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"can you show me?" Namjoon asks, the next morning, as Jin gathers his ingredients. he still looks exhausted, the shadows under his eyes exaggerated by the lighting, his shoulders drooping under Jin's blanket.
there had been a formal dinner that night, Jin had heard through the grapevine. Lord Min and Duke Park and the prince, who had talked politics until the oil lamps in the hall had to be refilled. they'd still been talking by the time Jin retired—so late that he thought, maybe, that the prince wouldn't come.
but Namjoon is here. a little more worn, sagging a bit at the edges, but here. Jin furrows his brow, and reaches for the flour.
he's done with the pastries for the morning, small tarts much like the ones he'd made for the beginning of the journey, and is starting to move on to the sweeter bread for the day. he'll do the regular loaves later with the other baker and Seojun, but this is something nice—something special he can take the time for, during his morning with Namjoon.
"show you what?" Jin's brow creases in confusion, stilling as he measures out the flour.
"how you—do that," Namjoon says, and then blushes like he's done something to be embarrassed about.
"you want me to...teach you?"
there's a pause, as Jin absorbs what he's hearing.
"not if you don't want to!" Namjoon says, about an octave higher than usual. it's—it's almost a squeak. "really, this isn't—i'm just curious. if you want."
"okay," Jin agrees, and doesn't let himself think about it. "i guess—come here, then."
Namjoon slides off the counter with near-silent feet, and steps so close that his shoulders are almost brushing Jin. Jin doesn't look; carefully doesn't notice the few centimeters he has on Namjoon, that had been so obvious while they were dancing.
"i'm," he says. clears his throat, to keep speaking in a whisper. "i was going to make honey bread. since i have extra time."
"you're not usually up this early," Namjoon says mournfully. Jin resists the sudden, childish impulse to elbow him gently in the ribs.
"it's fine," he reassures. "i want to be."
in the corner of his eye, he can see Namjoon's smile.
he walks Namjoon through the process slowly. when Namjoon asks him about the yeast, dissolving in a warm bowl of water and honey, Jin explains. Namjoon is quiet and attentive and makes Jin wonder about the kind of student he'd been, kept in tutoring for most of his life. when he's done mixing the dough, and slaps it down onto the counter, Jin only hesitates for a moment before he picks up a knife, and halves the ball.
"here," he says, and drops it to the floured counter in front of Namjoon. "watch me first, then follow."
beating dough isn't exactly the most difficult thing in the world, but it had taken Jin a while to learn. as a boy, he'd had to stand on a stool to get the leverage, using most of his weight before he'd built up strength in his arms and hands and shoulders. Namjoon's first attempts are clumsy, but he pushes up the sleeves of his nightshirt and bites down on his lower lip and furrows his brow, and doesn't give up.
