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It was only by chance that Namjoon notices it, honestly. Most days his mind is filled with cute little beach crabs or the latest song he’s writing. Namjoon is by no means an airhead, in fact he’s quite the opposite, but sometimes he’s just too smart for his own good, always thinking and thinking and thinking. So Namjoon surprises even himself when he notices it.
“Is that...my shirt?”
He’s currently in the studio, half-listening to the new track Yoongi’s been working on and half-thinking of verses to accompany it. Namjoon is zoning out so arduously, it’s like his brain short circuits and for a second he finds himself focusing, staring intently at the back of Yoongi’s shirt which looks oddly familiar. And so here they are.
Yoongi, also the type to drown out his surroundings when he’s hard at work, doesn’t hear him, or at least he shows no indication of having heard him, instead he continues to stare single-mindedly at the computer’s screen, clicking his mouse a few times.
So Namjoon tries again, “Hyung? Did you hear me? I said—”
“Hn?” Yoongi responds, sucking in a breath as he comes back to himself.
“Your shirt,” he explains, “Is it mine?”
And once again, Namjoon is surprised he notices the tiny shift in Yoongi’s expression. He looks panicked, like he’s been caught, but then he schools his face into a mask of collectedness as he shrugs.
“Dunno. I found it in my closet.”
Namjoon drops the subject after that. It’s not really a big deal. Maybe it was an honest mistake. Besides, his brain is already hyper focusing on his next train of thought, the shirt already forgotten.
In yet another moment of clarity, Namjoon notices it again.
“Hyung, are you sure that’s not my shirt?”
Everyone at the table freezes. JK, Jimin, Hoseok, Jin, the managers—everyone is looking at Yoongi and Namjoon expectantly. This time it’s a different shirt but it definitely looks like one of his. And although the pair have a similar build, Namjoon has several inches on Yoongi, so the shirt is long. It’s just slightly too big, not enough to be noticeable but promotions are over and so there’s a sharpness to Namjoon’s senses today.
In hindsight, loudly interrogating his hyung about the shirt in front of the entire Bighit staff was not a good idea. It’s definitely not the first time Namjoon has lacked delicacy.
Yoongi swallows his food carefully before he answers, “No. Why?”
Are you sure? Namjoon wants to insist, Because it really looks like my shirt. But he doesn’t, which is hard. It’s always been hard to let things go. Namjoon has always been a pursuer; a pursuer of knowledge, a pursuer of success, a pursuer of understanding. And so Namjoon wants to understand, if Yoongi really is pilfering Namjoon’s shirts and wearing them, then why? Not that Namjoon would be mad if he found out it were the truth. He’s just...curious.
Back in present time, Namjoon shrugs.
“No reason. I just have a shirt that looks similar, that’s all.”
Yoongi nods mutely, fighting off a blush and Namjoon hopes that it’s not as noticeable to anyone but him because he knows how quick his hyung is to get embarrassed.
The next time Namjoon sees Yoongi, he’s in Namjoon’s room, in his closet with one of the younger boy’s shirts clutched tightly in a pale hand.
“Hyung?” Namjoon calls, surprised to find him in such an unexpected place.
Yoongi doesn’t jump, he doesn’t shout or whip around with excuses already fumbling past his lips. Instead he tenses all over, shoulders high, and turns around very, very slowly. His gaze is glued to the floor.
“Yoongi hyung,” Namjoon articulates cautiously, “Why didn’t you just ask me to borrow my shirt?”
And suddenly Yoongi’s face is aflame.
“Hyung,” Namjoon insists, “I don’t care. Really. I was just curious—”
“Please stop talking,” Yoongi pleads quietly.
Namjoon’s mouth snaps shut.
“I just like—” Yoongi begins.
And Namjoon can see the moment resignation settles over his face.
“You,” he finishes, “I just like you.”
Namjoon can’t help it. He laughs.
“Hyung,” he gasps, “You’re cute.”
Namjoon gets a fisted up shirt thrown in his face for his troubles but he doesn’t care because Yoongi likes him.