Ash

To my slight disappointment, when I came out of the bathroom, I found Namjoon setting up a spare mattress on the floor. As much as I didn't want to admit it, I was kind of looking forward to sleeping next to my soulmate.

We argued over who was sleeping where for a good few minutes, before Namjoon stubbornly sat himself down on the spare mattress and cocked an eyebrow at me. The look itself was so smug and attractive, I instantly felt my cheeks heat up and I decided that sleeping in his bed wouldn't be a bad idea, as long as it meant he didn't see my red face.

When I wake up in the morning, I startle when I realise where I am. I'm surrounded in a soft fluffy duvet, breathing in Namjoon's scent, which is imprinted into his sheets. His soft, fresh cologne, with a hint of mint almost sends me back to sleep, but I snap my eyes open when I see the time.

7:03am. Time for me to get up.

I push the warm covers off my body and sit up, stretching my limbs silently. I then realise I have a problem. Usually I would just get up and immediately go shower, but I'm now at the dorm. I know that Namjoon has a shower in his bathroom, but I don't want to use it without his permission. Which means that I have to wake him up.

"Namjoon." I whisper quietly, walking over to his mattress and crouching down. His face is half pressed into the pillow, half facing me, eyes shut peacefully, little breaths coming out of his mouth. He looks so young sleeping like this and for some reason I feel a smile growing on my lips.

"Namjoon." I try again, lightly touching his cheek with my hand and he grunts slightly, batting my hand away and burrowing himself deeper into his pillow.

"........M' sleepy ........leave me 'lone......"

I chuckle at his quiet, child like voice, mentally screaming at how cute he looks.

"Joonie." I say and this seems to wake him up.

His dark eyes flutter open and gaze hazily at me. I give it a few seconds, before he realises that it's me and that I'm really close to his face. His eyes widen and he bolts backwards, my hand being torn from his cheek. He definitely looks awake now.

"A-Ash?! W-What are y-you doing?" His tone is a bit panicked, cheeks flaring up red and I have to bite my lip to stop myself grinning at him.

"I just wanted to know whether I would be allowed to use your shower? I didn't want to without asking first."

"O-Oh, r-right." Namjoon shifts slightly, not looking at me, "S-sure."

I let my smile out and grin at my flustered soulmate.

"Thanks. Why don't you get some more sleep whilst I shower Joonie?"

Namjoon nods his head, still avoiding my gaze. I decide to leave him be and stop teasing him for now, rising to my feet and going into the bathroom. I make sure to lock the door behind me, because even though we're soulmates, I'm not ready for him to see that yet. I didn't pack any shampoo or anything in my suitcase, so I'm guessing that I'll have to use his. As I walk past the large landscape mirror above the sink, I do a double take, looking at my reflection.

My eyes travel down to the loose t-shirt that I'm wearing, which just happens to be situated a bit low on my chest, and my face heats up. No wonder Namjoon was so flustered.

I quickly look away and go to the shower.

I strip, placing my clothes in a neat pile on the floor and turn the shower on, stepping into the cold spray. Namjoon's bathroom appears to be quite clean and neat much to my surprise, but then again, I've never really been to another man's house before.

I use his shampoo and conditioner, washing and refreshing my body with body wash and then I turn off the water, before wringing the excess water out of my short hair. I go to step out of the shower cubicle, when I realise something that makes me freeze.

I didn't bring a towel or any spare clothes in here with me.

I start to panic, realising I'm going to be stuck in here without anything to cover me and I stop breathing when I realise I only have one option.

I'm going to have to ask Namjoon to look through my suitcase to find me some clothes and a towel.

I suck in a deep breath before inching towards the bathroom door, going to open it. Suddenly a knock sounds from the other side and I scramble back in surprise, almost falling over.

"Ash? A-are you finished in there?" Namjoon's tentative voice says through the locked door.

"K-Kind of, y-yes."

"Kind of?" I can hear the confusion in his voice.

"I-I..........." Come on, you can do this, "I forgot t-to bring m-my towel and s-spare clothes in."

There's a pause, as Namjoon tries to comprehend what I'm saying. And then:

"Oh."

It's quiet again and my face goes red.

"I-I'll g-get you a t-towel and c-clothes." Namjoon's voice comes back, but quieter this time and I can tell that he's embarrassed. I wait there for a few minutes in the cold, before another knock comes at the door.

"Can you u-unlock it?"

"Y-Yes." I stutter, walking shakily to the door and unlocking it in one move. A second later Namjoon's bare arm sticks through the gap, a towel and some clothes bunched into his fist.

I quickly take them and he shuts the door in record speed.

I think that was one of the most awkward moments in my life.

I dry myself and get changed into the hoodie, jeans and other things that he passed to me. Only once I've put them on, do I realise that I'm wearing one of his hoodies and a shy smile lights up on my face.

I unlock the door, only to see Namjoon still standing the other side of it. I glance down quickly, as he moves out of the way, letting me through. A few seconds later he locks the door and I hear the shower being turned on again.

I decide to head downstairs and make my way out of his room, bumping into Hoseok in the hallway.

"Ash! Did you get a good night's sleep?"

I nod my head in response.

"Namjoon didn't bug you at all?" He presses as we make our way down the stairs.

"No."

"Good." Hoseok gives me a blinding smile, "Because otherwise I might have had to whack him on the head for keeping you up."

"You don't need to do that Hoseok." I reply, the shyness from earlier starting to fade.

"You can call me Hobi, you know. You're part of Joon's family now."

"Alright then, Hobi." I smile when Hoseok smiles back.

We walk into the kitchen, only to see a shirtless Jungkook serving himself cereal. My eyes widen and Hoseok instantly places a hand over them whilst scolding Jungkook.

"Jungkook! We have a guest here! Put on a shirt!"

"S-sorry Hyung. I forgot Noona was here." Jungkook stutters out, clearly embarrassed.

I chuckle, even though I'm blushing slightly.

"You forgot about me Jungkook? I'm wounded." I joke.

"Hey, this is serious Kook! If Namjoon sees you down here without a shirt on, he's g-"

"What's going on? Are you talking about me?"

I cringe at the sound of Namjoon's voice as he walks into the kitchen. I'm guessing he hasn't seen yet.

"H-Hyung, I-I can e-explain..." Jungkook tries, but I can already sense that Namjoon is about to blow and I'm not even looking at him. Maybe it's a soulmate thing.

"You, are in so much trouble." Namjoon's voice is low and lined with anger, in a way that makes him sound seriously hot, what with his tone still being slightly husky from waking up.

I hear bare feet against the floor and it only takes me a second to realise that Jungkook has fled from the kitchen. Hoseok removes his hand, giving me an apologetic grin.

"Sorry about that. I'd better go around all the rooms to make sure that no one else makes the same mistake." He leaves the kitchen, which means that it's only Namjoon and I left.

"Did you........" Namjoon starts off awkwardly from beside me, but I cut him off.

"No, I didn't see anything, thanks to Hoseok."

"Right." Namjoon says, looking away, evidently still flustered from this morning. So I decide to do something about that.

Cautiously I stretch my fingers out, the tips of my skin brushing against his. I carefully slide my hand into his, our palms pressing together and he freezes for a moment before relaxing and slipping his fingers in between mine. He gives my hand a light squeeze, neither of us looking at each other. A few seconds pass of us just standing there, hand in hand, before Namjoon speaks up again.

"C-Can I hug you?"

His voice comes out quiet and unsure. As a reply, I just simply turn to face him, letting go of his hand and I wrap my arms around his waist, my head going against his chest. Immediately, he hugs me back, curling into my warmth, hands soft against the top of my back and spine. 

"This is nice." I say quietly and I feel his body shift closer to mine. He's wearing a short sleeved t-shirt, so I can see how his biceps flex when his arms move. I almost gulp at the sight.

"We can do this more often if you want." His tone is light, but from his racing heart against my ear, I can tell that this is no small statement. It's nice to know that this is affecting him as much as it's affecting me.

"I'd like that." I say back and I feel how he lets out a small sigh of relief.

He's scared of being rejected, I realise with a start and hug him tighter.

"Hey Soulmates, please stop canoodling in my kitchen so I can make breakfast for you brats." Seokjin's voice comes from behind us and we pull apart quickly, faces pink, "Except you Ash, you're not a brat. You're lovely and we're lucky that Joon has someone like you for his soulmate."

"Aww thank you Seokjin." I gush, "Also, love the use of the word canoodling."

"Why thank you. You see, someone appreciates my intelligence for once!" He shouts out loudly, presumably to the other members.

"What are you making Hyung?" Namjoon asks, as Seokjin shuffles to the sink and starts to wash his hands.

"Pancakes. I don't usually cook for you guys, but since we have a guest I thought I might as well." Seokjin turns back around, looking at me, a cheeky smile on his face, "Hey Ash, do you want to hear a joke?"

"No thank you. It's too early in the morning Hyung." Namjoon says quickly, before dragging me out of the kitchen. Once we're back in the living room, he lets go of my arm and instead entwines his fingers with mine.

The rest of the group are sat on the sofa and armchairs, talking loudly. Some of them still look half asleep, although Jungkook looks definitely wide awake when he makes eye contact with me.

We sit down on one of the armchairs, Namjoon taking the seat and I sit on the armrest.

"So, we heard about what happened this morning," Jimin says and both Namjoon and I exchange embarrassed glances, before quickly looking away, "With Jungkook."

I let out a small breath.

"Although," Jimin continues, with a teasing glint in his eyes, "Judging from your expressions, that wasn't what you were thinking about. Did something else happen?"

"No!" Namjoon and I answer frantically, and Yoongi raises an eyebrow at us.

"Ok, now something definitely happened, with you both acting like that." Taehyung says and the members almost round on us like hyenas.

"Who left half a bowl of milk on the counter?!" Seokjin's voice comes from the kitchen and Jungkook blushes.

"I'd better go sort that out." He mumbles and dashes into the kitchen.

"Soooo, Noona. What'd you and Hyung get up to this morning?" Taehyung asks and Hoseok smacks his arm.

"Tae, we don't know what her age is. Don't immediately assume she's your Noona."

"Oh. Are you my Noona?" Taehyung says, tilting his head innocently and I chuckle at his sudden change in attitude.

"I'm turning 25 in a month or so, so yes Taehyung. I'm your Noona."

"Wait, in a month or so? Does that mean you're older than me?" Namjoon asks confusedly.

"You were born in September, right? I'm May 4th, same year as you, so I guess I'm older. Are you going to call me Noona as well?" I tease Namjoon and laugh softly when his cheeks dust pink again. It seems that neither of us can stop blushing this morning.

"Your soulmate is so cool Joon. Are you sure I can't keep her?" Hoseok says and suddenly I'm on Namjoon's lap, his arms wrapped protectively around me.

"No. She's mine." He growls out and I blush for what seem to be the millionth time today.

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{"Whenever you find yourself doubting how far you can go, just remember how far you have come." – Unknown}

QOTD: What's your favourite thing about being an ARMY?

I like the community and that fact I'm part of something global.

Alys xx