... And Other Ships

YoonKook: November Nights

The evening was quiet like it was just about every other evening. Cold air from outside pushed against all the windows, desperate to become warm in the small house, only to be denied by the warm air currently inside, causing the glass to fog up. 

A simple dinner had long been finished; the dishes had already been cleaned, dried, and put back in their rightful places and leftover white rice had been molded into onigiri, snacks for the next day. The wine didn't make its appearance like usual, so it remained on the rack, right next to the cabinet of wine glasses and beer mugs. 

Yoongi retired to his bedroom for the rest of the night. His room was nothing special; his boyfriend decorated it for him, so fairy lights lined the walls and the bedframe, blue-grey curtains nearly fading into the walls as they were moved apart to display the gorgeous November night. 

He rarely made his bed, so the covers were strewn about and the pillows scattered all around, most of them resting against the wall. Yoongi called that particular wall the JK Wall due to all the pictures of Jungkook that occupied the space. He was in a number of the photos, either giving the camera a soft smile or gazing at Jungkook with such tenderness that no smile was needed to convey how happy he was to have this boy in his life. 

And Yoongi was happy to have a boyfriend like Jungkook. 

But for the past few weeks, he noticed that he had distanced himself from the younger boy. 

It was completely unintentional, the distance; it seemed to come from nowhere, too. One day, Yoongi stopped texting Jungkook during his breaks, giving only one-worded answers to questions, and forcing Jungkook to sleep in his own room for a change. 

This was not a falling-out-of-love type of distance; Yoongi's love for Jungkook was still there, still as strong as ever, but buried under all the numbness Yoongi felt. And he had no idea why he felt so numb nowadays. 

If anything, Yoongi despised the numbness; it made him bitter, which was probably why he distanced himself from his beloved. 

Jeon Jungkook was made up of everything sweet. Yoongi didn't want to taint him with his bitterness. 

"Hyung?" 

Yoongi looked up from his phone, greeted with the sight of his buff boyfriend standing in the doorway. His tattoos were showing, disappearing under the short sleeve of his white t-shirt, which stretched under the strain of his biceps and chest. He shrank in on himself, making him seem more like a frightened animal. 

"Baby," Yoongi sighed, eyes drifting back to his phone, "What do you need?"

Jungkook pouted to himself and looked down, voice soft and timid. "You." 

Yoongi's heart lurched in his chest, falling to the bottom of his stomach. He suppressed the urge to wince. His baby sounded so scared, so torn up, and it was all his fault. There was nothing more he hated than hurting the love of his life. Jungkook had done absolutely nothing wrong; he shouldn't feel this way. 

The older man sighed and spread his legs, patting the space between them as a sign for the younger to come sit down so they could talk. 

Jungkook brightened up at the gesture, placing himself down on the bed with his head resting on the older's chest. He crossed his arms, using them as a chin-rest. 

"Yoongi-hyung, what's going on?" he asked, voice merely a whisper. It reminded Yoongi of little children asking about things they could possibly get in trouble for. 

He shook his head with a shrug, reaching out to comb the younger's hair back from his face. "I don't know, Jungkook-ah. I've just fallen into a slump, I guess." 

Jungkook's frown deepened, eyebrows knitting together. "Is that...is that why you've been avoiding me?" 

The older pouted too, the urge to shower his boyfriend in love, affection, and apologies attempting to break his resolve, but he kept strong. He gave a small nod accompanied by a sigh. 

"I'm so sorry, Jungkook. I really am. I didn't want to bring you down, but...looks like I did anyways." 

Jungkook casted his eyes downwards, focusing on the rise and fall of the older's chest as he breathed. His next words were almost inaudible, but Yoongi managed to pick them up. 

"I thought you didn't love me anymore." 

Nausea overwhelmed Yoongi at the mere mention of not loving Jungkook. His eyes widened, head shaking rapidly as his hands trembled. 

"Jeon Jungkook, no...no, I could...I could never leave you." Tenderness radiated from the older man, his hands moving to cradle the younger's face, skimming his thumbs across his cheekbones. "Don't you ever think I'll fall out of love with you, understand me? I can't live without you." 

Yoongi shut his eyes for a second, hands leaving Jungkook's face and traveling to his back. "When I'm like this, or just unmotivated to do anything, you take care of me. You make sure I eat, set my sleep schedule, and overall give me a reason to keep going every day."

Jungkook shrugged. "You do the same for me when I'm not feeling good," he muttered. 

"My point is, Jungkook," Yoongi brought a hand back to his boyfriend's face, his thumb caressing his bottom lip, "I can't give all that up. Why would I? You're the best thing that's ever happened to me -- Jungkook, I'd marry you if I could." 

Large doe eyes peered up at him, sparkling with sugar crystals and hope. "Really?" Jungkook breathed out, his lips unwillingly part to let his smile slip through. "You'd marry me?" 

"In a heartbeat," Yoongi promised. 

He picked up his phone and opened his camera, going cross-eyed in order to take a picture of his lovestruck boyfriend. He took several, Jungkook releasing a giggle when he realized what the older was doing.

After about twenty pictures, Yoongi set his phone down again, his gummy smile breaking through. "I love you so much, Jungkookie, my little baby. When we have the money, we'll go to America and get married, okay? Our friends and family will come with us. How does that sound?" 

Jungkook kicked his feet in excitement, uncrossing his arms to weave them around his boyfriend's waist. "Sounds amazing, hyungie. I love you too." 

He leaned up, pecking his boyfriend's lips a few times. When they were both satisfied, he relaxed and laid his head on Yoongi's chest, closing his eyes. 

Silence encompassed the couple; a warm hug and a lullaby drifting around them like falling leaves. This was their tender moment; nothing could interrupt it. 

Yoongi closed his eyes as well, focusing on Jungkook's weight on top of him; the boy was warm and heavy with muscle, love radiating from his very being and bleeding into Yoongi. Gentle breaths ghosting across his chest let the older know that he wasn't going anywhere for the rest of the night; Jungkook was asleep. 

Yoongi never felt more safe, more loved, than he did at this moment. He loved Jeon Jungkook and that was never going to change.