lovestrippedbare | 𝕖𝕟𝕖𝕣𝕘𝕚𝕔𝕠

It's fun to imagine all the places they could go someday. Yoongi knows that they'll be constrained in real life by their work schedules and finances, but in his head, it doesn't matter. They can see Vienna and Venice and head off to places that have fish like this, clear waters and bright coral and brighter creatures. Australia, maybe. At least, he remembers the fish going to Australia in Finding Nemo.

"There they are," he says, pleased, as they approach the tank, his eyes widening at the sight of all the tropical fish. Unlike that big brown fish blending in with the sandy floor, these fish are brilliant and colorful, catching sunlight filtering down from above as they flit past. "They're so pretty, wow. Where would we go to see them? Outside of here, I mean."

"Hmm," Jungkook hums, taking a moment to step back until he's able to come up behind Yoongi, wrapping his arms around Yoongi's waist and resting his chin on Yoongi's shoulder once more. Bit by bit, he's finding that he doesn't make taking liberties in front of other people. What's the most that anyone would be able to assume, anyway? That they're close? That they're family? They aren't doing anything that would be, on its face, untoward, and the likelihood of being confronted when most are fixated on their kids seems relatively low.

Besides, the feeling of having Yoongi in his arms is worth it.

"The Mediterranean is pretty close to like, Vienna and stuff, right? I mean, not close close, still much further than all of Korea, but I always hear stuff about how there are really great trains in all of Europe and you can really get around pretty easily," Jungkook murmurs in thought. "Like with week-long passes or something."

It comes as a surprise when Jungkook pulls away, his arms slipping around Yoongi's waist. For a moment, Yoongi hesitates, unsure if it's a good idea, but then, it's not like anyone here knows them. No one's going to run off and tell their parents that they were being oddly close (and is it even that odd when they've been such good friends?). The moment passes and he relaxes into Jungkook's arms, his hands settling over Jungkook's.

"That would be fun," he says, brightening at the idea of it. "Riding across Europe from Vienna to... somewhere in Greece maybe? It's really pretty there." At least, the pictures he's seen have always seemed beautiful, everything white stone and bright sunlight. The water should be lovely and clear enough to see the brilliantly colored fish. "I mean, if we're going to go, we should just... do it. See everything."

"Right? Like... maybe one of the summers when we're off class," Jungkook muses, narrowing his eyes as he imagines what life might be like in a few years, once they're both in university. It'll be easier to justify the summer trip then, Jungkook thinks — Yonogi, being close enough to graduation to spare one of his summer breaks, and Jungkook, just having started and without enough experience under his belt yet to yield much of an internship. They'll have to save up, but Jungkook thinks that a few years out makes that feasible anyway. He'll work extra jobs if he needs to, because the kind of trip they're imagining feels like the trip of a lifetime.

"Just a couple of months and lots of train tickets. We don't have to stay anywhere fancy, and I bet we can figure out how to be careful about what we spend on food, too," Jungkook reasons. "Walking's free. We'll explore all the places, and uh, bring a little book with the most important stuff we might wanna say."

He clears his throat, breaking into English. "Hello, my name is Jungkook. How are you? I'm fine, thank you, and you? Where can I find hotel? Where is bathroom? How much money is this? I am lost, what way to..." He pauses, realizing there aren't many landmarks he knows off hand. "To the tropical fish," he concludes in Korean with a snicker.

Yoongi laughs, head falling briefly back against Jungkook's shoulder. It is, he realizes, exactly the kind of thing he always told himself not to imagine. Dreaming up impossible adventures is only asking to get hurt when they turn out to be exactly that — impossible. He's tried hard not to think up too much of a future for himself. At least, he used to try. For years, it's felt safer just to let life happen as it comes, knowing only that he'll go to school and then get a job somewhere practical. A dull life, but a safe one, predictable, easy, no heartbreak when he doesn't get what he wants. Dreams seemed dangerous.

But it's so easy to dream with Jungkook, so easy to envision a future unfolding for two. To imagine racing around Europe, always at each other's sides, laughing, holding hands, kissing against a brilliant blue Mediterranean sky.

"Very nice," he says, grinning. "Your English is pretty good." It is, at least, good enough that, between the two of them, they should be able to navigate alright, especially if they bring along a useful phrase book. So he'll save, he thinks. He's already putting money aside in case he needs to get Jungkook out of here to safety; that money could easily turn into a fund for a European trip if that need never arises. "We barely even need a little book."

"Ah, but not all the countries really use English, right?" Jungkook points out, carefully sliding off to Yoongi's side again and looping their arms, deciding not to push their luck too much for now — at least, not before they've had a chance to pet the sting rays and visit the shark tank. Especially the sting rays, given that they were Yoongi's recommendation. "Like if we go to Italy, and we have to use Italian, then uhh..."

Jungkook wrinkles his nose, gaze trailing lazily along with a bright yellow fish before he clears his throat and attempts his best Italian accent. Which is probably more of a British accent. Or not much of an accent at all.

"Pasta? Pizza? Sì, sì... Gelato? Espresso? Ciao!" He starts dissolving into giggles before he even finishes, realizing that he doesn't really know any Italian beyond the dishes that they serve at Italian-themed restaurants, which he's also pretty sure fall drastically short of the real thing. "At least we won't go hungry," Jungkook reasons.

Yoongi's gaze drifts from the fish, shifting briefly over to Jungkook at his side, bright with amusement. "There is that," he agrees wryly. "Or undercaffeinated." He's pretty sure English is more commonly spoken as a second language in a lot of European countries, which will help a lot, but Jungkook is right. They can't count on their limited grasp on the language for everything. "We'll just have to use our phones for translations and hope they're close enough." Internet translations are always a little iffy, but given that he doesn't speak any German or Greek, it should at least be better than he can do on his own.

"Now what," he asks after a moment, "was that accent? I can't even imitate it." Granted, he also can't speak any more Italian than Jungkook has already demonstrated, so he's probably in no place to judge, but not judging has never really been Yoongi's strong point.

"I'd like to hear you do any better! And rattling off a bunch of espresso drinks doesn't count, Mr. Takes-His-Coffee-Black-or-Traditional-Like-A-Snob," Jungkook protests, eyes widening as he laughs, smacking Yoongi's arm lightly with the back of his hand. Granted, he's pretty sure that his accent was the worst of the worst, because he's never been especially talented at pulling words or accents out of thin air — Jungkook's the type who does better when he's had time to repeat a word or phrase over and over, with a recorded example to work off of. Blank canvases, blank slates, those have never been his forte.

Pursing his lips in a pout, Jungkook pulls away to walk further down the exhibit, keeping his eyes peeled on the displays for any sign of a parrot fish, or any of the fishes he recalls watching in Finding Nemo. And keeping his pace quick all the while, just so Yoongi has to work a little to keep up.

Yoongi makes a sound of exasperation, quickening his step until he can reach out for Jungkook, fingers catching in his sleeve. "Oh, I'm a snob now," he says wryly, "just because I don't like things so sweet?" If he could, he would pin Jungkook up against the wall, tease him into relenting, but there's only so much he can do here without drawing too much attention. Instead he slips his arms around Jungkook's waist, pulling him in against his chest until he can press his face briefly to hide against Jungkook's neck.

It is, admittedly, probably a fair assessment and Yoongi knows he couldn't speak any real Italian if his life depended on it. In fact, he has no intention of trying. "I can't do any better," he admits, but he's not going to prove that and make a complete idiot of himself. He just hangs onto Jungkook, brushing a kiss against his neck. Truthfully, Jungkook's willingness to make a fool of himself is at once adorable and attractive to Yoongi. In spite of his apparent confidence, he's always been more self-conscious than he'd like to let on.

As soon as Yoongi's arms wrap around Jungkook's waist, Jungkook laughs again, nose wrinkling as he exaggerates his movement, doubling over and following the tug of Yoongi's arms without protest. Maybe this is a little rowdier than they should be in the aquarium, but Jungkook finds himself reveling in the goofiness, eyes sliding to a close when he feels Yoongi's breath warm against the back of his neck. "Yeah, that's exactly what I'm saying," he snickers. "Who doesn't like sweet things? Only people who think that bitter things are more mature."

Truth be told, Jungkook likes the fact that Yoongi tends towards more bitter and savory tastes. They have enough of an overlap between them that choosing what to eat is never a problem, but the areas where their tastes differ are a good opportunity for Jungkook to try and stretch himself, even if some attempts are futile. Like the aforementioned coffee.

"Can any of us really handle the other European languages worth a damn?" Jungkook asks, smiling when he feels the press of Yoongi's lips against his skin. "Maybe Tae could pull something out of his ass. Or maybe Namjoon hyung has a lot of random knowledge tucked away somewhere."

Yoongi grins, enjoying the way Jungkook relaxes into his arms, the warmth of his body against Yoongi's so satisfying. "Oh, Namjoon definitely could," he says. "Watch him magically know three other languages without telling us." That's just how Namjoon is. His grades aren't always the best, but that's because of his home life and job, not because he's not smart. As far as Yoongi's concerned, he's a genius, even if he's never actually said he thinks as much. All the random bits of trivia Namjoon manages to pull out of the ether may not add up to something that could get him ahead in life, but there's something beautiful about knowing things to know them.

"And anyway," he adds, a note of protest in his voice, "it's not like I don't like sweet things. I like cake. I just don't like that much sugar." Besides, he's pretty sure too much sugar makes him puff up, and he's a little more vain about things like that than he cares to say.

Nestled here against Jungkook, it's so tempting just to keep kissing him, dotting his neck and jaw with kisses, but he knows better than to press his luck. Instead, he tucks his head against Jungkook's shoulder, angling them toward another tank.

There's a part of Jungkook that's almost tempted to remark that it would be fun for Namjoon to come along as well, or for the entire group to take a trip to Europe together. Not that Jungkook wants to compromise his time spent alone with Yoongi, but he can't help but think that Namjoon probably knows enough about European history and culture that he'd make the most out of a trip like that. But sense holds Jungkook's tongue — it's one thing for him to make these plans with Yoongi, but for Namjoon, whose family has been mired in poverty for years—

—it's too hard to speculate about.

Thankfully, Yoongi offers an easy distraction, his breath soft against Jungkook's skin. Jungkook grins at the pout clear in Yoongi's tone, his hands smoothing over Yoongi's forearms. "I guess you do like sugar sometimes," Jungkook murmurs, tilting his head back and forth as they head to the next tank. "Like when it's all over my fingers."

It's funny, Yoongi thinks, what things trigger which reactions. He's not the least bit embarrassed about what they did in the bathroom, but thinking of Jungkook in public, licking sugar from his fingers, brings a flush to his cheeks, as much because of how he reacted back in December as anything else. Thankfully, standing like this, Jungkook's back flush against his chest, it's easy to hide that.

"As long as I can lick it off," he teases, voice kept low. "But I like anything I can lick off your fingers." He tries not to let himself think about that too much, though, not when there's still plenty of this place he wants to see. There are children pressing up against the glass alongside them, and his gaze drops to a little boy trying to wave a toy at the fish through the window. He smiles, watching him wriggle the stuffed crocodile emphatically against the glass, trailing it up and down to catch the fishes' attention. It's enough to distract him from anything dirty-minded for the moment, too charmed by the innocence of the moment for that.

"Anything?" Jungkook asks, soft and slightly skeptical. He can think of a million ways to exploit that comment if he wanted, things that he could smear onto his skin that are far less pleasant than sugar. Even things that he gets on his skin on a regular basis, no teasing required — like the paints from art class, or the way his hands look after a muddy gym day.

Though that's dipping further into semantics than Jungkook cares to, right now. Especially when he turns around and finds Yoongi watching a little boy playing up against the window, one who's almost jamming a stuffed crocodile against the glass. For some reason, Jungkook's always found it easier to picture Yoongi engaging with a little girl, but the grin on his face makes it clear that Yoongi can easily find the charm in rambunctious little boys as well.

They're probably too young for Jungkook's chest to ache as much as it does, but he's glad for the feeling, giving Yoongi's hand a little squeeze. Someday, he thinks to himself. They'll get there.

Yoongi glances over at Jungkook to find him watching him in return, the flush on his cheeks spreading. At least it's fairly dim in the aquarium and he doesn't have to be embarrassed over blushing at being caught out watching kids. They're just so cute; there's something magical about the way children take on the world, as if anything is possible. He'd thought that feeling had died out in him, but these days, he can feel it flickering back to life. They have everything ahead of them, a lifetime of discovery and love, and someday some sweet little child of their own.

"He's cute," he says, the question forgotten, his hand rubbing soft circles against Jungkook's back. "They all are." He huffs out a soft laugh. "I bet you were adorable. A little terror, though." It's easy to imagine Jungkook being so fascinated by the world that he gets himself into trouble, stumbling into messes and adventures, the kind of kid who toddles off when his mother's not looking for half a second. Hell, it's easy enough to imagine him doing that now, never mind as a child.

For a moment, Jungkook finds himself caught on the soft flush of Yoongi's cheeks, pleasantly pink against his otherwise pale complexion, and it's hard not to be excited about everything that the next ten years holds for them — because ten years seems like a reasonable amount of time to wait before potentially adding kids to the mix. By that time, Yoongi will be thirty, Jungkook twenty-six, and both of those ages seem relatively mature, and advanced enough that both of them will probably have completed their time in the military. At least one of them should have a pretty defined career by then, Jungkook expects.

But before he can comment, Jungkook realizes the shade that's been thrown his way, and he blinks before feigning the most offended look possible.

"I was an absolute angel, thank you very much," he counters, which is a flat-out lie. Jungkook's pretty sure that before his father passed away, he was both loud and demanding, as one might expect from an only child who's been doted on. "All you had to do was point me to a playground and I'd be set." Jungkook narrows his eyes, staring at Yoongi thoughtfully. "Meanwhile, I wouldn't be surprised if you, like... I don't know, stopped by every busker and told them they were playing their instruments off-key."

There's such a sweetness to Jungkook's expression, and then it's gone, disappearing behind a façade of dismay that leaves Yoongi laughing. "Sure you were," he says. "And I never." Granted, it's only his better judgment that keeps him from doing so now, at least when the buskers are old enough to know better. As a child, though, he thinks he must have been sweeter.

"Actually, I loved buskers," he says thoughtfully. "I used to drag my parents over and make them stop to listen." That may not be completely true. He's not sure. He knows they would stop a lot, but maybe that was his mother's idea sometimes, as much as it was his own. They were so inseparable when he was little that he's hard-pressed to distinguish between their decisions when it comes to how they spent their time. "Though I do remember falling asleep on the piano once because I wouldn't go to bed." He'd insisted he wasn't tired, but he absolutely had been.

It's easy to picture Yoongi dragging his parents — probably his mother — over to a busker, especially if they were playing an instrument. Pianos and keyboards are a rarer sight among street performers, but Jungkook knows that as much as the piano is Yoongi's favorite, his appreciation for music extends far beyond any single instrument or genre. He can easily imagine Yoongi, a little smaller, a little rounder in the face, lingering long enough to commit a melody to memory.

But he outright whines when Yoongi mentions falling asleep on the piano, wrapping his arms around Yoongi's middle, pinning his arms against his waist. "Ahh, you're not allowed to tell me cute things like that while we're out in public," Jungkook whines, pouting even as he drops his forehead against Yoongi's shoulder, smiling from ear to ear. "Of course you'd fall asleep on the piano. Of course. Not watching TV, not reading books under your cover. The piano."

Yoongi laughs, curling his fingers in Jungkook's shirt. He's so fucking cute, curled close, his breath warm against Yoongi's shoulder. All Yoongi wants is to hold him a while, but he's content like this, too, held in place as Jungkook pouts adorably. For the moment, the children surrounding them are entirely forgotten.

"Oh, I did those, too," he says. In retrospect, he's never been very good at sleeping when he's supposed to, even before his nights were plagued by self-doubt and overthinking. He has trouble remembering specific incidents for most such occasions, but he knows he insisted on staying up too late too many times. "But the piano is probably the least comfortable thing to fall asleep on. It's a good thing they carried me off before I had key prints embedded in my face."

"You'd be cute even with key prints on your face," Jungkook decides, pulling back slightly to assess Yoongi's face, imagining how it'd look with a few lines drawn down his cheek. He reaches out with his fingers, playing a few notes across Yoongi's cheek and ending with his pinky tapping Yoongi's earlobe.

He lets Yoongi go afterward, reaching down between them for Yoongi's hand and tugging them a little further down the length of the tank. He can't remember why they're here at this specific spot anymore, but with so much time ahead of them this weekend, there's no rush. It's not long before Jungkook finds a couple of bright orange fish weaving in and out between a series of stacked stones, and he crouches to get a better look. There's something playful about the movement, and Jungkook tilts his head along, sharp little motions that mimic the quick flick of their tails.

Yoongi rolls his eyes at the notion, though it's mostly for show. He likes being told things like that anyway, however saccharine or ridiculous they might sometimes be. There's a pleasure, a warmth, in being appreciated exactly as he is or would be — not even wanted, just appreciated. It's still silly, but it's a sweet kind of silly.

He follows along as they move down the hall, following Jungkook's lead to kneel down in front of some bright fish, though his attention soon turns to Jungkook and trying to hold back a laugh. Sometimes there's an unguardedness to Jungkook that Yoongi envies as much as he loves it. It's charming and it's not something he has much of, unless surrounded by friends. Letting loose around the others is easy, but this isn't for him, mimicking fish in public. But it's Jungkook and he loves that.

"Are those clownfish?"

"I... think so?" Jungkook says, tilting his head a little uncertainly as his eyes trail after the fish. Some of them look a little big to be clownfish, and they don't have the large stripes down their bodies, but the few that linger by the stones definitely have the same appearance that Jungkook remembers seeing from Finding Nemo. "That one looks bigger than the clownfish, and its cheeks are kind of puffed out. But those ones are definitely like Nemo."

As soon as he says it, Jungkook blinks to find a few more kids crowding in, pressing their hands and faces up against the glass and repeating the name to their parents. Jungkook quickly backs up and out of the way, laughing as he reaches for Yoongi's hand to help himself back up to his feet.

"Wow, I guess that's the magic word," he grins, scratching at the back of his neck. "Bet those movies really pushed more kids to visit the aquarium."

Yoongi stifles a laugh against his hand, grinning as he steps back away from the swarm of children. They may not all be clownfish, but it doesn't matter. Some of them are, and the suggestion of it is enough to bring all the children as close to the glass as they can get.

"That's nice," he says, entirely sincere as he heads further down the hall. "More interest in this kind of stuff is a good thing." He doesn't know a ton about fish, except that they look cool, but getting kids interested younger means more people interested in conservation and stuff, he figures. "Oh! Over here." He tugs at Jungkook's hand, leading him down a darker stretch of hallway to a tank that's glowing faintly, jellyfish bobbing silently through the water. He wouldn't want to encounter one in the wild, but in the dim light, their translucent skin faintly pink and iridescent, they're undeniably cool.

Jungkook perks up immediately when Yoongi directs them down the hall, pleased to be headed in a direction that's to Yoongi's liking and curious to see what lies at the end of the line. His eyes light up even further when he notices the jellyfish, large and impossibly intricate, floating slowly through the water with their curly tendrils moving with the natural waves in the water.

Slinging an arm around the back of Yoongi's waist, Jungkook pulls him closer, his lips slightly parted in awe as he stares up at a jellyfish hovering near the top of the tank.

"They look so... delicate," Jungkook remarks, tilting his head. "And a lot prettier down here than when they wash up onto the beach. I wonder why their bodies are all... I don't know, curly and almost lacy? They look like really fancy umbrellas."

Even with as interested as Yoongi is in the jellyfish, he can't help stealing little glances at Jungkook. The light here is really pretty, even if it's dim, and Jungkook seems to him to glow almost as much as the jellyfish do. Even that's an illusion, he's pretty sure; he can't recall anything he's ever read saying jellyfish actually glow. But still, everything here is beautiful and, for a moment, suspended in time.

He cracks a smile at the comparison, head tipping to the side as he eyes the jellyfish, imagining them as fancy little cocktail umbrellas or parasols. "There has to be some kind of advantage to it, right?" he asks. "That's how nature works. But you'd think being that... delicate, that translucent, would be a disadvantage. Or maybe predators can't see them very well?" He wonders what even eats a jellyfish when so many of them sting. Seals, maybe. Slipping an arm over Jungkook's shoulders, he reaches out with his other hand to touch the glass. "Maybe it's easier to get away."

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