Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

Act 1: Long Nights, Daydreams

Hoseok was a sucker for love. He got crushes on people too easily, got his heart broken too easily, and always was the one left behind in the end. It didn’t stop him though. Hoseok believed in the one true love for everyone. If it didn’t work out, it wasn’t meant to be. At this point he was used to the heartbreak.

Maybe that was naive, it probably was, but Hoseok couldn’t help but maintain his belief.

He’s always been a hard worker. He went through life with a smile and worked with what life gave him with no questions. Everything happens for a reason, and Hoseok always worked hard towards what he thought was his purpose. He was a very bright and happy kid, but he was also very serious. He knew that a lot of responsibilities fell on him when it came to menial tasks around the house.

Cleaning up everything because his eomma’s back was acting up again, going out to get groceries because his appa was constantly at work, cooking for them because both his parents were tired all of the time, etc. Hoseok never complained. He did it all with a smile. He was just grateful to have his parents.

“EOMMA, I’M GOING OUT TO BUY GROCERIES,” Hoseok yelled. His eomma was out back planting flowers in their garden. While waiting for a response, he started putting on his scuffed up shoes and jacket.

They weren’t necessarily poor, but they certainly weren’t well-off. Especially after Jiwoo went to college in New York. That had been a struggle for the family since Jiwoo also wasn’t there to provide an extra income. Hoseok had been trying to find a job to help out, but for some reason nobody wanted to hire him. Honestly, he understood. Who would want to hire the scrappy highschool kid who probably had no experience with jobs and no way to get to work regularly?

From the backyard, Hoseok’s mom yelled back, “BE SAFE! AVOID THE ALLEYWAY WITH THE DRUG DEALERS!”

Hoseok took off with a bright smile on his face and his money in his pocket. He skipped down the road of the neighborhood without a care in the world. The cars on the intersection provided a low hum that kept his mind busy as he traveled. The store wasn’t that far away, but it was still a 10 minute walk from Hoseok’s house.

The store itself was a quaint, rundown building right next to a tattoo shop. The mint green paint had been chipping away slowly since its last touchup in the 1970s and the doors to the place were barely hanging on by a few screws. They made a loud screech when you opened it, but Hoseok didn’t mind in the slightest. In fact, the entire town was pretty much like this. Old and rundown and overrun with drug peddlers.

No wonder Jiwoo wanted to escape.

Hoseok’s sister Jiwoo was a very modern person with a lot of big dreams. She wanted to go to college, leave this quaint town for the big city, and have a fashion line. Now she was in college halfway across the country. She and Hoseok were always very different. Hoseok himself wanted to stay in their little town forever. Buy one of the buildings and open a little dance studio to teach little kids in. The only way he saw himself leaving town was if there was a better opportunity for him.

As Hoseok walked into the store, he picked up one of the baskets (probably the only thing that was new around here) and waved hi to the cashier. Mr. Kim was an old man in his 50s that had run the place since his father passed it on to him. Practically everyone in the town knew him. He was basically the town grandpa. He had one son and his wife helped out around the store sometimes when she was not the school librarian.

Hoseok picked out some produce, some meat, eggs for his school lunch, and some of Mrs. Kim’s kimchi. He also picked out a Twix bar as a treat for his dad when he got back from work.

“Hello Ahjussi,” Hoseok beamed as he approached the cash register. He began placing the items on the conveyor belt one at a time for Mr. Kim. “How are you doing today? Is your back acting up again?”

Mr. Kim laughed heartily and patted his shoulder, “Oh I’m doing just fine dearie. And my back has been much better since your mother gave me those cushions. Is this all you’re getting today dear?”

Hoseok grabbed a paper bag for Mr. Kim and started placing the items inside. Mr. Kim always had trouble reaching the bags on the lower shelf, so Hoseok took up the habit of bagging his items for the older male. He nodded at Mr. Kim happily, “Yes! I just needed to stock up a little for my lunch.”

“Take care of yourself son,” Mr. Kim chuckled. He waved Hoseok off as the boy walked out of the store.

Hoseok ran out of the store a bit haphazardly, his groceries balanced in his hands because the weak handles of the paper bag were not to be trusted and Hoseok was not going to use a plastic bag. The bag was a little tall though and it did obstruct a good portion of his view. Hoseok figured it was okay though. He’d walked these streets enough.

Although he evidently didn’t walk them enough. His foot hit a large crack in the sidewalk and he stumbled forwards, the grocery bag tipping out of his hands enough to make him panic. He tried to step forward to save both himself and the bag, but his foot hit his other foot instead.

Before he could hit the ground though, a hand wrapped itself around his waist and caught him. His groceries even managed to survive as well. The worst that probably happened is a few broken eggs.

Hoseok embarrassedly lifted himself out the stranger’s hands and looked up at who had saved him. Standing there was a black haired male just a few centimeters shorter than him that he didn’t recognize. His savior’s cat-like eyes pierced through Hoseok, scrutinizing his appearance. The shorter’s lips were somewhere between plump and thin and held an unlit cigarette. Despite his hard expression, he was hot. Especially in his ripped black jeans and white t-shirt.

He looked exactly like the type of person Hoseok’s eomma always warned him about, but Hoseok couldn’t give a fuck about any of that the moment their eyes met. It was like all of the warnings were erased from his mind by the piercing cat-like eyes.

“I- uh- I’m sorry for being such a klutz. Th-thank you for saving me,” Hoseok stammered. He bowed as far as he could to hide the fact that his cheeks were growing hot just looking at the shorter male. “Is there anything I could do to repay you?”

The other male didn’t hesitate before speaking in a low and slightly rough voice that sent a wave of heat up Hoseok’s face.

“Light my cigarette.”

Hoseok straightened his back up again and cleared his throat, “I- Am I hearing that wrong?”

The smaller sighed and leaned back against the brick walls of the alleyway. He cast a glance at Hoseok before shaking his head, “It’s a shame that such a nice looking boy doesn’t have a lighter on him.”

Heat rushed through Hoseok’s body faster than he could properly comprehend. He set his grocery bag down by the male’s feet and blushed, “I could buy one for you. I have a little extra money and a lighter shouldn’t cost that much.”

The other male didn’t respond. He simply closed his eyes and nodded, kicking the groceries under him as a signal for Hoseok that it was okay to go. In any other circumstance, Hoseok wouldn’t dare leave his groceries with a stranger. They could get stolen or get drugs slipped into them. But the stranger somehow managed to melt Hoseok’s judgement just a little by just uttering one compliment.

Hoseok didn’t even question it as he walked into the store. He grabbed a lighter from the front counter and paid for it. Luckily, Mr. Kim didn’t inquire as to why Hoseok was paying for a lighter. He’d known Hoseok long enough to know that he’d never get involved with drugs. Hopefully Mr. Kim wouldn’t tell Hoseok’s eomma though. Hoseok would not be let off the hook so easily if that happened.

Hoseok walked back outside to find the stranger’s shoulder and arm peeking out from the alleyway. The handles of the grocery bag barely poked out as well. The shorter male didn’t notice Hoseok approaching, giving Hoseok enough time to gather his wits a little before proceeding.

He walked up to the stranger nervously. Hoseok’s fingers fiddled with the unopened lighter subconsciously as he tapped the stranger’s shoulder. The smaller barely looked at Hoseok before locking in on the lighter. He looked back up at Hoseok expectantly.

Hoseok ducked his head to hide his warm cheeks and held the lighter out to the smaller male with two hands, “H-here you go.”

All of the sudden, Hoseok felt his collar being grabbed. His body got spun around until his back hit the brick of the alleyway with a sharp thud. Hoseok opened his eyes to find his and the stranger’s faces just centimeters away from each other. The stranger’s breath was hot against Hoseok’s lips and Hoseok could smell the faint smell of sandalwood. Hoseok turned his head away, trying his very hardest not to blush too much.

“I said light my cigarette, ,” The shorter repeated, effectively melting Hoseok into a puddle right there.

Hoseok fumbled with the packaging of the lighter as quick as he could and clicked the lighter experimentally until there was a flame. He held it up carefully to the end of the shorter’s cigarette, hoping that it would work.

The shorter male took a drag of the cigarette before stepping away from Hoseok. They both looked at each other for a moment. The stranger looked Hoseok up and down before taking something out along with a pencil. He wrote something down on it in between drags while Hoseok waited anxiously. It was getting a little bit late for a Sunday and Hoseok’s eomma would surely be worried about him if he didn’t return soon, but he really didn’t want to part ways with this attractive stranger just yet.

“My name is Yoongi. 19 years old,” The stranger finally mumbled. He handed Hoseok the slip of paper he was writing on. Hoseok looked down at it to find a number along with the words “write me pretty boy” written in pencil. A bright, heart-shaped smile slowly spread across his lips.

Hoseok looked up at the stranger - no, Yoongi - to find that he was watching Hoseok’s lips carefully with a neutral expression on his face. Hoseok grabbed his grocery bag carefully and smiled bashfully, “My name is Hoseok. 18 years old. I hope we can be friends.”

Yoongi merely nodded and walked off, leaving Hoseok alone in the alleyway. Hoseok watched as Yoongi got into an old car and drove off in the opposite direction of Hoseok’s home.

Fighting the shy smile that spread across Hoseok’s face was pointless. This stranger, Yoongi, had managed to melt Hoseok into a puddle and get his heart beating like it was nothing. It was a little embarrassing how easily Hoseok was affected by it honestly. All the other male had to do was mumble a few compliments in his raspy, yet honey-like voice and look Hoseok in the eyes.

Not to mention Yoongi was incredibly attractive (and Hoseok had a feeling the other knew it.)

Hoseok carefully placed the number and the lighter in his front pocket. There was no way he would ever allow himself to lose those two items.

The only thought Hoseok had while walking back to his house was the other male’s cat-like eyes.

~~~

“Son we need to talk.”

That was never a sentence anyone wanted to hear from their parents. Especially Hoseok. He’d never gotten in trouble, with his parents or at school. He always made sure to be on his best behavior. So naturally his entire body froze when he heard his eomma.

Did Mr. Kim tell Hoseok’s parents about the lighter? It was only three days ago but that was still pretty recently. Or maybe someone had seen Hoseok with Yoongi in the alleyway and told his parents. Hoseok knew Yoongi was the type of person he might get in trouble for hanging out with.

Hoseok looked up towards his eomma and smiled with the best of his ability, “What is it? Is appa working late again?”

Mrs. Jung shook her head. She sat down on the old, worn out couch and patted the cushion next to her with a solemn expression on her face, “You’re going to have to explain something for me. Come here.”

Hoseok obeyed. He sat down on the couch right next to his mom, careful to avoid the coffee stain. It was dry but Hoseok had a pet peeve of touching stained things.

“Hoseok, I know you’re a good kid. I really do know that,” Mrs. Jung began. “But will you please explain to me why you bought a lighter from Mr. Kim’s store? Are you smoking behind our backs?”

Hoseok froze at the question. His heart started racing in his ears as he thought about lying to his eomma. Why would he think that? The thought rarely ever crossed his mind, especially not when talking to his mom.

“I’m not smoking behind your back. I know how bad it is for you and it's not worth it if I want to be a dancer,” Hoseok replied, hoping it was an adequate enough answer for his eomma. She wasn’t the type to react well to being lied to. But maybe a partial truth, a partial answer would keep her at bay.

Unfortunately, Mrs. Jung was too smart for that. Her expression grew sharper as she asked, “Why did you buy a lighter from Mr. Kim then.”

Hoseok could feel a cold sweat starting to form. His eomma’s eyes practically pierced through his skin and right into his soul. He looked around nervously, his eyes landing on his shoes.

Was he really going to do this? Was he really going to lie to his mom all because he wanted to be able to see the boy that had piqued his curiosity to a level where he wasn’t sure what he’d do if he didn’t get to find out more? In short, yes. Yes he was.

“I had to fix my shoes,” Hoseok lied to the best of his ability. He was generally a good actor when it came to fooling his peers, but his eomma was no peer. She was a thousand times smarter and more observant than and senior in highschool.

Her eyes scrutinized every single part of her son’s face suspiciously. Hoseok could feel his cheeks grow hot with the weird sensation of guilt and the fear of being caught. It was terrifying, yet it was thrilling in a weird way. Just the little taste of possibly getting away with something for one in his life had Hoseok hooked. A twisted part of him wondered how much more he could get away with.

Hoseok’s eomma's gaze finally let up, a soft smile crossing her face, “I’m glad you’re so resourceful. I’m so proud of you, you know that right? You take care of practically everything around here. Using the lighter to fix your shoes was so smart.”’

“Yeah,” Hoseok laughed in relief. He had just gotten away with his dirty little secret. It felt so freeing to have a secret from his eomma and appa. It felt so amazing being able to have a part of his life, or in this case someone , that was entirely secret from his parents. “I uh...I have to go make dinner now.”

Mrs. Jung laughed at her son and shook her head, “No, I’ll make dinner tonight. You deserve a break for working so hard. You can go up to your room and rest a little. You’ve earned it.”

Hoseok practically bolted to his room. He made sure the door was shut before letting go of his breath. A wide smile broke across his face as it truly sank in. He’d finally done something wrong.

What to do now? He finally had time to rest, but he’s never rested his entire life. He was always busy doing something. Relaxing felt like such a foreign concept to him. Especially now when he literally had nothing to do. His homework was done, he couldn’t dance because the studio would be closed, and he didn’t have any chores to do around the house.

He stuck his hands in his pocket and slumped against the floor. His eyebrows furrowed as he took out his phone.

Should he call Jiwoo?

No.

She was probably busy doing her college stuff in New York. The time zones probably didn’t line up either.

Looking through his contacts list, it struck Hoseok how small his list of friends actually was. Was he really so busy all of the time that he forgot about having friends? He could’ve sworn he’d had more than the three friends on his contact list.

Maybe he should take more time to do what he wants.

Starting with sending a text to “Yoongi”.

The contact was saved in his phone, but he hadn’t even touched it. He didn’t forget about the shorter male. There was no way he could forget those sharp, cat-like eyes and that doll-like face. He was just...scared. The smaller male looked like he belonged on the bad side of town, and Hoseok wasn’t sure he wanted to be caught up with him. After all, his family had a reputation. And Hoseok would not be the one to break that.

But maybe it was time to finally do what he wanted for a change.

Hoseok pressed the message button and typed out a simple “hi”, hoping that it was okay enough. Maybe he should send “hey” instead? But would “hey” make it sound like he was trying to be flirty? But what if he did want to be a little bit flirty? He really likes the shorter male already.

In conclusion, Hoseok was very out of practice at being socially adept.

Unknown: hi

Yoongi: hey there hoseok

Hoseok: how do you know my name? I didn’t give you my number?

Yoongi: i don’t just give out my number to just anyone. i think you’re the first in a few months

Hoseok: oh really? wow

Yoongi: so do you have a curfew? you want to meet?

Hoseok: oh i can’t stay out past 9 on school nights and it’s already 7

Yoongi: that sucks :( it’s fine though, i have taehyung too keep me company

Hoseok: who’s taehyung?

Yoongi: my most recent ex

Hoseok: ...i’ll try to sneak out

Yoongi: meet me on the intersection of the highway

That night, Hoseok waited until he was sure his parents were asleep to climb out the window and onto the tree branch that hung right next to his bedroom. He climbed down the trunk carefully, being sure not to scrape his hands or be too loud. Hoseok jumped the fence skilfully, breaking out into a run the moment his feet hit the ground.

The adrenaline of sneaking out fueled him as he ran towards the intersection. He could see a figure standing by a parked car as he approached. There were practically no cars on the highway. Nobody ever passed by their town anyways. The town was practically its own world, secluded from the outside.

The occasional delivery truck passed by as Hoseok slowed to a halt in front of Yoongi and the car. Yoongi was sitting on the hood of the car, one leg propped up so that his arm could rest on his knee while he smoked his cigarette. The older looked insanely hot in the

Yoongi’s cat-like eyes landed on Hoseok’s figure lazily. Hoseok’s body felt like it was burning as Yoongi’s eyes looked him up and down. The older male licked his lips slowly and patted the space next to him.
Hoseok carefully climbed onto the old, black car and sat criss-cross on the hood. The smoke from Yoongi’s cigarette filled his lungs, making him cough at the unfamiliar sensation. Yoongi watched him carefully as he waved the smoke away from his face.

“Might as well put this out,” Yoongi mumbled. He threw the cigarette onto the ground and jumped off the car. Hoseok watched as he smashed the lit end with the flat of his boot. “We don’t want your parents to smell the smoke anyways.”

“Oh yeah,” Hoseok nodded quickly. “So why did you want to meet up?”

“Haven’t been able to get you out of my mind,” Yoongi slurs quickly. There’s an accent that slips through his Korean that Hoseok can’t quite place. It definitely doesn’t sound like it’s from his town. In all honesty though, it’s hot. Hoseok can feel his heart beginning to race hearing it.

The younger boy stayed on the hood of the car and blushed, “Where’s your accent from? It doesn’t sound like anyone else’s here.”

Yoongi’s gaze hardened ever so slightly at the question. It was hard to see in the dark, but his eyes became sharper and the corners of his lips curved downwards a little. Yoongi wiped the cigarette remains off of his boot and replied quickly, “Daegu, but I’ve been living here since I was 15. I’m going to leave as soon as I can though.”

Leaving.

Almost everybody left the town eventually. Dawon left, Hoseok’s parents left before they decided to come back, hell, most people that lived there had left for the city at one point. There were only a few that stayed in the town their whole lives.

Hoseok had no idea how people were able to just pick up and leave their lives like that. It seemed insane to want to leave. They had everything they needed here. There was no way of telling if you’d make it and have everything you needed in the big city.

“Why do you want to leave. It’s pretty great here,” Hoseok asked quietly. He had no idea why, but he didn’t like the idea of the older male leaving. Maybe it was the crush he’d been starting to grow ever since he met the older male. Maybe it was because Yoongi was driving him to do things that he never normally would have. Whatever it was, he could feel his gut twisting at the idea of Yoongi leaving.

Yoongi shrugged and shook his head, “I have nothing to really stay for at the moment. Plus, this town’s kind of shitty. There’s drug dealers everywhere while everybody pretends like it’s not happening. This place is practically stuck in time. Nothing’s been renovated or kept up at all.”

“That gives it its own charm though,” Hoseok protested. “Now why did you ask me to meet up?”

“I told you, I haven’t been able to get you out of my mind. Let’s go for a walk,” Yoongi deadpanned. He gestured for Hoseok to jump down from the hood of the car. “Don’t ask why we can’t drive. It’s ‘cause I locked my keys in my car.”

Hoseok couldn’t help but let out a quiet giggle at that. He hopped down gracefully from the hood of the car and ran to catch up with Yoongi. They walked at a leisurely pace in complete silence. No sound was heard around them other than the occasional car that passed by and their own breathing.

They walked along the intersection until Yoongi crossed the street to a tree on the other side. They weren’t too far away from Yoongi’s car, but it was a decently small dot in Hoseok’s view. Yoongi sat underneath the old Korean oak tree.

“So what are we going to do,” Hoseok asked curiously. “And can I turn on a light or something? It’s really dark.”

“I don’t know what we’re going to do. Just don’t turn on a light, I want to look at the stars,” Yoongi mumbled. Hoseok watched as he laid down, giving Hoseok a good view of his face. This time, the younger had more time to study it.

Yoongi had a really good looking face. HIs black hair was fluffy and fell into his eyes just right so that they looked hooded all of the time, his button nose curved perfectly, and his plump, pouty lips were parted ever so slightly. His cat-like eyes darted around. While the older boy was looking up at the stars, they looked softer then Hoseok would’ve ever imagined on the grumbly male.

“It looks like you do have something to stay for. You can’t see the stars like this in the city,” Hoseok noted. He looked up at the night sky himself, taking in the sight of the glittering stars in the sky. He understood why Yoongi would want to look at it.

The older male sat up suddenly. He wiped his back and head of any leaves that might have gotten stuck and muttered, “Looking at the stars is childish. I really don’t care for it.”

“The stars are beautiful, not childish,” Hoseok pouted. “There’s nothing childish about appreciating beauty at all!”

Hoseok turned to look at Yoongi’s reaction, only to find the older male sitting there and staring at his lips. They were silent as Yoongi kept looking. A chill ran down Hoseok’s spine as Yoongi licked his bottom lip slowly.

“You’re staring at my lips,” Hoseok laughed nervously. “What are you doing?”

Yoongi didn’t look away. He simply shrugged and responded, “Appreciating beauty.”

The older boy began to move closer to Hoseok. Hoseok’s heartbeat became exponential as they became so close, they were sharing the same air. His lips tingled with the sensation. Hoseok could already feel Yoongi’s kiss.

Hoseok was so nervous, he ended up being the one to close the gap. His lips landed on Yoongi’s soft, pouty ones. The first thing Hoseok tasted was the cigarette, but behind the cigarettes there was a distinctly strawberry taste that threw him off. He froze just in time for Yoongi to take over the kiss.

Their lips moved together hungrily as Yoongi dominated the kiss. It was not Hoseok’s first kiss, but it sure felt like it. His heart was exploding with warmth and butterflies and his head was getting cloudy from all the thoughts that encircled his brain.

Yoongi pulled away before the kiss could go any deeper. They both panted softly under the moonlight as Yoongi wiped his lips of the spit that connected them still. The sleeves of the black sweater are a stark contrast to Yoongi’s pale skin. Both of their faces were flushed ever so slightly, but Hoseok’s felt like it was on fire.

“Don’t get any ideas just because I kissed you,” Yoongi panted lightly. “We’re not going to go any further so don’t expect me to be your boyfriend okay? I don’t do relationships and that’s not going to change any time soon.”

“I understand,” Hoseok gulped knowing full well his heart was already getting his hopes up. He couldn’t help it, The other male was just so goddamn hot that Hoseok could not reel in his brain. “Why do you not do relationships? I thought you said you had an ex?”

“A little white lie,” Yoongi explained boredly. “Well, it’s partially true. He was my ex partner in crime. We used to go fucking up the town together, but then he met someone named Jimin and stopped because Jimin didn’t like all the shit we got up to. He ended up ditching me to be with Jimin.”

There was a brief pause as Hoseok tried to come up with something to say. He had no idea what he was supposed to do. Comfort Yoongi? Offer to beat Taehyung up? He had no idea how Yoongi truly felt about the situation either. THe most he could tell was that it was a sore spot for Yoongi.

“Let’s get back to the car. I can just bash the window in and drive you back to your house. It’s getting late and there’s definitely going to be some creeps around right now. This is the hour most drug deals happen anyways,” Yoongi deadpanned. He got up from underneath the Korean oak tree and started walking to the car.

Hoseok scrambled up to follow him. They crossed the street together and walked in silence once again as they made their way back to Yoongi’s car. Hoseok couldn’t keep the kiss out of his head, even if he wasn’t looking at Yoongi. His heart was still abuzz and his chest was still warm from the feeling of Yoonig’s lips.

Strawberries and cigarettes. It was an unusual combination, but Hoseok couldn’t get enough of it. He just wanted to taste it one more time, and another time, and another time until he became fully addicted to the taste.

Yoongi looked back at Hoseok to check on him, giving him a tight smile as he spotted Hoseok looking out toward the town, lost in his own thoughts. Their eyes caught each other when Hoseok noticed Yoongi’s staring.

That moment was the exact point Hoseok fell into the long nights and daydreams, his mind filled with thoughts about Yoongi.

Act 2: Only Fools Fall For You

High school. There was only one in the town, meaning that every kid who lived in the town between ages 13-18 went there. Just like the rest of the town, it was a pretty old place. The high school was built in the 19...40s? 50s? Hoseok didn’t really know. It was a pretty old place, but also modern at the same time.

The library was a perfect example. The library itself was old and weathered, the paint chipping off everywhere and the shelves looking like they were going to collapse any second. But at the same time, you could find relatively new computers sitting at the very middle of the library and in front of the librarian’s desk.

The library also conveniently held all of the yearbooks and archives from the previous years.

So here Hoseok was on his lunch break, a week after he and Yoongi had kissed under the oak tree by the intersection, unable to get the older off of his mind, and looking through last year’s yearbook (definitely not because he wanted to see if Yoongi once roamed these halls like he’d been doing for the past 3 and a half years.) To his surprise however, there was no Yoongi in the yearbook at all. Not even in the area where all of the student’s names were pictured.

Hoseok’s mind drifted back to the kiss under the oak tree, remembering how good it felt and imagining new scenarios where the older didn’t stop. He felt embarrassed thinking like that but he knew that, deep down, he wished those scenarios came to be. It was probably foolish to crush someone like Yoongi. Only fools would fall for Yoongi.

Yoongi who explicitly stated that he was going to leave as soon as possible, Yoongi who outright said he doesn’t do relationships, Yoongi who was so considerate that he stomped out the cigarette because Hoseok was coughing, and-

Hoseok was a fool. Hoseok was the biggest fool for Yoongi.

“If you’re looking for me, you’re not going to find me,” A deep, honey-like voice mumbled behind him, snapping Hoseok out of his daydream. Hoseok turned around to find Yoongi holding a stack of books in his arms. He was decked out in a black leather jacket, a black t-shirt, and ripped black jeans. There was also what seemed to Hoseok to be an excessive amount of metal adorning his hips, neck, and ears.

Hoseok slammed the yearbook shut and tried to not be embarrassed as he stuttered, “Oh- um wh-what are you doing here?”

Hoseok’s cheeks felt like they were on fire as the older boy studied his face. He really wanted to kiss Yoongi aga- No, Yoongi said it wasn’t going to go further. Hoseok just had to remind himself that it wouldn’t go any further than what happened last week.

“I’m a library assistant,” Yoongi explained boredly. He gestured towards the books in his hands and placed one on the shelf. “My best friend is Mrs. Kim’s son, so he pulled some strings so I could finally get some money towards my goal. I’ve been working here for about two years, how have you not noticed me?”

“I...don’t come to the library usually. I think I’ve only been here once or twice before when we were forced to go,” Hoseok laughed shyly.

Yoongi continued shelving books and hummed, “You’re also not very observant. I was at the library the last time your class was forced to come. You were too busy talking with one of your classmates - Jung something - to notice me handing you your literature textbook.”

“Oh that was you,” Hoseok blushed. Today really was just going to be embarrassment after embarrassment for him.

“Yep. Now why were you looking for me in the yearbook,” Yoongi asked casually. “Because I doubt you came to the library willingly for the first time just to look at yearbooks.”

Hoseok looked down at the colorful yearbook and muttered, “I was just curious. Why aren’t you in the yearbook anyways?”

“I got expelled my first month here,” Yoongi shrugged. He grabbed the yearbook from Hoseok’s hands and haphazardly slammed it into the shelf. “They caught me smoking in the bathroom after I got fucked. The old principal expelled me pretty much the moment she saw me walk into her office.”

The old principal wasn’t homophobic or anything. She was actually a relatively kind lady. She simply was adamantly against having sex before marriage. It was one of the ultimate levels of wrongdoing in her opinion. That along with drug use.

“So do you bottom,” Hoseok asked curiously.

“Eh, dicks and asses don’t really care. Especially not mine. I only really bottom when I need something out of someone though. Most guys need that boost to their fragile masculinity,” Yoongi smiled. That smile immediately stopped Hoseok’s heart in his chest. Yoongi had a cute little gummy smile plastered on his face. How did that smile belong to Yoongi?

Hoseok turned back down to the table and asked, “When do you top then? You said you bottom when you need something out of someone.”

Yoongi thought for a moment before answering, “When I want to have some fun. When I want to mess and play with someone. Now I have to get back to work, unless you have a better idea of course.”

“I don’t,” Hoseok replied, shaking his head quickly. “I should start heading to class anyways.”

Yoongi nods and goes back to shelving books. Hoseok packed up quickly, not wanting to be late for his classes. He practically skipped class with a huge smile on his face as he thought about their conversation.

~~~

Hoseok was pretty sure Yoongi was getting annoyed with how much he started coming to the library. It’s not like he did it on purpose. The lunch bell would ring and his legs would just carry him to the library. He even started to bring Yoongi little tangerines because he noticed the older never ate anything during breaks.

Yoongi always took the tangerines, but Hoseok had no idea what happened to them. Originally he thought that Yoongi threw them away. It seemed like something the older might do. At least until Hoseok caught Yoongi smoking in the backroom of the library and eating the tangerines.

So he just kept bringing Yoongi tangerines whenever he could. The small fruits were cheap and were sold in abundance so it wasn’t too much of a strain either. Hoseok simply enjoyed watching Yoongi eat the fruits.

Although secretly, he spent his nights dreaming about what it would be like to be in the backroom with Yoongi and eating tangerines together. He dreamt of Yoongi tasting like tangerines, but his mind wouldn’t leave the idea of strawberries and cigarettes for long. In the day, he daydreamed about Yoongi. It had gotten to the point where he almost missed an entire lecture thinking about the older boy.

Maybe he had it really bad. Who wouldn’t when it came to Yoongi though?

One day, Yoongi didn’t take the tangerine. It sat on the table outside the back room of the library. Hoseok knew Yoongi was in there, he saw the older walk in. So why was the tangerine still on the table?

Hoseok approached the white painted door of the back room slowly. He wrapped his fingers around the handle and pulled it open ever so slightly. His face was immediately met with Yoongi’s sharp glare.

“Why are you fucking disturbing me? I’m on break,” Yoongi grumbled. He attempted to close the door again, but Hoseok jammed his foot right before Yoongi could shut it.

“Why didn’t you take the tangerine,” Hoseok pouted.

Yoongi let out a long sigh and grabbed the tangerine from the counter, “Happy now? You can come inside if you want. You won’t get in trouble.”

Hoseok immediately flung the door open and hopped into the backroom. He was just excited that Yoongi was opening up to him. The backroom was actually much smaller than he imagined though. It had enough space for maybe 3 people to squeeze together. It was practically empty save for the trash can and a small stand with a few of Yoongi’s possessions on there. A phone, a cigarette box, and a lighter.

“It’s smaller than you expected right,” Yoongi asked. “It used to be a broom closet that connected to a classroom.”

“I like it,” Hoseok beamed, flashing the full force of his heart-shaped smile towards Yoongi. “It seems very...you.”

“So to you I’m cockroach infested,” Yoongi deadpanned. He pushed a cigarette between his lips and lit it quickly, taking a drag before letting it out slowly. “Thanks but I prefer a different type of cock.”

Hoseok felt like he was on fire. His whole body seemed like it was burning as his mind involuntarily came up with new scenarios to imagine. Hoseok looked away from Yoongi and blushed, “You shouldn’t say things like that, somebody is going to hear you and assume that we’re doing something in here that we shouldn’t.”

Yoongi was quiet for a moment. The only sound was from the tapping of Yoongi’s boot against the floor. Hoseok could feel the older’s eyes boring into his head, making his heart rate flare up again.

Eventually, the older snuffed the cigarette out on the wall and grabbed Hoseok by the waist. His arms fit around Hoseok’s thin waist perfectly, and the younger could feel his body buzzing under Yoongi’s touch. It felt hot and intimate and much different than anything Hoseok had ever experienced before

“Why not have their assumptions be correct? If they find us out, at least it will be worth it,” Yoongi mumbled. His Daegu accent slipped through, making his words slur a bit. Yoongi’s voice was deeper and raspier than usual, sending a chill down Hoseok’s spine. Especially as Yoongi slipped his hands underneath Hoseok’s hoodie to touch the bare skin of the younger’s waist.

“You said no further than what we did at the oak tree,” Hoseok reminded Yoongi anxiously. He placed his hands on Yoongi’s shoulder to try to put a little bit more distance between them.

It didn’t work. Yoongi simply pulled his in closer by the waist and turned him so that his back hit the wall. Their faces were inches apart, the smell of the tobacco filling Hoseok’s senses. He didn’t mind though. It was thrilling feeling this rush of adrenaline and heat wash over him.

“I said we wouldn’t go further,” Yoongi corrected. He tightened his grip around Hoseok’s waist roughly, his nails digging into Hoseok’s back. “Truth be told, I thought you’d figure it out by now. I’ve been waiting, but I’ve just been getting tangerines. I haven’t been able to get you out of my fucking mind and you’ve been giving me fruit instead of what I wanted.”

Yoongi lets their eyes linger on each other before he smashes their lips together. It’s just as rough as before, but this time it’s hotter. Much much hotter because Yoongi’s hands were running around Hoseok’s waist, leaving a trail of fire wherever the fingers dragged across his skin. Hoseok himself laced his fingers in Yoongi’s hair subconsciously.

They kiss, they kiss, and they kiss.

It lasts too long to feel real, but here Hoseok is. Tasting strawberries and cigarettes again in the backroom of the library like he had been dreaming. A part of him wondered if Yoongi knew what he’d been dreaming up, if Yoongi was doing all of this on purpose, to rile Hoseok up. This was the boy who had admitted he messed around with and used people.

But Hoseok didn’t want to believe it. He wanted to believe that Yoongi really thought about him these past few weeks.

So he did.

After what seemed like hours, Yoongi pulled away from Hoseok. Both of them are slightly out of breath and flushed from the intimacy. Yoongi’s hair was messed up a little but he still looked amazing.

“Hey Hoseok. Do you want to come over tonight? No sex or anything, just hanging out,” Yoongi suggested. “That is, if you’re willing to sneak out again.”

“I’m way more than willing,” Hoseok responded with a wide, heart-shaped smile. His head was still up in the clouds. He licked his lips subconsciously, savoring the taste of Yoongi’s lips. He had no idea how amazing of a combination strawberries and cigarettes were.

Yoongi let go of Hoseok’s waist and backed away, relighting the cigarette he had put out. His facial expression hardened again, his eyes becoming sharp as he waved Hoseok off, “Now get out, I’m still on break for another 5 minutes.”

Hoseok happily left the break room.

~~~

At exactly 10 pm, Hoseok slipped out of his bedroom window again. He was much quieter this time and much more prepared. He climbed down the tree again and over the fence. Hoseok’s phone buzzed with a text from Yoongi with the address.

Hoseok smiled as he walked towards the outskirts of the town. Having an apartment on the very edge of town seemed so Yoongi. It was kind of amusing.

It took exactly 9 minutes to walk (read: run as fast as he could) to get to Yoongi’s place. The older hadn’t specified which room he was in though and this area of town was completely new to Hoseok. The drug dealers and mini-gangs tended to hang out on this side of town. Hoseok tended to stay away from this area knowing there were some shady people that would probably want to prey on him.

Hoseok almost got kicked out of the building while trying to find Yoongi. He had been walking around randomly, listening for any sign of Yoongi’s voice anywhere when an old woman grabbed him by the hair and dragged him to the receptionist's desk. He nearly got his ear yelled off until he was saved by Yoongi.

“Did I not send you the room number,” Yoongi asked with a mischievous smirk.

“I think you just wanted me to get killed by the receptionist,” Hoseok pouted. He crossed his arms and turned away from Yoongi indignantly. “I never want to step foot in here again. And I especially don’t want to go into your murder room.”

Yoongi raised one of his eyebrows at Hoseok and said, “You know there’s a movie set up and some popcorn right?”

“THEN LET ME GET MURDERED,” Hoseok declared. He grabbed Yoongi’s wrist and forced the older to point the way to his apartment. The moment Yoongi showed the way, Hoseok ran towards the unlocked door with Yoongi in tow.

For just a moment, Hoseok thought he heard Yoongi laugh. But when he turned around to look, Yoongi was following behind him with a straight face. He smiled at the older anyways. Hoseok’s smile faded however as Yoongi looked away from him.

~~~

2 hours of some random movie of Hoseok’s choice and a bowl of popcorn later, Hoseok was sobbing on the old, rickety couch. Yoongi had literally no idea what to do besides pat Hoseok’s head awkwardly as the younger cried.

“Was it really that sad for you,” Yoongi asked incredulously. He managed to pry the popcorn bowl away from Hoseok’s hands before the younger broke it. Unfortunately, that meant Hoseok clung onto Yoongi like a teddy bear instead of the popcorn bowl.

Hoseok nodded into Yoongi’s shoulder and cried, “He just left without telling her! He loves her, why would he just leave without an explanation?!”

“I gotta admit that the no explanation part was a dick move but he had his reasons I guess. The screenwriters probably wanted to make crybabies like you emotional,” Yoongi replied curtly. “I seem to remember it was you that picked this movie out though. You brought this on yourself.”

“Goodness, you’re so mean,” Hoseok whined. He squeezed Yoongi even harder, causing the older to start thrashing around in his arms. “I regret coming over here. I bet all of your movies are sad and it was just a trick to make me cry.”

Yoongi rolled his eyes and attempted to shove the younger away from him, “I’m mean, but I’m not that mean. There was one that wasn’t sad. You should’ve just chosen the movie I wanted to watch.”

“But that one was so violent,” Hoseok pouted. “The cover had bloody zombies and I don’t like blood, or zombies, and I’ve never watched horror movies before.”

“You’re missing out. Too bad it’s already late,” Yoongi sighed. “You should get back home, you have school tomorrow.”

Hoseok looked at the clock in the dark and pouted. The smaller hand hovered past the 1 am mark. Had he really been here that long? Time really slipped away from him when he was with Yoongi.

“Can you let me go now,” Yoongi mumbled. He was still sitting in Hoseok’s arms like an oversized teddy bear. Hoseok let go of the older, watching him as he got up and started cleaning up. “You can stay here for the night if you want. I’m used to sleeping on a couch anyways.”

“Oh no, I can sleep on the couch,” Hoseok smiled politely. The old couch was just long enough to hold his entire body if he laid his head on the arm of the couch.

Yoongi pulled Hoseok up from the couch and practically threw the younger into the bedroom. He grabbed a blanket and left to let Hoseok sleep. And no, Hoseok was definitely not freaking out at the smell of Yoongi literally everywhere.

At some point in the night, Yoongi waddled over to his room with a grumpy pout on his face and climbed into the bed with Hoseok.

~~~

Hoseok’s mind tuned out his teacher's dull lecture. Lately, he hadn’t been able to focus on anything. His mind was too hot and bothered by a certain cute, library assistant named Yoongi. He couldn’t stop thinking about the older.

Maybe it was too early to already have a crush on Yoongi, but he definitely did. There was no denying that Yoongi had thoroughly and completely captured his heart.

The bell dismissed Hoseok and the rest of his classmates, freeing them from school. Most of Hoseok’s classmates ran straight out of the school and towards their cars. They drove home as fast as they could while Hoseok hung behind a little bit. He wasn’t sure if Yoongi was working that day. He hadn’t been able to go to the library because a teacher pulled him back to congratulate him on getting the highest marks on his essay.

Hoseok tried to subtly look around the parking lot for Yoongi. A pout crossed his lips when he didn’t see the older.

“What are you looking for,” Yoongi’s voice asked from behind Hoseok, scaring the living daylights out of the younger.’

Hoseok’s back shot straight up. He jumped away from Yoongi instinctively only to hit a pillar and fall down on the ground. Hoseok rubbed the back of his head with a small frown on his face, “Ouchies.”

Yoongi raised an eyebrow in amusement and chuckled, “Ouchies?”

“Shut up,” Hoseok blushed embarrassedly. “It’s a perfectly normal thing to say.”

Yoongi grabbed Hoseok’s hand to pick him up. He helped Hoseok up and snorted, “I was about to say it’s cute. There’s no need to get defensive. I’d ask what you were looking for again, but I’m pretty sure I know. You want a ride home?”

“That would be nice. I live about a half a mile right of the intersection,” Hoseok smiled.

Yoongi motioned for Hoseok to follow him and led the younger towards his car. They climbed in quickly, Yoongi opening the trunk for a brief period so that Hoseok could put his backpack inside.

Honestly, Hoseok thought that Yoongi would have weapons and drugs inside his trunk. But lo and behold, there was nothing but some canvases and a bucket of spray and oil paints.

Did Yoongi like art? Hoseok wouldn’t have pegged him for the artist type, but he had to admit thinking about Yoongi painting with a little beret and apron made him blush a little bit. It was such an adorable thought that Hoseok honestly couldn’t believe he was seriously thinking about it.

Hoseok quickly closed the trunk and ran back into Yoongi’s car. He buckled himself in tightly, watching as Yoongi pulled out of the parking lot.

Was it a little bit weird to find someone driving attractive?

Once Yoongi was already pulled out of the parking lot and on the road, Hoseok cleared his throat and asked him, “So what are the paints and stuff in the truck? Are you an artist?”

Yoongi fell silent for a moment before drumming his fingers against the steering wheel absentmindedly, “They’re actually not all mine. The spray paints are for when I get bored and decide to destroy my apartment with my shitty spray paintings. I mostly do them when I’m drunk though. The rest of the paints and stuff are from someone I used to mess around with in Daegu. Caught feelings, but I had to leave Daegu so nothing ever happened with that.”

Hoseok was silent for a moment in an attempt to absorb all of the information that Yoongi had just given him. The one thing that really confounded Hoseok was how Yoongi seemed to talk about feelings as if they were a bad thing. The other thing…

“Wait I’ve never been to your apartment,” Hoseok asked surprisedly. “But I thought-”

“No that was not my apartment. That was a motel room that was given to me for free because the woman that owns that building thinks I’m her grandchild. I tried to tell her I’m not her 16 year old grandson from Seoul but she kept insisting.”

The younger couldn’t help but burst into laughter as Yoongi pulled right. It didn’t take long for Yoongi to join him. A small, gummy smile spread across the older’s face. It was too devastatingly cute for someone who acted tough and nonchalant all of the time. Even after seeing it again, Hoseok couldn’t believe it belonged to Yoongi.

And Yoongi’s laugh. Yoongi’s laugh only made Hoseok laugh harder, but not because it sounded weird or anything. There was something about Yoongi’s laugh that was just as contagious as Hoseok’s, but in a more subtle way.

Yoongi quieted down much quicker than Hoseok, turning his attention back onto the road. Hoseok noticed how Yoongi’s fingers drummed against his knee quickly. It seemed to be a nervous habit, one that Hoseok was ecstatic he picked up on.

“I think that’s your place,” Yoongi, pointing towards Hoseok’s house. “Either that or I just saw your long lost mother peeking out the window looking for her child that was stolen from her arms 17 years ago.”

Hoseok turned his eyes towards the window to find that his mom was indeed looking for him. The younger climbed into the backseats of Yoongi’s car and pulled his stuff out from the trunk. Yoongi watched him carefully as he made sure he had everything from the trunk.

“Thanks for driving me,” Hoseok smiled brightly, flashing Yoongi with the full force of his heart-shaped smile. “See you tomorrow Yoongi-hyung.”

Before Hoseok could leave the car, Yoongi grabbed him by the arm and grumbled, “Give me a kiss and 10,000 won for the gas I wasted driving you here when my place is across town.”

Hoseok’s face flushed as he looked between Yoongi and where his mom was watching from the window. He leaned down quickly to peck Yoongi’s lips, the small action causing his heart to start racing. The younger pulled away and smiled, “No money. If you want some, stop smoking.”

“That kiss was shit,” Yoongi grumbled. He grabbed Hoseok by the collar and pulled him in for a deeper kiss. Hoseok’s entire body became fire as Yoongi slipped his tongue inside. He could barely think as they kissed. Yoongi’s hands were slowly making their way up Hoseok’s back and his leg had escaped the confines of the seatbelt to wrap itself around Hoseok’s thigh.

Hoseok heard someone yelling something in the background, effectively snapping him back into the reality that was not the strawberries and cigarette taste of Yoongi’s mouth. The younger pulled away from Yoongi, trying to cover up how red his face was.

“I’ll see you tomorrow hyung,” Hoseok blushed. He ran out of the car, only for Yoongi to turn on his headlights right as Hoseok crossed the front of the car.

“Hyung,” Hoseok yelped, covering his eyes. “Don’t shine your headlights on me!”

Yoongi laughed out loud and chuckled, “See you tomorrow Hoseok.”

The older drove away, leaving Hoseok to clutch his backpack and think about what just happened. Call him crazy, but was that Yoongi letting down his walls a little bit?

~~~

It was through weeks of hanging out (read: doing various activities and kissing a lot) with Yoongi and getting rides to and from school that Hoseok’s feelings started to grow. They weren’t growing slowly either, it had shot up from its initial level almost exponentially.

The weeks bled into a few months of Hoseok and Yoongi doing their thing, kissing and hanging out together but never going much further. In that time, Hoseok had learned that Yoongi despises mint chocolate, he has a habit of scrunching his nose, he’s dyed his hair twice, his best friend is the son of Mr. Kim the grocery store owner, and Yoongi doesn’t like commitment at all. He also happened to figure out that Yoongi was secretly a softie.

Maybe, just maybe, Hoseok’s feelings were starting to go further than just a simple crush. The more he got to know the real Yoongi - the shy hyung who was a little bit blunt - the more he had to recognize that he was falling in love.

It was only cemented when Hoseok saw Yoongi kissing someone else in an alleyway. The jealousy and sadness that coursed through his veins hurt so much, Hoseok knew it was because he was falling in love with Yoongi.

It was also painful though. He knew that Yoongi didn’t want anything more, but the more they kissed the more Hoseok’s mind got into the hope that Yoongi wanted more. It would only then lead to Yoongi reminding him

Hoseok talked to Yoongi about it later, but Yoongi only reminded Hoseok with a sharp expression that they weren’t doing anything beyond kissing. (Although they did proceed to make out on Hoseok’s bed for the next few hours.)

About that, Hoseok hadn’t even been to Yoongi’s apartment. The older always avoided it. Even when Hoseok suggested Yoongi’s apartment, the older shook his head and insisted that he was embarrassed to show anyone the spray paintings.

Hoseok’s mom had already met Yoongi. She seemed to like him (if the mass amount of cookies and treats she gave Yoongi were any indicator.) She had also shared Hoseok’s baby photos. Hoseok thought he hid them away successfully, but she seemed to know exactly where it was.

So Hoseok was condemned to sit on the couch while his mom showed Yoongi photos of his butt-naked baby ass, his coconut haircut in middle school, his old braces photos, and his prom date (the one where he actually grew into his looks.)

Yoongi didn’t say anything about the photos after that day, but there was a little teasing smirk that Hoseok knew was Yoongi silently teasing him about it.

Eventually, they did go a little bit further than kissing. Hoseok was just doing his homework while Yoongi was munching on some extras of the tteokbokki that Mrs. Jung made for the Jungs’ dinner. She had taken to making dinner as Hoseok’s finals for the first semester came up. Suddenly, a hand snaked its way around Hoseok’s back and to the hand that was laying on Hoseok’s lap.

Hoseok smiled to himself and readjusted his grip to hold onto Yoongi’s hand in a better position. In all honesty Hoseok couldn’t pay attention to his homework while they held hands, so it was probably a bad idea, but he loved it. Yoongi’s hand was so cold and Hoseok just wanted to keep it warm forever.

Was that too much to ask?

About a few hours later, Hoseok’s mom called Hoseok down for dinner to find Hoseok and Yoongi fast asleep on the bed together, their hands tangled messily even though they weren’t facing each other.

From there, the hand holding slowly became regular. While Hoseok was in the library, Yoongi would quietly sit next to him and quietly slip his hand into Hoseok’s hoodie pocket underneath the table. When they retreated to Yoongi’s makeshift breakroom, they would still hold hands. Hoseok would continue studying while Yoongi smoked and scrolled through his phone.

It made Hoseok feel special. That the Yoongi that didn’t want any commitments and that acted tough held his hand. Maybe that made Hoseok a blushing schoolgirl, but that was a pretty accurate description. Even Hoseok knew it.

When the finals were over, Hoseok spent the entire day after school with Yoongi in celebration. They raced to Highway 60, ate ice cream, and kissed. Hoseok’s heart felt full as he walked along the old bridge with Yoongi hand in hand.

Hoseok loved Yoongi for whatever it was worth, and he didn’t care if Yoongi was going to leave. For once, he was sure that everything was going to be okay. Hoseok knew that what he was feeling was love, and it was a more real love than any he had ever experienced in the past. Hoseok loved the boy that acted cold, tough, confident, and mean, and especially the small glimpses he’d had of the boy that lurked underneath. The one that wanted to be held, that had big dreams, and who slipped through the cracks of Yoongi’s persona every time the older smiled.

Deep inside Hoseok’s heart, he hoped that Yoongi had some feelings for him too, but he knew that was impossible.

Because Yoongi was too careful to ever let himself fall for anyone, he was too closed off to let anyone in enough.

Still, Hoseok hoped. Why?

Because only fools fall for Yoongi,

And Hoseok has been a fool. The biggest fool of them all.

Act 3: Lighters and Candy

Yoongi tasted like strawberries and cigarettes all of the time. It tasted amazing, and there was no problem with it at all. Save for the fact that Hoseok nearly drove himself crazy everytime he tasted it, and sometimes, Yoongi would have his blue contacts on (purely for appearance) and his favorite pair of black jeans on. Again, not a problem save for the fact Hoseok nearly drove himself up the wall because of it.

The black jeans in question were the tightest pair of jeans Yoongi owned, and Hoseok knew for a fact that Yoongi loved them because he could fill them out well (after a long time of staring, Hoseok was sure that Yoongi’s actual size was in between two of the jean sizes actually sold there). The jeans left nothing to the imagination. At. All. Hoseok could even see where Yoongi’s pelvis began to dip.

The jeans have been given the name “The Sex JeansTM” by Yoongi primarily because he mostly wore them whenever he wanted to have sex.

Today however was not one of those days. Hoseok was on summer break and Yoongi had texted him to meet at the old bridge. At this point, Mrs. Jung knew everything about how Hoseok felt about Yoongi and was fully supportive. All Hoseok had to do was pick up groceries, and he could take the car.

When Hoseok arrived at the old bridge, Yoongi was sitting on the wooden railing with a tangerine in his hands and The Sex JeansTM revealing everything. Hoseok had to try his very best not to combust as he ran over to Yoongi.

“What took you so long,” Yoongi grumbled. He popped a piece of the tangerine into his mouth slowly. “Do you know how many splinters I have right now from sitting on this old ass bridge?”

“It’s your fault for wearing your sex jeansTM,” Hoseok laughed. He sat onto the bridge with Yoongi and took one of Yoongi’s tangerine pieces.

Yoongi pushed the peels into his hoodie pocket quickly, as if he was hoping Hoseok wouldn’t notice. He cleared his throat and noted, “You’re wearing sweatpants too. I’d say we call it even.”

Of course, Yoongi’s hand snuck itself into Hoseok’s as the older ate his tangerines.

“I think your entire diet is just cigarettes, oranges, and strawberries,” Hoseok laughed. “The only time I’ve ever seen you eat something that’s not oranges is when my eomma gives you food.”

“I’m not hungry most of the time,” Yoongi shrugged. “Let’s walk, this bridge is so old I’m scared that it’s going to collapse and throw me into the river.”

Hoseok jumped down from the railing carefully and laughed, “You could be the gremlin under the bridge. And instead of giving people riddles, you could shake your ass and see if they give in. You’d be the most successful bridge gremlin ever.”

Yoongi let out a weird sound that was somewhere in between a laugh, a choke, and a...whimper? Maybe? Hoseok watched as Yoongi looked over the bridge curiously, a smile slowly spreading across his lips when he realized there was no gremlin underneath.

“Would you like to be my first victim,” Yoongi smiled mischievously. “If I start screaming under this bridge that I want to eat ass, would you let me eat?”

Hoseok’s face felt like it was on fire. Literal fire. He barely managed to laugh and stutter, “M-maybe. I don’t know about getting my first ass eating from a short little gremlin though. Don’t you guys have fangs and sharp teeth?”

“I’m not short,” Yoongi huffed. He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a cigarette and the lighter Hoseok had bought him. Before Hoseok could grab the lighter from him, Yoongi placed the cigarette in between his lips and lit it.

“I’ve told you to stop smoking, it’s bad for your health,” Hoseok frowned. He grabbed the lighter away from Yoongi and made sure the fire was off before shoving it into his pocket. “I know you’re addicted and all, but why don’t you at least try to stop?”

Yoongi was silent for a moment. He looked down at the ground briefly before taking the cigarette out of his mouth.

“I’ve been addicted for much longer than you might be thinking. Let’s just say my childhood home wasn't filled with good influences,” Yoongi replied quietly. He looked back down at the ground quietly, putting another tangerine piece in his mouth slowly.

Hoseok walked up to Yoongi and gently took the older’s hand in his own as sort of a comforting action. Yoongi’s thumb rubbed over the back of Hoseok’s hand subconsciously before he snapped back into reality.

“Let’s just start walking,” Yoongi deadpanned, clearing his throat embarrassedly. “You don’t need to know my backstory.”

“You can trust me you know. I wouldn’t tell anyone,” Hoseok frowned. He began to walk along with Yoongi through the grassy plain. It seemed like they were in their own corner of the world, the grass stretching out further than Hoseok could see.

Yoongi took a drag of his cigarette and leaned against Hoseok as they walked.

It was peaceful in an odd way. The light breeze swayed the tall blades of grass softly as Hoseok and Yoongi walked aimlessly. The sky itself was even calm, the sun getting close to the horizon. Even Hoseok’s heart calmed to a steady thumping as Yoongi’s cold skin slowly warmed up in his hand. Everything seemed to hang in an equilibrium.

Maybe 30 minutes of them walking around hand in hand had passed until Yoongi let out a long sigh and curled into Hoseok’s arm. He looked towards the ground and mumbled, “I’ve been smoking since I was 7. My dad had a pack lying around and I just tried it because I was curious. I have a burn scar on my finger from the first time I tried to light it. My mom was so drunk that she just watched me while I tried to smoke. Sh-she actually gave me tips.”

Hoseok had to hold Yoongi up a little bit as the older started to stumble. His eyes were clearly glassy no matter how much Yoongi tried to hide it.

“I had a drug problem for about two years before I left too,” Yoongi continued, his voice cracking a little. He didn’t look at Hoseok, only towards the blades of grass gently licking against his shoes. “And there were a lot of people who h-hated me too because I couldn’t commit to anything. Even if I wanted t-to be friends or i-if I had f-feelings, I j-just couldn’t. I just couldn’t. I was always scared and just w-wating for the one that could fix me. It would all be worth the w-wait th-”

“You don’t have to tell me everything. You sound like you’re forcing yourself and it’s getting late anyways, let’s head back to my car. How ‘bout I give you a ride home,” Hoseok interrupted. Hoseok wanted to hug Yoongi so badly, but he knew Yoongi wouldn’t have liked that. So he tugged Yoongi’s hand gently and began leading the way back towards the car.

“Wait,” Yoongi murmured, pulling Hoseok back.

Before Hoseok could respond, his lips met Yoongi’s softly. This kiss felt much different than all of their other kisses. It felt tender and sweet, almost loving. Hoseok’s heart couldn’t help but think that something was going to change.

They stood there in the field, softly kissing each other as the sun began to set. Neither one of them dominated the kiss. There was no need for that. This kiss was too gentle and careful for either one of them to mess it up. Even Hoseok’s heart thudded in his ears gently, hesitant to let itself get carried away.

Yoongi was the first one to move to make the kiss deeper. He gently tangled his fingers in Hoseok’s hair and pulled the younger’s head down further. Hoseok could taste the small drops that slid down from Yoongi’s cheeks to his lips.

It didn’t take long at all for Yoongi to pull away from the kiss. The older wiped his eyes and cleared his throat, his eyes darting away from Hoseok.

Hoseok himself? His entire body felt warm with pure love. He stood there in slight shock as he watched Yoongi’s face. The older’s face was gently illuminated by the orange and red hues of the setting sun, making his pale skin look warm. An undecipherable expression rested on Yoongi’s face.

They’d never kissed like that. Never. It felt different and new and exciting, all of the feelings that Yoongi had brought Hoseok, but this time it was a different type of different. It felt familiar like finding an old toy that you loved as a child. It felt exciting like making a discovery that could change the world, or at least Hoseok’s world. It felt warm like sitting by the fire on a cold winter day with the person you love.

The smile that flickered across Hoseok’s face as Yoongi turned back towards him wasn’t his normal, bright one. Instead it was more subtle and fond.

Who knew that a kiss could bring on so many feelings, both new, raw ones and old ones that were amplified by a million?

“Let’s head back,” Yoongi finally deadpanned. Any emotion that was on his face earlier was wiped out, replaced by the sharp gaze that Yoongi normally kept on his face.

Hoseok nodded quickly, grabbing Yoongi’s hand and quietly walking with the older back to the car. It was sort of a comfortable silence, and it allowed enough time for Hoseok’s brain to stop being fuzzy.

They got in the car and began driving away from their little corner of the world. Yoongi looked out the window, his hands playing with an unlit cigarette absentmindedly. Hoseok tried to keep his eyes on the road and away from Yoongi. The car was filled with nothing but the low hum of the engine and the sound of the tires rolling against the old roads.

The sun had just set, the stars out in the sky. Hoseok wanted to look at them but he had to focus on the road ahead of him. Yoongi however was looking out at the stars. Hoseok smiled at the older and chuckled, “I thought you said looking at the stars was childish.”

“Well someone important to me changed my mind about them. They are beautiful,” Yoongi replied under his breath.

They fell silent again for a short period of time before Yoongi cleared his throat, “I- I was thinking…I know I said we weren’t going to take things further but-”

Hoseok could feel Yoongi’s eyes fall on him, the older’s eyes burning into his head momentarily. He knew what Yoongi was suggesting, he was sure of it. But in all honesty, Hoseok thought he’d lose his virginity with someone that he was with for at least a few months. He really wanted it though.

Maybe, if Yoongi was asking, that meant things were going to change between them.

“Okay,” Hoseok replied after a brief pause. “We have to find a place to do it though. My place doesn’t have any lube or condoms. I guess we could also buy some from the convenience store but I don’t have any money on me after buying the groceries and I don’t want to dip into your funds because you’re saving to-”

“Let’s just go to my apartment,” Yoongi suggested tentatively.

Hoseok’s eyes immediately widened at the idea of going to Yoongi’s apartment. He barely managed to swallow before nodding, “Yeah. Let’s do that.”

~~~

The next day, Hoseok woke up in his bed. He shot up confusedly, looking around for any sign that what had happened was not a dream. Then it hit him. The faint smell of cigarettes and Yoongi’s cologne on his clothes.

Hoseok sat up with a wince, adjusting to the light and the pain in his ass. He didn’t have to try hard to remember what happened. They had stumbled into Yoongi’s apartment messily. It was so dark that Hoseok didn’t even get to see any of the spray paintings. Yoongi then dragged Hoseok into the bedroom for the night. Hoseok could still feel everything from last night. They had switched around so that they could both do everything.

Oh boy was Hoseok regretting it though. No amount of prep could have prepared Hoseok for the pain in his ass. He eventually resigned to lying back down on the bed to wait the pain out.

Hoseok reached over to the nightstand for his phone, eagerly checking for any text from Yoongi that held a sign of things changing between them. Call Hoseok delusional, but Yoongi had been so gentle with the kiss in the field and with taking Hoseok’s virginity, Hoseok was sure that Yoongi wanted something more.

There was nothing on Hoseok’s phone, Not a single text from Yoongi or anybody else.

Hoseok could feel tears prick his waterline as Yoongi tore his heart apart again. It was almost noon, Yoongi would have been awake by then. So why was there nothing?

Before he could really comprehend what he was doing, Hoseok flung his phone across the room and sank into his blanket. Why had he gotten his hopes up? Yoongi had already said he didn’t do commitments, and it wasn’t like Yoongi had promised Hoseok anything afterwards.

No, it was just Hoseok being a fool for love again. Even if this love he felt for Yoongi was much, much more intense than any love he had ever felt before. He should have known that Yoongi was leading him on for something he could never have. He should have known not to get involved with the boy who said he was leaving town as soon as he could.

Hoseok cursed at his own brain for making him the fool again. He was used to it, getting his heart broken. This one was much more intense though. Hoseok knew he shouldn’t have gotten his hopes up.

“Why am I even sad, it’s just a text,” Hoseok sniffled, his voice breaking as he tried to convince himself it was okay. “I-it doesn’t mean that he d-doesn’t care about me.”

Hoseok sat in the silence of his bedroom thinking to himself. He didn’t let himself cry, but he allowed a Hoseok-pity-party inside his brain. Deep down though, he knew he was being childish.

Downstairs, he heard his parents voices talking animatedly. He tried to listen to that instead of his own thoughts. He couldn’t even properly hear that though. Hoseok listened to his parents laugh and joke around, something they rarely ever had time to do ever since Dawon went to college.

One of them came walking up the stairs and towards Hoseok’s room. Hoseok’s door creaked open gently, and whichever parent it was walked inside.

“I have painkillers for you if you’re awake,” Yoongi’s voice mumbled.

And just like that, Yoongi restitched Hoseok’s heart. Tear, stitch, tear, stitch, and the never ending cycle continued. Hoseok didn’t mind though.

Hoseok rolled over to take a look at Yoongi. The older seemed to be standing upright just fine. Hoseok sometimes wondered if Yoongi just didn’t feel pain. Logically, it made no sense, but the older seemed to take everything with a blank face.

Well, that’s what Hoseok thought until Yoongi stepped closer to the bed. Yoongi took a step only for his hand to fly to the base of his hip and his legs to give out a little bit.

“Did I hurt you,” Hoseok frowned.

“No I should be asking that. You look like you’ve been crying,” Yoongi pouted. He laid down on the bed right next to Hoseok carefully and examined the younger’s face. “Is it because of me?”

Hoseok looked away from Yoongi and lied smoothly, “No. I just didn’t expect it to hurt so much the day after. Can you pass me one of those painkillers you brought me? Just one please, I don’t wanna waste your money when you’re working towards something.”

Yoongi handed Hoseok one of the painkillers along with a plastic water bottle. Hoseok downed both the pill and the water, swallowing it quickly. Pills were always much easier than the liquid medicine for Hoseok. Liquid medicine tasted like shit most of the time anyways.

“Did you tell anyone about what I told you at the field,” Yoongi asked cautiously.

“No, I wouldn’t spill out something that’s so private to you. That’s wrong,” Hoseok pouted. He curled up inside his blanket and breathed in Yoongi’s scent.

Yoongi nodded at Hoseok, running his hands through the younger’s hair, “You’re a really great friend.”

And there it was. The tear again. Hoseok was always hoping that things would change, but Yoongi always had to remind Hoseok that they weren’t anything more. They’d always go right back to Yoongi’s games, throwing Hoseok up and down like he was a toy.

Hoseok buried his face in Yoongi’s chest so that the older couldn’t see his facial expression.

He could have sworn that Yoongi had feelings for him too. He just knew it. He couldn’t just be a toy for Yoongi to play around with. Yoongi had trusted Hoseok with his past, they had kissed each other so lovingly in the field, Yoongi had bounced on Hoseok’s cock and fucked him like he was afraid of messing up, and now he went all the way across town to bring Hoseok painkillers.

Hoseok smiled to himself as he felt hope rise up in his chest again. He decided right then and there, he’d only believe that he was Yoongi’s plaything if he heard it come straight from Yoongi’s mouth.

“Yoongi-hyung, could we go back to your apartment? I didn’t get to see any of the spray paintings,” Hoseok asked with a hopeful smile on his face. He wrapped his arms around Yoongi’s hips and pulled him in closer, their body heat mixing underneath the blanket.

Yoongi let out a strangled noise before laughing, “I doubt you’d like any of them. They’re pretty terrible. Being boozed up does a lot to your artistic talent, and it’s not like there was much to begin with.”

Hoseok’s fingers subconsciously reached out to touch Yoongi’s dumpling cheeks. He poked Yoongi’s cheeks once before breaking out into a bright smile.

“Nope nope nope,” Yoongi groaned, pulling the blanket over his head. “No more sunshine and positivity for the rest of the morning please. I’m going to go outside, I need a smoke and maybe a coffee.”

True to his word, Yoongi walked outside, grabbing the lighter Hoseok had taken from him from the nightstand. Hoseok could see the packet of cigarettes in Yoongi’s back pocket. It looked much emptier than it was the last time he saw it and, now that he looked closer, Yoongi looked like he was swaying a little bit on top of the limp as he walked.

Did he get drunk last night?

Hoseok got up after a moment of lying down in bed. He changed into one of his sweatpants and t-shirts without looking too closely at what was.

Yoongi was still outside by the time Hoseok got there. He was sitting on the floor of the porch, a cigarette between his lips and a small book in his hands. The pages were worn down and yellowed with age. The cover looked like it was falling apart and Yoongi was holding some pages down with his fingers.

The older didn’t seem to notice Hoseok until the younger sat down right next to him. Yoongi immediately tucked the book away and put the cigarette out on his own knee.

“You don’t have to put it away just because I’m here,” Hoseok pouted, leaning his head against Yoongi’s shoulder.

“It’s...embarrassing,” Yoongi replied bashfully. His fingers moved upwards to play with Hoseok’s hair. The soft locks ran through Yoongi’s fingers almost seamlessly. “It’s uh...it’s a Jane Austen book. Sense and Sensibility.”

“For someone who seems so adamantly against all things romance, Sense and Sensibility is a weird pick,” Hoseok laughed, his heart-shaped smile lighting up the room. “That’s kinda cute though. The grumpy, tough boy Yoongi loves his old romance novels.”

Yoongi hit Hoseok’s shoulder lightly and huffed, “I’m not against romance. I’m just too broken to even try it, and finding a partner always seemed insignificant to me. You’re setting yourself up to get your heart broken. That shit sounds painful. I’d rather avoid pain.”

The older’s thoughts were kind of...strange to Hoseok. Yoongi thought so differently than him, had differing opinions on things, but they always seemed to meet at some shared point. That was one of the reasons Yoongi and Hoseok were able to carry a conversation without arguing.

It was always interesting to hear how Yoongi thought though. Hoseok was always eager to hear more about them. It made him feel like he knew Yoongi and what went on in his head, even if Hoseok knew that his idea was far from reality.

Sometimes, Hoseok even changed Yoongi’s opinion on something. Hoseok didn’t even try to. It just somehow happened.

“Why not go for it though? Sure it hurts, but it can be beautiful while it lasts. And if you believe that there’s the one out there for you, at least you can check someone off the list of people,” Hoseok reasoned. He settled his head into the crook of Yoongi’s neck carefully. Hoseok could feel how tense the older was. “If you live life scared of feeling that pain, you might miss your one.”

Yoongi was quiet for a moment. In that moment, everything felt warm and peaceful. Hoseok could feel the warmth of Yoongi’s body against his, but it felt different. It felt more intimate for some reason. Maybe it was because they had shared one of the rawest moments between people. Whatever it was, Hoseok absolutely loved it.

“Do you want to go to my apartment,” Yoongi finally asked. Hoseok swore he heard a rare hint of hope in his voice. “Joon won’t be there today, he’s helping his dad. You can look around for as long as you like, maybe you could even help redo some of them with me?”

“Of course,” Hoseok exclaimed happily. “We should eat lunch first though!”

“You can go ahead of me. I’m going to stay here for a little bit longer,” Yoongi mumbled. “It’s peaceful here.”

Act 4: And Even If I Run Away

“Why the fuck do you keep calling me here at the asscrack of the morning Yoon,” Namjoon sighed. He slumped down in the chair a little bit, pulling his hood over his face so that he could sleep. “9 am is too early for a summer Saturday and you’re going to start pacing the room and trying to work through the problem that you caused.”

That was Namjoon. Yoongi’s best friend who always somehow saw right through Yoongi, who knew everything about the way Yoongi acted and how his brain worked. He was also the one who Yoongi woke up early or late in the night when he needed something.

Sure enough, Yoongi was pacing the room.

“God I’m so fucked,” Yoongi groaned. He rubbed at his dark circles and took a sip out of his gas station coffee. “Why the fuck do I keep doing this shit to myself?”

“Because you’re too scared to admit you’re in love with him,” Namjoon yawned. “Not three weeks ago he was here repainting your precious spray paintings with you. What more do you need? How about the fact that he somehow convinced you to look at the stars again even with your trauma about the stars? Or how about how you trusted him enough in a few months to tell him things about Daegu and your parents? Oh here’s a good one, how about how you kissed him softly in a field? And you getting flustered every time he brings you breakfast because he knows you don’t eat enough? That one’s a good one.”

Even though Namjoon was his best friend, sometimes Yoongi wanted to personally escort him to the gates of hell. Why did he have to make it hard for Yoongi to deny anything?

Because deep down, Yoongi knew he was in love with Hoseok. There was no denying how Hoseok made him feel. The feeling Yoongi got with Hoseok was something he had never experienced before, even with Taehyung back in Daegu. It was only through novels that he realized what the feelings were. Yoongi didn’t want to accept it though.

Yoongi was silent for a long time. He stopped pacing, instead choosing to lean against the back of his couch with his coffee.

Namjoon nodded proudly and smiled, “You know I’m right. What’s so wrong with admitting you love him anyways? From what you’ve told me, he doesn’t sound bad. He actually sounds like he’s being a good influence on you. You’ve been much less...negative. And you’ve stopped messing around with several people at a time. I haven’t eaten your ass in months.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Yoongi mumbled. “I’m leaving anyways, it doesn’t matter. I’m almost ready to leave. I’m almost ready.”

“You’re repeating yourself,” Namjoon chuckled. He leaned his head back over the back of the chair and sighed, “And I know you’ve actually been ready to leave for two months now. You’re actually about a million won over your goal, and I know I sure as hell am not the reason you’re staying. Admit that you’re staying for him.”

“I don’t want to hurt him by leaving,” Yoongi mumbled. His cheeks started to burn up as he said it, as he got closer and closer to admitting it.

Namjoon let out a long yawn and waved his hand dismissively, “But you’re probably already hurting him. Even if he doesn’t have any feelings for you, it would still hurt for you to be so hot and cold. If I was trying to be friends with someone and they were kissing me regularly only to shut it down in a heartbeat, I’d think they’re only using me. If he does have feelings for you, then you’d be continually breaking his heart. So what’s the real reason you’re staying?”

“I...I don’t want to hurt myself,” Yoongi admitted shamefully.

“And why would you get hurt,” Namjoon prompted. He knew he was successfully herding Yoongi into the right corner. The older was just like a little lamb. All it took was a little bit of a push and Yoongi would be in the right place.

And honestly? Namjoon had enough of trying to agree with Yoongi’s bullshit for 5 and a half months.

Yoongi slumped against the couch like a wounded puppy and screamed frustratedly, “BECAUSE I LOVE HIM.”

Namjoon silently cheered in his head before looking at Yoongi concernedly, “A-are you okay?”

“NO,” Yoongi screamed, tears visibly pricking his waterline. “I’VE BEEN FUCKING MESSING AROUND WITH HIM AND-”

Before Yoongi could continue, there was a knock at the door. Namjoon motioned for Yoongi to continue as he shuffled over to the door.

Yoongi wouldn’t get to continue though. Namjoon opened the door to find Hoseok standing there, tears in his eyes and food in his hands. Hoseok’s bottom lip was trembling as he looked at Yoongi. The older looked back with wide eyes.

Hoseok immediately dropped the food and ran away, the sound of his crying lingering.

“WAIT HOSEOK, PLEASE,” Yoongi screamed, running after Hoseok. He didn’t get far before he tripped over his own feet.

By the time he got up, Hoseok was long gone. The apartment halls were filled with nothing but the cold gray of the building. Neither Yoongi nor Namjoon could even hear Hoseok anymore.

Yoongi could feel his heart breaking. He knew it was the end. It was over for them. There was no way he could ever come clean to Hoseok about everything and there was no way that Hoseok would ever give him another chance.

Small drops of wet tears hit the floor, right at Yoongi’s hands. They fell right between his fingers. Yoongi stared at them like they were aliens, his arms beginning to shake as his heart worked to shield itself.

Yoongi felt like such a fool.

“Joon,” Yoongi managed to sob. “I’m leaving tomorrow, I’m leaving for good.”

Namjoon rubbed Yoongi’s back gently and muttered, “Even if you run away, it’s still going to hurt. You’re still going to be just as much of a mess, and it won’t make things any better.”

“I don’t want to stay here anymore,” Yoongi cried, his arms hugging himself in an attempt to self-comfort. “I don’t wanna, I don’t wanna.”

“Okay hyung,” Namjoon sighed. He picked Yoongi up and carried the older back to the apartment. He’d never seen Yoongi cry, not once in the entire time they’d known each other, and Namjoon couldn’t just let Yoongi be in pain. “Just keep in touch with me okay? Promise me that.”

Yoongi nodded weakly and wiped away his tears. His face shifted from heartbroken back to cold and guarded in an instant, his heart’s barriers coming up again. Namjoon sat back and watched as Yoongi threw his stuff into a duffle bag and suitcase.

Yoongi couldn’t fool Namjoon though. Behind Yoongi’s eyes, Namjoon could still see the broken boy that was inside of the older. Namjoon could still see the boy that guarded himself with a tough act, the boy that was scared to form relationships with anyone, the boy that had been put through hell by his parents.

But most importantly, it was the boy that found the comfort and love he desperately craved for inside Hoseok, and the boy that was running away now that it was in jeopardy.

Because inside, Yoongi was just a scared little boy that was too afraid to love.

Final Act: They Always Taste Like You

Hoseok didn’t know where Yoongi went. He didn’t know what happened to Yoongi or what became of him now matter how hard he tried. Wherever Yoongi was, he had taken Hoseok’s heart with him.

It had been 2 whole years since Hoseok discovered Yoongi was gone. Hoseok had failed all of his classes the following semester because of it, eventually being expelled due to the days he spent absent because he was crying too much to go to school. His life just seemed to crash down after Yoongi left. Hoseok couldn’t even dance anymore because he had sustained permanent damage to his knee when he had got into a car crash while looking for Yoongi.

But Hoseok didn’t blame any of it on Yoongi. He still loved the older, and he knew he still did after all of this time.

For now, he’d given up on looking for Yoongi. It was clear that the older wasn’t going to make any attempt to contact him or come back, and Hoseok knew it wasn’t healthy looking for him anymore. As much as his heart cried for him to keep looking because Yoongi had to be out there, it was pointless. Hoseok didn’t even know if Yoongi loved him at any point in time.

Hoseok was still living in town, and as much as it hurt to walk around and see the places he’d made memories with Yoongi in, it was also very healing. In a weird way it helped him reconcile with the fact that Yoongi was going to be just another failed love, another stepping stone to finding his one.

Hoseok hadn’t been back to the field and the old bridge yet though. He still wasn’t strong enough to go there.

At least until today. On the second anniversary of Yoongi leaving him, Hoseok decided it was time to finally have closure. He grabbed a bouquet of roses from the new flower shop and took his parent’s car to the old bridge, making sure to get there as the sun began to come close to the horizon.

Hoseok parked in the very same spot as he did 2 years ago. He got out of the car, looking out towards the field.

A smile slowly spread across his face as his eyes found the spot they’d kissed in.

Standing there was a familiar figure, dressed in all black and looking out towards the sunset. Hoseok’s heartbeat quickened steadily. He leaned against his crutch and laughed in disbelief.

Just as the figure turned around, tears began to drip down Hoseok’s face. He waved both of his arms towards the figure and screamed with joy,

“YOONGI!”