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Let's get one thing straight: Seokjin isn't a cat person. He is very much a dog person. He loves dogs. He’s crazy about dogs. Can’t get enough of them. He adores dogs of all sizes and all breeds. He enjoys walking them, enjoys the excited tug of the leash when one sees a squirrel or decides that he has to sniff out the base of every single tree passed, he enjoys the joyful way in which they greet their owners, jumping up and getting their claws all caught up in their pants, excited tongues hanging out of mouths and tails beating furiously, he enjoys scratching their bellies when they roll over and giving them treats when they follow his instructions and bring the toy back. He loves dogs.
He loves all animals, but it took Seokjin a very long time to warm to cats. They're too humanlike, in his opinion, completely ridding them of the fun of a pet. They don't jump up in excitement when their owner comes home. They don't like to go for walks on a leash. They're completely independent, like they're in charge of the owner and use them only when they need them. You don't pet a cat: a cat allows itself to be pet by a human.
Which is fine, and all, but Seokjin is all about that open-hearted affection. Not that Jjanggu shows him any of that either, but he still plays with Seokjin and jumps up on him and allows himself to be walked, even if he nips Seokjin's hands more than any of the rest of the family. But Jjanggu's at his parent's house, and Seokjin has moved into his first long-term, non-college related apartment. He doesn't have a roommate and it's lonely, and he wants a pet.
"Are you serious?" Sunmi says when he tells her this. "A dog is so high maintenance for such a small apartment. I'm not sure if it's a good idea!"
"It could be a small dog," he says. "Like, Jjanggu-sized."
"That would work out, but you know modelling hours are a mess. Who’s going to walk it? Who’s going to let it out to pee? Do you want dogshit all over your floor?"
"No! What am I supposed to do?"
"Get a goldfish."
"I can't play with a goldfish."
"A cat then. At least they can use a litterbox. Besides. Gays love cats."
Seokjin pouts, arms crossed over his chest. "But I want a dog."
Sunmi laughs, poking his cheek. "I'm not going to force you into getting a goldfish," she says, "or a cat. Just consider it wisely before you rush ahead and buy a massive dog. Don't be impulsive."
"Fine."
"Besides, everyone should love cats. There's a new cat cafe near my place, you should come by!"
"I'm not getting a cat," Seokjin says again.
"You don't have to," she says. "Jesus. You should just come for a look. I think you're acting unfairly towards cats. Come and play with kittens and let yourself be won over!"
Saying no to Lee Sunmi is incredibly hard, and so Seokjin finds himself entering the cat cafe with her on Saturday morning. It's incredibly clean, the soft whirr of a roomba filling the background as it travels across the polished floors. There are cats everywhere; asleep in boxes, on couches, playing with toys and customers. A worker explains how all of these cats are housed here while up for adoption, that this serves as a way for them to become social while waiting on a permanent home. They're cute, Seokjin will give them that. A ginger cat meows loudly as it scratches and he can't help but coo. Sunmi is immediately engrossed with a tabby that rubs itself against her legs, and she pats it enthusiastically. Seokjin grabs one of the toys and plays around with some of the different cats - mostly kittens, so tiny and so endearing - before he sits down on one of the couches.
Almost immediately, a cat jumps into his lap. It's bigger than the rest, older too, with sleek black fur as dark as the night. The cat circles his lap three times before curling up, blinking at Seokjin with its big green eyes as if challenging him to say no. In that moment of eye contact, Seokjin feels a connection almost as strong as he would with a human being, and he knows that this is the one. The cat closes its eyes and goes to sleep.
Twenty minutes pass before the attendant comes over. "That's Smitten," he says, "he's one of our oldest here. He likes you!"
"I like him," Seokjin says, stroking the cat's fur gently. "I'm not usually a big cat fan, but..."
"Smitten is one of our oldest cats here," the attendant says regretfully. "People are superstitious. Black cats are seen as bad luck by a lot of people and so are often the ones left in shelters longest."
His fingers curl between the shells of Smitten's ears. "Is he up for adoption?"
***
Smitten the cat works his way seamlessly into Seokjin's life. It shocks him how quickly he comes to love the animal when he never thought himself a cat fan before. Smitten meows loudly whenever he enters the apartment, jumping down from the space between the kitchen cabinets and the ceiling - his favourite spot - to wrap around Seokjin's ankles, pressing against his legs. Many nights, Seokjin is awoken by the feeling of a thump on the blanket, and he gladly rolls onto his back so that the cat can sleep on his chest. He invests in countless lint rollers as the cat hair just becomes a part of his life, and a new favourite hobby is shopping for cat toys and accessories. Smitten is just the pet that he needs, even if he does knock over his drinks and tears up his toilet roll.
***
Seokjin takes special care to take the ring off before he washes the dishes, placing it carefully on the counter. He's not huge on jewellery, but this has sentimental value: it was his paternal grandmother's wedding ring, passed down to her youngest son - his father - before she died, which was then consequently passed down to Seokjin when he turned twenty-one. These sentimental reasons are why he lets out an unearthly screech when Smitten jumps up on the counter, making the ring skid with his paws and tossing it into the sink, the ring clattering down the drain before he has a chance to catch it.
Seokjin wails, pulling open the cupboards underneath the sink and looking hopelessly at the tangle of drains. It has to be stuck in there somewhere, right? How does he even go about getting it out? Seokjin has no idea bout plumbing. In anger he hits the pipe, as if that will make the ring miraculously reappear. All it results in is a loud clang, and Seokjin cursing at the pain in his knuckles. He tries to crawl out from underneath the sink and hits his head off the top edge, howls, and stumbles back. He kicks the wall in anger, creating a dark mark on the white plaster for his trouble.
"Fuck!" he shouts, to nobody in particular, an embodiment of his own frustration, rooting his fingers in his hair.
Smitten scatters off away from the scene of the crime, alarmed by Seokjin's exclamations. "Come back, baby - I know it's not your fault!"
There's a knock on the door. What now? Seokjin marches down the hallway angrily, as if the floorboards have personally offended him, before yanking open the door. "What?"
He's not expecting his hot neighbour to be standing on his threshold and he jumps. Seokjin has been quietly thirsting after Min Yoongi since he moved into this building three months ago. He has a smile that shows all of his teeth, and when he flashes it during their occasional neighbourly small talk in the elevator it makes Seokjin's heart melt. He has black hair that falls into his eyes - he needs a haircut but it gives him an aura of looking rough around the edges, and Seokjin has always been weak for that - and he has a voice that gives Seokjin chills. Small, wiry and lean but with shoulders broader than one would expect for his stature - broader than usual, he supposes, but nothing on Seokjin's shoulders level - and once when he helped Seokjin with his grocery bags he had the pleasure of noticing that his hands were so much bigger. Min Yoongi is gorgeous and Seokjin is so, so, weak, and now he is outside his door watching Seokjin being a hot mess.
"Uh," Yoongi says.
"I'm so sorry, oh my god." Seokjin's ears are fire engine red. "I didn't mean - sorry."
"Are you okay in there?" Yoongi asks, brow drawn in suspicion. "I don't mean to pry, but it sounded like there was a fight going on and I was wondering if I should call the police."
His blush gets worse. He's never going to have a chance now, not after outing himself as a lunatic. "No," he laughs awkwardly. "It's just me. I, uh, have been having plumbing issues."
"It sounds like you're fighting a war in there."
Seokjin pouts. "The drain isn't cooperating with me," he says, "I had to try using force." He shows his hand for good measure, the knuckles still red from where he foolishly hit the pipe. "See. I'm wounded."
Yoongi laughs, a sort of unsure, shaky sound. He takes Seokjin's hand in his own to look at his raw skin, and Seokjin tells himself that he's a grown man and should not be having heart palpitations from an attractive acquaintance holding his hand. No, not holding his hand. Just touching it. Get a grip, Seokjin! "What on earth are you doing?" Yoongi asks. "Do you beat up all inanimate objects that offend you? I can't imagine you're winning these fights against metal."
"I'm fearsome," he says weakly.
Yoongi looks up at him, eyes crinkled in amusement. "I imagine so. What offense did your drain commit?"
Seokjin's brief distraction - caused by his enchantment with Yoongi - flies away as he remembers his current predicament. He groans. "My ring fell down my kitchen sink," he says. "It's a family heirloom - my grandmother's wedding ring - and now it's stuck in a drain full of gunk, providing it's not halfway out to sea by now. I don't know how to get it out, and I don't know any local plumbers, I just moved here, and even if I did who's going to come out on Friday night?" He lets his head fall back against the door frame. "My dad is going to skin me alive."
Yoongi hums sympathetically. "I can probably get it out for you," he says.
Seokjin looks sharply at him. "What?"
Yoongi nods. "I'm pretty good at working my way around with a toolbox," he says casually.
"I thought you were a music teacher."
"I am." Yoongi grins. "My dad was a handyman. Could fix anything. He taught my brother and I how to do a lot of things while we were still young. Useful, but annoying - all of my friends call me to fix their lights or their cabinet doors and expect me to do it for free."
"Oh, I wouldn't want to bother you," Seokjin says, stumbling around the syllables in his eagerness to get them out, but Yoongi shakes his head.
"I don't mind doing it for you." There's that smile that makes Seokjin's insides turn to goo. "Especially if this ring is important to you."
"I...I wouldn't know how to thank you."
"I'll go get my toolbox."
Ten minutes later, he's showing Yoongi into the kitchen, pointing out the pipes in question. Smitten makes his way back into the room and Yoongi coos, stroking the cat's fur gently. "What a gorgeous boy," he says.
"He's a criminal," Seokjin says grudgingly, even as he kneels down to pet him. "My darling criminal who tossed my ring down that drain in the first place."
"So this is the culprit, huh?"
"Busted. His trial is tomorrow morning. I imagine the judge will give him an easy sentence. He's too cute to be in trouble."
Yoongi laughs at that. "What's his name?"
"Smitten."
Yoongi's eyes twinkle. "Cute."
"He's also pretty friendly," Seokjin says. "He thinks everyone is his best friend. Will he be in your way? I can take him out—”
"It's okay. I'm used to people's pets. And I like cats."
"Oh. Okay."
Yoongi begins to take things out of his toolbox, before he pauses to look at Seokjin. "I know what I'm doing," he says.
"Huh? I know you do!"
"Your gaze is so intense I can feel it boring into me. I'm not going to destroy your kitchen."
Seokjin splutters. "I didn't mean—”
Yoongi's amused laugh is gentle. "The cat can stay," he says, "but you should leave. I'll never get anything done when I can feel the anxiety waving off of you."
Seokjin pouts, but stands up. "I'll leave you to it, then." His pout disappears pretty quickly.
Once in his living room, he paces, texting Namjoon about Min Yoongi’s current place in his kitchen.
He hears some loud noises from behind the door, followed by Yoongi's voice, speaking to the cat. "Mister Smitten, you are a born plumber; after this we will get a nice sandwich." It's so ridiculously adorable that Seokjin flops onto his couch, a hand pressed over his heart.
There's some more clattering from the kitchen and Seokjin hopes that Yoongi really does know how to manage these things, otherwise he might have to pay his landlord a hefty price. But in what feels like no time at all, Yoongi's calling him back in. Smitten is curled up on one of the stools when he enters, Yoongi still kneeling in front of the sink. "Well?" Seokjin asks.
Yoongi turns to look at him, holding up his ring. "I believe this belongs to you."
Seokjin's no romantic - he's optimistic about love, but he's also a realist - but there's something about this scenario, this gorgeous man on his knees in front of him, offering him a ring. It's like some sort of premonition that hits him, that tells him that Yoongi will be a good match. Yoongi will fit him like a glove. I need to date him, Seokjin thinks. It takes all of his might not to swoon in front of him like those ladies in old gothic novels when they meet their love interest.
Yoongi coughs, still holding up the ring.
"Sorry!" Seokjin says awkwardly, taking the ring. It needs a wash, it needs a polish, but it's still intact. "Thank you so much," he says. And he means it. "I don't know how I could ever repay you. I mean, emotionally. This is of such great value to me...thank you."
Yoongi smiles at him, charming. "It's my pleasure."
Seokjin reaches for his wallet. "Do you have a rate, or something?"
"There's no need. I'm not going to take your money."
"But you just - I would have paid a professional anyway."
"I told you, I do these little jobs all the time for my friends."
"I still can't let you walk out empty handed, we're practically strangers!"
"Maybe we don't have to be," Yoongi says, standing up slowly.
Seokjin gulps. His throat is dry. "If you won't let me give you a payment," he says, "maybe you'll let me buy you dinner." At the rate his heart is beating, surely his ribs are becoming bruised.
Yoongi chuckles. "Okay. That's a payment I can take," he says.
"Amazing." Seokjin can barely believe his luck. "Are you free tomorrow?"
"I've some lessons until four. Then I'm free after."
"How does sashimi sound?"
"Excellent."
"Great!" Seokjin walks Yoongi to the door. "Really, thank you so much—”
Yoongi cuts him off. "It was really no problem," he says, serious. "That ring obviously meant a lot to you. I was glad to be able to help you. There's no need to thank me."
Seokjin feels like swooning again. "Okay," he says, quietly.
"By the way - dinner tomorrow. Is this like, a friendly, platonic, no homo kind of dinner, or is it a date?" Is that hope he hears in Yoongi's voice, or is Seokjin going crazy? Is that scratch on the back of his neck a nervous action? Is Yoongi just asking if they're going on a date? Holy shit. Seokjin's brain goes into overdrive and he doesn't answer for a moment, long enough for it to get awkward.
Yoongi cringes, nervous smoothness disappearing. "Sorry, I don't know why I asked that—”
"Yes homo," Seokjin gets out eventually. "I mean. If you want to. I would love to. Go on a date, that is."
Yoongi's eyes lift up again. Seokjin can't help but laugh. "You're the one who asked about the date," he says, "why do you look so surprised?"
"It's not every day you score a date with a model," he says.
Seokjin nods. "You're right. The chances of you going on a date in the past or future with someone more attractive than me are basically zero."
"Guess I'm lucky that your cat lost your ring for you then."
"Yeah," Seokjin says with a smile. "I guess you are."
When Yoongi leaves, Seokjin runs back into his kitchen and plants a kiss on Smitten's forehead. "You're the best cat in the world!"
***
The definition of happiness is eating sashimi with Yoongi.
***
Yoongi is a cat person and a dog person. He has a little toy poodle called Holly, who he affectionately calls Min Holly and whenever he's at home he sends Seokjin's pictures of him. "Min Holly having fun alone" is the ridiculous caption of one. Seokjin's favourite is one where Holly is lying out on the floor stretched out beside Yoongi. He can see Yoongi's foot in the corner, the length of his leg as he borders the dog with his body. It's unfairly cute. Jjanggu never agrees to take cute photos with Seokjin. In return for Holly photos, Yoongi gets videos of Jjanggu being a loving brat, snapping at Seokjin so suddenly he drops his phone. It's okay - Jjanggu might be naughty but he's still the bestest boy ever, as far as Seokjin is concerned.
so he's your best boy and not me? :( reads a text Yoongi sends one night.
please, Seokjin replies, you haven't even taken me out on a fourth date yet.
Yoongi also loves cats, but he doesn't own one. His mother is allergic to cat hair, and so none of these particular animals have ever crossed the threshehold of the Min household. It's okay though, because Yoongi gets a torrent of Smitten every day. He's also allowed come over for regular pet times. Smitten deserves all of the love and attention in the world, and besides - it's a pretty good excuse for Seokjin to invite his neighbour over.
Seokjin's used to people dating him solely for his looks. He's used to previous dates' eagerness to get him into bed - something he doesn't complain about - but he rarely gets past a third date. He's used to guys acting awkward at his jokes and at his loud laughs, he's used to their eyes widening when they see how eagerly he eats, he's used to their eventual disinterest when they realise he isn't as princely and perfect as his looks would have them believe. And that's fine - Seokjin has no desire to stay with someone who only wants him for his body or his face. He gets what he came for, and then packs up and goes without much heartbreak.
But Min Yoongi is different.
you're only dating me for my cat, he says one day, in response to a string of love emojis sent from Yoongi to Smitten.
of course, is the reply, i thought that was obvious?
Yoongi makes it to a fourth date. And a fifth. And a sixth.
***
Yoongi fits him like a tailor-made suit: he makes him look and feel good, snug in all the right place, looser where he needs the space.
***
Google search: when do you ask a boy to be your boyfriend?
He asked his friends. Heeyeon told him that if he really likes him, he should go for it - surely six dates and constant texts is enough to know if he's worth it? Jaehwan is a little more chaotic, encouraging Seokjin to play a little harder to get, to make Yoongi work for it, to make sure he's worth giving him the rare title of boyfriend.
As for Seokjin...
He hasn't felt this happy with someone in a long time. The thought of Yoongi being his official boyfriend makes him want to giggle and run around his apartment in happiness, but he doesn't want to look too eager, either.
So he turns to the crutch of his generation: Google.
Most of his research is futile. Most of the results are filled with heterosexual nonsense that Seokjin doesn't have time for. Not everyone asking a guy to be their boyfriend is going to be a lady, WikiHow. The only website that doesn't do this is filled with some pretty obvious questions that are meant to gauge if he truly likes him.
Well, Seokjin knows how he feels. He knows that he really likes Yoongi and he's pretty damn sure that Yoongi really likes him back. It's not a question of if, it's a question of when. He wants to time it right, and nobody is helping.
How would he even go about this? Seokjin isn't a hopeless romantic, but he would like it to be memorable, sincere, something that reflects him. Yoongi isn't someone he wants a short fling with. He wants to be with Yoongi for more than just a few weeks. Taking him out to a fancy dinner seems too formal - he's not proposing, after all - but it's not something he wants to do over the phone, either. He wants Yoongi to be charmed and a little endeared, but he still wants to be genuine and sincere. And if he thinks he's all the cuter for it too, well that's even better.
Seokjin groans into his pillow. Why is this so complicated?
***
Seokjin mightn't be the most graceful person on his two feet, but he's good at lots of different sports. Snowboarding every winter has made him quite proficient - no professional of course, but better than any of his friends. He went surfing and water skiing on vacation before, and he also found that these come effortlessly to him. He's no athlete, but it seems that on the snow and on the water, he’s a natural.
It turns out that this extends to the ice too. He quickly gets the hang of the sharp skates, and after wobbling like a newborn foal for a few moments he soon begins to glide with the same proficiency of some of the workers at the ice rink.
Yoongi isn't faring so well. No, he clutches to the edge of the rink, still getting used to the balance issues that are involved with skating.
"I thought you said you were good at this?" Seokjin says, skating by him smoothly.
"When I was a kid," Yoongi says. "Give me a few minutes and I'll beat your ass."
Seokjin scoffs. "I'd like to see you try," he says, "I'm a real Kim Yuna on the ice."
Yoongi huffs at him, the teasing working as motivation to one-up Seokjin. "Just you wait," he says, pushing away from the perimeter. "I'm going to leave you in the dust." He wobbles, his feet almost slipping from under him, but Seokjin grabs his arm.
"Or," he says, "you could be a nice date and hold my hand."
It's cold, especially out on the ice, but Seokjin is pretty sure that the faint flush on Yoongi's cheeks and nose isn't just from the temperature.
"Come on," he says, "you can trust me. I'll catch you if you fall."
"If I go down, I'm bringing you with me," Yoongi says, but he accepts Seokjin's hand.
Seokjin's balance is worse with Yoongi clutching him. He leans on him hard enough to disrupt his centre of balance, and several times Yoongi's sliding almost does bring them both down. Seokjin turns instead to face Yoongi, taking his other hand. He skates backwards, gently.
"Stop looking at your feet," he tells Yoongi. "You're only going to make yourself nervous."
"Where am I supposed to look?"
"At me."
"What if that makes me nervous too?"
"Look more, then." Seokjin winks. "Tell me if I'm about to run into anybody."
It takes a few slow laps of the rink for Yoongi to grow some more confidence. Eventually he starts sliding along steadier, still with a vice grip on Seokjin's hands, but looking less likely to fall onto his face every moment. Seokjin whispers encouragements the entire time, before letting go of his right hand so he can skate alongside him, holding just one gloved hand. He intertwines their fingers.
The new arrangement cause Yoongi to splutter and flail his newly freed arm. "Hyung! he says. "What are you doing?"
"This is more romantic," Seokjin says. "All of the couples skate like this." Immediately, he shuts his mouth closed afraid he's overstepped. This is a date of course, and Yoongi and he have been on multiple, but it is okay to call them a couple?
But Yoongi grins. "A couple, eh?" he says. "Are we going to be one of those cheesy coupes that rubs their noses together and makes everyone uncomfortable with their PDA?"
Seokjin grimaces. "I don’t like PDA beyond hand holding," he says. "So no. I don't mind the cheesy part, though."
"What about an arm?"
"What?”
"An arm on the waist, an arm on the shoulder. Do you object to either of those?"
Seokjin thinks it over. "I think," he says, "I'm okay with them too. But kissing in public - absolutely not. Unless it’s a kiss to the hand - those are kind of romantic, right?"
"How are they romantic?"
"It's like in those old tales of royalty and the cheesiest of romantic movies." Seokjin lets go of Yoongi's hand to do a dramatic bow, before grabbing it again to press a kiss to it. It doesn't really work because Yoongi is wearing gloves and Seokjin gets a mouthful of cotton, but Yoongi gets the picture.
"I didn’t think you were such a romantic," he says.
"I’m usually not," Seokjin replies. "I'm a casual optimist when it comes to love. I'm glad that sweet moments like this happen outside of movies, but maybe that’s just because I’m extra sweet and make up for the lack of romanticism in today’s world."
"A mission from God," Yoongi says.
"Healing one heart at a time," Seokjin says, framing a peace sign around his eye. "With one kissed hand at a time."
Yoongi grins, and takes Seokjin's hand. He tries to return the favor by leaning down to kiss it but he loses his balance. His legs windmill from under him for a second, sending him straight into Seokjin's chest. Seokjin's balance is good, but not that good, and the flying weight of Yoongi's body sends him crashing to the ground.
The fall winds him. he ends up lying on his back on the ice, and it's cold as shit. It's worth it, though - Yoongi falls onto his chest, completely unharmed, nose only inches away from Seokjin's.
They lie, slightly shocked, looking at each other deeply as the seconds tick by slowly.
Seokjin feels caught in this moment, and nothing else matters. Not the cold from the ice seeping through his coat, not the panicked shrieks of the skaters nearby who saw them go down nor the obnoxious laugh of a teenage boy. In any other situation, Seokjin would be dreadfully embarrassed, jumping to his feet immediately and cracking jokes about it in order to save face. But the world around them has muted, and all he feels is Yoongi in his arms, his face close to his, his round eyes and his eyelashes, the feeling of his heart beating rapidly and the realisation of how far gone he is for this man he's only really known for a few weeks. Seokjin becomes aware of the blush heating up his face and ears about the same time that he notices Yoongi's red cheeks.
"Cute," he says, and Yoongi grins, making him even cuter by effect. It's a dangerous combo.
A staff member helps them up, and they abandon the ice rink to get hot chocolate, holding hands the entire time.
***
Seokjin agonises over the perfect way to ask Yoongi to officially be his boyfriend. He doesn't have anything to lose, really - he knows that Yoongi likes him, feels safe and secure in the knowledge that the warm giddy feelings that burst in his chest when Yoongi smiles at him are reciprocated. He knows that Yoongi won't say no, knows that Yoongi might be planning to ask him any time now.
But Seokjin still wants it to be perfect.
"How do I do it, Smitten?" he asks one night, giving plentiful scritches to his beloved cat. "How do I do it?" All he gets is a purr for a response. And then, inspiration strikes him like a lightning bolt. He gathers up Smitten in his arms carefully before marching out of his apartment. He bangs loudly on Yoongi's door until it opens.
He holds out the cat. "Will you be my boyfriend?" he asks. "I'm absolutely smitten with you."
Yoongi bursts into laughter, taking the cat into his arms. "What took you so long?" he asks.
"I was waiting for insFURation."
"You're lucky you're cute," Yoongi says, as he stands up on the tips of his toes to kiss Seokjin.