*bangs fists on table*

BRATJOO
BRATJOO
BRATJOO

Mi bebby

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Sai sat in the back of the car with Namjoon, but he let the boy look out the window and be alone with his thoughts for the journey.

The dom also wanted time to think. He didn't know anyone, other than Caine, who would want to start the rumor.

How sure was Yoongi that a dom started it? Maybe it was a switch acting tough, or a sub with a backbone.

Either way, all his leads had gone cold or dried up, and Sai truly had no idea how to help his friend.

He looked at the boy next to him and his heart felt heavy.

The only thing he could do was take care of his best friends sub, and so that was what he would do.

-

When they arrived, Sai showed Namjoon to his biggest guestroom.

"Let me know if you need anything." He said. "Won will cook you anything you desire. I'll be in my study."

Namjoon had just nodded, not in the mood to eat.

He showered and changed into some spare clothes the dom had set out for him; comfy sweats and a hoodie.

He curled up on the bed, feeling small and alone.

He missed Yoongi.

The old Yoongi.

Picking up the phone by the bedside table, Namjoon dialed a number he knew by heart.

But Yoongi didn't answer.

Namjoon sighed. He had been expecting that but it still filled him with loss, especially when he was certain that Yoongi was ignoring him on purpose.

There was a paper beside the phone that listed all the rooms in Sai's large house, with the extension numbers to call.

Namjoon used the list provided to dial the study.

"Come here." Namjoon said as soon as Sai answered the phone.

"Are you alright?" The dom jumped up from his chair.

"Hurry." Was all Namjoon said, hanging up.

Moments later, pounding footsteps sounded in the hall, and then the dom burst into the room.

"Namjoon- what's wrong?"

"Sleep with me."

Sai blinked. "You called me up for that?" He shook his head, like he should have known.
"That's not appropriate, Joon."

"I didn't say to fuck me sideways, I said to sleep with me. Just sleep."

"It's still not appropriate."

"Why not?"

"Because you are craving human touch and comfort. You don't really want me to sleep with you, you're just desperate to fall asleep with someone and I happen to be here. The one you really want is Yoongi, but he's denying you comfort while this childish bet is in place, so you're seeking to fill the void with me. I will be taking advantage of you if I fulfill your requests for skinship while you are in this state."

"I don't care."

"Well that's unfortunate, but I do."

"I want a hug."

"I've told you why I can't give you one."

"I don't care."

"I do."

"I don't care that you care."

"Namjoon-"

"Give me a damn hug."

"It's not that simple."

"It is that simple, you're just being stupid about it."

"Words hurt."

"So does being denied a basic human need."

Sai chuckled but it was a tired sound. "Wow, you're a little too good at this."

"Bargaining?"

"Emotional manipulation."

"Hug me."

"I-"

"Now, damnit!"

"You have an uncanny resemblance to a petulant child at times."

"Hug me now or I swear to god I will start throwing things."

"Do it, if it will make you feel better. It's all insured anyways."

Namjoon blinked, then looked at the lamp on the table next to him.

"Even this?"

"That's a 1960's vintage amber glass lamp restored with pure brass and cost three hundred dollars."

Namjoon threw it across the room, smashing it against a painting that hung on the opposite wall.

Sai looked at the tattered canvas. "That was one of only 17 known works by an anonymous northern Renaissance 16th-century painter of an illuminated manuscript showcasing a masterful trompe l'oeil effect used with a rare oil unreplicated in todays art world. It was $650,000."

"A hug would have been free." Namjoon held his arms out.

"I see now why Yoongi doesn't keep expensive things in his house."

"I'm his expensive thing."

"Emotionally taxing, yes."

"Just let me sleep with you." Namjoon whined, crawling off the bed. He held his arms out to the dom. "It's just cuddling, it's not sex or cheating. Even if you are taking advantage, I won't care because it's just harmless, simple cuddling."

"Namjoon, think of how Yoongi would feel." Sai let the boy wrap his arms around him but didn't reciprocate the gesture.

"How about he thinks about what he's making me feel?" Namjoon muttered, burying his face between the doms pecs. "He's the one ignoring me. He's the one pushing me away."

Sai placed a hand on Namjoon's hair, petting him. "You make very good points, Joon. Maybe you should think about calling off this dumb bet so you and Yoongi can go back to normal. Then you'll get all the cuddles you want."

Namjoon shook his head. "I want to earn them by winning."

The dom sighed. "Aish... I never liked competitiveness."

Namjoon squeezed him tighter. "Can we just lay in bed together until I'm tired? I'll sleep in my own bed after. I just don't want to be alone right now."

Sai gave up. "Fine. You can come to my room. You can lay with me until I'm done working, then you must return to your own bed."

Namjoon was pleased with himself as he followed the dom down the hall.

He tugged on Sai's sleeve. "I want ice cream, too."

The dom sighed heavily, but made a detour to the kitchen, where he waited patiently for the boy to pick out what flavor he wanted.

"You have a lot of ice creams." Namjoon commented as he rifled through the freezer drawer.

"Ice cream is a good way to help subs recharge after a drop." Sai explained. "The sugar content and temperature are both beneficial."

Namjoon got himself a large bowl of simple chocolate and walked back to Sai, stuffing a spoonful into his mouth.

The dom raised a hand to Namjoon's face, using his thumb to wipe away a smear of chocolate from the boys cheek. "Are you satisfied now?"

Namjoon nodded, taking another large bite.

He followed the man to the bedroom, happy to have gotten his way. Even though he wasn't Sai's sub, he still managed to make the dom give in to what he wanted. It was a power subs had that needed to be utilized more, in his opinion.

He eagerly climbed onto the doms large, four poster bed. The fireplace built into the wall was lit and crackling, casting a warm glow over the room. He wiggled under the heavy covers, feeling comforted already.

"Let's watch a movie." He said, licking his spoon.

"No movie." Sai sat on his side of the bed, over the covers, with his laptop in front of him as he worked.

"One movie." Namjoon decided. He found the remote on the dresser and powered on the flat screen TV that faced the bed from the wall.

Sai huffed but let Namjoon scroll through his streaming services.

Namjoon finally picked a seasonal one he had seen before and settled down to watch.

Occasionally, he looked to the side to watch the dom work. He glanced at the laptop screen, trying to see what the man was doing.

"Yoongi does that too." Namjoon commented.

"Emailing and billing clients?" Sai adjusted the reading glasses on his nose.

"Mhm." Namjoon scooted closer, pressing his thigh against the doms, separated by the blankets. "Well, not anymore, since he quit that. But he used to."

"He gave up a lot for you, Namjoon." The dom looked at him. "Can't you give up one thing for him? This bet?"

Namjoon looked away, not wanting to have this conversation. "He ignored my phone call."

"He lost his cell phone in the club."

"I called the house phone."

"Maybe he just didn't hear it."

But they both knew that was a lie.

Namjoon put his attention back on his movie and ice cream. Slowly, his eyelids started to close, and he set the empty bowl aside.

Curling up into a comfy position, he watched the movie through half lidded eyes. The strong and comforting presence of the dom being so close to him helped the boy drift off.

"Sai..." Namjoon murmured, nearly asleep.

"Yes?"

"....."

The dom frowned and took off his glasses, looking at the sleeping boy.

He pondered for a moment, before shaking his head.

It had sounded like Namjoon had said something before drifting off, but that couldn't be right. Especially since what the boy seemed to say was;

"I did something bad."