Namjoon awoke with a yawn, inhaling cologne and detergent. 

He felt too comfortable to get up just yet, so he grabbed a handful of blankets and rolled over.

To his surprise, Yoongi's side of the bed was empty. 

Namjoon sat up, looking around for the smaller boy, but he wasn't in the bedroom.

His heart started to pound when he realized he had spent the night with Yoongi. In Yoongi's bed. He felt like he had overstayed his welcome, since he had woken up without Yoongi. Was that a sign to leave? Like one night stands? Except it was in reverse since this was Yoongi's house and Namjoon was the one still here.

But Yoongi was the one who said he didn't want Namjoon to leave last night.

His cheeks hurt when he remembered he had been slapped. His face burned when he remembered the kiss.

Namjoon threw the covers off and sat up, still shirtless and wearing Yoongi's sweatpants. 

He had come here feeling mixed and confusing emotions. But after talking with Yoongi and laying together, falling asleep next to him... Namjoon felt better.

Yoongi had forgiven him.

And that's what Namjoon realized he had come here for.

A figure startled him by appearing in the doorway, and Namjoon looked up to see Yoongi leaning against the wooden frame.  

"Breakfast?" Yoongi asked, ruffling his messy hair with a hand. "I made omelettes."

"Sorry." Namjoon stood up. "I feel like I should go home."

"Why? Don't trust my cooking?"

"No, I appreciate the fact you made breakfast for us. I just... feel like I should be back in my own room now."

"Parents worried about you?" Yoongi asked. 

Namjoon shook his head. "They know I'm usually over at a friends house on weekends."

"Do they know you spent last night in a gay guys bed? With the gay guy?" Yoongi was grinning.

Namjoon blushed. "When you say it like that you make it sound like we..."

"Kissed?" Yoongi pushed himself off the doorframe and stepped into the bedroom. "Because we did."

Namjoon's heart pounded as the smaller, pretty boy got close to him.

"Do you regret the kiss?" Yoongi asked, his dark eyes searching Namjoon's for the truth.

"No." Namjoon admitted. "I don't regret it. I'm glad I came here. But I really just need to be alone for a bit. To think. And process. I have a lot of questions."

Yoongi smiled. "Well, the front door is unlocked, you can leave whenever. I put your clothes on the chair there."

He nodded at the desk chair, which had Namjoon's formerly wet clothes now dry and folded.

"But," Yoongi said as Namjoon pulled his shirt on. "If you have questions, you can't really get them answered if you're alone."

He had a point.

"I'll be downstairs." Yoongi walked back to the door to give Namjoon privacy to change. "If you want to eat and talk, I'm a good cook and listener. But if you want to leave, just make sure it isn't raining out again."

And Namjoon couldn't help but smile back.

-

Yoongi was setting the table when Namjoon entered the kitchen.

Yoongi smiled, clearly pleased Namjoon had stayed. "Bacon?"

Namjoon took a piece from the plate the smaller boy was holding out. "Thank you."

He sat down at the table, nibbling the crunchy bacon. "Where are your parents?"

"Visiting my mom's sister for the weekend." Yoongi said as he pulled out a jug of apple juice from the fridge. He set it down in front of Namjoon before taking a seat as well.

Namjoon glanced at the boys bandaged nose. "Will they... ask questions?"

"About this?" Yoongi raised a hand to his face, gesturing to his nose with his pale fingers.

Namjoon nodded, feeling too guilty to speak.

Sure, he hadn't been the one to throw that punch, but he hadn't done anything to stop it either. he regretted being such a coward.

Yoongi shrugged, cutting up his omelette. "They know something is going on, but I've argued with them enough to make them not push the issue anymore. Unless my arm gets broken, or I'm hospitalized, then I won't have a choice but to let them overreact."

"Why don't you let them push?" Namjoon cocked his head. "They could talk to the principal for you, since you don't do it on your own."

Yoongi snorted. "You think that'll magically make your friends change their ways? It would make everything worse and we both know it."

Namjoon hated to admit it, but he knew Yoongi was right. If his friends got in trouble from Yoongi, they would hate him even more.

"I'm sorry." Namjoon looked down at his plate, ashamed.

"We've discussed this." Yoongi sounded like he was smiling. "Stop apologizing."

"No, I really mean it." Namjoon forced himself to look into Yoongi's dark eyes, feeling his heart start to race. "They shouldn't do what they do to you. And I shouldn't stand back and let it happen."

Yoongi looked at him for a while. Then he leaned back in his chair.

"I was going to ask you something, before the bell rang."

Namjoon sat straight in his chair. "Yeah?"

"That was the first time you touched me." Yoongi cocked his head. "The first time you participated in what your friends were doing."

"I don't know how it happened." Namjoon admitted. "One second, I was chasing my friends who were chasing you, and then the next thing I knew, I was right in front of you, pinning you to the wall."

"I was surprised too," Yoongi said. "I didn't think you would ever... join them. So... I was going to ask you. If you were going to hurt me too."

Namjoon's mouth opened slightly.

Yoongi looked away, stretching his arms over his head as a distraction. "I have my answer now, anyways. The way you came over last night, how you acted. I think yesterday changed you in some way, and now I know. You wouldn't have hurt me."

Namjoon didn't know what to say.

Yoongi raised an eyebrow at the silence. "What? You don't agree?"

Namjoon quickly shook his head. "No, no, I- well..."

Yoongi was defensive now, sitting sideways in his chair and brought his legs up, feet planted on the seat of his chair to block his body. "What do you mean 'well'?"

"I mean, I like to believe I would never hurt someone who was innocent. But... if I could just stand by and watch as an innocent person got hurt, and do nothing... then maybe escalating to hurting someone wouldn't be that difficult of a step to take." Namjoon felt sick saying that, but he knew he owed Yoongi the truth.

Shame colored his cheeks, and he looked down at his hands in his lap. "I think that's what changed in me yesterday. When I realized how close I was to you, listening to them egg me on to hurt you... I saw just how close I was to becoming just like them. And I didn't want that."

Yoongi swallowed. "You're not like them."

Namjoon exhaled. "Thank you."

"You don't believe me."

"I want to believe you. And I do, at least somewhat. But I still did things I'm not proud of." Namjoon found the courage to look at him.

"Everyone has done things they regret." Yoongi slowly lowered his legs. "You came over yesterday and apologized. They didn't. You never hurt me. They did. Don't believe that you're the same creature as them, Joon."

The nickname surprised Namjoon.

He liked it.

"I really am sorry, Yoongi." Namjoon said, his voice soft. "For everything."

"I know, stupid." Yoongi was smiling again. "Now shut up and eat."

-

Namjoon washed his plate in the sink while Yoongi cleared the table.

"Thanks again." Namjoon said, grabbing a hand towel to dry the plate. "I can't cook, so it was nice to eat something that wasn't burned or raw."

Yoongi chuckled. "You're easily appeased. That's cute."

Namjoon blushed at that. He wondered what it was going to be like at school on Monday. He couldn't go back to standing by as his friends bullied Yoongi.

But he didn't think he could stand up to them either.

"Did you still want to leave?" Yoongi asked. "I've got a history paper to procrastinate, so if you want to stay and hang out, that'd be great."

Namjoon smiled. "You don't think I've overstayed my welcome yet?"

"Can't overstay what you never had." Yoongi hummed, brushing past him to the living room.

Namjoon followed. "What do you mean I wasn't welcomed? You let me in."

"Out of pity." Yoongi shot him a smirk from over his shoulder as he headed up the stairs.

Namjoon raced after him. "Was the kiss out of pity too?"

"Duh."

"You liked it."

"You liked it more, Mr. I Get An Erection Every Time I Kiss Someone."

"That was the first time that happened!" Namjoon protested, stopping in the doorway of Yoongi's room.

Yoongi smirked, turning around to face him. "Oh? The first time you ever got aroused by a simple kiss was with a gay boy?"

Namjoon realized what he said, but it was too late. "No- I mean- I didn't- it was- ah, shit." He pressed his fist to his forehead, feeling his cheeks heat up once again.

"Straight people are weird." Yoongi remarked, sitting down at his desk again.

"You know, you admitted you liked the kiss too." Namjoon said, feeling pouty that Yoongi always seemed to win their conversations.

"It wasn't the worst I've ever had." Yoongi shrugged, logging into the computer to pull up his essay. "Don't go bragging all around town now, or else I'll have to set the record straight and damage some egos."

Namjoon stepped into the room. "I thought you were going to procrastinate that paper."

"I thought you were leaving."

Namjoon shrugged, not wanting to go just yet. "Maybe later." He picked up the basketball from Yoongi's floor. "Wanna play?"

And Yoongi grinned.