lovestrippedbare | 𝕖𝕟𝕖𝕣𝕘𝕚𝕔𝕠

The little curl of Yoongi's lips is enough that Jungkook has to stifle his laughter, hiding it by skewering a fishcake and chewing it with relish. If only Yoongi had the slightest idea how cute he can be. If only the rest of the world knew how gentle Yoongi is at heart — he'd lose that reputation he carries at school for being intimidating, standoffish.

Jungkook can't imagine Yoongi ever being mean to someone who shows him love and affection.

"If you do something because you like seeing how it makes another person happy, isn't that kind of an indirect way of liking the thing?" Jungkook asks, pursing his lips. "I know there's a part of you that loves color, Min Yoongi. Just look at all the colors of the rainbow your hair has gone through."

"Yah, semantics," Yoongi says, scowling briefly. It's hard to maintain a semblance of annoyance, though, when Jungkook is so pleased with himself. Besides, it's true. Even if Yoongi's color of choice tends to be black, there's a part of him that likes color, likes the contrast of bright and wild colors with his pale skin. He can pretend it's really a question of rebellion if he likes, but Jungkook knows him too well. He's seen the world in shades of grey too many times. Carrying a little bit of color on him, even if only in his hair, is his own small way of challenging that.

"Anyway, hair dye is not the same as glitter. It doesn't get into everything."

Jungkook distinctly recalls one time when his mother attempted dyeing hair at home, and the colors getting absolutely everywhere on her bed linens, but decides to hold his tongue on directing that particular quip at Yoongi. He might be fairly cheeky by nature, but a bit of grumpiness is all he really wanted to pull out of Yoongi — whether or not he wins the argument matters a whole lot less.

"Okay, okay," he says, slowing down and waiting for Yoongi to catch up, holding his arms out. "I guess, 'cause it's your birthday, that I should be letting you win the arguments today, right?"

He takes a couple of steps forward, looping his free arm loosely around Yoongi's waist, wrinkling his nose and puckering his lips at his boyfriend.

"Yes," Yoongi says, arching an eyebrow. "And because I'm right." He leans into Jungkook, though, a faint smile creeping across his face all the same. "But mostly because it's my birthday."

A clash here and there, a small argument now and then, that's to be expected, Yoongi figures. No couple is without their disagreements and, anyway, they're both smart, competitive people. That lends itself to disputes. It's really more of a surprise that they don't happen more often, though that's probably because they're both quick to give in to each other, no matter how much they like to win.

Jungkook was right. He can't say no to him. Not for long.

"I guess you can't be wrong on your birthday," Jungkook says, eyes wide and blinking innocently. Because there's no way that he's going to admit to Yoongi being right for sheer reason of being right, given that he's definitely been wrong on this front. Yoongi enjoys things more than he lets on, of that Jungkook is sure. And semantics or not, Yoongi probably seeks out a lot of things that he wouldn't otherwise, simply because he knows that Jungkook would take pleasure in them.

Truth be told, the things that they argue about usually come down to topics like these — about how much they care for one another, the things they put up with for one another. It's rarely anything that causes direct conflict, so much as hypothetical questions that are fun to bicker about and compete over.

"I don't know if I'll extend the concessions to the whole weekend, though. Might be too difficult," Jungkook admits, looping his arm around Yoongi's as they continue on their way.

"Yah, so rude to your elders," Yoongi says, shaking his head. His age has hardly mattered since they started dating, except in matters of teasing. What does he care how much younger Jungkook is? It hasn't stopped them from being perfect equals in this relationship, hasn't stopped them from being in love. Nothing else matters.

Still, it's fun sometimes to pretend, if only to needle Jungkook.

In spite of the teasing, though, he leans over to press a quick kiss to Jungkook's cheek. "You're lucky you're so cute."

"So much for practically being the same age," Jungkook pouts, pursing his lips, though he knows that Yoongi's words are mostly in jest. It's true that Jungkook's fairly irreverent much of the time, but he likes to think that he's been better about treating Yoongi with respect than many of the others. And if the walls have started to crumble since, it's only because they've been trying to stand on the same ground in this relationship, to be on equal footing.

It's not unlike how he is with both Jimin and Taehyung, who seem to care less for the niceties and more about being able to play without burden.

The pout vanishes in a second when Yoongi presses a kiss to Jungkook's cheek, causing him to puff out his chest. "I'm lucky because you're so handsome," he corrects, turning his head to nudge his nose against Yoongi's hair.

"Well, there's that, too," Yoongi says airily. "You're lucky for a lot of reasons." Even as he teases, he realizes it's not untrue. He still has his bad days, but they seem fewer and farther between lately; it's easier to combat them early on with Jungkook's help, easier to counter any complaints or misgivings with irrefutable facts. He's lucky to have that. And if everything Jungkook says about him on those days (and most others) is at all true, then they're both blessed with good fortune.

"I mean handsome, talented, very smart, incredibly modest..."

"...observant, thoughtful, compassionate," Jungkook adds, ticking each of the list off on his fingers. Yoongi might be speaking with some exaggeration, but Jungkook believes in each of the listed attributes, and deeply at that. There's no doubt in his mind that he's the lucky one in the relationship, though he tries every single day to become a better version of himself, to give Yoongi everything he deserves.

It'll take a while before he feels like he's gotten there, Jungkook's pretty sure. But he likes to think that he's making progress overall, becoming a more reliable person now that he has someone he wants so deeply to support.

"Good taste in music, fashion. Yah, what is there that isn't great about my boyfriend?"

Even now, with Jungkook listing off his best traits and the smell of ocean salt on the air, Yoongi could easily think of plenty of things that aren't great about him. The self-loathing, though, is more from habit than out of any sense of strong belief right now, and he tucks it all neatly away for the moment.

"Well, he's short," he offers instead, "but he makes up for it with his great taste in men." That those are in no way equivalent doesn't matter. "Ah," he adds, another thought occurring to him. "Romantic, too. Charming." As much as he's joking, he thinks there may be at least a glimmer of truth in it. He has, at least, managed to convince Jungkook that he's these things, which is good enough for him. There's no one else he needs to charm, after all. "Incredible in bed."

"He's not short," Jungkook protests with a laugh, swatting at Yoongi's shoulder. While it's true that Yoongi's one of the shortest in their group, Jungkook knows that Yoongi's average, maybe even a little more than, in comparison to Korean men on the whole. And however slight Yoongi might seem at times, Jungkook also finds that to be attractive in its own way, making it all the easier to pick him up, or to shield him. It lets Jungkook indulge all the little instincts he's always had, all the things he's wanted to do for his partner.

"I would sooner question his taste in men than his height. But, ah. You're right. He is very romantic. Very charming." Jungkook puts on a solemn expression, shaking his head. "And so incredible in bed that I find myself turned on by the mere sight of him. I live a very difficult life, you see."

Yoongi lets out a spluttering laugh, nudging his elbow into Jungkook's side. "Ah, poor you," he says. "That must be really hard." It's an exaggeration, he knows, but there are times when it doesn't really feel that way. There are times he looks at Jungkook and just wants to jump him then and there. It stands to reason the same is true in reverse.

"But you're wrong." He glances over, faintly smug. "My taste is impeccable. Otherwise how could I have picked out my soulmate? Most people can't do that on their first try." He really is so lucky, both to have found Jungkook in general, but also to have someone who supports him so thoroughly, who loves him so much, who wants him to see his best self instead of his worst.

"Uh, if I recall correctly, I was the one who first developed a crush on you. Which means that it's more like you totally fell for my seduction techniques," Jungkook grins, the wrinkle of his nose giving him away slightly. He's not really sure any of what he did around Yoongi in those early days can really be qualified as seduction — they spent time together at the piano, sometimes they gravitated to the same corner during group parties, but Jungkook never did any of those things with the real intent of trying to draw Yoongi in. It'd seemed impossible, back then, that Yoongi would ever take a romantic liking to him.

Now it seems impossible that they'd ever lose these feelings for one another.

"But putting that aside, you can't be telling me that you've never had a crush on anyone before me. That's impossible and I won't believe it," Jungkook muses, watching Yoongi's expression closely. "C'mon, tell me. What kind of people were you attracted to before me? Promise I won't get jealous."

"Okay, I didn't say I'd never had a crush before," Yoongi counters. "Of course I've had crushes." The world is too full of interesting people for him to make it this far in life without a little infatuation here and there. Granted, he's not sure that he would actually make a good match for any of his previous crushes, but maybe that's the point. He never acted on those, or, at least, never did much with them or put in much of an effort to win anyone's attention. "I just haven't had a boyfriend since kindergarten."

On the other hand, he also hasn't had many crushes lately. Once he fell for Jungkook, everyone else seemed to fall by the wayside.

He wrinkles his nose, pouting unconsciously, trying to figure out if there were any similar traits between his crushes. "Hmm, I guess I like people who are tall, dark, handsome... completely ridiculous..." He's joking, but, as much as the description fits Jungkook, it makes him think of what might be a suitable answer. "Ong Seong-wu. I hope you're prepared to become an idol to keep my love."

"One Seong-wu?" Jungkook asks, immediately whipping out his phone to figure out who exactly that is. The name sounds familiar, and the mention of him being an idol seems to ring a bell — Produce 101? Or something? — but Jungkook isn't able to summon a face to mind until the image search loads, and he immediately dissolves into laughter. (And, okay, his eyes immediately dart to a few of Seong-wu's features that Jungkook wouldn't mind inheriting for himself.)

"Wow, what a pretty boy," Jungkook exclaims, shaking his head. "What, he's taller than me? Better jawline. Nah, there's no way I can hold a candle to him, are you kidding me? Not to mention I'm pretty sure I'd be considered fairly old for a trainee with no previous singing or dancing background. Not pretty enough to be a visual, either."

He grins, nodding to himself and sliding the phone away. "Okay, okay. I guess I can't judge your taste too much. Considering my top crushes were idols, too. Well, kind of." Jungkook wrinkles his nose. "Does G-Dragon really count as an idol?"

"Close enough," Yoongi decides, amused by the choice, even as he flushes slightly over revealing his own. Idols feel safer to be infatuated with than letting himself be distracted by any of the people at school. They're so distant and unreachable that it doesn't matter. With other students, there's always the faint hope, however absurd, of feelings being reciprocated. Even when he thought it was impossible, some part of him hoped that Jungkook could like him.

"So talented, handsome — check and check. I can't rap, though. Is that going to be a problem?" Something occurs to him and he grins, nudging Jungkook in the side. "And what happened to IU? Do I no longer have to fight her for your love? Because I think I could take her."

"I guess they're both my type, so you might have to fight both of them," Jungkook snickers, unable to quite imagine how a meeting like that might look. It's hard to picture either IU or G-Dragon bothering with any small squabble — they're too aloof. Even Yoongi himself, Jungkook has a hard time picturing visibly getting worked up in a fight for Jungkook's affections — not when Jungkook's made it clear that he only has eyes for Yoongi anyway.

But maybe he's wrong. It's an interesting thought, how Yoongi might look if his jealousy came to the surface.

"Ah, it'd be so cool if you tried to rap. You've got a good look for it," Jungkook points out, reaching out to briefly twist a few strands of Yonogi's hair between his fingers. "But don't worry. Even if you never sing, dance, or rap, you're already way in the lead over those two. They're just fun to watch on stage."

"I think I'd better stick to piano," Yoongi says wryly. "I can barely even write regular lyrics, let alone raps. But I could play on a stage someday."

He doubts he ever will, though. Practicality has to come first. Maybe, if he's diligent enough about his other classes, he could take some music courses at university and end up on the campus stage, but beyond that, it seems unlikely he'll ever get to be a real musician. Still, he's resigned himself to the fact of that. As long as they have a piano at home, he'll be happy with whatever boring job lets them make a life together.

"I bet we could get you on a stage," Jungkook muses quietly, humming at the thought. He's not naive enough to think that either of them can necessarily make a living wage off of their artistic ventures — the competition among visual artists is high, and the pay that musicians get varies a great deal by demand. When times are tough economically, it always feels like art and music are the first things to go; it's too easy to get by with the free content available online, no need to book expensive tickets or take up valuable time.

Still, Jungkook imagines that there must be a way to get onto stage once or twice. Someone with Yoongi's talent should be able to find a way.

"I mean, there are so many bars that look for live music, so if nothing else, that's definitely a place that you can start looking. Even if I can't really follow you in there yet."

It's not exactly a concert hall, but Yoongi doesn't think he minds that. The important thing is playing. He's rarely had an audience of more than a few people, but it would be nice to try. Even if he can't make a career of it, he thinks, he's still good. That's one of the few things he can say with real confidence.

"I hadn't even considered that," he says. "I'd have to learn some new songs. I doubt they're looking for classical music. But it sounds fun." He's tried to play contemporary pop before; it's just a matter of learning some newer material and some old standards. He could be good at that. "More fun if we could sneak you in, though."

"Maybe. Or maybe they have classical nights sometimes? Like how there are jazz bars and things like that," Jungkook muses, narrowing his eyes at the thought. It is, admittedly, hard to imagine that most people would seek out classical music for their backdrop while getting drunk. Except for maybe the sort of people who are more into wine than they are liquor and beer.

"Ah, or maybe there are fancy restaurants that'd go for that kind of thing," he points out, grinning as he turns to face Yoongi, grabbing his elbow to navigate them both down a turn. "Though it's not half as fun for me to sneak into those. Could be pretty romantic, though! I'd be the obnoxious boyfriend, telling everyone that it's my man up there."

While expanding his repertoire to include more commercial song choices probably isn't a bad idea, Yoongi likes the idea of performing in a restaurant even more. It's an audience held hostage, admittedly, even so, and most people probably don't pay the pianist any attention. Still, it would be nice to play and to get paid for doing something he loves.

He grins. "That might get us both kicked out," he says wryly, but he likes the idea of it — Jungkook noisily, proudly proclaiming their relationship to anyone who'll listen and probably more than a few people who have no interest in listening. "But it could be. Romantic. And fun maybe. I'll look into it this summer."

"...okay, maybe I'd have to keep my voice down. To make sure that you don't get fired," Jungkook muses, tilting his head back and forth as they venture down the street. As much as he likes the idea of showing Yoongi off, it would definitely defeat the purpose if doing so ended up getting Yoongi fired, especially from a job that he'd actually enjoy. One that makes real use of his talent.

Jungkook sighs, nuzzling his face briefly against Yoongi's neck before looking around for a trash can to deposit his empty cup.

"I hope we can find something. I really think it'd be great, and maybe someone would discover you that way, maybe it's something you can like... take up as a minor at school," Jungkook suggests with a small shrug. "Though any money you earn might get lost to all the meals I'd end up having at the restaurant while watching you play."

"I'm still not even sure what I'll major in," Yoongi says wryly. "But, yeah, I think about that sometimes. Minoring in music." It would be entirely self-indulgent and he doubts his father will be happy about it, but as long as he focuses most of his attention on something practical, maybe that would be okay. There's little money in music — at least, for most people that's the case — so he doesn't dare pursue it as a career in earnest, but playing at some nice restaurant doesn't seem out of the realm of possibility.

"I mean, I'd want to take those classes anyway, so I might as well."

"It sucks that they don't really give us a chance to like, try things out before we commit, right? I mean, it's not like what we learn in high school is really going to help us pick between all the different things we can study in university. We never really dive deep into anything, it's just us desperately trying to pick up on all the things we might have to know for exams," Jungkook grouses, swiping his shoe at a small pebble on the ground, kicking it down the road. Bad enough that so much of what gets pushed onto them for university sounds like it'd be incredibly boring, but Jungkook also hates the idea that it practically straps one in for life. It's not easy to adjust course later on.

Yet another aspect of life that feels stifling.

"But you should totally take those classes anyway. University's for learning, right? Might as well spend some time learning what you really want to know," Jungkook reasons.

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