Jungkook pulled his (sadly hoodless) jacket over his head against the harsh wind and rain, which just kept getting heavier and heavier. He could barely see through the blur of it and the low fog as he ran through the park to get home. He was planning on just running straight home, then maybe curling up on the sofa, wrapped in blankets with a mug of hot chocolate to warm up—work be damned—but the sight of a figure sitting on a bench made him stop in his tracks. There was hardly anyone in the park—no one except them, in fact. Not surprising, given the weather and the time. Jungkook shook his head and jogged past, only to stop again a couple of feet later. The person didn’t have an umbrella, and was clad only in a flimsy cardigan that was surely useless against the strong winds, even more so considering it was completely drenched. He was just sitting there, soaked through and staring up at the sky, letting the rain wash over his face.

Before Jungkook could rationalise his decision, he’d already turned around and ended up in front of the bench.

“Hello?”

The man startled, rubbing at his red-rimmed eyes before taking in the sight of Jungkook before him.

“Hi?” came the tentative reply.

“Um, I live just across the road from the park, do you want to come, to like, dry off and warm up?”

The man stared at him, blinked. “Do you always offer random strangers to go to your place?”

Jungkook bit his lip. “Well, no, but…”

“I could be a serial killer.”

Jungkook bit his lip. “…you’ll get sick if you stay out in this.” His voice was small, barely audible over the roaring of the rain.

The man laughed somewhat bitterly. “What’s it to you?” he snapped. “You probably don’t even mean it, so just go back home and feel happy with yourself that you offered.”

Jungkook huffed. “I’m just trying to be nice! If you want to stay out here and die of hypothermia, then fine!”

The man sighed and rand a hand through his drenched black locks. “Look, I’m sorry, I’m just not in my right mind right now,” he paused, rubbing at his face with the back of his hand, though it achieved nothing with the rain still steadily pouring down. “If your offer still stands, then please, I’d love to come over.” His tone had changed completely now, small and unsure.

Jungkook nodded and started walking in the direction of his house, the man following half a pace behind.

“I’m Jungkook, by the way.”

“Yoongi.”

They finally reached the warmth and safety of Jungkook’s apartment, a small puddle forming under their feet where they stood at the entrance as water dripped off every place imaginable on their clothes and bodies. Jungkook toed off his shoes, cringing at how wet his socks were inside them, and made his way inside to get some towels. Yoongi still stood awkwardly by the door, waiting for him to return. Even after Jungkook handed him a towel, he didn’t move, wouldn’t even make eye contact. Jungkook could see he was shivering, his damp, thin jumper clinging to his damp, thin frame, his wet hair plastered to his forehead and still dripping water onto the floor. He wrapped the towel around himself, but he was still shivering, violently and uncontrollably.

“Let me make you something to drink. Do you like hot chocolate?”

Yoongi nodded, then shook his head almost immediately after. “You don’t have to, it’s okay. Besides, my mother warned me about going with strangers and accepting their food, so.”

Jungkook laughed. “And mine warned me about inviting strangers off the street to my home, but here we are. So, hot chocolate?”

Yoongi hugged the towel closer around him. “Yes please,” he said weakly.

Jungkook stayed there, watching him for a moment longer. Yoongi’s hair was still dripping, so without thinking, he walked up to him and used his own towel to dry it off. Yoongi flinched back at first, but then relaxed and let Jungkook dry it for him wordlessly. When he was done, Jungkook gently tilted Yoongi’s head up so he could see his face, since Yoongi had been staring persistently at the floor before, and he’d barely been able to make out his features outside in the rain. Yoongi’s eyes were red, his nose and cheeks too. His lips were dry and cracked as he chewed on them under Jungkook’s scrutinising gaze. Jungkook wasn’t sure if it was just because of the cold and the rain giving him the appearance of it, but it seemed like he had been crying. Yoongi’s eyes darted away from Jungkook’s the moment they locked. Jungkook blinked and finally let go of Yoongi’s face, placing his own towel around Yoongi’s shoulders too before heading over to the kitchenette to make their drinks.

“You can come and sit down, if you want,” he called to Yoongi. At first he wasn’t sure Yoongi would move from his spot by the door that he seemed rooted to, but a minute or two later, just as the water began to come to a boil, Yoongi shuffled to the table, sniffling and hugging the two towels close.

“Thank you for this. You don’t even know me, that’s… that’s really kind and selfless of you.” He paused. “But I’m only here now to watch you make the hot chocolate more closely so I know you’re not trying to poison me, because maybe you’re not actually that kind and selfless.”

Jungkook chuckled. “Valid. But I’d like to think I’m somewhat kind. I hope.” He looked over at Yoongi. “Why were you there, though? In the park. Without a jacket, too?”

Yoongi sniffed and took a lengthy moment to answer. “My boyfriend kicked me out.”

“What? In this weather?”

Yoongi nodded. “It’s whatever. I don’t wanna talk about it.”

“Right, of course.” Jungkook turned back to the hot chocolate. “Whipped cream?”

“Sure, why not.”

Jungkook set down two mugs of steaming hot chocolate, piled high with swirls of whipped cream. He joined Yoongi at the tiny table and nudged one of the mugs closer to Yoongi. Silence fell between them as Jungkook at the mountain of cream on his own mug, and Yoongi just sat with his hands curled around the mug, absorbing its warmth.

“Do you have a place to stay tonight?”

“Oh,” Yoongi frowned, “I forgot about that. I guess I could call up one of my friends.”

Jungkook hesitated before saying, “I know I don’t know you, but you’re welcome to stay here, if you’d like.”

Yoongi smiled, a small and pretty thing. “Thanks, I appreciate it.”

They finally finished their hot chocolates, and Jungkook managed to convince Yoongi to stay and watch a movie. He’d changed out of his wet clothes into something more comfortable, and given Yoongi some of his clothes to change into too. They’d mostly warmed up by then, though Yoongi was still sniffling a little. That may have had more to do with his emotions rather than the cold, though. Yoongi curled up on one side of the sofa, wrapped in a blanket, hugging close to the armrest while Jungkook set up the movie. Jungkook took the other side of the sofa, keeping a good amount of distance between them so as not to make Yoongi uncomfortable.

About three-quarters of the way through the movie, Jungkook realised Yoongi had fallen asleep. He lowered the volume for the rest of the movie, then went over to Yoongi once it had finished. He was still curled up, nothing more than a tiny lump under the tartan blanket. His face rested on the armrest, his cheek squished up on it. Jungkook absently brushed away the strands of hair that fell over Yoongi’s eyes. He looked somewhat peaceful instead of dejected like he had been since Jungkook met him. He placed another blanket over him upon feeling how cold his skin was under his fingertips, before silently getting up to make dinner, the only sounds that of the torrential rain continuing to pour outside the window, adding to the sound of the water boiling for Jungkook’s ramen.

So, Jungkook’s plans for the night mostly did stay the same—having hot chocolate and cocooning himself in blankets as he watched a movie. He just so happened to have taken a temporarily homeless man under his wing, for a reason that honestly he didn’t even know.

But everything happened for a reason, right?