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The most disappointing thing about life was by far that it always had to find a way to make everything a challenge. Yoongi knew that had his father heard him say that, the old man would have responded that ‘every challenge was a lesson which you would eventually emerge from stronger than before’. Yoongi thought it was bullshit. At most he could respect that whatever deity was responsible for his particular simulation, was always creative when finding knew was in which to fuck Yoongi over.
The most recent trick played on Yoongi really was one for the books. Despite the fact that Yoongi had never had an easy life, he was impressed by the sheer amount of fucked he currently was.
The thing was, Yoongi knew that Minji would be leaving him, so that much wasn’t a surprise. They hadn’t been happy together for a long time and both of them had done and said things that they shouldn’t have. Finding out that Minji wasn’t being faithful really didn’t help, but when Yoongi realised that he wasn't even really sad about it, he thought it better that they just split up. As expected, Minji had agreed.
So Yoongi had fully expected to come home to see that Minji was gone. What he had not expected was that not only had Minji taken her shit and left, she had taken everything.
Table, chair, bed, even the god damn couch that Yoongi had dragged with him around Korea ever since he moved out from his parents place for the first time at age 15. Damn vulture.
Everything that had been in the apartment was gone except for Yoongi’s personal belongings which were laying in piles around on the floor, making the otherwise empty apartment seem extraordinarily messy as he stepped over his things to really take stock of the amount of shit he was stuck in.
Something between a laugh and a sob escaped Yoongi when he realised that Minji had left behind the shitty mattress they had kept around for when they had guests. Small mercies, or maybe the cherry on top of what was about to be the worst day in recent years, seeing as the mattress was not only horrible to sleep on but also a bio hazard due to the sheer amount of dubious liquids that had been spilt on it during the years. Damn it, the bloody mattress was as old as Yoongi’s beloved, and now lost, couch. Fuck, Yoongi had loved that couch. He hadn’t even been the one to cheat and Yoongi knew for a fact that he had paid for almost all of the furniture that Minji had apparently awarded herself in their separation.
The urge to cry became actual crying when Yoongi made it to the kitchen only to realise that the bitch had taken his coffee machine.
Freshly out of both dinner table and chairs, Yoongi ate his dinner on the floor that night before he risked his health by sleeping on the mattress, a feat that he only succeeded by breathing through his mouth so that he at least couldn’t smell the damn thing.
It took Yoongi a full two months to hate his life enough to the point where he was currently standing in the Ikea parking lot. He had pulled up outside of the Ikea just after opening with a stiff back and an extreme lack of caffeine in his veins. He should have gotten coffee on the way but he was also very eager to get in and out of Ikea before too many people started crowding the store. The lack of coffee might have been a mistake and Yoongi really wished that he could have just made coffee at home like he used to do before his (now ex) girlfriend up and left with his very expensive espresso machine.
Yoongi felt the anger in him re-emerge as he thought about the expensive piece of machinery. He had had the thing for years, even before he had met Minji and it always worked perfectly. It had been his first big purchase after he started making enough money off of royalties to pay for more than just rent and other necessities. The thing was Yoongi’s baby and his ex should be charged for kidnapping or something equally as serious. Yoongi didn’t care what anyone would say. Losing his coffee machine and his couch was worse than any breakup could have ever been. Maybe that was also one of the reasons why he had put off this shopping trip. It felt a little wrong to buy a new couch instead of avenging his old one or perhaps even stealing it back. But it simply couldn’t be put off anymore. The mattress that had acted as Yoongi’s resting place for almost 2 months and successfully aged him about ten years.
The big problem now was that Yoongi hated being in public and he hated people even more, so while many would enjoy a trip through the isles of Ikea, the multi floored maze was Yoongi’s personal hell.
The weather was cold and depressing and Yoongi was shivering from the biting wind before he finally got his shit together and ventured inside the particularly Swedish circle of Dante's inferno.
Yoongi had a plan and a list with every item he needed to either get or consider getting. The items were listed categorically from the floorplan that Yoongi had looked up online, ensuring that he could get in and out as fast as possible. This was a mission and while his life wasn’t on the line, his sanity was and his caffeine addicted brain was already protesting the sharp overhead lights. Yoongi was determined to succeed in record time and to keep his human interaction to an absolute minimum.
Barely had he gotten inside and up the long escalator in the entrance hall before the store was taunting him. He should have turned around already, he told himself. He should have taken the start as a bad omen, because the first thing he saw was bedroom displays. Not even beds that he could try out and choose from, no, just displays of perfectly styled bedrooms with matching sheets and aesthetically correct clutter on the bedside table and on the minimalist shelving unit, all colour coordinated to match the mountain of throw pillows.
And to top it all off, there were even two pairs of slippers next to the bed in the first display.
Yoongi snorted with disdain. What a way to fucking rub everything in his face.
Still, at closer inspection there was some satisfaction in those damn slippers. They were tied together and glued to the display, basically bolted down into the concrete floor just like all the poor fuckers who were caught in relationships with heartless devils who were just waiting for the right moment to run away and take all the furniture with them. Everything but the world's most uncomfortable futon.
With a sharp nose exhale, Yoongi gave the slippers a kick with the toe of his shoe. To no fucking use, the things were glued to the ground which he already knew.
“What did those slippers do to you?” A voice suddenly said from just beside Yoongi, startling him as he turned to face the stranger. “I’m not judging, if they did something to offend you then I totally support the public display of violence.”
Yoongi let his eyes take in the stranger and was instantly a little shocked by how beautiful the young man was. Shaggy brown hair with wild curls framed his face and the baggy outfit of jeans and an oversized t-shirt made him look almost a little childish, even if he had what looked to be a full sleeve of tattoos going down one arm.
Yoongi smiled as best he could manage because while he was tired and suffering from a severe lack of caffeine, he didn’t want to be rude to pretty boys who made funny comments. “Nah the slippers are fine.”
The kid smiled, obviously pleased that his comment had been well received. “So if they didn’t attack your ancestors and your pride, why the demonstration of physical dominance?”
“No reason kid, I’m just projecting” Yoongi huffed even if he couldn’t for the life of him figure out why in the world he is even entertaining the stranger and stepped away from the display to start his long trek through the maze that was Ikea, leaving the stranger behind.
Yoongi startled at the sudden ringing from his phone. With a deep sigh at the sight of the caller, Yoongi put the phone to his ear and walked further away from the beds. He knew that he needed a bed, desperately so, but from his floorplan he knew that there were beds later where he could choose them from specific firmness and size. Maybe he should just get a pull out couch. Although getting a new couch would feel more like infidelity than actual cheating. Yoongi might have lost his leathery love but he wasn't ready to move on yet.
“Hyung,” Namjoon’s voice sounded clearly through the phone and the familiarity made Yoongi’s heart beat a little slower, calming the borderline homicidal thought that had already started brewing in the back of his mind at the mere idea of navigating around the strangers that were filing into the store alongside him.
“Joon.”
“Where are you.?”
“Ikea.”
Silence stretched for almost a minute but Yoongi could hear Namjoon breathing on the other end and waited patiently for his friend to speak. “...What?”
“I’m in Ikea.” Yoongi said again as if it needed elaboration. “Don’t act so surprised, you are the one who insisted that this hellhole was better than ordering my furniture online.”
Namjoon spluttered at Yoongi’s assertive tone. “Yeah okay. Are you there alone though?”
Yoongi hesitated, knowing what an honest answer would bring. “Yes.”
The answer came instantly. “Do you want me to come join you? I can be there in 30 minutes?”
It was a nice gesture and one Yoongi really did appreciate, never taking for granted how his friends always tried to accommodate him in situations where he would be around a lot of talking people as that always stressed him out and sent his anxiety flying.
“No it’s fine, I'm determined to be out of here within 45 minutes. And so far it hasn’t been too bad, I'll be honest.” Yoongi said and hoped that Namjoon could hear that he really was okay. He didn’t mention that a hot stranger had been the one to take the edge off of Yoongi’s anxiety.
“Okay, call me if you change your mind.”
“Sure, give my love to Hoba.”
The first real section should have sent Yoongi running, should have had him back in his sorry ass apartment and have been what pushed him to just order a bed online and leave every other piece of furniture for a later time. Instead he felt a ghost of a twinge in his back, reminding him of why he was here and on a mission.
Yoongi stood at the beginning of the maze and was faced with so many couches that he literally couldn’t see where the display section ended. The pain in his back had to be more than just an imagined flare up that his brain was creating. The many nights he had spend sleeping on his old couch through the years were fond in his memory and Yoongi was entirely convinced that his body was sensing the presence of the many couches and their horrible cushions that would undoubtedly make you pull a muscle if you tempted fate and sleep on it for more than two consecutive nights. They just didn’t make couches like they used to, Yoongi thought to himself as he walked past the many seating arrangements, not testing a single one out of pure spite.
The couches didn’t even end once he turned the next corner, but instead of rows and rows of couches lined up, there were more display rooms, little sections closed off to imitate a full living room. The rooms were just enough to distract Yoongi from his aching back and broken heart, and remind him of the fact that interior design could actually be fun and had been an old hobby of his, but in a taunting way as opposed to inspiring. Yoongi simply did not have the excess mental energy to think about what kind of look he would want in his apartment or what sort of style he should be going for. He would have to rely on decorations later to tie everything in the apartment together into something homey, because for now he just needed a bed and enough furniture to get by without feeling like he was living between homes, or for Hoseok to drag him out for more furniture shopping.
Yoongi had no doubt in his mind that while dragging his feet though Ikea alone was dreadful, furniture shopping with Hoseok would be literal hell.
The most annoying part about the living room displays were that all of them were better decorated than his and Minji’s actual living room had been even before the vulture left the nest. It baffled Yoongi that the sleazy cheater took his shit when Minji never cared much for their furniture anyways. She had always let Yoongi choose when something needed replacing or when Yoongi wanted a new rug to make the room look brighter.
The idiot had even taken the plants that Yoongi had been gifted from Namjoon. Yoongi added potted plants to his list of items to get.
Against all logic, a new section of couches followed after the living-room displays, and Yoongi found himself getting unjustifiably annoyed at it. However, it only lasted a short moment before Yoongi had to calm himself, because what he had reached was obviously, at second look at least, a transition into the beds section, as all of the couches were somehow transformable so that they could function as beds.
For a moment, Yoongi considered trying some out, but quickly changed his mind when his eyes diverted his focus.
A familiar figure ws standing just ahead, hands planted on the cushions of a couch in a way that made his ass strut out in the air and emphasising the almost perfect round curve.
Yoongi caught himself in the train of thought and in an attempt to not be a complete creep, he made to turn away but he was a second too late. The young man who had joked with him by the entrance looked up and caught Yoongi’s eye with a wink.
Considering his options, Yoongi was quick to decide that saying hello was much less creepy than simply walking away after having possibly been caught staring at someone's ass.
“Your back deserves better than that,” Yoongi said as he walked up next to the man and tried to look focused on the couch in front of him.
“Huh? Oh. Nah, I’m young, fit and able bodied. I'll be fine.”
Even without looking up, Yoongi could hear the smile in the man’s voice. It was a good voice too, Yoongi thought to himself. Clear and with a very pleasant tone.
“You sure?” Yoongi said, eyes on the couch that would no doubt cause him to slip a disk.
“Yes, I’m sure, Mr?”
Yoongi rolled his eyes and fought a smile, not wanting to give the young man the satisfaction of seeing his wit having the desired effect. “Yoongi.”
It didn’t work. He smiled so brightly that his nose scrunched up in the most adorable way. “Hello Yoongi, I’m Jungkook.”
“Hello Jungkook, please do spare your back this sad fate.”
“I’ll be fine!” Jungkook whined and oh what a sound.
“You say that now but you will have the back of a 70 year old after just a month or two of sleeping on this thing.”
“Talking from experience?” Jungkook said with a wink that had Yoongi feeling all sorts of ways.
“A light breeze could crack my spine right now.” Yoongi said with a joking tone going for gloomy. He would have a hard time later admitting how much fun he was having but right now he was just happy he had the conversation back on track, and that Jungkook no longer had that teasing look on his face that looked a little too much like flirtation. But as if Yoongi had jinxed it just with his thoughts, Jungkook’s eyes narrowed as he looked Yoongi up and down before he with a smirk said, “Hmm, I suppose. Now that I think about it, this is also a little small, isn't it? I personally quite like moving around in bed. Or lying very close. Either or, and no inbetween.”
The way that Jungkook held eye contact, the way he tilted his head slightly to the side was so flirtatious that Yoongi felt his breath get caught in his throat as his heart stuttered uselessly.
Yoongi was speechless, blinking silently at Jungkook who only smiled more at the response to the point where he almost looked boyish instead of flirtatious.
A moment passed before the loaded silence was broken by Jungkook’s phone ringing. He quickly brought it to his ear with a wink at Yoongi.
“Hyung? Oh yeah, sure. I’ll be there in a minute.” Jungkook spoke into the phone without letting his eyes move from where they were locked on Yoongi. Just as quickly as he had picked up the call he ended it and stuffed his phone back in his pocket.
“That was my Hyung, I have to go meet him.”
And then he was gone, leaving Yoongi to admit that he had failed the most important part of today's mission; to stay focused and on schedule. The worst part was that he didn’t really care. The smile and blush combo he was currently sporting made it all worth it, especially since it had all but erased the looming anxiety that Yoongi had been feeling so far. Was he still absolutely hating Ikea as a concept and the fact that he had to be there? Yes. But Jungkook had made it manageable and while Yoongi still craved a smoke and a very black coffee, he no longer wanted to commit murder when a lady walked a bit too close by.
Distracted and with his head in all the wrong places, Yoongi continued through the blue and yellow maze, trying desperately to get his focus back on track. Shelves. He needs shelves. All of his books and CDs are currently on the floor. At least shelving would be meditative and fun to assemble. The thought helped him get back on track and after a bit of searching he found some that were sleek, simple, and white. They were perfect as he had a lot of stuff that would bring colour to the shelves and he therefore wanted the shelves themself to be as simple as possible.
The next part of the store after the shelves section was desks. A new desk hadn’t originally been on Yoongi’s list, but now that he watched the small decorated display rooms and the clever setups, ideas started to form in his mind.
Even if it hadn’t been on his list, the fact was that he no longer shared the apartment with another person and only had his own things there meant that if he wanted, he could easily make space for a desk and set up a proper work space.
It was instantly tempting. Previously, Yoongi had worked only at his office where he had a personal studio, but whenever he had brought work home with him or inspiration had stuck late in the evening, he had worked at the dinner table. It hadn’t been great for his back and more importantly, Minji had hated it and always insisted that Yoongi clean out all of his things before they had their next meal. It had always gotten on Yoongi’s nerves as the table had been big enough for his equipment to be pushed to the side and they would still have plenty of space. If he changed the layout of the apartment, as it had previously been decorated, a little, then he could get a desk and place it by the back wall and even corner it off with the couch and a bookshelf, essentially making a small office for himself. He would finally be able to work late at night which was always when he felt most inspired, most in the zone. Yoongi had to question himself then as to why he had never just insisted on having a proper work space in the apartment that he had been paying for.
“I was gonna say something cute or flirty but honestly, you look both confused and constipated right now so I’m feeling that it might not be the right move.”
Yoongi’s head whipped to the side to see that Jungkook was next to him again. He was slouching slightly with his hands in his pockets and his eyes intently watching the desk in front of them as if he was trying to spot something.
“Oh, Jungkook.”
“Sorry if I came on a little strong before.” Jungkook said honestly, raising a hand to scratch at the back of his neck, obviously feeling a little awkward.
Yoongi waved a hand dismissively. “Oh. No, you’re fine.”
Yoongi wasn’t going to reveal that Jungkook was the only reason why he wasn’t a complete nervous wreck, but he wasn’t going to let him feel bad over some welcome flirtation either.
“Good.” Jungkook smiled. Yoongi liked that smile and it made him even less likely to run out of the store and have that cigarette he had been craving for the last 30 minutes. “You know, I'm starting to get confused as to what you are here for. You could have just been window shopping in the other sections but I think you were a bit too focused for that to be the case.”
Yoongi smiled as he walked to the next desk, noticing that Jungkook followed along easily. “Are you keeping track of me?”
“Not really. I just have a hard time keeping my eyes off of you.”
Yoongi nearly choked on nothing and found himself speechless as Jungkook’s comment had made him forget whatever question had been posed
“So, you need a new desk?” Jungkook asked, entirely ignoring the almost lustful line he had just delivered.
“I need a new everything.” Yoongi said with a shrug, trying very hard to not look like a fool.
“Really?
“Really really. I’m currently the proud owner of a 10 year old futon that is leaking toxic fumes, and that is the extent of my furniture collection.”
Jungkook looked genuinely shocked, his brows raised high. “Well damn. How did that happen?”
“Broke up with my girlfriend and came home to find the apartment empty.” Yoongi explained simply. Perhaps it really was a longer story but all that mattered now was that Yoongi was extremely poor in terms of furniture.
“Oh shit. Well. Okay, what are your demands for a desk, what do you need?”
“Not sure. I live alone now and have more space so I thought it might be nice to get a proper workspace.”
“You work from home?”
“No, I have a studio, but I like to work at night at random times. I'm still not entirely sure I need the desk though.”
Jungkook stopped right in front of Yoongi with a determined look on his face that Yoongi wasn’t entirely prepared for. “No, get the desk. It sounds like it would make a difference for you.”
Yoongi hesitated, but Jungkook was right. There was no reason not to get it.
“Yeah, I think it really would.”
After a solid 20 minutes of looking at different desks, Yoongi noted down the number of the model he had chosen and sent a gummy smile at Jungkook who had helped him judge the advantages and lacks of each model they had considered. It felt good to not go through the process alone, or perhaps it simply felt good to do it with Jungkook.
The two of them chatted casually as they continued though the maze and Yoongi was surprised by how comfortable he felt making small talk with someone who was practically a stranger. If Yoongi disregarded that they hadn't even known of one another's existence for more than an hour, he would have already considered them friends.
The next section they entered was the kitchen section. Yoongi had to stifle a laugh at the thought that the only thing that had kept Minji from taking the whole kitchen was that the cabinets were bolted to the walls. Even then, Yoongi would imagine that it wasn’t for a lack of trying. Despite how good of a time Yoongi was having, he was suddenly desperate for a shortcut so that he could get done and get out. A cigarette and a cup of coffee seemed higher and higher on the list of things Yoongi considered as human rights, right next to ‘peace and quiet’ and ‘being able to shop without having to interact with people’.
Entering the section with dinner tables, Yoongi felt himself lose hope even more. He had really liked the one he had before and that one had been expensive too.
Trying to find something decent, Yoongi started walking around the tables, asking Jungkook for his opinion here and there.
“Shit, you really are furnishing a full apartment.” Jungkook said when Yoongi had made his choice and noted down the number and went on to get chairs to match.
“I am,” Yoongi said simply. “Why are you here?”
Jungkook scratched his neck again but stayed right next to Yoongi as they walked. “Honestly, I’m sure I'm here for something specific but I can't remember for the life of me. My hyung is probably tracking it down as we speak.”
“And you are just roaming around?”
Jungkook shrugged with a cheeky grin plastered on his face that only spoke of trouble. “Hyung jokes that this is a safe space for me to run around ‘off the leash’”
Yoongi couldn’t help but snort a short laughter at the ridiculous notion. “And to make friends with strangers?”
“Only with the really pretty ones.”
At long last, and at the perfect time to save Yoongi from having to respond to that , the two rounded a corner and Yoongi saw that he had finally reached the most important destination. They had it to the bed section again, this time the one where he could lie down and test the firmness of each mattress.
Wasting no time, Yoongi sped up, walking at max speed. Even just the sight of the pristine mattresses has Yoongi nearly melting on the spot, every bone in his body screaming for him to just lay down and finally let the mangled bones of his spine even back out into something less like a knot.
“What is your go to? Soft or firm?” Jungkook asked from next to Yoongi, his head obviously more clear and not revolving around the singular sinful thought of simply just sleeping for the next 48 hours.
“Quite firm. I’m a stomach sleeper.”
“So a firm double.”
“That was the plan.”
“Try this.” Jungkook said and pointed out the firm mattress he had apparently already spotted while Yoongi was fighting to not drool from the fantasies of perfect sleep he was still having in the back of his mind.
Not wasting any time, Yoongi flopped down onto the bed and instantly had to hold back from moaning. He could practically feel his vertebrae settling back into place.
“Oh this is heaven.” Yoongi said, his tone of voice so close to a moan that it was almost inappropriate considering where they were.
With his eyes closed in bliss, Yoongi couldn’t see Jungkook’s face but he could hear the smile in his voice as he spoke. “Looks like it. Is it big enough?
“Huh?” Yoongi opened an eye slightly and looked at Jungkook in question.
“Gotta have enough space, right?”
Maybe the full 10 seconds of laying down on a proper bed had given Yoongi a new burst of energy, perhaps he had finally gone insane, but the sudden urge to give Jungkook a taste of his own medicine had Yoongi speaking before he really realised what he was saying. “Maybe I just like to lie real close?”
The wave of satisfaction from the way Jungkook sputtered and blushed at that only added to Yoongi’s state of bliss and there was no use in hiding the vicious smile on his lips when Jungkook turned to walk away, all while mumbling about beds and indecency.
It only took Yoongi two tries to settle on which model of bed he wanted and for Jungkook to stop blushing, something Yoongi both hated and loved. (the blush had been nothing short of adorable but it had also made Jungkook awfully shy and quiet.)
Luckily, Jungkook was back to his own self when the two of them continued their trek throughout the maze and started walking past what looked like fully furnished apartments.
“If we lived here, I would be spoiled and you would do the spoiling.” Jungkook said loudly but with no hesitation as he bent over to rest his elbows on a marble kitchen countertop, his eyes looking dreamy while he gazed around. Only Yoongi’s silent confusion seemed to pull him from the imaginary world he had apparently slipped into, and he looked up with a groan but a smile playing on his lips. “Come on, it's so fun, you just imagine what your life would look like if this was your home.”
“Okay,” Yoongi said hesitantly, looking around at the too perfect fake house. “What in the world would I do to be rich enough to just spoil you and buy you marble countertops for our perfect kitchen?”
Jungkook winked teasingly. “Something shady for sure.”
The smile on Jungkook’s face was enough to convince Yoongi that he should play along, no questions asked.
The next display they walked into was one of the miniature houses where it was obviously made to look like a small student or city apartment.
“We need more space honestly,” Jungkook said as he opened and closed drawers and looked at shelves. “I feel like this would be bad for our relationship, but we both need to finish University before we can move to the countryside.”
Yoongi snorted at how quickly Jungkook’s imagination was working, but he shrugged and played along, donning the best poker face he could muster. “That veterinarian degree you are getting is going to come in handy when we move out to the countryside and get a hoard of chickens.”
With no hesitation Jungkook responded thoughtfully, “I was thinking quail.”
The next apartment exhibit had a kids room and Yoongi found himself standing shoulder to shoulder with Jungkook in the doorway as they both silently looked at the over-the-top dino decor.
“Did we adopt?” Yoongi asked with a frown.
“Nah, we’re just really great uncles.”
After several imagined lives, Yoongi was surprised to find himself disappointed to see that he and Jungkook had reached the end of the exhibits. The stairway down into the next section of the store seemed to be some looming transition in Yoongi’s mind, and just as he had thought it, Jungkook stepped ahead with a shy smile, his hand back at the nape of his neck where he apparently had a habit of scratching when nervous.
“I have to go ahead and find Seokjin. My Hyung.”
“Oh,” Yoongi said slowly, before he collected himself and gave a nod and a smile. “I almost forgot that you aren’t here alone.”
Jungkook smiled brightly, wrinkled nose and all. “Nah, Hyung just gets really in his zone when he is in Ikea and is super boring to hang out with.”
Yoongi was almost tempted to ask if he himself wasn’t also super boring, but in the end he thought better and decided he didn’t want to know. So he sent Jungkook on his merry way and decided to get back to business, business being shopping for the empty apartment he had.
How Yoongi had managed to mentally convince himself that the top floor of Ikea would be the worst was a mystery, because as Yoongi descended onto the lower floor with the next part of his list ready, it already seemed so much worse than simply looking at furniture.
There were signs and shelves and crates with things everywhere and the amount of people seemed to have at least tripled, not to mention what had happened to the noise level.
Armed with a cart and his list of items in his hand, including the notes he had already added, Yoongi started the second leg of his Ikea marathon.
The cart started filling up quickly, already in the first section which contained kitchen paraphernalia of all kinds, the bottom of the cart was more than covered with new knives, kitchen scissors, cups in the colour sea-glass green, and many other things. Yoongi wasn’t entirely happy that he would be making a home with cheap and mass produced items, but he simply couldn’t mentally handle the task of shopping for all he needed at separate stores. Still, as Yoongi put the mass produced cups into the cart he promised himself to find some that were artisan made and of blown glass.
Plates and napkins were added before Yoongi made it out of the kitchen section and found himself having to make decisions about bedding.
Staring down at his cart and the quickly shrinking amount of free space, Yoongi had to mentally discuss with himself just how many pillows were too many pillows. Yoongi could feel the frown on his face growing as he had to limit down the number again and again before he in the end settled on just five pillows for his couch, 3 for his bed, and then extra pillowcases in different shades of green and yellow. He was making a home after all and he refused to go down on comfort.
Continuing on throughout the sections of rugs, bathrooms supplies, and organisation, Yoongi continued to fill his cart to the point where he had to start balancing things. The only good part was that Yoongi found himself getting so in the zone that he no longer felt an urge to trip the loud kids that were running around or to push the middle aged women who walked too close to him.
Humming a tune of his own, Yoongi continued on until suddenly, Jungkook was standing right infront of him once more. In retrospect, Yoongi probably shouldn’t have been as surprised to see the man again as he was, but there had just been a feeling of finality to how they had separated after they left the top floor of the building. But now here he was, a smile on his face as he bounced on the balls of his feet like he was incapable of staying still while he looked curiously at Yoongi’s practically stuffed cart.
“Wow, you got to the shopping part of being in Ikea.
Yoongi shook his head to get rid of the weird warm sensation he felt inside. “Not even done yet,” he responded, trying to sound cool and dangled his list of things to get which was only half way crossed off.
Jungkook bounced up next to Yoongi so that they could walk together. “Oh yeah I forgot about the thieving ex. How is your back doing, pushing this around.” Jungkook gestured to the cart.
Yoongi huffed and started pushing the cart forward. “I’ll be fine until I get to the furniture section. At least I get to go to the fun part now.”
Jungkook made the most adorable confused grimace Yoongi had ever seen. “Huh?”
“Lights.” Yoongi explained simply.
“Lights?” Jungkook asked, apparently not getting the point.
“Yes.”
“I’m confused. You said ‘fun’.”
Yoongi shrugged, feeling exactly zero shame. Light was what made a home and he was here to get everything he needed for the apartment to feel like a home again. Lights were the most important part of that in his opinion. “I like light fixtures.” He said simply, unwilling to explain further because he shouldn’t have to.
Jungkook seemed to think it over for a second before he shrugged. “Huh. Fair.”
Despite his acceptance, Jungkook still seemed to be a little shocked, or perhaps impressed, by Yoongi’s interest in lamps.
“You sure are passionate,” Jungkook mumbled when Yoongi added the sixth lamp to his overflowing cart.
“No, I’m appreciative.”
Jungkook stayed with Yoongi, making idle smalltalk mixed with what Yoongi deemed to be friendly-flirty comments. Did Yoongi find it entirely distracting? Yes, but it also improved his general mood so much that he couldn’t raise a single complaint about it. In fact, Yoongi found Jungkook’s company so pleasant that he started feeling a little anxious as they once again neared the end of their current section of the oversized shop.
The last part of the store before they entered to factory like storage where Yoongi would have to find the furniture he had written down codes for, was the section with plants and scented candles, a section Yoongi usually hurried past as the scents were entirely too overpowering and gave him a headache, but now he found himself hesitating. It was stupid and illogical, he knew that, but he didn’t want to stop spending time with Jungkook.
“I always find this section a little odd,” Jungkook said thoughtfully as they passed the first row of scented candles. “It smells so strongly here that I can't imagine anyone stopping to actually buy something. It’s too headache-inducing.”
Yoongi had the words to agree with Jungook’s statement ready in his tongue, but if he spoke them it would be too easy for them to hurry past it, making their time together that much shorter. Entirely ignoring the fact that he had most certainly lost his mind since he now wanted to spend more time in Ikea, Yoongi scrambled to make something up which could warrant them to spend more time in the horrible section.
“Actually, the candles are just overpowering because there are so many together right here. On their own they are quite nice.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. The, uh, vanilla one is really relaxing and the lavender one is good too because lavender keeps spiders away.”
“Wait, does it really?!”
Yoongi shrugged, feeling a little guilty now that Jungkook looked so excited. “I read it online but I’m no expert.”
“Dude, my hyung fucking hate spiders so that would be perfect!”
“Ah. Where is he now?”
“He will meet me down by the giant shelves with all the furniture sets. That’s apparently the only place I can pull my weight in this store. Literally, I guess.”
“Ah, so you are not just here for some free rage time?”
“Oh part of it is definitely, and I quote, ‘that puppies should socialise.’”
Yoongi was powerless against the laugh that bursts out of him and he was entirely endeared with the way Jungkook blushed as he spoke. Yoongi understood it, he thought. The word ‘puppy’ was almost too fitting for Jungkook.
“You could always get him a particularly bad candle as payback for the comment?”
“Lords no, he would arrange a romantic dinner just so that he could light it right under my nose and force me to stay put.” Jungkook quickly protested, the grimace on his face attesting to the truth of what he had said. “Hyung is petty like that, although I think that is why I love him.”
“I can imagine.”
“I think you would really like him, Hyung.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
Yoongi picked up a pack of small pink scented tea candles and was actually surprised to find that his half-assed lie wasn’t that wrong. The candles smelled almost dainty when he focused only on them and not the overwhelming smell of the rest of the room. The pink candles went in his card and he went hunting for lavender scented candles. He really had read online that spiders disliked the smell of lavender, and Yoongi happened to hate spiders with a burning passion. As he walked around, Yoongi couldn’t help but find his eyes kept drifting back to Jungkook who was also sniffing candles, although with a slightly suspicious expression. It was devastatingly beautiful.
“Holy fucking shit!”
The exclamation from Jungkook came seemingly out of nothing, his face scrunched up in a disgusted grimace and the candle in his hand held as far away from his body as physically possible without him straight up dropping it on the floor. “Fuck that is the nastiest thing I have ever smelled, holy shit-balls.”
“What?” Yoongi shuffled over as quickly as he could without doing anything that could be considered running or even just jogging.
Jungkook looked like he was fighting his gag reflex as he held a small grey candle out towards Yoongi. “Smell this, but don’t sniff too hard.”
With both growing suspicion and a thought that perhaps Jungkook, expressive as he had proven to be, was just exaggerating, Yoongi lowered his face down towards the candle. It was simple and light grey, with a label that said ‘fireplace’ on it.
The smell of sour wet charcoal and rotting wood assaulted Yoongi’s sense of smell. Eyes watering, Yoongi fought the urge to gag as he stepped backwards to get away from the horrific candle.
“Motherfucker, you weren’t kidding. That is the vilest thing I have ever smelt,” Yoongi said accompanied by a string of giggles from Jungkook who must have found his facial expression funny.
The sound and sight of Jungkook laughing was contagious that Yoongi himself couldn’t help but laugh even as he looked at the giant pile of offensive-smelling candles beside them, all innocently labelled ‘fireplace.’ “Seriously, who cleared that shit and thought it was appropriate to sell? This is a war crime.”
Jungkook’s near uncontrollable giggles only intensified. “Damn right it is,” he said, and then to Yoongi’s great concern, picked up a small single candle with a mischievous little wink in Yoongi’s direction. Yoongi found himself feeling incredibly sorry for the assault that was surely about to happen to Jungkook’s hyung’s nostrils.
The light and bubbly feeling that had settled in Yoongi during his and Jungkook’s little candle escapades, dissipated like dew to the midday sun as they turned the corner. They were at the end, only a small display of picture frames separating them from the last part of the store. This was where Jungkook was going to leave and Yoongi would never get to see this random yet kind stranger again.
Yoongi had the strangest feeling that his time had already run out even if he had only just noticed. There was only so long that one could linger between shelves of picture frames to draw out time. Still, Yoongi was desperate to do just that. Jungkook had been more efficient in making the day tolerable than any amount of caffeine ever could have. But as Yoongi stared at the empty picture frames with one hand resting on his extremely overfilled cart, he had to accept that time was up. He wouldn’t even have anything to put in the frames even if he spent time choosing some.
“Hyung, this is the same woodtype as the table you chose if you want it matching.”
Yoongi turned to see Jungkook with his wide and hopeful eyes and bright smile, holding two different sized picture frames that sure enough did match the colour he had chosen for his table.
“Ah, thanks,” Yoongi grumbled, reaching a hand up to scratch the back of his neck and hopefully also that uncomfortable feeling that was steadily settling in his entire body. “I don’t think I need frames really. I don’t have anything to put in them anyways.”
“Really?” Jungkook asked and looked genuinely surprised by it for some reason.
“Yeah?”
“Oh, can I draw you something then?”
“Huh?”
“I promise I'm good! I’m a tattoo artist after all so I really can draw, I promise!”
“You’re a what?”
“I’m a tattoo artist. But I have also sold a few paintings so I guess I could just say that I'm an artist?. I had a lot of fun today and I'm sympathetic to your cause, theft and all that. Every house needs good art.”
Yoongi was stunned. “Oh, sure. I would love that.”
Jungkook smiled what was probably the brightest smile Yoongi had ever seen. “Can I put my contact information in your phone? I'll need to contact you to give you the art.”
Yoongi mindlessly pulled his phone from his pocket before he unlocked it and handed it to Jungkook who was still smiling and bouncing slightly on the ball of his feet. “Yeah, go ahead.”
Jungkook took the phone carefully and added his information before he sent a text to himself.
“Here you go, Hyung. And I’m sorry but I'll have to run now to find Seokjin. I'll call you okay?”
Yoongi answered something, he must have, because Jungkook smiled brightly before he turned and jogged away. Yoongi was left with the two picture frames that didn’t even fit in his cart.
It wasn’t heartbreak, obviously not, but Yoongi did find it telling that the twist in his gut still held so much more emotion than he had felt when Minji had left him.
With a deep breath and a heavy sigh, Yoongi rolled his shoulders as if relieving the stress there would somehow make surviving the last part of the store easier. Pushing his cart forward, Yoongi found himself standing between the first two giant red shelves, full of cardboard boxes containing furniture in a thousand pieces and a lacklustre manual of assembly. Yoongi’s earlier desperation for a strong double espresso was back with a vengeance, however, now Yoongi was strongly doubting that caffeine would be enough to settle his nerves and he mentally promised himself a good drink as soon as he got home.
Yoongi scanned his list for the first item to get based on its location on the gigantuan shelves, and set out to finally become the proud owner of furniture again, not including a mattress which could soon be considered both legally adult and environmentally hazardous.
The excitement of almost being done kicked in enough to put a new speed into Yoongi’s steps as he found the first shelf he needed for the shelving unit he wanted to get. Huffing and puffing, Yoongi managed to wrestle the heavy box down onto the lower part of his cart just as he realised that he now had a new issue.
His cart was officially ful. Stuffed. At maximum capacity in every single way. And Yoongi still had almost 10 pieces of furniture to get from his list.
“Fuck,” he mumbled to himself. The urge to kick something was rising again but Yoongi forced himself to calm down with a deep breath. He could just leave this cart near the checkout and then get a new one for the rest of the furniture he needed. He would need to walk to his car twice but that was unavoidable with how much stuff he had. Still, no matter how unavoidable, it was still majorly annoying and Yoongi’s mood was getting gloomier even at the thought of it.
“Yoongi-ssi?”
Yoongi’s head whipped around to the sound of the voice and he was met by a truly beautiful sight. With hair pushed back off his forehead and the most glorious figure Yoongi had ever seen on a man, the stranger in front of him had to be some kind of heavenly model.
“Yes?” Yoongi answered, his voice small and his response almost sounding like a question.
A wickedly attractive smile spread on those beautiful plump lips. “I’m Seokjin. I come bringing assistance.” Then he stepped aside just as none other than Jungkook came running with an empty cart.
“Jungkook,” Yoongi said dumbly, his eyes flickering from Jungkook to Seokjin, Jungkook’s hyung.
“Jungkook told me about you and it would be absolutely indecent of us to let you struggle alone. He said something about an old back and light winds.”
“I’m fine, really. But thank you for bringing me a cart,” Yoongi mumbled but he didn’t even try to push the two carts. He wasn’t about to make a complete fool of himself until after Jungkook and Seokjin were both far out of sight.
Jungkook crossed his arms over his chest in a way which could only be described as ‘sassy’. “What, you are gonna push the second cart with telekinesis?”
“No, I was going to kidnap a ripped dude from the display with the fold out beds to do it,” Yoongi deadpanned.
The laugh that came from Jungkook’s companion was a bit of a shock, enough to draw Yoongi’s full attention to him.
“Oh Jungkook was right, you really are cute.”
Yoongi was confused. He knew for a fact that Jungkook has been shamelessly flirting all day, but from it all, it was also entirely evident from how Jungkook had spoken and how the two men in front of him acted, from their casual touches and the way they moved together, that they were more than just friends.
But even as Yoongi declined their help once more, it didn’t seem to matter and the two steadily refused to let Yoongi struggle on his own. Before he knew it, they had asked him where he had gotten to on his list (he had randomly pointed), and they were quickly filling his cart and emptying his list, entirely ignoring the mass of questions on Yoongi’s tongue.
If Jungkook picked up on the fact that Yoongi had gotten decidedly more quiet, not that he was ever one to fill silence with empty chatter, he didn’t comment on it, seemingly content with the nods and one word answers Yoongi would give when they asked him which colour he wanted for the desk or if he was sure he wanted the white finish for his shelves. Seokjin also didn’t comment, but he did keep sending Yoongi these lingering looks that had entirely too much going on within them that Yoongi wasn’t even going to try to decipher. It looked too cheeky, too much like interest and something else which could only be dangerous. So Yoongi followed along quietly, pushing one of his carts while Jungkook pushed the other and used his, admittedly very impressive and wildly sexy, strength to fill it with every piece of furniture Yoongi had chosen.
Yoongi kept silent, a little overwhelmed and a lot grateful, and when he had spent an enormous amount of money at checkout, Jungkook and Seokjin were right there to help him push the carts out of the store and over to his car and the trailer he had rented.
As the game of tetris that packing Yoongi’s trailer unfolded, (mostly done by Jungkook who apparently had a terrific time lifting heavy things with ease, Seokjin asked polite questions which Yoongi did his best to answer without sounding too dead, even if he was both feeling the exhaustion from the day and that he had this strange nagging sensation in his mind like he was forgetting something.
“Well this sure looks like enough shit to fill an entire apartment,” Seokjin commented just as Jungkook fit the last cardboard box into a slot which Yoongi had already deemed to be much too small, only to obviously be proven wrong.
“I’ll be assembling furniture for the rest of my life,” Yoongi grumbled but then instantly flushed as his comment made Seokjin laugh the most wonderful laugh he had ever heard.
Jungkook locked up the trailer and strolled over to the two of them, leaning lovingly against Seokjin’s side and confirming everything Yoongi had deduced when Seokjin turned his head to press a quick kiss to Jungkook’s cheek. “I’ll be calling you, you know? I got your number.”
“Oh the picture, yeah.”
Jungkook shrugged and gave a crooked smile. “Sure. Although, it’s mostly because we wanna take you on a date.”
All thought and reason evaporated from Yoongi’s mind. “You what?”
The smile grew into something teasing but sweet. “Seokjin, me, you, on a date. We dress up all smart and try to impress you?”
Yoongi’s eyes flickered between the two, confusion surely obvious on his face. “But you? You have a boyfriend? You are boyfriends?”
“What if we want one more?”
“The both of you?”
Seokjin wrapped an arm around Jungkook’s waist. “Package deal, baby? Are you complaining?” The comment could have been seen as protective but the wink Seokjin gave Yoongi was so flirtatious that it should have been illegal. And lord, didn’t that proposition sound like the sweetest of sins? Here Yoongi had gone all day and developed this sweet little crush of his on Jungkook only to see that Jungkook’s boyfriend was like a physical manifestation of a wet dream. And now they were asking if he wanted to go on a date with the both of them, or if that would be an issue? Stupider questions had never been asked.
“Not at all” Even to Yoongi’s ears, that sounded a little too honest, a little too eager.
“Good.”
“Friday?” Jungkook proposed.
“Sure.” Yoongi said quickly, knowing that he now had to clear his already booked schedule.
“See you then. Kookie will call you with the details.”
And then, just to make sure that Yoongi has no more higher brain function, Jungkook closed the distance between them, leaned in close and placed a kiss on Yoongi’s lips, so soft it could almost have been a figment of his imagination.
Ten minutes later, Yoongi was still standing in the Ikea parking lot when his phone rang, bringing him back into reality and out of the horny but confused dreamland his mind had entered despite the nagging feeling he had felt for some time now, insisting that there was something that had slipped his mind.
“Hyung, did you get everything?” Namjoon asked as soon as Yoongi picked up.
And then it hit. Yoongi knew what he was missing but he was still too dumbstruck to even care, something he was sure to regret later. “No.”
“What did you forget?”
“A bed.”
“You didn’t get a bed?!”
Yoongi shook his head, forgetting that Namjoon couldn’t see him. “I think I got a boyfriend”
“Wait, what?”
“Actually, I think I got two.”