."

"I'm just protecting my painfully oblivious dongsaeng who must be sheltered from this cold world. You should be thankful."

Namjoon sighed, "Thank you."

Jin smiled to himself with pride, "I know."

Jin and Namjoon walked past the food court and Jin pointed at a small ice cream stand. "Ice cream! Should we get some?"

Namjoon nodded, "If it'll make you less angry."

They rushed to the stand. Jin ordered, "I'll get chocolate ice cream in a small cup please."

Namjoon ordered next, "I'll get vanilla in a small cup, thank you."

Jin patted his pockets and realized that he didn't have his wallet. He made the fakest smile and looked at Namjoon, "Can you pay...again? I forgot my wallet at home...again."

"What? How are you going to buy your Mario stuff?" Namjoon asked in disbelief.

"I have a gift card and a coupon, so I should be able to get at least a figurine for free..."

Namjoon pulled out his wallet reluctantly, "Fine. But only because it's cheap this time."

He handed 10,000 won to the man and took the two cups full of ice cream. Jin beamed, "Thank you, Namjoon-ah! You're the best!"

"I know, I know," Namjoon bowed toward the man, "Thank you, ahjussi! Have a nice day!"

The man smiled and nodded. The two walked to the fountain in the middle of the food court. Holding the cup in his hands carefully, Jin happily ate the ice cream. Namjoon smiled in amusement as he ate his. Turning his head, his eyes immediately found a stand that sold meals. His mouth watered as his stomach grumbled.

Jin heard the sound, "Namjoon, are you hungry? Did you eat before this?"

Namjoon shook his head sheepishly, "I didn't eat earlier. And that japchae looks really good. I'll be back."

After discarding this empty cup, he walked to the stand and ordered a sizeable amount of japchae. He returned with a big smile on his face, as well as the take-out box.

Taking the first bite, his eyes immediately closed at the taste, "Mmm, it tastes really good. Try some."

He picked up some noodles with the chopsticks and held it out for Jin, who awkwardly tilted his head to get all the noodles. He chewed with a contorted face. After he swallowed, he reviewed the dish, "It was alright. It didn't have enough sesame oil."

"No way, that was some of the best japchae ever!"

Jin craned his neck, "I'll prove it to you. I'll make japchae for dinner tonight!"

"Deal."

They browsed around a bit more before reaching the Super Mario store. Excitedly, Jin ran inside and began marveling at all the goods. He carefully examined the figurines. He stopped in front of two mushroom plushies. He scanned them each with his eyes, concentrated.

Namjoon appeared next to him, "What's the difference between the two? Just pick one."

Jin shook his head, "I already have the red one. I just need the green one. If you look carefully, the red one is a bit darker than the green one."

"How can you tell? They look exactly the same to me."

Jin sighed, "I've bought and returned too many red ones to make the same mistake. But today is the day that I finally buy the correct one, I know it."

Namjoon chuckled, "If you say so, hyung."

After a few more minutes of careful examination, Jin selected one and walked it to the cashier. He set the plush down on the counter and pulled out his card and coupon. He smiled at the price. Free.

"Namjoon, watch carefully. After making the same mistake repeatedly, always conquer in the most victorious way possible," he held up his newly purchased toy. "See? Not only did I get the correct color, but I got it for free. Free."

Namjoon smiled and quietly clapped. "Good job, hyung."

Jin smiled back, "Do you want to look at anything else? I'm ready to go if you are."

Namjoon nodded. They made their way out of the mall but not before running into a familiar character.

"Oh, you again!" The clerk from the KakaoTalk exclaimed in an exaggeratedly peppy tone.

Namjoon smiled politely, "Hello again!"

"How's little Ryan doing?" The clerk asked, referring to the plush that Namjoon had bought previously.

Namjoon chuckled, "He's doing well."

"I'm actually on break right now, do you want to get coffee? I actually know a really nice place around here."

Jin opened his mouth to interject but Namjoon noticed and slightly raised his hand to silence him. He politely rejected her, "Sorry, but we're actually heading out now and hyung is my ride."

Tilting her head slightly in an attempt to look cute, she slightly pouted, "Can't you stay a bit longer?" She glared at Jin and said to Namjoon, "I'm sure your brother wouldn't mind."

Namjoon quickly came up with an excuse and blurted out, "He's actually my boyfriend."

Jin and the girl blinked at Namjoon in shock and stuttered in unison, "W-What?"

Namjoon, too, was shocked when he realized what he just said. In an effort to execute the lie well, he repeated himself, "Yeah, he's my boyfriend. Right, hyung?" Namjoon raised his eyebrows dramatically, silently telling Jin to play along.

"Yes, of course! And we're also leaving now. So, no. He can't have coffee with you," Jin hissed bitterly. He turned his head to look at Namjoon and asked sweetly, "You ready to go?"

Namjoon nodded, "Yep!"

They quickly walked toward the exit, leaving the very confused clerk by herself. Wow, those two are really weird.

 ~.~.~.~.~

"Namjoon, what was that?" Jin asked, gripping the steering wheel tightly in his hands.

"I don't know, I just really wanted her to go away so I just said that!"

Jin snuck a glance at Namjoon and smiled in triumph, "See? She was harassing you. I told you so!"

Namjoon sighed, "Yeah, yeah. You're right."

Jin smiled as they drove home, "Thanks for buying the ice cream today. I feel bad, you're alway paying for everything."

"It's okay, hyung. Just don't tell your umma, she'll feel really bad, too."

"I'll cook you japchae when we get home, okay?"

Namjoon smiled brightly, "I'll anticipate it~"

The rest of the car was fairly silent; Namjoon was occupied with his phone and Jin was occupied with the road. When Jin opened the front door, he was immediately greeted by his excited mother.

"So, so, how was your little da-" Mrs. Kim voice trailed off mid sentence when she saw Namjoon behind Jin. She cleared and assumed her normal, motherly tone, "Um, how was your get together? Did you two have fun?"

Namjoon chuckled as Jin hugged his mushroom plush, desperate for a source of comfort from the embarrassment that his mother had bestowed upon him. Namjoon nodded, "Yeah, we had fun. Jin-hyung promised to make japchae for dinner!"

"Did he?" Mrs. Kim asked.

Jin nodded quickly, "And we should get started really soon. Namjoon, come with me to the kitchen, I'll need your help."

Namjoon followed closely behind Jin but froze when he saw Mr. Kim. Mr. Kim coldly raised his eyebrow when he saw Namjoon staring at him anxiously. Namjoon quickly bowed 90 degrees and scurried off to find Jin. Jin turned and tossed Namjoon an onion, "Here, I need you to cut it."

Namjoon stared at the onion in his hand cluelessly. He looked up at Jin and muttered, embarrassed, "Um, hyung? I don't know how to cut onions."

Jin gawked at Namjoon in disbelief, "What? Really?" When he noticed Namjoon's face darken dramatically, he sighed, "I'll show you how."

Jin removed the flaky, thin skin and rinsed the onion under the faucet and cut it half. He waved Namjoon over and started slicing. After Namjoon carefully observed Jin cut the first half of the onion, occasionally stopping to wipe the tears that welled up in her eyes. Jin cautiously handed the knife to Namjoon and gestured toward the cutting board, "Your turn!"

After the first few slices, Namjoon was already struggling and had tears running down his face. He turned to Jin, who was preparing the noodles and he other vegetables, "Hyung, I need help again."

Jin's eyes immediately widened when he saw Namjoon in his current state, "Oh my - what happened to you?!"

Namjoon wiped his cheeks, "This onion is really strong."

Jin guided Namjoon to the dining table, "Stay here, I'll just make the japchae."

Namjoon sat quietly and scrolled on his phone when Mr. Kim sat down at the table across from him. Namjoon's eyes flickered up, then down, then looked up again in shock and placed his phone down on the table. Politely, he smiled as genuinely as he was capable of in his fear, "Hello, Mr. Kim. Did you have a good day?"

Mr. Kim nodded, keeping his stern exterior, "Did you two have a good time at the mall? Did you have to pay for Seokjin again?"

Namjoon shook his head, "N-No, he got the mushroom for free. With his coupons and gift card."

Mr. Kim nodded and the two looked at each other awkwardly. Jin came back from the kitchen a few minutes later. He sat down with a tired sigh, "The noodles are boiling. So what were you two talking about?"

"Nothing much," Namjoon answered.

After a few moments of awkward silence, Jin removed himself from the situation. Why are they both so quiet? He watched as the noodles boiled on the stove. Why did Namjoon tell the girl that I was his boyfriend? Why is he always so nervous in front of appa? What if he likes me?

Suddenly, the water in the pot boiled over the edge and spilled on his hand. Jin shouted in pain and rushed to turn off the stove and clutched his left hand in pain. Namjoon and Mr. Kim rushed into the kitchen. Mr. Kim quickly put the pot into the sink and wiped down the counter. Namjoon grabbed Jin's right wrist and lead him to the bathroom. Jin noticed the color flooding his vision and shut his eyes tightly. He didn't want to see it. He didn't want to see the color. Tears flowed out of his eyes when he felt the sting of the burn. Namjoon quickly filled a bowl with cool water and gently dipped Jin's hand into it.

"Hyung, are you okay?" Namjoon asked.

Jin nodded, despite the pain. He clenched his eyes as more tears escaped. Namjoon leaned forward and swiped the tears away with his thumb. Subconsiously, Jin leaned into the touch and his breath evened.

Namjoon retracted his hand and looked down sadly, "I feel bad, you burned your hand because you were making me japchae. Sorry, hyung."

Jin opened his eyes, "It's okay, don't worry about it. If I let my hand sit in the cold water for a few more minutes, it should be alright. Can turn off the stove? And can you get my umma?"

Namjoon nodded and a few moments later, Mrs. Kim was in the bathroom with Jin. She worriedly examined his hand in the bowl and asked, "What happened?"

"The noodles were boiling and I kind of spaced out. Then, the water boiled over and spilled on my hand."

"And you were making japchae for Namjoon?" She lowered her voice to a whisper, "You must really like him, hm?"

Jin blushed and shrugged, "I promised him that I could make better japchae than the one at the mall. Can you finish it for me, please?"

Mrs. Kim sighed and chuckled, "You're unbelieveable. Namjoon must really be something, hm? I'll see what I can do."

Jin smiled, "Thanks, umma!"

Ten minutes later, the japchae was ready and Jin's burn was wrapped in bandage. He watched happily as Namjoon wolfed down the japchae bowl after bowl.

"It's really good, hyung!"

"Better than the mall?"

Namjoon nodded and continued eating. Mrs. Kim watched the scene with a proud smile. I taught my son well. He knows that the best way to a man's heart is through his stomach. Jin and his mother exchanged glances and smiled brightly. Even Mr. Kim softened a bit.

Jin couldn't help but think, Maybe Namjoon does like me back.

That was...not a good chapter. Sorry if my Namjin chapters , for some reason Namjin is really hard to write about and feels unnatural :/ But, the Music Project is due the next week in the fanfic! That's when things get real ;) (That wink seemed...oddly ual, but don't worry, nothing dirty will be happening)

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed that chapter (more than I did). I'll see you next update!

Love,

Kilotons