It had been months. Almost a year, in fact. Jin and Yoongi had agreed not to arrange anything unless too much time passed without them meeting spontaneously. They’d talked about it and it was a mutual agreement, but there was one thing Yoongi didn’t admit then.

He didn’t want to grow dependant of Jin. Being lonely as he was, he knew it would be all too easy to cling onto Jin and suffocate him. Yoongi had voiced his doubts in the past, but Jin was always overly confident that he would never get tired of Yoongi.

He knew better, of course. He didn’t want to ruin something that hadn’t even started yet. He was set on learning to be independent first before he can accept a soulmate. Soulmate or not, no one can keep trying to fix someone without getting tired eventually.

Jin would tell Yoongi that he wasn’t broken to begin with.

He knew better.

It wasn’t a particularly bad night. Yoongi was stressed, but no sign of a mental breakdown any time soon, which was good. He was getting ready to pull an all-nighter which meant that he needed a coffee. There was still time to go to his favourite coffee shop before closing time, since he wasn’t a fan of cheap minimarket coffee or the one from McDonalds.

And so he went. Even though most of the staff knew him by now because of how frequently he came for an odd night time coffee, Yoongi was still planning to apologize for pulling the move and coming over near closing time.

However he dropped his plan when he was greeted by an unfamiliar person. Yoongi wasn’t a big fan of change, especially when it hurt his comfort. And so, even though he’d practiced what he’d say on his way there, he could now say nothing other than a quiet “good evening” and his order.

The guy at the bar was very friendly. He had a beautiful, bright smile and he radiated happiness. In the quiet space of the coffee shop, with the entire city on its way to fall asleep, this man was able to light up the room with a single smile and kind words.

It was overwhelming and Yoongi couldn’t look too long.

“Who drinks coffee at this hour?” The guy questioned as he got to making it.

“A stressed college student who’s about to pull an all-nighter,” Yoongi mumbled.

He had to admit, the other’s laugh startled him at first. Seriously, it was unhealthy to have that much energy at this hour. Yet there he was, making Yoongi’s heart skip a beat with his laugh. Loud, bright and genuine, just the kind of thing Yoongi needed to snap him back to reality. Something to remind him that text books and lyrics sheets weren’t the only things surrounding him. Who would have thought there were beautiful, bright people in this world.

“That really , but I can relate so much. Tell me all about crippling anxiety and guilt that eats you away while you’re at work, working instead of studying.” The guy shook his head and laughed again, more quietly this time. He glanced up briefly. “It is studying, isn’t it?”

Yoongi nodded. “As soon as I defeat the unstoppable urge to drop out, I’ll get to it. If the crippling anxiety you mentioned doesn’t get to me first.”

There it was again, light yet powerful laughter. It was somehow familiar to Yoongi, but that thought was pushed out of his mind by another – the fact that he had done that. His lame depressive college jokes were the reason this guy was laughing so beautifully, his eyes disappearing in the wide smile.

“You’re a riot.” This is where he focused more on actually getting Yoongi his order.

And while he waited, he decided to actually say what he had originally planned. This man deserved it.

“Hey, I’m... I’m sorry I came right before closing time. You probably wanna go home and... Sleep or study I guess. I’m really sorry.”

The other shook his head, his smile never faltering, or appearing insincere. “It’s fine! Anything for my fellow stressed college student who’s about to study all night.”

This was it. This guy’s previous laughter and his friendliness managed to make Yoongi smile. Through the rest of the short wait, he dissociated just staring at the guy’s name tag. He was snapped out of his thoughts when he called for Yoongi to tell him his order was ready. After he paid, Yoongi’s gaze briefly returned to the name tag.

And it made him freeze.

Because it read Kim Seokjin.

That familiar laugh...

It was a rare occurrence. They had also agreed not to abuse the phone too much unless it was for emergencies. Emergencies usually included Yoongi crying quietly and not much laughter. But sometimes... Sometimes his own odd fatalistic humour made Jin laugh. And it was something Yoongi couldn’t forget.

He was absolutely certain that he had now heard it in person, he just didn’t know he had.

“Are you okay?”

Yoongi’s gaze snapped up. He looked like he’d seen a ghost, but he just nodded dumbly. “Yeah. I, uh, see you...”

He grabbed his coffee and went for the door. His hand on the doorknob, he stopped to think. He didn’t want to run. His heart ached, knowing that if he left now there would be something missing until they saw each other again. It would be Seokjin’s smile. His laughter. His kind words and gentle gaze. Yoongi wasn’t ready. He was still too dependant on everyone and everything else, but he was also selfish. He wanted Jin now.

He slowly turned around, seeing that the other was busy behind the counter. He dug through his pocket for a pen – he always had a pen on him since that was his preferred method of communicating with Jin. He dived it out of his jacket and rolled up his sleeve, quickly scribbling, “turn around.”

Jin kept about his business for a while. Yoongi could hear his own heartbeat and each beat of his heart shook him so much that he almost felt his bones tremble. He stood petrified, waiting for Jin to notice.

Or maybe it wasn’t him.

Maybe Yoongi was wrong.

As Jin went to wipe his hands he glanced down at his arm. The sleeves of his white shirt over which he wore a green apron were rolled up and he could see the written request clearly.

He slowly turned and they stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity.

“Yoongi?” Jin said, suddenly losing his voice.
He was no better either. Yoongi could no longer speak, so he just nodded, gripping his pen to the point where it was close to snapping.

Jin would have ran if his knees weren’t buckling. He needed to rest against the counter for a moment before he moved around it and slowly walked over to Yoongi.

And they embraced each other, so tightly that it almost hurt, but Yoongi didn’t mind. It was the kind of hug that knocked the breath out of a person, brought tears to their eyes, made their heart feel full and made them feel complete, even for only as long as the hug lasted.

Yoongi didn’t like the tearing up part, but he couldn’t fight it. The moment stretched out and eventually Jin laughed, lightly and happily. It made Yoongi smile through his tears and he pulled him even closer, if it was possible at that point.

When they pulled away, they still held each other, loosely, a little space between them. They were silent, both of them teary-eyed, neither of them knowing what to say. Jin took Yoongi’s wrists and lead him to a table where they sat opposite of each other. Yoongi placed down his coffee – it was a true miracle that it had survived their hug – and his pen.

The first thing Yoongi could think of was, “You’re beautiful.” He wasn’t exactly planning on saying it out loud, it just came out. Yoongi was simply too mesmerized by Jin and by the fact that he was there, in front of him. He was real, not just ink on his skin or a voice on the phone.

Jin didn’t seem bothered. He smiled brightly. “I know. You’re pretty yourself. Your cheeks look like dumplings. I’ve been thinking of it ever since you walked in, but I felt it was too silly to say...” He paused to think about it and suddenly his cheeks became as red as a Christmas light. “Actually, it’s still pretty silly. Sorry.”

Yoongi frowned and touched his own cheeks. “Dumplings...?”

“Yeah. You know, round, soft, pale.”

He glanced over at his reflection in the window. Jin was, of course, right. He poked at his cheeks some more and sighed. “They really are chubby.”

“I didn’t say chubby,” Jin corrected, crossing his arms. “Either way, I think they’re cute. Very kissable.”

It was Yoongi’s turn to blush. He had nothing to say to this, so he just sipped his coffee. It was a handy excuse for the redness of his face since the drink was hot.

“What are the odds of us meeting here?” Jin continued as if nothing had happened. “I’ve just started this job too.”

“I come here all the time. Everyone knows me,” Yoongi said.

“Seriously?” Jin asked, eyes going  wide.

Yoongi nodded. “Just ask anyone about the stupid kid with blue hair who drinks coffee at nine in the evening.”

Jin chuckled, shaking  his head. “It’s destiny that I started working at your favourite coffee shop. Haven’t I told you we’d meet?”

“You have,” Yoongi admitted. Him and Jin have had discussions about destiny. Yoongi claimed it didn’t exist. Jin claimed that it did and that people can rarely cheat it. If two people are meant to meet, they will. If they aren’t then not even the soulmate’s bond can help it.

“But this doesn’t prove anything,” he added. “We’re two in seven billion.”

Jin shrugged. “You can’t prove destiny. You have to believe it.”

Yoongi huffed, smiling faintly. Another moment of silence had passed. Yoongi and Jin stole glances at each other, both of them just grasping onto the feeling of the other’s presence.

“You don’t have to stay if you have to study,” Jin spoke, breaking the silence.

Yoongi shook his head. “I’m really not in the mood. And after this? It put me into a specific mood that has no room for studying.”

“Or any sort of responsibilities,” Jin filled in and nodded. “I get you. But I should close up, so if you want to take a walk afterwards or something...?”

Yoongi nodded. He wanted to spend more time with Jin. He cursed himself for being a nuisance already, but he couldn’t help it. While Jin did his thing, Yoongi sipped his coffee slowly.

“All done!” Jin said once he was in his jacket. They went out, Jin locked up the place and in a matter of seconds their hands were intertwined – when the hell did that happen? And why was it making Yoongi blush?

“How’s your music going?” Jin asked, keeping his light tone.

“Good. I sold a song some time ago. I’m trying to present myself as a performer as well as a writer and composer, but that’s a bit more difficult...”

“I believe in you, Yoongi.”

There it was, that warm smile Yoongi had been imagining while he’d talked to Jin over the phone. It was more beautiful than he could have pictured it.

“What about you?” Yoongi asked, trying to drive the conversation away from himself. He didn’t want to Jin to get tired of him so quickly.

“Oh, I’m doing well. There’s this project in the theatre I’m doing with my class. We’re organizing the entire event, but I’m in charge of the plays more than anything. It’s a lot of work, but we’ll make it.”

“I know you have enough confidence – more than me anyway – but you have my support,” Yoongi said, finding the strength to squeeze Jin’s hand in what he hoped was reassuring manner.

The older’s smile had somewhat changed, as if it had grown sad. “I’m not all that confident, really, I just know how to pretend. It’s a classic case of fake it until you make it.”

A new realization made Yoongi sick. He suddenly pulled his hand out of Jin’s hold and shoved it in his pocket. All this time, no matter how hard he’d tried, he had already been suffocating Jin. Every time they’d talked it was to help Yoongi’s panic attacks, or to talk him out of doing something stupid or to calm him down when he was stressed or sad. Jin rarely talked about himself, which was exactly what Yoongi had been trying to avoid. He hadn’t made any progress and it hurt to finally see it.

“Hey—what’s wrong?” Jin asked worriedly, voice quiet. He was scared that he’d done something wrong to make Yoongi react in such a way and – were those tears in his eyes?

Yoongi turned his head away before Jin could be sure.

“I’m sorry,” Yoongi muttered.

“Yoongi, didn’t I tell you not to say such silly things? There’s nothing you should be sorry about—”

“Yes, there is! I... We can’t see each other, not yet. I’m not stable, can’t you see? I rely on people to heal me and help me up whenever I’m down. But I can’t live like that. You can’t live like that. No one wants to babysit an emotionally unstable adult. I can’t do that to you. I’m sorry.” 

Miraculously, Yoongi had managed to keep his voice from shaking or braking during this speech. However, he couldn’t stop the tears.

Jin was now frowning, his arms crossed. “You’re starting to piss me off. Listen, I don’t have much patience for people who bother me. If you were one of those people, we wouldn’t be here right now. I know you don’t believe in faith or destiny, but there must be a reason why we were put together. I like you and I like the way things have been. If there was anything bothering me I would have told you so because I’m not the type to suffer in silence. Can you trust me on this?”

Yoongi said nothing. It wasn’t easy to just erase the overwhelming feeling of guilt.

Jin sighed. “I care about you and I want you to be happy. That’s why I put so much effort into cheering you up. It’s...” He bit his lip, “It’s not so easy for me to open up either. And I don’t talk about myself a lot because I know you have your own troubles and you don’t need mine.”

“But it’s not fair,” Yoongi complained, looking up. “You let yourself carry my burden on top of yours, but you won’t let me do the same? It’s not fair. I don’t want to do that to you.”

Jin smiled faintly. “Well, I can talk about myself. Did you know that I hold the title of Worldwide Handsome?”

Quite unbelievably so, Yoongi managed to smile. “You are handsome.”

“Well, I don’t say this often, but so are you,” Jin said.

Yoongi huffed, looking away. The heaviness of guilt slightly lifted off his chest, only for him to be able to breathe. But there were still tears in his eyes, he still couldn’t meet Jin’s gaze.

“Yoongi.”

Jin didn’t speak again until he looked up.

“You have a point. Being independent is important. But you don’t have to do it all alone. Let me in, I promise I won’t spoil you too much.”

This was too much. Yoongi stepped forward and let his head fall against Seokjin’s shoulder. He still didn’t allow himself to cry, but he did let a few tears slip.

And he was finally being held as he did so. He’d spent so long crying on his own, and the past year crying alone but with Jin’s voice on the phone soothing him.

But now it was real. The realization almost shattered him, but Yoongi didn’t want to leave this embrace.

Yoongi muttered something incoherent, face buried in the crook of Jin’s neck. All he could make out was “too good for me.”
Jin nudged him, “No, I’m not. We’re perfect for each other.”

“You’re a ,” Yoongi mumbled.

Jin pulled away. Yoongi still tried to hide his face even though his hiding spot had been taken away from him. Jin didn’t allow this, cupping Yoongi’s cheeks, making him look up in doing so. He gently wiped the tears away and leaned in. But even as he did, he kept his distance.

“Can I...?”

Yoongi answered the question by closing the gap and pressing his lips to Seokjin’s. Impulsive as it was, Yoongi didn’t end up regretting it. Jin held him so gently as if he was breakable; the kiss was slow and genuine, it made Yoongi shiver helplessly. Before he had the time to stop himself, he thought, “I could get used to this.”

He knew he shouldn’t, but he was gone. Jin was the one to pull away, perhaps a little worried about Yoongi’s lack of responsiveness by the end.

“Is everything okay?”

Yoongi nodded, bringing his hand up to touch his lips, where the feeling of Jin’s own still lingered. He let himself fall forward, his face once again buried in Jin’s neck. “I love you,” he muttered. It had never been easy for him to say this. He had been told that it would be easier with the right person. Yoongi never believed it, but there he was. Saying it and even feeling like it’s true.

“I love you too,” Jin said, voice shaking as if he was about to burst into tears. But when Yoongi looked up, he saw that Jin was smiling. “Let me walk you home. Later we can figure it all out; how you want things to be happening from now, if you want us to see each other often or not. I’m fine with everything as long as you’re happy and content.”

Yoongi nodded, taking Jin’s hand. They didn’t speak until they reached Yoongi’s place, there was no need for words. They both needed a bit time to let it all settle anyway.

When they arrived, Jin seemed a bit bouncier than he had been the entire time. “There’s something I’ve been wanting to do ever since I said that stupid thing about – your cheeks.”

Yoongi felt the heat rising to his face because he just knew what Jin was intending. “Do it then,” he mumbled, trying to act grumpy about it.

But when Jin kissed his cheek and then the other as well, Yoongi couldn’t help but smile.

“Call me,” Jin said.

Yoongi nodded, keeping his gaze on their intertwined hands. Before turning to leave, he quickly pecked Jin’s lips. Blushing, which wasn’t usual for him, he ran off.