Follow the sound of the pipe, follow this song; it’s a bit dangerous but I’m so sweet

The dance studio where Jimin and Hoseok work, Jungkook finds, is surprisingly close to where they live. It's just a short bus ride away, Hoseok explains, but with the weather warming up the short twenty-minute walk to the studio is a good warm up for the two of them.

Jungkook isn't sure what to expect when he enters the dance studio. He hasn't been in one in years, and the one that he used to frequent back home in Busan was geared towards kids so it was bright and spacious- nothing like this studio, nestled in the heart of Seoul.

Jimin takes a hold of Jungkook's wrist and pulls him gently into the studio, and-

It's like stepping into an aquarium.

Hoseok's talking, but Jungkook doesn't even notice, far too busy staring at the artwork littering the walls.

Every inch of space is covered entirely in bright, colourful graffiti art.

An underwater scene takes up the entirety of the room- all sorts of fish of every size, shape and colour swimming in the sea. Some that Jungkook recognizes- dolphins and sharks, weaving and winding together between long strips of seaweed; others that Jungkook's sure that he's never seen before, but suddenly he wants to know everything about them.

There doesn't seem to be any plan, or pattern, nor rhyme or reason to the painting. It's just- life.

He spots a coral reef, music notes, stingrays and a large whale before Jimin's pulling on his wrist to guide him through a hallway down to one of the practice rooms. Jungkook makes a mental note to get a better look at it all later.

There's a group of about fifteen dancers that practically jump on Hoseok and Jimin as soon as they walk in the door. They all vary in age, some who look to barely be in middle school, others who have to be nearing thirty, but they all have this spark, this energy, this eager desire to dance.

It's a bit intimidating, really.

Jungkook feels way too shy to join in from the start. He shifts on his feet and waves off Hoseok when he asks if he'll join, but thankfully he and Jimin are nothing if not patient.

"Can you get the stereo started when we're ready?" Hoseok asks, pointing towards where it's set up in one corner of the room. Jungkook nods and retreats to the back of the room, sitting down on a stool there and fiddling with the hem of his shirt- well, Hoseok's shirt. He'd insisted on lending Jungkook some clothes more suited to working out for the afternoon, just in case Jungkook decides he wants to join in, so Jungkook's found himself in a light grey shirt and a pair of black track pants.

Jungkook watches Hoseok and Jimin prepare to run through a routine that they're working on with the group. They all stretch first, and warm up, then once they're ready, Hoseok turns to Jungkook with a thumbs up.

"Okay, we'll run through the dance just Jiminie and I, then we'll break it down bit by bit and practice together. Sound good?" He says, and all of the students answer in turn. Hoseok looks like he fits, here- he gives an encouraging smile to Jungkook that makes him feel like he's capable of doing anything. "When you're ready, go ahead, Kookie."

Gingerly, Jungkook fumbles with the stereo until the music starts to play, a heavy hip hop beat that pounds off the walls.

Hoseok starts to dance and Jungkook forgets about anything else.

The way that he moves is hypnotic.

He's not just dancing, following steps of learned choreography to a simple beat of music- no, the music becomes an extension of his body. He's raw and energetic, precise and powerful and when he wants to be, provocative. Emotion flows off his body in waves, almost overwhelmingly, and Jungkook doesn't even need to hear the music to know what kind of song is playing. He can see it by watching how Hoseok expresses the piece.

The way that Hoseok dances is so Hoseok, blinding and overwhelming and beautiful, burning bright and fast. It feels like a blink of an eye then it's over- and Jimin's in his place, filling the spot with a completely different kind of energy.

Where Hoseok is all attitude and energy, Jimin is beauty, and grace. He follows the same beat as Hoseok did, picking up at the second verse, but where music rolls off Hoseok's body, it flows from Jimin's. Careful and controlled, elegant, almost ethereal at times and in different movements. It feels like a mere second, but also like an eternity's gone by and then the song's over.

Jungkook feels like he's been punched in the gut.

How could he have forgotten about the raw, visceral energy he feels for dancing? It feels like his entire body is on fire, thrumming with anticipation, his nerves begging him to go, go, go-

Hoseok looks over and smiles which sends Jungkook's heart somewhere into the stratosphere. "You wanna try, Kookie?" Hoseok asks after he takes a big drink from his bottle of water.

Tentatively, Jungkook nods.

"Yes," he says, and scampers over to join the others in the class, hoping that he can fade into the background so that Hoseok and Jimin won't see how out of practice he is.

They don't pressure him and don't even bring attention to him as Jungkook watches the first few times, paying close attention to the steps. He starts to join in after a little while, carefully following those around him as he starts to feel more comfortable.

It doesn't take long at all before the music sweeps him away and Jungkook finds himself falling, losing himself in the most pleasant way. The music is engaging, and the dancing intoxicating- he falls back into it like riding a bike, like his body was yearning for this, needing this without him even realizing.

Jungkook flows through the movements, catching onto the choreography with ease. His mind's clear when he dances- there's no thinking, no overflow of thoughts and worries and anxieties that he can't control. It's just the music, filling him up and making him whole; it's all physical, expressing music with his body. Music, the one thing that's always kept Jungkook grounded, given him strength when he hadn't a shred to spare.

Jungkook feels hot, his entire body thrumming with anticipation, nerves alight.

Fuck, he loves this. How did he ever handle not dancing?

Now that he's started again, Jungkook's sure he isn't going to want to stop.

"Kookie! You're doing great!" Hoseok's voice brings him back to reality and Jungkook can't help but smile, wide but a little shy. The praise warms him up and Jungkook works harder. Sweat drips down to the base of his spine but it feels good, feels right; like this is what he's supposed to be doing.

Hoseok calls practice a few hours later and Jimin races to Jungkook's side, hanging off of his arm with a huge grin on his face.

'You were amazing!' Jimin signs, tugging on Jungkook's arm. 'You got the choreography so quickly. Please tell me you're coming back next practice?!' He continues excitedly.

Jungkook smiles shyly. 'I'd like to, if that's okay,' he signs.

Jimin snorts. 'I think Hobi-hyung might drag you here if you didn't.'

Jungkook laughs and Jimin shows him to the staff room in the back where he's able to take a shower and change out of the sweaty workout clothes back into his borrowed outfit from Taehyung. He needs to go shopping- he can't keep borrowing clothes forever, but for today Jungkook's too tired to worry about it.

Once he emerges, Jimin latches onto his side and sits him down on one of the couches where he introduces Jungkook to the rest of the team.

An hour turns into two, which turns into pizza shared between the group. Jungkook enjoys it, but he can feel fatigue seeping into his pores as he approaches the limits of how much social interaction he can handle for today. He makes the decision quickly and pulls Hoseok aside to tell him that he's ready to go home- and that he can walk, by himself.

"You sure you can make it back by yourself, Kookie?" Hoseok asks, tilting his head in concern. He doesn't even seem torn up about it- Jungkook has no doubt in his mind that if he asked, Hoseok and Jimin would walk him right back to the house, set up in front of the television and cuddle with him until he fell asleep. Not only that, they'd be happy to do it.

Knowing that is enough.

"Yeah," he says and smiles. He squeezes Hoseok's shoulder reassuringly, and finally the tension disappears from Hoseok's frame.

"Okay, take my key," Hoseok says. He digs around in his pocket for his key ring, which he passes to Jungkook. It's cute- three keys and half a dozen little keychains, ranging from a rainbow sunflower to a red old-school mixtape. "Namjoon said he was gonna get a key cut for you, but you can hold on to these for now. I'll come back with Jiminie."

"Thanks, hyung," Jungkook smiles. He waves to Jimin and the others, and heads out of the dance studio and back to the house.

He remembers the way just fine- he was paying close attention when they walked, and the path is pretty straightforward. Jungkook really does want to explore the area but decides to wait on that until he has someone with him. He really doesn't want to get lost right after promising Hoseok that he'd get back home safely. That wouldn't really help this trust he's trying to build with them.

Soon enough the familiar sight of the apartment building comes into view and Jungkook lets himself in with the first key. The elevator's out of order (and it seems like it's been that way for a while, if the annoyed messages scrawled into the OUT OF ORDER sign are anything to go by) so he takes the stairs up to the apartment building.

His home.

It's quiet when Jungkook walks back into the house. He chances a look at the clock in the living room- it's a lot later than he thought it was. They'd been at the studio for hours, then hung out in the back room for even longer- Jungkook's glad he's already had his shower and some food because he feels like he's ready to go to sleep.

That is, until he walks past Yoongi's room on his way out of the bathroom and he hears the faint sound of music playing. It's muffled, like it's through a headset, but it sounds like a hip hop beat and Jungkook can't help but peek through the open door to see what Yoongi's up to.

The man in question is on his bed, laying on his stomach. He's wearing a pair of headphones, a notebook open in front of him for scribbling notes into. He looks half-asleep, snug under the blankets like he is, but he must feel Jungkook's eye- he shifts and looks straight over at Jungkook, quirking a brow when he finds him staring.

Jungkook blushes and steps back. Yoongi pulls down his headphones to rest around his neck and Jungkook mumbles out a quick, "I'm sorry, hyung, I just heard music, and, um, I was curious. I didn't mean to disturb you."

Yoongi slips off his headphones before answering, laying them down on the bed next to him. "You're not disturbing me, I was just jotting some stuff down. Wanna come sit?"

Jungkook hesitates a bit in reply. Honestly he's pretty tired, but he hasn't gotten the chance to actually talk to Yoongi yet and he wants to. Jungkook feels like there's so much about him that he doesn't know- he seems quiet and a little cold at times, but then Jungkook's also seen him embrace Jimin warmly, and stroke Hoseok's hair affectionately.

There's moments when he looks so detached and carefree, then other moments where he seems to be bearing the weight of the world on his shoulders.

"Yeah," Jungkook says, nodding shyly. He looks between Yoongi's bed and his desk chair, unsure of where to sit, until Yoongi shifts over to make more room and pats the space on the bed next to him.

Jungkook sits and plays with his hands in his lap. Yoongi's so calm and casual. Even now, he closes his notebook and pushes ahead without preamble.

"How was the studio?" Yoongi asks. Jungkook wonders briefly who told him he'd gone- did they talk about him? He hopes Hoseok and Jimin would say good things.

"It was really great. I haven't danced in… man, I don't even know how many years," Jungkook says with a small laugh. "Way too long."

Yoongi hums. "Why'd you stop?"

Why did he? Jungkook knows the answer, but briefly, he wonders if he should have fought harder, should have resisted more. Could he have changed anything?

Probably not.

"My, um, my parents wanted me to focus on my studies," Jungkook says, voice quiet. He wishes he didn't feel as small as he does, admitting this, but now it's out in the open. In fact, feels a little bit lighter after actually having said it out loud.

"I'm glad you got to go." Yoongi pulls the blanket down a bit and moves it so that Jungkook can share it, if he wants to. "Hoseok and Jimin are pretty amazing. Don't tell Hoseok I said that that, though. I think he might cry."

"I think Jimin might too," Jungkook responds with a smile. Yoongi looks right up at him and grins, pleased at Jungkook's playful banter.

They fall into conversation after that, and it's surprisingly easy and playful. Yoongi's got a sarcastic edge to his words, but Jungkook knows he means it in a light-hearted way, and Jungkook responds in turn- he gives back just as good as he gets, which Yoongi seems to appreciate.

The more they talk, the more Yoongi sheds his concerns and speaks more freely. He laughs, shaking his head as he tells Jungkook the story of their perfected resolution method for any argument.

"So you really just like, hold hands if you're fighting with each other?" Jungkook asks, incredulous. He's naive, and clearly has never been forced to hold hands with someone he's pissed off at.

"It's great motivation to patch things up when you're forced to not just be near the person you wanna punch, but to touch them too, in an affectionate way." Yoongi wrinkles his nose. "But sometimes it's still hard. Especially Taehyung and I. I love him, but we're like oil and water sometimes. One time we held hands for eighteen straight hours."

Jungkook sputters out a laugh, nearly choking on his drink. "Eighteen hours?! How did you manage that?"

"Yes," Yoongi says seriously like he's relieving something traumatic. "They wouldn't let us stop until we resolved things. It wasn't a big fight, we just often don't see things the same way and disagree a lot…" He sighs. "We couldn't stop arguing about where to sleep, either, so we ended up sleeping in the hallway. It was awful. My neck hurt so badly the next day."

Jungkook can't hold back his laughter and covers his face with his hands, chuckling as he tries to imagine Taehyung and Yoongi forced to hold hands, seething with anger.

The thought is so funny that it has him keeled over in laughter again, Yoongi half-heartedly pushing on his shoulder and demanding he leave after his rude display of disrespect.

Instead, Jungkook flops back on Yoongi's bed and goes decidedly deadweight, head back against Yoongi's pillows. Yoongi tries to push him off but he gives up after a few tries, huffing as he flops down next to Jungkook.

"You're heavy. And insufferable," Yoongi says.

"And you're my tiny hyung." Jungkook giggles when Yoongi lets out the loudest, most hard-done-by groan he's ever heard in his life. He's about to sass him again when it's interrupted with a big yawn, his body reminding him that he's tired and needs to sleep.

"Alright you gremlin, time for bed," Yoongi announces. He nudges Jungkook with his shoulder. "You're still insisting to sleep out in the living room?"

Jungkook wonders, for just a moment, that if he said no, if Yoongi would let him sleep here. Not that he wants to necessarily, but he's just… curious. Everyone here is so touchy with each other, and they have been with him, but Yoongi remains the only one who's hardly touched him beyond what's happened tonight. He's not really sure what that means.

"Yeah, it's fine," Jungkook says. His instinct is to look down at the floor to avoid eye contact, but instead he looks up, curious as to what sort of look Yoongi's giving him.

He looks nothing but understanding.

"Alright, go get settled then. You need something to sleep in?" Yoongi asks. He sits up straight in bed, stretching his arms above his head.

"Yeah," Jungkook admits, before a mischievous grin breaks out across his face, "but I don't think any of your stuff could fit me, hyung. The sleeves would definitely be too short."

Yoongi gapes at him. For a beat Jungkook's worried he pushed too far, past a barrier that he shouldn't have, but that feeling's squashed in an instant when Yoongi tosses one of his bed pillows at him.

"Aish, cheeky brat!" He clicks his tongue and grabs his other pillow for more ammunition but Jungkook's already on his feet, halfway to the living room. He tries to keep his snickers quiet, knowing that Seokjin and Taehyung are sleeping. He settles down onto the couch and pulls off his sweatshirt, deciding that Taehyung's sweatpants are probably fine to sleep in for one more night. He pulls the blanket he's been using over his body, shifting back against the armrest as he tries to adjust his pillow to be more comfortable.

Footsteps in the hallway get his attention and Jungkook props himself up on his elbows to see who's coming- only to promptly get smacked in the face by a pair of flannel pyjamas.

Yoongi huffs. "Wear these, they're clean. And Namjoon's, so don't try giving me any more sass."

Jungkook pulls the clothes down to peek up at Yoongi. He notices he's holding onto something that looks decidedly like a large pink bunny cushion. Yoongi doesn't throw it, but drops it down on Jungkook's lap.

Jungkook picks it up and finds that- yeah. It's exactly what he thought. A big, pink bunny cushion. It's soft, too. "What's this?"

"It's a pillow," Yoongi answers like it's obvious, and, well, yeah. It is obvious. But-

"It's a pink bunny," Jungkook says dumbly.

"Yup." Yoongi turns around and faces away from him. "Sleep with it. Goodnight."

Jungkook has about a dozen more questions but he can't ask any of them because Yoongi disappears lightning fast, his bedroom door closed in under fifteen seconds. All Jungkook can do is stare down at the bunny pillow. He squeezes the fabric and presses it a little bit closer to his chest and sniffs it, now that nobody's around to tell him that's a weird thing to do.

It just smells clean, but there's a faint hint of cologne clinging to it- Yoongi's cologne. It's not an obvious fragrance but it's enough to notice, and for someone who's sensitive to scents like Jungkook, enough to memorize.

He cuddles the pillow against his chest. It's really the perfect size- it fits into his arms just right when he brings up his knees a bit and curls over it. Jungkook takes a deep breath, fills himself up with the thoughts of everything that's happened today and buries his face against the pillow.

From here on out, everything's gonna be different.

He can feel it.