Jungkook leaned against a nearby building, trying to catch his breath. He couldn’t believe that Taehyung had chased him all the way to the bridge near the library. The stone under his hands was cold, and he bent over the railing to look down at the little walkway space below, squinting through the dim, off-color light of the streetlights. There didn’t seem to be anybody there, though, and he felt a moment of panic that maybe Seokjin had already decided to leave before he got there. It had only been a few minutes, right?

It seemed strange to feel a surge of fear at the idea of not meeting Jin, when just a while ago he had been terrified at the seeing him for the first time. But Jimin had been right - this was his fault, not Jin’s, and he hadn’t exactly handled it in a way he was proud of. Who bolts from their soulmate?

Jeon Jungkook, that’s who.

His heart sank deep into the recesses of his belly, and for a fleeting moment, his mind screamed to run again. I avoided him and ran away from him. I wouldn’t blame him for hating me. Some soulmate I am. But he had already ran away from Jin once - he didn’t want to repeat the same mistake. He at least owed Jin an attempt at an explanation. Not knowing where else to look, he crossed the bridge and took the stone steps down to the riverside, following the winding path. It was pretty deserted at this hour, but he couldn’t see very well in the darkness, so he found himself moving slowly.

Jungkook had never thought too much about what his soulmate would be like. It just seemed like an afterthought, something he could put off until later. When he saw cute girls walking to school, he panicked and walked on the other side of the street. When people approached him and asked if he was interested in dating anyone, he always avoided them like the plague. Jungkook had never been good with the whole ‘emotions’ concept, and frankly wished life was like a game, where you could buy extra points in certain life skills. His own stats felt very uneven at times.

Jimin was always the romantic one, and he had bubbled and gushed on about soulmates for as long as Jungkook could remember, always trying to get his little brother to daydream with him.

'What do you think they’re like? A boy or a girl? Do you think your soulmate will like me, and vise versa? Do you think they’re pretty? Do you think you’ll be the older one, and have to wait, or the younger one?’

‘I don’t know. I’ll probably be the younger one, I guess.’

‘Aw, your poor soulmate, having to wait around for you to finally grow up…’

And Jungkook wasn’t good at math, but he knew Seokjin had waited. Jungkook didn’t think he himself would have felt much trouble from waiting for a soulmate for four years, but he figured he wasn’t like ‘most people.’ So he had imagined what it would have been like if Jimin had had to wait four extra years. Just the thought alone made Jungkook sigh, his shoulders slumping. Remembering how Jimin had come home that day, over the moon with excitement to introduce his soulmate to his little brother, how well everything had gone...it made him feel sorry for Jin, who instead of celebrating or getting a chance to know his soulmate, had been left out in the cold on his own.

Jungkook paused, squinting down the path. There he was.

Jin was sitting on a bench, huddled up in a jacket and a cream-colored scarf, looking cold even from that distance. Even being unable to see him clearly, Jungkook knew it was him from the way he held his shoulders. Jin was staring out across the river, seemingly lost in his thoughts. Jungkook opened his mouth to call out to him, but ending up just gaping like a fish at the cold night air. He wanted to do this right, at least. But he wasn’t sure if he had the courage. Jungkook stared down at his feet, shoving his hands into his pockets. In so doing, his hand clasped around something in his pocket. He pulled out the marker pen he had forgotten about, and then pulled the cap off, tugging back his jacket sleeve and writing his first real word to his soulmate on the back of his left hand.

‘Sorry.’

Jungkook looked up, expecting it to take a while for Jin to notice the message, but he was already holding his hand up to the light, squinting at it with an unreadable expression. It was the strangest thing, actually seeing his soulmate receiving a note he’d sent, studying it even while Jungkook was watching him. Overcome with temptation to see what kind of expression Jin had, Jungkook slipped closer, still not quite in Jin’s line of vision. Jungkook’s heart stopped as he saw the sad smile on Jin’s face. How could he look so happy and sad at the same time? Jin tilted his head back, looking up at the sky for a moment before closing his eyes and giving a little sniffle. Jungkook was sure he was crying, but he was momentarily distracted by the curve of Jin’s jawline, rounded and imperfect. Jungkook felt the guilt of making Jin cry again, even though he looked somehow relieved at finally getting a message, and he stepped out of the shadows. His thick boots made a sound on the pavement, and Jin looked up with a start. As soon as Jin’s eyes were on him, Jungkook froze in place, uncertain what to do next.

They watched each other for a moment before Jungkook shoved his hands back in his pockets. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have run away. Or avoided you. I was just…It happened really fast, at least for me. But I think you’ve been waiting a long time.”

Jin blinked, then a little smile grew at the corner of his lips. His voice was quiet. “Yeah, I have. But I understand.” He looked down at his feet, then patted the bench beside him. Jungkook sat down, unsure of how close they were supposed to sit but opting for a little distance. “How old are you?”

“I just turned 18 in September.”

Giving a visible wince at that, Jin’s shoulders slumped. “Yeah, I don’t blame you. Having a four year with your soulmate, that’s kind of strange, right? So don’t worry about me.” He seemed to deliberately turn his face away from Jungkook, a different note added to his voice as he added, “Lots of people find great partners besides their soulmate, actually, so as long as you’re happy I’m--”

“Seokjin,” Jungkook interrupted, and he could have sworn he saw a visible change in Jin’s posture at hearing his name. “I don’t care about the .”

After a pause, Jin let out a nervous sounding laugh, still not looking his way. Jungkook got the feeling he was trying not to let his feelings show on his face. “Well, I was also kind of annoying, too, so there’s that. I got too eager--”

“That didn’t bother me either. I..I liked your messages. I just didn’t know what to write back.”

Jin swallowed. “Anything.” Jungkook stared, and Jin finally turned to look at him. His expression looked a little broken, a little hopeful. “Anything is fine. Or nothing, if you want. The drawings are fine, too. Anything is fine. Just don’t run away again.”

Jungkook gave a little smile, experimentally reaching down and taking Jin’s hand. I won’t.

They sat there for a moment, staring at the river and enjoying the warmth of their flushed cheeks. After several minutes, Jin’s voice came back, more confident this time. “We’ll take it all really slowly. That’s okay with me, really. Not everyone is ready to hit the ground running with their soulmate, after all. And… I kind of like it like this.” Jungkook nodded in reply - despite their mushy and overly romantic behavior, he knew Jimin and Taehyung were actually taking their time, too. He could tell from the way Jimin talked about some things.

But then Jin stood up, stretching his shoulder and letting go of Jungkook’s hand. “Well, I should probably go. I’ve been kicked out of my room for the night because of Yoongi and Hoseok, so I need to figure out a sleeping arrangement before it gets too late.”

That sinking feeling of dread washed over Jungkook again. Oh, that’s right. “Um… actually, Jimin already said… that you should stay at our house tonight. In our room.”

There was a pause. Jin just stared at Jungkook, his head slightly tilted as if asking if he was being serious.

Jungkook bit his lip. “Um, you can use Jimin’s bed, I mean. It’s not anything like that.”

“I didn’t think it was,” Jin said with a shrug. But Jungkook knew he was lying. “I just… are you sure you’re okay with that?”

“...Yes.” It was the least he owed his soulmate, he figured.

Jin smiled.

~~

Though he had sounded confident during their earlier conversation, now that Jin was in his bedroom, actually, physically there, it felt really surreal. Jungkook hovered across the room, unable to stop glancing his way nervously as Jin arranged the comforter on Jimin’s bed. There had been an awkward few minutes where Jin had had to ask for extra clothes, and they had both realized that Jin wasn’t going to fit into anything of Jimin’s. Most of the clothes left at the house were leftovers from when Jimin was in middle school, most of which still fit him but didn’t ‘fit his style,’ according to Jimin. So Jungkook had gone to his closet and gotten out one of his bulky white T-shirts and a pair of sweatpants. Now Jin was wearing his clothes, and he could see his drawings from yesterday on Jin’s forearm. The shirt was stretched across Jin’s shoulder, revealing the skin at his neck as well, and Jungkook wondered vaguely what it would look like if he drew something across their collarbones.

“Oh, here’s your phone. You dropped it in the restaurant.” Jin pulled the cell phone out of his pocket and held it out to the younger boy.

“Thanks,” Jungkook muttered, staring for a moment before reaching out to take the phone. Catching the look, Jin gave a little chuckle, leaning down into Jungkook’s line of vision.

“What is it?”

“N-nothing,” he lied, then regretted it. In a mumble he added, “You have really nice hands.”

This time Jin gave an actual laugh, and Jungkook felt himself flush at the boldness of the statement. He had wanted it to sound flippant, like something Yoongi would toss into a conversation under his breath, but it came out sounding more flustered than anything. “You’re the first one to ever say that, that’s for sure. I hate my hands.” Jin held both his palms up, looking between his hands as though they were foreign to him.

“Why?” Jungkook felt a little hurt somehow, as if someone had insulted a song he liked.

“I don’t know, my fingers are really crooked and long. I once had trouble using a lighter because of the way my thumb is, and people made fun of me...” he frowned until Jungkook impulsively reached out and took one of Jin’s hands in his to inspect, and then he just stared at Jungkook in surprise.

“I like them, and I want to draw them, too,” Jungkook stated, his fingertips tracing along the length of one of Jin’s more crooked fingers, curious like a child at the uniqueness of the shape. It was like someone had left him not quite finished, not quite fitting fully into the human mold everyone else’s hands were. They were definitely masculine looking hands, but they were soft, except for the pads of the fingers on his left hand, which looked like they had calluses from playing guitar. Most people’s hands were hard to draw anyways, but Jungkook was already pretty good at that. Making hands unique or show such expression as Jin’s would be a different sort of challenge, and he wondered if he could pull off drawing them without making it look awkward...

He didn’t know how long he was studying Jin’s hands when he suddenly looked up through his bangs and saw Jin staring at him with incredulity, his lips slightly parted. Jungkook froze, blinking. If he had been staring at his hands with even half of the intensity that the older male was now staring at Jungkook, then he would be extremely embarrassed. Jin swallowed, leaning forward into Jungkook’s space for a moment as though he were about to say something, then he pulled back with a little smile.

“That’s nice of you to say!” Jin chirruped, turning away from Jungkook and crawling into the bed, his back to Jungkook as he plugged his phone into Jimin’s extra charger. As if on internet lag, Jungkook realized too late that Jin had been about to try kissing him. The thought alone made him smile with nervousness, and he bit at his lip to try and tone it down, to no avail. He hunched his shoulders, reaching up to turn off the overhead light and get into his own bed, not six feet from Jin. He laid on his back with the comforter pulled up to his chin for a moment, before jolting as Jin mumbled a quiet, “Goodnight..”

“...Goodnight.” Jungkook breathed. The light from Jin’s phone clicked away, and Jungkook stared up at the ceiling for a long time. Gradually, he heard Jin’s breathing even out into a steady rhythm, quiet and calming, and he listened to it as if he was learning something from it. Over an hour passed, and he still hadn’t moved, but he was certain Jin was asleep by now. Cautiously, he slipped off the bed, not sure what was compelling him to crouch down at the side of the bed, but feeling himself moving without consciously thinking of it. He placed a hand on the edge of the mattress, bent forward to stare into Jin’s sleeping face in the dim light from the hallway. Up until now, he hadn’t allowed himself the strength to inspect Jin too long, especially not allowing himself to think about how this was his soulmate he was able to look down at. So he gave himself the moment now, dropping his chin to the mattress and watching the way Jin’s features softened in his sleep, the slight droop of his heavy bottom lip, the pink clearness of his skin (Jungkook felt a surge of jealousy at this, as his own skin was still angry with blemishes). He was surprised at how thick and dark Jin’s eyelashes and eyebrows were; they didn’t even look real. But as tempted as he was to reach out and touch, that wasn’t permissible yet in this unwritten book of rules in his mind. Besides, the sleeping Jin before him looked evanescent enough that if Jungkook disturbed him, the spell would somehow be broken. So he stayed as he was, slowly exhaling a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding.

He hadn’t planned out what it would be like having a soulmate. But now that Jin was here, fallen into his (admittedly small and anxious) world, he found himself incapable of ignoring him.

Hello, soulmate. His mind decided that now, after everything, was the perfect time to compose the greeting he should have written on his arms a long time ago. My name is Jeon Jungkook. I’m 18. I like drawing, dancing, and games. Nice to meet you.

~~

“Well, some of us have been busy,” Jin chuckled, looking at the way Hoseok was hugging the sleepy looking Yoongi on his lap. Jin set his coffee down and sat down across from them. It had been almost a month since the strange nearly-synced soulmate search, but the two of them seemed even more clingy than when they’d first met. Jin was a bit surprised to see Yoongi so obviously affectionate in the pretty public atmosphere of the coffee shop, but he didn’t say anything about it. “Are you guys really that happy, or did you accidentally glue your hips together and haven’t told me?”

“Maybeee-” Hoseok cooed, taking a sip of his latte and smiling. In all honesty, they had only parted that day for classes and for a couple hour in the afternoon wherein Yoongi had attempted to go to the studio to compose a little for his class. And according to Yoongi, it hadn’t gone very well, and he’d eventually just given up for the day.

“And where’s your soulmate? I haven’t heard anything juicy from Tae about our resident cougar.” He chuckled, his teeth seeming to take up half his face with the sheer brightness of his smile.

Jin rolled his eyes, not surprised in the least. “I’m not a cougar, so stop teasing.” He took a sizable bite of his banana nut muffin before continuing, his cheek full. “Besides, we’re gonna take things slow. Now that I’ve found him, I’m in no rush.”

“You’re a stronger man than I,” Hoseok laughed, and Yoongi sipped at his coffee even as his hand clasped around Hoseok’s, where it lay on his hip. “But where is he now?”

Jin looked down at his arm, pulling back the sleeve and turning it so they could see the lines of a man’s face being etched across the skin there in short, abrupt . The rest of Jin’s arm was littered in Jungkook’s graffiti. Jin sent them a warm, satisfied smile. “He’s in class right now. He gets bored pretty quickly.”

“How bothersome to have to wait until the child gets out of school,” Yoongi deadpanned. Jin rolled his eyes again.

“I think Jungkook would surprise you. Just like how yesterday he told me he’s been taking dance classes, and I--”

“I hate class!” bemoaned an interjecting Taehyung, flopping down into the seat next to his brother and throwing himself over onto Jin’s shoulder.

“Why?” Jin patted him on the head with a smirk. “Your soulmate too busy to play with you?”

“Yes.” Tae frowned even more deeply, if that was possible. “And my professor got after me for talking in class again. And I need to talk to Jimin. We had a fight this morning.”

“Already having your first fight as a couple, huh?” Hoseok sighed, clinging to Yoongi. He knew it was inevitable, as nothing in the world was for certain, but nonsensical or not, he could still hope to put it off or that they could avoid it themselves.

“What do you mean ‘first’? We fight all the time,” Taehyung bluntly scoffed at the elder. “Just yesterday we fought over a meat bun.”

“...A meat bun?” Jin queried.

“Yes, and I was really pissed off at him all day!” Tae stole a bit of Jin’s unfinished muffin, causing his older brother to smack at his shoulder in protest.

While the others were preoccupied with food, Hoseok made a move. Yoongi jolted at the feeling of a large hand squeezing the widest part of his outer thigh. He leaned back a little until he could crane his neck and look into Hoseok’s grinning face.

“What are you doing?” Yoongi’s face remained markedly passive, and Hoseok was still in the process of learning how to read the infamous Motionless Min for the more subtle changes.

“Just returning an old favor,” Hoseok smirked, nuzzling into the back of Yoongi’s shoulder. The thigh under his hand was small like a girl’s, but toned, and it felt like he might break if Hoseok squeezed hard enough. It was an unexpected contrast to the strong, rock-like Yoongi, and Hoseok was enjoying it. When they met, he hadn’t expected the boy to have a sweet, cute, affectionate side, and it was still often bookended with a gruff remark or withdrawal, but the moments were there just the same. Yoongi smiled, his face transforming with a delicate and tangible warmth.

“You’re too cute,” Hoseok breathed into Yoongi’s neck. The boy seemed to pause, as if about to say something, and then nodded lightly, biting his lip and turning back to his coffee. Hoseok felt crestfallen.

“So you have your birthday party coming up, right, Jin?” Yoongi queried, as though deliberately moving mentally away from Hoseok and what he had left unsaid.

“Yeah, we decided to go out to eat,” Jin said, sighing as he handed his credit card to Tae, who rushed off to the register with glee. “And Jungkook said there was an illumination in the park that night, so I thought we should all go.”

“That sounds like date material, not squad material,” Yoongi snapped, making Hoseok arch an eyebrow at the reprimand slipped into the older boy’s tone.

“No, I don’t think so,” Jin smiled, shaking his head. “I already told you, we’re taking things slow. He’s only 18, after all. I’m respecting his space.”

“But what if you don’t have to?” Yoongi challenged, “Have you asked him?”

“Well, I didn’t exactly say, ‘hey, do you want to take it slow?’ but we did talk about it.” Something in the way his confidence faded away at the end made Hoseok think that perhaps it had been Jin who had done all the talking. “Anyway, he’d tell me if something was wrong.”

“Hmm…” Yoongi stared down at his coffee. “You would assume. But that kid is private to a fault. I don’t know if he would say it directly.”

“He’s private because he needs time to process,” Jin argued, sounding a bit flustered. “You’re the same way, after all.”

“All I’m saying is, sometimes it’s okay to make a bit more effort.” There was a tightness to Yoongi’s tone, and his words seemed pointed.

Hoseok felt his chest constrict so painfully, he felt a little dizzy, and he laid his cheek against Yoongi’s back. Yoongi wasn’t physically moving away from him, but he had a dreadful feeling that he’d done something wrong and not even noticed it, and his brain was going a million miles a minute trying to figure out where it was, what it had been. Taehyung came back, and they finished their brunch, acting like nothing had happened and then parting ways with plans for Jin’s birthday. Yoongi walked off without looking over his shoulder for Hoseok, but he followed him anyways. They were halfway back to Yoongi’s dorm room when Hoseok reached out and touched his arm.

“Yoongi?” His voice was quiet. “Are you okay? What’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing,” Yoongi mumbled into his scarf, his gravelly voice muffled. “It’s just me.”

“Did I say something wrong?” He knew his concern was oozing through his tone, but he couldn’t help it - he was rarely wrong about these gut feelings.

“No,” Yoongi snapped, sounding tired and irritable at the same time. “Just… let it be for now, okay?” He tucked his head down and rushed on ahead of Hoseok, who stood on the sidewalk, suddenly feeling wrapped up in the coldness of that dread he’d felt sinking in.