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Yoongi's gift is a set of clothes, made perfectly to Jin's measurements. not the kind of finery he'd let Jin borrow for the ball, not the cheap imitation of his current uniform, but still beautiful. a cream-colored silken shirt, a dark jacket that doesn't constrict his neck, matching pants without patches in the knees. something a wealthy merchant might wear, instead of a lordling.
for all his theatrics and drama, Yoongi has always understood Jin well.
everything fits perfectly. they're tailored with Hoseok's eye for detail, the jacket embroidered not with a family crest but with dark red thread in patterns that look like ivy vines of fire, along his cuffs and neck and hem. Jin dresses, and pushes back his hair, and feels more like himself than he has all day.
at the ball, Jin's face had been painted with Yoongi's makeup. just smudged liner around his eyes, a subtle darkening of his brows, a brush of stain over his lips, but enough to make a difference. now, all he has is the cheap earrings he'd brought with him, and the careful style of his hair, pushed back from his forehead and secured with a dark pin.
there's a mirror in one of the halls, on the way to the ballroom, and Jin stands for a long moment and stares at himself, completely recognizable and yet so foreign.
Jin had promised himself ten days, but he can't stop himself from craving more.
by some miracle, Jin isn't too late to watch the first dance. the dance floor is empty, cleared of everyone except Yoongi and Jimin, and Jin slips into the back of the crowd just as the music starts, and Jimin reaches for Yoongi's hand.
the dance is carefully choreographed. Jin can see the way Yoongi is biting his lip, all his energy focused on remembering the steps, on maintaining an air of grace. Jimin looks similarly focused, but every time their eyes meet, one of them ends up breaking into a smile. they look good, look right together in a way Jin had been afraid about when he'd heard Yoongi was engaged. now, as Yoongi lifts Jimin oh so carefully into the air and laughs when he sets him down, Jin knows he doesn't have to worry anymore.
"you look nice," a voice says from Jin's elbow, and he nearly flinches out of his skin. Jungkook just smiles back at him, laid back and comfortable, and presses their shoulders together. "relax, people will look."
"you scared me." Jin tries not to make it a pout, but he doesn't really succeed. Jungkook's eyes narrow, his smile a little more calculating as he glances at Jin from head to toe; from the soft silk collar of his shirt to the shine of his new shoes.
"i'm not joking," he finally says. "you look amazing. are you...?"
Jin takes a deep breath, and squares his shoulders.
"you said he'd be happy, right?" he hates how vulnerable he sounds, how it makes Jungkook go soft at the edges like he'd pinch Jin's cheeks if he could.
"oh, Jin," he says, saccharine sweet. "he hasn't shut up about you for days."
Jin watches the dance floor, as other couples join Jimin and Yoongi. he can pick Namjoon out of the crowd by his jacket alone, a rich blue with white detailing. he hasn't moved to dance, even as duchesses and ladies approach him one after the other. Jin watches four women walk away disappointed, before Jungkook speaks again.
