Seokjin stands in front of his bathroom mirror, a contact lens poised on the tip of his finger. He sighs as he admires the emerald green of his own eyes before inserting the lens and turning his left eye a vibrant sapphire blue. He only needs the one lens, just something to cover up the fact that his eyes match. He doesn’t want everyone thinking he’s taken because he’s not.

The blue of the contact is slightly off center thanks to Seokjin’s astigmatism, a crescent of green visible around the inner and outer edges of the colored lens. It doesn’t look natural. It never will. Seokjin just hopes that it won’t be too noticeable in the dim light of the bar.

It’s all Taehyung’s fault he has to wear the stupid thing in the first place. Seokjin curses him under his breath for at least the tenth time today.

Seokjin was twelve years old the first time he met Taehyung. He and Yoongi were sitting at the top of the jungle gym around the corner from their apartment building when a boy a few years younger entered the playground. Small and thin, with dark, shaggy hair and a sad pout on his lips, the boy wandered through the playground, kicking at rocks as he went.

“Who is he?” Yoongi asked, and Seokjin shrugged his shoulders. “You think he’s the kid who moved into 2C last week?”

“Maybe,” Seokjin answered with another shrug. He really didn’t care. The boy was too young to play with them. He would probably just be a nuisance, and talking to him would only encourage him to hang around.

“Hey!” Yoongi called, hopping off of the jungle gym, and the boy flinched before looking up at him.

“Shut up, Yoongi!” Seokjin hissed, but Yoongi ignored him, approaching the boy confidently with his hand outstretched.

“I’m Yoongi, what’s your name?”

“Taehyung.” His high, childish voice just proved to Seokjin that the kid was too young to be playing with them, and he grunted and looked away.

“Whatcha doin’?”

Taehyung glanced around the deserted playground, carefully avoiding looking at the top of the jungle gym. “N-nothing. Why?”

“Wanna hang out with us?”

“Yoongi,” Seokjin groaned, “since when are you so friendly?” He slid to the ground and approached Taehyung who was glaring at a rock at his feet as though personally offended by its presence. Seokjin sighed loudly and rolled his eyes.

“This here is Jin. He’s my best friend,” Yoongi informed Taehyung, but the boy kept his eyes lowered. Yoongi touched his shoulder, and when Taehyung looked up there was fear in his eyes. Seokjin suddenly felt sympathy for him.

Until he turned his eyes on Seokjin and they both gasped. Taehyung’s right eye was a warm hazel, a light brown outer ring with a burst of bright green surrounding the pupil, but his left eye was sparkling like a jewel in the late afternoon sun, an emerald, matching Seokjin’s right eye perfectly.

“What’s going on?” Taehyung asked, his voice wobbly, like he was on the verge of tears. “What’s happening?” As Seokjin watched, Taehyung’s left eye rippled like the surface of a pond after throwing a stone into the water. The green disappeared, faded away into the same hazel of the other eye, and Taehyung screamed, high and shrill and so loud that Seokjin thought his eardrums might burst. He screamed until he ran out of breath, which didn’t take long because he’d hardly been breathing before, and then his eyes fell shut as his head dropped backward. Yoongi reached out to catch him before he hit the ground, gently lowering him and looking up at Seokjin in confusion.

“Hyung, what happened to him? Whoa! What happened to you ?” Seokjin looked down at his hands and arms, running his fingers over his body to check for injuries. “No, hyung, your eyes. They’re both… Oh my… He’s… You’re… !”

“Watch your language,” Seokjin said through a sniffle, tears streaming down his cheeks because he knew: Taehyung was his soulmate. He turned to hide his face, covering his eyes with his hands. He leaned against the jungle gym and sobbed.

It was starting to get dark already, and no matter what they tried, Taehyung wouldn’t wake up, so Yoongi and Seokjin lifted him, throwing the boy's arms around their shoulders to carry him back to their building, hoping that he was the boy who had moved into 2C the previous week. Seokjin averted his eyes when they knocked on the door, only seeing a pair of fuzzy, pink house slippers and the hem of a long, beige skirt when it opened.

“Oh my God, Taehyung!” the woman exclaimed, and Seokjin flinched, almost losing his grip on Taehyung and dropping him to the floor outside the apartment. “Bring him in, here, on the couch.” She fluffed a throw pillow and arranged it on one end of the couch as Yoongi and Seokjin stumbled into the room with Taehyung hanging limp between them. If it had been up to Seokjin, he would have left him on the couch and booked it out of the apartment, but Yoongi wouldn’t have let him do that.

They carefully lowered Taehyung, and Seokjin stayed silent as Yoongi explained what had happened. He graciously left out the part about Taehyung finding his soulmate. Seokjin knew she would find out as soon as Taehyung woke up, but he was hoping to be far away when it happened.

“So anyway, we weren’t sure, but we thought he might live here so here we are. We should really be getting home though. Our parents are probably wondering where we are.”

“Of course, of course, yes,” the woman agreed, walking them back to the door and thanking them over and over for bringing her baby home.

“You’re welcome,” Yoongi answered, and then he repeated it in a lower and significantly more annoyed tone as soon as the door closed, leaving them alone in the hallway.

“Thank you,” Seokjin mumbled back.

“What is wrong with you, man? I know that was a shock and all, but Taehyung passed out and he still handled it better than you.” Seokjin shook his head. He didn’t want to talk about it, didn’t want to explain why he reacted the way he did. It was embarrassing to admit that he didn’t want a soulmate, especially some sniveling little nine-year-old who would follow him around like a lost puppy for the next however many years until he caught up to Seokjin in maturity. He didn’t want to be a babysitter.

“Well, whether you like him or not, hyung, he’s your soulmate. I’m stuck with both of you now, jeez! You better be nice to him or I’ll… I’ll-” Seokjin waited for Yoongi to come up with a sufficient threat, staring into his mismatched, onyx and aquamarine eyes that narrowed as he finally thought of something, “I’ll tell your Eomma how I really broke my leg when I was eight.” Yoongi’s grin was wicked, and Seokjin gasped.

“You wouldn’t!”

“I would and I will. Be. Nice.”

Seokjin snarls at his face in the mirror as the memory fades into the back of his mind again and adjusts the sleeves of his button down to settle on his broad shoulders properly. He smooths down the front of the shirt and checks to make sure it’s tucked in the back, and then he grumbles his way out the door, knowing that nothing will come of tonight because nothing ever does.

The bartender is new, and he’s young and quiet with matching amber-gold eyes, Seokjin notices, because he always notices, same as everyone else. He serves Seokjin his drink without breaking eye contact, and Seokjin can tell he’s staring at the blue contact lens. It’s probably lost somewhere at the edge of his eyeball, making him look like some freak with two eyes in one socket. He gently massages his eyelid with his fingertips until he feels the lens slide back into place, looking back up at the bartender questioningly. The bartender nods and walks away to serve another customer.

At the other end of the bar is a pretty little thing with orange hair and high cheekbones. His build is slender and delicate, almost feminine, and his long fingers are wrapped around a glass of what looks like blood on ice. It’s not. Seokjin knows it’s probably just vodka and cranberry juice, but the lighting in this place . It makes it hard to even tell the color of someone’s eyes if you’re not nearly nose to nose, much less if they match, which is, of course, why Seokjin comes here.

The stranger’s status is obvious: single, or at least he hasn’t found his soulmate yet. Seokjin can see one pale green iris from across the bar, peridot. The other is something much darker and deeper. He thinks it might be some shade of purple, amethyst maybe.

Seokjin is startled when the stranger finally looks over at him and smiles. It's a good start. A lot of people won't take a second glance once they determine they haven't met The One , but this guy still seems at least a little curious. Seokjin slides off the barstool and makes his way over.

“You have pretty eyes,” Seokjin says and mentally smacks himself for such a stupid remark. In a world where eye color telegraphs to the entire world whether or not a person has found his or her soulmate, it's not exactly the best opening line when looking for someone to fool around with, and it’s obvious the man feels the same when his eyebrows shoot up in disbelief.

“Well, you know, only one of them is technically mine.”

“Mmm, yes, the green. It matches your skin beautifully, and it really sparkles. Lovely.” Seokjin hopes he’s making up for his faux pas, and he thinks he’s succeeding when the man gives him a bashful grin. “I’m Seokjin, but you can call me Jin.” He feels the contact lens floating around again and looks down, blinking furiously for a moment in an attempt to get it back in place. He lifts his gaze back to the man who is studying him cautiously.

“Hoseok,” he says, and Seokjin smiles brightly as he shakes Hoseok’s hand. “So what are you doing here?” Hoseok’s expression is slightly suspicious, and Seokjin blinks again.

“The same as you. Looking for someone.”

“Ah, but the question is, who? It’s obviously not me. I don’t see even a speck of purple in your eyes.” He leans close enough to Seokjin’s face that Seokjin backs away slightly. “I don’t think there’s any blue in them either, though, is there?”

Seokjin’s heart plummets. He’s struck out again. He tries to go with it, to wing it.

“And yet you’re still talking to me,” he says with confidence he doesn’t feel. He forces a smile. “Does that mean you’re still interested?”

There’s a teasing lift at the corners of Hoseok’s lips, but his eyes show a bit of sadness, like he pities Seokjin. “Did I say I was interested before?” Seokjin’s smile falters. “You’re right, I am looking for someone, same as you, but you don’t happen to be that someone.”

“That doesn’t mean we can’t have a little fun together, right?” Seokjin pouts. He's pulling out all the stops. His pout may not be as powerful as Yoongi’s soulmate’s, but it’s still fairly successful most of the time.

This is not one of those times. Hoseok hops down off of his stool, carrying his drink with him as he goes and giving Seokjin a look of disappointment. “I’m not looking for fun, Seokjin. I’m looking for love.” He shakes his head and pats Seokjin’s shoulder as he passes. As much as Seokjin hates to admit defeat, he decides to call it a night. He pays for his drink and makes his way out to the street to get a cab home.

“You have no idea what it’s like, Jimin,” Seokjin complains over coffee a few days later. “This guy might have actually been interested in me. He was talking and everything, right up until the moment my contact shifted, and then it was like he was looking at the outline of a wedding band on my finger and thinking I’m some out looking to cheat on his wife.”

“Hyung, I’m sure that’s not what he was thinking, and even if it was, he’s kind of right.” Jimin’s hand is resting on Taehyung’s knee under the table, and Seokjin doesn’t miss the way the muscles in his forearm jump as he squeezes gently, comfortingly. “You have a lovely soulmate sitting just a few feet from you, and instead you’re babbling on about finding someone to fool around with.”

“How many times do I have to remind you that I don’t want a soulmate. I never wanted one. Soulmates only hold you back. I want to be free to live my life the way I want to live it, but my eyes instantly announce to everyone in the room that I’m taken, tied down. Is it really so wrong to want to have a little fun?”

There’s a loud screech as Taehyung stands, his chair sliding across the tile behind him. He glares at Seokjin for half a second before averting his glittering hazel eyes and making a break for the door. Jimin winces when the door slams behind Taehyung, and he levels Seokjin with a scowl that would make Yoongi proud.

“Why are you so insensitive all the time? You and Taehyung, you’re both my friends, and every time you break his heart, you break mine as well.” Jimin sounds like he’s about to cry, and for some reason that irritates Seokjin. “Hyung, I love you, I do, but sometimes I really don’t like you.” Before Seokjin can form a response, Jimin is rushing after Taehyung.

It’ll be okay, Seokjin thinks. Taehyung is tough. He’d have to be to still be friends with Seokjin after all he’s put him through. Then again, maybe he just sticks around because Yoongi treats him like the little brother he always wanted and Jimin is the best best friend anyone could ever ask for. Maybe Taehyung isn’t really friends with Seokjin at all.

By the time Jimin reaches the sidewalk Taehyung is already out of sight, but luckily Jimin knows just where he’ll be. He takes his time, giving Taehyung a little space. Sure enough, Jimin finds Taehyung curled up under a tree at the dog park, knees hugged to his chest and the wind ruffling his soft, brown hair.

“You know this is a dog park. Probably fifty dogs have peed on that tree just this week.” Usually a comment like this would earn Jimin at least half a smile, a sad grin, eye contact, but it seems Seokjin’s words cut a little deeper today because all he gets is a sigh. Jimin echoes the sigh and folds his legs into a pretzel as he sits beside Taehyung, leaning his head against Taehyung’s shoulder.

“Hyung, what did I ever do to him?”

“Nothing, Tae. You have done nothing wrong,” Jimin assures him. He feels Taehyung shaking his head.

“No, I must have. No way could someone hate me so much for absolutely no reason.”

“Jin hyung doesn’t hate you. He’s just being an . I’m sure he’ll snap out of it and apologise.”

“He won’t. He never has before; why should he start now?” Taehyung rips up a handful of grass and watches the wind lift the blades from his palm and scatter them across the ground in front of him. “He said he never wanted a soulmate, but did he ask my opinion? No, of course not.”

“Oh, Tae-”

“Do you know what my first thought was when we met?” Jimin shakes his head. “I was mad because we had to move, because of Appa’s work. We couldn’t live in Daegu anymore, and even though we’d only been in Seoul for a little over a week, I didn’t think it would ever feel like home.

“I hadn’t made any friends yet. The kids at school thought I was weird, and everyone in the neighborhood was either way younger or way older. It was getting late in the evening; the sun was just about to set, and I thought the playground was empty. There weren’t any kids running around, no one on the swings or the slide, but then I saw two older boys sitting on top of the jungle gym.

“I didn’t look at them. I tried to walk past without drawing their attention, but Yoongi hyung jumped down and stepped right in front of me. He introduced himself, and for like, half a second I thought we might be friends. He was nice, and he sounded like home. Then Jin hyung opened his mouth.

“He was so hostile . What had I even done to bother him besides walking through the playground? So I just stared at the ground and waited for them to get bored with me and let me go. Yoongi hyung touched me, and I was so startled that I looked up. The moment I met Jin hyung’s eyes I thought, ‘Wow, I didn’t think hazel and green could look so good on anyone.’ I mean, it was a weird combination on me, kind of disorienting in a way, a lot like yours were before you met Yoongi hyung. One eye was too bright and the other too dark and it made my face look unbalanced, but on Jin hyung… It just suited him.

“Then I got a look at the rest of his face, his soft hair and his thick eyebrows and holy his lips… I thought how lucky his soulmate would be, but I'm his soulmate and I don't feel lucky at all.”

“Oh, Taetae.” Jimin tries to comfort Taehyung, running fingers through his hair as he cries. Taehyung's pretty hazel eyes are red-rimmed and puffy, his face wet with tears and snot, but Jimin keeps telling him how handsome and wonderful he is until he calms down.

“I wish it was you,” he mumbles as the tears slow from a flood to a trickle, “or Yoongi or anyone else really, but how perfect would it have been if my best friend was also my soulmate?” He sniffs and lifts the hem of his shirt to wipe his nose. “It could have been a girl even; I like girls okay.”

Jimin laughs, soft, melodic, and (he hopes) soothing. “No you don't,” he says. “You think they're icky. You always have.”

“Yeah, but if she was my soulmate it would be different.” Taehyung leans further into Jimin. “I just wanna be happy, hyung. I think that's fair, don't you?”

“Yeah, Taetae. If anyone deserves to be happy, it’s you.”

They sit in silence for a little while longer, watching puppies play in the grassy field across the pavement. Finally, Jimin stands and pulls Taehyung up as well, and he walks Taehyung home, tucking him in on the couch and combing short fingers through his hair until his breaths are steady and even and the worry wrinkles on his forehead smooth out.

“Sleep well, Tae,” he whispers, and he quietly slips out of the apartment, leaving Taehyung to his dreams.

The bed wasn’t as soft as usual. The pillow was too firm, and the mattress was lumpy and had a dip right under his hip where he laid on his side facing the wall. But wait; it wasn’t a wall… or a mattress. He was laying on a couch, his mother's couch, in his mother's living room, and someone was his hair and it was just so comfortable that he forgot all about the lumpy, dipping cushion and the too-firm pillow and sank deeper into the couch with a content sigh.

Taehyung drifted in and out, images of a boy with green eyes, dark eyebrows, and puffy lips flitting through his mind as he dreamt. He was positive he didn’t see the boy long enough for his brain to pick up such detailed, vivid memories, but there they were, floating around in his head.

“Eomma?” he mumbled, whined really.

“I’m here, Tae,” his mother answered. A knot formed in his chest, a lump in his throat, tears in his eyes. He was only nine years old; he couldn’t explain why he was feeling so emotional with his limited vocabulary and life experience, but there was sadness creeping in his heart at the fact that it was his mother his head and not his soulmate.

HIS SOULMATE!

“Eomma!” he shouted, sitting up so suddenly that it made his head spin, though it could also be a side effect of having found his soulmate. No one ever described to him how he was supposed to feel after finding his soulmate, but he hadn’t imagined it would make him faint so it was entirely possible the dizziness was related as well. Taehyung pressed the heels of his hands to his eyes and waited for his body to adjust to his upright position.

“Tae, are you alright? The two boys who brought you home said you passed out on the playground. What happened?” Taehyung’s hands dropped to his lap, and when he opened his eyes to look at his mother, she gasped and fell back against the chair she was sitting in. “Oh, my baby. You’re so young. I had hoped you would be a little older before you found her.”

“It’s not a her, Eomma. He’s one of the boys who brought me home,” he told her, hoping he was correct in assuming that it was Yoongi and Jin who had brought him home. “The tall one.”

“Aren't you two a lovely match,” his mother said with the warm smile she reserved for Taehyung. “Both of you are so handsome, and the advantage to finding him now, of course, is that you have all this extra time to spend together, getting to know each other and falling in love before you're expected to marry and live together.”

Taehyung wanted to believe the words, but something about Jin’s less than warm welcome on the playground told him that Jin wasn’t going to make things easy for him.

His dream continues, and Taehyung is forced to relive some of his most difficult moments, the times when Seokjin rejected him and made him feel worthless. Taehyung has cried over his soulmate so many times over the past twelve years, and it hurts to watch passively as his spirit is broken and his hope fades until he’s no more than an empty shell.

When he wakes, there are streaks of dried tears on his cheeks. He’s thirsty, and his head and body ache. He still feels tired, like he worked an overnight shift instead of sleeping, but the early morning sunlight streaming through the sliding glass door tells him it’s time to get up and try to function. Taehyung drags himself off the couch and into the kitchen in search of water and painkillers before stumbling to the bathroom to wash away the pain of his dreams in the longest, hottest shower he can stand.

He concludes as he takes in the dark circles under his eyes and the permanent frown on his face, that it’s time to let go of the idea that Seokjin will one day accept him as his soulmate. It’s the only way he’s ever going to have any kind of peace in his heart.

“You’re not giving up,” he tells his reflection. “You’re setting yourself free.” He knows it’s going to take some time, but he already feels lighter. This really is for the best.

Seokjin has been to this bar so many times now that the bartender doesn't even ask him what he wants. Most nights he places a glass in front of Seokjin and moves on to the next customer without a second glance, but tonight he stops in his tracks, leaning across the counter to get a better look at Seokjin’s eyes.

“I left the contact lens at home,” he says, answering the bartender’s question before he can ask.

“Finally giving up?”

“What? No. Just changing tactics. Obviously lying about having found my soulmate wasn't working for me. I thought I'd try being honest for a change.”

Another customer takes a seat a couple of stools away, and the bartender shuffles around behind the counter making the man's drink. Seokjin watches them, amused by the way the bartender's expression softens when he looks at the man. He sets the drink in front of the man, and their fingertips brush as he takes the glass. Seokjin grins when he sees the hint of pink kissing the bartender’s cheeks, his lips lifting in a smile to expose what Seokjin thinks must be the cutest teeth ever, the front two protruding slightly in a way that makes him look like a bunny.

He turns away, hiding his face from Seokjin as he moves to make another drink for someone else, and Seokjin is left alone with the man who has the ability to make the adorable bartender blush. “Jungkook is mine,” he says without even looking at Seokjin.

“I wasn’t-”

“I just thought I’d clarify. Didn’t want you to think he was available or anything.”

The man slides off his stool and moves over to Seokjin, leaning back against the counter on his elbows. He’s tall and slender with a long neck and a pretty, heart shaped face framed by smooth, inky, blue-black hair, and Seokjin can just barely make out a tiny mole under his right eye. He’s dressed in a soft, white turtleneck and tight, dark blue jeans, and when he lifts his eyes, Seokjin notices they’re a duller green than his own, jade, and of course they match.

“I’m Yugyeom.” He doesn’t offer a hand to shake, and he continues to stare at Seokjin in a way that makes him feel , like he can read Seokjin’s thoughts and flip through the secrets in his head like folders in a well organised file cabinet.

“Jin,” Seokjin finally manages to choke out.

“I’ve seen you here before. Where’s your soulmate, huh? Is she one of those nagging types who makes it hard to go home even when you’re exhausted after a long day at the office?”

“We’re not together like that. He is just a friend.”

“A platonic soulmate. I’ve heard of it but never seen it in practice.”

Seokjin shakes his head. “It's not exactly that either. He wants to be more than friends, but I… well, I never even wanted to find him.” He almost feels guilty putting it into words like that, almost.

“My hyung has a friend like that,” Yugyeom says, pushing his hair behind his ear, “only he hasn't found his soulmate yet. He'll only hang out with us if it's all couples.”

“Really? I’ve never met anyone else who didn’t want a soulmate. Everyone romanticises the whole thing. Ask anyone in this bar what meeting their soulmate is or should be like and they’ll all tell you some sappy story about how the stars align and you feel whole for the first time in your life. It’s just… it’s not really like that.”

“Sometimes it is,” Jungkook interjects, and he must be a freaking ninja because Seokjin could have sworn he just saw him at the other end of the bar a couple of seconds ago. “It was for me. When I saw Yugyeom… I would have known he was the one even if our eyes hadn’t matched. It was love at first sight.”

“See?” Seokjin says, aware that his voice is probably a bit too loud. “That’s what I’m talking about. Jungkook, there is no such thing as love at first sight. There’s attraction at first sight, but love is something that develops slowly as you get to know a person. And furthermore-”

Jungkook scowls at Seokjin, and he pauses for a moment, wondering if he’s about to be thrown out of the bar. Yugyeom moves his hand to rest atop Jungkook’s. It calms him some, but Seokjin can tell he’s still silently fuming.

“Kook, can you do me a favor?” Jungkook curls his lip at Seokjin before turning to Yugyeom. “Text Namjoon hyung and tell him there’s someone he should meet.”

Jungkook reluctantly steps behind an ‘employees only’ door to find his phone, but not without steadily glaring at Seokjin until his face disappears as the door closes.

“I was only going to say that if your eyes hadn’t matched it would have been proof that it wasn’t love at first sight,” Seokjin points out. “If Jungkook really believes in the whole soulmates thing, then he can’t possibly think he’d still be in love with you if you weren’t soulmates.”

“I’m not saying you’re wrong,” Yugyeom says, raising his hands in a gesture of surrender, “but everyone is entitled to his own opinion. If Jungkook wants to believe in love at first sight, I’m not going to let you take that from him. Kookie’s more sensitive than he lets on. You were upsetting him.”

Now Seokjin does feel guilty. Is it just him, or are all these kids easily offended? First Taehyung, then Jimin, and now Jungkook… Seokjin feels like he can’t speak his mind without someone getting defensive on him.

“Sorry,” he finally offers, reluctantly.

“I know. I don’t think you’re a hateful person, just a little misunderstood. That’s why I think you should meet Namjoon hyung. I have a feeling you’ll get each other.”

Just then, Jungkook reappears, obviously still angry. “He says he won’t come here. You’ll have to take Jin to him.” Yugyeom lets out a long sigh. He reaches over the counter and slides a finger down the back of Jungkook’s hand.

“I’ll be back in a bit, yeah?” Jungkook nods. “Follow me,” he says, and he pushes himself off the counter and starts walking toward the exit. Seokjin hesitates for a moment. Jungkook huffs at him, and he decides his chances are better with Yugyeom than staying here. He tosses a few bills on the counter and follows Yugyeom out the door.

Yugyeom doesn’t take him far. In fact, he only leads him to the sidewalk outside the bar where he hails a cab and tells the driver where to drop Seokjin.

“You’re not coming?” Seokjin inquires through the open window of the backseat.

“Nah. You’re a big boy; you can handle it. There’ll be a coffee shop sandwiched between a bookstore and a pizza joint where the car stops. Namjoon hyung will probably be hiding out in the back, but his shift is already over. You can’t miss him. He’s tall and awkward, and his hair looks like someone spilled grape soda on his head. You may have to ask someone to bring him out to you though. Tell him Kook sent you. Good luck!”

Before Seokjin can ask any more questions, Yugyeom steps back with a wave, and the cab pulls away from the curb.

Seokjin spends the first ten minutes of the drive debating whether he should go through with this or tell the driver to pull over and let him out at the next street corner, but then he realises they’ve been driving the opposite direction of his apartment. He could tell the driver to turn around and take him back instead, but that would just be a waste of money. He figures he might as well take his chances with this Namjoon guy. Yugyeom seemed pretty sure they’d get along so it’s probably worth a shot.

It takes almost half an hour to reach the coffee shop. Just as Seokjin is wondering if they’ll ever get there, the cab stops and leaves him on the sidewalk outside the tiniest cafe he’s ever seen. Through the window, he takes in the handful of intimate, two-seat tables and an enormous pastry case that takes up almost all of the front counter.

Leaning over a book, propped on his elbows, is a man with a shock of purple hair swept up and out of his face like a cresting wave on top of his head. He’s obviously tall, his back hunched and curved over the low counter. His cheeks are round and full, but his body is slim, his waist and hips narrow. His slender wrists are visible beneath the rolled up sleeves of his black button down as he turns a page with long, elegant fingers and rests his chin in his palm as he reads. Except for the awkward part, he fits Yugyeom’s description of Namjoon.

A bell hanging from the door handle jingles as Seokjin enters the cafe, and without even looking up from his book, Namjoon yells, “Youngjae! Customer!” Seokjin takes a step back from the counter when one of the brightest smiles he’s ever seen pops into his line of sight. Youngjae’s eyes are an unsettling combination of citrine and sunstone, both luminous and very fitting of his apparent personality.

“Welcome to Empty Cup. How can I help you?” Youngjae greets Seokjin, and his voice is rich, throaty, and somehow still bubbly. The smile on his face widens, turning his eyes into tiny slits and hiding the disorienting colors momentarily. He giggles when Seokjin doesn’t respond right away and points at the pastry case. “Are you hungry or thirsty? Because the custard tarts are especially good today, and,” he jerks his thumb over his shoulder, “Namjoon makes the best Americano in town.”

“I’m off the clock, Youngjae. Make the drinks yourself,” Namjoon grumbles, and Seokjin did not know it was possible to flip a page violently, but apparently it is.

“Uhm, actually I’m here to see Namjoon, but the custard tart sounds lovely. I’ll take one… two if Namjoon would like one.” Namjoon looks up from his book, but avoids Seokjin’s face, instead checking out his shoes, his dark jeans, and his pale blue button down that fits everywhere except his shoulders where it’s stretched a little tight. “Oh, Jungkook sent me,” Seokjin adds, and Namjoon finally lifts his eyes to meet Seokjin’s. They’re narrowed as he studies Seokjin, but even from several meters away, Seokjin can see the colors and he freezes in place as he recognises the combination. He’s seen it before, or at least a mirror image of it… amethyst and peridot. Namjoon’s natural eye color matches his hair.

“Soooo… Namjoon, do you want one?” Youngjae asks, obviously feeling rather awkward as he watches their standoff from the sidelines.

“Make it a brownie,” Namjoon waves in Youngjae’s direction, “and I’ll get us some coffee. Sorry, Jungkook didn’t tell me your name.”

“Oh, uhm, Jin.”

“Alright, Jin. Have a seat, and I’ll join you in a minute.”

Seokjin watches Namjoon work, brewing the espresso and adding the hot water before loading a tray with two cups and the two plates that Youngjae had set out for them. He punches something in on the register and slides an employee card, and then he’s making his way carefully across the floor, taking small, shuffling steps and repeatedly looking around both sides of the tray in his hands to check for obstacles. He slowly lowers the tray and slides it onto the table, double checking that nothing is going to tip over as he sits in the chair opposite Seokjin.

“You’re very… cautious.” Seokjin tries not to snort at the face Namjoon makes, his nose crinkling.

“I have to be. I once had my entire paycheck held to cover the damages after I knocked over all the cups.”

“All of the cups?”

Namjoon nods with a grimace. “All the ones within my reach which,” he stretches his arms out at his sides, “is pretty much all the cups in the building.” Seokjin laughs, and it’s really the perfect ice breaker because Namjoon laughs as well, albeit a bit embarrassed, his eyes downcast but his cheeks revealing deep dimples on either side of his face. “So, why did Kookie send you to me?”

“Actually, it was Yugyeom who sent me. I’m pretty sure Jungkook hates me.”

“Little Kookie?” Namjoon’s jaw drops. “Kookie doesn’t hate anyone. He’s the sweetest kid, really… a true romantic, the total opposite of-” he cuts himself off. “Oh. I’m guessing you expressed a disinterest in soulmates?”

“Not all soulmates, just mine, and it’s not even that I don’t like my soulmate. We’re friends.” Seokjin nearly takes the last part back. He’s really starting to think he and Taehyung aren’t actually friends. “Anyway…” He lets the word hang in the air, unsure how to continue the conversation.

“Well, that explains why Yugyeom thinks we’ll hit it off. I hope you didn’t come here looking for a hook-up because I don’t do that.” Seokjin tries not to let his disappointment show. He hadn’t actually come here for a hook-up, but Namjoon is much more attractive than he’d expected. “I do want to find my soulmate someday. I just don’t think some mystical matching of eye colors is any indication of how well two people’s personalities will mesh. Where’s the science to back it up? You know what’s science? Chemicals are science. Your brain reacts to certain physical features, scents, character traits and all that, and it releases chemicals that make you feel things. That’s what love is. How does matching eye color have anything to do with that?

“And what about the fact that how a person is raised affects his personality? Sure, there’s no exact formula for how to raise a perfect child, but there’s no denying that the way a person is brought up can determine certain aspects of his character. How could that possibly be decided at or before birth?”

“Wow. You’ve given this a lot of thought.” Seokjin is honestly impressed. He’s always just gone with his feelings on the matter. He’s never done any research into the science of love, but Namjoon makes some excellent points. Seokjin almost feels validated, like Namjoon is backing him up on his decision regarding Taehyung. “How are you planning on explaining this to your soulmate?”

“The same way I explained it to you… only I’ll probably include that I hope we’re compatible once we get to know each other. What about you? What are you planning to do with your soulmate? Do you just want to be friends forever, or do you see a point in the future when you might want to be with him?”

Seokjin sighs and leans back in his chair. “I don’t know,” he says to the ceiling. “We met so young. I was twelve and he was nine, but I knew even then that this wasn’t really something I wanted. And I like him, I do. He’s a cute kid, but…”

“But what?” Namjoon asks when he doesn’t continue. “But… he smells funny? Is he ugly? Does he believe in aliens?”

“No, no, and yes, but don’t judge him for that,” Seokjin adds hastily. “When he was a kid, he and his siblings had a telescope, and they used to pretend they could see UFOs and all that and I guess it just kinda… stuck.

“It was really sweet, actually. They made up stories about the aliens, where they came from and why they were so close to Earth.” Namjoon is grinning at him, and it’s both unsettling and, thanks to the dimples, adorable. “What?” Seokjin blushes and looks down at his untouched tart.

“Not a thing.” Seokjin stuffs a bite of the tart in his mouth so he won’t say anything stupid, but Namjoon doesn’t seem to care as he continues interrogating Seokjin. “So is it just because he’s young? Do you still see him as the nine-year-old you met when you were twelve?”

“Well,” he swallows, “no. He’s an adult, but he still has this childlike innocence. He still believes in aliens, obviously. He loves kids and animals, and he’s so sweet with them. He really gets on their level when he plays with them. He’s got a wild imagination and a tender heart, and he’s not afraid to be weird.” Seokjin doesn't realise he's picking his tart apart with his fork as he talks until Namjoon puts a hand over his to stop him.

“You seem to think really highly of him.”

“I guess I do. He’s a good guy. He deserves better than I can give him. He deserves someone who knows what love feels like and how to express it.”

Namjoon’s eyes light up like he’s found the key to unlock Seokjin. “I think maybe it’s not that you don’t want a soulmate, but that you don’t think you deserve one.”

“More like I’m not prepared for one. I was twelve when we met! How was I supposed to know what to do? I was terrified and angry. I still didn’t know if I liked boys or girls. And the hardest part was that once I met Tae, no one wanted anything to do with me. Even twelve-year-olds won’t mess with someone once he’s found his soulmate. All that experience I thought I’d be getting before I was expected to be with him, I never got any of it.”

He’s gotten a little loud again, and Seokjin takes a moment to calm himself, taking deep breaths.

“Okay, so now that you’re older, maybe you should rethink the whole thing,” Namjoon suggests. “Tell me what you’d want in a soulmate if you were just now finding him.”

Seokjin has to contemplate the question, and his answer comes slowly. “I’d want someone with a good sense of humor, someone who could make me laugh when I’m feeling down and keep me from feeling like the old man I'm becoming. I’d want… Hmmm. I’d want someone who is a good listener and who I can trust with all my secrets. I’d want someone who treats his friends like family and is playful and caring and cuddly.”

Namjoon laughs, and Seokjin gives him a look because you asked! “I’m sorry, it’s just… you know you could probably just get a puppy. You just described a very loyal dog.”

The whole world comes to a stop. The Earth ceases spinning, the moon pauses its orbit, the cars on the street stand stock still, and even the very air in the room refuses to move into Seokjin’s lungs because, “No. No, I didn’t. I just described Taehyung.”

“You look good ,” Jimin comments when Taehyung opens the door. “We’re not going anywhere special, you know. It’s just Yoongi’s club. You’ve been there like a thousand times, and you never get all gussied up like this.”

“I know, but… I don’t know. I just felt like it tonight.” Taehyung tugs at the collar of the green button down that still feels a bit tight and uncomfortable. It’s almost like his skin doesn’t fit him anymore, and it leaves him itchy and fidgety. “Is Yoongi hyung gonna DJ tonight?”

“Yep, and I’m gonna make sure he plays something that’ll make you wanna move those sinful little hips of yours.” Taehyung has to laugh at that. If anyone has sinful hips, it’s Jimin. “Ah, Taetae, it’s been so long since I’ve seen that smile. It makes me happy.” Jimin pinches his cheeks, and Taehyung tries to squirm out of reach. “So cute,” he says as he smushes Taehyung’s face. He’s starting to worry that Jimin will smudge all of his makeup or wipe it off entirely. Finally, he releases Taehyung with a gentle smack to his shoulder. “Are we ready to go?”

Taehyung grabs his coat off the hook by the door and slides his feet into his shoes, the comfortable ones that he can dance in while still looking stylish. “Let’s go.”

The club is packed; it always is. Taehyung keeps a tight grip on Jimin’s hand as they squeeze through the crowd to get to the bar. “What does a guy have to do to get some service around here?” Jimin shouts over the counter.

“Jiminie!” the bartender yells back and somehow hauls his unfairly long body up over the bar to tackle Jimin in a hug. Then he catches sight of Taehyung over Jimin’s shoulder and launches himself at Taehyung.

“Bammie,” Taehyung groans, “can’t breathe.”

“Sorry, sorry,” the bartender says as he checks Taehyung for injuries with glittering ruby eyes. “I haven’t seen you in forever. Lisa is gonna be so excited you’re here!”

“It’s only been a couple of weeks,” Taehyung mumbles, rubbing at his shoulder where Bambam had hit him hardest. His cheeks color with a rosy blush when he remembers his last encounter with Bambam’s soulmate. Lisa may look innocent and sweet, but she can be absolutely filthy when she and Bambam team up against Taehyung on the dance floor.

“A couple of weeks is too long. You must visit at least once a week from now on. New rules. No exceptions.” Taehyung agrees, and Bambam hops onto the counter to slide back behind the bar. “What’ll it be, gentlemen?”

Jimin orders for them and leaves Taehyung at the counter to wait for their drinks while he checks on Yoongi. Taehyung senses someone behind him, his entire back heating to an uncomfortable temperature before a body is draped over him, arms coming around his shoulders and warm lips pressed to his cheek.

“Hello, handsome,” Lisa’s voice sounds in his ear, and he can hear the grin on her face before he even turns around to see it. “Oppa, come dance with me. I need to move.” She grinds her hips against him for emphasis. Taehyung giggles because it tickles, and grabs her waist to hold her at arm’s length. “Aww, come on. Dance floor,” she begs as she tries to pull Taehyung away from the bar.

“He hasn’t even had a drink yet, babe,” Bambam says as he offers Taehyung his and Jimin’s glasses. “Let him get a little buzz before you drag him away from me.”

Taehyung takes a large gulp of his drink and pulls Lisa in for a hug. “Gimme a few minutes. Jimin’ll be back soon and we can all dance together.”

Jimin downs his drink as soon as he returns, nearly choking on it when Lisa pinches him, whining, “Oppa, let’s goooooo.” Then they’re dancing, and the music is loud, all heavy percussion and pounding bass and electronic sounds. Taehyung is sandwiched between Lisa and Jimin who crowd progressively closer with the addition of more people on the dance floor. He feels sweat dripping down his temples and a burn in his thighs where he’s crouching slightly to match his dancing partners’ heights. Lisa gives him a dangerous looking grin as Jimin rolls his hips against Taehyung’s , her tiger’s eye orbs, half hidden behind heavy lids, shifting from deep brown to brilliant gold in the changing light. The combination of the movement and the heat and the mild buzz from the alcohol leaves him feeling slightly euphoric.

He laughs when a hand lands on his hip, thinking Jimin is getting a little bold as fingers curl around him to pull him backward, but he startles when he hits a solid wall of muscle behind him. Taehyung turns to see a soft, daffodil yellow t-shirt stretched tight across chiseled pectorals and abs, bulging biceps barely contained by the fabric. The guy isn’t actually all that big, but he’s built out of brick and concrete, hard everywhere except his eyes. Both look like they’re in motion, one smoldering a burning, fire agate red while the other ripples like the waves of a clear, tanzanite blue ocean, but they’re soft around the edges where there are obvious lines that tell Taehyung the man probably smiles often.

Jimin and Lisa flank Taehyung like they’re about to head into battle, each hooking an elbow with him, and the guy takes a step back with his hands up. Taehyung is tempted to tell his friends to stand down. The guy doesn’t seem dangerous, maybe just a little too forward. “I got it,” he says to Lisa who shoots Jimin a questioning look. “I got it, hyung,” he repeats, turning to Jimin. “I’m never going to get over Jin hyung if I don’t get out there, right?”

“But Tae-”

“Really, I’m fine. I’m sure…” He gestures at the guy who catches on quickly that Taehyung wants his name.

“Yongguk,” he says.

“Thank you. I’m sure Yongguk will take good care of me, and if he doesn’t, I’ll just tell Yoongi.” Jimin eyes Yongguk warily. “Please, Jimin. I’m an adult. Let me make my own decisions for once.”

“Fine,” Jimin huffs, “but I’ll be watching from the bar. If he so much as-”

“Jimin, please,” Taehyung begs, and Jimin rolls his eyes and pulls Taehyung into a tight hug.

“Be careful, Tae,” he whispers. Taehyung is pretty sure the only reason for the hug is so that Jimin can glare at Yongguk without Taehyung seeing, but he can’t be mad. Jimin is a good best friend. He just wants to take care of Taehyung.

“I will,” he promises, and Jimin finally takes Lisa’s hand to her back to the bar where they can keep an eye on Yongguk.

“Well,” Taehyung laughs nervously, “now that that’s over, I’m Taehyung. Would you like to dance?”

Yongguk throws Taehyung the sweetest, gummiest grin he’s ever seen. He’s thrown a little off balance by it. The contrast between the intensity of Yongguk’s gaze and the sincerity of his smile is difficult to reconcile, but then he’s taking Taehyung’s hand and pulling him against that firm chest again, saying, “I thought you’d never ask,” like some cheesy lead in a romantic comedy. Taehyung returns the smile with his own boxy one that makes his eyes turn into crescents like a living anime character, and he lets Yongguk sweep him off his feet.

Yongguk is no Jimin. His hips don’t swing as freely and his movements aren’t quite as natural, but Taehyung doesn’t care because Yongguk is tall and strong and stunningly handsome. He’s a little corny when he leans close enough to Taehyung’s ear to whisper something about seeing him from across the room and feeling the need to come get to know him better, but his voice is exceedingly deep and raspy and y . It makes Taehyung’s knees weak and draws throaty giggles out of him, and for just a bit, he forgets his soulmate is a jerk, forgets he even has a soulmate, and lets himself have fun.

Yoongi is Seokjin’s best friend. They’ve been best friends since they met when they were seven years old and one of the older kids at school stole Seokjin’s lunch, Mario lunchbox and all. Yoongi had climbed a tree and launched himself at the kid to get the lunchbox back. Seokjin’s lunch was gone, but Mario was safe and that was all that mattered. Yoongi had even gone so far as to offer half of his food to Seokjin, and from then on they had been inseparable.

Yoongi is Seokjin’s best friend. That’s why when Seokjin has a problem, he usually goes to Yoongi for advice, and right now, Seokjin has a big problem.

It’s been a week since his coffee with Namjoon, and Seokjin has spent the time trying (and failing) to push Taehyung out of his mind. Everything seems to remind him of Taehyung.

When Seokjin passes the fountain in Gwanghwamun Plaza, he remembers the night Taehyung had convinced Jimin to dance with him in it, fully dressed of course. The walk home had been cold, Taehyung and Jimin dripping wet from head to toe. Yoongi had carried Jimin on his back and ed the whole way about how the water from Jimin's clothes was soaking into his own, but Seokjin remembers the look of innocent joy on Taehyung's face as he and Jimin had chased and splashed each other in the fountain like kids.

When Seokjin is picking up lunch from his favorite chicken restaurant, he remembers the first time he'd eaten there, just after they’d opened. Yoongi hadn't been available, and since Seokjin prefers company when he eats, he'd reluctantly invited Taehyung along. He'd sat across the table from Seokjin, touching and playing with everything from sugar packets to dipping sauces until Seokjin had scolded him and told him it was the last time he would take Taehyung out in public if he couldn't act like an adult. Taehyung had spent the rest of the meal staring sullenly at the table, sheepish and apologetic.

When Seokjin visits his family, still living in the apartment he grew up in, he sees the playground where he and Taehyung met. The equipment they had when they were little is gone, replaced by one huge structure with swings and slides and all kinds of things to climb on. There’s no more jungle gym, but Seokjin can see it in his mind.

He remembers a day about a week after they’d met. Yoongi had already taken Taehyung under his wing. He protected Taehyung from all the bullies in the neighborhood and taught him ways to defend himself if anyone ever cornered him when Yoongi wasn’t around to help. His lessons had included ways of ignoring Seokjin’s grumpiness and sass, and that particular day Yoongi had been consoling a crying Taehyung who had said nothing more than hello to Seokjin before being told not so politely to buzz off. Taehyung was sobbing and sniffling, Yoongi awkwardly patting him on the shoulder and telling him not to listen to hyung because he was just being a big grouchypants, and Seokjin remembers being supremely irritated that Yoongi had taken Taehyung’s side in the whole matter.

Seokjin’s heart does something funny as he turns to walk away from the playground, and yeah, that’s a huge ing problem. He needs his best friend.

Seokjin enters the club with one thing in mind: getting to Yoongi’s booth. What he’ll say to Yoongi once he sees him is still up in the air, but the booth is clear across the club so he’ll have to navigate around the dance floor to get there. He scans the room to find the safest path, and there, in the center of a mass of moving bodies, halfway between Seokjin and the DJ booth, is his soulmate. He’s wrapped around someone tall, dark, and dangerous looking, and is that a smile on his face?

Taehyung smiles, often. Never at Seokjin of course, but he smiles when Jimin hugs him and when he sees animals and children. He smiles when his mother sends him homemade cookies in the mail and when his favorite song comes on the radio, but Seokjin has never seen this kind of smile before. It’s so free and genuine and beautiful. He looks so… happy.

The club might as well be empty. Every drop of Seokjin’s attention is focused on Taehyung and the way that smile makes Seokjin’s heart feel like it’s exploding. Or imploding. Yes, that’s more accurate. He feels like his chest is caving in around the space where his heart used to be. His brain is screaming, ‘ Abort! Run! ’ but his body isn’t listening. His lungs have stopped working. His muscles have turned to stone. He’s become a statue.

Finally, finally , after what seems like hours of standing frozen in place watching  Taehyung giggle and dance and touch some guy that isn’t him, Seokjin’s internal computer restarts, and he bolts. He turns and runs, out the doors and into the open air which he in like a drowning man. Seokjin stumbles to the curb and hails a cab, and he falls into the back seat, still gasping in a way that sounds as painful as it feels.

“Hey buddy, you okay?” the driver asks, turning in his seat to get a good look at Seokjin who shakes his head and stutters out his address. “Are you sure you wouldn’t rather go to a hospital?”

“Home,” Seokjin whines. “Please just take me home.”

He doesn’t cry, not until he’s safely locked behind his bedroom door, wrapped in the quilt his halmeoni made before her hands were too twisted with arthritis to work a needle and thread. Seokjin curls up against the wall at the far edge of his bed and buries his face in the pillow to muffle his sobs.

There are a lot of things Seokjin never expected. He never expected to find his soulmate so young. He never expected to discover he has feelings for his soulmate. He never expected Taehyung to move on, and most of all, he never, ever expected it to hurt so much when Taehyung did so. And it hurts. It hurts so much, and Seokjin doesn’t think he’s ever felt pain like this in his life.

It could be hours later, even days, Seokjin isn’t really sure. He hears someone open the door to his apartment, footsteps, someone coming down the hallway toward the bedroom. The footsteps stop at the doorway. Seokjin doesn’t turn to see who it is. He already knows.

“What the , hyung?” Yoongi’s gruff voice and blunt words are exactly what Seokjin expected. “I saw you heading towards the booth but then you just froze up, and before I could tell Jimin to go get you, you were running away. So what the happened?”

“Go away,” Seokjin moans, though he knows it's pointless. Yoongi isn't going anywhere until he has answers.

“Are you crying? What the ?” Seokjin wants to scold Yoongi for his language, but instead he's hit with a fresh wave of tears. “, Jin. What is going on? The last time I saw you cry was the day we met Tae.” Yoongi pauses, waiting for an answer perhaps, one that Seokjin can't give yet. He's busy holding his breath to quiet his sobs that still manage slip out as hiccups and gasps. “!” Yoongi curses again. “I’m not prepared to deal with… whatever the hell this is.”

Seokjin hears Yoongi walk back down the hall, and then he’s speaking again but not to Seokjin.

“Hey, yeah. You were right... No, I think you need to come up.” There’s a long pause as Yoongi listens to someone on the other end. “ no! This is your area, not mine. Get in here and help me out!”

It’s quiet for what feels like a long time, a really long time, ages and ages. Seokjin never hears Yoongi leave, but he hasn’t come back to the bedroom. Maybe he out and didn’t hear the door?

He’s calmed down quite a bit, sobs reduced to sniffles and tears drying on his cheeks. Muffled voices drift down the hall, and then more footsteps, lighter ones, and a weight on the mattress behind Seokjin. A hand brushes his shoulder, and he swallows down a whimper.

“Hyung? Can I get you anything? Water maybe?” Jimin doesn’t even ask right away what’s going on, which means one of two things. Either he’s being sensitive, waiting for Seokjin to open up without being interrogated, or he already knows what happened.

“No, thank you.” Seokjin’s voice wavers. His throat is starting to hurt, a soreness in the muscles from holding everything back. “Are… are you mad at me?”

He doesn’t know why he asks. Maybe because the last time they spoke, Jimin had walked away angry. Maybe because Seokjin knows Jimin has been hoping since day one that Taehyung would someday win Seokjin over. Maybe because he’s feeling exceptionally needy, and he knows Jimin with his kind heart would never hold a grudge when someone needs him.

“Hyung…” Jimin sighs, his breath tickling the back of Seokjin’s neck as he settles on his side behind Seokjin, “yeah. I am. You hurt my friend, repeatedly. But you’re also going through something right now. I’m here to help whenever you’re ready.”

“I like him. Taehyung. I finally see what everyone else sees in him. I went to the club to ask Yoongi for help. I saw them, and I can’t unsee it.”

“Saw… Taehyung?” Jimin guesses correctly, and Seokjin whines. “Oh. Yeah, I can see how that would be upsetting.”

“Upsetting?” Seokjin pushes himself up on his knees. “Upset isn’t the word I’d use. I’m confused and heartbroken and confused because I’m heartbroken. I’ve never been heartbroken before. I don’t understand this feeling. It’s more than disappointment; I’m used to that. It hurts so much.”

“Aww, hyung,” Jimin smiles softly, and for a moment Seokjin thinks he’s getting proper sympathy for once, but then…

“Ouch! Why?” he whines and rubs his thigh where Jimin pinched him.

“Because, you entitled dingbat, you don’t get to have Taehyung just because you suddenly think you want him. That’s not how it works.”

“But-”

“No, hyung,” Jimin cuts him off. “How do you think Taehyung has felt all this time? He’s been waiting, hoping you’d come to your senses and accept him as a soulmate should, but instead…” He looks at Seokjin and finally seems to change his mind about scolding his hyung. “Come here,” he says with a loud sigh. Jimin clumsily pulls Seokjin into his arms. “I know you’re upset, and I’m sorry. I don’t want any of my friends to be in pain, but you have to realise that you may have missed your opportunity with Taehyung, or should I say opportunities because that boy has given you far more chances than you deserved.”

“Then what do I do? Do I just give up and let him go? I want him to be happy too. I don’t want to force him to be with me if he doesn’t want it too. I want him to be able to choose; I just want him to choose me.”

“Jesus ing Christ, Jin,” Yoongi grumbles from the hall. “You’re gonna have to win him back, you idiot. Stop being such a and go prove to Taehyung that you want him and you’re worth being with.”

“Yoongi is right. Woo him, hyung. He’ll come back. You’re soulmates after all.”

Seokjin nods. He doesn’t know how, but he’ll find a way to show Taehyung that whatever or whoever is in charge of matching soulmates didn’t make a mistake in matching them.

Seokjin has never gone looking for Taehyung before. He’s never had to; it’s not like he’s ever needed Taehyung for anything, and Taehyung has just always been around. Now that Seokjin wants Taehyung, he’s nowhere to be found.

Jimin makes some suggestions of where to look, but that’s about all the help he’s willing to offer. So Seokjin checks all the places Jimin tells him about. He tries the cafe they meet at for breakfast every week. He walks through parks all over the city. He goes to the animal shelter where Jimin says Taehyung volunteers sometimes.

It’s not Seokjin’s fault that he falls in love with an excitable golden retriever puppy with pretty hazel eyes and soft fur. When a volunteer tells him she’s a favorite of the boy with the boxy smile, Seokjin adopts her on the spot.

It’s weird not being alone in the apartment for a change. Every time he turns around Saeng-gang is getting into something, and after waking up the first morning as a new pet owner to find her gnawing on his house slippers (thank goodness he thought to hide his good shoes before bed), Seokjin knows he’s going to have to find a way for Saeng-gang to burn off some of her energy. Jimin tells him there’s a dog park nearby, so Seokjin grabs Saeng-gang’s leash and a couple of toys and lets her drag him down the street.

It turns out Seokjin hadn’t been walking the right parks, because the moment he removes Saeng-gang’s leash, she bounds off toward a familiar figure hunched under a tree at the edge of the jogging path.

“Hey there, girl. How did you get here?” Taehyung coos at the puppy as he ruffles the fur behind her ears. “Did someone finally give you a home? Where’s your owner, hmm?” He looks around, and when he locks eyes with Seokjin, he jumps to his feet to run.

“Wait!” Seokjin calls. Taehyung hesitantly turns around, a hand on Saeng-gang’s head as she jumps around, pawing excitedly at Taehyung’s legs. “Hey, I’ve been looking all over for you.”

“Why?” Taehyung’s tone expresses a mixture of suspicion and irritation that makes Seokjin flinch.

“I wanted to…” Seokjin hesitates. Wanted to what? Tell Taehyung that he changed his mind? That he thinks he might love him after all? That’ll go over well, he’s sure, but honesty is really the best option he has. “I’ve been thinking a lot about, you know, soulmates and stuff, and there’s a reason our eyes matched, right? I wanted to give it a try. With you. You and me.”

Taehyung laughs. It’s dry and humorless, and Seokjin’s stomach turns at the sound.

“Hyung, it’s been twelve years. Twelve years of waiting and hoping and hurting, and now you suddenly want to give it a try? What does that even mean? Try what? Dating? Or were you just hoping I’d sleep with you since no one else will? I don’t feel any obligation toward you, hyung. It’s not my duty to please you just because we’re soulmates. You didn’t want me. You pushed me aside like trash. So you know what? You can go yourself.”

Taehyung turns to walk away again. “Let’s go find your owner, yeah?” he says to the puppy, and Saeng-gang follows, nipping at his heels.

“She’s ours.” Taehyung whirls around, squinting at Seokjin.

“What did you say?”

“I said she’s ours, or at least I hope she will be. For now, I guess she’s mine. Her name is Saeng-gang.”

“You… you named her Ginger?” Taehyung cackles, like it’s the dumbest thing he’s ever heard. “Only you would name your dog after food. And no, she’s not ours. I would love to have her, but not if you’re part of the package.”

Seokjin winces visibly, but he doesn’t blame Taehyung for his hostility. Seokjin has said much worse things about Taehyung over the years. He knows he deserves this.

“Come, Saeng-gang,” Seokjin calls, and Saeng-gang gives him a confused look before sitting at Taehyung’s feet with a whine. “Come on, girl. Let’s go play.”

‘Play’ seems to be the magic word. She Taehyung’s hand one more time and trots off toward Seokjin. He throws one of the toys into the field, and Saeng-gang races after it.

“You’re not gonna win me over with a puppy, hyung,” Taehyung says. “I’m not nine years old anymore.” He storms off down the sidewalk. Seokjin wants to follow him, but he knows better. Taehyung needs time. Seokjin will give it to him, but he won’t give up, not when he feels like he’s finally found what he’s been looking for.

He stays at the park for awhile, playing fetch with Saeng-gang until she flops down in front of him on the ground, panting and exhausted. He nearly has to carry her home, and as soon as they enter the apartment, she curls up on the couch and whines for Seokjin to join her. He falls asleep that night cuddled up to his puppy, their puppy. No matter what Taehyung says, Seokjin knows that animals are the way to his heart. Saeng-gang is going to help him earn Taehyung’s love.

Taehyung has never tried to avoid Seokjin before. Sure, there have been times when he’s thought about it, hiding away in his apartment and only hanging out with his friends when he knows Seokjin won’t be around, but despite Seokjin’s attitude and the nasty, hurtful things he sometimes says, their bond as soulmates (on Taehyung’s end anyway) is so strong it’s almost tangible, like a rope tethering them to each other. Seokjin’s presence has always been more comfort than pain, or it had been until recently.

Something in Taehyung had snapped the day that Jimin had brought him home to cry himself out on the couch, and now the rope is frayed, their bond hanging by a thread. Taehyung doesn’t think it’s possible to mend it. Sticky tape and glue won’t work. He doesn’t know what kind of reinforcement it would take to keep them together, and at the moment, Taehyung is actively sawing at the thread, trying to break their connection.

So, Taehyung has never tried to avoid Seokjin before, but he thinks now might be the right time to start.

The thing is, when he finally decides he wants Seokjin to go away, Seokjin is suddenly everywhere. He shows up at the cafe when Taehyung meets Jimin for coffee, more than just his normal once a week, and he seems to have a sixth sense for knowing when Taehyung will be at the dog park no matter how much he rearranges his schedule. Saeng-gang flits between them, snuffling into Taehyung’s pockets for the treats he keeps there and chasing whatever toys Seokjin throws for her.

Despite his feelings toward Seokjin, Taehyung can’t hide the joy he feels when he sees Saeng-gang. He scratches behind her ears and kisses her nose when she lets him, but as soon as she runs off and he’s left alone with Seokjin, a scowl forms on his face.

“She really loves you,” Seokjin says. They’re alone in the park. It’s nearly sunset, the sun sitting just above the treeline and casting long shadows over the field where Saeng-gang runs around with a stick she found in the grass. “I can’t blame her.”

“Hyung, please. Just don’t. I don’t want to hear it.”

Seokjin goes quiet, watching Saeng-gang chase a bird who’s clearly toying with her, hopping away but staying near enough to give Saeng-gang the illusion that she could catch it.

“I love her too. I loved her at the shelter. She’s always been my favorite. Her name was Mera before you adopted her. Ginger is still a stupid name.”

“I didn’t exactly name her after food, you know. Look how red her fur is. She’s ginger. I thought it fit.”

Seokjin’s smile is always soft when he looks at Saeng-gang. It’s a smile Taehyung doesn’t remember seeing much when they were growing up, but it’s nice on him, especially with the orange glow of sunset shining on his cheeks.

“I need to go home,” he says, quietly, like he doesn’t want to break this moment between them because he kind of doesn’t. Seokjin isn’t being, hasn’t been, forceful or overbearing. He doesn’t bring up their relationship or lack of one, at least not as often as Taehyung had feared he would. He’s being… friendly, which is more than he’s ever been toward Taehyung in the past.

He’s still Jin, though, and Jin is an , Taehyung reminds himself, and he growls lightly as he shakes off the feeling that Seokjin might be winning this battle.

“I should go,” Taehyung repeats himself, louder this time, stronger. “Here girl,” he calls Saeng-gang, and she comes, happily loping over to them. Taehyung crouches to meet her as she throws herself at him, front paws coming up to his shoulders in a sort of hug, wet nose and tongue pressing into his neck and face, puppy kisses. “I’m going home now. Be good, okay?” She whines at him, pawing at his knee when he kisses the top of her head and pushes himself to stand. “It’s okay. I’ll see you again soon,” he tells her. “I guess I’ll be seeing you again soon too.” This time he’s talking to Seokjin who flinches at the words.

“I’ll be bringing her here again, yes.”

“I guess it wouldn’t help to tell you not to come when I’m here?” Seokjin shakes his head, and Taehyung sighs. “Fine.”

He doesn’t say goodbye or even wave, just walks away, but his movements are slow. Taehyung feels like he’s tied to an anchor, one that he has to drag with him every step he takes. It catches on rocks and roots and clumps of grass when he’s around Seokjin, and he keeps having to jerk the chain to keep it moving. It drains every last bit of energy out of him, leaving him so tired that he flops on his bed as soon as he gets home and falls asleep before he can even brush his teeth.

It’s easier now, Taehyung thinks, to be around Seokjin… easier and harder. Seokjin is especially respectful of Taehyung’s space, his boundaries, when Jimin and Yoongi are around but also when they’re alone together, in the dog park with Saeng-gang or the one time they both showed up early for dinner with their friends who had been running so late that they may as well have called and cancelled. Seokjin never touches Taehyung, though Taehyung does occasionally slip up and touch Seokjin, but that’s just because he’s like that with everyone. Seokjin keeps their conversation light, making small talk instead of delving into uncomfortable topics or keeping quiet altogether, and that’s nice too, the way they can sit together in silence and neither of them feels obligated to entertain the other. Quiet is nice.

Strangely, the easiness of their newfound… not quite friendship but something close to it, is what makes things so difficult for Taehyung. If he had been able to successfully avoid Seokjin, in time, he might have healed. As it is, he feels cut open, split apart, aching and raw, chafed by Seokjin’s very presence in his life, yet he knows somehow that it’s something he’ll never be able to escape. Time and distance may heal the wounds, but there will be scars, the skin around them thin and fragile and prone to breaking in Seokjin’s vicinity.

Seokjin has brought up their relationship a handful of times, but it’s usually some comment about how he never thought they could be so comfortable together. Each time, Taehyung wants to tell Seokjin that if he wasn’t such an , they might have been like this before, but he never does, and that hurts too. It’s an ache, like his muscles are strained from holding the words back, bottling them inside.

So Taehyung feels a bit torn, between giving in and allowing Seokjin to do… whatever it is he’s trying to do, or taking drastic action and simply running away. He could go back to Daegu. He was young when he moved to Seoul, but he thinks he still remembers enough about it that the change wouldn’t be too jarring. He’d miss Jimin, but they could call each other. It would be okay.

“Jin hyung seems to have mellowed lately,” Jimin comments as he stirs cocoa mix into a mug of warm milk.

“I don’t know what that means,” Taehyung replies. His voice sounds distant in his own ears, like his mind is too far away to hear himself properly. “He seems… intense to me. His aura is loud even when he’s quiet.”

“His aura?” Jimin giggles, and Taehyung has to fight to keep the corners of his mouth from twitching. Jimin’s laughter has always been infectious. “Do you have magical powers or something now? Tae!” he gasps, clutching at Taehyung’s wrist. “Are you a wizard? Why didn’t you tell me?”

That’s all Taehyung can take. He lets a chuckle escape, just a little sound that rumbles deep in his chest at first, but it builds gradually until he’s full on laughing, breathless and feeling more free than he has in months.

“Seriously though, what did you mean about his aura being loud?” Jimin asks when they’ve both quieted down.

“You know, like, even when he’s not talking to me, it’s like all the things he isn’t saying are pressing against me. I feel like they’re touching me sometimes, like if I reached out around me, they’d be surrounding me like a bubble I can’t burst.” Taehyung clicks his tongue and sighs when he sees the confusion on Jimin’s face. “It’s really hard to explain, okay? Maybe aura wasn’t the right word, I don’t know.”

“Tae, I think…” Jimin trails off, snaps his mouth shut like he’s afraid to voice his thoughts. Taehyung lets him hang there for a moment, waiting him out to see if he’ll continue, and when he doesn’t, Taehyung gives him a little push.

“Jimin, you’re my best friend. Whatever it is, you can say it. Do you think I’m handling the whole thing with Jin wrong?”

“No, that’s not it, I just… Tae, are you happy?”

Taehyung frowns. “What is that supposed to mean? I’m… I- I’m…” He pauses to think, his lips pressed tightly together and a crease between his eyebrows that seems to be semi-permanent now. “I’m not happy, exactly, but I’m dealing with it. I’m surviving. That’s… You can’t ask more of me right now. I’m trying, okay?”

“Oh, sweetie, that’s not what I meant. Look, I want you to be happy, but I don’t want it to be forced or fake. If you’re not happy, you’re not. I just don’t want you to think you have to pretend around me. And, well, I think you should also know that if you’re not happy, there are things you can do to… improve the situation.”

“Like removing myself from it?” Jimin’s head snaps up, his eyes searching Taehyung’s face like he can’t decide whether to take Taehyung seriously.

“Removing yourself how?” he asks, speaking slowly.

“I thought about moving, or at least visiting my family in Daegu. It wouldn’t have to be forever, but…” Taehyung whines high in his throat as he rakes through his entire vocabulary for the words to explain how he feels. “I would come back,” he finally says. “I would never leave you , leave you.”

“I don’t know, Tae. It’s your choice, and if you think it will make you happy, I can live without you for awhile.”

“How do you think Jin will take it?” Jimin glares at him, and he knows exactly why.

“I think it doesn’t matter how Jin will take it. This is for you, and whatever decision you make, Jin shouldn’t have a say. He shouldn’t even be a whisper in your ear.”

Taehyung is silent and still. He considers his options as Jimin sips his cocoa. “I don’t think leaving would make me happy,” he says. “I think I would miss you more than it would be worth… and Saeng-gang too. I would miss her a lot.”

“So you’re staying?” Taehyung nods, and Jimin throws his arms around Taehyung. “I would have let you do what you want, obviously, but I’m glad you’re staying.”

Taehyung thinks it’s the right decision as well. He doesn’t want to be away from Jimin either, and by Taehyung’s logic, callouses are stronger than scars.

Seokjin watches Saeng-gang frolic through the field with another puppy, small and brown and fluffy. Her name is Holly, and she’s the only creature on the planet besides Jimin who is capable of bringing the soft look of fondness to Yoongi’s face. Yoongi stands in the middle of the field, alternating between throwing Holly’s bright yellow tennis ball and Saeng-gang’s hot dog squeaky toy.

“You could help, you know,” Yoongi grunts. “One of these children belongs to you.”

“I could, but you’re so good at this. I think you were born for it. Should have moved to America and played baseball instead of fumbling around on the basketball court.”

“Hey! I never fumbled. I’m still damn good at basketball.”

Seokjin grins. It’s true, of course. Yoongi has always been good at basketball. He’s small, which most would consider detrimental in a sport dominated by giants who can dunk the ball without even jumping, but he’s fast and slippery. He has an enormous amount of control over the ball, being so close to the ground, and Seokjin couldn’t possibly count the number of times he’s watched Yoongi maneuver around and through the taller, less coordinated players to make tight, unguarded shots near the hoop.

Seokjin decides to take pity on Yoongi and steps forward to snatch up the ball Holly has dropped at their feet, launching it as far across the field as he can and giggling at the way she bounces more than she actually runs.

“So, tell me what’s going on with Taehyung.”

Subtle. Yoongi is utterly tactless when it comes to things like this, but Seokjin doesn’t actually mind. Sometimes blunt is best.

“Nothing,” he says, and it’s true. Nothing is going on with Taehyung that wasn’t already going on. Taehyung hasn’t softened. He remains solid, immovable. Seokjin isn’t sure if Taehyung is just thick skulled or if he’s actively fighting against falling for Seokjin, but either way, he’s making no progress.

“Jimin says he’s still hurting. Give him some more time. I’m sure he won’t be able to resist your charms.”

Seokjin snorts. He does not appreciate Yoongi’s sarcastic tone. “I’m not so sure about that. I’m worried I may have hurt him too much, let this fester too long. I wish I’d figured my feelings out sooner.”

“Yeah, well maybe if you hadn’t had your head so far up your , but unfortunately… hindsight, ya know?”

“Mmm…” Seokjin doesn’t quite know how to respond to that. Hindsight does indeed make things glaringly obvious. “Is Jimin still mad at me?”

Yoongi scoffs and looks up at Seokjin through his fringe. “I don’t think Jimin is going to forgive you until Taehyung does.” Seokjin groans, and Yoongi laughs, a strange, wheezing sound that makes more noise when he inhales than when he exhales. “Don’t worry about Jimin. You just kiss and makeup with Taehyung, and Jimin will come around too.”

That’s easier said than done, of course, and Seokjin is positive that if he tried to kiss Taehyung, he’d be bleeding on the ground before his lips could make contact.

“Yeah. Yeah, I’ll keep trying. I mean, fate says we’re supposed to be together. I’ll get through his armor eventually.”

Jimin’s idea of 'getting away' is a night at the club. Taehyung supposes it’s more of a mental escape than physical. Yoongi joins them as it’s his night off, and where Yoongi goes, Seokjin follows. It feels like a double date, and Taehyung hates it. He’s been forced to squeeze into his skinniest skinnies and allow Jimin to nearly poke his eye out with an eyeliner pencil in preparation. He’s already exhausted before they’ve even left the house.

The moment Taehyung downs his second drink, Jimin drags him out onto the dance floor, grumbling about Yoongi being a stick in the mud and refusing to dance. Taehyung wants to remind Jimin that Yoongi never dances with him at the club, but it would be pointless. Besides, dancing gets him away from Seokjin.

The music is good, loud but good. The thump of the bass rattles his bones and vibrates in his chest, and Jimin’s hips move right along with it, pressed against Taehyung’s. Maybe Jimin was right to drag him out tonight. Taehyung feels free, like he can breathe a little easier despite the heat and the smoke and the bodies surrounding them. His head feels buzzy in a pleasant, not yet drunk way, and his body feels loose. He’s just about to completely lose himself in the music when he glances back at the bar to see Seokjin talking to a tall, gangly guy with purple hair.

“Minnie.” Taehyung has to yell in Jimin’s ear to be heard. Jimin tilts his head to the side to show he’s listening. “Who’s that?” Taehyung points at Mr. Grapehead, and Jimin shrugs, placing his hands on Taehyung's shoulders and standing on his toes to reach Taehyung’s ear.

“Maybe Jin hyung knows him from work,” he shouts. “Forget about him and dance with me.” Jimin pulls Taehyung closer, further into the crowd, far enough that he loses sight of the bar and Seokjin and Mr. Grapehead.

Taehyung would like to inform anyone who believes in the saying ‘out of sight, out of mind’ that it is, in fact, a lie. It should be more like out of sight, the mind will make up whatever crazy ing story is one’s worst nightmare , and Taehyung’s mind is spinning a frightening tale of Seokjin sneaking out of the club with Mr. Grapehead while Taehyung isn’t looking. Maybe they’ll hide in the shadows of the alley behind the club for a quick , or perhaps Seokjin will take Mr. Grapehead home and Saeng-gang will have to watch them… No!

He cuts off that particular line of thought. Seokjin is an , but neither of those scenarios sound like something he would do. Plus, he’s been better lately. Still, Taehyung cranes his neck to check if Seokjin is still talking to Mr. Grapehead, but all he sees is Yoongi. He’s sitting at the bar, nursing a drink, and Seokjin is nowhere in sight.

Taehyung scans the dancefloor to see if Mr. Grapehead managed to convince Seokjin to dance, but he doesn’t see anyone with purple hair towering over the crowd.

It hurts more than Taehyung would like to admit. He had thought Seokjin was improving. He’s been so much nicer recently, and he hasn’t mentioned trying to pick up a stranger in months. As hard as Taehyung has been trying to fight it, Seokjin has been diligently chipping away at the wall between them. It’s left his poor heart defenseless against his own imagination.

“Seokjin?” He recognises the deep voice but can’t place it immediately. Seokjin turns to find himself faced with a pair of sparkling amethyst eyes.

“Namjoon! You-”

“Yeah. I did.” Namjoon grins, a little embarrassed. “You can blame Jungkook. He called me to the bar when my soulmate was there. I think he did it on purpose.”

“Hoseok, right?”

“You know him?” Namjoon’s eyebrows jump up in surprise.

“Yeah, he… he turned me down once.” Seokjin laughs and rubs the back of his neck. “So how is it? Are you happy? Are you in love?”

Namjoon looks down at his shoes and kicks at the ground. “I am. It’s not what I expected it to be. I just assumed it would be like meeting any other person, but the second he looked up at me… it was like the whole world made sense.”

“I’m glad. I was a little worried about you. And Hoseok. I was worried you’d make the same mistake I made, and he’s… I could see a lot of Tae in him.”

“How is Tae? Did you manage to make it work?”

“Not yet,” Seokjin sighs. “I’m trying, but I spent years forcing this wedge between us. He’s not quite ready, but I think he’ll come around.”

“Is he here?” Namjoon stretches his neck to look around the club, like he’d recognise Taehyung on sight. “I’d like to meet him.”

“He’s out on the dancefloor with Jimin. He’ll come find us when they need a break. What about Hoseok? Is he here?”

“Yeah,” Namjoon jerks a thumb over his shoulder. “He’s waiting for me in the booth. Did you know he’s a dancer?”

“I didn’t. Maybe he and Jimin can dance together later.” Seokjin laughs at Namjoon’s possessive growl. “Don’t worry, Jimin is Yoongi’s soulmate and they’re…” Seokjin wrinkles his nose, “disgusting.”

Namjoon’s dimples dip into his face as his lips stretch into a smile. “Come meet Hoseok… properly anyway.” He tugs at Seokjin’s arm, and Seokjin follows him to a booth near the back of the club. “Hobi, look who I found.”

“Jin?” Hoseok’s eyes widen, allowing the light to reflect off the peridot of his irises. “How- What- Namjoon?”

“I knew your eyes would be beautiful,” Seokjin says as Namjoon slides into the booth beside Hoseok, Seokjin settling across from them. Hoseok’s cheeks darken to a pretty, deep shade of pink.

“Seokjin knows Jungkook. Well, you probably knew that. You met at Jungkook’s bar, right?” Hoseok still seems stunned. He nods as if he’s in a trance. “He’s been trying to work things out with his soulmate.”

“Oh. Oh, that’s right.” Hoseok finally snaps out of his daze. “You mentioned him,” he says to Namjoon, and then to Seokjin, “You look better without the contacts. So how is it going?”

“With Tae? About as well as it went with you,” Seokjin teases. Hoseok gives him an apologetic smile, and when Namjoon drops an arm around his shoulders and pulls him close, Hoseok gazes up at him with a soft sort of look that tells Seokjin just how strong their bond is. “Seriously though, he seems to be coming around. I did a lot of damage, but I’m trying to fix it.”

“That’s good,” Hoseok murmurs. “Love is good, Jin. Let yourself love.”

“Driiiiinks,’ Taehyung whines, tugging at Jimin to pull him toward the bar. “Please, hyung. I’m thirsty.” He doesn’t mention that he needs to find out where Seokjin has gone. The fast pace of the music is doing nothing to help the way his heart is racing at the thought of Seokjin leaving with Mr. Grapehead.

Jimin seems to think drinks are a good idea as well, and he allows Taehyung to lead him back to the bar where he immediately plops down on the stool beside Yoongi. Taehyung is looking around, trying to find Seokjin when the bartender arrives to take their order, and Jimin orders them a round of shots and some water.

“I’ll be right back,” Taehyung mumbles when he finally sees Seokjin.

He slips away without answering Jimin’s, “Where are you going?” and makes his way over to the booth where Seokjin is sitting across from Mr. Grapehead himself. He steels himself to confront Seokjin, to tell him that this is the last straw. Seokjin is all out of chances; Taehyung’s heart can’t take anymore.

As he approaches the booth though, he notices Mr. Grapehead isn’t alone. He’s a part of a couple, a couple who are obviously very much in love. Taehyung pauses. The situation isn’t what he’d imagined, and now he’s totally unprepared to deal with it. Before he can turn and flee back toward the bar and Jimin, Seokjin notices him and calls him over.

The air in the club feels too thick to inhale. It feels like Taehyung is drowning in liquid oxygen, his head spinning from hyperventilating as he takes small steps in Seokjin’s direction. He nearly falls into the booth, into Seokjin’s side, and if Seokjin is startled by the sudden contact, he doesn’t show it.

“Taehyung, this is my friend, Namjoon, and his soulmate, Hoseok. Guys, this is my soulmate, Taehyung.”

Taehyung scours his memories, trying to think of a single time Seokjin has ever introduced Taehyung to anyone as his soulmate. He comes up empty. Even when he’d met Seokjin’s family, it had been Yoongi who had told them and not Seokjin. It sparks something inside him. For the first time ever, he feels like Seokjin isn’t denying him. He feels wanted.

“It’s nice to meet you,” Hoseok says, and wow, his smile is just… wow. Namjoon echoes the statement, making Taehyung blush a bit.

Taehyung straightens himself, moving into his own space in the booth and giving Namjoon and Hoseok a look that he’s sure shows how much he longs for the kind of closeness they have in their relationship. Hoseok is tucked into Namjoon’s side, under his arm, and Taehyung wishes… but they’re not Namjoon and Hoseok. They’re Taehyung and Seokjin, and Seokjin is just recently not an . But maybe one day… soon, he hopes.

“Yeah, nice to meet you too,” he answers when it’s clear they’re waiting on a response.

“Taehyung,” Hoseok says, extracting himself from Namjoon, “I was just about to go get us another drink. Would you like to come with me?”

He’s not sure it’s a good idea. He still feels a little woozy, but it seems like Hoseok is hinting that he has something to tell Taehyung. So he slides out of the booth and follows Hoseok to the bar with a soft, “Okay.”

Sure enough, as soon as Namjoon and Seokjin are out of earshot, Hoseok takes Taehyung’s hand and leans close to say, “He’s trying, you know. Seokjin. I met him before… before he met Namjoon. I think they both helped each other understand some things about soulmates. Seokjin… he’s nothing like he was the last time I saw him. He’s softer, and when he talks about you… I’m sure you’ve seen the look he gets.”

Taehyung shakes his head, bewildered. He has no idea what look Hoseok is talking about.

“Oh, you know. It’s that look…” Hoseok makes huge gestures with his hands as he tries to put the look into words. “Well, Namjoon does it too, when he looks at me. It makes me feel like I’m the only person in his universe. You really haven’t noticed?”

“No. I try not to look at him much, to be honest. It’s always been a source of pain for me, especially when he wears that blue contact lens. It’s just… so much rejection in his eyes.”

Hoseok’s face is so expressive. His eyebrows move with each emotion he feels. Taehyung wonders if Hoseok even has a poker face. He doubts Hoseok could keep any secrets; they’d be written all over his face.

“Honey, I know it was that way in the past. Trust me, I met him back then, and if he was still that way, I would drag you away from him and never let him hurt you again. But I don’t think he’s the same person he was then. Maybe you’re too close to him to see the change, but I can.”

“If he breaks me again… I won’t survive it,” Taehyung says. “I can’t just hand my heart to him and hope he’s gentle this time. I’m scared.”

“I know.” Hoseok touches Taehyung’s face, his long fingers cool against Taehyung’s overheated cheek. “I know you’re scared. There’s a lot of history there. I’m not saying you should forget about it, but remember that he is making an effort now. You could let yourself forgive him. It might heal some of those sore spots in your heart.”

Taehyung doesn’t want to cry in front of a perfect stranger, but it feels like Hoseok is drawing the most poisonous thoughts out of his mind, leaving his brain free to communicate with his heart again. The tears roll down his cheeks without permission. Before Taehyung knows what’s happening, Jimin is wrapped around Taehyung protectively, and Yoongi has Hoseok’s back pressed against the bar.

“What the did you say to him?” Yoongi growls.

“Nothing! Hyung, let him go. He didn’t do anything. Just let him go, please,” Taehyung sobs. Yoongi glares at Hoseok but releases him, and then Namjoon is there, folding Hoseok into his arms much the same way Jimin is holding Taehyung.

“What happened?” Seokjin asks, and everyone around him is so confused and scared and angry. Taehyung is shaking. Hoseok is too, but he’s stronger than Taehyung and able to offer an explanation that calms Yoongi and Namjoon.

“We were just talking,” he tells them. “Taehyung just got a little sad, that’s all. He’s alright, right Taehyung?”

“I’m fine,” Taehyung confirms, nodding for emphasis. “I just… can I go home, please? I’m getting tired, and my eyeliner is probably all over my face now. Can I just go home?”

“I think it’s time for us to head out too,” Hoseok agrees.

“Of course, Taetae.” Jimin runs his fingers through Taehyung’s hair in an attempt to calm his trembling. “Yoongi and I will take you home.”

“No, no. It’s still early. You guys stay here. I can get home on my own.”

“We can walk you home, Taehyung,” Namjoon offers, and Taehyung is just about to accept when Seokjin finally speaks up.

“Actually, if it’s alright with Taehyung, I’d like to walk him home.” Jimin whirls around to look at Seokjin, and Yoongi seems to be trying to say something but the words won’t come to him. “I promise not to be a jerk, really, but if you’re not comfortable with it someone else can-”

“No,” Taehyung cuts him off. Hoseok’s words are ringing in his ears. If Seokjin really has changed, everything should be fine. Maybe Taehyung will even get a glimpse of that look Hoseok was telling him about. “That’s fine, hyung. You can take me home.”

Jimin hugs Taehyung and tells him to be careful. For a moment it seems like Seokjin wants to take Taehyung’s hand, but he doesn’t. Then Taehyung is following Seokjin through the club, toward the door, out the door, and onto the sidewalk where he inhales deeply, the fresh air settling his nerves enough that he stops shaking. Seokjin waits for him to catch up, and they slowly make their way down the street to Taehyung’s apartment.

It takes a few minutes for Taehyung to realise that Seokjin is being unusually quiet, like he’s reluctant to disturb the calm between them. Taehyung isn’t in the mood for quiet. He’s still recovering from everything that happened in the club, and the silence gives his mind too much freedom to spin.

“Namjoon and Hoseok seem nice,” he says for lack of a better topic of conversation. “How did you meet them?”

Seokjin raises his shoulders as if he’s trying to hide his face. “It’s a bit embarrassing actually.”

“Oh.” Taehyung slumps a bit. “You slept with them.”

“What? No. I didn’t… I haven’t- Taehyung, I’m a . In all the times I’ve tried to pick someone up, I’ve never actually succeeded. I’ve never even kissed anyone.”

“Oh.” Now Taehyung feels bad for Seokjin. At least every time Taehyung has been rejected it's been the same person doing the rejecting. Knowing that Seokjin has endured the same amount of rejection but at the hands of probably dozens of different people… that has to hurt. “I'm sorry.”

“No, don't be,” Seokjin waves off Taehyung's apology. “I used to think that things with us might be better if I had a bit of experience, but Namjoon made me realise that wasn't true.”

“So how did you meet them?”

Seokjin explains how Hoseok turned him down, how Yugyeom and Jungkook led him to Namjoon, and then how Namjoon helped him understand his feelings for Taehyung. It's a long story, and they're standing on the curb outside Taehyung's apartment building by the time Seokjin says, “And then I showed up at the club and saw you with that guy and I was so jealous. I don't think I ever remember being jealous over you before, but I felt like he had something that should belong to me and it hurt.”

“I'm sorry about that.” Taehyung feels obligated to say it. It's just a compulsion, to apologise when he's the cause of someone's pain, whether directly or indirectly. He wouldn't even take back his evening with Yongguk if he could. He doesn't regret it. There's nothing to regret. It was just a bit of harmless flirting and some dancing that was practically tame compared to how he dances with Jimin, and he tells Seokjin that, that nothing happened.

When Seokjin looks at him, there's relief in his eyes, but there's something else. Maybe it's hope. Maybe just knowing that Taehyung didn't take home a random stranger when he had the chance has taken a weight off of Seokjin.

“Did you think I slept with him?”

“I honestly didn't know, Tae. I only saw you with him for a moment, but you looked happy… happier than you've ever been with me. That's what I was truly jealous of. I wanted you to look at me like that. I want you to look at me like you look at Saeng-gang. I'm jealous of my own dog.”

Taehyung laughs. “Our dog,” he corrects Seokjin, “and I think I should get partial custody of her.”

Seokjin's emerald eyes meet Taehyung's hazel ones, and there it is, the look Hoseok was talking about. It's tiny, barely there wrinkles in the corners of Seokjin's eyes and a gentle curve of his full lips. It's fondness, genuine fondness, and Hoseok is right; it makes Taehyung feel like he's the only person in Seokjin's universe.

“You should probably go inside,” Seokjin says, his voice just barely above a whisper. “We can talk about custody arrangements later.”

Taehyung blinks, and in a similar tone answers, “Okay. Text me when you get home?”

“Sure.”

Without thinking, Taehyung steps forward and wraps his arms around Seokjin’s middle. He presses his face against Seokjin’s chest and inhales his scent and murmurs, “Night, hyung.” He pulls away before Seokjin can reciprocate the hug, his expression surprised and confused, dazedly waving at Taehyung as he backs into the building.

Taehyung showers to wash away the tears and eyeliner and the smell of smoke in his hair. He pulls on soft, flannel pajama pants and an oversized, long sleeve t-shirt. His phone buzzes as he crawls under the sheets.

From: hSkt

Home. Sweet dreams, soulmate.

Taehyung hugs the phone to his chest and falls asleep with a smile on his face.

Taehyung looks forward to their time together at the dog park. They walk the path around the field, Saeng-gang trotting along beside them. Seokjin’s hands twitch at his sides like he wants to reach out for Taehyung, and more often than not, Taehyung will let the back of his hand graze Seokjin’s, telling him not yet but soon. Taehyung will be ready soon.

They sit side by side on a bench, shoulders touching as they play fetch with Saeng-gang. Seokjin talks about his regrets. He apologises so many times that Taehyung wants to ask him to stop, just don’t, but it seems like Seokjin needs it more than Taehyung does. So Taehyung lets him say he’s sorry. Taehyung listens. He forgives Seokjin when he can, and he finds he feels lighter each time he does until one day, Taehyung says, “It’s okay, hyung. It’s all okay. I forgive you for everything.”

Seokjin looks stunned. They sit there in silence for a long time before Seokjin asks, “Why? Why would you forgive me? After all I’ve done to you, how can you just let me off the hook for it?”

“I don’t think I’m letting you off the hook.” Taehyung scribbles in the dirt with the heel of his shoe, his eyebrows scrunched together as he thinks of the best way to word his feelings. “You’ve changed a lot, hyung. Maybe the person you were before wouldn’t deserve forgiveness, but you’re not that person anymore. You’re kind to Ginger, and you’re kind to me now, too. Besides, it doesn’t do any good to hold a grudge against you. All it does is poison my heart, and I need my heart to be whole and healthy when I’m ready give it to you.”

“Oh.” Seokjin takes Saeng-gang’s ball from and pets the top of her head until she settles down between their feet, panting as she watches other pups run around the park. “Do you think that might be sometime soon? I’m not trying to pressure you or anything. It’s just… every time I see you it’s harder to restrain myself. I don’t want to assume we’re close enough already to touch the way I want to touch you. I don’t want to overstep some invisible line and push you further away.”

Taehyung stays quiet, staring out across the field at the trees on the other side. He sighs softly, and he scoots a few inches closer to Seokjin, right into his space. His hand rests on his thigh, palm up, and he clears his throat and nudges Seokjin’s shoulder.

Seokjin tentatively reaches his hand out. His fingers slide between Taehyung’s. Seokjin’s hand is hot, his skin a bit tacky from Saeng-gang’s drool, but their fingers fit together nicely.

“This is good. This is nice. It’s…”

“Comfortable,” Seokjin finishes for him. “It is. It’s satisfying. Thank you.” Taehyung bumps his shoulder again, his way of saying you’re welcome and thank you, too. “It’ll be dark soon. I should get Saeng-gang home.”

“Would you like to have dinner together? Just the two of us this time, no Jimin or Yoongi.” There’s a tiny, almost imperceptible twitch of Seokjin’s fingers before he pulls his hand away from Taehyung’s to hook Saeng-gang’s leash to her collar.

“That sounds nice,” he says, and his voice is so thick that Taehyung glances at his face, almost expecting to see tears in Seokjin’s eyes. There are no tears, but Seokjin’s cheeks are a soft pink, the tips of his ears a shade deeper than his face. “Let’s drop Saeng-gang off first.”

As they walk the path out of the park, Taehyung links their hands again, Saeng-gang’s leash held between them. Seokjin is right. It’s satisfying.

Dinner turns into dates, plural. Saeng-gang is no longer the glue holding them together. They're standing on their own. Seokjin can't help being surprised every time Taehyung agrees to spend time with him, but he's thankful that he seems to have finally done something right.

The more they see each other, the more Taehyung opens up. They hold hands regularly until one day Taehyung slides into a booth with Seokjin at dinner, and then they're cuddling, Taehyung tucked up under Seokjin's arm, burrowed into his side. A few weeks later, Taehyung kisses Seokjin's cheek after walking Seokjin and Saeng-gang home.

The first kiss opens the door for more, quick pecks on the forehead and lingering lips pressed to cheeks and knuckles.

It's almost a year after Seokjin's epiphany when he finally works up the courage to kiss Taehyung properly. In the back row of a darkened theater, during the pivotal scene of a sappy romance movie, Taehyung leans his head over on Seokjin's shoulder. Seokjin lifts the armrest separating them, and when Taehyung falls against his chest, staring up at him with wide, hopeful eyes, Seokjin throws caution to the wind and bends down to brush his lips against Taehyung's. The soft sigh, barely heard over the schmaltzy violin music accompanying the movie, only encourages Seokjin to deepen the kiss, angling his head to bring them closer and sinking his fingers into Taehyung’s hair.

They leave the movie early, catching a cab back to Seokjin’s apartment and annoying the driver when they can’t keep their hands off each other. Taehyung spends the night that night and many nights after.

“That’s the last one, hyung,” Jimin says as he drops a crate of Christmas decorations on the couch. “You and Taehyung are officially moved in.”

“Mm, I don’t think I’ll feel moved in until we unpack.”

Taehyung giggles when Seokjin’s arms snake around his waist, chin resting on Taehyung’s shoulder. “But I’m tiiiiiiiiired,” he whines. “Let’s do it tomorrow.”

“Actually,” Yoongi announces, “Jimin and I were gonna offer to order takeout. So if you guys wanna just start unpacking the stuff around the table here, you should at least have that done by the time the food gets here.”

“Yeah, and we’ll help you.” Jimin’s smile is radiant, as always, and he bumps his hip against Taehyung’s thigh.

The entire living room is unpacked by the time Yoongi has the food laid out on the coffee table, cartons of Chinese takeout and paper plates taking up every inch of space. Jimin pops open a bottle of champagne and pours it into clear plastic cups, passing them around the room.

“To old friends,” he says.

“And new beginnings,” Yoongi adds.

“To soulmates,” Seokjin finishes, giving Taehyung a disgustingly mushy grin as everyone taps their cups together over the table. “I love you, Taehyung.”

“I love you, too.” Taehyung links his right arm with Seokjin’s left, nuzzling into his side as they dish out the food.

Hours later, after all the food has been eaten or packed up in the fridge and Jimin and Yoongi have said goodnight, they lay in their new bed in their new apartment, arms and legs tangled together and breathing each other's air. Saeng-gang has settled her overgrown puppy self across Taehyung's hip, and Seokjin has a hand on both their heads, fingers gently massaging their scalps through the hair and fur. Despite how long it took to get here, they make a lovely little family, and there's nowhere else Seokjin would rather be than right here in the middle of it.