LATTE TALK • yoonseok • #WattPride

☕ trente deux ☕

Namjoon sighs against his palm and rests his forehead against his shoulder, letting the elder card his fingers through his brown locks in an attempt to calm him down.

"Would you like me to bring you something? A cup of coffee, maybe?"

"No, it's alright. I'm... I am okay, hyung."

"You sure, Joon?" Jin tries another time, because no matter how much he wants to scream at Namjoon for various reasons, his mother-like instincts kicked in faster than his anger.

"Yeah." Silence settles over them like a thin veil, but it's suffocating nonetheless. It does not make the boys want to talk either, because neither ever really bothered with silence back when things hadn't been so complicated. They always had Yoongi to plop down on the couch between them and smooth out the wrinkles that the silence left by. But now Yoongi happens to be inside an unknown room, and they are left with the duty to smooth out the crinkles. 

The last time they had crossed paths had been almost over a year ago and their last words shared that been one-sided from Jin. Namjoon hadn't uttered a word that night; he had absorbed every obscene verbal blow Jin had thrown at him, let him bunch up his collar and shake him and had even let the harsh slap settle for good measure. Yet today, they are at crossroads again, and neither is quite sure what would be a good icebreaker, except for Namjoon's soft sniffles against Jin's coat. 

"I heard you're the new hottie who hosts the SBC radio morning shows?" Jin asks after a million years, trying to lighten the air and keep his thoughts well away from Yoongi. A watery chuckle resounds in Namjoon's throat and he retracts from his coat, leaning back against the other arm rest of the bench.

"I don't know who added the hottie part, but other than that, yeah, they let me have my own show. Morning, that too."

"I am glad they finally realized your potential." Jin shuffles the stuffy, and newly damp, coat off his shoulders, and bunches up the garment into a cushion for Namjoon to lay against. The clock on the distant wall showed that the sun has long since gone to bed, and the corridors are eerily silent for a weekday evening. Surely there are bound to be more than just one or two nurses ambling about inside the town's busiest hospital?

"How's your parlor going? Got any new ones on yourself?"

"Yeah, I did but it's a small extension." A bashful smile creases Jin's eyes and Namjoon scans the freshly exposed arms diligently. He does not remember the red hued petals swirling down his left arm and onto his forearm from when they were acquainted and he frowns at Jin, wondering if the older man is kidding about getting a small one.

"Hyung, you call this a small one?"

"Oh, right, I forgot that you hadn't seen the tattoo at all. I added another flower to the canvas because the previous version seemed somewhat unfinished, but it's looks better now."

"Wow," Namjoon watches Jin fold the half-sleeve upwards and the rest of the painting glows under the stark hospital lighting. "The color combination suits you. Gosh hyung, you're making me want to go under the needle."

"Maybe I'll ink you one on discount for your bravery to get over your fear of needles." Jin winks at him playfully and Namjoon rolls his eyes at blatant mocking.

"Sure, hyung, I am free every day except Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wed—"

"That's my line you're stealing, Namjoon. Watch out." Namjoon finally lets out a laugh and for a brief moment, forgets about Yoongi's lifeless hand he had held all way to the hospital. He accepts Jin's third offer for a coffee when the elder gets up for a drink of water and is instantly grateful as he takes a sip of the piping liquid, softly humming gratifyingly.

"Knew you wouldn't have some until I badgered you to."

"That's why I call you hyung."

"The disrespect from this generation."

They don't talk much after, but their is the genuine try to not let negative thoughts about Yoongi pass the barrier they create in their headspace, yet their futile attempt survives only for a short time until one of the nurses call for Namjoon, Kim. The look of apprehension neither have the time to mask is carried inside the cabin, where a ghost lies under the stark overhead lighting, wrapped in a blue hospital gown.

Yoongi's pale arms are tucked by his sides and his eyes are closed when they walk inside. Only when Jin is standing by his bedside does Yoongi open his eyes. Namjoon remains at the doorway, feet shuffling against the linoleum as he waits for... for something to happen. Preferably for Yoongi to open his eyes and maybe say something. A doctor walks in a second later, a clipboard firmly planted at her side.

"Which one of you is family?" It takes Seokjin a second to remember that Yoongi had, a year earlier, cut Namjoon off and put him as his only remaining family other than his American aunt. He extends his arm, and he does not miss the guilt-ridden look Namjoon sweeps over the form the doctor hands over for him to sign. 

"Is he your brother?" She looks down at the name he signed, and a slight frown takes over her features. 

"Umm, cousin."

"Oh well. Your cousin is a lucky man because as far as we have seen, he seems to have suffered only minimum external injuries, other than his blood loss which has been restored because we had enough supply. There are no fractures or spinal disc displacement according to the x-rays and tests, leading us to assume that he is actually not in danger. But I would like to talk about his mental health." The doctor furtively glances at Namjoon, who is alternating between caressing Yoongi's hand poking out of the blanket and scuffing the linoleum with his shoes. 

"He's family too. You can talk about it to us." The look of gratitude that floods Namjoon's eyes are almost blinding and Seokjin has to look away first. 

"We have found cuts along his wrists and thighs, and on the surface, it looks like they have started to heal. But it can also be concluded that the patient has only recently stopped harming himself, and earlier, he used to worry the same wounds over and over again. Is he prescribed any kind of medicine or does he frequent any . . . excuse me? Do you need something?" She is looking over his shoulder, her frown now prominent on her forehead. Perplexed, Seokjin turns around and so does Namjoon, . . .

. . . only for Namjoon to wish the linoleum beneath his feet would swallow him and he would not ever have to explain to Hoseok what the hell he is doing here, with Yoongi's hand clasped within his.

author's note: rei finally updated, yay. :)

i realize this fan-fiction needs a lot of editing and that had been a good reason why i couldn't update 'LT': i kept on rethinking my decision to ever upload this story. but i guess i won't really rest in peace if i don't ever finish it. 

but thank you so much for all those words of support and love, they meant a lot, fam ❤️.

i will try and get this story out soon enough for me to go back and edit some previous chapters. 

IMPORTANT: i need you guys to give me honest replies about this: do you feel the earlier/starting chapters lacked context or they seem to not connect with the later chapters? if so, how/where? (this is to help me edit the chapters later:))