"Stop! Get out!"

The shout from Yoongi's bedroom startled Seokjin. It was unexpected, especially in contrast to the previous sounds that had been coming from there.

"Get the fuck out!"

As Seokjin stepped into the hallway to see what was happening, he saw a very confused, stark naked Namjoon being pushed out of the bedroom."Oh jeez." Seokjin immediately opened the hallway closet and pulled out a towel, tossing it to the other man, who was speedy in covering himself.

"What's his problem?" Namjoon asked in a mixture of confusion and annoyance.

"He doesn't have a problem." Seokjin motioned toward the living room."Talk to me while he calms down, then I'll retrieve your clothes."

Namjoon let out a hefty sigh and reluctantly went to the living room with Yoongi's roommate."No, Hyung, he's definitely got a problem. I've never seen someone switch so fast like that."

"Tell me what happened." Seokjin watched Namjoon sit on the sofa before he seated himself in the nearby recliner. He knew Yoongi could be difficult to handle sometimes, but he also would defend his roommate's mood swings and reactions to certain things, even though Yoongi did tend to react heavily.

"Well, I'm sure you could hear." It was certainly not a secret that Namjoon and Yoongi had hooked up for sex. Namjoon had expressed interest in Yoongi, but the older wasn't clear in his own feelings. Still, they had both consented to explicit activities."I don't want to go into too much detail because that would be weird, but you know, we were screwing, and he suddenly yelled at me to stop and threw me out."

Shaking his head slightly, Seokjin knew there had to be something specific that caused Yoongi to snap like that."What did you do right before he yelled at you to stop? Like, did you grab him in a bad spot or something?"

That was a little fuzzy for Namjoon. He'd been so horny and lost in the moment that he could barely remember where he'd been putting his hands."Um, I don't think so. Uhh..." Tilting his head just a little to the side, he recalled something."I grabbed his hair."

"That's what did it."

"What? You sure?" That didn't seem right to Namjoon."I thought Yoongi-hyung likes it rough. Why would grabbing his hair make him flip out like that?"

"Rough doesn't always mean harsh." Seokjin combed his fingers through his hair as he sighed."You can't touch Yoongi's hair without his permission. It's very important."

That seemed odd to Namjoon."His hair is that important to him? It's going to get messed up during sex anyway. What's the point of trying to keep it untouched like that?"

"That's not what I meant." This was a sensitive topic, and Seokjin didn't think it was something he could tell Namjoon."Just don't touch his hair without permission."

It got quiet for a couple minutes as neither of them seemed to know what to say. This situation was pretty awkward. There wasn't even any sound coming from Yoongi's room."Hyung..." Namjoon's voice came out a lot softer now."Did I screw up? Is he going to hate me now?"

"Honestly, I don't know. That depends on how you and Yoongi handle this." This wasn't the first time Seokjin had witnessed Yoongi throw someone out in the middle of sex. It was for the same reason every time, hair pulling."Give him a little time to calm down and think it over. Maybe have a talk about it in a day or two. I could tell you were annoyed, and he really doesn't need that right now."

"He doesn't need it? I'm pretty sure I had every right to be annoyed. I was thrown out mid-sex, completely out of the blue." Namjoon didn't think his annoyance was wrong at all.

"Yes, I understand that, but...Listen, just talk to him at a later time. If he feels up to it, he'll explain. It's not my place to tell you why he reacted that way." Figuring there wasn't much more that could be said here, Seokjin stood."I'll check on Yoongi and grab your clothes. Wait here."

"It's not like I'm going to leave naked, Hyung," Namjoon said with a roll of his eyes.

On that note, Seokjin left the living room and walked down the hall to Yoongi's bedroom, giving a light knock on the door."Yoongi," he spoke calmly, wanting his roommate and friend to not be alarmed."May I come in?" When a barely-audible 'yeah' was heard, Seokjin opened the door and felt his heart sink at the sight of Yoongi curled up on his bed, blanket bundled around him securely."I'm going to gather Namjoon's clothes. Will you point out what's his?"

Yoongi didn't even bother to sit up. He just rolled over and pointed at some articles on the floor."That's his. And that. That." As he pointed at each thing, he watched Seokjin pick them up.

Once he gathered all of Namjoon's clothes, Seokjin stepped over to the bed and peered down at Yoongi with a tender gaze."Are you okay?"

"Honestly? Not really."

Seokjin had grown very used to Yoongi's mood swings and knew things about his roommate's past that most people didn't know. They trusted each other fully, so he knew that Yoongi required patience and care."Do you want to talk about it?" When Yoongi shook his head a little against his pillow, Seokjin gave a small smile of reassurance."Okay. I'll take Namjoon his clothes now. After he leaves, I'll bring you a glass of honey milk."

Namjoon was a bit relieved to see Seokjin return with his clothes."Thanks, Hyung. I'll get dressed in the bathroom then head out."

As soon as Namjoon headed to the bathroom, Seokjin went to the kitchen to start preparing Yoongi's honey milk. He only filled the glass halfway; Yoongi never finished a full glass. After all, the honey milk was only meant to calm him down and help him go to sleep. Seokjin heated the glass of milk for a few seconds in the microwave before adding some honey, stirring it with a rubber spoon. He used rubber utensils for stirring because Yoongi didn't like the clinking sound of stirring with regular silverware.

"Hyung." Namjoon stood in the kitchen doorway once he was dressed and ready to leave."Will you please text me when Yoongi-hyung is ready to talk?"

"Yeah, I can do that." Seokjin looked over at Namjoon with a soft smile."Take it easy. I'm sure things will be okay."

Namjoon wanted to ask more questions, like if that milk was for Yoongi, but he didn't want to pry and potentially make things worse. So he just took his leave, heading out quietly.

Once Namjoon was gone, Seokjin took the glass of honey milk to Yoongi's bedroom."Here's your milk. Just don't forget to take the glass to the kitchen in the morning."

"Thanks, Hyung."

It was painful for Seokjin to hear the sadness in Yoongi's voice, but all he could do was be readily available to give Yoongi comfort whenever he needed it."Good night, Yoongi. Sleep well."

---

Early in the morning, a shout from the bathroom was what caught Seokjin's attention this time. He knew Yoongi had gone in there to freshen up and get ready for the day.

"Fuck! Damnit!"

There was a bang, and that was when Seokjin knew something really upset Yoongi. He could already guess what it was. Making his way to the bathroom, Seokjin knocked on the door."Yoongi, may I come in?" He always waited for permission to enter.

"Yeah..."

When Seokjin opened the door, he saw Yoongi sitting on the edge of the bathtub, wearing just his shorts with his hair half-brushed. On the floor was Yoongi's hairbrush, broken. The head of the brush was completely snapped off from the handle."You broke another brush." There was a chip in the sink counter where Yoongi tended to slam his brushes.

"I didn't mean to..."

"I know. It's okay." Opening the small cabinet near the sink, Seokjin pulled out another brush and a bottle of detangler."Come to the living room. I'll brush your hair."

Without a word, Yoongi followed his roommate to the living room. He watched Seokjin sit on the recliner. This wasn't new for them, so he knew what to do. Sitting on his knees on the floor on front of the recliner, Yoongi slumped his shoulders. He felt the detangler get sprayed on the back of his head, the scent of berries reaching his nostrils.

As he began to brush Yoongi's hair as gently as possible, Seokjin couldn't help but smile fondly. Yoongi was precious to him. He didn't mind helping him with such a mundane task."Try to relax," he said when he noticed Yoongi wince."I know your scalp hurts. I'm being as gentle as I can."

"This is so stupid," Yoongi muttered."It's so dumb, but...it keeps ruining things."

"It's not stupid or dumb at all. You have every right to be feel upset when something triggers you." Being the understanding person that he was, Seokjin didn't like to hear Yoongi talk about his feelings like that.

Yoongi got quiet as he just tried to enjoy the feel of Seokjin brushing his hair. He had given his roommate and close friend permission to touch his hair whenever it was necessary because he trusted him. He knew Seokjin would never intentionally hurt him. Even once his hair was nice and tangle-free, he felt Seokjin continue to brush gently, knowing how much Yoongi liked that.

"So Namjoon pulled your hair last night, huh." This needed to be discussed. Otherwise, Seokjin knew Yoongi would just mull over his thoughts alone and not work it out properly.

"Yeah..." Just thinking about that made Yoongi feel awful.

"And you got scared." Seokjin kept brushing Yoongi's hair as he spoke."It might be a good idea to start telling guys you hook up with that hair pulling is a big no-no." He knew it wasn't Yoongi's fault, but he didn't really know what else could be done to prevent that sort of thing from happening.

"I guess I should have clarified when I told him I like it rough, but I wasn't thinking about that." Yoongi huffed softly."Why am I so picky and needy with this stuff?"

Setting the brush aside, Seokjin placed his hands onto Yoongi's shoulders."You're not being picky and needy. Everyone has preferences. You like it rough in bed but vanilla with everything else. That's completely fine."

"Hyung, what am I going to do?" Yoongi shifted to turn to the side and wrapped his arms around Seokjin's leg."Namjoon said he likes me, and I think I like him too, but then this happened. What if I ruined it?"

"Have you told him that you like him?" When Yoongi shook his head, Seokjin sighed."I know getting into a relationship scares you because you're worried about being abandoned when he sees you panic, but proper communication can go a long way."

"But can I trust him enough to tell him all the things I've told you?" That was something that worried Yoongi a lot.

Seokjin almost melted when Yoongi's chin rested atop his knee."That's up to you," he said as he began to pet his friend's head."I know Namjoon's a good guy. He was confused when you threw him out because he doesn't know what happened, but I'm positive he'll understand if you explain it to him."

"But how am I supposed to say it?" Yoongi was scared of what type of reaction he would get. The last guy he'd told about his issue with hair pulling laughed at him and said he was being a baby. He didn't want that to happen with Namjoon too.

"Well, you can start by letting him know that you have a very sensitive scalp," Seokjin suggested."You can probably wait until you feel more comfortable to tell him about what your mother did, but if you plan to have a relationship with Namjoon, that's something he should know, so he can understand you better."

Yoongi tightened his arms around Seokjin's leg and frowned."How long is this going to keep affecting me, Hyung?" He just wished it would stop.

"No one knows. Trauma affects everyone differently." Seokjin stopped petting Yoongi and just rested his hand atop his friend's head."But please stop beating yourself up over the way you react to it. It's completely natural for pain to cause anger. Pain is discomfort, and people typically get angry when they're put into discomfort. It's normal, and sometimes those outbursts can't be controlled. What matters is how we handle it afterward. You had an outburst at Namjoon last night when he pulled your hair because it hurt and triggered your trauma, and now you need to handle it in a better way."

"I'll try, but..."

"But what?"

"Pet my head more first please."

It was times like this that Seokjin felt like he was possibly a father figure to Yoongi, which he didn't mind. He knew the younger guy was working through some personal issues, and he wanted to help him in any way he could. So as he began to pet Yoongi's head again, he made sure to play with his hair a little too."Namjoon asked me to text him when you're ready to talk. Give me the okay when you're ready, and I'll text him."

---

Standing in front of Seokjin's and Yoongi's shared apartment made Namjoon very nervous. Well, more nervous than he had felt upon receiving Seokjin's text. Over the past day, he'd done a lot of thinking about what happened and his feelings for Yoongi. He really wanted things to work out between them. Even though he didn't know what Yoongi felt for him, Namjoon wanted to have the older man as his boyfriend, friend, friend with benefits, or whatever else Yoongi would allow.

Lifting his hand, Namjoon hesitated before lowering it. He took in a deep breath then exhaled through his nose to try to calm his nerves. It didn't really help. Knowing this had to be done to move forward, he lifted his hand again and made himself knock. It was quiet for about five seconds before he heard footsteps. He was somewhat relieved when the one who opened the door was Seokjin.

"Hey, Namjoon." Seokjin tried to be casual. He didn't want to make Namjoon more nervous.

"Hey." Glancing past Seokjin, Namjoon didn't see Yoongi."Is he in his room?"

Seokjin nodded only once."Yeah, he and I figured that would be a good place for you two to talk privately." Stepping aside to let Namjoon enter the apartment, he really hoped everything would go well."Make sure you knock on his door and don't enter until he says so."

"Of course." Namjoon would never think of just barging into someone's bedroom without permission, unless there was an emergency. As soon as he tried to step past Seokjin, however, his arm was grabbed."Hyung?"

"As your friend, Namjoon, I'm giving you a fair warning," Seokjin spoke with a lowered tone."If you hurt him, I'll kick your ass."

"I'll never intentionally hurt him, Hyung." That much was certain."If I ever do hurt him, I give you full permission to kick my ass." That seemed to be a sufficient answer, as Seokjin released the grip on his arm. With his nerves still jumbled, Namjoon made his way to Yoongi's bedroom, knocking on the door.

"Hyung?" Yoongi asked from within the room.

Namjoon gulped."Uh, no, it's me."

There was a moment of silence as Yoongi now knew who was at his door."C-come in."

Holding his breath, Namjoon opened the bedroom door, the nervous breath seeping out as he spotted Yoongi sitting on the edge of his bed."Hey, uh, Hyung." Oh boy, this felt incredibly awkward. Once he stepped into the room, he didn't know what to do with himself."Should I close the door? Or, uh...leave it open?" He didn't know what would make Yoongi more comfortable.

"Um, close it." Yoongi was feeling just as awkward, if not more than Namjoon."Listen, Namjoon, I--"

"Actually, can I talk first?" Namjoon interrupted. He knew that was rude, but he really needed to get his words out, just in case Yoongi shot him down before he got the chance. He was so scared that Yoongi would tell him to fuck off before he could apologize and try to make things work.

"Y-yeah, go ahead." Yoongi lowered his gaze to his lap and moved a hand up to nervously rub the back of his neck.

But now that he had the chance to talk, Namjoon's mind went blank."Well, fuck..." How was he supposed to say this?"Hyung, first of all, I'm really sorry about how things went. I didn't know you wouldn't like your hair to be pulled, but I should have asked beforehand. I just assumed you would like it since you said you like it rough. To be honest, I'm not really that much into hair pulling either. I only did it because I thought you would like it."

That actually made Yoongi blush."You just wanted to do what I like?"

"Of course. I told you before that I'm interested in you. I really like you, so I wanted to make you feel good." Namjoon felt his own cheeks heat up as well."If I had known you didn't like it, I never would have done it."

"Did I make you mad?" That was something that scared Yoongi. He feared that he had made Namjoon mad and possibly hate him.

"No, no." Namjoon took a single step closer to the bed but still kept a decent distance to not make Yoongi uncomfortable."Well, I admit that I was annoyed that you threw me out mid-sex with a raging boner, but if I made you uncomfortable, I understand. I was more confused than anything else."

Yoongi peeked up at Namjoon before lowering his gaze again."I'm sorry for that. I tend to overreact and have, um, outbursts." This was it. The time for him to explain was here. Clearing his throat quietly, Yoongi just needed to say it."I have a very sensitive scalp. The slightest tug hurts a lot."

"Oh gosh, I didn't know. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you." Now Namjoon was catching on to what Seokjin had meant before when he'd told him to never touch Yoongi's hair without permission. Now he understood that Yoongi wasn't being stuckup about his hair; Yoongi's scalp was too sensitive.

Moving both hands to his lap and wringing them together, Yoongi decided to make a leap of faith. He really wanted to believe that things could work out for him and Namjoon. He wanted Namjoon to be the one he could trust as a partner."It's not only that." He couldn't look at Namjoon as he said this. It was hard."Hair pulling is a trigger for me." He heard no response from Namjoon, so he continued."When I was a small kid, my mother was, well, abusive. She pulled my hair a lot if she thought I wasn't paying attention or I didn't walk fast enough to stay beside her. When I was too young to responsibly brush my own hair, she would only brush my hair once per week, so it would be really tangled. She wouldn't do it gently. She'd just force the brush through the tangles, which hurt so much."

As Namjoon listened to Yoongi talk about this, his heart ached. Now that he knew Yoongi had been through trauma regarding his hair and scalp, it made so much more sense to him that Yoongi reacted the way he did to having his hair pulled."I see. I didn't mean to scare you, and I'm so sorry you went through that."

"I'm sorry for throwing you out. I just didn't know how to handle it." Yoongi knew he didn't have to apologize for a trauma response, but he wanted to apologize for making Namjoon upset.

"It's completely okay." Now Namjoon finally stepped closer to the bed, squatting down in front of Yoongi."Hyung, I hope you know that I still like you, and now that I know about this, I'll be more careful to not hurt or scare you." Seeing tears well up in Yoongi's eyes, he panicked."Oh no, did I upset you? Oh gosh."

Reaching out shakily, Yoongi snaked his arms around Namjoon, allowing himself to slip off the bed. His knees didn't quite touch the floor as his butt found its spot on Namjoon's bent knees. It was a little awkward, but they both didn't seem to care about that."I'm not upset," Yoongi clarified as tears began to trickle down his cheeks."I'm relieved."

Despite Yoongi saying he was relieved, it still hurt Namjoon's heart to hear his hyung start to cry, feeling the wetness of tears when Yoongi's face pressed to the side of his neck."Why are you relieved?"

"Because I like you too, dummy."

As those words sank into Namjoon's brain, he couldn't resist the smile that took over his lips."Hyung, can I take you out tonight for a proper date then?"

Yoongi slightly nodded against Namjoon's neck."I'd like that, but..."

"But..?"

"I need a nap first." Yoongi sniffled and did his best to not drool on Namjoon as he cried."Crying...always gives me a headache." He could already feel the headache starting. He'd felt it coming before the tears had even started.

"You should get back on the bed then. I can hang out with Seokjin-hyung for a bit while you rest." That seemed like a nice plan to Namjoon.

Yoongi pulled away from Namjoon, even though he didn't want to yet."Will you ask Hyung to bring me some honey milk?"

With a tender smile, Namjoon nodded."Yes, of course." After watching Yoongi get back onto his bed, Namjoon stepped over to the door. He glanced at Yoongi one more time before leaving the room, very satisfied with this. Things were okay, better than okay. Heading to the living room, he found Seokjin in the same recliner as usual, phone in his hands and headphones on. He made a small wave of his hand to get his hyung's attention.

Seokjin paused what he'd been watching on his phone and took off his headphones."How did it go?" He had been tempted to eavesdrop, but he respected their privacy enough to resist that temptation.

"It actually went well. Yoongi-hyung and I are going on a date tonight." Namjoon felt his cheeks heat up as he said that."Um, he's going to take a nap, so he wants me to ask you to bring him some honey milk."

"Ah, of course." Seokjin set his phone and headphones aside then got up from his recliner."Come on. I'll show you how he likes it."

Now despite how nervous he'd been when he'd arrived earlier, Namjoon was feeling quite happy and giddy. The man he liked returned his feelings. Things were okay between them.

And their first date was tonight.