Work Text:
Jaebum leans back against the far wall of the elevator, exhaustion dragging at his limbs. He and Yoongi have pulled another all-nighter in a rush to get this album finished, and he desperately needs to crash, is concerned he may not even make it off the bus at the correct stop. He tips his head back, hazily aware of his surroundings - the cool press of the mirror against his back, the faint ting as the elevator descends, the swoop in his belly as it whizzes past floor after floor. The weight pressing on his eyelids, the sour taste in his mouth from too many energy drinks, the way it feels as if his cat is sitting on his chest, heavy and warm and pinning him in place.
It takes a moment for him to realize that the elevator has stopped and another few once he’s forced his eyes open to realize that there is someone standing in the doorway, waiting for him to disembark and looking vaguely concerned. As his surroundings swim into focus, he feels his face flush an embarrassing shade of pink.
“Another late night?” Jinyoung from the third floor asks, amused. He holds a hand out so the elevator doors don’t close again, beckons Jaebum out.
Clearing his throat, Jaebum slips out of the elevator, careful not to get too close to Jinyoung. He probably smells like stale coffee and the weird diffuser Yoongi keeps in his studio and old socks. Jinyoung, on the other hand, smells citrusy and lovely and fresh, like clean linens and spring days, and Jaebum wants to bury his face in the curve of his neck and maybe just. Sleep there for a little while.
He shakes his head, trying to knock those thoughts loose, then realizes Jinyoung probably thinks he’s saying no to his question, and turns the shake of his head into a nod, pulls his gaze slowly back up from the inviting crook of Jinyoung’s neck to meet his eyes. “Yes,” he confirms, voice an uncomfortable rasp. “Too late. Too early,” he amends, squinting out the windows at the front of the building, where bright sunlight is streaming through, painting bright stripes across the marble floor.
“Did you accomplish what you wanted to?” Jinyoung asks with a tilt of his head. His fringe falls over one eye, pretty and alluring, and it makes Jaebum’s sleep-hollow chest ache.
“Almost. One more session, I think.” Jaebum tugs on the beanie he thought to pull over his hair before leaving, and thank goodness for that - Jinyoung doesn’t deserve to see him unwashed and grungy like this. “Yoongi wanted to power, but then he fell asleep on the mixing board. I moved him so he doesn’t drool on it and accidentally short out the whole system, though.”
There’s laughter laced through Jinyoung’s voice, his cheeks pulled up into one of his devastatingly soft smiles, crinkles at the corners of his eyes that make the tips of Jaebum’s fingers itch, when he says, “That was kind of you. I hear that equipment can be pretty expensive to replace.”
“It would serve him right,” Jaebum mutters, pressing his knuckles to his dry, gritty eyes. “It’s his fault I’m here late enough to greet people coming in to work.”
“Go home, Jaebum,” Jinyoung says, quiet and kind, but with an undercurrent of steel in his tone. “Get some sleep.”
Jaebum finds himself nodding, ready to agree to anything Jinyoung says. “Yeah,” he croaks. “Yeah, okay. Have a good show, Jinyoung.”
He presses his knuckles to the curve of Jinyoung’s waist without thinking, too far gone to remember that they’re not quite friends, certainly not close enough to touch casually like this. Jinyoung just watches him with quiet eyes, though, the weight of his careful and alert gaze heavy on the back of Jaebum’s head as he trudges across the lobby and pushes his way through the front doors and out onto the busy street.
♪
To his credit, Jaebum does make it off the bus at the correct stop, manages to keep himself awake long enough to put food in the cat bowl and shower, then flops face-first onto his bed and sleeps for seven hours.
He thinks it must be some sort of miracle, or maybe it’s just his subconscious looking out for him, that he wakes up with twenty minutes to spare before Jinyoung goes on air. He spends ten of those minutes putting on clothes and brushing his teeth, then he totes his laptop to the kitchen, tunes into the station and turns it up loud enough to hear over the clanging of pots and pans and the hiss of bacon frying as he makes himself something to eat. Within minutes, Jinyoung’s calming voice fills the room, putting a small smile on Jaebum’s face as he steams an egg.
He texts Yoongi during a commercial break while he waits for the rest of his food to be ready, arranges to meet him tomorrow morning to finish up the album. Jaebum listens to Jinyoung while he eats, playing keep-away with Nora as she tries desperately to steal a bit of bacon, loses a piece to her anyway when he gets distracted by one of Jinyoung’s book recommendations that he has to note in his phone before he forgets it.
Jinyoung’s soothing voice carries him through sticking the dishes in the washer and tidying up, through straightening up all of Nora’s toys that have been scattered across the living room and a peaceful view of the sunset, beer cradled between his palms, the laptop sat on the chair beside him on the small balcony off his bedroom.
Every night, Jinyoung signs off with a quote from whichever book he’s reading, something that has caught his eye, resonated with him. They always rattle around in Jaebum’s chest, make him feel like he’s floating just beneath the surface of a pool, everything gone soft and weightless and tinted blue, breath caught heavy in his chest as he lets the quiet and his thoughts consume him. Tonight’s quote is from the book Jinyoung recommended earlier, and once his chest has loosened, once Jinyoung’s voice has faded, replaced by a slew of ads leading up to the next show, Jaebum makes a note to stop at a bookstore on his way in to work tomorrow.
♪
Nine hours.
It takes Jaebum and Yoongi nine hours to work on the last two songs, listen through all seven tracks, make some changes, listen to all of the tracks again, then trade exhausted, gratified grins. They save the tracks to their server, three separate thumb drives, an external harddrive, and email them to the artist’s manager, and once Jaebum has confirmed that the email has gone through and the manager has received it, Yoongi pulls some soju out of his minifridge and they drink straight from the bottle, slumped in their desk chairs, exhaustion a weight pressing down on their shoulders.
“Meat?” Yoongi asks, eyes heavy lidded as he peers sleepily at Jaebum from where he’s curled up in his chair, a tiny ball wrapped in an oversized hoodie that he’s tugged over his updrawn knees.
Jaebum nods and pushes to his feet, knees creaking with disuse. “You order it, I’ll go get us some coffee.”
He tucks his wallet into the pocket of his jeans, grabs his phone and the book he bought this morning, and takes the elevator down to the basement. The cafe is still open despite the hour, the building full of recording studios, film and music producers, radio shows, and a television studio one level down, all operating into the wee hours of the morning. And so the cafe is teeming with people at 5:30 in the evening, slurping down coffee and cups of ramen, tapping away on phones and ipads or scribbling notes down on clipboards, never a real break from work in this industry.
Jaebum grabs his coffee and sits down at a small table tucked into a corner so he can read for a bit. He just needs some time away from the dark walls of the studio, the overpowering smell of Yoongi’s air freshener, needs a mental break and some comforting words.
He’s three chapters in, coffee forgotten in a pool of condensation at his elbow, when the chair across from him scrapes back, jarring Jaebum out of his book fog. He has to blink a few times to focus his eyes, and he feels his cheeks heat up immediately when they do, tries valiantly to shove the book under the table, but he knows it’s too late.
Sitting across from Jaebum is Jinyoung, looking upsettingly sexy in a button down with the top two buttons undone, a plain black shirt peeking out from the gap in the collar. His hair is wavy today, flopping over his eyebrows in a charming, boyish way and there is a knowing smile on his face that makes Jaebum want to sink right into the floor. He can’t believe he’s been caught out like this, briefly wonders if he can convince Jinyoung that he had come across the book entirely on his own, wow what an amazing coincidence, we must have very similar tastes. He dismisses the thought immediately, though. He’s never been good at lying.
Clearing his throat, Jaebum tucks a folded up napkin into the book to mark his spot, then sets it down on the table, a careful distance from his coffee so it doesn’t get wet. “I passed out yesterday, but I woke up just in time to catch your broadcast.”
“Thank you for tuning in,” Jinyoung says, genuine gratitude evident in his voice. “Do you listen often?”
Every night , Jaebum thinks, but he just shrugs, as casual as he can manage, and says in what he hopes is a breezy tone, “When I can, I usually work so late...”
Lies. He always stops what he’s doing when six o’clock rolls around, even forces Yoongi to listen with him when they’re working together. Luckily they’ve gotten to a point in their relationship that Yoongi just sighs and accepts defeat with only minimal teasing. Jaebum shifts in his seat, hoping desperately that for once in his life he can pass a lie off as truth, but something about the tilt of Jinyoung’s smile, the sparkle in his eye, tells him he may not have been as successful as he had wanted to be.
“I’m sorry, I actually have to go, my show starts in ten minutes but I saw you and I just wanted to say hi...” Jinyoung pauses, looks around like he doesn’t really want to leave. He turns back to Jaebum, tilts his head a little, looks at Jaebum with wide eyes. “We should talk about the book some time. Maybe we could trade recommendations.”
“Definitely,” Jaebum says, so quick to agree that Jinyoung’s eyes get even wider. He hesitates a moment, then asks, “I can buy you lunch here tomorrow?”
Jinyoung’s answering smile is blinding. “That sounds nice. Is 12:30 okay?”
“Great,” Jaebum affirms, watches as Jinyoung pushes his chair back and stands. His button down is tucked into a pair of fitted jeans that sit low on his hips and hug his thighs and Jaebum knows he’s staring, but he can’t help it. Reluctantly, he drags his eyes back up to Jinyoung’s face, offers him a small smile and a wave goodbye.
“Have a good show, Jinyoung,” he whispers.
Jinyoung just smiles at him, says, “You should listen, tonight. If you can,” he finishes with a smirk that does horrible, twisty things to Jaebum’s stomach.
All he can do is nod, then watch Jinyoung cross the cafe and slip out the door. Fanning himself with the book, Jaebum sucks down half his coffee, suddenly parched, then goes to order another one for himself and one for Yoongi. He should get going, their food should be here soon, anyway.
They listen to Jinyoung while they eat in the dark on the floor of Yoongi’s studio, legs crossed and all of the mixing and recording equipment turned off in celebration of a big finish. It’s a nice show, but pretty standard - Jinyoung regales them with a humorous personal story, reads out some letters the show has received and offers some advice, and talks a bit about the news and things going on around the city, all interspersed with a selection of songs that set the perfect mood for an evening show after a long day of work. It isn’t until the last segment, where Jinyoung talks about the latest book he’s reading and selects a quote, that Jaebum figures out exactly why Jinyoung told him to listen.
“I was going to read something from another book tonight, but I saw a friend reading this book earlier and he inspired me. So here is a quote from chapter eight for you, Jaebum. I hope it resonates with you the way it did with me.”
Jaebum stares at Yoongi across from him, eyes wide in surprise. Yoongi’s smirk, usually irritating in its smugness, doesn’t bother Jaebum this time. “Did he just say my name?”
“He called you his friend,” Yoongi points out, reaching across to steal a piece of chicken from the container in Jaebum’s hand. “Your relationship is finally progressing, congratulations.”
Normally, Jaebum would fight Yoongi off, hates when anyone takes food from him. He barely even registers that it’s happening, though, not even when Yoongi goes back for a second piece. Friend . He could get used to that.
♪
Jaebum waits outside of the cafe at 12:25 the next day, trying not to look nervous. He’s got his hands shoved into his pockets to hide the fact that they’re shaking just a little, but he’s totally got this under control. He and Jinyoung are friends having a friendly lunch together so that they can discuss books and other friendly things. Just like friends do.
Jinyoung arrives at exactly 12:30 wearing another button down tucked into another pair of fitted jeans. This time, he has the sleeves rolled up over his forearms and the hems of his jeans cuffed above his ankles, and Jaebum’s throat burns. He never thought that the sight of someone’s ankles would get him this hot and bothered, but there’s a first time for everything.
“Have you been waiting long?” Jinyoung asks, coming to a stop beside Jaebum. He smells wonderful, as always, and, as always, Jaebum has to resist the urge to nose at the base of his throat like a cat.
“No, just a few minutes.” Jaebum holds the door open for Jinyoung, explains as he passes through into the cafe, “I had to leave early if I wanted to escape the meeting Yoongi kept trying to drag me into, even though it’s about a group I don’t work with. He just hates going to meetings and wants me to suffer with him.”
“You must be close friends,” Jinyoung muses as they queue up at the counter.
Jaebum smiles as he studies the menu for today. “We started at the company at the same time and were assigned projects together for a while. He can be really difficult to work with sometimes, but he takes care of everyone in his own way and he’s very talented at what he does. We’ve been writing some songs together recently.”
He’s not sure why he said that. Jaebum bites his lip and stares pointedly at the handwritten menu, even though he’s already decided what he wants.
“Oh, really?” Jinyoung turns to look at him with unexpected interest. “Who are the songs for? Anyone I know?”
Jaebum stares at him for a moment, debates whether or not to tell him who they’re for. In the end, though, he admits, “They’re for me. I’m going to sing them.”
Jinyoung’s eyebrows wing up and his lips purse in a small ‘o’ of surprise. “Do you sing? How did I not know this? I thought we were friends.”
He ends that statement with a devastating pout that has Jaebum blurting out without thought, “You can come by the studio later. I can show you some of our stuff.”
Jinyoung looks delighted, agreeing readily, and his eyes are so bright, he’s so distractingly pretty, that Jaebum doesn’t notice that they’ve reached the front of the line to order until the cashier clears his throat loudly and Jinyoung pokes him in the side. “It’s our turn,” he laughs when Jaebum whips his head around immediately, cheeks burning. “Are you ready to order?”
They sit at the same table Jaebum had occupied the previous day, positioned in a corner behind a column for a nice illusion of privacy. Despite some initial awkwardness, conversation flows easily as they discover that they have quite a bit in common. They talk about books and music and movies, a few dramas Yoongi has forced him to watch for this one actor he’s obsessed with, and the new art gallery that just opened up down the road.
Jinyoung tells him about the hot air balloon festival his friend took him to the other day, relays stories about the other DJs in his studio - Youngjae who hosts one of the overnight shows and his love of ballads and tendency to bring his dog into the studio with him, despite management repeatedly asking him not to; Yugyeom, Jungkook, and Bambam, the three boys who host the morning show for the younger crowd, carefully chosen for their bizarre dynamic and wide range of music tastes; Moonbyul and Yongsun in the afternoons who always leave him treats in the recording booth as they pack up for the day.
In return, Jaebum tells Jinyoung about his friend Mark who works in communications for their production company but mostly just plays games in his office all day, gets away with it because he works overnight and brings in big international artists they wouldn’t have had access to otherwise; talks about his cat and his favorite bookstore around the corner from his apartment and the auntie who runs a food cart halfway between his flat and the bookstore who always gives him extra fish cakes just because she likes his smile.
Before they know it, two hours have passed and Jaebum’s phone is ringing, his manager’s name flashing across the screen. Frowning down at the phone where it’s buzzing gently against the table top, Jaebum notes the time and gasps, fumbles to answer before it goes to voicemail.
“Hello?” He asks breathlessly, shooting an apologetic look at Jinyoung as he starts gathering his trash and shoving it into his empty bowl. “Yes, I’m sorry, I lost track of time. I’m on my way up now. Yes, sorry, be there in five minutes.”
He hangs up and shoves the phone into his pocket, smiles at Jinyoung gratefully as he helps him clean up and cart everything to the trash bins.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t realize how long we had been down here. I have a meeting with an idol group in fifteen minutes and I still need to be briefed.” He looks around, harried and dazed, to make sure he hasn’t forgotten anything. Satisfied that he has everything he came down with, Jaebum turns to Jinyoung. “I’m sorry I have to leave so suddenly -“
“It’s okay,” Jinyoung interrupts, touching a hand to Jaebum’s wrist. He smiles at Jaebum, sweet and reassuring, and it takes the wind right out of Jaebum’s panicky sails. “Today was nice, we should do it again sometime.”
“Yes,” Jaebum agrees. Can’t quite keep the hopeful tilt out of his voice when he asks, “Tomorrow?”
Jinyoung’s answering grin is enough to leave Jaebum smiling and content for the rest of the day.
♪
It becomes a Thing. Not an every day thing, as they’re both busy and have various meetings more often than not, but Jaebum meets up with Jinyoung at least twice a week for lunch or coffee or a small break on the rooftop garden, and it’s swiftly become his favorite part of the week.
“You know, you still haven’t invited me into your studio to listen to your music.”
Jaebum makes an indignant sound and turns to stare at Jinyoung in shock. “I invited you the first day -“
“But you didn’t follow through,” Jinyoung tuts, a hint of a smile playing at the corners of his mouth.
He’s riling Jaebum up on purpose, he’s sure of it. He hates that knowing that pleases him, just a little bit. Playing into it, Jaebum scowls and nudges Jinyoung with his elbow. “ You never asked after that invitation. For all I knew, you didn’t actually want to come by. Maybe you were just being polite.”
Jinyoung just hums and sucks a bit of cheese off his finger. Jaebum tries not to stare.
They’re quiet for a few minutes, then Jinyoung asks, casual, “Are you busy tonight?”
Jaebum nearly chokes on the bite of sandwich he’d just taken, has to take deep breaths as he chews and swallows, then asks, “What? Tonight?”
His mind goes blank as Jinyoung leans in and swipes the tip of a finger against the corner of his mouth, question forgotten. He can see Jinyoung’s mouth moving, but hears nothing that he’s saying as the phantom sensation of Jinyoung’s finger against his lips fades. It takes a minute and Jinyoung calling his name a few times for the fog to clear and noise to filter back in.
Jaebum blinks a few times, clears his throat awkwardly, and asks, “What? Sorry, can you repeat your question?”
Jinyoung just shoots him a quizzical look, but repeats it anyway. “I was saying that I’ve been thinking of a new monthly feature on the show. Well, maybe weekly, if it goes over well. We’ve had guests on a few times and listeners enjoyed it, so I thought that maybe a segment with the same guest, like top songs of the month, or book discussions, or a special advice column... I haven’t decided yet. It could be all of them, I guess.”
“Okay?” Jaebum is confused. “That sounds like a good idea.”
“So you want to do it?”
Wait, what? He’s missed something somewhere along the way.
“What? Me?”
Jinyoung just shoots him an exasperated, amused look. “You really weren’t listening, were you? I was asking if you wanted to guest on the show. Tonight, if you can. If not we can make arrangements for another night, it’s no problem, I know it’s late notice.”
“No, I -” Jaebum racks his brain trying to call up his schedule for the rest of the day. He’s pretty sure he’s finished all of his meetings, and he can just let Yoongi know he has to leave early, it shouldn’t be an issue. “Tonight is fine?”
“Great,” Jinyoung says with a bright smile. “I’ll let my producer know. I think we should end the show with it, can you come at 7:30?”
“Sure,” Jaebum says faintly.
“I’ll email you the topics for the show when I get back to my office,” Jinyoung says, turning back to his own sandwich. “The listeners are going to love you.”
“I hope so,” Jaebum says vaguely, not quite sure how he’s arrived to this point.
Being in Jinyoung’s studio is strange at first. His producer is a very tiny, very intimidating woman named Joohyun who Jaebum is pretty sure could snap his neck, despite her diminutive stature. He’s honestly kind of afraid she wants to when he first arrives, but once he gives her his name, her expression smooths out and she nods him through to the recording booth during a commercial break. He breathes a sigh of relief once he’s through the door and out of range of her steely stare, though he can see her watching them through the glass wall that separates them from the rest of the studio.
Jinyoung is watching him from his seat behind the mic, amused as he glances back and forth between Jaebum and Joohyun through the window.
“Is she always like that?” Jaebum mumbles, hoping like hell that she can’t hear them.
“Like what?” Jinyoung pulls a spare chair out for Jaebum and hands him a headset, tugs the second microphone out so it’s closer to Jaebum’s face.
“Uhhh...” Jaebum falters, trying to think of a tactful way to phrase the feeling she gives him.
Before he can struggle too much, Jinyoung grins and says, “She’s just protective of me and of the show.”
Eyes darting around the small room, Jaebum leans in close, covers both of their mics with his hands just to be safe, and whispers, “Like, murder protective?”
Jinyoung’s laugh startles Jaebum. It’s not that he hasn’t made Jinyoung laugh before, but this one - hearty and full-bellied - echoes around the small room, even muffled behind his palm. It makes Jaebum laugh too, though he’s pretty sure they’re currently laughing at his expense. Jinyoung is just so cute when he laughs, it makes something ping in Jaebum’s chest and he has to resist the urge to prop his chin on his hands and just watch Jinyoung like a love-struck fool.
He’s saved from the temptation and the dangers of blurting out something embarrassing by a sharp rap on the window and the flash of a sign warning them that they have 30 seconds until they’re back on air. Nerves flutter in Jaebum’s belly as he settles the earphones over his ears and tugs the mic just a bit closer, shuffles the papers Joohyun had given him as a guide for the last half hour of the show.
He’s never been on a radio show before, he hopes he doesn’t sound silly.
Jinyoung looks natural, perfectly at ease as he watches the timer, waits for the red “ON AIR” sign to light up, then leans into the mic and starts to talk. “Good evening, listeners, welcome back. As I mentioned at the beginning of the show, we are starting a new segment tonight. I have my friend here with me, and it’s his first time on the show, so let’s make him feel welcome. Jaebum, why don’t you introduce yourself?”
Jaebum’s gaze flicks down to the papers in front of him and he clears his throat, then winces as he realizes that sound just transmitted across the radio. Great, off to a very good start. He feels a warm hand settle on his shoulder, turns just a bit to see Jinyoung smiling encouragingly at him. So Jaebum sucks in an inaudible breath, then reads off the brief intro that Joohyun has prepared for him.
The show starts off scripted as they run through introductions, mild banter, and Jaebum’s career background. They read off a music-related question from one of the listeners and Jaebum gives the generic answer Joohyun had typed up, then looks at Jinyoung for permission to go off script, adds his own words of advice and tries his best to make it sound genuine and knowledgeable. He can feel himself relaxing the longer they talk, especially when conversation turns to the new music releases that month and Jaebum gets to really flex his musical knowledge. He hopes Jinyoung is impressed.
As the end of the show approaches, Jaebum finds his nerves returning. Jinyoung had asked him to choose the closing quote for the night, and so Jaebum had scoured the collection of books he keeps in his office and found one close to his heart, from a book he doesn’t think Jinyoung has spoken of on air before.
“And now, since we have an honored guest in the house,” Jinyoung says at the two minute mark, “I thought we would give him the privilege of closing the show tonight. Jaebum?”
“Ah.” Jaebum rifles through his pockets in search of the paper he had scribbled his quote on. “So I chose a quote from a personal favorite - Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro.”
Paper found, he smooths it out, leans into the mic a bit and pitches his voice lower for effect.
“And so we stood together like that, at the top of that field for what seemed like ages, not saying anything, just holding each other, while the wind kept blowing and blowing at us, tugging our clothes, and for a moment, it seemed like we were holding onto each other because that was the only way to stop us from being swept away into the night.” Jaebum falters as he remembers just how much the book as a whole had affected him. He smiles wryly at Jinyoung, though he knows the listeners can’t see it, says, “I cried for two days after finishing this book.”
“It is very sad,” Jinyoung agrees, his eyes soft as he gazes back at Jaebum. He doesn’t look away as he thanks the listeners for tuning in and bids them a goodnight, doesn’t look away as he turns off their mics and tugs his earphones off, sets them carefully down on the desk. He’s smiling, still looking, when he says, “You did a great job tonight.”
Jaebum smiles at the compliment, looks down at his fidgeting hands in an attempt to escape Jinyoung’s heavy gaze. “Do you think the listeners enjoyed me being here?”
“You can see comments from v app here if you want,” he says, pointing to an ipad propped up between them that Jaebum hadn’t even noticed. “And Joohyun will send me emails and messages tomorrow, I’ll share them with you.”
They’re quiet as they gather up their things and dispose of the script, turn off their mics and squeeze out of the booth. The next DJ is waiting in the anteroom and she offers them a thumbs up as they pass each other. “I like the new segment,” she compliments. “You two have good energy.”
The comment leaves Jaebum feeling flushed and terribly pleased, and he can’t keep the happiness off his face when Jinyoung pauses by the front door, asks, “Do you have to go back to work tonight?”
“No, I’m free,” Jaebum answers, leaning against the door jamb and offering Jinyoung a flirty little smile. “What did you have in mind?”
Jinyoung just stares at him for a moment, transfixed, then blinks out of it and asks, “Dinner?”
“Sure.” Jaebum considers him for a second, then asks, “Since I got to see your studio, do you want to order something and we can eat it in mine?”
The look Jinyoung gives him as he agrees has heat curling in his stomach and the air between them feels weighted, tense as they take the elevator up to Jaebum’s floor.
Everything is quiet and dark as Jaebum swipes them into the company’s lobby. The abandoned reception desk looms before them, large and imposing as they skirt around it to head back toward the offices. Jaebum leads him past rows of closed doors - the CEO’s office, various administrators that Jaebum has never actually seen, a few more producers’ offices, some of which still have lights shining from the cracks underneath their doors.
Jaebum’s office is at the end of the hall. He punches in the code and holds the door open for Jinyoung, tries not to fidget as he watches Jinyoung wander around taking everything in. Half of the room is dominated by an oversized sofa for when he has guests or needs to crash for a few hours, pillows tossed haphazardly about and a few blankets folded messily on one end. The far wall hosts a desk, the entire surface covered in equipment, notebooks, and scribbled-on scraps of paper - organized chaos, Jaebum calls it, though Yoongi would say otherwise. There’s a door set into the adjacent wall, one that’s home to a minifridge and rows of shelves boasting awards and various photographs and figurines, a small fraction of Jaebum’s book collection. Jinyoung skims the titles, then crosses to the door, cups his palms against the glass and asks, “What’s this?”
“Recording booth,” Jaebum answers, moving to stand beside him. “And all of the recording and mixing equipment here.” He points to the front of the room, where there are two chairs positioned in front of an array of mixing boards. The booth itself is small, tucked into the back corner with just two microphones hanging from the ceiling. “We mostly just record solos and duets in here, the groups have to go to one of the larger studios down the other hall.”
“We?” Jinyoung asks, turning to peer at Jaebum from the corner of his eye.
“Yoongi. That’s his office,” Jaebum says, pointing to a door across from them, on the other side of the studio. It’s dark in Yoongi’s office, something Jaebum is grateful for. He doesn’t need Yoongi witnessing this tonight.
Jinyoung is quiet for a moment as he studies all of the equipment, the small booth, the carpeted walls. “Can we go in? I want to hear you sing.”
Nerves tickle Jaebum’s through and he has to clear it before he says, “Let’s order food first. I have menus in my desk.”
They shuffle through a hoard of menus, bickering over cravings and different cuisines before settling on a fried chicken place nearby that should deliver pretty quickly. They order entirely too much food for two people and eat it facing each other comfortably on the sofa, their crossed knees touching, and once they’ve finished and Jaebum no longer has an excuse to put off showing Jinyoung his songs, he unlocks the door to the studio and lets Jinyoung in.
Jinyoung drags his fingers across the knobs and sliders, careful not to adjust any of them, eyes the recording booth with interest. Jaebum has given this a lot of thought - too much thought, if he’s honest, has imagined too many scenarios surrounding him singing for Jinyoung. He’s not proud of the fact that some of them (most of them) have ended rather inappropriately in that very recording booth, but Jaebum tries very hard not to think about those scenarios right now. He needs to keep it PG while he actually has Jinyoung here, standing at elbow’s length. He has, however, as a result of the many scenarios entertained, decided which song he wants to sing for Jinyoung.
Skirting around him, Jaebum calls up one of the songs he wrote and had Yoongi record earlier in the year. It’s one of his favorites, and when he tells Jinyoung as much, Jinyoung looks at Jaebum like he’s given him some sort of precious gift, a sentiment Jaebum is certain he doesn’t deserve.
Clearing his throat, he gives Jinyoung a brief rundown on some of the more important switches on the equipment laid out before them. Start, stop, the switch that turns on a speaker in the booth so Jaebum will be able to hear him if he wants to say something. Then he slips into the booth and shuts the door firmly behind himself, pushes away his nerves as he settles onto the stool at one of the microphones. This is his thing, he tells himself. He loves singing, loves performing, and Jinyoung is just another audience. There’s no reason to be nervous. It’s just Jinyoung.
Jaebum shoots him a thumbs up once he’s ready, watches through the glass as Jinyoung, brow furrowed in concentration, presses the button Jaebum had shown him and starts the music. Closing his eyes, Jaebum counts himself in with the melody, then starts to sing. He can feel the tension leak out of him with every note that leaves his mouth, settles more comfortably on the stool as he belts out high notes and rasping lows, hits the falsettos effortlessly. He lets his voice fade out after the music has stopped, waits a beat, then two before opening his eyes and looking to Jinyoung.
The expression on Jinyoung’s face as he watches Jaebum through the glass with impossibly dark eyes has Jaebum’s heart stopping in his chest. He can feel heat creeping up the back of his neck, warming his ears, but he doesn’t look away, not even as Jinyoung leans into the microphone and presses the button for the speaker, asks, “Can I come into the booth?”
Jaebum just nods, blood thundering in his ears. Suddenly, every scenario he’s imagined races through his head, leaving him dizzy and breathless. He isn’t really expecting anything, but just the possibility... oh, Yoongi is going to kill him if he ever finds out.
He watches silently as Jinyoung enters the booth, his presence making the small room feel even smaller, too small, the air heavy and stiflingly warm. Jinyoung approaches him slowly, settles on the second stool beside the other mic and places his hands carefully on his knees.
“Your voice is really beautiful,” Jinyoung tells him, quiet, like they’re in a library or some place holy, some place sacred, deserving of reverence and care. Perhaps they are.
“Thank you.” Jaebum’s voice is barely more than a whisper. He can feel the tension spinning out between them the longer he looks at Jinyoung, delicate webs stretching across the small gap between their bodies, anchoring them together.
Jinyoung looks away, but Jaebum just keeps watching. Watches as he reaches out to fiddle with the microphone in front of him, long fingers twisting at knobs as he raises and lowers it, drags it toward his mouth and pushes it away. Jaebum wants to say something, anything to break this unbearable, weighted silence, but he doesn’t know what to say. Jinyoung’s foot is shifting restlessly against the bar at the bottom of the stool as he lets go of the mic and places his hands on his knees again, his back ramrod straight. It doesn’t look like he’s breathing.
Jaebum opens his mouth, sucks in a short breath, starts, “Jinyoung -”
But before he can say anything more, Jinyoung is turning to him, a quick twist on the stool that has their knees colliding and Jaebum’s stool rocking precariously. It doesn’t matter, though, because Jinyoung’s hands are on him, fingers spread across his thighs, steadying as he leans in and kisses him.
They both freeze for the span of a heartbeat, two, and then Jaebum lets out a gasping moan, high and embarrassing, wraps his arms tight around Jinyoung’s neck and tries to pull him closer. Something clatters to the floor, Jinyoung’s stool he thinks, but Jaebum doesn’t care, not when Jinyoung is pushing his thighs apart so he can stand between them, crowd in closer, hand at the corners of Jaebum’s jaw coaxing his mouth open so he can press inside.
This is easily one of the hottest things Jaebum has experienced. As a producer, he’s had many people in his recording booth, but never like this, never someone he wanted to have in the booth like this, and he’s not sure he’ll ever be able to look at this small room the same way again. That’s okay though, he thinks as he works his fingers into Jinyoung’s hair and hooks his foot around the back of Jinyoung’s leg. It’s worth every second, blows every scenario he had imagined out of the water.
Jinyoung is mouthing down the side of Jaebum’s neck, hands sitting dangerously low on Jaebum’s back while Jaebum’s hands fiddle with the buttons of Jinyoung’s shirt, when light suddenly floods the small room, startling them apart. Jaebum’s chest is heaving as he struggles for breaths and his mouth feels swollen, numb, his cheeks hot as he squints through the glass to try and see who’s there.
It’s Yoongi, of course it’s Yoongi, eyes wide, his face red and his small mouth hanging open in shock. He has a finger on the microphone, leans into it to demand, “What the hell are you doing to my recording booth?”
♪
Jaebum leans back against the far wall of the elevator, exhaustion dragging at his limbs. He and Yoongi have been working tirelessly to put the finishing touches on his first mini-album, and while Jaebum is grateful for the hard work and attention to detail, the long hours Yoongi is willing to put in for him, he is worn out, both physically and mentally. He tips his head back, hazily aware of his surroundings - the cool press of the mirror against his back, the faint ting as the elevator descends, the swoop in his belly as it whizzes past floor after floor. It’s late, some time after 10pm, he thinks, and he and Yoongi have been holed up in their conjoined studios for two days, catching cat naps on Jaebum’s sofa in between bouts of editing and re-recording. Jaebum’s throat hurts. His whole body hurts, every muscle and joint protesting even the slightest movement.
The elevator glides to a stop and Jaebum pushes himself wearily away from the wall, eager to escape the building, ready to go home and sleep in a proper bed, cuddle his cat, maybe have a meal with Jinyoung once he’s better rested and made himself presentable. He steps blindly out of the elevator, vision gone a little fuzzy around the edges, and walks right into a solid chest. Stumbling back a bit, Jaebum looks up, an apology on his tongue, then stops short.
“Oh.” Jaebum looks around, terribly confused, realizes that he’s somehow gotten off the elevator on the third floor, rather than ground. “What?”
“Yoongi texted me,” Jinyoung says, amused. He places his hands on Jaebum’s shoulders and steers him back into the waiting elevator, presses the close door button and tugs Jaebum back against his chest.
Jaebum goes willingly, sinking into the embrace with a sigh. He’s so tired.
“Why did he text you? Why are you still here?” Jaebum asks, words slurring together a little.
He feels Jinyoung’s grip on him tighten briefly before he’s pushing him away and out of the elevator, actually on ground floor this time. He marches them slowly across the lobby, confesses, “He asked me to wait for you after my show. He was worried you wouldn’t make it home on your own.”
Indignation bristles in Jaebum’s chest, but he can’t quite bring himself to follow it through, exhaustion weighing too heavily on his tongue. He’ll just text Yoongi his complaints later. For now, Jaebum takes advantage of Yoongi’s doubts that he can take care of himself and tucks himself in against Jinyoung’s side as they climb onto the bus and pick seats toward the back of the empty vehicle, hums happily when Jinyoung wraps an arm around his shoulders and tucks his chin down over the top of his head.
“Did you have a good show?” he asks, raising a hand to fiddle absently with the buttons on Jinyoung’s shirt.
He can feel Jinyoung nod against his head, turns his face into Jinyoung’s chest to feel the way it rumbles against his cheek when he answers, “It went well. We got a lot of messages anticipating your feature tomorrow.”
Jaebum smiles, flattens his palm against Jinyoung’s stomach, revels a little in the way the muscles of his abs jump underneath his palm. He thinks about the fact that they’re going to play one of the songs off his album for Jinyoung’s listeners tomorrow, thinks about how Jinyoung had gone through all of the tracks and chosen, without hesitation, the one Jaebum had sung for him in the recording booth all of those weeks ago. It makes something light and warm bloom in Jaebum’s chest, even as heat curls deep in the pit of his stomach at the memory of that night. Yoongi hasn’t let him live it down.
“We should record a duet some time,” Jaebum mumbles, thinking back to the first time he heard Jinyoung sing, his voice soft and beautiful as it filtered out from a crack in the door of Jaebum’s bathroom, swirling through his bedroom alongside the steam from the running shower.
Jinyoung laughs, his shoulder twitching beneath Jaebum’s cheek, warm and solid, a terrible pillow but comforting nonetheless. There is humor laced through Jinyoung’s voice when he says, “You know, I don’t think Yoongi is going to let us into the recording booth together anytime soon.”