lovestrippedbare | 𝕖𝕟𝕖𝕣𝕘𝕚𝕔𝕠

Yoongi huffs out a laugh at the idea, imagining Jungkook with a list of requests a foot long. He's lucky, he thinks, in that they're both relatively low-maintenance, happy just to be together. All the same, he plans to make Jungkook's next birthday memorable, the way this already is. It's a day he knows he's going to cherish for a long time.

"Yeah, let's head to the water," he says. "I want to see the ocean." He hasn't been to the beach that often in his life, but the trips that have been made have all become happy memories of their own. He knows this will, too. It's only his food that keeps him from linking arms with Jungkook as he heads out and down the street. "Lead the way."

They're probably too far from the water yet to actually hear the ocean waves, but still Jungkook feels like he can hear the crashing in the distance, anticipating the cool spray of water on his face. It'll be slightly different than their previous trip to the beach, facing off to the west, knowing that land is only a brief plane or boat ride away. Staring off of the southern coast of Busan feels like it'll be looking towards infinity, endless possibilities in every direction.

"Sometimes I wonder why I like the water so much," Jungkook admits, poking at the ddeokbokki with his toothpick and dragging it through the sauce. "If it's just in my blood or something. I always thought being by the water or deep in the countryside was where I wanted to end up. I guess it's possible that I just don't like crowded cities."

Yoongi nods, thoughtful. He likes the city, but he thinks that's probably because there's always noise in the city, the world a symphony of traffic and voices. He imagines instead a life in the country with Jungkook, though, and he thinks that would be alright. The house wouldn't feel so quiet, so strained, with the both of them there. Silence wouldn't feel the same. Sometimes they curl up together and don't say a word, and Yoongi never minds that.

"Then we'll live by the water," he says, "or somewhere in the countryside." He likes the city, but he loves Jungkook, and he'll follow wherever he goes, indulgent and adoring. "Where would you want to go?"

Jungkook swiftly moves his cup of ddeokbokki to the opposite hand, freeing up his right arm to wrap tightly around Yoongi's, pulling him close with a delighted smile as they make their way down the street. Maybe it's obvious, but he can't bring himself to care when they're taking the time to talk about their future, sketching out mental images that he'll constantly be able to revisit whenever he needs a bit of extra motivation to work hard. Saving up has already helped them come this far.

Eventually, it'll let them leave everything behind.

"I don't even know," Jungkook admits brightly, laughing to himself. "I feel like I haven't seen nearly enough to know where'd be my favorite. Maybe the answer is to get one of those camping cars and just spend a year driving all over the country, until we find a place that looks like it's ours."

Yoongi can just imagine it, the pair of them sharing a tiny camper, not minding if it's cramped because it would be theirs. They could stop wherever they liked, in whatever town catches their attention, until they find a spot that looks like theirs. He loves the idea of that, that they might know on sight what's theirs — a look, a feeling, enough to bring them home.

"Let's do it," he says. "Let's explore. I want to see everything with you." That's the key part. Left to his own devices, he'd probably be content to stay in Seoul, but Jungkook's company drags out his adventurous side, makes him want to see the world. It'll be better for having Jungkook at his side, the things he might see made all the better for getting to watch how Jungkook reacts to it all.

Truth be told, staying in Seoul would be far from the worst outcome, provided Jungkook is able to stay by Yoongi's side. He's sure that they could rent out the smallest, dingiest apartment and he'd still be gloriously happy — as long as they have the freedom, anywhere could be home. Still, it's not bad to have a goal, Jungkook thinks. Sharing such dreams with Yoongi is also more fun and fulfilling than holding onto them on his own.

"I want to see everything with you, too," Jungkook grins, tilting his head back and forth, expression serene and playful all at once. "I want every first to be with you. Every time I head somewhere new, try something new... I know I have the other hyungs, but I want the experiences to be with you."

Yoongi's first impulse is to think that it's selfish of him to want that, too, but he pushes it aside firmly. It isn't selfish at all, not if it's what Jungkook wants; it's only a shared desire, a dream for the both of them. It's not like the others couldn't join them sometimes, but the important thing is experiencing everything together. He wants to find the most beautiful spots in the country and watch Jungkook take it in, to see the light he sees now.

"I want that, too," he says. "All over the country. And then the world. Vienna, Prague, Paris, New York." He doesn't know how they'll get the money, but he's not especially worried about the practical aspects of it now. They have years to figure it out, since it won't make much sense to try before they're done with school, and that's a long way off. By then, they'll have it all figured out, all kinds of new firsts behind them. They've been together for months now, but he's still not entirely used to how possible Jungkook makes things seem. "I want to see it all with you."

"I can barely even imagine it," Jungkook confesses, though it doesn't stop him from beaming from ear to ear. There are times when he's tempted to start looking at travel brochures and watch travel videos, but so far he's kept himself away from such materials, worried that he'll feel a pang of disappointment over how long they'll have to wait before they get there. Most of the things he's able to picture are the more obvious landmarks that are commonly known in Korea — things like the Eiffel Tower in France, Big Ben in England. Jungkook has some sense of how the Louvre looks, with its iconic glass pyramid, but he can't claim to be any sort of expert on it all.

"I just picture people being sophisticated there, with like, bakeries and stuff on every street, and all of those chic fashions that they wear in Europe," Jungkook muses with an enthusiastic tilt of his head. "And I bet they've got better music there, and I wonder if there are like... buskers and stuff, if there's more people there who play and enjoy classical music."

It's all so far off, but that doesn't stop Yoongi from imagining it, an easy leap from Jungkook's words to mental images of stone-cobbled streets and people playing music next to buildings old and worn with history. "Someday we'll find out," he says, certain of that. Somehow he'll figure out a way for them to do it. Jungkook should be able to see the world, and Yoongi wants to be right there with him for all of it.

"I bet there are, though," he says. "If you're from somewhere like that, how could you not love classical music?" Maybe they tire of it from regular exposure, he thinks, but that sounds ridiculous. There are so many different types of classical music, something for everyone if they'd give it a chance.

"I really hope so," Jungkook sighs, shaking his head at the very thought of it. Being around that much history and culture, Jungkook knows that he'd end up spending a fair amount of his time getting lost in it. Sometimes his attention span has a tendency to waver, but living there, there must be plenty of opportunity to gradually soak in all those details, growing up with an appreciation for all that's come before.

Then again, it's not like Jungkook goes to visit Gyeongbokgung very often, so maybe the people there might take some of what they have for granted.

"I remember whenever I listened to classical music around other people, before I stopped giving a shit, they always talked about how boring it was or how it made them fall asleep. But that's clearly because they're only listening to the most famous pieces. There's just so much that it feels impossible that people wouldn't at least find something," Jungkook insists, animated and picking up his pace slightly as they venture down the street.

Yoongi huffs out a laugh, delighted by Jungkook's enthusiasm. It's not that he considers himself particularly superior to other people for his excellent taste in music, his ability to enjoy contemporary music and rap as thoroughly as he enjoys Beethoven and Chopin. It's just hard not to think everyone else is an idiot for not hearing what he hears, the passion, the pathos, the way a song can dip and soar, expressing emotions for which there are no words.

"They're just not listening," he says dismissively. "It's wasted on people like that." He would still love Jungkook if he were one of those people, if he only liked the piano because Yoongi plays it, but he likes that it's something they share. Every piece takes on new meaning, shared between them, made brighter and rarer for being theirs. "But we'll go and appreciate it as it should be."

"Maybe they just need to be guided by Min Yoongi's passion," Jungkook says, half-joking as he leans over to briefly nuzzle his nose against Yoongi's hair. Even though Jungkook's always had an appreciation for classical music — an appreciation for all forms of music, really — he can't deny that his interest has heightened a great deal since meeting Yoongi, since getting to watch and hear Yoongi leaning into all of the voices that rise and fall over the course of a piece.

"They just need to spend some time with you in front of a piano. Or have you walk them through all the notable details of a recording," Jungkook decides, shifting the ddeokbokki cup around in his hand, fingers nudging so that it turns slowly, counterclockwise. "'Cause maybe it's... harder to hear the language, I guess, when you don't know what you're listening for."

Yoongi smiles warmly at the sweet touch of Jungkook against his hair. It's the little things like that, thoughtless gestures, as if they can't quite contain their love, as if it all spills over, that make Yoongi so happy. He hardly needs proof of Jungkook's affection, but he enjoys receiving it all the same.

"Maybe," he says. He picked up that kind of thing young, listening to his mother. Other people probably just aren't as lucky as he's been. Or maybe they simply don't have any taste. It could be either one. "I taught you well, after all. But you were already receptive. Other people just don't get it."

"Would you think less of me if part of that interest was driven by my interest in you?" Jungkook asks curiously, raising a brow. It's not untrue. While Jungkook's never been disparaging about music, he's not sure if he would have sought it out with quite as much fervor if it weren't for how striking Yoongi was when he sat at the piano, filling their little classroom with music, the perfect backdrop to any mood. He remembers researching every piece Yoongi played, eventually branching out to all the various composers.

The day he'd discovered Chopin was like a little victory, the first preference he'd built outside of what he had experienced through Yoongi alone.

"Because there was definitely a bit of that crush factor, you know. I really, really wanted to impress you. Or at least be taken somewhat seriously," Jungkook adds with a solemn nod.

"Of course I don't think less of you," Yoongi says, shrugging. "I don't think it really matters how a person ends up liking a thing so long as they really like it. And I like the way you watch me play."

He probably should have known long ago that Jungkook's rapt attention came from a place of attraction, but he was always so caught up in the music, he never noticed. He notices it now, how Jungkook watches while his hands skim over the keys, how his mistakes born of distraction are because of Yoongi and not simply him not paying attention. Even now, with months of this relationship behind them, he finds it thrilling, flattering, to know Jungkook wanted to impress him.

"Some people would totally make fun of me for it, I think. The same way that everyone scoffs at people who get into a drama just because they think the actor's hot, or whatever. But I guess my love of music goes a lot further now than just being into your hands," Jungkook grins, lifting Yoongi's hand and pressing a kiss to his knuckles, then trailing his lips along each finger, to the tip.

"But now I could school all of them on my knowledge of the Romantic period, so screw 'em," Jungkook murmurs, lifting Yoongi's hand further until he's able to press his lips against Yoongi's pulse point. It's a good thing, he thinks, that they still have a while to go yet on this street, no need to watch for turns or directions.

"Screw 'em," Yoongi agrees, fingertips tracing along Jungkook's jaw, his pulse fluttering under the press of his lips. The way Jungkook treats him always leaves him a little in awe; it's not like he's something fragile, it's that he's to be cherished, every bit of him worthy of reverence. He's never seen himself that way, but Jungkook does, and Yoongi never gets over it. Surely his parents felt he was something precious when he was little, but even that was different and very long ago.

He could, he thinks, stop right here in the middle of the sidewalk and kiss Jungkook. Screw 'em. The last thing he wants, though, is to mar this trip with any trouble that might come of it. On the beach, he tells himself. They'll find some privacy by the water and then he'll kiss him until they can barely catch their breath.

"If you found something you really love, who cares how you got there?"

"Like how it took me playing hooky from class to find you?" Jungkook jokes, his expression fond as the both of them drop their hands again, walking side by side, too close to really be mistaken as friends alone, Jungkook thinks. He remembers how nervous he'd been when he had initially met Yoongi — how, of all the boys in that classroom, Yoongi seemed the most reserved, the most distant. Jungkook was the sort of person back then who needed almost tangible reassurances, needed to know that he wasn't being a bother. But Yoongi was a person for whom one had to read between the lines.

Jungkook had only started to better understand after Yoongi first took to the piano bench, mapping out emotions on the keys that one could never discern in his expression.

He started going to the classroom every day, if only for the chance of getting to hear those melodies.

"I think it's kinda romantic, though. Forbidden love and all that," he grins.

Yoongi shakes his head at him, fond. "What, you and me?" he asks. Half the time or more, he forgets that's even the case. Even at home, they live so much in their own little world, kept safe staying in their small circle of friends. It's only when they move beyond that or around their parents that he becomes more aware of how dangerous this still could be for them.

But they're safe here, he reasons, just another pair of tourists, no one paying them much attention.

Already he can smell the salt sting of the ocean on the air, though he's not sure they're all that close quite yet. It's refreshing, putting him in mind of trips to the beach with the others, watching them race down the shore. The beach has always felt like a place of freedom.

"It is sort of romantic," he agrees, "when it isn't just annoying."

"True, I guess it's kind of annoying that we can't be all over each other like some other couples," Jungkook muses, wondering how differently they'd behave if there was no chance of such deep scrutiny from society. He can imagine constantly pulling Yoongi off to the side of the street, hands around his waist, laughing as he peppers Yoongi's cheek with kisses, dodging any that Yoongi might try and return.

Yoongi would probably be the shier of the two, even without a cloud of judgment over them, but Jungkook's sure that he'd be able to win the elder over with his enthusiasm.

"We'll just have to hope that Korea starts turning around. I mean, there are Pride parades and all that now, right? I've never been to one personally, but I always heard about them on the news," Jungkook murmurs. "It might be really nice to go to one of those. As long as we're not in the front row of the audience or anything, it's not like anyone would find out, right? There's way too many people to pick us out from the crowd."

It's maybe too much spectacle for Yoongi's tastes, but he likes the sentiment behind such parades, at least. It's nice to imagine that, one day, things might change, even if it leaves him feeling more rueful about the current state of things than hopeful for the future. Maybe someday, though, it won't matter if anyone sees them -- not that they'd change their parents' minds, but that they'll get away from them soon enough that it won't matter what those people think.

"Maybe," he allows. It's doubtful any of their classmates would go. In fact, most of the people who show up to such a parade are likely to be the kind who wouldn't tell on them, who probably know how much some people still need to hide. He remembers what Seokjin said about Pride in America, how that was the first time he kissed a boy; maybe just being in that crowd grants people a certain kind of courage. "We could try next time one happens."

On its surface, a Pride parade is probably the opposite of what Yoongi would enjoy. Too loud, too colorful, too open — and Jungkook can't help but laugh when Yoongi agrees to go, because who would've thought it possible upon first meeting him? The image still feels a little mismatched now, but Jungkook likes that there's really only one set of circumstances that he can imagine Yoongi going — if it's hand in hand with Jungkook, both of them reveling in their love and showing it off to the world.

"We could try," Jungkook agrees, looking pleased with himself as he swings their arms with a little more vigor, turning them down another corner, reveling in the smell of the ocean. "But we have to go all the way. Glitter. Body paint. I guess we're probably not as crazy as the States yet, so no need to take off your shirt or anything... though I wouldn't say no, if you were suddenly feeling inspired."

"I think I'll save that for when we're alone, thanks," Yoongi says, smirking. "And you are not covering me in glitter again." Not that his protest matters any, he knows. If they go to such an event, he's going to get glitter all over himself anyway, if only because it will somehow end up all over Jungkook, whether intentionally or otherwise. He's doomed.

Still, it's worth at least a token protest. Just getting him to one of those things should be enough, he figures. He doesn't like the cacophony and the crowds; the only reason he'd volunteer to go is because Jungkook wants it and because, admittedly, he likes the idea of being surrounded by people who genuinely don't give a shit who he loves.

"You can pour glitter on Jimin instead."

Jungkook tilts his head. "I'll allow it," he says in agreement to the line Yoongi proposes for privacy. As much as he likes the idea of showing his boyfriend off to the world, he's also perfectly content to let some things remain entirely for his own eyes. Especially since he doesn't particularly want to entice other queer men — he's pretty sure the beauty of Yoongi's features will do that all on their own. No need to urge them further.

"But we gotta do the glitter. You know there's going to be so much of it," Jungkook whines playfully, tugging at Yoongi's hand a few times. "Wouldn't you rather the glitter be from me than only from other people? Total strangers? If strangers get to glitter bomb you, I should at least get a go. I promise to at least stay out of your hair."

He lifts his chin with a smirk. "Besides, if I only hit Jimin hyung, you know he'd just grab enough bombs to make sure everyone gets glittered. There's no escape."

Yoongi tips his head back, groaning dramatically, and sighs. He hates to admit it, but Jungkook has a point. If the glitter doesn't come from Jungkook, someone else will cover him in it, probably Jimin.

"It gets stuck everywhere," he grumbles. "I was picking it off for days after Jin's birthday." It's only a token protest, though. Much as he might pretend to grouse, he knows there's little he'll say no to if Jungkook is the one asking. Sometimes, though, it's fun to make him ask a little more first. He can't very well just give in when it comes to something like glitter. "It'll find its way into my hair on its own."

He considers his options, sighing again. "But I guess there's no getting out of it now, is there?"

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