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“... And make sure you look after yourself! College can be a difficult time and I packed you enough shampoo to last you for the year. God knows how hyperactive you get and when you forget to shower -”
“Okay! Mom!” Taehyung laughs with a nervous edge in his voice. “I promise I will take regular showers and take care of myself so I don’t die and I can bring someone home for the holidays.”
“Don’t forget to feed yourself! I sure hope you’re serious about that last part, I’m already planning meals for Christmas and I expect you’ve got yourself a lovely partner so I have another mouth to feed -”
“Mom.”
“Okay, okay, maybe just a friend, but I do expect you’re bringing someone. I care about you a lot, Taebear. I’d like to see you happy with someone. It doesn’t matter who they are, as long as they make you happy.”
“I know,” Taehyung whispers into the receiver. “I know. Thank you, mom. I’ll be fine.”
“Alright, kiddo. Call in often, alright? Dad and I miss you tons! I love you!”
“Love you too, mom.” Taehyung hangs up and after a moment, he lets out a large groan. “A partner? For Christmas? That’s like, in five months. Is she kidding? I hope she’s kidding.” He sighs, and walks across the dorm to organize his clothes. “Me? Get a significant other? By Christmas? She’s insane.”
“I mean, you're pretty great at making friends,” Jimin muses, a lilt in his voice. He's flopped all over Taehyung's bed, scrolling through his phone. “I don’t think it will be that hard. Just go to a couple parties, get blackout drunk, and you’re bound to wake up in someone’s bed.” Taehyung gives him a look.
“Are you suggesting I romance someone under the influence?” He focuses his attention back on the box of clothes by his dresser. “Jimin, we just started the year, I can’t get blackout drunk right now. I’m not even through putting my underwear away.”
“Hey!” Jimin sits up, an offended look curled up in his features. “I do it all the time and get loads of dicks!”
Taehyung rolls his eyes. “Yeah, dicks like assholes who only want you for your body dicks.” Something gets thrown at his face. “Ow! Don’t throw my pillows around, these are new.”
“Fuck your pillows.”
“Fuck you.”
“Sorry, dude, you’re my best friend, but I’ve got enough dick to fuck me with.”
“Oh my god.”
Taehyung throws the pillow back at him and as it hits Jimin, the door to the dorm room opens. Jimin sits up and they both take in the newcomer.
He’s shorter than Taehyung, wearing all black (why is he wearing all black, it’s still summer), with combat boots, jeans, and hoodie. He’s got a (black) mask tied around the lower half of his face and a (black) bucket hat to shield his eyes. The strap of a messenger bag lies on his shoulder and swings right under his waist. Something about this guy makes butterflies erupt in the pit of Taehyung’s stomach, but the dude seems to want to keep his privacy.
“Oh,” comes a soft voice, muffled behind the face mask. “I didn’t think anyone would be here yet.”
“That’s Tae-tae for you,” Jimin says, amused. He sits back and continues scrolling through his phone. “He worries way more than the average person, so he’s here to stake his territory as alpha wolf or whatever.”
“Shut up,” Taehyung hisses at him. He turns back to face the new guy and gives him a big smile. “I’m Kim Taehyung. Nice to meet you.” He extends a hand out. “Are you my roommate for this year?”
“Yeah,” his black-clad roomie says. He has a really nice voice - shut up, Taehyung you don’t even know if he’s interested in boys. The guy reaches behind his head and unties his mask. Taehyung still can’t get a good look at his face because of the bucket hat but… Wow. Lips.
“I’m Min Yoongi,” the dude says. He takes Taehyung’s hand (shocking out of his stupor) and shakes it, a lot more gentle than he was expecting. “Nice to meet you, Kim Taehyung.” He looks up at Taehyung, and boy, does Taehyung remember why he likes boys. Min Yoongi has not only the prettiest lips he’s ever looked at, but possibly the most beautiful eyes he’s ever seen. He reminds Taehyung a lot like a cat with his pouty lips and his pretty eyes, and he would so desperately love to get lost in them forever.
“You have pretty lips,” Jimin pipes up unhelpfully. Oh my fucking god.
“Park Jimin!” Taehyung shrieks. He turns towards his absent minded, idiotic best friend on his bed (and forgets to let go of Min Yoongi’s hand) and glares at him. “Don’t be so rude to my new roommate!” Jimin only snickers at him and goes back to Twitter. The stupid little shit is definitely Tweeting about his despair.
“Ugh, I’m so sorry,” Taehyung sighs, turning back to Min Yoongi, rolling his eyes. “This here is Park Jimin, my best friend since birth. He’s like, the most confident gay you will ever find and he’s bound to become Seoul University’s biggest flirt.”
(“Damn right!” “Shut up, Jimin.”)
“Anyways, it’s nice to meet you! I was kind of worried about the whole roommate thing; I’ve shared a room with my younger siblings a good part of my life, but they’re younger than me and I have an obligation to take care of them. I’ve never roomed with someone I don't know before, so this is a first experience for me.” He smiles at Min Yoongi again and it almost immediately falters when he realizes that the other dude's eyes are wide and he is very, very red.
“O-oh! I’m sorry!” Taehyung squeaks out. “I didn’t mean to pour out my whole life story right there, I tend to talk a lot and I keep on going. I know I can get a little annoying, but I’d really like to be friends with you.”
“N-no, yeah, that’s fine but um…” Yoongi’s eyes refuse to make contact with Taehyung’s and he feels his heart drop. His first interaction with his new roommate failed; his mom is going to be so disappointed during Christmas dinner.
“C-can you let go of my hand now?” Yoongi says, his shoulders folding in on his body. Taehyung’s heart does a loop back up and twists itself into a knot before continuing its drop to his stomach. He looks down at their hands, with their fingers somehow now intertwined, and turns the same shade as Min Yoongi.
“Yeah of course!” he says a little too loudly as he wrenches himself from black-clad roomie Min Yoongi and his pretty eyes and pretty lips. Jimin snickers again behind him. There’s a tense awkward silence in the air and Taehyung hates it.
“So,” the guy says, becoming interested in their shoes. “I should… start organizing my stuff too, then. I’ll see you around?” Taehyung’s heart sinks even further. His new roommate pretty much just said he didn’t want him around and that means he hates Taehyung and thinks he’s annoying and gay and he’s probably a big homophobe -
“R-right,” Taehyung stammers, also becoming interested in their shoes. (His shoes are a pair of nice and clean-looking black Converse, and Taehyung’s are a pair of beat-up tennis shoes). “Wouldn’t want to keep you from doing your work… and stuff.”
Another beat of silence passes before Taehyung grabs Jimin (“Dude, what the fuck, you made me like Jungkook’s hentai retweet.”) and rushes out of the room, with a flushed face and ready to bawl his eyes out.
“Jiminie,” he whines when they’re safely out of the dormitory complex. “Jiminie, he hates me, he really does!”
“In what fucking world do you think that guy hates you?” Jimin scoffs, still scrolling through Twitter. “What is it with Jungkook and hentai fanart today?”
“He’s a bottom,” Taehyung mumbles as he drops his head in his hands. “Of course he’s retweeting hentai, he wants to be sandwiched between two bears.” He lets his hands slip from his face, and groans. “But that’s not important, Jiminie, what’s important is that my new roommate with his pretty lips and pretty eyes fucking hates me and he’s definitely uncomfortable with my presence and Mom expects me to bring home someone new and I blew my chance at becoming friends with the guy I gotta spend the rest of the year with!”
Jimin rolls his eyes. “Dude, chill the fuck out,” he says, closing his phone and pocketing it. “The dude was checking you out the moment he stepped in and saw you.”
Taehyung’s face begins to heat up again. “Jiminie, you don’t have to lie to make me feel better,” he says. “He’s probably homophobic or something. Did you see how uncomfortable he was when I was holding his hand? If Min Yoongi and I ever do become friends and get to the stage where we yell ‘I love you’ at each other, it’s going to be awkward and he’s going to awkwardly say ‘but no homo’ after every time he says it to me! Jiminie! What do I do?”
“Relax, Taehyung,” Jimin says, patting his shoulder. “You’ve got plenty opportunities to prove that you want to be friends and that you definitely don’t want to hold his hands again but in a romantic sense.”
“Jimin!”
“I’m joking, dude. But you gotta lighten up. You have to deal with him sometime, and I know you want that piece of ass (“JIMIN.”), so when you have the chance, man up and talk to him about it!”
“Ugh… you’re right. What would I do without you Jiminie?”
“Probably die in a ditch.”
“Nevermind, friendship card revoked.”
---
Over the course of the month, Taehyung sees Min Yoongi and his pretty lips and eyes all over the campus; talking to his classmates, in the campus cafe ordering coffee (he likes americano), in the library pouring over his notes. Don’t get him wrong, he really would like to talk to Min Yoongi (and get lost in his pretty eyes again). But he loses his nerve every time he works up the courage to approach the dude and when he hesitates, Min Yoongi focuses elsewhere and ends up leaving. It’s like the world wants Taehyung to struggle. He’s lost like six opportunities to talk to Min Yoongi because the world is awful and unfair, Jiminie.
(“You’re so fucking annoying, just talk to him.”
“That’s the point, Jiminie, the world thinks I’m annoying and that I shouldn’t be around Min Yoongi because he is a pure and beautiful angel that I could corrupt with my fingertips.”
“Why don’t you just talk to each other in the dorm? Both of you guys live there.”
“Don’t you know where ‘talking in the dorm’ stories lead to?! Do you want me to die?!”
“Oh my god, Taehyung.”
“Anyways, we’re never in the dorm at the same time, not even at night. Sometimes I’m there sleeping and sometimes he’s there when I can’t make it. Our schedules don’t seem to be aligning because the world doesn’t want me anywhere near him.”)
This time, Taehyung spots him again at the cafe ordering another americano (Why does he drink so much coffee? That’s got to be unhealthy). Min Yoongi gives the barista a smile before grabbing a seat at a table in the corner of the cafe. He takes his messenger bag and hangs it on the the chair, before taking out his phone and scrolling through it. Taehyung thinks he might swoon with how pretty Min Yoongi’s lips are when he takes a sip of his iced americano.
“Okay, okay, Kim Taehyung, you’ve got this!” he whispers to himself. He pushes the door to the campus cafe open and makes his way over to the corner of the cafe where Min Yoongi sits.
When Taehyung takes a seat across from Min Yoongi, the other dude looks up from his phone with big eyes (even when they’re widened, they’re so pretty).
“H-hi,” Taehyung stutters. “It’s, um, uh, me! Your roommate, Kim Taehyung.” He laughs nervously, looking away and rubbing the back of his neck. Fuuuuuuuck.
“Hi, Kim Taehyung,” Min Yoongi says smiling at him. (That’s an amused smile, isn’t it? Oh my god he’s laughing at Taehyung.) “I think I might just remember you. Probably because we’re roommates.”
“Ha ha, right.” Judging by how Min Yoongi’s shoulder have relaxed and how he’s making jokes (and laughing at him), Taehyung hasn’t completely fucked it up. “H-haven’t seen you around the dorm. How have you been?”
Yoongi’s eyes widen again. “Oh!” His cheeks are turning red oh my god he’s so cute Taehyung get it together. “Oh, well I’ve been a little busy with my term project. It’s super important that I stay on schedule with it, so I’ve been rushing around researching and like, living life like a normal human being on the side.”
“What are you studying?” Taehyung says, tilting his head to the side.
“Music production.” Yoongi gives a sheepish looks. “Sounds kind of basic and stereotypical, I know. But I’ve been making my own stuff since I was pretty young, and I’ve always wanted to be a producer.”
“No no it’s not basic at all!” Taehyung reassures him. “I think that’s really cool. Maybe I can hear some of your stuff sometime? When you’re not busy, of course.”
Min Yoongi gives him a small smile (oh my god he’s so pretty he’s so pretty). “I’d love that,” he says, his voice quiet and soft. “What do you study?”
“I’m a photography major!” Taehyung puffs up his chest in pride. “My parents told me when I was young I would steal their Polaroid camera and quote on quote, ‘waste the film’ but I’ve seen the pictures I took and it’s not that bad. Anyways, I got more involved in high school; I joined my school’s photography club and I even made President in my senior year! My parents have always supported my creative endeavors and even though it isn’t the best paying job, I love it and it’s what I want to pursue.” After a moment, Taehyung realizes that Yoongi is staring at him with flushed cheeks and big eyes again and he looks away, embarrassed. “Sorry, I’m ranting again.”
“No, it’s fine,” Yoongi says in a quiet voice. “That sounds really cool. My parents… haven’t always been supportive of me wanting to make music, and my older brother always fought with them when I mentioned it.”
“That sucks.” Taehyung pouts. “At least you’re here doing what you love now! Speaking of older brothers, what’s your birthday? Are you older than me?”
Min Yoongi laughs and Taehyung’s heart is ready to fucking burst. “I’m a 93 liner. I’m 25 years old. You?”
Taehyung lets out a noise of upset. “You’re older than me! I’m a 95 liner. I’m going to be 23 in December. At least, the very end of December.” Yoongi gives him a curious look. “My birthday is the 30th,” he explains.
Min Yoongi smiles. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
Taehyung’s heart swells.
---
Over the course of the next three months, Min Yoongi has become one of Taehyung’s best friends. He orders an iced americano every morning at the campus cafe because he can’t function without coffee, he loves playing basketball (he used to play a lot as a child), he’ll fall sleep anywhere if he’s tired enough (and he’s always tired enough). Min Yoongi and his pretty lips and pretty eyes no longer terrorize him; he’s one of Taehyung’s best friends. He can hold Yoongi in his arms and let him plop himself down in Taehyung’s lap and lie all over him without panicking. It’s become second nature to let Yoongi slip his hand into Taehyung’s whenever he wants. Perhaps... he might even admit that he has the smallest, littlest, tiniest crush on Min Yoongi?
“You are so fucking gay for Min Yoongi,” Jimin says, lounging on the lap on of his new boyfriend Kim Namjoon. He’s another music production major, studying philosophy on the side. He and Yoongi are in the same class and are actually childhood friends. When they first met through Yoongi and they found out him and Jimin were hooking up, Taehyung had to watch his words all the time. But Jimin hates him and loves watching him suffer so of course he told his boyfriend about his small, little, tiny crush on Min Yoongi.
So Namjoon reacts appropriately to the comment; he snorts and rolls his eyes like Jimin. “Look, I’ve known Yoongi longer than anybody else around here, and I’m sure guy probably likes you back too. Taehyung, just confess and everything will be fine.”
“No it won’t!” the dude in question shrieks, pacing in a panic. They’re sitting on the lawn outside of the dorm complex because the air conditioner broke and Jimin is too lazy . “It won’t be fine because Yoongi-hyung doesn’t like me that way! He’s my best friend -”
“Hey.”
“He’s one of my best friends and I already fucked it up once with him, I can’t do it again! I don’t even know if he likes boys I don’t want to make him uncomfortable!”
“Dude, you and Yoongi have engaged in very many non-traditionally homosexual activities. Holding hands for that amount of time can't be healthy for two bros.”
“But that doesn’t meant he’s gay! He's touchy.”
“Yoongi-hyung is the farthest thing from touchy.”
“He’s my roommate and my best friend! He’s just comfortable with me now.”
Namjoon sighs. “I didn’t want to have to out him unless he was okay with it, but Yoongi is definitely one of the gayest people I know. Like, he’s pansexual, but with how often he talks about y- I mean… talks about dudes he likes, he’s gayer than Jimin.”
“And that’s saying a lot,” Jimin says with a serious look on his face.
But Taehyung’s heart drops. “He likes other dudes?”
(“Oh my god,” Jimin says, facepalming. Namjoon winces, and mouths fuck to Jimin.)
“That’s not what I mean!” Namjoon says quickly. “I mean like - oh, forget it just go talk to him, okay? You talked to him after you fucked up the first time, I’m sure you will be fine if you talk to him again. He likes you a lot, Taehyung. Yoongi could never push you away.”
Butterflies explode in his stomach again.
---
“Hey, mom.”
“Taehyung! How’s university going, kiddo?”
“Going pretty good, mom. Jimin, Jungkook, and I made a couple of friends. Namjoon-hyung, Seokjin-hyung, Hoseok-hyung, Yoongi-hyung…”
“That’s great! Are you, I don't know, bringing any of them home?”
“Mom!”
“I’m joking, squirt. But I do expect a new ‘friend’ of yours to join us for Christmas. Have you found someone who’s making you happy, at least?”
“... Yeah. I have.”
“Good. That’s all I want for you, Taetae.”
“Yeah. Thanks, mom. I’ll call you again soon, okay?”
“Okay. Call again soon, Taebear! And take care of yourself. We miss you and love you lots, kid.”
“Love and miss you guys, too.”
---
“Taetae!” A voice shouts out across the quad. Taehyung turns towards the voice and Yoongi is running towards him with his big gummy smile. His heart melts at the sight but his brain is screaming get out of the way get out of the way oh my god he’s going to fall on you -
So Taehyung lets him.
He hits the ground with an oof! and makes sure to cushion the older boy. He looks up and Yoongi has squeezed his eyes shut from the impact. When they pop open again, they look down at him, big and surprised. Yoongi is so pretty.
“O-oh my god, I’m so sorry!” Yoongi squeaks, finally realizing and scrambling on top of Taehyung. “I didn’t think I’d knock you over, oh my god, I’m sorry -”
“Yoongi-hyung, it’s fine.” Taehyung grabs Yoongi’s wrists and looks up at him. The older boy meets his eyes and flushes red, trying to avoid his gaze. Oh my god he’s so pretty.
“C-can you let go of my hands now, Taetae,” Yoongi murmurs. He’s so cute I can’t do this shy little baby aaaaaaaaaaaaa.
“Yeah,” Taehyung says smiling. He relinquishes his hold on Yoongi’s wrists, who immediately clambers off of his body. “Of course.”
(“Jimin, I am so gay for Yoongi.”
“Yeah, dude, I know. Glad you finally acknowledged it, though. Go get ‘em, tiger.”)
---
One night, there was a particularly horrible thunderstorm. The day wasn’t so bad, only cloudy skies and endless rain. (Namjoon was so inspired, he ended up writing a song. (“Listen, ‘forever rain’ sounds like a super good song title, leave me alone.”). The thunderstorm started when the sun finally dropped and Yoongi was flinching and yelping with every noise. Taehyung had to cuddle the other boy (no homo) to get him to fall asleep that night. After that, Yoongi stopped sleeping in his own bed, favoring Taehyung’s arms instead.
“Yoongi-hyung, can we talk?” Taehyung says one night as the older boy settles in his arms.
“Yeah, what is it, Taehyung?”
“We… need to talk about this.”
Yoongi freezes in his arms. “T-talk about what?” he says in a soft voice.
“Like, all of this. Everything we’re doing. What we’re doing right now.” Taehyung shifts to hold Yoongi in a better position. “Don’t get me wrong! I love holding you, cuddling you, holding your hand… in this bro way. But there’s like a line we’re treading on here like… I don’t know how else to say this…”
“Say it,” Yoongi whispers, his voice a lot smaller than Taehyung was anticipating. Here’s goes absolutely everything in our friendship then!
“I like you a lot, Yoongi-hyung,” he blurts out. Neither of them move. “I like you, like I really like you. Even before I knew it, I really really liked you, when you first walked into our dorm room. Like I saw you and god, you were so pretty and soft I don’t think I could take my eyes off of you for a week. And when I got to know you better, I fell even further for you.” Taehyung pauses. “I don’t even know if you like me back or see it the same way or if you’re even into dudes. You don’t have to like me back. I just need you to know that so I don’t have it stuck inside of me forever.”
Another moment of silence passes. Taehyung sighs and lets go of Yoongi, making a move to get out of bed. Suddenly, Yoongi grabs his arm and he hears a faint sniffle
“Yoongi-hyung?” Taehyung says, making his voice soft and quiet.
“What the fuck, Taehyung!” the older boy sobs out. “You can’t just say stuff like that and then leave me. I’m like, one of the gayest people on campus. I don’t know how you didn’t see it sooner. I really like you too, Taehyung. I like you so much, you don’t even fucking know.”
---
“Hey sport! How’s college going?”
“It’s going great dad. How are you guys?”
“Ah, your mom and I are alright. Eonjin and Jeonggyu miss you lots too. Oh, Eonjin’s asking if you’ve gotten yourself a ‘partner’ to bring to Christmas.”
“... Actually, dad, I do.”
---
“Taehyung,” Yoongi whines, pulling on his sleeve. “Taehyung, what if they don’t like me?”
“Yoongi, baby,” Taehyung chastises, cupping his boyfriend’s (boyfriend! boyfriend!) face in his hands and squishing his cheeks. Yoongi blushes and looks away, but Taehyung only chuckles and presses a small kiss to his nose. “They’re going to love you. They’ve been waiting for me to bring someone home ever since I left for university. As soon as I told them you were coming with me, they got so excited. My mom pretty much knows everything you’ve ever told me about you.”
“Everything?” Yoongi shrieks. He steps back from Taehyung and puts his head in his hands. “Oh my god, Taehyung, they probably think I’m crazy! Me, a 25 year old music production major who lives off of validation and caffeine dating their sweet angel of a son. They probably think I’m corrupting you or something!”
Taehyung rolls his eyes. “Yoongi,” he says in a low voice. “They are going to think you are just as amazing and talented and beautiful as I do, because they are my family. Where do you think I got my sense of beauty from?” Yoongi flushes red again. “They are going to love you, baby.”
“That’s the thing! What if they don’t?” Taehyung looks down at Yoongi with a soft look in his eye. “What if they think that I don’t deserve to be your boyfriend or something?”
“Yoongi.”
“Okay, okay. But if they kick me out into the snow, don’t say I didn’t tell you so.”
“If they kick you out into the snow, then they have to kick me out into the snow, too.”
“Oh, how fucking romantic of you.”
“I know. Remember when I wouldn’t let go of your hand when we first met? It’s exactly like that. I won’t let go you, kitten.”
---
“Mom, dad, tinies, this is my boyfriend. Min Yoongi.”
“Hello Mr. and Mrs. Kim, it’s a pleasure to -”
“Whoa, mom he’s really pretty.” (“Ow! Taetae-hyung!” “Why is everyone always loudly remarking about how pretty my boyfriend is?”)
“He most certainly is, Jeonggyu. It’s very nice to meet you, too, Min Yoongi.” Taehyung’s mom has the same warm look in her eyes as she extends an arm towards Yoongi. “Welcome to the Kim family! We’re so glad you came to stay with us this Christmas.”
“I’m glad you invited me,” Yoongi replies, a small smile on his face. “I wouldn’t have thought you’d want me over.”
“Nonsense!” she says, chuckling and placing her hands on her hips. “Any friend of Taehyung’s is family to us.”
Yoongi clutches Taehyung’s hand. “Thank you, ma’am,” he says, his voice almost a whisper. Taehyung thinks he’s going to cry (he’s such a soft little baby crying over everything mom I love him). Yoongi bows and Taehyung’s mom almost bursts from excitement.
She rushes over and squeezes Yoongi’s cheeks in her hands. “Oh, you’re so cute! I can see why Taehyung likes you so much.” She turns on her heel and walks further into their house. “Come on in kiddo, make yourself at home! Dinner will be ready in a second.”
After Taehyung’s mom leaves, Yoongi slumps against Taehyung and lets out a groan. “Oh my god, Tae, your mom is so sweet.”
“Of course she is, kitten, where do you think I got it from,” he jokes. Yoongi groans again and punches him in the side. “Seriously though, Yoongi, my family loves you. You didn’t have to worry though.”
“I know,” Yoongi whispers. “Thank you for bringing me home with you, for being my best friend and my boyfriend, for making my life even better than it was. I love you so much.”
(Taehyung is not going to fucking cry at his boyfriend being the biggest sap of the century. Taehyung is cool and calm and collected and he very much loves his boyfriend too. Wait, did he say “I love you”?)
“Oh, kitten,” Taehyung laughs. He is definitely not crying because his boyfriend said he loves him. “I love you too. Welcome to the family, Yoongi.”