Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

August.

He should look away. It wasn’t polite to stare, but he wasn’t very polite to begin with.

It wasn’t his fault really, they were the ones that were making out like they were alone in a motel room and not on some stairs of a frat house. And sure, they were at a party, it wasn’t unusual for people to be making out. It was expected. Yoongi’s undivided attention had to do with the fact that it was him who was doing it. There was no way to deny it, not even to himself.

And maybe it didn’t hurt or make him sad, at least not anymore. Yoongi had already come to terms with his loss, he had already mourned and moved on, but his omega still hadn’t processed his departure, that he was no longer a part of their life. So if Yoongi had a staring problem, it was his omega’s fault and his desire to cling to Jungkook, and Yoongi suspected he was even punishing him for letting him go. He was a bit of a masochist.

There wasn’t much he could do if his omega was still clinging to the alpha. If his human side had already detached itself from him, or most of it, it was only a matter of time before his omega realized that Jungkook wasn’t his. It was a process that day by day became easier to overcome, to let go.

It had been particularly easy since he had been avoiding him for the past few months, but now they were both in the same place after such a long time, and Yoongi found it hard to stop staring.

It didn’t help much that Jimin, his only friend and roommate, had left him to go to Vernon’s room because “he wanted to show him something.” Sure, as if Yoongi didn’t know what that meant.

Being alone and bored, he decided he’d had enough for that night. He no longer wanted to continue watching something that tortured him, so he chose to leave early and just walk home. There was no need to wait for Jimin, since it was obvious he wouldn’t be returning to the apartment that night.

He sighed, taking one last look at the couple on the stairs, and he turned around. Unfortunately, and as if his night wasn’t bad enough, someone tried to push past him at the same time, causing the two of them to collide and the person’s drink to fall on Yoongi’s shirt.

“Fuck.” The guy said, quickly grabbing some towel that was in the counter to attempt to clean the mess on Yoongi’s chest.

“Don’t you dare.” Yoongi warned him. The guy stopped the motion immediately and just gave him the towel so he could do it himself. “Would it kill you to watch where you’re going?”

“Dude, you were standing in the middle of the hallway.”

“So? Are you blind or am I invisible?”

“Given the fact that I’m looking at you, I guess neither.”

“Then you could’ve seen me if you were paying attention instead of looking at some poor girl’s ass.” Yoongi looked at said girl, who giggled at the man being scolded, and left the kitchen. The guy watched her leave, his attention the returning to him.

He sighed. “I guess you’re right. I’m sorry.”

“Whatever.” He kept cleaning his shirt, but it was useless: the stain, the smell and the stickiness were there, and they were not going anywhere anytime soon. “Goddammit.” He said to himself, expecting to be alone. To his surprise, the dude was still there. “You can go.”

“I know.” Then he took a swig from his red solo cup, maintaining eye contact.

“Then go.”

“I wanted to talk to you, actually. Give you a little advice.” That caught Yoongi’s attention. What could this moron possibly give him advice on?

“Okay. I’ll pretend I need it.”

The guy approached him and whispered in his ear. “You shouldn’t stare so hard.”

“What?” He frowned, knowing exactly what he was talking about but hoping he was wrong.

“I know why you were in the middle of the hallway.” The guy tilted his head to the stairs, where the couple was still going at it.

Yoongi turned around again, facing him. “I wasn’t staring... douche.”

“I’m Jay.”

“I know who you are.”

“Yeah, and I know who you are.” He said, pointing at him with the cup on his hand.

“Why?”

“You’re Jungkook’s boyfriend.” He turned his attention on that direction. “Well, ex-boyfriend from the looks of it.”

“He wasn’t my boyfriend, he’s my friend.” He thought about it better, then sighed. “He was my friend.”

The guy smiled. “Oh, then you’re welcome to stay.”

“It’s a frat party. The only requirements to be here are to be a. girl, b. omega or c. douche.” Yoongi said counting with his fingers.

“Hm, you’re not wrong.”

“I’m leaving anyway. It was lovely to meet you.” He said sarcastically, pushing past him and walking to the front door.

“Wait, Yoongi.” He knew the guy, that alpha, claimed to know who he was, but actually hearing him say his name felt weird, somehow wrong. Yoongi kept walking anyway.

“Yoongi, I know you can hear me.” He made it out of the house and even though he could hear the guy still following him, he didn’t stop.

“Let me drive you home!”

Okay, that actually made him stop.

“Why would you do that?” Yoongi turned around, a distrustful frown on his face.

“I’m incredibly kind.” He said, sounding like he actually meant it.

Yoongi huffed slightly humored. “Thank you for the offer, but I’d rather walk.”

And with that, the alpha stopped following him.

After walking for a few blocks, he took off the Doc Martens he was wearing because his feet were getting tired. And if his socks got dirty, he’d simply throw them in the trash. Sure, he knew it was wasteful, but he could never wear that pair again knowing he’d stepped onto the street where people spit and pee. He also tried not to think about it while walking around, but that was really the least of his troubles.

It was the first days of August. The nights were beautiful that month. Somewhat warm, with the slightest breeze hinting at the approaching cold weather. It was getting dark earlier, and the nights felt longer, almost eternal. It was beautiful when everything was dark, and if the sky weren’t so polluted, he would be able to appreciate the bright presence of the stars as he could do back at home.  

Yoongi almost didn’t mind walking the thirty minutes it would take him to get to his apartment. Almost. After all, his feet did hurt and he was walking just wearing his socks, so those things outweighed the beauty of the night.

He should have listened to Jungkook when he suggested buying a second-hand Vespa. Yoongi thought about it too much and when he wanted to buy it, he broke his ankle and used that money to pay for the hospital. And how did he break his ankle? He fell into a hole walking to his job at the time, being a barista at the campus cafeteria.

If he had bought the Vespa, he wouldn’t have been late almost every workday and he wouldn’t have fallen into that hidden sneaky little hole.

Wait, no.

God, what was he saying?

Fuck the Vespa and especially fuck Jungkook. He didn’t need either of them. He would rather break every bone in his body than having to agree with him ever again. Jungkook didn’t get the privilege of being right anymore, not even inside of his mind.

Bastard.

Yoongi was grumbling, kicking rocks, and cursing at that stupid, bad friend when he felt the presence of a truck pulling up beside him. Now that he thought about it, it had probably been following him for a while.

Perfect, just what he needed: to be kidnapped by a stranger in the middle of the night.

“Whatever you’re thinking about doing, fuck off! I’m not in the mood!” He screamed, walking at the same speed as before.

“And what do you think I’m gonna do?” Oh, that voice. He recognized it immediately. In fact, it was the last thing he heard that night. Yoongi turned to see if his ears weren’t fooling him, but he verified that the voice belonged to who he thought it did. Damn, now he wished it was actually a stranger willing to kidnap him.

“What the hell are you doing?”

“I want to make sure you get home safe.” He said from his seat, his left hand on the wheel, driving slowly.

“My hero.” Yoongi kept walking, already deciding to ignore him.

“Yoongi, get in.”

“No.”

“Come on, let me drive you.”

“I’m not getting in a car with you. You’ve been drinking.”

“No, I haven’t.”

“Then what the hell is in my chest?” He stopped again, the alpha stopping at the same time.

“Oh, that’d be my date’s drink.”

“Why aren’t you drinking?”

“It’s pre-season.”

“Jungkook always drinks.”

“And that’s why he’s not as good as me.” He said with a smirk on his face, believing himself to be funny.

Yoongi kept walking. 

“Hey, come on.” Yoongi wasn’t stopping, he had no intention of doing so. He wanted to see who’d get tired first. “I’m gonna follow you home like this then.”

He didn’t believe him, but after five minutes of being followed like he was the President, he understood that the guy was just as stubborn as he was.

Yoongi stopped, turning to look at him with his arms crossed. “Why should I get in?”

“To get home faster.” Yoongi said nothing, but the guy could see in his face that he wasn’t convinced. He smirked. “So I can stop bothering you sooner.”

“You promise to leave me alone as soon as I get home?”

“I do.”

He was persistent, he’d give him that.

Yoongi got into his truck, a pretty neat Jeep, somewhat new. The air conditioning was on, making it pleasant in there, but what really caught his attention was the smell. He immediately got hit with the musky scent of wet earth after it rained. It was crisp and clean, powerful and catastrophic, but still light and gentle. At first he thought it was coming from the vents. But no, this was more natural, more of a real scent. Which could only mean it was coming from the alpha. Unfortunate, truly, since Yoongi had always liked that smell.

Once he got in and buckled up, the guy asked him for his address before he continued driving. He didn’t say anything else to him, nor did he attempt to make conversation, which was appreciated. Yoongi guessed that if the guy had learned anything about him that night, it was that he wasn’t a pleasant person to talk to. Yoongi wasn’t proud of that, but it wasn’t like he wanted to change it either. He might not had many friends, the only one he really cared about didn’t talk to him anymore, but the ones he still had loved him as he was, and that was enough for him.

With that said, he was curious, and above all distrustful, so he decided to ask what he wanted to ask.

“Be honest.” Yoongi said, breaking the silence.

“About what?”

“Why were you following me?”

“I told you I’m very kind.”

“And I told you to be honest.”

The guy smirked, clearly enjoying whatever this was. “I do have an ulterior motive.”

“I don’t want to have sex with you.”

“Good, I don’t either.” He scoffed with amusement. “Is that where your mind goes first?”

“Shut up.”

“That’s not why I’m driving you, don’t worry.”

“Then why?”

“He saw you were leaving and it seemed like he was gonna follow you, so I followed you first.”

"Who?”

“Jungkook? Your friend.”

“Oh. I thought I told you he wasn’t my friend anymore.”

“I remember, that’s why I’m here.” Yoongi looked at him confused, waiting for him to elaborate. “You know, to piss him off. At the party he was staring at us in the kitchen.”

“Well yeah, he hates your guts.”

“And I hate his.”

“Why?”

“Didn’t he tell you?” The alpha looked at him, suddenly very serious. “He killed my cat.”

“What?”

His frown slowly broke into a smile. “Ah, you should have seen the look in your eyes.”

“Fuck you.”

“So you do think him capable of killing a cat?”

“No, I don’t! He’s very sweet and he loves his cat more than anything else in the planet.”

“He has a cat? Ha. No wonder.”

“You’re a dog person?”

“Of course. I have three dogs back at home and I would never hurt them.” He said simply, but Yoongi could tell he meant it with another intention.

“Neither would Jungkook!”

“Tell that to your face.”

“I was just shocked, okay? It’s a perfectly normal reaction to have after hearing such ludicrous information.”

“Yeah, sure. But do you actually wanna know why I don’t like him?”

“I guess.”

“I don’t like him...” He got as close to him as he could as he drove, his face preparing to tell a secret. “Because he thinks he’s better than me.”

“Oh my God.”

“I know. Unbelievable, right? I mean, you’ve seen me play. You know I’m better than him.”

“I’ve never seen you play.”

“What?” He frowned, looking offended. “How? I’ve seen you in the games, you were always there.”

“Sure, but I was there for him, it’s not like I was paying attention to anyone else.” As the words were leaving his mouth, he regretted them.

Realization hit his face, his mouth opening in the shape of an O. “You are in love with him. Is that why you had a fight? He rejected you and you got mad.”

“No, it wasn’t like that.”

“He rejected you and then he started dating the hot brunette and you got mad.” He continued theorizing, causing Yoongi to get anxious.

“Why are you assuming that I was the one who got mad?”

“Why’d he get mad?” He asked, softer than he had ever heard him.

“Great question. You should ask that to him.”

“I’d be flattered if you liked me.”

“What?”

“Well, not you specifically. I’m always flattered when someone likes me. It means that from the hundreds and thousands of people there are in the world, they think I’m the best looking one.”

“I know what you’re trying to say is kinda sweet, but it comes out so douchey out of your mouth.”

“Are you sure he got mad?” He kept going with the topic. “Maybe you misinterpreted it.”

Yoongi scoffed. “Are you defending him?”

“God no, I would rather choke with gum before siding with him. I’m just putting in the perspective of an alpha, sometimes people misunderstand us.”

“Ow, poor alphas.” He said sarcastically. “But no, I’m pretty sure he got mad.”

“Why? What happened?”

“I’m not telling you. It’s private.”

“Come on, maybe I could help you. I’m a very good listener.”

“No offense dude, but I don’t know anything about you besides your name, your stupid nickname, and that Jungkook hates you.”

“I’m not offering to become friends. It’s just some party conversation.” Yoongi opened his mouth, but before he could say something, the guy spoke first. “I know we’re not at a party anymore, but let’s pretend. Tell me what happened.”

“You’re annoying.”

“Yes.”

“Fine, but I’m not giving you any details, okay?” He nodded. “Basically, when Jungkook started dating Seokjin like a year ago, we didn’t get along well. He was so high and mighty, wouldn’t even talk to me much, like he avoided me actually. And I wasn't exactly nice either, okay?”

“I believe that.”

“But anyway, months later one random day in June, for some fucking reason Jin convinced Jungkook that I was in love with him.”

“Which is the truth.”

“Yes, but he didn’t have to know, unless I decided to tell him.”

“Right.”

“Anyway, Jungkook started to believe it, so he decided to ask me about it. And he did. I didn’t deny it. And he got mad.”

“Mad how? What did he say?”

“Dude I can’t believe you’re making me relive this bullshit.”

“Go on.”

Yoongi sighed. “He said, and I quote, ‘Damn it Yoon, I wish you would have told me sooner, or wouldn’t have told me at all’.”

“What? He asked for it.”

“That’s what I said! I told him ‘You almost begged me to tell you and now you’re upset? Fuck you’.”

“Oh, you might have been mad first.”

“Shut up and let me finish.”

“Sorry.”

“Ugh. Basically, we started to argue about us and Jin and whatever was going to happen next. I was willing to let it go, to continue like nothing happened, but then– Oh, stop. This is where I live.” He said unbuckling the seatbelt.

“Here?”

“Yeah.” The guy parked in front of Yoongi’s apartment building. “Thanks for the ride, dude.”

“Wait. You have to finish.” He told him, preventing Yoongi from getting out of the car.

“Are you really that interested?”

“I’m nosy.”

“Clearly.” He contemplated just leaving. What was he going to do? Follow him into the building and stay outside his door? No. He clearly would just leave, and they would never see each other again. Especially since Yoongi didn’t plan to step on a single football game ever again.

But he stayed. He hadn’t talked about this with anyone, and it honestly felt good to get it off his chest. And like he said, he wasn’t going to see him again anyway.

He sat again, facing the guy. “Okay, so after some back and forth, he tells me ‘We shouldn’t see each other anymore. Or talk for that matter’.”

“Huh. Just like that?”

“Just like that.”

Yoongi looked at him for the first time since he was telling the story. The guy remained silent, as if digesting what he just heard. He didn’t know if it was him or Jungkook, but something clicked in his head. It was as if he had suddenly understood everything.

“So? What do you think?” Yoongi asked, slightly interested in his answer.

“I think he’s an asshole who made his choice.” He looked back at him. “And it wasn’t you.”

Ouch. He told him exactly what he already knew, but it was still painful. Painful because it was the truth, and painful because even this stranger seemed to caught on immediately.

“Thanks dude, that was helpful.” Yoongi replied opening the door of the car.

“Wait, I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“You didn’t upset me. You just told me the truth, one that I already knew.”

“Yoongi.”

“Thank you for the ride, Hoseok.” He closed the door behind him and walked to the building without looking back.

His little story time did nothing but reopened the wound.

He had come home upsettingly sober, hurt, kinda humiliated and mostly tired with sore feet. That stupid party did him no good and the worst part was that now Jung Hoseok knew his story.

Jung fucking Hoseok. “Jay” to his friends. God, what a stupid nickname. So pretentious and douchey, just like him.

This might’ve been the first time they spoke to each other, but it wasn’t the first time they met.

Jungkook is– he was Yoongi’s best friend since they were kids, back when life was simpler, before they even presented. They weren’t actually in the same grade, Jungkook was a year younger than him, but their moms were best friends so they saw each other often.

So often that they practically grew up together. They spent every weekend together, playing in the yard trying to catch each other, being witnesses of each other’s first crushes and heartbreaks. When Yoongi transferred to his school after losing a year due to a family problem, Jungkook took him in kindly, becoming even closer than they were before.

Yoongi had always known that Jungkook was a star athlete and a friendly person, so it was no surprise to see how popular he was at that school. Everyone loved him, even those younger than him. He was kind and easy going, he had a huge heart and an incredible smile, and he always had his arms open for anyone in need. He really did give the best hugs.

On the other hand, Yoongi had always been a loner. He liked his space and being left alone. If he needed to talk to someone, he’d do it first. He was quiet and smart as a whip, intimidating to people who didn’t know him. He wasn’t one to let himself be walked over, he wasn’t afraid to speak up.

Which was why they were such an odd pair. Jungkook and Yoongi were like a golden retriever and a black cat. It didn’t make sense but somehow it worked.

They grew up, Yoongi presented as an omega and the following year Jungkook presented as an alpha (to surprise of no one), they graduated high school, then they went to the same university. Jungkook got a scholarship for sports and Yoongi for art. Their lives were always intertwining, making it seem as if the universe was trying to keep them together, whether it was as friends or something more. That really didn’t matter much.

When they moved to college, they were still as inseparable as they had always been. Yoongi would accompany him to his football practices even if he found it boring, but he made the most of the time, sitting in the stands while listening to music or whatever audiobook he got for cheap. When Jungkook finished training, they would go get something to eat, either at the cafeteria or a convenience store, then they would part ways to their own dorm rooms.

They had the same routine for the first few semesters until Yoongi got a job and Jungkook became even more popular, even busier with new people, but still they tried to see each other as much as they could.

Once the season started, that first semester, Yoongi went to every single one of his games. He found them exciting, seeing Jungkook in his element, being the best at what he did. His gaze was focused only on him so he didn’t know when it happened, but from one game to the next, he noticed that the player with the jersey number 18 of an opposite team had a problem with Jungkook. They hit each other more than usual, sometimes people even had to intervene and separate them.

He asked Jungkook about it. He didn’t tell him why he disliked him, he just said that he did. It was strange that he didn’t give him an explicit reason since Jungkook was used to telling him the smallest details of his life (from what he had for breakfast that morning to what he had dreamed that night). Strange, but he let it go.

It was later brought to his attention that that alpha was from the rival team of the university and suddenly things made more sense.

Okay, quick history lesson.

The University of West Tilbury, the one Yoongi attended, had been founded back in the late 1800s, when werewolves were beginning to adapt to their human selves and join civilization. It was the first university of its kind in the country, pioneering many advancements in werewolf evolution. Soon more states began to create their own universities, focusing on different approaches: Medicine, technology, law, chemistry, physics, engineering, amongst others. Until the neighboring town of West Tilbury opened its own university, in Pennymoore.

It was said that ever since then, they had been in competition because they both wanted to be the best university in the state, and consequently, have the best football team. Which was why the rivalry between the Thorns and the Golden Knights predicted the hatred Jungkook and Hoseok had for each other.

Yoongi knew that couldn’t be the reason, Jungkook wasn’t the type of person who would hate someone just for attending a different university, but it explained things a little.

One of those times he went to see him play, Yoongi was sitting on the bleachers with his then dormmate Jimin, waiting for the game to start. They were in the middle of a conversation when Jimin broke into nervous laughter, looking towards the field.

“What?” Yoongi asked, looking at him with amusement.

“Jay is here.”

“Who?”

“Jung Hoseok, number 18 of the Golden Knights.”

He followed Jimin’s gaze until he reached him. Jay, number 18. He was kind of tall, lean body but strong legs, smooth skin like honey, dark hair, and a confident smile. It was the first time Yoongi had seen him without the helmet.

“Isn’t he gorgeous?”

“He is, but he’s not my type.” By then he was already in love with Jungkook, so he had eyes for no one else.

That game went horrible for both teams, having their captains benched for fighting in the field. Yoongi couldn’t believe his eyes. It was as if their instincts had overridden their ability to think. They just looked angry, wanting to hurt each other. No one was hurt because more people were able to intervene, but that prevented them from continuing to play.

After the game was over and everyone left, Yoongi went down to where Jungkook was. He sat on the bench next to him and put his wrist on his scent gland without saying anything, just combing the hair on the back of his head. When Jungkook was frustrated, he needed some peace and quiet to calm down, and Yoongi’s familiar scent accelerated the process. He smiled at him and put his hand in his, thanking him for being there.

The few people that were left on the field walked past them, minding their own business, but one of them walked closer to them.

“Good game, asshole.” Hoseok told Jungkook as he passed them by.

Before Jungkook could’ve said anything, Yoongi did.

“Fuck off, dude.”

Hoseok glanced at him, as if just noticing that he was there the whole time, and he gave him one of his signature mocking smirks.

From that day Yoongi hated him too, not needing to know more about him to do so. But those were different times. He didn’t owe Jungkook any loyalty anymore.

That didn’t mean he liked Hoseok now, though.

🌹☀️

Yoongi spent the rest of the weekend doing homework for his American Art class, which despite having great interest in, he wasn’t doing as well as he would’ve liked.

He wished he could blame his lack of concentration on Jungkook and everything he had been going through, but he couldn’t. This was genuinely on him. He hadn’t been doing his homework, he had been missing classes, he didn’t even pay attention when he did go, and he didn’t know why. He thought he lacked motivation or needed to get inspired again, but he didn’t know how to do it if he didn’t know what the problem was.

Jimin said he needed to keep attending and with the right class he’d fall back in love with his chosen career like he was in the first semester. He thought he was right, so he started to force himself to go.

Today’s class was good. He enjoyed it. But still, there was something that he was missing, connection maybe. Because as soon as he stepped foot out of the classroom, he forgot about the lesson, and that made it easier to breathe.

He left the building and looked at his watch. He still had some time before he started his next class, so he decided to go for a coffee at his old place of work, which was a bit far from where he was. It was okay though, he liked to walk and admire the path that he already knew by heart.

He needed a break, a quick breather to clear his head. He didn’t know why he was having so much trouble doing things he’d previously been able to do. It made no sense. He wanted to do it, he just… couldn’t.

There was time, he kept reminding himself. He could still do it, he just needed time and inspiration. And a miracle, probably.

A good walk would help calm him down, at least for the moment. So he took his earphones out of his satchel, and started untangling them as he walked. Listening to music would also be a great help, canceling out all of the outside noise. If he hated listening to other people on his good days, on this one he’d probably have someone’s throat ripped out.

So as he walked, he saw the buildings on campus. Old, seemingly trapped in time. Facades made of red brick, with high walls and big windows. It was divided into four main areas: West, East, North, and Central.

The central tower featured a huge stained-glass window of a red rose, the school’s emblem, which had been broken and repaired over a hundred times since its inception. It was mostly destroyed in the early years of the school’s founding, back when werewolves hadn’t yet been domesticated. But that had been years ago. They didn’t even shapeshift anymore, they barely had heats and ruts. Alphas were less aggressive, they could now contain their anger without becoming violent (but they still had bad tempers and big knots).

Yoongi stood in front of the stained-glass window, gazing at its magnificent colors. For him, in all his years at that university, the school crest didn’t mean much. It was just a simple rose with thorns. He didn’t understand the fanaticism others felt, the pride of being part of the West Tilbury’ Thorns. Before he only went to the games for Jungkook, and if he felt pride, it was for him; the team and the school didn’t matter to him in the slightest.

But it did make a very beautiful stained-glass window. There was something romantic and tragic about it, like something straight out of a fantasy. It must have been a magnificent sight to see when the school was founded, but now it was just part of a building that had been replaced more than a hundred times. That must have been what made it tragic.

Still with the earphones tangled in his hands, he accidentally dropped them while admiring the window. He groaned silently, bending down to grab them, but someone else beat him to it. He saw a hand appear, grabbing the earphones from the floor, then his gaze moved to the tiny shorts that showed off his long, toned legs. Hot.

Yoongi looked up to thank the person, finding none other than Hoseok.

“You have to be kidding me.” He told him, having him face to face. He then took the earphones from his hand, putting them back in his satchel. “You know this has to be considered stalking, right?”

“Don’t flatter yourself.” He answered as he stood up, towering over Yoongi even if it was only a few inches. Hoseok wasn’t a big man, but he was an alpha. He was agile and strong, which made him a good football player.

“Then what are you doing here?”

“I was looking for you.”

Yoongi crossed his arms over his chest, squinting. “Why?”

“I was at practice when the funniest thought came to me, and I had to tell you.”

“So you came all the way here for that.”

“Well, you didn’t give me your number.”

“You didn’t ask for it.” Yoongi walked away. Hoseok followed him.

“Did you want me to?”

“Not really.”

He smirked. “Well, I have to ask for it now.”

“Hoseok, what do you want?”

“Right. Why I’m here. Well, you see, I was at practice.”

“You already told me that.”

“I was at practice, you know, running without a shirt, all sweaty and hot.” Yoongi wanted to laugh but he wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction, so he kept walking with a straight face. “And I thought about you.”

He looked back at him, perplexed. “You think about me when you’re shirtless and sweaty?”

“When I jog, I think about my life and go over things that happened to me recently, so coincidentally you came to my mind when I saw the bleachers. I was like ‘Surely he went to all of his practices’ which is weird, no one does that.”

“How do you know I did that?” Hoseok just looked at Yoongi like saying ‘please, don’t offend my intelligence’. Fair. “Continue.”

“And then I remembered that you probably don’t do that anymore, since you know... Anyway, then I thought ‘man it would be so funny if you’d come to see me now’.”

“Oh yeah, hilarious.”

“But it would. It would piss him off so bad and I’m dying to see that.”

“Right.”

“Okay, so what I’m trying to say–”

“I know what you’re trying to say.” He interrupted. “And it’s not funny, it’s weird.”

“Why?”

“Hoseok, why would you want me there? Sure, it would piss him off. A lot, in fact. But then what? What would that accomplish?” Hoseok stopped to look at him with what he could only describe as amusement, perhaps a little mocking.

“Why do I have the feeling that you’re on top of your classes?”

“I’m failing two of them, actually.”

“Huh. With your attitude I for sure thought you were a nerd.”

“Don’t judge a book by its cover.”

“I said attitude, not looks.” Once again, he stopped to look at him, this time from head to toe. Yoongi hated to admit it, but he intimidated him. “No, you do look like you fail your classes, actually.”

He scoffed. “If you’re done insulting me...”

“Not an insult, just an observation.”

“Okay, here’s an observation for you: Jay is a stupid nickname.” He gasped, insulted. Yoongi had to suppress his smile to keep the situation serious.

“Just so you know, it’s a family nickname.”

“It doesn’t make it better.”

“You really don’t like me, right?” Yoongi said nothing, letting that say it all. “Great, I don’t like you either.”

“Then why are you here?”

“To talk to you.” Yoongi quickened his step, the other keeping up easily. “Why are you walking so fast?”

“Because it’s like a hundred degrees outside, I’m trying to get somewhere with AC and something to drink.”

“Oh, great idea. Let’s go to that coffee shop. I’ll even let you buy me some coffee.” Yoongi huffed. “Hey, you laughed.”

“I huffed, it’s different.”

“I’ll take it as a laugh.”

He followed him to the cafeteria.

When Yoongi walked in, his old coworker Hiro greeted him and handed him an envelope. His Nana still sent him mail to that address, since he hadn’t told her that he resigned a few months ago.

Hiro looked at Hoseok behind him and gave him an interrogative look. Yoongi just shook his head, like saying 'it’s hard to explain, don’t worry about it'. He nodded and continued serving the customers that were lining up.

Yoongi sat down on one of the sofas that were at the back of the place, right next to a window where the sun gets covered by the trees outside. Hoseok sat across from him, on a chair with armrests. He looked at him carefully, as if he was studying him.

He was wearing his workout clothes: a white T-shirt that clung to his chest, black athletic shorts that left nothing to the imagination, black and white sneakers, and a baseball cap pulled backward that covered his sweaty hair. He looked handsome, which wasn’t a compliment, it was just an observation.

“Are you planning on following me all day?” Yoongi asked, leaving his satchel in the sofa next to himself.

“I don’t have any classes today, so...”

“Well, I do.”

“I’ll wait.”

“And what about when I have to go home? Are you planning on staying outside my apartment?”

“Do you live alone?”

“I have a roommate.”

“Is he there right now?”

“I don’t know, maybe.”

“Oh, then he’ll let me in.” He said without any concern.

“Do you know him?”

“Uh, maybe I do. If I don’t, then I will.”

Yoongi snorted again, shaking his head decisively. “You’re not coming to my apartment.”

“Let’s talk here, then.”

“Talk about what?”

“The offer that I’m about to put on the table.”

“God, I’m gonna need caffeine for this.” He stood up to order an iced vanilla latte. Since he worked there, he became an expert in making all kinds of drinks with coffee, and he ended up getting tired of all of them, except his iced vanilla latte. Hiro was good at making it, but not as good as him.

“Great idea. I’ll take an iced coffee with milk.” Yoongi didn’t answer him, he just stared at him. Was this dude being serious? “Don’t worry, I’m paying for it.” He said while taking his wallet out of his back pocket. “Pay for your drink, too.”

“If you said that thinking I was going to decline, you’re very much wrong.” He replied taking his wallet and walking away to order the drinks. While he was there, he took the opportunity to check what was in it. A couple of hundreds, some credit cards in his name, a picture of his dogs. He guessed he wasn’t lying when he said he loved them.

“Before I tell you my offer, I have to ask you something.” Hoseok said as soon as Yoongi came back with the drinks.

“What?”

“You have to be honest.” Yoongi nodded, taking a sip of his drink. “How important were you to him?”

“Excuse me?”

“You heard me.”

“Huh. Well, I used to think I was at the top of his list. We did everything together, you know? In high school we always grouped together for anything that required two people, we went to prom together, I even accompanied him to those stupid football presentation games and dances.” He rolled his eyes. “I was his number one, but now…” He was reminiscing about the good all days, he could’ve gotten lost in the memories if it wasn’t for Hoseok coughing. Yoongi got grounded again, remembering who he was with. “Why? What do you want?”

“I want you to be my date to my stupid football presentation.”

“Did you hit your head?”

“I’m completely lucid, Yoongi.”

“Why me?”

“Because of Jungkook.”

“Yes, you want to make him mad. But why, or how?”

“It’s my last season playing for Pennymoore, so I really want to... I need to win the championship. It’ll be easier if the quarterback of the opposite team is distracted.”

“You think Jungkook would be so affected by us going on a date that he would lose a whole season?” He shook his head. “That’s not gonna happen. He’s good, I know you know that since you’re asking me to do this. He will be mad, maybe he’ll feel a little betrayed, but it won’t affect his game.”

“Maybe it will. You were important to him. His number one.”

“You think I have more power than what I really have.”

“I think you have the perfect amount of power.”

“How do you know your little plan will work?”

“I don’t, but aren’t you curious to find out?” Hoseok was staring at him, paying attention to his reaction. “Don’t you want to see what he does when he sees you with me? How he reacts, to see if he demands an explanation, if he feels something at all.” Yoongi felt his strings being pulled. He knew what the other was doing, he wasn’t being sleek, but Yoongi didn’t think that was his aim. He told him exactly what he needed to be interested. He threw the perfect hook and Yoongi took a bite right away.

“I can’t do that to him.” Yoongi said, instead.

“He threw away all your years of friendship just because you liked him.” He came closer to him, looking him straight in the eye. “You don’t owe him anything.”

“I know, but to do something that might harm him... I don’t know, I don’t think I’m capable.”

He backed up, returning to his previous position. “Okay, I’ll let you think about it. The presentation is still in a couple of days, I won’t pressure you to make a decision now.”

“Thank you, how kind.”

“But do think about it, Yoongi.”

“I will.”

“I guess I should be going then. Oh, but give me your phone number first, so I don’t have to follow you here anymore.” Yoongi hesitated, making it very obvious that he didn’t want to do it. Hoseok scoffed. “Or I’ll give you my number and you can text me when you make a decision.”

“That’d be great.” Hoseok grabbed a pen from Yoongi’s satchel and wrote his number on his paper cup.

“You better add my contact as Jay.”

“You know I won’t, Hoseok.”

“Fine.” He got up to leave, but before doing so he approached him, and very close to his face he said. “Think about it.” Yoongi nodded, unable to say anything. Hoseok nodded back at him and left the cafeteria without looking back.

With his departure everything became silent, which allowed Yoongi to digest everything he told him.

His mind was divided. He knew that it was not morally correct to accept. Jungkook may have thrown away their friendship, but he couldn’t forget it existed. He couldn’t just erase his feelings and all the memories that he had with him.

He still loved him even if Jungkook didn’t love him back.

But because he loved him, he had to know how he would react if he saw him with someone else. And it wasn’t like it would be with just anyone. Hoseok wasn’t just a random guy he had never seen in his life. Hoseok got a reaction out of him like he had never seen before, so of course he was curious to know what would happen.

But was his intrigue stronger than his morality?

Good thing that he had a couple of days to think about it, because that moment he wasn’t sure he could make a decision that he wouldn’t regret later.

Chapter Text

Five days went by before Yoongi texted him. A few things happened in between that helped him with his decision and by Sunday he was ready to give him an answer.

Yoongi: hello moron

Hoe-seok: hello yoongi

Hoe-seok: nice to hear from you

Hoe-seok: and before you ask, of course i know it’s you

Hoe-seok: no one in my life disrespects me as much to call me a moron first thing in the morning

Yoongi: huh

Yoongi: i’ve become too predictable for you and this is our third time talking

Yoongi: anyway

Yoongi: i’ve made a decision about your little proposal

Hoe-seok: i already know what you chose

Hoe-seok: but i’ll let you give me the speech you have planned

Yoongi: right

Yoongi: well, my answer is no

Hoe-seok:  ...

Hoe-seok:  really?

Yoongi: yes

Yoongi: i’m gonna have to decline

Hoe-seok: why?

Yoongi: i’m just repulsed by the idea of dating you

Hoe-seok: ha, ha

Hoe-seok: very funny

Yoongi didn’t reply immediately on purpose. A few minutes went by before he texted him again. 

Hoe-seok: wait, are you being for real?

Yoongi: i’m just messing with you

Yoongi: my answer is yes

Yoongi: so please stop acting like you know what i’m gonna do

Hoe-seok: see?

Hoe-seok: not too predictable for me

Yoongi: but you knew i’d say yes

Hoe-seok: i didn’t

Hoe-seok: but i was hoping you would

Yoongi didn’t know what to reply. He felt like he said what he had to say, but he waited to see if Hoseok wanted to add something. After a few minutes of no answer, he left his phone in the bedside table with Spotify playing his ‘clean your room you messy bitch’ playlist. He had clothes lying everywhere on the floor, in his chair and desk, even on top of his bed. His room was a mess and Sunday in the afternoon was the perfect moment to clean it.

His playlist consisted of women’s songs from the 2000s and some contemporary. A little bit of Britney, Destiny’s Child and Beyonce, Megan Thee Stallion, The Spice Girls, among others. Although many of the artists he liked were men, he had always said that women made better music. It wasn’t an opinion, it was a fact.

It took a while (about an hour) but he did it. His room looked a little bit better than before, and that was enough for him. He looked at his laundry basket, that was overflowing with dirty clothes, and realized that he had to do the laundry now. Damn, he can never catch a break.

He picked up his phone again, deciding he deserved to check Twitter before continuing, and he discovered he had three missing calls from Hoseok. He was about to call back, but he did it first.

“Why are you calling me?” Yoongi asked as soon as he responded.

“I wanted to hear your voice.”

“Say shit like that again and I’ll hang up.”

He laughed. “Have a little sense of humor, Yoongi.”

“I have, but you don’t like it.”

“We’ll work on it.”

“Sure, so why are you calling me?”

“I was curious.”

“About?”

“What made you say yes?”

“Well, you did some of the job.” He could see him smiling at that. “You can pat yourself in the back.”

“Already doing it.”

“But something happened last night that sealed the deal.”

“Hm, I’m intrigued.”

“I went to the cafeteria again to pick up a package–”

“Why are you picking up mail there?” He interrupted.

“Oh, I used to work there. Anyway–”

“And you haven’t changed your address?”

“Dude, this is not important.”

“I’m curious, I want to know.”

“My Nana still thinks I work there, okay? I can’t tell her I quit, or she’ll be so disappointed.”

“Ah, I see. So you went to pick a package, what happened then?”

“I have a friend that still works there, Hiro. He’s very sweet, he’d totally hate you. He’s good friends with Jungkook, so when he went to grab some coffee, Hiro told him that he saw us together and that you gave me your number... And he totally freaked out!”

“Ha, I knew it.”

“Yeah, yeah, you were right. I mean, he didn’t lose his shit. Hiro said he was more like confused as to why I’d accept your number, but that’s good, that means that it’ll make sense when he sees us together at the presentation.”

“Oh, it won’t make sense, which will only make him go insane. He’s gonna ask you for an explanation.”

“Yeah, you’re right… What should I say?”

“That you’re in love with me, you always have been.”

Yoongi laughed. “He’s not gonna believe that.”

“It’s totally believable! I’m a stud.” Yoongi laughed again, which only made him gasp. “Yoongi, say I’m a stud.”

“Dude you’re a stud.” He kept laughing. “But you’re just not my type. He knows me, he knows I wouldn’t be in love with you.”

“Fine, but what about attracted? Would you be attracted to me?”

“Hmmm.” He pretended to give it a thought. The answer was yes, obviously. Hoseok didn’t have to be his type for him to find him incredibly handsome, because he was. He might even be in his Top 5 of “Best Faces I’ve Ever Seen In My Life” list. But he couldn’t tell that to him, or ever let him find out. He was cocky enough already. “Sure, I could be attracted to you.”

“I don’t like that you thought about it so much, but thanks.”

“You’re welcome… Would you be attracted to me?”

“Yoongi, I think you’re very sexy.”

“Are you being honest or are you playing?”

“A little bit of both.”

“Elaborate.”

“I think you’re attractive in a dirty kinda way.”

“Oh my God, stop elaborating. I don’t even wanna know what you mean.”

“It’s a good thing.”

“You’re calling me dirty.”

“No! Well…”

“Hoseok, shut up.” He was laughing uncontrollably. From the few times they had spoken, Yoongi could tell that he would never be able to tell when he was being truthful or when he was being playful. It surprised him to find out they were a little alike.

“Sorry, sorry. Hey, by the way, are you in your apartment?”

“Yeah, I was cleaning my room when you interrupted.”

“Okay, good. I’ll be there in ten minutes.”

“What? No, you won’t. You can’t just go to someone’s house unannounced.”

“That’s why I’m telling you right now.”

“Dude, I haven’t even showered today.”

“I don’t mind.”

“You don’t mind that I’m smelly and sweaty?”

“Yoongi, are you trying to seduce me?”

“Oh yeah. I hope you like my greasy hair and unwashed t-shirt.”

“Is that all you’re wearing?”

“Stop you idiot, or I’ll hang up.”

“I’m kidding, but I am coming to your apartment.”

“Fine. When you get here ring the doorbell and I’ll let you in.”

“Great. See ya.”

He finished picking up his room and took the opportunity to put on some shorts, because it was true that he was only wearing his dirty shirt and some boxers. He tied up his hair so it wouldn’t look so dirty and went to the bathroom to wash his face and brush his teeth. He might not have minded that he looked lazy, but he did have his vanity that prevented him from letting a man see him so scruffy. Also, he had in mind that Hoseok called him “attractive in a dirty way.” If he saw him like that, he was gonna keep that image in his mind.

Five minutes later and the bell rang, letting him know that he was outside the building. Yoongi opened the apartment door to wait for him, just to see him going up the stairs. Hoseok was wearing a white t-shirt that looked big on him and some black washed jeans, black converse and a black cap was covering his dark hair. He looked upsettingly good.

“You’re so obsessed with me.” Yoongi said as soon as they saw each other.

“You wish.”

“What’s that?” He said pointing at the plastic bag he was caring.

“I didn’t come empty handed, I brought Chinese food.” Yoongi couldn’t look at himself, but he knew his eyes started to glisten. “I didn’t know what you like so I ordered a little bit of everything.”

“Spring rolls?”

“Yes.”

“Fine, you’re welcome in my home.”

He left the door open to let him in first, then closed the door behind himself. He directed him to his room since he didn’t want Jimin to see him there and start imagining things.

Being the nosy guy he said he was, Hoseok started snooping through his stuff.

Yoongi had a lot of posters of things he loved hanging on his wall: movies, musicians, famous paintings, photos of places he’d like to visit someday. There were some plants in the corners of his room that were still alive, others that were barely green anymore. Above his desk he had some disco balls hanging since the sun reflected off them first thing in the morning. His set of pillows were lying on the floor, along with some teddy bears he brought from home.

Now that there was someone new in his room for the first time in a while, he could notice details that were already invisible to his eyes. He wondered what Hoseok thought about it.

“Can we start eating or are you going to inspect my room all evening?” Yoongi asked, breaking Hoseok’s concentration on the fish tank with his only fish, Flo.

“Sure, let’s eat.”

They sat down to eat on top of the pillows. He had about seventeen of them but they never went on top of the bed since he spent a lot of time laying on it and it would be a waste of time to get them up and down. He bought one every time he was at a thrift store because he found them flashy and because he could, simply as that. It was great to have adult money.

In the middle of taking a bite of a shrimp, Yoongi decided to start talking.

“Are you gonna tell me why you are here?”

“To talk to you.”

“We were talking.”

“Yeah, but I don’t like texting, or talking on the phone. I prefer face to face conversations.”

“So you drove one hour and a half.”

“Hm hmm.” He took a bite out of a piece of orange chicken. 

“I take you like driving.”

“I enjoy it a normal amount.” Yoongi stared at him so he could correct himself. “A little bit more that a normal amount.”

“You’re weird and invasive, but at least you bring food.”

“Does that mean I can come over any time I want if I bring food?”

“You’d have to let me know first, but sure, you can come over if you bring food. But only while we do this little experiment.”

“Yes, the experiment. That’s why I’m here, so we can talk about it.”

“Cool, so tell me your genius plan.”

“You know what the presentation is about, right?”

“Yes, I’ve been there before.”

“Great, so you know you just have to be in the bleachers with the other dates and when we get our uniforms you have to give it to me.”

Yoongi nodded. “I know what I have to do, but I don’t why. Why do the dates do it? Why not the coach?”

“Hm, I don’t know. To motivate us I guess.”

“Okay, follow up question. You know Jungkook’s not going to be there, right? He’s not going to see us.”

“But he’s going to see the pictures. I assure you he’s going to text you as soon as the ceremony is over.”

“And if he doesn’t?”

“Then the little experiment will be a failure.”

“And if it works?”

“I imagine you know it won’t be a one-time thing, right?”

“Yeah, I imagined that.”

“If it works, you’d have to be my date to the Ball.”

“The Ball?” He stopped in the middle of picking up a shrimp with his chopsticks. “You mean the one at the end of the semester?”

“The end of the semester and the end of the season, yes.”

“That long?”

He huffed. “I’m sorry, do you have someone better to fake date?”

“I might have someone to real date.”

“Do you?”

“No, but I could.”

“It’s just five months. If you have needs, we can satisfy each other.”

Yoongi gagged, pushing the food away from him. “Oh, don’t say that. You’re gonna make me throw up.”

“You’d be so lucky.” He answered clearly offended. “Many people have told me I’m the best they’ve ever had.”

“Seriously dude, I feel the spring rolls at the top of my throat.”

“Fine. We’ll cross that bridge when we get there.”

“If we get there.”

“Do you have any other question?”

“Yes.” He put his chopsticks aside and looked at him closely. “Why are you actually doing this?”

“What do you mean?”

“You want to win the season, yes, I understand. But there has to be something else.”

He shrugged. “It’s as simple as that.”

“I’m not gonna do this if you’re not honest.”

“Yoongi, I’m telling you the truth.” Hoseok said looking at him, his eyes not wavering at all.

“Okay, fine.”

“That’s it? You trust me?”

“It’s not that I trust you, but I’m deciding to believe you.”

“Why are you doing this?” He asked, putting an emphasis on ‘you’.

“I just want to know if he’ll care.”

“You know he will. You want to know if he’s going to be jealous, if maybe he feels something else.”

Yoongi didn’t say anything because he was right. He wanted to test him, he wanted to see how far he would go with it. Jungkook was his best friend and he knew him more than anyone in his life, so he knew exactly how he would react first.

He would think Yoongi was a traitor, that he was dating the one person in the world he didn’t like. He was going to be confused, wondering what he could have seen in someone like Hoseok. He was going to be angry and disappointed.

But when he gets over all that, what then? What was he going to feel when he stopped to think? Would he be jealous? Would he be curious to know what they did when they were alone? Would he regret taking him out of his life?

Yoongi wanted him to, that was why he was doing it.

“If you’re doing it for that reason, I’m not gonna judge you.” Hoseok added after seeing him go blank.

“Curiosity is not a good reason.”

“But it’s a great one. Look, Yoongi, I don’t know you very well yet, but I can tell that you’re not a bad person. You might be weird, but not bad.”

“Weird?” Yoongi said smiling weakly.

“I mean that as a compliment.”

“So I’m dirty and weird to you.”

“And I’m douchey and arrogant to you.”

“We make a great couple.”

He smiled, appreciating the comment. “I think we will.”

After a while Hoseok helped him pick up the trash and promised to take it out when he left.

They stayed talking in the doorway of the apartment for about twenty minutes until he decided it was time to go. Yoongi thanked him again for the food and Hoseok told him he would be back one of these days with more, this time with something different.

Later that night, while lying in his bed, Yoongi realized that he had a good feeling inside, that he was comfortable and even somewhat happy. He had a good time, the best he had in a while.

It was weird to admit it, but he didn’t dislike Hoseok as much as he thought he did.

Yeah, he didn’t dislike him at all.

🌹☀️

One week later.

It was a Monday morning.

Yoongi had woken up late and almost didn’t make it to his first class.

He hadn’t had time to have breakfast

He didn’t even had coffee.

He was as tired as he was that time he didn’t sleep for twenty-four hours straight to finish a project.

And yet, sitting in class, his mind was more active than ever (for all the wrong reasons).

If everything went well on the football presentation, that was, if Jungkook got mad and asked him for an explanation the way they think he would, Yoongi was going to be dating Hoseok for five months.

Well, “dating”.

He was going to have to do everything a good public boyfriend would do: go to his games, accompany him to parties, hang out with his friends, stay at his apartment, kiss him and show affection in public... A shiver ran down his spine.

In the excitement of thinking about what Jungkook would do or say, he hadn’t stopped to think about himself, or Hoseok.

Yoongi didn’t even know what he really thought of him.

He didn’t like him because Jungkook didn’t like him. He formed an opinion of him based on what he saw in the games: that he made a lot of trouble for his best friend and that he had fun making him angry. Then Yoongi listened to what others had to say about him: that he was a flirt, that he was arrogant, a jerk, but at the same time he was extremely charming, a born leader, a great player.

Now that he was getting to know him, he thought Hoseok was… quirky. He understood the points of view of the people that admired him and those who hated him. He was conceited and liked to call himself handsome way too much (because he was), but he was actually very nice and even somewhat funny.

They had a similar sense of humor, liking to annoy each other. They were in a competition to see who could surprise the other the most. Hoseok pretended to flirt with him, Yoongi pretended that he disgusted him. He thought that neither of them really felt that way, but it was a fun dynamic to have.

Yoongi didn’t see him as a friend yet, he thought that they were acquaintances who were hatching an evil plan together, or as Hoseok referred to it: a big game of pretend. So he kept in mind that it was all a big charade that involved being intimate with a person he didn’t know well. Should be easy, right?

Maybe he wasn’t the best actor, but how hard could it be? He knew that he could’ve been involved in this with someone much worse than Hoseok. Someone boring, without character, or without any physical attractiveness.

If Yoongi were directing a movie, he’d choose the alpha to be his co-star. Not for anything personal, but because he knew he could keep things professional with him. They weren’t friends, after all, but he was not opposed to the idea of getting to know him. He really wanted this to work, and to make it look realistic he needed to spend time with him. It was surprising to find that he was excited about that part.

Without realizing it, the class ended and he had spent the whole time thinking about Hoseok.

It wasn’t Yoongi’s fault since he had been receiving messages from him the entire time. Didn’t he have classes?

Hm. Now that he thought about it, he didn’t even know what the other was studying.

He decided to text him to ask.

Yoongi: hey moron

Yoongi: what are you majoring in?

Yoongi: i never asked you

Hoe-seok: so glad you’re interested in me <3

Hoe-seok: i’m majoring in architectural engineering

Hoe-seok: how about you?

Hoe-seok: WAIT

Hoe-seok: don’t tell me

Hoe-seok: let me guess

Hoe-seok: something in art, right?

Yoongi: maybe…

Yoongi: what makes you think that?

Hoe-seok: i’ve seen your room

Hoe-seok: and the way you dress

Yoongi: what’s wrong with my clothes?

Hoe-seok: nothing!

Hoe-seok: you’re like the male version of phoebe from friends

Yoongi: ah, is that why you call me weird?

Hoe-seok: yes

Hoe-seok: so you see that it is in an endearing way, right?

Yoongi: sure

Hoe-seok: so?

Hoe-seok: was i right?

Yoongi: yes, actually

Yoongi: i’m majoring in art history

Hoe-seok: cool

Hoe-seok: that’s very you

Yoongi: thanks?

Hoe-seok: you’re welcome

Hoe-seok: so, yoongi…

Yoongi: yes?

Hoe-seok: what else should i know about you?

Yoongi: i don’t know…

Yoongi: ask me whatever you want

Hoe-seok: okay then…

Yoongi: NOTHING DIRTY

Hoe-seok: fine

Hoe-seok: i have an idea

Hoe-seok: we should make a list of things that we should know about each other

Yoongi: like allergies or type of blood?

Hoe-seok: i was thinking about favorite movies and favorite foods

Hoe-seok: but sure

Hoe-seok: you can tell me about your medical history

Yoongi: i have hemorrhoids

Yoongi: so you will have to put some creams on my ass

Hoe-seok: you think i wouldn’t do it?

Yoongi: it’s not very sexy…

Hoe-seok: then i’m out

Yoongi: >:(

Hoe-seok: as much as i would love to keep talking about your ass

Hoe-seok: i have to leave

Hoe-seok: my class is starting now

Hoe-seok: but i’m expecting your list on sunday

Yoongi: are you really coming over again?

Hoe-seok: you said as long as i brought food i was welcome

Yoongi: fine

Yoongi: fyi i like mexican

Hoe-seok: got it

Hoe-seok: see you then

Yoongi: now pay attention dummy

Yoongi: and don’t think about my hemorrhoid ass

Hoe-seok: great

Hoe-seok: thanks for the image

Yoongi: ( ˘ ³˘)

“Why are you smiling?”

Yoongi was in the cafeteria in his usual spot. He liked to go there after classes to unwind and grab something to drink before heading home, and right now he needed somewhere quiet where he could talk to Hoseok. He was so concentrated that he didn’t notice when someone sat next to him.

“Oh my God Hiro, you scared me.”

“Sorry. I saw you were focused on your phone and didn’t want to interrupt.”

“So it was better to scare me?”

“Yes.”

“Don’t you have work?”

“I’m on my break.”

“No, he is not.” Wendy, another barista, said while looking in their direction. She wasn’t so fond of them since they would always go to the back to gossip even if there were clients in the cafeteria. Well, at least she couldn’t say anything to Yoongi now that he didn’t work there. 

“There’s no one here.” Hiro replied to her, then looked back at Yoongi. “Anyway, are you gonna tell me what the hell is going on?”

“With what?”

“With you and Jay.”

He rolled his eyes. “There’s nothing going on between me and him.”

“Really? Because I heard that you guys were fighting at Vernon’s party and you stormed off, so he went after you and then neither of you came back.” Is that what it looked like? How interesting. “Don’t forget I saw him giving you his phone number, so there’s definitely something going on.”

“We’re talking, yes.”

“Why? Don’t you remember that Jungkook hates him?”

“Of course I do.”

“Is that why you’re doing it? To piss him off?”

Well yes, but it wasn’t exactly the way he thought.

“I’m not doing anything Hiro.”

“Just admit it.”

“Fine. We’re hanging out, and that’s it.”

“How the hell did that happen?”

That was a great question that he needed an answer for when Jungkook asked him.

Jungkook knew him better than anyone else on the planet. If he told him that ‘it just happened’ he wasn’t going to believe him. He needed to craft the perfect lie. Otherwise, he was going to think that he was doing it because he was petty... which wasn’t entirely wrong.

So how did they happen?

He could say that Hoseok had been talking to him for months, but no. Hiro knew that he just asked him for his number.

He needed to think about something good, something hard to deny, something easy to believe, but what?

He couldn’t think about anything good, so right now he just said.

“It’s private Hiro, and it’s still pretty fresh. I don’t even know if this is going anywhere.”

“Fine. You can tell me when you’re ready.” He stood up to leave, but then just sat back immediately. “Just tell me one thing.”

“What?”

“Is he a good kisser?”

Welp. He didn’t know yet, but he imagined he was. He had the lips to be. 

“Oh yeah, he’s pretty good.”

“That explains it.” He said laughing. “Well, I’ll leave you so you can keep texting him. I have to go back to work.”

That would explain it, wouldn’t it?

Hiro unexpectedly gave him an idea for the perfect lie.

Chapter Text

“I’m gonna tell Jungkook that we slept together.”

It was Sunday in the afternoon and Hoseok had appeared again in his front door with food in his hands, just as he promised. Yoongi took him to his room so Jimin wouldn’t notice him, locking the door after themselves, and to hide his voice he let a movie play in his laptop at full volume.

He finished eating before Hoseok did, so he continued to do his chores, like folding the laundry. Hoseok was eating a giant burrito, sprawled on his pillow floor, watching him move around his room.

“Was I good?” He asked while he was chewing his food.

“Hmmm, you were adequate. I was definitely better.”

“No, you have to tell him that I was really good.”

He frowned with amusement. “Why?”

“If I was bad, why would you go out with me?”

“I guess you’re right. It’d make more sense for me to like you for sex than your personality.”

“I know you like me for me.”

“I do think you’re funny, I’ll give you that.” Hoseok smiled at him, clearly proud of himself.

He kept folding his clothes as Hoseok finished his burrito, making a ball out of the aluminum foil and throwing it into the trash can across the room. He scored, but he didn’t look smug about it, making it seem like he was used to it. Yoongi rolled his eyes.

After he shook his hands to remove the crumbs from them, he laid back in the pillows with his arms behind his head, still just staring at Yoongi like he needed to say something.

“Yoongi?” He finally said after minutes of silently watching.

“Yeah?” He responded without looking at him, concentrated on his tasks.

“Can I ask you something?”

“You’ll do it anyway, so sure.” He noticed that Hoseok was uncomfortable, almost hesitating to talk. “Dude, what?”

“Are you... you know?” Yoongi frowned, letting him know that he didn’t know. “A virgin?” Yoongi laughed, which took him by surprise.

“Do I look like one?” He asked, suddenly in a good humor.

“I don’t know, that’s why I ask!”

“No dude, I’m not a virgin.”

“Did you and Jungkook ever...?”

“No, or we would be together right now. Trust me, I’m that good.”

“Noted.” He fought the little smile he got on his face. “So when did you lost it?”

“I had a little boyfriend back in high school. He was kind of a bad boy, with long dark hair and he wore a leather jacket, he painted his nails, he read a lot of poetry and painted the lockers with a can of black paint. A catch, clearly.”

“So the opposite of me.”

“Yeah.”

“Or Jungkook.”

“I guess.”

“Do you like them young?”

He chuckled with confusion, puzzled by that question. “What do you mean?”

“You said you had a little boyfriend.”

“Oh no, he was older but shorter than me.”

“Ah. You’re cruel.” He gave him a sideways smile.

“How old are you?” Yoongi asked, suddenly curious.

“I’m 20.”

“You’re 20?” He stopped in his tracks.

“Yeah. How old are you?”

“I’m 22.”

“I can see that.” Yoongi threw one of his recently washed socks at him, missing completely. 

“How are you almost graduating at 20? Are you some kind of genius or something?”

“Yeah, actually. I graduated high school at 16.”

“Wait, really?”

“Why are you surprised? Did you think I was dumb?” Yoongi didn’t say anything, so he threw the sock back at him, hitting him in the face. “Hey, I’m offended.”

“I didn’t even say anything.”

“But you thought so.”

“You thought I was a virgin.”

“We’re even then.”

“So you’re telling me you’re athletic, attractive and now smart? It’s kinda hard to believe.”

He gasped, straightening up. “You think I’m attractive.”

“Everyone thinks that.”

“But I thought you didn’t.”

“Does it matter?”

“Yeah. With the way you talk to me, you make me think that I’m ugly.”

“Please, like someone could make you feel ugly.”

“True. I just thought you had bad taste.” He stood up from the floor to lay in his now available bed. “So, when was the last time you had sex?” He hit him with another question.

“Why are you so curious about my sex life?”

“I don’t know. To get to know you, I guess.”

“The last time... like three months ago.”

“Weren’t you in love with Jungkook back then?”

“Yeah, I was. So?”

“I don’t know. I thought that maybe you didn’t have sex if you were in love with someone else.”

“Why? Because omegas only have sex if they have feelings?” Yoongi teased, putting his hands on his hips.

“That’s not what I’m saying.”

“I have sex because I enjoy it. I don’t have to have feelings to do so.” He stood in his place trying to remember. “I don’t think I’ve ever had sex with someone I’ve been in love with, actually.” He came to the sudden realization of that. He wasn’t even in love with his punk little boyfriend when he slept with him. “What about you?”

“Hm?”

“When did you lose your virginity?”

“Uh, I was 17.”

“So in college?”

“Yeah.”

“Surprising.”

“I wasn’t that attractive in high school.”

“I doubt that.”

“I had acne and brackets.”

“Dude, that doesn’t make you unattractive.”

“Would you have liked me?”

“I don’t know. What were you like in high school? Were you the jock that people followed around?”

“I was an athlete, just not a popular one.”

Yoongi stopped to look at him, to really look at him. “You were a nerd, weren’t you? I can totally see that.”

“I did graduate at 16.”

“A nerd that got hot in college.” The thought of that made him smile. “It makes sense.”

“I got hot in my senior year, actually. After I presented.”

“Oh. You presented at 15?” Hoseok nodded. “What was that like?”

“Uh, it was weird. And mostly a surprise. No one, not even me, expected that to happen.”

“To present so young?”

“Yup, and much less that I would present as an alpha.”

Yoongi sat next to him on the bed, intrigued by his story. “Were you expecting to be a beta?”

“Yes, actually. I was much different then.” He took a breath, looking downcast. “What were you like in high school?”

“Pretty much the same. I was a loner, I didn’t have many friends. Just Jungkook.”

“Really? You’re kinda cool to hang out with.”

“Thank you.”

“I think we would’ve been friends.”

“Maybe, but we would’ve had a fight when you got hot and popular. I wouldn’t have liked you then.”

“But you like me now.”

“Because you’re not hot and popular to me. You’re just a dude that keeps following me around.”

“But you do like me.”

“I tolerate you.”

“Yeah sure. You can tell that to yourself if it makes you feel better.” He smirked, clearly not believing him.

After finishing his chores, Yoongi laid down on the bed next to Hoseok to finish the movie they were watching, even though he hadn’t paid attention to it until now. It was an old movie he had seen thousands of times, so he knew immediately what part they were at. It was almost the end; the protagonists had gone their separate ways, since everything had gone wrong. The boy was alone at the airport, crying from exhaustion after a difficult flight.

Yoongi really liked the ending. He couldn’t really explained why, it just felt like magic. Especially that last line that closed the film, because he also loved everything about music.

“Yoongi?” Hoseok called. He straightened, tearing his gaze away from the screen to look at him. “I was curious.”

“About?”

“What else do you know about me?”

“Not much, almost nothing if I’m being honest.”

Hoseok nodded. “Do you know why they call me Jay?”

Yoongi smiled. “I do, actually. I’ve heard the story. They used to call your father ‘Jack’ when he played football, because he was a ‘Jack of all trades’. Now they call you Jay, short of it. A legacy name.”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

“Is there more to it?”

“Not really. At least not about that.”

“What do you mean?”

“You were right when you said that it was a douchey name.” Oh? That got Yoongi’s attention. “I completely understand, it really is. But I like it. I feel like I earned it.”

Yoongi didn’t know what to say. He was surprised by his confession.

“I was a nerd in high school, but I was good in sports. No one noticed it because I wasn’t tall or strong, but I still worked hard for it. And sure, it helped a lot when I presented. I was suddenly stronger and faster, so people started to notice me. But I was good from the beginning, becoming an alpha just gave me the spotlight.”

“So you wouldn’t have been called after your father if it wasn’t for it?”

“If I wasn’t an alpha, yeah.”

“I get it now, it’s a good name and it’s important to you. But would you be mad at me if I still want to call you Hoseok?”

He shook his head. “Not at all. I actually like it somehow. You’re the only person in here that still calls me that, so it reminds me of home.”

“Then Hoseok it is.”

As the credits rolled, Yoongi closed the laptop and walked Hoseok out the front door. Jimin’s door was open, which meant he was out.

Yoongi took the opportunity to talk to him a little bit more. He was leaning against the frame as Hoseok was already outside the apartment with his hands in his pockets, looking a little bit tired.

“You should get going. You have to drive for an hour and you look like you’ll fall asleep if I stop talking.”

“Yeah, you’re right.” He turned around to leave, but suddenly came back with more energy, looking at him with panic. “Wait, you didn’t give me your list.” He said like a little boy, frantic with his eyes wide open.

Yoongi went back to his room to grab the paper that was folded in four on top of his desk and came back to give it to him. He put his hand with the paper on it in his chest. “Here. Don’t let anyone see it.”

Hoseok grabbed his hand and left it there a second, then smoothly took the paper out. “Top secret.”

He took his list from the pocket of his grey sweatpants and he gave it to him carefully, as if it were something delicate and precious.

“When I finish reading it I will give you my feedback.” Yoongi said, looking at him teasingly.

“You’ll tell me if you approve of my tastes?”

“Oh yeah.”

“Then I’ll do the same.”

“Don’t worry, my tastes are perfect. You won’t have a single complain.”

“We’ll see.” He walked away but before he left, he stopped on the stairs to look at him. “Goodnight, Yoongi.”

“Goodnight Hoseok.”

🌹☀️

Here’s a few things that Yoongi learned about Hoseok from his list.

1. He was a nerd, like an actual nerd. He knew he already found that out, but after reading that his favorite movie was The Lord of the Rings (all three of them since he couldn’t choose one), he knew he was one. He might have lost the glasses and the ponytail, but he was still the nerdy girl of the movie.
2. He was kinda a loser, too. People overlooked that since they got distracted by his handsome face and banging body, but his favorite subjects in school were math and physics. And he was good at them, like very good. Yoongi might’ve just been jealous.
3. His favorite food since childhood was his mother’s bibimbap. He was kind enough to offer to cook it for Yoongi some time, which he’d accept because he couldn’t cook to save his life (thing that he let him know in his own list).
4. He believed in ghosts. That was it. He didn’t elaborate or explained why. He just said that he believed in them.
5. His childhood crush was Prince Zuko, from Avatar: The Last Airbender, which was perfectly understandable. Was it possible that there was someone who had seen that cartoon and hadn’t felt anything for him?
6. He liked to listen to rap. It wasn’t really a surprise, it was always Kendrick, Eminem, J. Cole… Well, actually Yoongi thought that Hoseok liked his ‘It Girls’ playlist. The other night he was singing along to WAP.
7. He had three golden retrievers (which he already knew) that he named after (oh God) videogame characters: Link, Daisy and Sora.
8. He liked videogames… Let’s move on.
9. He was allergic to bees stings, so he asked Yoongi to keep him away from gardens while they “dated”.
10. After reading his list, Yoongi felt a little attracted to him.

Chapter Text

Friday. D-Day.

The presentation was today and Yoongi just finished getting ready. Hoseok was on his way to pick him up, so he was waiting for him in his room, laying on his bed. He was trying to distract himself reading a book for his Art of Imperial China class.

It was pretty good. In another time he would’ve finished it in one sitting, but at that moment he couldn’t concentrate at all. He had to admit, he was a little bit nervous. Today would be the first test of the experiment and he really needed it to go okay. He wasn’t expecting good, 'just okay' was enough for him.

Today he was seeing Jungkook again. He was going to be at the party that the Golden Knights were throwing after the Uniform Presentation Ceremony, as Hoseok informed him. He was going to be there to see them with his own eyes. Yoongi needed him to take the bait and get mad, to go crazy. If he was being honest with himself, he wouldn’t mind if he screamed at him. It would show that it affected him. That Yoongi affected him. He wanted him to realize that he made a mistake, that he made the wrong choice. Yoongi wanted him, overall, to ask for his forgiveness. If he gave it to him or not was still undecided, he just wanted him to say it.

Today he was also going to kiss Hoseok for the first time. A few days ago Hoseok sent him a text to ask him if he was okay with it. He said yes because he genuinely was. It was just a kiss, it didn’t matter. Not every kiss had to be about feelings or love, it could be fun and meaningless. It could also be a lie or an act.

Yoongi was an adult, he wasn’t going to fall in love with a kiss. It didn’t matter how good it was. But he was nervous because it had to be convincing. They had to look madly in lust, to convey that they were actually having sex. How were they going to get that?

Hoseok arrived just in time to pick him up, stopping Yoongi from overthinking things. On the way to the university, they chatted briefly about their expectations for that evening, but then they talked about the song playing on the radio, about Hoseok’s friends, and the food they’d like to try another day: simple things to keep Yoongi from getting nervous.

Walking towards the football field, Yoongi admired the buildings. He had been to the University of Pennymoore a couple of times before, when Jungkook had games and he would go see him. He had always thought it was a pretentious university, with its tall Gothic buildings with dark stone facades that were partly covered in ivy, adorned with pinnacles and gargoyles, with its thin stained-glass windows that filtered the light, projecting onto the marble floors. It was just too much, in Yoongi’s opinion. He could see the competition that existed years ago, wanting to look bigger, to be more sacred. He was glad he hadn’t experienced that, it would have been very annoying.

But the painted ceilings inside were beautiful. It was the sky itself painted in the warmest blue and the brightest stars and constellations, with a golden metal statue of the university’s emblem, a shining sun, descending from the dome in the middle of the long corridors.

So whenever Yoongi set foot on Pennymoore grounds, he had to take a little tour of the campus and admire the art. No wonder they were so conceited, attending classes with the sky brought down for them.

🌹☀️

The presentation went incredibly well.

Before it started, Hoseok introduced him to his friends. He said, and he quoted, “hey guys, this is Min Yoongi, the guy I’ve been talking about”. Curiosity hit him. What exactly had he been telling them? All good things, he hoped.

One of his closest friends, Kim Namjoon, almost lifted Yoongi up his feet with a hug. He recognized him from the games: he always had a tough face that matched with his rough exterior, but he was so different outside the field. He looked like a teddy bear and had the kindest smile ever, not to mention he was a very tight hugger. Yoongi liked him. The rest of his friends weren’t as warm as him. One of them asked him (or more like accused him) “aren’t you Jungkook’s guy?”, to which Hoseok was quick to respond, “no man, they were just buddies”. Still, they didn’t make him feel so welcomed.

The ceremony started and the coach led with some motivational speech, talking kindly about the seniors and how proud he was of them. He talked about Hoseok and how he was an ace, a ‘jack of all trades’, perfect in anything he tried. Yoongi stared at Hoseok until he noticed him, just to mouth the word ‘nerd’ to him, making him smile.

Then it was his turn to stand in the field with the rest of the dates. There were mostly guys and girls around his age, but he could see like two moms, or older women who he hoped were moms. It made him wonder who Hoseok’s previous dates were. It was probably his mom or some banging omega like the one from the party.

Yoongi handed Hoseok the black and gold jersey, told him what the coach asked him to repeat, and gave him a kiss on the forehead, since the other couples kissed on the mouth, on the cheek, or gave each other a hug. Thank God the two adult women gave the blessing to the youngers with a kiss in the cheek, letting him assume they were their mothers.

After the ceremony was over, the person in charge of the social media of the university took a picture of them, which they immediately posted to the team’s Facebook page. The photo had the description: Captain of the Golden Knights, Jung Hoseok, with his date Min Yoongi, at the Uniform Presentation Ceremony.

“First step finished.” Hoseok told him over his shoulder as Yoongi was checking the publication on his phone.

“Let’s move on to the second one.” He answered as he put his phone away.

“Wait, before we leave.” He took his hand gently. “Should I scent you?”

“Oh.” That took him by surprise, staying silent while looking at him with big eyes.

“You know, so people know you’re with me.”

“Right. Yeah.” Yoongi looked at his hand, the one Hoseok was holding. “Sure, maybe a little.”

Cautiously, Hoseok approached him, wrapping his arms around his waist and pressing his face against Yoongi’s neck.

Yoongi closed his eyes, his senses saturated with the other’s scent. It took him immediately to a rainy day, as if he was standing in the middle of a field and the rain was pouring down on him. It was immersive and so refreshing. Natural in the best way.

Hoseok took Yoongi’s hand and brought it up to his own neck, slipping his wrist around his neck, filling himself with Yoongi’s scent. The air was filled with a mix of both smells: sweet and earthy, fruity and musky. An exquisite combination, almost tropical.

“I knew you smelled like peaches.” Hoseok said as he pulled away from him, a slight smile appearing on his face. “That scent has been following me around since that night in my truck.”

“And that’s a good thing?”

He subtly looked him up and down, and nodded. “Yeah. It’s a good thing.”

And now they were at the party.

Hoseok held his hand from the moment they got out of the Jeep, and if he let it go, it was to hug his waist. He was fulfilling his role very well. Yoongi tried to keep up with him and look natural, pretty and fun, but then he remembered Jungkook and he got anxious. He was looking at the door every so often hoping to see him come in and for their eyes to meet, but then someone who wasn’t him arrived instead.

Hoseok noticed that and led him to the kitchen, where there were a few people chatting with red solo cups in their hands.

“You want something to drink?” Hoseok asked him trying to sound as casual as possible. He seemed like he didn’t want to sound worried, but Yoongi could tell. It was sweet that he wanted to help him.

“Are you going to drink?”

He said no with his head. “I’m going to take you home.”

“Right. I forget that you’re responsible.”

Hoseok looked around, identifying what kind of drinks were on the table. “There’s tequila, wine, beer, whiskey…”

“Why is there wine?”

“I don’t know, it was probably just in the pantry.”

Yoongi huffed. “Who even drinks wine on a party?”

“I do sometimes.”

“Really? Why?”

“It’s good.” He said, blushing slightly but still laughing. “So what’s it going to be?”

“Ah, you choose.”

“Me?” Yoongi nodded. “You should drink red wine then.”

“Of course.” He said rolling his eyes with a smile. He poured some on a red solo cup and gave it a try. It was good, sweet. “Is this my punishment for making fun of you?”

“No. I want you to drink it because it’s my favorite.” He said, getting closer to his face. “And if I’m not gonna drink, at least I’ll be able to taste it in your lips when I kiss you.”

Jesus. Yoongi almost felt himself slick. 

He laughed, trying to sound cool and collected, but it came out all nervous, which only made Hoseok laugh. Asshole.

Hoseok liked to take advantage of his handsome face and seductive voice to make people fall for him, now including Yoongi. He couldn’t pretend that that seductive line didn’t cause something in him, nor that his stomach reacted to the idea of him tasting his lips and liking the taste of them. He had to be such a good kisser, right? Damn. Yoongi couldn’t tell if he was nervous to kiss him, or just impatient.

He chose to take a sip rather than answer. If he said anything else, he’d probably embarrass himself more, and Hoseok would take the opportunity to tease him about it and that was the last thing he needed. So he drank until he finished the wine and poured himself some more before venturing back to the party.

After a while Yoongi was finally able to calm down. He was enjoying himself like he would on a normal day, and that was what he focused on: this was an ordinary party, there was nothing special about it.

They talked to Hoseok’s friends for a while, him introducing Yoongi to the rest of them. He had jock friends from the football team, nerdy friends from his classes, people he met on campus and at parties, cute people he had dated and was still on good terms with, like the one at Vernon’s party, whose name was Hana. When she saw them together, she looked at Yoongi like saying “You took him away from me just so you could keep him to yourself, right?” But in a friendly way, or at least that was how Yoongi interpreted it.

When he got tired of meeting people, Hoseok took him to the corridor to be just them. They were talking about some class they had in common (yawn, how boring they were) when Hoseok leaned closer to his ear, and softly whispered: “He’s here.”

Yoongi’s heart stopped.

He grabbed some courage to turn his head for the door, but Hoseok stopped him before he could do it. He moved closer to him, resting his left hand on the wall, pushing him a little to it, then grabbed him by the waist with his right hand.

“Don’t look at him.” He said. “Look at me.”

Right. Yoongi looked into his eyes, saying nothing. They stayed like that for a few seconds until something unexpected happened.

Yoongi started laughing.

He couldn’t control himself, he just laughed.

“What are you laughing at?” Hoseok asked, looking at him with amusement.

“I’m sorry, I can’t take you seriously.” He whispered, not wanting anyone to hear them.

“Try.”

“Right, right.”

He looked at him again, trying to fake lust or need. But his gaze broke into an infectious smile, causing Hoseok to break character as well.

“Stop laughing.” Hoseok told him, loosening his grip on his hip, turning his touch into a tickle.

“You are sending mixed messages.” Yoongi pushed him playfully.

“You have a really great laugh.” He stared at him, this time less intense. It was more like the gaze Yoongi was used to, like Hoseok was having a good time with him. That made him stop laughing uncontrollably, recognizing familiarity.

“I know.” He put his hands on his chest and began to caress his shoulders. Normally they weren’t so touchy-touchy, but now was the time to be. Hoseok returned his hand to his waist, with the other one still resting on the wall.

“Yoongi.” He said, suddenly serious.

“What?”

“He’s looking at us.” He said into his ear.

“Where is he?” He whispered back.

“It seems like he was heading for the kitchen, but then just stopped.”

“Hm. Should I look?”

“Yes but do it laughing at something I said.” Yoongi didn’t have to pretend. Him giving him instructions was amusing, so he naturally smiled. He lifted his gaze from his shoulders to the kitchen door, where he found Jungkook standing with a frown on his face and clenched fists by his sides. Yoongi recognized that look: a cocktail of confusion, betrayal and hurt. He looked away, staring back at Hoseok.

“He’s angry.”

“Naturally.”

“We should make him angrier.” He said innocently.

“What do you suggest?” He knew what he meant, because of course he did, he understood him without him having to speak. He just wanted him to say it explicitly.

“You should kiss me.”

And that was enough for him.

Hoseok crashed his lips into his, smoothly and expertly.

He didn’t make it look hungry and dirty, but comfortable and familiar. Yoongi understood right there that his aim was different from his. Hoseok didn’t want it to seem like they were crazy with lust, that this was a temporary affair and that it was going to end quickly.

His kiss was like for people who were getting to know each other, that this was something slow but sure, it was intimate and tender and familiar. He kissed him like he really liked him, and that sent shivers to Yoongi’s spine.

Hoseok was a phenomenal kisser, might’ve been the best he ever had. He could tell he knew what he was doing. He used the perfect amount of tongue, not very strong but commanding. He was guiding him, he was taking control of him.

Yoongi knew he was showing of, but he wondered if the kiss was to convince Jungkook or him.

They split up for air. As soon as he saw him, Yoongi gave him a smirk.

“You kiss like a nerd.” He said, making Hoseok laugh.

He draw him closer to him with a possessive hand. “You kiss surprisingly submissive.”

Yoongi gasped and pushed him playfully. “Don’t say that to me ever again.”

“Then show me you’re not.” Motherfucker. He was toying with him, trying to make him all hot and bothered. He was getting it, but he’d rather die than admit it.

He brought his lips to his and whispered against them. “You’re gonna beg for mercy when I kiss you.”

“I’m looking forward to it.” He replied in a whisper. Fuck. He couldn’t even react properly because he added. “Turn your head and see if he’s still there.” Yoongi did that as naturally as he could in case he was, but then smiled satisfied at the answer.

“He left.” Then Hoseok turned his head to check for himself. He smiled and offered him his hand for a high five.

“Let’s go team.”

Yoongi laughed. “Such a nerd.”

Hoseok put his arm around his shoulders and led him into the kitchen to refill his cup, where his friends were waiting for them.

The night was just getting started and they had a role to follow.

They played beer pong as a team (they won but thanks to Hoseok and his perfect aim), they danced together, they kissed a few more times but it was quicker and less meaningful, just a clash of lips with a malicious smile in between. Yoongi was having a wonderful time, almost forgetting it was all an act. He was having so much fun and he had barely drank anything. He only had the two glasses of wine Hoseok had suggested, which he kept praising for its sweet taste, and a beer Namjoon had offered him. He felt fine, but he knew the hangover would probably kick his ass tomorrow.

He had not seen Jungkook for the rest of the party. It was like he was hiding or avoiding them, Yoongi wasn’t sure, but he tried not to search him in the crowd just in case he was looking at him from the distance. He wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction, even if his mind was constantly thinking about it.

“I’m going to the bathroom.” Yoongi told Hoseok when they were sitting in the living room couch, Yoongi on his lap.

“Okay, I’ll go with you.” Hoseok said standing up.

“Man, let him go alone.” Namjoon intervened, grabbing his arm and making him sit again. “He’s not going to disappear if you stop following him for five minutes.” Everyone on the couch laughed, including Yoongi.

“I’ll be right back.” He leaned to give him a peck on the lips, for show of course.

Man, who would have thought that having a fake boyfriend would be so fun?

The bathroom was occupied, so he had to wait for his turn. He leaned against the wall in the hallway with his arms behind him, looking at a photo frame that was hanging in front of him. He had no idea who those people were, but they looked happy.

“Hey Yoongi.” He heard someone say next to him. He didn’t even need to turn around to know who it was. He had heard that voice all his life and he would recognize it anywhere, anytime.

“Hey Koo.” He replied, still not looking at him.

The atmosphere became very awkward, but he expected it. They hadn’t talk in months, and the last time they did Jungkook asked him to stop. Yoongi didn’t beg or ask him to reconsider it because he was not like that. He was proud and if someone hurt him, he wasn’t going to chase them around, so he let him go.

But now here he was, wanting something again.

“Can we talk?” Jungkook asked with something in his voice that he couldn’t recognize.

“About what?” Yoongi replied coldly.

He scoffed. “You know what.”

“Yes, I do. But I don’t know why we should.”

“Yoongi.” He turned to look at him bitterly when he heard him say his name, and knew immediately that it was a mistake.

God, he was staring at him after all this time. He still had memorized all the moles on his face, the scars on his eyebrow and his lip, the color of his eyes that were as dark as the night and as shinny as the stars.

He still seemed beautiful to him.

His love for him still hadn’t completely disappeared.

He wished he wasn’t there.

“What are you doing here?” Jungkook asked, with a mixture of annoyance and worry in his tone.

“Is that really the question you want to be asking?”

“Fine. What are you doing here with him?”

“He invited me.”

“But why?”

“I’m sorry, but this is none of your business.”

“You’re my friend and he’s–”

“Oh, am I?” He interrupted him. “Because I remember our last conversation and it didn’t seem like I was your friend back then.”

“You’re still important to me.”

“No. Stop, stop.” He walked away from him.

“You don’t have to believe me but I care about you Yoongi, and if you keep… doing whatever you’re doing with him, you’ll get hurt.”

“Who I sleep with shouldn’t be important to you anymore. You are no longer in my life. You get no say in my decisions.”

“Who you’re sleeping with?” He asked, confused. “So you and him…?” He looked him up and down, watching him with a disapproving gaze. “No wonder you reek of him.”

“Yeah, that’s usually what happens when you fuck–”

“I don’t want to hear it!” He interrupted. “I– I don’t like this, Yoon.”

He laughed. “So? That’s not my problem.”

“Hey, what’s going on?” Hoseok appeared just in time. He looked between Yoongi and Jungkook, like deciphering the scene.

“We’re just talking.” Jungkook replied in a rude tone.

“You okay?” Hoseok ignored him, coming closer to Yoongi.

“Yes, I’m fine.” Hoseok nodded, then stood next to him, pulling his arm around his waist.

“We should go.” He said, not commanding but supportive.

“Yeah.”

They started to walk away, but Jungkook softly grabbed Yoongi’s hand, preventing him from leaving. “Wait, don’t leave. We should finish this.”

“I don’t want to talk to you.”

“Yoongi.” He said acting all hurt and disappointed.

“You heard him, man.” Hoseok stepped between them, subtly removing Jungkook’s hand from his wrist.

“This is between us, asshole.” He looked back at Yoongi. “I can drive you home, Yoongi. Stay, so we can talk about this.”

“He’s not going home.” He pulled him closer to him. “And he already said he wasn’t interested.” Hoseok gave him a dirty look and turned around, taking Yoongi with him.

Yoongi gave one last look at Jungkook, who stayed in his place looking at him with his big puppy eyes filled with anguish.

They left the house and walked to the Jeep, where they sat in silence for a few seconds… then jumped up excitedly before hugging each other tight.

“It worked!” Yoongi said, smiling and laughing in his arms.

“It totally did, oh my God!” He separated from him to look into his eyes. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I think so. I mean, I’m a little bit angry, but it’s what I wanted, so… I’m okay.”

“Good.”

“So what did you mean I’m not going home? Are you planning to kidnap me?”

“Oh, I was just bluffing. I can drive you home.”

“Are you sure? It’s pretty late.” He said checking the time on the car clock, that indicated it was past 2 am.

“I mean, the alternative is that you sleep in my apartment.”

“Okay then, let’s go.”

Hoseok smiled with quiet enthusiasm. “Yeah?”

“Yeah. It’s about time I see where you live.”

He lived in a mansion, or like the mansion version of an apartment.

It was big, white and expensive, something that Yoongi had never seen in his life before.

Hoseok gave him a quick tour (he just followed him around while Yoongi inspected it) before heading to his bedroom. It was pretty standard, like designed by a professional who happens to be a minimalist. White sheets, white walls, white floor, black bedding, black curtains, black carpet, black lamps and chairs and cushions. But still, the room had a lot of him. A desk with a very professional computer in it (probably for his work and his videogames), pictures of his dogs and his family (his mom was a stunner), Pokémon plushies and figurines, a giant tv with stereo installed for better sound, and a lot more little details that just made sense.

“Why didn’t you tell me you were rich?” Yoongi asked, leaning against his desk.

“How was I supposed to tell you?”

“In your list. And number 12, I’m incredibly loaded.”

“I wasn’t going to do that.”

“I would have overlooked the whole videogame thing, you know?”

He huffed. “Yeah, right.”

“I would have forgotten about it for a while.”

“But you would never stop teasing me about it.”

“That is correct.” Hoseok laughed, then walked into his walking closet. He came back with a black shirt in his hand, throwing it at Yoongi. This time he caught it. “What’s this?”

“One of my shirts, so you can sleep in it.”

“Oh my God.” He said making an exaggerated, high-pitched voice. “It smells like you.” It did smell like him: A mix of his natural scent, soap and expensive lotion, fresh from the laundry. He tried not to inhale it but he couldn’t help it. Fortunately Hoseok didn’t notice.

“Would you rather sleep in your jeans and mesh shirt?”

“No, I’m just playing.” He walked to the bathroom. “I’ll wear it, thank you.”

“No problem.”

Yoongi took off his clothes and put on the freshly laundered T-shirt. His detergent smelled better than his, like new and fresh, instead of his flowery-earthy one. He would have asked for the name, but surely it was something he wouldn’t be able to afford.

He washed his face, brushed his hair, rummaged through his drawers, smelled the soaps and fragrances he had in the sink. Hoseok kept everything very organized and clean, very unlike Yoongi.

After fooling around in the bathroom for a while, he went outside to see that Hoseok was already changed, waiting for him sitting on the edge of the bed. For some reason Yoongi pictured him in Pokémon pajamas or something, but he was wearing something simple like black shorts and a white shirt. Yoongi wanted to boo him.

“You can have my bed and I’ll take the sofa.” Hoseok said standing up.

“What? There are no guest bedrooms in this mansion?”

“I’m afraid not.”

“Ah.”

“Don’t look so disappointed.” He said teasing.

“Too late.” Hoseok walked to the door, preparing to leave. “You don’t have to sleep on the sofa, you know?” He looked back at him, quizzically. “Dude, come on. We’re adults. We can perfectly sleep on the same bed.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah, it’s no big deal. Just don’t hug me.”

He scoffed, smirking. “I won’t.”

He got closer, then stood beside the bed, unsure of what to do. Yoongi sat on the right side of it, then cover himself up with the duvet. Hoseok was still there frozen in place, just observing.

“You can get in, I don’t bite.”

“I have the slight feeling that you do.”

“Just get in.” He did a grimace then quickly got into his side, laying stiffly in it. Yoongi chuckled at the scene. Hoseok was always claiming to be an animal in bed and now he was nervous at the idea of sleeping next to him.

“We should take a picture.” Yoongi said laying on his right side so he could look at him.

“In bed?”

“Yeah, it’ll be really cute.” He settled in close to him and pointed his camera at them, but on the screen he noticed something. “Take off your shirt.”

“What?”

“Just for the pic. If you’re wearing your shirt it’ll look like a slumber party and not like we just had sex.”

“Fine.” He took off his shirt, leaving his torso naked and glorious. Damn, he was really fine. “Stop drooling.”

“Not drooling, just wondering if you get those by playing videogames.” Hoseok smiled, getting back into the bed, pulling Yoongi’s head into his chest.

“Take the pic.” They smiled for the camera and took a few different ones.

“This one goes for my insta. I guess now that we’re out, I should start posting you.” He uploaded the one with Hoseok biting his cheek and him smiling like he was enjoying it. “I hope my 151 followers like it.”

“I’m sure they will.”

“What’s your username? I should follow you, right? It’d be weird if I didn’t.”

“I don’t have an Instagram.”

“What? Dude, you’re not a nerd anymore. How come you don’t have Instagram?”

“I don’t need it.”

“Yes, you do. You’re hot and popular, I’m pretty sure people would like to follow you and send you risky DMS, like a ‘what you doing?’ at 1am.”

“I don’t need those right now.”

“But you will in January. Here, give me your phone.”

He handed it over without hesitation. “What are you doing?”

“I’m making you an account so you can join the 21st century.” Hoseok simply looked over his shoulder while he created his account.

For his profile picture Yoongi choose one that Hoseok had with one of his dogs. He looked really happy in it, he had a smile he hadn’t seen in person yet. Of course he had to choose that one.

Yoongi grabbed his own phone and searched his username, then gave him a follow.

“Now I’m your first follower.”

“And the only one.”

“The moment the word goes out you’ll pass my follower count, trust me.”

“Why do you have an Instagram? I thought you hated everyone.”

“And I do, but I like to keep in contact with the few people I do like.”

“Do you still follow Jungkook?”

Oh God, he didn’t even think about that. “Yeah, and he still follows me.”

“He’s gonna lose his shit when he sees that picture.”

“Good.” He said. “Let’s make him lose it twice.”

Yoongi uploaded another picture of them to the alpha’s story, now with him just leaning his head into Hoseok’s neck, and then he turned the phone off. He knew it was gonna be buzzing all night with all the follow notifications and he needed to sleep.

He stayed in the same position, leaning in Hoseok’s chest, even after they turned the lights off. They weren’t speaking, they were just laying still, hearing each other’s breathing. It was completely peaceful. A calm he hadn’t felt in a long time.

After such an emotionally exhausting night, that was exactly what he needed.

“Goodnight Yoongi.” Hoseok said softly.

“Night Hoseok.”

Then he dozed off to sleep.

🌹☀️

Hoseok drove him back to his apartment the next morning after stopping first at some diner to have pancakes. It was strange how easy this all was. How did they get to this familiarity? By just hanging out? He knew they had a goal in common and that they had to spend a lot of time together for it, but it was more than that.

It was companionship, mutual understanding, connection. He thought they were lucky enough to just click. It was easy, so easy.

Hoseok let him keep his shirt and lent him some sports shorts so he could go dressed like that for breakfast. In the diner, they talked about the day before, about the days to come, and about some events that he wanted Yoongi to accompany him to.

They knew it would be difficult for Yoongi to go see him at his practices because of the distance and the fact that he didn’t know how to drive (and even if he knew, he didn’t have a car), but they promised to make a schedule of the games that he would attend.

When Yoongi got home, the first thing he saw was Jimin sitting in the living room couch, looking at him with his arms crossed.

“Min Yoongi.” He said like a parent who had been awake all-night waiting for their child to come home. “What’s the meaning of this?” He stood up to put his phone in front of his face, showing him the picture he uploaded last night. Oh God.

“Well…”

“Don’t think of an excuse!” He said quickly. “Be honest. Are you dating Jay?”

“Kinda.”

He gasped. “How?”

“Hey! I have my appeal.”

“Yoongi you are gorgeous, funny and smart. That wasn’t the question and you know it.”

He sighed. “It’s a long story, Mimi.”

“I have time.” He said sitting back in the sofa.

So Yoongi told him the story. The unofficial one, of course.

They sat on the couch for hours. Jimin ate up every word he said, smiling and giggling at the lies that came out of his mouth, making him feel incredibly guilty.

He could lie to Jungkook with no problem because Yoongi was hurt and he could justify, or at least hide, his guilt with it. But Jimin was a poor innocent who trusted him.

Yoongi tried to tell himself that it was a harmless lie. It didn’t really hurt anyone. And by the time it got to December, they’d both say they were done and that was it. Everyone would move on with their lives.

So for now, Yoongi bit his tongue and kept lying to his friend.

Chapter Text

September.

It was Hoseok’s first game of the season and Yoongi was there to support him like the good fake boyfriend he was.

He still had his faults though. For one, he arrived when the game had already started. His plan was to be there early to say hello to Hoseok and chat for a bit, but he got distracted at home and his taxi was late to pick him up, so now he had missed the first twenty minutes of the game. He hoped Hoseok hadn’t noticed that or he would never stop hearing about it.

With a diet soda in hand (that he stood in line to buy because if he was already late, what were another five minutes?) he made his way through a sea of ​​blue and grey jerseys belonging to the Satellites’ fans, the team the Golden Knights were playing against that night.

There were also a significant number of people wearing black and gold jerseys. That shouldn’t have surprised Yoongi, football fans were very passionate and liked to follow their favorite team all over the country, but it was still a shocking thing to witness every single game despite having been attending them for years.

This world wasn’t new to him. He knew the rules and the positions, he could tell how long a game would last by a team’s performance. He could’ve been one of those fans who liked to talk about probability and statistics, and he would do it well, but he just didn’t like that sport. As he used to say: he loved the player, not the game.

Still, even if he was familiar, he couldn’t help but feel different. He had been rooting for one person for so long, and now he found himself in the middle of the stands rooting for his enemy. The most surprising thing was that it wasn’t a bad feeling, it was just strange, something he would have to get used to.

Sitting in the stands, it wasn’t hard to get lost in the game.

Yoongi knew he told Hoseok he hadn’t paid attention to how he played before, and that was true, but he knew Hoseok was good. He would watch him play when he competed against Jungkook’s team, he would see him annoy his friend (sometimes fight him too), he would see him throw the ball, he would see him talk to his team, but he never gave him much thought. His world was centered on Jungkook after all.

But now he was all he could look at.

Hoseok was too focused on his game to notice him. Yoongi didn’t know if he noticed that he had arrived, he hadn’t turned to see him, but it was fine, he preferred it that way. When he watched competitions (like debates, sports games, Love Island, etc.) he would get very nervous. His hands would start to shake and his feet bounced tirelessly. He didn’t want Hoseok to see him like this. Either he was going to tease him with it or he was going to worry, and neither worked for Yoongi, so it was better to just be off his radar.

The game was entertaining. Hoseok was good, very good. Yoongi couldn’t stop looking at him and feel, although it was hard to admit, admiration for him. It was easy to tell that he really knew what he was doing, that he understood the game and how to play it, that this was something he truly cared about. And now that Yoongi knew he’d been doing it even before he was an alpha, it was much easier to root for him.

He didn’t know why he needed their show to beat Jungkook. If Hoseok concentrated like he was doing now, he could do it. It would be like a 50/50 chance of him winning.

Because Hoseok was that good, but Jungkook was too.

The day they had to face each other again was going to be tough. Now Yoongi would see it with another perspective. Now that he was familiar with both parts, he knew they were the best of the best. No wonder they hated each other.

Couple of hours later, the game ended in victory for the Golden Knights and Yoongi was finally able to breathe again. He waited for Hoseok to finish celebrating with his team so he could go down to where he was standing in the field.

Hoseok was in the middle of drinking water when he saw Yoongi walking towards him. A huge smile spread across his face as he met him halfway.

“Congratulations, Quarterback.” Yoongi said giving him a friendly punch on the arm.

“That’s it?” He said raising an eyebrow. “You’re not gonna give me a hug?”

“We don’t hug.”

“Now that we’re dating, we do.”

“But you’re all sweaty.” He was complaining for no reason. He knew he would end up doing it, but he wanted to play hard to get. Maybe he liked being begged for.

“Get used to it.”

“Fine.” Yoongi grabbed him by the neck and pulled him towards him, leaving a few centimeters of distance between their lips. “Congratulations.”

And then he kissed him.

The kiss was playful, not to be taken too seriously, but good. Very good. It could have gotten dirty, but when he felt Hoseok’s tongue play with his, he pulled away. Don’t get so excited, he thought, Jungkook isn’t even there. But he understood, he would kiss himself like that too if he could.

“What was that for?” Hoseok asked with a surprised look on his face.

“Namjoon is coming.” He whispered against his lips.

“Gi-gi in the house.” Namjoon said as he arrived. Yoongi separated from Hoseok, but he grabbed him by the waist before he could get too far.

“Hi, Joon. Congratulations on the win.”

“Thank you Yoongi. It was a team effort.” He got closer to him so he could add. “But we all know I was the MVP.”

“That might be true.” Hoseok pinched his waist, making him laugh.

“Hey! I worked my ass off, too.” He complained.

“You were okay.”

“You heard him, Jay.” Namjoon joined in on the joke, throwing up his arms in a defensive stand. “And you know your boyfriend knows a thing or two about football. It must be hard going from watching someone as good as Jungkook to someone as bad as this guy, right?” He asked Yoongi, making Hoseok gasp in horror.

“Not funny.” He replied, hitting the beta in the ribs.

“You’re so easy to tease, man.” Namjoon chuckled. “Anyway, I came here to tell you that the bus is leaving soon. Are you coming with us to celebrate?”

“No, sorry, I have to drive Yoongi home.”

“Oh no, don’t worry.” Yoongi said, joining the conversation. “I can grab a taxi. You should go with your team.”

“No way, it’s getting late. I’ll drive you.”

“But your team–”

“I’ll join you in the next one.” He told Namjoon.

“Alright man.” He gave him a pat on the shoulder, then he turned to Yoongi. “Take care Gi.”

“Bye Joon.” When Namjoon was far enough, Yoongi freed himself from Hoseok’s grip so he could get a good look at his face. “You don’t have to do that, you know?”

“I know, but I’ll feel better if I’m the one taking you home.”

He shook his head. “It’s the first game of the season. You have to celebrate with your team.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll go with them when we win the next one.” Yoongi smiled at his confidence.

“Fine.” He said, giving up.

Hoseok looked back at his teammates, then back at him with urgency. “I left the Jeep at my college campus, so I have to go back on the bus.” He opened his backpack and gave him his keys. “Take a cab to my house and wait for me there. We can grab some food on the way to your house, okay?” He gave him a kiss on the cheek and then walked away before Yoongi could even answer.

Alright then. Time to leave.

🌹☀️

Oh Hoseok, you made a mistake leaving Yoongi alone in your apartment, all free to snoop around.

He wasn’t expecting to find something scandalous. In the time Yoongi had known Hoseok, he knew he wasn’t the kind of person to have a secret stash of drugs or adult magazines. (Well, if he snooped into his computer he knew he might’ve found something, so NO COMPUTER!)

He just wanted to find something that could tell him more about Hoseok. Something he could not have shown him with words or actions, but with traces of his life.

For one, his kitchen was immaculate: shiny, squeaky clean, with a faint aroma of lemon. It had dishes washed in a drying rack, the refrigerator full of fresh food saved in some Tupperware, the drawers stacked with white porcelain tableware. Yoongi could tell Hoseok liked to spend time in this place, so he was going to accept his invitation to a meal prepared by him as soon as possible since he might actually be a really good cook,

On the contrary there was his living room, where he didn’t seem to spend much time. There was a TV and a shelf full of DVDs, but there wasn’t a DVD player there, so they were mostly for decoration. There was a grand piano near the wall of windows. The first time he was there, Yoongi asked him if he played and Hoseok told him “not anymore”. He used to because his parents liked it and he had the piano there for when they visit him, but he didn’t touch it in his spare time. What a pity. Yoongi liked it when people played music for him.

There was also a couple of books on the coffee table, some of architecture and others on film. He would have looked at them, but he wanted to see the rest of the apartment before Hoseok got there, so he made his way upstairs.

He had already seen his bedroom. He had slept in his bed just a week ago. But when Hoseok was there he couldn’t investigate fully, as he would now.

He opened the drawers of the bedside tables. The first thing he saw was a box of condoms (of course). It also had about seven chargers, bookmarks and Post-Its, some pencils and pens, notebooks, tissues and lotion (he was going to ignore that).

The most interesting thing he found was a photo hidden in the last drawer: it was of a girl with long, black hair, dark eyes and a really sweet smile, wearing some kind of school uniform. She must have been fifteen when this picture was taken.

Yoongi was so caught up looking at the photo that he didn’t notice the sound of the front door opening, so when Hoseok screamed to ask if he was there, he jumped and put the picture back in the drawer, then ran downstairs.

“Hey.” Hoseok said, dropping his bag on the floor by the entrance door.

“Hi.” Yoongi responded from the stairs.

“What were you doing?”

“Snooping around.”

“Of course you were.” He sat on the couch, crossing his arms. “Found anything interesting?”

He was going to tell him the truth, he was not a coward. He knew he could ask Hoseok, and even if it bothered him at first, he was going to tell him about the girl. He owed him that much. Yoongi told him about Jungkook the first day they met, so he shouldn’t have a reason to hide that from him.

“Nope. Just your box of condoms.” He said instead, which made Hoseok smile. Yoongi didn’t want to piss off one of the only friends he had now, so he kept it to himself.

“At least you know I’m responsible.”

“Yeah, and that you’re a neat freak. I’ve never seen a kitchen so clean, not even my Nana’s.” Yoongi smiled as he made his way downstairs. “She would like you, actually.”

“Yeah?”

“She would think you’re a very nice boy.”

“And your parents? Would they like me?”

“I think they would.” He stood next to the couch, Hoseok leaned his head on the backrest so he could look up at him. “My dad would be hesitant about you, but my mom would be very kind. She would have had a crush on you.”

“Does she like Jungkook?”

“Uh, she did. She was actually his number one fan.”

“Was? Was she mad about what happened between you?”

“Ah. My parents passed away when I was fourteen, so... she didn’t know.”

Hoseok's smile dropped, turning his face into a look of guilt. “I’m so sorry Yoongi.”

“Thank you.” He stood in his place, grasping the top of the sofa with his hand, digging his fingers into the black leather fabric.

“It must’ve been so hard.” His voice was soft and sympathetic. Yoongi couldn’t stand it.

“It was, but I’ve learned to live with it, so.” He shrugged.

“I’m really sorry.”

“Dude, it’s fine.” He looked up, holding back the tears he didn’t want to shed. Then he looked at Hoseok with determination, hoping that he would understand that the topic was over, that he was no longer going to continue talking about this. “Can we go grab some pizza?”

Hoseok looked at him for a second, then got up from the sofa and headed for the door. “Sure, but next time I’m choosing.”

“You already chose Chinese.” He said as he followed him to the door.

“Yeah, and you chose Mexican, Puerto Rican and Italian.”

“Fine. Next time you can choose.” Yoongi conceded, putting on his boots.

“Great. What kinda food do you like?” He was looking up at him as he was putting on his sneakers. He looked really good from that angle.

“Hm well–”

“Okay, let me ask a better question: What food don’t you like?”

“Yeah, that’s easier. Hm, French. I think I’m just not sophisticated enough.”

“That’s my dad’s favorite.”

He scrunched up his nose. “What?”

“If you ever meet my parents don’t make that face.” He said standing up, looking at him with a smile before grabbing the keys from the entrance table.

“If I ever meet your parents don’t take me to a French restaurant.”

He chuckled. “I’ll see what I can do.”

Hoseok hugged him by the shoulders, walking out the door that way.

They ended up at a New York-style pizza place near Yoongi’s apartment. They sat at one of the booths that were far from the entrance, one in front of the other. They each ordered one slice since they were bigger than their face: Hoseok had pepperoni with hot honey, Yoongi had Margherita style. They offered each other a bite, making Yoongi regret his decision of not ordering the pepperoni one, so he stole his slice from Hoseok, who didn’t say anything and ate the rest of the Margherita.

After they finished eating they stayed there for a while, just talking and ordering more drinks, as if Hoseok didn’t have an hour and a half drive ahead.

“Has he texted you?” Hoseok asked him, throwing a used napkin at his empty plate. 

“No, he hasn’t even tried to talk to me since the party.” He replied, playing with the straw of his iced tea.

“He’s trying to make sense of it all.” Hoseok leaned in on the table, putting his arms one on top of the other.

“Yeah, I know.”

“If he wants to talk, would you talk to him?”

“Yeah, I probably would.” Yoongi copied the alpha’s position. “I mean, that’s the whole reason I’m doing this, right? To see what he does, what he says.”

“Hm.” He nodded.

“He did see the picture I uploaded of us last week, though.”

Hoseok smirked satisfied. “Good. We should take another one right now, you know, to keep him angry.”

“Oh yeah. A celebratory post for my incredible fake boyfriend and his first win of the season.”

Yoongi grabbed his phone and took a photo of Hoseok smiling. He simply put a heart emoji on it and uploaded it to his Instagram story, but not before saving it to his reel. He thought about it for a second but it seemed like a good idea to put it as his lockscreen, in case someone were to grab his phone. For his homescreen he had one of the pictures they took in his bed, just because he thought he looked really good in it. Hoseok didn’t look bad either.

“Also congratulations on the two thousand followers.” Yoongi told him, putting his phone down.

“I still find it weird. I don’t think I know that many people.”

“Yeah, but that many people know you, Mr. Popular guy.”

“I guess…” He shrugged, then put his hand on top of Yoongi’s that was on the table. “Come here. Let’s take one picture together.”

Yoongi sat next to him and settled into what was starting to feel like his place, leaning against Hoseok’s chest with his head resting on his neck. Hoseok put his phone right in front of them and within a second of clicking, he turned to look him in the eye, and then he kissed him.

Yoongi still couldn’t get used to his lips. He felt like they were different every time he kissed them. They were consistently soft, that didn’t change. What changed was him and his way of expressing himself through them. He sometimes could be a brat, playful, sneaky. Other times he was formal, focused and taking it seriously. Now he was being delicate, not rushing through it, kinda lazy. Hoseok was kissing him for the sake of doing it. Perhaps he just did it because he could. They never talked about rules and what was prohibited in this “relationship”. So, yeah, Yoongi guessed he could kiss him. It didn’t bother him. He kinda enjoyed it, actually. He was an expert. If Hoseok knew how to tie a knot on the cherry stem, Yoongi wouldn’t be surprised. In fact, he would like to see him do it. He’d buy cherries next time he went to the market.

Hoseok pulled away first and looked into his eyes for a moment, then looked at his phone and smiled.

“It’s a good picture.” He said softly. Yoongi cleared his throat and looked to the screen. It was a good picture. If he saw that on someone else’s Instagram, he’d be sick with so much sweetness, but since it was him the one being kissed like that, he didn’t mind. “Do you approve?” Hoseok asked, looking at him.

Was that a double meaning question? Was he asking about the photo or the kiss? Or maybe both?

“I approve.” Yoongi replied, giving it no importance.

He was okay with them kissing as long as they didn’t have to talk about it. Talking about it would make it a bigger thing than it should be.

Besides, they had only kissed when it counted for the lie. If they started making out just because they wanted to, then that’s when it became a problem. Right now, it was just playing pretend.

“Come on, take me home.” Yoongi said standing up from the seat, offering his hand to help him up from the spot. Hoseok accepted it and didn’t let go, not even when they left the place.

Yoongi was so tired that he almost fell asleep in the car. But he thought that more than being sleepy, he was calm. The mix of the air conditioner hitting him in the face, once again enveloping him with the scent of wet earth, and Hoseok’s soft voice telling him a story, were relaxing him. He was so comfortable that he could have stayed there all night, but Hoseok parked outside his apartment and he knew he had to go.

“Thank you for driving me.” He said, turning his head to look at him.

“Thank you for coming to the game.”

“You were great today. I’m glad I got to see it.”

“Are you coming to the next one?”

“I don’t think so, but I’ll be cheering you on from my bed.”

“Right.” He said dryly, sounding kinda disappointed.

“Don’t be sad.”

“I’m not sad.”

“Tell that to your pout.” He tickled him to make him smile.

“Stop, stop. I’m no longer sad.”

“Good.” He gave him a good look. “I’ll try to make it to the rest of the games, okay?”

“No, it’s okay, I understand. A lot of them are in cities far from here and you can’t drive. I don’t really expect you to be in every single one.”

“If you like you can call me when you’re done to tell me about how it went.”

“Are you sure?” Yoongi nodded. “Thank you, that’s really cool of you.”

“I know, I’m the coolest.” He shrugged, making Hoseok smile. He checked the time, realizing that it was getting late. “You should get going, I don’t want you driving so late.”

“Yeah, I know.” He said without moving. “I’ll see you later?”

Yoongi nodded once again, then he gave him a kiss on the cheek. “Drive carefully.”

“Yes sir. Do you want me to let you know when I get home?”

“Sure, dummy.” They stared into each other’s eyes with smiles on their faces with the familiarity he was getting used to. It was such a nice feeling. “Good night.” He said opening the door of the car.

“Good night.”

🌹☀️

The following week went by very slowly.

Yoongi went to his classes and managed to stay in them, he even paid attention to one or two. He did well on a test (he didn’t fail) since Hoseok insisted that he should study (Hoseok told him that he wasn’t going to bring him food on Sunday if he didn’t open the book), and what was Yoongi supposed to do? Say no to free food? If all he had to do was open a book and read a chapter a couple of times, then fine, so be it.

On Wednesday, Yoongi was able to talk to his Nana on the phone for almost two hours. She told him that she had a new cat, being the fifth that she had adopted, and that she was called Pearl (after the painting of The Girl with the Pearl Earring).

She also told him that she had new neighbors, a newly married couple who inherited the house from the girl’s grandfather, a man who had been a friend of his Nana for years. They used to meet on her porch to drink coffee and talk about the other neighbors every day at 7 am. He was very kind, always had a smile on his face and he treated his grandmother like a classic, old-time gentleman. Yoongi was very sad when she called him with the news that he had passed away. Then Yoongi’s sadness turned into guilt at the thought of his Nana now alone, he was worried that she would feel abandoned or get sick with sadness, but sometime later she started to hang out with some ladies who went to the same beauty salon as her, relieving his anguish. His Nana was very amicable and she could make friends with anyone who greeted her, it was like her super power. That was how Yoongi knew she would like Hoseok.

Speaking of him, Yoongi called him on the phone almost every day. More than anything at night, when they were already in bed and they could talk about the day they had.

Hoseok told him that his friends kept asking about him in practice. They said they want to know “what the deal is” with Yoongi. Hoseok told them that they were getting to know each other and that they were in no rush, but that they were heading towards something “promising”. Namjoon told him that he liked Yoongi, and that made him happy. Yoongi liked him too.

In exchange, Yoongi told him that he had done well on the test and Hoseok congratulated him, promising that he would put it on his fridge if he gave it to him (he would).

Then on Thursday it was Jungkook’s first game. Yoongi debated whether he should go or not.

On one hand, he thought it would be better if he stayed at home and checked the result on the team’s Facebook page, since he didn’t want Jungkook to see him there. He wanted him to notice his absence, to see if it would make a difference if he wasn’t there. This would be the first game he would miss since they’ve known each other.

But honestly, he really wanted to see him play. He didn’t want to hear from other people if it was going well and he wanted to see with his own eyes if it was going bad.

Sometimes he worried about the resentment that he had towards someone for whom he felt so much. But he was hurt, he couldn’t help but feel that way. Jungkook abandoned him as if he had never meant anything, as if he had not been the number one in his life for so many years.

How else was he supposed to feel?

He knew it wasn’t healthy and he hoped that one day when he thought about him he wouldn’t feel anything, but now he was mad and he wanted him to feel what he felt. Call it revenge, payback or whatever you want to call it. He was being petty, at least he could recognize that.

So after debating all day, the moment Jimin knocked on his door to ask if he was going with him, he got out of bed and followed him out of the apartment.

They sat as far away as possible from the team bench at his request. He wanted to go unnoticed in Jungkook’s eyes, so that he would think he wasn’t there. And it wasn’t like he was going to miss him very much, he now had someone else to celebrate everything he did.

In fact, Yoongi could see Seokjin from where he was, sitting in the stands directly behind the Thorns’ bench. He was beautiful, with a face you’d only see in magazines, tall with a small waist and broad shoulders, hair recently dyed maroon but it suited him so well that it looked natural, wearing one of Jungkook’s old sweatshirts.

But he wasn’t just his looks, he was also cunning, smart as a whip, intimidating. He was older than them, just one year above Yoongi, and he was doing his master’s degree in business law. So yeah, he was all that and more. He was a lethal combination of beauty and intellect, it was unfair to the other people in the world who didn’t stand a chance next to him.

Yoongi couldn’t stomach him, he could barely say his name.

He could understand why Jungkook had fallen for him as quickly as he had. He didn’t blame him for that, he blamed him for other things. Being a bad friend was one of them, not finding a better solution than ending their friendship was another. He felt like he could have done something different, but it was too late for that. Jungkook had made his decision and he seemed to be happy with it, having by his side the most beautiful person on campus cheering him on. The only one who didn’t seem to be as happy was Yoongi, who kept looking at the omega from where he was sitting, not sure if it was jealousy or admiration he felt. Maybe it was both.

With great effort, he finally looked away from Seokjin and focused on the game, which was about to begin.

Almost an hour later, when he had gone and returned from the bathroom, now with a drink in hand because he had to be holding something, Yoongi received a text message.

Hoe-seok: heeey

Hoe-seok: what are you doing?

Hoe-seok: i’m so bored

Yoongi: awww just say you miss me

Hoe-seok: i sure do

Hoe-seok: i miss my clown

Yoongi: ???

Hoe-seok: no, in the sense that–

Yoongi: okay kelly osbourne

Yoongi: i’ll give you one minute to write an apology letter

Hoe-seok: yoongi, i’m sorry for calling you a clown

Hoe-seok: i meant it as a compliment

Yoongi: how???

Hoe-seok: you make me laugh a lot

Yoongi: so you call me a clown?

Yoongi: got it

Hoe-seok: ...

Hoe-seok: are you mad at me?

Yoongi: no, dummy

Yoongi: i’m kidding

Yoongi: i know what you meant

Hoe-seok: oh, fewwww

Hoe-seok: i was worried i upset you

Yoongi: hm yes

Yoongi: fear me

Hoe-seok: i said WORRIED

Hoe-seok: not SCARED

Yoongi: it’s kinda the same to me

Hoe-seok: sooooo

Hoe-seok: what are you doing yoongi?

Yoongi: you won’t believe it

Hoe-seok: hmmmm

Hoe-seok: studying?

Yoongi: why would i be studying on a thursday night?

Yoongi: try again

Hoe-seok: i don’t want to

Hoe-seok: i feel like my guesses are gonna break us up

Hoe-seok: so just tell me

Yoongi: i’m at jungkook’s game

He stopped receiving his immediate responses then.

After a few minutes he got a text back.

Hoe-seok: oh

Hoe-seok: how’s it going?

Yoongi: well

Yoongi: he does look a liiiiittle distracted

Hoe-seok: REALLY?

Yoongi: yeah but just a liiiiittle bit

Yoongi: i can notice because i know him

Yoongi: jimin says he seems normal to him

Yoongi: but he hasn’t made a good pass yet, so...

Hoe-seok: he’s not as sharp

Yoongi: exactly

Hoe-seok: huh

Hoe-seok: well shit

Hoe-seok: it seems like it might be working

Yoongi: yup

Yoongi: wait

Yoongi: something interesting might happen

Yoongi: text you later

Hoe-seok: i’ll be right here

Jungkook made a pass. A great one, actually.

That throw got them a touchdown, reviving the game completely.

After that, the spirits of the team changed. They looked more animated, more focused, they were faster and more precise. They just seemed better, like the team Yoongi was used to support.

Damn it.

He should never speak before time.

Yoongi: touchdown 👎🏻

Hoe-seok: ah, it was too beautiful to be true

Hoe-seok: but it’s fine

Hoe-seok: it’s the first game

Hoe-seok: they still have time to suck

Yoongi: let’s hope so

The rest of the game was really good, if he was being sincere. Yoongi was biting his nails with the nerves. Every time they scored he held back the urge to celebrate, crossing his arms and tapping the floor, since he was now supposed to be rooting for his boyfriend’s team, who happened to be their biggest rivals.

When the game ended and the Thorns emerged victorious, he ran away to avoid being caught in the middle of the celebration and Jungkook mistaking his intentions for being there. If he approached him to talk to him, Yoongi wouldn’t know what to do. His head would probably explode with the anxiety and now he didn’t have Hoseok to intercept and rescue him, so he just ran away from the stadium.

Jimin followed him close behind. He walked somewhat conflicted, biting the straw of his soda. He hadn’t talked much since the middle of the game, but Yoongi almost didn’t notice because he texted Hoseok most of the time. God, what a bad friend he was.

“So, I have to tell you something.” Jimin said, breaking the silence.

“What is it?”

“I’m not a hundred percent sure, okay?” Yoongi nodded. “But I think Kook saw you before he made that pass.” Yoongi looked at him confused, asking him to explain better. “You didn’t notice it because you were on your phone, but yeah, I think he saw you.”

“How sure are you?”

“Like an 89.9 percent.”

“That’s specific.”

“That’s how I feel.”

Yoongi frowned. “So you’re trying to say that because he saw me, he made a fucking fantastic pass?”

“Yes, that’s what I’m saying.”

“Jimin.” He said incredulous.

“It sounds dumb, I know, but it makes sense. He looked our way and suddenly he started to play like he always does. It’s because of you.”

Yoongi didn’t know what to say.

Jimin was right, it did sounded silly, but there was a big difference in the way he played today. And as much as he would like to believe it, he couldn’t attribute that event to himself no matter how delusional he was. There was no way that, in the middle of all the crowd, Jungkook was able to found him. And even less so that just by seeing him, he would make him improve his game. That sounded too good to be true.

The thought of it made his head hurt, so he didn’t want to think about it too much. To distract himself from it, he invited Jimin to a movie night in their apartment. They made dinner and sat in the living room eating their ramyeon, watching their favorite movies and talking about everything until really late at night.

Around 12 p.m., after getting himself in bed, Yoongi grabbed his phone and almost drop it when he read the notification that had been sitting there for hours.

Koo: hey

Koo: i thought you weren’t coming

Koo: i was glad to see you there tonight

Koo: i hope you can make it to the next one

Yoongi didn’t know what to reply, so he didn’t. Instead he opened the chat with Hoseok and texted him.

Yoongi: i’ll explain tomorrow but

Yoongi: i think the plan is going well :)

Chapter Text

Yoongi could do it.

It wasn’t that hard to do.

He just had to sit and write the paper, that was it.

He stared at the blank page of the document on his computer. He was supposed to write a paper on his favorite art piece of Asian history. He had it, it was the Flowers and Birds of the Four Seasons, from Japan. He knew what to say, he just didn’t know how to write it to make it ten pages long. He wasn’t a good writer, he got distracted so easily he’d forget what he was doing and he’d start to do something else.

Like now, he stood up from his chair to flip through a magazine that had been sitting at least two years on his desk. It was all cut out from the collages he made and sticked on his cork board. Maybe he should make a new one, the one he had was already at least two months old. He could make it thematic, or a specific color. He liked black with gold...

No.

He was working on his paper.

He sat back on the chair and stared at the computer.

Nothing. He couldn’t think of anything.

“I can smell your head burning from here.” He heard Jimin say. Yoongi turned around in his chair and found him watching him from the door frame, holding a bowl of cereal in his hands.

“My brain is not working.” Yoongi said pouting, making him laugh.

Jimin approached him, sitting in the bed. “What do you have?”

“Nothing.” He moved to show him the screen.

“Yoongi.” His roommate said in a reprimanding tone.

“I just can’t think of anything.”

“Do you know what art piece you’re gonna talk about?”

“Yeah. It’s called Flowers and Birds of the Four Seasons. It’s a Japanese painting.”

“Oh, I’ve never seen it. What does it look like?”

“It’s a composition of flowers that progresses from Spring to Winter. It’s made with bright colors, ink strokes and a gold leaf background. It has cranes and flowers and trees that are changing with the seasons. Basically, it’s a piece that celebrates the changes in nature in a year in Japan.”

“Seems like a beautiful way of looking at things that we normally see as common.”

“Right? I feel like the art express that exactly.”

“So what else can you tell me about it?”

It took him a little while to realize what Jimin was doing. He made Yoongi tell him about the artwork and history as if they were gossiping, causing him to open up his mind.

Jimin knew him very well. He even recorded the conversation and sent it to him so he could remember his own exact words, leaving Yoongi alone in his room to concentrate on writing what he just had told him.

Thanks to that, his inspiration came out like a freshly released water to a dam.

He wrote the paper like it was a conversation, which was exactly what had happened. Technically that was not prohibited because the teacher asked for, and he quoted, a paper. Not an essay, not a summary. Just a paper and that was exactly what he was going to deliver.

He hoped that the teacher would give him points for creativity. It was the first time in months that he had been passionate about something and he was fucking proud of himself for that.

It was 11:24 p.m. when he finished the work and closed the computer, going to bed immediately. He was exhausted, ready to go to sleep at any second. But then his phone rang and he remembered that Hoseok was going to call him after his game.

Oops. He was glad that he didn’t fall asleep.

“Hey. How did it go?” Yoongi answered the phone, fighting a yawn.

“Not great.” Hoseok sounded discouraged, like sad. Yoongi had never heard that tone in his voice, which set off his alarms, making him sit on the bed immediately.

“What happened?”

“Mikey got injured pretty badly, we don’t know if he’ll be able to play for the rest of the season.”

“Oh my God. Is he okay? How did that happen?”

He exhaled. “I don’t know. I didn’t even notice something was wrong until the referee blew the whistle. When I turned around, Mikey was laying on the floor screaming from the pain. After that the whole game was just off, we lost pretty bad.”

“Yeah, of course. You guys were worried for your friend, it makes sense you were not playing as well.” He listened to him breathe without saying anything. “Hoseok.”

“Yeah?”

“Are you okay?”

“I’m... I’ll be fine.”

“I know you will, but that’s not what I asked.”

“I feel like a terrible leader.”

“Well, you shouldn’t. You’re a great leader, okay? Accidents happen all the time, especially in football. It’s not your fault, how could it be? No one can predict something like that happening, that’s why they’re called accidents.”

“But I should have been there for my team. They needed me and I was just... numb. I couldn’t bring them back up like I should have.”

“Hoseok I’m sorry to tell you this, but you’re just a human. You can’t be perfect all the time, Superman. We can’t control the way we react to things.”

“But I should as the team captain. The team goes first, then me.”

“How did the rest of the team react?”

“They were worried, obviously.”

“And that’s why they were off, too. Because that’s the natural reaction to a loved one getting hurt.”

“But–”

“But nothing.” He cut him off. “Honey, I’m really sorry about Mikey, I hope he gets better soon. And I’m really sorry about the game. But it’s just one game. The next one will be better, I promise.”

“You don’t know that.”

“No, I don’t, but I have faith that it will. You guys are the best football players I’ve ever seen on the field, so I know you’ll get on your feet and play like you always have.”

“I really hope you’re right.”

“I usually am. And guess what?”

“Hm?”

“I’ll go to the next game.”

“Really?” The tone of his voice changed, so he knew he was smiling. At least a little bit.

“Yes. I’ll have to tell Jimin about it so he can drive me there and I’ll offer to pay for the gasoline, but yeah, I’ll be there.”

“Thank you Yoon. It means a lot to me to see you there.”

“I know.”

He let a long exhale scape. “Today was awful. I don’t think I was breathing until now. This never happened to me before.”

“What? A teammate getting hurt?”

“Yeah, at least not that agonizing. I mean, there’s always people getting hurt. You said it yourself, it’s football, it happens all the time. But he was really in pain, I was so scared.”

“Of course you were. That’s always scary. I’m sorry I couldn’t be there for you.”

“But you are now.” He yawned, causing Yoongi to do as well.

“You should get some rest, you sound like you need it.”

“I needed to talk to you more.”

“Did I make you feel better?”

“Yeah. You usually do.” Yoongi smiled.

“I’m afraid the next session won’t be for free.” Hoseok laughed, making Yoongi exhale a breath of relief. He needed to hear that.

“I’ll pay with sushi rolls for the great therapy session.”

“You have a deal, Mr. Jung.” Yoongi was staring at some stars glued on the ceiling that were shining in the darkness of his room. He was wondering what the alpha was looking at while they talked. “Hoseok, just so you know, you can talk to me about anything you want. I’m here for you.”

“Thank you. I’m here for you, too. I mean it.”

“Good.”

“Great.”

“I’ll let you go to sleep.”

“Before you go.” He said a little bit in a hurry.

“Yeah?”

“You should call me Honey more often. I liked it.”

Yoongi laughed. “I think I’m gonna stick with dummy.”

“Ah, I had to try.”

“Go to sleep Hoseok.”

“Yes sir. See you on Sunday.”

“See you Superman.”

🌹☀️

Sunday had become a good day to Yoongi.

It used to be synonymous with nothing, being simply the day of waiting for a new week to start. He used to use the day to do his homework, chores, not shower and wait for the day to end. He didn’t like it, but that was before he met Hoseok.

Now he looked forward to Sundays.

They didn’t do much, but he enjoyed the company. It was so easy to talk to him. It wasn’t like they had a lot in common, actually they really couldn’t be more different, but he thought that was what made it interesting. Hoseok taught him new things just like Yoongi taught him.

He didn’t know why, but it was easier for him to be with Hoseok than when he was with Jungkook.

Maybe because with Hoseok he didn’t feel pressured to always keep an eye on him. Before, his world used to revolve around Jungkook. If they weren’t together, his mind would fill with anxiety and wondering: what is he doing? Who is he with? Is he having a good time? And there were very few days when they weren’t together.

Maybe in the end he was a shitty friend, but when they were kids, Jungkook was very protective over him, just as Yoongi was caring. They were a team, they had each other’s backs, they were there when no one else was. No one had loved Yoongi like he did, and when his parents died...

No, he wasn’t going to talk about that.

The point was that with Hoseok he felt very light, very calm.

He loved Sundays. He loved doing nothing with him.

That evening they had just finished eating and Hoseok was laying on his bed, Yoongi sitting on his lap as he put on his face some sheet mask he stole from Jimin’s room. He lit some candles to set the mood, turned off the lights, and put on relaxing music in the background. Hoseok was still a little bummed out from Friday’s game and Yoongi wanted to make him feel better, so he was offering him his spa services.

Yoongi made a mixture he saw online for exfoliation and applied it to the alpha’s heart-shaped lips. Hoseok opened his mouth a little, testing with his tongue some of the mixture that was on Yoongi’s fingers.

“Oh, that’s good.” Hoseok said as he licked his finger again.

“Stop eating the mix.” Yoongi said moving his hand out of reach.

“It tastes really good.”

“It’s just honey and sugar.”

“Ah, that makes sense. It tastes like my morning yogurt.”

Yoongi rolled his eyes. “Of course you eat yogurt with honey in the morning.”

“What do you have for breakfast?”

“Usually coffee and a dry pastry. I’ll have a sandwich if I’m not in a hurry.”

“Yoongi.” He said scolding him.

“What?”

“You just have to wake up earlier.”

“Dude, how many times do I have to tell you that I can’t cook for shit?”

“Not even an egg?” Yoongi could see how he was struggling not to grimace so he wouldn't wrinkle his mask. Yoongi could also tell that he was judging him with his eyes.

“Nope.”

“I’m gonna have to give you some cooking lessons.”

“No, thank you. I have survived my whole college experience like this and I’m okay with it.”

“I wasn’t asking.”

“Hm.”

“Give me more of that mix.”

“No, I’m not done yet. Stay still.” Yoongi kept scrubbing his perfect lips and when he was done he let him eat the rest of the mix.

Yoongi went to the bathroom to wash his hands and bring a towel to wipe Hoseok’s face. He took off the mask and threw it in the trash can full of papers and pieces of cloth. He applied the rest of the juices from the mask sheet on his neck and wiped what little was left of the scrub from his lips.

Still sitting on his lap, Yoongi put his hands on top of his own legs and told the man to open his eyes.

“How are you feeling?” He asked.

“Very pretty.”

“I meant about the game.”

“Ah.” He stared at him with a serious look on his face. “I’m okay.”

“Are you really?” Hoseok took a deep breath, putting his hands on Yoongi’s thighs that were surrounding his waist.

“I’m still sad about Mikey and I guess disappointed in myself, but you’re right. I have to focus on the next games.”

“That’s not exactly what I said.”

“I know. I know. I just... Have to have that mentality. I have to be cold so I can be a good leader.”

“That’s not true. You’re a good leader because you care about your team. You inspire them, you guide them, you support them. Those guys love you for that. You have a good heart, Hoseok.”

“But that good heart made me weak.”

“No, baby, listen to me. It was the shock. You were a little out of it because it came out of nowhere. Now you guys are going in to the rest of the season more prepared, with your guards a little more up.” Hoseok was staring at him with an amused look on his face. “What?”

“Baby?” He asked with a smirk on his lips.

“Hm?” Yoongi asked confused.

“You called me baby.”

“No, I didn’t.”

“You so did.”

“I don’t think so.”

“So you use pet names when you reassure people? Good to know.”

“It just slipped out of my mouth.”

“I should get upset more often.”

“I didn’t mean it.”

“You can’t take it back.”

“Sure I can. I just did.”

“Well I can’t unhear it. It’s stuck here.” He said pointing to his head.

“You should try to unhear it then, because it’s not happening again.”

“No?” He looked at him challengingly. “Are you sure?”

“Yeah, very.”

“Okay then.”

Hoseok took him by the waist and flipped him over, leaving him now under the alpha on the bed. He looked at Yoongi mischievously, raising his eyebrows. And then he started tickling his ribs.

“Hoseok!” He screamed, surprised.

Yoongi started kicking, trying to get him off of him, but it was hard since he couldn’t stop laughing. He was taking a breath between laughs and screams asking him to stop. Hoseok just laughed and continued.

He didn’t know how long that had been going on, when Jimin opened the door, breaking the moment.

“Oh, sorry. I hope I’m not interrupting.” He said, with a smile so big Yoongi knew he was not sorry at all.

“You’re not.” Hoseok answered sweetly, getting off of Yoongi.

“Do you need something, Mimi?” Yoongi asked catching his breath.

“I wanted to see if you want to go to a party with me.”

“A party? On a Sunday?” Yoongi asked perplexed.

“Oh yeah, those are so fun.”

“Do people don’t have classes anymore?”

“Are you really asking that?” Hoseok said looking at him, laying on his side. “Baby, you don’t even go to your classes.”

He gasped. “I went to every single one last week.”

“And I’m very proud of you.”

“So do you want to go?” Jimin asked again, reminding them that he was still there. Hoseok and Yoongi looked at each other, communicating without saying anything.

“Sure, we’ll go.” Yoongi told Jimin, who gave them two thumbs up and a smile, then closed the door, leaving them alone again.

Hoseok got up from the bed, looking down at the gray T-shirt he was wearing. It had some stains from the mask and the honey-sugar mixture. Before he could say anything, Yoongi stood up and walked to his dresser, where he took out the shirt that he had lent him back in his apartment. He tossed it at him without saying anything and looked for something to wear himself.

Hoseok took off the dirty shirt like it was nothing, and Yoongi couldn’t help but look at him out of the corner of his eye. There was nothing he loved more than well-defined muscle, no matter the size. The fact that Hoseok was lean yet firm made him almost bite his lip. All of that was his but not really. He was almost lucky.

“Go outside, I’m gonna get changed.” Yoongi said, standing in his place. “And before you say anything dirty, you have to go to the bathroom to wash your face and do something with your hair.” Hoseok smiled delighted, putting his hands up like surrendering.

“Okay, I will.” He answered grabbing his baseball cap from the dresser and putting it on as he walked to the door. “But only because I like being bossed around.”

Yoongi laughed. “Just go.”

After Hoseok left, he changed into a white t-shirt, some black washed jeans, an olive green knitted vest on top, and he put on his Doc Martens. He gathered his hair into a half bun, then put on some small loop earrings, a silver chain and some rings, and then he left his room.

Hoseok and Jimin were sitting on the couch, talking about something. As soon as they saw him they stood up: Jimin walking towards the door, Hoseok towards Yoongi.

“Ready?” He asked him.

“Yeah, let’s go.”

Hoseok drove so Yoongi and Jimin could drink.

The party was in a rather small house; cozy and quaint, it looked like it belonged on the countryside, rather than in the middle of the city. Jimin said that it belonged to a couple of omegas that he shared dance classes with. He claimed that he didn’t get along with them much, but he knew everything about the couple.

It didn’t surprise Yoongi, it wasn’t uncommon for Jimin to have a lot of friends. He was very sweet and funny, and even though he had an aura of grandeur, he was a very approachable person. Yoongi had heard people say that he was one of the most sought-after omegas on campus, not only for his angelic face but also for his magnetic personality. Yoongi had no idea how they were friends, but they were, and he was grateful for it.

As soon as they arrived Jimin left with Taehyung, the new man he was seeing who happened to be Jungkook’s co-captain, leaving Yoongi with Hoseok.

A few people stopped them (well, Hoseok) to say hi as they made their way to the kitchen. It was no surprise that people knew him even in Yoongi’s college community, people he had never seen before. Hoseok was kind enough to introduce him to some people. Every time someone stopped him, he would say “this is Yoongi” and included him in the small talk. He was sweet, Yoongi would give him that.

Once they made it through the parade of fans and arrived to the kitchen, Yoongi grabbed a beer from the fridge, opening the bottle with the countertop of the kitchen island. Hoseok whistled in amazement.

“Do you want one?” Yoongi asked him before taking a sip of his drink.

“No, I’m driving you guys home and then me.”

“You can stay over if you want.” He jumped to sit in the counter, giving Hoseok space to stand between his legs. “Do you have classes tomorrow?”

“Yes, but until 12.”

“That’s great, then you can stay over.” He offered him the bottle.

“I’m still driving you.”

“It’s 10 pm, dude.” Hoseok looked at him seriously. “Okay, what if we share this beer and then neither of us is drinking again for the rest of the night?”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. I’m not letting you be the only sober person in this house.” Yoongi offered him the beer again. “So?”

“Fine.” He grabbed it and took a sip.

“Good, that’s what I like to see.”

“You’re a bad influence.”

“I know.”

They stayed there talking quietly. They shared another bottle of beer, promising it was the last. Little by little the place began to fill up with people, making Hoseok and Yoongi cramp together in the kitchen island.

In a move that had previously seemed arrogant but was now attractive, Hoseok took off his cap to put it on backwards, allowing Yoongi to see his face completely. He was smiling very big, flushed by the alcohol and the human warmth. His cheeks were red as his golden skin was glistening with sweat. Yoongi couldn’t stop looking at him. Why did he have to be so handsome? He didn’t know if it made this easier or harder.

As if he was reading his thoughts and wanted to tease him with it, Hoseok leaned closer to him and whispered into his ear.

“You can kiss me if you want.” And then he pulled away to look at his face. Yoongi smiled unfaced, not bothering to answer him, then Hoseok approached him again. “Unless you don’t think you can handle it.”

Yoongi rolled his eyes, huffing. “Is that really your strategy? Just say that you want to kiss me and I will.”

“Of course I want to kiss you.” He leaned closer to his face, his eyes never leaving his.

Yoongi raised his eyebrows. “Then why don’t you go for it?”

Hoseok lowered his face to Yoongi’s neck, brushing his lips lightly against the skin, sending shivers down Yoongi’s spine. “Because I know you will do it first.”

Yoongi put his hand on the back of his neck, stroking his hair, as he closed his eyes. “I don’t know, I’m enjoying your lips exactly where they are right now.”

“Yeah?” He asked as he ran his nose down his neck, his lips leaving small trails to cling to.

Damn it if he wasn’t making a compelling case. As erotic as this was, Yoongi couldn’t lie to himself, he really needed him somewhere else. So he pulled away to look at him for a moment, sighing in defeat. “Of course I have to do everything, you useless alpha.”

Yoongi grabbed his face with both of his hands and smacked his lips to his. He felt Hoseok smiling against him, clearly pleased to have won. Whatever, it wasn’t like Yoongi was losing anyway.

Hoseok put his hands between his hips in the counter, leaning into him more. Yoongi’s hands were still on his face, caressing his cheekbones, making their way down his neck. He could hear some people groaning as they were passing around them and that made him want to laugh, but he still didn’t pull away from his lips. If anything, he just kissed him harder.

They kept going for a while. Separating only to take a breath and laugh with complicity, then reconnecting their lips again.

Over time the kiss became something lazy, but good. They kept getting closer and closer as if it was possible. Hoseok’s hands were now on his hips and Yoongi was softly tugging the hair at the back of his head. Slowly they broke the kiss to grab some air.

After they separated, Hoseok looked at him sheepishly. “Yoongi?”

“Hm?”

“You’re the best friend I’ve ever had.” He said jokingly, making Yoongi laugh gleefully.

“Stupid.” His giggle made Hoseok’s smile wider, making Yoongi look away.

His gaze drifted to the living room and that was where he saw Jungkook making his way into the party holding hands with Jin. Yoongi’s smile fade away, confusing Hoseok. He turned to look back to what he was seeing, sighing annoyed at the view.

Jungkook then looked at them and stopped from a moment, then changed the trajectory from the living room to the kitchen. Yoongi’s stomach dropped as he watched him approach them, his grip on Hoseok’s arm getting stronger by the second.

It was like a staring contest between them. Neither of them looked away as he was getting closer, until Jungkook slowly passed them by without saying anything, breaking eye contact. Yoongi didn’t turn around, instead he looked down at his lap, but Hoseok was still staring at him with disgust, as if he was ready to jump him at any second. Yoongi was worried that he would, but then he just scoffed and got closer to whisper in Yoongi’s ear. “Come with me.”

He helped him get down from the counter and held his hand as he opened his way through the crowd. They found an empty wall near the entrance of the house, where Yoongi leaned against it. He was more serious than before, a little disappointed that Jungkook hadn’t spoken to them. Of course he wouldn’t if he was with his sexy little boyfriend. When he was present, his attention to Yoongi was minimal, if none. He shouldn’t be so upset by something he already knew.

Hoseok watched him without saying anything, letting him process his thoughts for a while until he offered his hand to Yoongi.

“Come here.”

He held him in his arms tightly, instantly reassuring him. Yoongi put his head on his chest, and Hoseok rested his chin on his hair. 

Hoseok’s hands caressed his back, his chest rose and fell with his calm breathing, his heartbeat was thundering in Yoongi’s ear over the loud background music and his fresh scent was becoming present in the air. Such a simple act could have such a great effect on Yoongi. Hoseok could pull him back from his anxiety with his mere presence, he just had to be there for Yoongi to feel okay.

More than anxious, he felt sad by being ignored. He didn’t know what he expected or wanted, but he was looking for a stronger reaction from Jungkook when he saw them together. Maybe he had resigned himself to the fact that Yoongi was now dating Hoseok, maybe he hadn’t given it much thought.

If that were the case, what would happen now? They’d have to put a stop to their plan, right? The experiment would have failed, and they could go their separate ways; they could say goodbye. But thinking about that made him even sadder than before. His scent soured, making Hoseok pull him closer into his arms, something that was physically impossible.

“What’s wrong? Why does your scent smell like that?”

“It’s stupid.” He said, sinking his face deeper into his neck. Hoseok smelled good despite the sweat, still so calming.

“No, it’s not. Come on sweetheart, tell me what’s going on.”

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

Hoseok pulled away from him to take his face in both hands and look at him closely. “I can see it on your face. Is it because of–?”

Suddenly someone cleared his throat behind them, making Yoongi turn around. It was Jungkook, standing just a few feet away from them.

Hoseok groaned when he saw him. “What do you want?”

“With you? Nothing. I want to talk to Yoongi.” Jungkook was looking directly at him, avoiding Hoseok completely, which seemed to bother Hoseok. He released Yoongi from his embrace, putting himself in front of him, protectively.

“Why?”

“That’s between me and him.” He came up to Yoongi, who was still behind Hoseok.

Yoongi moved a little closer to see him, but held on to Hoseok’s arm for balance. He was feeling dizzy, but not because of the alcohol. “What do you want to talk about?” He asked dryly.

“You never answered my text.” Jungkook replied softly, looking at him like a wounded puppy.

“What text?” Hoseok asked somewhat mad.

“Oh, he didn’t tell you about it?” Jungkook answered with a smug smile and a teasing voice, very unlike him.

“He doesn’t have to tell me everything, asshole.” Hoseok took a step forward, moving closer to Jungkook to intimidate him.

Hoseok was a few inches shorter than Jungkook, and Jungkook was massive. He worked his body in the gym, possessing not only the strength of an alpha but also the one of a bodybuilder. But that didn’t stop Hoseok, who was intimidating in his own way. He might’ve been slimmer, but he was agile and knew how to fight, and a most important quality, he was confident. Yoongi easily felt protected by him.

“Great. So let me talk to him.”

“No, I don’t think I will.”

“Why don’t you back off?” Jungkook pushed him slightly.

“Why don’t you leave my boyfriend alone?” He returned the push a little rougher.

“Boyfriend?” Jungkook said with hurt in his voice, looking right at Yoongi.

“Oh, he didn’t tell you about it?” Now it was Hoseok’s turn to look smug.

“Okay, that’s enough.” Yoongi got between the two of them. “Hoseok, let’s go.” They were challenging each other with their eyes, waiting for the other to make the slightest movement so they could hit each other. Oh God. “Hoseok.” Yoongi was tugging at his shirt, trying to grab his attention.

“You want to tell him something?” Hoseok told Jungkook, completely ignoring Yoongi. “Say it in front of me.”

“He will never love you like he loves me.” Jungkook said confidently, making Hoseok laugh in annoyance.

“And he doesn’t have to, because I’m better for him than you ever were.”

Should Yoongi really pretend that he didn’t find it flattering that two guys were fighting for him? Probably in public, yes. In any other situation he would feel great about it, but now he noted the seriousness of the matter and that it really wasn’t the time to inflate his ego.

“Hoseok, please let’s go.” The urgency in Yoongi’s voice made Hoseok look back at him.

“Fine.” Hoseok said simply. He gave Jungkook one last dirty look and gave Yoongi his hand to follow him out of the house.

He was ready to leave, but Jungkook being the impulsive idiot that he was, gave him a push from the back as he was leaving. “Yeah, run away you pathetic liitle heatstall.” 

Yoongi closed his eyes, knowing exactly what was about to happen. Hoseok turned around, pushing him with more force.

“Be a man and tell that to my face.”

“Stop acting like cavemen, please.” Yoongi said trying to intercept but there was no use. Even from behind Hoseok, he knew that they were mad and they were going to take that anger out one way or another.

Jungkook threw the first punch, straight to Hoseok’s perfect nose. Yoongi gasped in pain and fear. He hoped that this wouldn’t change the shape of it.

He turned to look at Hoseok’s reaction, who was laughing like a maniac, his nose bleeding all over his teeth, worrying Yoongi a bit. Like he said, Hoseok was really strong and absolutely angry. He could do some serious damage if he wanted to.

“Hoseok, don’t do it.” Yoongi begged, but he threw the punch anyway, landing directly in his jaw.

Yoongi let out a sigh, knowing there wasn’t much he could do anymore. The blow sent Jungkook staggering, taking a few steps back without falling. Once he recovered, he went after Hoseok, knocking him to the ground. Jungkook was on top of him, having the advantage, but Hoseok was defending himself well. He tried to knock him off balance with his hips, shielding himself from the blows the other sent.

“Enough!” Yoongi kept saying, trying to pull Jungkook out of him, but he was stronger. Without paying attention to his surroundings, he pushed Yoongi with one hand and sent him backward, causing him to fall onto the floor in his ass.

Ouch, that actually hurt.

Hoseok saw him out of the corner of his eye and when he realized it was Yoongi he had thrown, he got angry and grabbed Jungkook by the shirt, bringing him close to his face to headbutt him.

Once he managed to get him off of him, he pushed him to the other side. Hoseok quickly glanced at Yoongi, asking if he was okay. When he nodded, the alpha turned to Jungkook, kicking him in the ribs.

“Hoseok, that’s enough!” Yoongi screamed from his place, not wanting to be pushed again.

But Hoseok didn’t listen. He was clearly pissed off, if his grunts were any indication of that. He was circling Jungkook, like a predator hunting its prey. When he was somewhat distracted, Jungkook grabbed him by the ankle and knocked him down. And now they were both fighting on the floor.

Yoongi would have expected more from two alphas fighting, but it was just two idiots going at it. But as stupid as it seemed, things were escalating quickly and he didn’t know what to do anymore.

Before he could think about doing something else, Jin came running and threw a glass of water at them, then he threw his shoe directly at Jungkook’s head.

“Koo, stop this right now.” He said, frowning heavily. His big brown eyes were filling with tears, while his lips trembled with rage. Yeah, Yoongi wasn’t going to do all that. If they wanted to kill each other, fine by him. “What the hell are you doing? This isn’t you.”

Hoseok sat on the floor to look at Jin, wiping his lip with the back of his hand. Yoongi ran to him, sitting next to him to check that he was okay, but the show the couple were putting on was very distracting. Hoseok turned around to look at Yoongi, communicating telepathically “Are you seeing this?”

Suddenly the situation lost all seriousness. They wanted to laugh, they both knew it. Yoongi couldn’t believe it was happening in real life, it was so ridiculous. It was a scene taken straight out of a silly teen movie.  

Oh, but Jungkook? He was eating it up.

He was looking at Jin with doe eyes, looking remorseful and ashamed of his actions. Yoongi never saw him like that before, looking so… goofy.

“I’m sorry.” Jungkook told him, standing up to reach him. When he was close to him, he grabbed him by the waist, putting their faces together.

“You can’t do this again, I mean it.” Jin threatened.

“I promise I won’t. I’m sorry, I wasn’t thinking.” He answered, never separating their foreheads.

Hoseok and Yoongi looked at each other again, silently deciding to leave. 

They passed the group of people who had gathered to watch the fight and left the house. Yoongi was helping him walk, since his nose was still bleeding a little bit. He texted Jimin letting him know what had happened and Jimin said that he was staying longer since he was leaving with Taehyung anyway.

Hoseok assured him that he was fine to drive the short distance between the party and his apartment.

They didn’t talk much on the way. There was a thick silence in the car, mixed with a bitter scent coming out from both of them. Fights are never pleasant, especially when one of the people ends up bleeding. Yoongi watched him out of the corner of his eye, making sure he was okay. Hoseok squinted, steering with one hand while holding the piece of paper that was stopping the bleeding with the other. Despite everything, he looked fine.

Arriving at Yoongi’s apartment, they went straight into the bathroom and Yoongi sat him down on the toilet lid to clean the blood off him and check that his nose wasn’t broken. He sighed a breath of relief when he confirmed that he was okay and that his nose would still be in the same shape. He kept cleaning him in silence, Hoseok looking at him with wounded puppy eyes.

“Are you mad?” He asked quietly.

Yoongi sighed. “No.”

“Are you disappointed?”

“No.” Yoongi stopped what he was doing to lean back over the sink with his arms crossed, facing him. He shook his head, smiling a little. “You had to be an alpha.”

“I’m sorry.”

“What do you have to be sorry for? He threw the first punch.”

“I should’ve walked away when you told me to.”

“He provoked you.”

“Are you really not mad at me?”

“No, silly.” He dropped his arms to put them on his waist. “I’m just a little in shock about the whole thing. It was… unexpected.”

“Yeah.” He touched his cheek, that was gonna bruise tomorrow for sure.

“Does it hurt?”

“A little.” He gave slight touches to his face, checking what hurt. “Do I look bad?” As if that was ever a possibility. Yoongi said no with his head, getting closer to him.

“Your face is gonna stay pretty, don’t worry.”

“That’s good to know. I don’t want you to leave me.”

Yoongi smiled softly. “Does anything else hurt? Do you want some medicine for the pain, or some pomade?”

“Yeah, I’ll take some Ibuprofen.”

“Go to my room. I’ll bring it to you.”

Hoseok walked there dragging his feet, while Yoongi went to the kitchen for the pill and some ice he needed to bring down the swelling on his cheek. When he got back to him, he found him looking at Flo, putting some food in her tank.

Yoongi handed him the medicine with a glass of water, which he took immediately, then he gave him the rag with the ice. While Hoseok was busy with that, he began to put away the things that were on his bed and the floor so they could go to sleep.

“Safe to say that he’s upset.” Hoseok said sitting on the bed.

“Yeah.”

“That means that this–” He said pointing to his face. “Was worth it.”

“You can’t be serious.”

“I am. I will gladly take a beating for a good cause.”

“And this is a good cause?”

“Of course. I win the championship and you make him suffer.”

“I guess.”

“How do you feel about what happened? Are you happy that he got mad?”

“I wouldn’t say I’m happy about that. I’m glad to know that this is working and that hanging out with you isn’t in vain.” They both smiled at each other, knowing that he was kidding. “And I’m a little bit relieved to know that he still cares about me. But I’m mostly happy that your nose is intact.”

“Ah, me too. My mom would’ve been so upset if something had happen to it, but I’m good thanks to you. You’re pretty good at patching up broken men.”

“Not my first time.” Hoseok looked at him like he was expecting him to elaborate, so he did. “Some asshole broke Jungkook’s nose when we were in high school. I cleaned him up before his mother could see him, but his nose was broken for real, so we had to go to the hospital. Luckily for you, you won’t have to go there.”

“Yeah, lucky me.” He said putting the ice packet on his cheek.

“That’s what you get for fighting.”

“Can’t promise it won’t happen again.”

“I know.” He put his hand on his shoulder. “Thank you for defending my honor.”

He smiled weakly, shaking his head. “If Seokjin hadn’t arrived at that moment, I would have ripped his head of his neck. I swear I saw red when he pushed you.”

“He didn’t realize it was me.”

“He still hurt you. I’m not okay with that.”

Yoongi took a deep breath, not knowing what else to say. Part of him wanted to defend Jungkook because he knew it had truly been an accident, he’d never lay a hand on him, but another part of him knew Hoseok was right. He had indeed pushed him, and he wasn’t okay with that either. He didn’t need to defend Jungkook for it.

“Well, thank you for headbutting him for me then.” Hoseok laughed, which only made him wince with pain.

“Anytime.” He said through the pain. Yoongi took the ice pack and helped him place it on his cheek, letting Hoseok lean back against the headboard. Hoseok stared at him as he was doing it, grabbing the sleeve of his shirt between his fingers. “Hey, so what text was he talking about?”

Right. That. “Ah. The day I went to his game he saw me and texted me to thank me, I guess.”

“Hm. Why didn’t you reply?”

“I wasn’t sure what to say. I don’t want to go to another game and give him the satisfaction, you know? So I just didn’t reply since it didn’t seem necessary.”

“Right.”

“I should tell you something.” Yoongi dropped the ice pack to his lap.

“What is it?”

“Do you remember that I was going to explain how I knew the plan was kind of working?” He nodded. “Well, Jimin seems to think that the game got better because he saw me in the stands.”

“Really?”

“He’s like an 89.9 percent sure.”

“Hm.” He hummed intrigued. “We should go to his next game then.”

Yoongi opened his eyes as big as he could. “What?”

“To see for ourselves. He sucked when he didn’t see you there, but suddenly he got a touchdown out of nowhere. I want to see if that’s true.”

“And you want us to go together?”

“We are dating, aren’t we?” Yoongi stood up from the bed to pace around the room, trying to look busy. He didn’t want to say what he was thinking because he didn’t want to look weak. “You seem unsure.” He stopped. It would be useless to try to fool him.

“It’s a little bit cruel.” He admitted.

Hoseok sighed, then gave him a nod. “We can stay for half game. We go, we check, we leave.”

“But it’s the last game we go to, okay?”

“Sure. At least until we play against each other.”

“Oh. Yeah...”

“You’re gonna be rooting for me, right?”

“Of course I will, dummy. You’re my fake boyfriend.”

“But I’m also your friend.”

“You are, as weird as it is. I never thought I would like you as much as I do.”

“Ah, you like me. I can sleep in peace now.”

“Stupid.”

“Get in bed. I want to sleep.”

“Take off your shirt first.” Hoseok looked at him raising his eyebrow. “Your shirt is all bloody, don’t get any ideas.”

Hoseok got out of bed to take off his clothes and stay in his underwear, which Yoongi tried not to think about. He quickly went into the bathroom to put on his pajamas and when he came out, he turned off the lights then made his way to him, the light from the stars on his ceiling allowing him to see clearly.

The bed was slightly smaller than the one is Hoseok’s apartment, so they had to be closer. Yoongi had intended to sleep with his back to him, but as soon as he laid down, Hoseok pulled him closer so his face was on his bare chest.

“I don’t want to accidently hurt you.” Yoongi told him quietly.

“Don’t worry, you won’t.”

“I could hit you in the nose with my head.”

“Yoongi, it’s fine.” Hoseok’s hand was caressing Yoongi’s left arm, causing him to relax and put his arm around his waist. “Let’s just sleep, okay?”

He didn’t have to tell him twice. After a few seconds of peace and quiet, Yoongi fell asleep in his arms.  

Chapter Text

The light began to hit Yoongi in the face, waking him up. He blinked a couple of times to get used to the light and slowly got up. Hoseok’s arm was still around his waist but he was completely asleep, not affected by the light at all.

He looked so innocent when he was laying still and not speaking at all, even with his swollen nose and the bruise appearing on his cheek. Not even a few scratches could make him lose his beauty. With his soft hair falling on his forehead, his serene face and smooth skin expanding to his bare chest, breathing calmly.

Never in his twenty-two years of life had Yoongi woken up with a man like him by his side. He was a monument of hard lines and soft skin, toned with an athletic frame and defined muscles. He looked like he belonged in the runway or a museum, being someone’s muse.

Yoongi knew it was dangerous to be attracted to him, but it was impossible not to when he had eyes that could see. Hoseok was handsome, and that was a fact. He had no reason not to accept that. As long as his heart didn’t beat for him, there was no problem. He was starting to get attached to him, but he had no doubt that it was in a friendly way. He knew how to keep his hormones away from his heart, and so far they were staying in the area downstairs.

After what felt like hours, he finally stopped admiring his sleeping figure and grabbed his phone to check the time.

9:23 a.m.

Wait.

His class started in 27 minutes.

Shit.

He jumped out of the bed, pushing the sheets away from him. He took a shirt, some pair of jeans and clean underwear from his dresser, and quickly went to shower. When he got back to his room, Hoseok was already awake, sitting against the headboard and the bedspread covering his lap.

“I’m late.” Yoongi told him in a hurry.

“Yeah, I figured.” He replied in a husky low voice. Ah, Yoongi almost fell to his knees.

“I have to go, but you’re welcome to stay for as long as you want.” He told him while he was putting his books and computer on his satchel. “You can have cereal, eggs or whatever you find on the fridge. We don’t mind how much you eat, really.” He then grabbed his boots from where he threw them last night, putting them on quickly.

Hoseok bent his knees to rest his arms on them, looking at Yoongi intently. He looked so cute with his messy hair and sleepy eyes.

No, Yoongi, now was not the time.

“I’m leaving, I’ll see you later.” Yoongi approached him to give him a kiss on the cheek.

“Have a good day!” Hoseok told him as he ran towards the front door.

Yoongi left the apartment and walked as far as he could until he found a taxi. Normally he would walk to campus, liking to look at the buildings and breathe the fresh air, but this time he genuinely was very late and he couldn’t afford to lose more time.

Once the taxi dropped him off outside the university, he ran like someone with a knife was chasing him until he reached the classroom. Before entering, he composed himself, fixing his hair and controlling his breathing. When he was ready, he opened the door and entered cautiously, not wanting to attract any attention.

Sitting in his usual seat, he checked his watch and saw that he had only missed the first ten minutes of class. Usually he didn’t mind being late, there were times when he didn’t even go, but today they were going to give him the grade for the paper he wrote about the Flowers and Birds of the Four Seasons, and he really wanted to be there for the commentary his professor would give.

Twenty minutes in, he felt his phone buzz on his satchel. He grabbed it discreetly to check who was texting him and he wasn’t surprised at all to see that it was Hoseok.

Hoe-seok: don’t answer

Hoe-seok: pay attention to your class, okay?

Hoe-seok: i just wanted to let you know that i’ve left your house

Hoe-seok: 👍

Yoongi: got it 👍

Hoe-seok: call me when you’re done

Hoe-seok: now PAY ATTENTION

Yoongi: yes sir

The class flew by. Yoongi was so invested in it since the professor was giving commentary on the papers without giving any specific names, she was just talking about the do’s and the don’ts, saying that she could tell when someone was using AI or who was just copy–pasting from Wikipedia. Yoongi was hoping she was talking about him when she mentioned that someone had taken creative liberty and that she thought it was “very refreshing to read”.

When the class was over he stopped by Ms. Patel’s desk to pick up his paper, which the professor took the liberty of printing, and was surprised to see a B+. She smiled at him when he turned around to look at her.

“Congratulations, Mister Min. I hope this is the first work of many you turn over.”

“Thank you.”

Yoongi left the classroom with the biggest smile on his face, walking towards the cafeteria to grab something to eat. This time he would buy a sandwich because he deserved it.

While he was walking, he decided to call Hoseok.

“Hey, I just finished my class.”

“Hi. I hope you don’t mind that I took a shower in your bathroom.”

“No, it’s fine dude.”

“And I had to grab you a shirt since mine was dirty.”

“Okay.”

“And I grabbed my basketball shorts that you borrowed last time.”

He huffed with humor. “Yeah? What else?”

“That’s all.”

“What about underwear? Are you wearing yours or mine?” Silence. “Oh my God. Which one is it?”

“Neither.”

Yoongi stopped walking when realization hit him. “Are you not wearing anything?”

“I didn’t have a choice.”

“I would have borrowed you some of my panties.” He said laughing.

“Ha, ha. Do you even have a pair of panties?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know?”

“Yeah. That’s why I’m asking.”

“Shush. So what? Are you going commando to your classes?”

“No, of course not. I’m going home to change. I can’t go to my classes looking like a douche.”

“Sweetie, you have a black eye and a swollen nose. That’s pretty douchey.”

“Shit, I forgot... Maybe I shouldn’t go.”

“No, no. You can go. The alphas are going to cheer you on because you look like a badass and the omegas are going to swoon because you look hot. You don’t have to worry.”

“What about my professors?”

“Somehow I always forget that you’re a nerd.” He said more to himself than to him. “Hoseok, no professor is going to care.”

“But they think I’m a good student.”

“And you getting your ass beat is going to lower your grades?”

“Well no, but–”

“Honey I promise you they don’t care. And if I’m being honest, everyone will probably be more worried about Mikey.”

“Yeah, you’re right.” Yoongi could tell his mood changed completely with the tone of his voice.

“How is he?”

“Not great. His leg is pretty much broken, which is not the worst part. He’s just so sad, he doesn’t want to talk to anyone. I’ve been trying to call him for days but he’s just not answering.”

“Give him some time. He’ll call you back when he’s ready.”

“I hope so.” He sighed, then cleared his throat. “So, how was your class?”

“I arrived a little late but it was fine.”

“You should’ve woken me up, I would’ve driven you to school.”

“No, no. It’s fine. Don’t worry about it. I arrived just in time to get some feedback on my paper.” He said teasing so Hoseok would ask him about it.

“Right! How did it go?”

“Well… I got a B+!”

“What? Oh my God, that’s awesome Yoongi. I knew you could do it.”

“Thank you, thank you. I’m very proud of myself.”

“Good, you should be. If you keep working hard, you’ll get an A next time.”

“Oh, but that was so exhausting. I think I’m gonna chill for a few days and then work hard again.”

“Yoongi.” Hoseok said in a warning tone. Hot.

“I’m kidding.” He replied giggling. “I’ll try to do better from now on, I promise.”

“Good. That’s what I like to hear.”

“So are you gonna put my paper on your fridge, too?”

“Of course I will. Give it to me on Wednesday, okay?”

He made him giggle again. “I will.”

“I’m almost home, so I have to hang up.”

“Okay. Have a good day at school.”

“Thank you, I’ll call you later.”

“Bye.”

He got to the cafeteria and sat in his usual place after ordering some food. While he waited, he took a book out of his bag that he needed to read for one of his classes. Usually he would have read the chapter summary online or asked one of his classmates what it was about, but this time he wanted to try reading it to understand it on his own. He was feeling a streak of inspiration recently and he wanted to ride it as much as he could, so he gave the chapter his full attention even while eating.

He underlined the important parts, he used his Post-Its to mark the pages, he even took notes in his notebook to remember what he would say in the next class when the professor asked about it. It was gratifying to feel useful and productive, it gave him something to be proud of.

After a while, when he was done eating and he had finished what he had to read, he received a text message.

It was a picture of Hoseok, laying on the black sofa of his apartment, wearing the shirt he stole from Yoongi.

Hoe-seok: sorry sweetheart, but i think i’m keeping it

Yoongi stared at the picture for a while with a big dumb smile on his face. Hoseok looked so effortlessly cute with his hair wet and messy, and his characteristically smirk on his face, all while wearing his clothes. Yoongi tried to recognize what shirt it was, until it hit him: it was an old Alice In Chains concert tee that he had perfectly folded in a drawer, since he hadn’t use it in years, not wanting to use it ever. He had no idea how Hoseok found it among all the clothes he had.

His stomach dropped, but before he could continue to process his feelings, someone surprised him by sitting next to him.

“Hi.” Hiro said with a cheeky smile.

“Why do you like to scare me so much?”

“I like to catch you when your guard’s down.”

“Right.”

“Is that Jay?” He said sneaking a peek to Yoongi’s phone.

Yoongi put it out of reach. “Maybe.”

“Let me see.” Yoongi groaned, but passed him the phone anyway. Hiro gasped as he saw the picture. “Jesus Christ.”

“What?”

“He’s so fucking hot.”

Yoongi sighed annoyed. “I know.”

“I still can’t believe that you’re dating him. You guys seem so… different.”

“We are, but I guess that’s why it works.”

“Now that you guys are official–” Yoongi opened his mouth but Hiro interrupted. “He called you his boyfriend literally last night, so don’t try to fool me.” Yoongi stayed quiet so he could keep talking. “Now that you guys are official, tell me why you’re actually dating him.”

“What do you mean?”

“You couldn’t stand the guy, but then you stopped being friends with Jungkook and suddenly you like him?”

“I know what it looks like, but it isn’t like that. After my fight with Jungkook I gave myself a chance to get to know him and, well, I liked him.” Which was not entirely a lie. It was just that the details were a little bit different.

“So how did it start? Did you approach him first or did he…?”

“He talked to me first when we were at that frat party back in August. He basically told me that he always thought I was pretty but since I was friends with Jungkook he couldn’t approach me, and now that we were no longer friends he tried to shoot his shot.”

“And he did not miss.” Yoongi nodded. “Yoongi I’m sorry for bombarding you with questions, it’s just that I’m so intrigued by you guys.”

“It’s fine Hiro, I don’t mind.”

“Okay, so next q. What do you like about him? Because I just can’t picture him as your type.”

“I don’t think I have a type anymore. If we click, we click.” Hiro stared at him waiting for him to continue. “What I like about him? Hm. Well, he’s really hot.” He said laughing. “I think he has the best smile I’ve ever seen in my life. His hair is so incredibly soft and his lips… He is a good kisser. I really like kissing him.” He smiled to himself. “Um, but beyond the physical, I just like being with him. I had never had such a good time in my life. He makes me laugh like nobody else, even though he’s not very funny. I think he makes me happy, more than anything. He makes me feel not so alone, like just by being by his side I feel loved. And I like to talk to him because he understands me, and even if sometimes he doesn’t, he listens to me and tries to help me. He’s... he’s a great friend.” He looked back at Hiro, who was watching him with a touched look. Yoongi cleared his throat. “Oh, and he’s fantastic in bed.”

Hiro laughed at that. “Damn Yoongi. I thought you guys were using each other, but man, I have never seen you so happy.”

“I guess I am happy.”

“Good for you.” Hiro patted his hand. “Well, I should go back to work. I don’t want to make Wendy come for me.”

“That’s a good idea.”

“We should go out sometime. I would like to meet Jay.”

“Sure. I’ll let him know.” He gave him a thumbs up and went back to work.

Yoongi stayed there for a couple of minutes, then grabbed his stuff and decided to go home.

🌹☀️

Wednesday afternoon.

Yoongi was getting ready for Jungkook’s game, while Hoseok was laying in his bed hugging a pillow, looking at the ceiling. When he arrived at the apartment, Yoongi looked him over from head to toe. He was wearing one of his outfits that Yoongi would classify as “rich kid casual”: a light blue button-down shirt that was two sizes too big on him, black slacks, white sneakers, a black baseball cap with a logo Yoongi didn’t recognize, sunglasses dangling from the buttoned-up shirt, and a small silver chain necklace.

“I look good, right?” Hoseok asked when he noticed his stare.

“Are you asking or are you saying?”

He seemed to consider it. “Both.”

“You do look good, rich kid.” Yoongi said as he took him by the shirt. “Now come on in, I need to start getting ready.”

“What are you going to wear?”

“I’m not sure yet.”

“Should we become one of those annoying couples and match our outfits?”

“I would literally rather die.”

“Okay, you just had to say no.”

So now Yoongi was looking through his drawers for something that he could wear, while Hoseok kept staring at the ceiling. He was being quiet, very unlike him, but he didn’t look sad. It just seemed like he had something in mind.

“I’m almost done, I promise.” Yoongi told him as he stared at him.

“Take your time. There’s no hurry.” He answered calmly.

“We can skip it if you want.”

“Good try.” He moved his head to look at him. Yoongi pouted. “I’m sorry, but I want to go.”

“To piss him off, yeah, yeah, I know.”

“Sure, but I’m also kinda curious. I’ve only seen him play when it’s against me and I want to see how he plays with less pressure.”

“Do you want me to be honest?” He nodded. “He’s really good.”

“Not as good as me.” Yoongi didn’t say anything, returning his attention to the drawer. “Yoongi.”

“Hm?”

“But not as good as me, right?”

“Sure.”

“You don’t sound so sure.”

“Both of you are really good, which I know you know since that’s the whole reason why I’m fake dating your ass.”

“That’s just insurance, baby. I still know who’s the best.”

“How does the helmet fit your head?”

“With a lot of effort.” He replied smirking, sitting in the bed. “Oh, by the way, I’ll give you back your shirt once I wash it. I do the laundry on Sunday mornings, just so you know.”

“Oh, sure, it’s fine.”

“It’s a really cool shirt, I didn’t know you were a fan of Alice In Chains.”

“I’m not.”

“Then why do you– Oh, don’t tell me it used to be Jungkook’s.”

“Don’t worry, it wasn’t his.”

“Then your little high school boyfriend?”

“It was my dad’s.” He told him so he could stop guessing.

“Ah.” The humor in his face disappeared. “I’m sorry I took it. I didn’t know.”

“It’s fine, don’t worry about it.”

“I’ll do the laundry sooner so you can have it back.”

“No, you can give it back to me later. I’m not gonna use it and I trust that you’ll give it back, so.”

“Okay. Um. I’m still sorry I took it.”

“Hoseok, I don’t mind.”

“But it was from your dad.” He said softly. “Is that the only thing you have from him?”

“No, I have a few things from both of my parents but most of them are in my Nana’s house, I only brought some of their stuff here. I have my dad’s shirt and glasses, some of his vinyl’s and a few guitar picks even though I never learned to play the guitar. He was supposed to teach me. From my mom I have a few of her hair ties, her rings and that daisy pillow you seem to like so much.” He said pointing to the pillow he was holding.

“This was your mom’s?” Yoongi nodded. Hoseok looked so moved, he had to stop looking at him. “What were their names?”

“Haeun and Wonshik.”

“What were they like?”

“My mom was beautiful and everyone’s favorite person. She was always happy about something. No matter if things were hard, she always found a reason to smile. That’s why I think she would’ve liked you. She would’ve found your smile very pleasing.” Hoseok smiled, validating his point. “But my dad would’ve given you a hard time just for the laughs. He always pretended to be a tough, serious guy, even with Jungkook. He used to scare him off and as soon as he would leave the house, my dad would tell me ‘I like that boy.’ I don’t think he ever told him that.” The realization made him really sad for some reason. “Anyway, he was very funny, very playful. He said he was always telling jokes just to see my mom smile. They were so in love with each other, I’m surprised I don’t have any siblings.” He said trying to laugh, but nothing came out. Hoseok was looking at him fondly and understanding, which caused his throat to close. “They were happy and full of life, and that’s how I like to remember them.” He raised his shoulders.

“They sound like they were great parents.”

“They were. I’m very thankful for them. I might not have had a lot of time with them but at least I have good memories.” Hoseok nodded, still looking at him with puppy eyes. “Can you get me a glass of water, please?”

“Sure.” He stood up from the bed, leaving the pillow down with extreme care. 

As soon as he left the room, Yoongi sat on his bed with a headache. That usually happened to him when he talked about his parents. He thought it could be his brain panicking from not being able to stop thinking about them. When that happened, he just had to take some time to relax and then continue with whatever it was that he was doing.

Hoseok returned with the water when Yoongi was already changed. He let him drink the water in silence and when he finished, Hoseok put the glass on a small table and came over to give him a hug. He knew how Yoongi was feeling, of course he did.

Yoongi let him hold him, not because he needed him, but because it felt good to be held by him. He told himself it was just for that reason.

“It’s game time!” Jimin opened the door, wearing a pair of blue jeans, an oversized red shirt, and his cheeks painted with two lines of red and white colors. “Jay, I hope it doesn’t bother you that I’m–” He said pointing to his attire. Hoseok smiled, letting Yoongi go from the embrace.

“Don’t worry, I get it.”

“Why are you so festive?” Yoongi asked him.

“Because Tae is going to play and he wants me to cheer for him.” He said smiling, showing off his pompoms.

“I’m not even gonna ask how you got those.”

“Sully gave them to me.” At that moment his phone rang, making him jump with excitement. “It’s him. I’ll wait for you guys outside while I talk.” He picked up his phone while walking towards the entry. “Hi baby.” He disappeared, leaving Yoongi with Hoseok.

“Are you gonna dress up like that for my games?” Hoseok asked, teasing him.

“You wish.”

“I do plan to give you one of my jerseys.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. You can wear it if you want, but it’d make me very happy if you did.” He said like it had no importance, making the omega smile.

“I’ll think about it.” Yoongi replied, feigning annoyance in his voice. Hoseok pinched him in the waist and looked at him as he laughed, then stopped him so Yoongi could look at him seriously.

“Hey Yoon?”

“Yes?” He asked intrigued.

“Thank you for telling me about your parents.”

“No problem.” He gave him a smile. “Now, let’s go see some football.” He grabbed his hand and led him out of his room.

🌹☀️

It was packed, as expected.

The stadium quickly filled up, with people passing by wearing mostly red shirts in support of the home team, the West Tilbury’ Thorns. Yoongi wore a black shirt so he wouldn’t be mistaken for a fan, plus Hoseok’s team colors were black and gold. He had to show where his loyalty laid.

In addition to red, many people wore green and yellow, coming to support the Eastwood’s Warriors. Statistically, the team was not one of the strongest, while the Thorns were one of the favorites, so this should be an easy game.

With a few minutes to spare before the game started, Yoongi and Hoseok were waiting for Jimin outside the restrooms. Hoseok was holding his hand and playing with it, swinging it back and forth even when people were passing very close to them. Yoongi was checking his surroundings in case he saw a familiar face. Well, the familiar face he was afraid to find.

He didn’t know why he kept doubting and changing his mind so much. Was this wrong? Was this right? Wasn’t the whole purpose of pretending to be with Hoseok for the other to see them together? Normally he felt some guilt, but he managed to suppress it when he was with Hoseok. Now it was something else; now he was bringing the enemy home, walking hand in hand with him. This might be the worst thing he could do to him.

So yeah, maybe he wanted to extend the time he had left feeling like a good person.

“Hey Jay, what are you doing here man?” Some guy approached them, touching Hoseok’s shoulder in a friendly way. “Are you checking out the competition?”

“No man, I’m just accompanying my boyfriend and his roommate. This is Yoongi, by the way.” He said pointing at him with his free hand, since they were still finger laced with the other.

“Hi, nice to meet you.” Yoongi said smiling politely.

“Min Yoongi, yes, I remember you. You have a few classes with my sister Sophie.”

“Sophie Paladino?” He stared at him and immediately realized that they had the same eyes. “Yes, of course I know Sophie. You must be Marco.”

“The one and only. Nice to meet you.” Marco got a little closer so he could speak directly at him. “I didn’t know you were dating Jay.”

“Well, it’s very new.”

“Yeah, I thought so. My sister wanted to set us up actually.” He dropped the information like it was nothing.

“Oh.” Yoongi glanced at Hoseok, who was staring at Marco with a frown. “Really?”

“Yeah, she mentioned it to me a few weeks ago. I guess she didn’t know you were with Jay, either.”

“I guess.” He laughed nervously.

“Well, it was great to see you guys. I have to go find Sophie before the game starts.” He gave Hoseok a pat on the shoulder, then gently took Yoongi’s arm and got him closer to him with the intention of telling him a secret, except it was loud enough for everyone to hear. “Yoongi, call me if Jay doesn’t treat you right.” He said trying to make it seem like he was joking but Yoongi was sure both him and Hoseok knew he wasn’t.

“He won’t have to.” Hoseok replied with a smile Yoongi could only interpret as a threat. Marco put his hands in the air.

“I guess he’ll make that decision.” He smiled at Yoongi and walked away before Hoseok could say something else. Hoseok was silent for a few seconds, processing what had happened, and then he groaned.

“The audacity of that fucker.” Hoseok said, making Yoongi laugh.

“Hoseok!”

“What?” Yoongi kept laughing. “Who the hell does he think he is? Flirting with my boyfriend in front of me, huh? Fucking knothead.”

“Yeah, that was... weird.”

“Were you uncomfortable?”

“A little, yeah.”

“Let me go find him.” He said with the intention of going after him, but Yoongi stopped him by squeezing his arm, pulling him back.

“And do what? You already have a black eye.”

“I’m gonna have a few words with him. I didn’t tell him anything because he caught me by surprise, but now–”

“Hoseok stop.” He said grabbing his forearm with his other hand, stopping him again from walking away.

“I gave him the benefit of the doubt. If he would have left it at ‘but you’re already dating Jay’ it would have been fine. But no, he had to be all like ‘call me when you dump his ass’.”

Yoongi laughed again. “That’s not what he said.”

“He might as well.” He scoffed. “At least he didn’t give you his number. If he had tried, I would’ve yanked his phone and threw it across the field.”

“I wouldn’t have taken it, don’t worry.” Yoongi was stroking his arm trying to calm him down. “Even if we weren’t together, I wouldn’t have taken it.”

“Really? Is he not your type?”

“Not really.”

He smiled confidently. “I’ll tell him that if he tries to steal you from me again.”

“Man if you get like this for me, how would you get for a real partner?”

“We might not really be dating, but I’m still gonna treat you like we were.”

“You’re sweet.” Yoongi said putting his hand on his neck, scenting him subtly. He could physically see him starting to relax.

“Thanks.” He said pouting.

“Are you still upset?”

“He was such an asshole.”

“He just couldn’t help himself.” Yoongi said teasingly.

“You’re gorgeous, of course he couldn’t help himself.”

“Hoseok, enough.” He pulled him closer to him with the hand that was behind his neck and he kissed him quickly. Hoseok changed his scowl to a goofy grin. “Better?”

“Not yet.” He pulled him towards him, their lips meeting again. Hoseok was kissing him with a playful smile on his face, making Yoongi giggle like a high school kid.

“You guys are disgustingly cute.” Yoongi heard Jimin say behind them, making them separate. “Can we go watch some football, please?”

“Yeah, sorry Jimin.” His roommate told him.

“Don’t you ever apologize for kissing a hottie.”

“Jimin.”

“Yes, Jay?” He answered while walking ahead of them, playing with his pompoms.

“What do you think about Marco Paladino?” He asked him, making Yoongi smile with amusement. He was so ridiculous sometimes.

“Super-hot, great kisser, not very pleasing to be around, kind of a knothead.”

“Totally agree with the second part.”

They were sitting in the stands waiting for the game to start, watching the team warm up. Hoseok was being very touchy, it seemed like he had to have his hands on Yoongi somehow. Right now he had his left hand on his thigh, stroking him with his thumb side to side, but he was distracted watching the field. Yoongi moved to see if he would notice, but he just kept his hand where he had it, not changing his focus from the players. Yoongi didn’t think he was aware of what he was doing, so he must’ve been doing it on autopilot. He liked it when Hoseok did things like that, his omega loved when he got protective and possessive. His touch was very electric, it felt like thundering and warmth. Yoongi would’ve never dared to move his hand off of him.

Beside him, Jimin was standing, clapping and yelling for the guys. When Taehyung turned around to look at him, Jimin shook his pompoms for him, making him laugh with excitement.

Taehyung was a very handsome beta. He was tall, with tanned skin and a charming square smile. He was good friends with Jungkook, so Yoongi knew him a bit. He knew Taehyung was kind, considerate, and could make Jimin very happy if that’s what the omega wanted.

But Jimin had always said that he didn’t want a serious relationship in college, that he wanted to explore his freedom before working and getting married, that he wanted something to reminisce about in the future.

Yoongi couldn’t really blame him. He didn’t know if marriage was in his own future, if it was something that he wanted. But, if he was honest with himself, he was open to the possibility if he met the right person. In the distant future, of course. Right now he just wanted to graduate and figure out what to do with the rest of his life, or at least in the next five years. It would be lovely to know what would happen to him in the coming months, it would be even better to survive this football game.

The nerves were killing him as he stared at Jungkook, who had his back to him. He didn’t think he had seen them yet, which had him a little relieved. He knew he would at some point, but he wanted to drag that moment out as much as possible. At least when he would be playing already. He wasn’t likely to make a scene there, that wasn’t how Jungkook acted. But Yoongi didn’t think he would hit Hoseok in the nose, either.

“Seok?” Yoongi called, squeezing the hand he still had on his thigh to gain his attention.

“Yeah?”

“Can you get me a drink before the game starts? Please?” He said batting his eyelashes, which made Hoseok laugh.

“Sure.” He stood up, giving his thigh a little squeeze. “Jimin, do you want anything?”

“A diet soda would be perfect, thank you.” He gave him a thumbs up walking away. Perfect. That should give Yoongi some time to breathe.

It was one thing to parade Hoseok at parties and on social media to annoy him, and quite another to take him to a place as sacred to Jungkook as his football games on his own field. This, he would say, was the highest form of betrayal.

He kept telling himself that it had to be done, and he knew that was true. He chose to do this and he’d continue to do it, even if it made him a bad person. He just had to get rid of his nerves, or his guilt.

Yoongi was still looking at the back of his neck, making sure he didn’t turn around to see him (or to notice if he did), and Jungkook must have felt his gaze because he turned to where Yoongi was.

His heart skipped a beat. Yoongi didn’t believe people could read minds, but he did believe alphas could hear an omega’s heart if they were used to the beat. This almost proved his theory because Yoongi wasn’t that close to him, he chose seats away from the team bench for a reason. But Jungkook still spotted him in the crowd like Waldo.

A huge smile grew on his face as they exchanged glances, raising his hand to wave him hello. Friendly, loving, like his usual self. Acting like last weekend didn’t happen at all.

So he was mad at Hoseok but not at Yoongi? Why?

Before he could make a decision on whether or not to wave back, Hoseok returned with the drinks and sat down next to him, kissing him quickly on the lips. Yoongi closed his eyes momentarily, enjoying the kiss, but as soon as he opened them again he found his ex-friend’s cold, stoic face. He stood like a statue in his place until one of his teammates dragged him away.

The game was about to start and Jungkook just saw Hoseok arrive. Great. The universe had a very funny way of telling Yoongi to fuck off.

🌹☀️

The game... didn’t go very well.

Anyone paying attention could tell that Jungkook was distracted. He wasn’t focused, he looked anxious, he was even annoyed with his teammates. He didn’t play a good game, but the rest of the team made up for it. Thanks to them, and the coach’s loud screams, they were able to win, but no one seemed happy about it either way.

During the game, Hoseok stood with his arms crossed, carefully watching the movements of both teams. Yoongi had his arm linked with one of his, squashing his bicep with his hand like a stress ball. Jimin gradually lost his spirits, although he kept waving his pompoms out of pity for the team.

It was an unfortunate thing to see. Hoseok didn’t even say anything to gloat or tease, he was just a silent observer.

When the game was over the public left little by little, only a few people passing by to congratulate them. Jungkook was sitting on a bench, his head down and shoulders slumped.

Jin should go to him. Yoongi could see him near the stairs, watching his boyfriend from afar. This must’ve been his first time, in the whole year they’ve been dating, seeing him like this. Looking so… hopeless. Jungkook smiled all the time, sometimes just to be nice, and he saw the bright side of everything even in his worst moments. Yoongi hoped it’d be like that this time.

Hoseok took his hand to get them out of there and as they were leaving, Yoongi saw Jin running up to his boyfriend. Well, at least he knew that he wouldn’t be alone.

“What did you think about the game?” Yoongi asked Hoseok in a low voice so Jimin couldn’t hear them.

“I–” He was gonna say something but stopped himself. Yoongi gave him a little nudge.

“You can say it.”

“It was interesting.”

“Interesting?”

“Well, as a football fan it was awful to watch.” Yoongi nodded, agreeing with him. “But as Hoseok, I think it was satisfying.”

“Rude.” He said joking.

“But not because I hate the guy. It was because I was right.”

“About?”

“You have the exact power on him I knew you had.”

“Both you and me, I guess.”

“We’re the Dream Team. Or, like, the Nightmare Team to him.”

They kept walking in silence, enjoying the cold breeze of the night. Jimin was ahead of them, stopping to say hi to a few people that crossed his path. On one side Yoongi could see Marco, who was looking at him carefully. He moved closer to Hoseok and looked away. He wasn’t interested in him and was thankful that he had a fake boyfriend who could block his attempts of flirting with him. And Yoongi had already seen Hoseok fight, he knew what the other was capable of doing for him. It wasn’t in that other alpha’s interest to make him angry.

As they were approaching the parking lot, Yoongi’s phone buzzed with a notification. He let go of Hoseok’s arm to check it and he stopped when he read the message.

Koo: meet me in the bleachers after the game

Not even a question, it was a demand.

“What is it?” Hoseok asked, concerned.

“It’s, uh, Jungkook.”

“Ah. What does he want?”

“He wants to meet me.” Hoseok nodded. “I guess I should listen to what he has to say.”

“Yeah, you should go. We’ll wait for you in the Jeep.”

That was for the better. The last few times Jungkook had tried to talk to him and Hoseok was there to interfere, it did not ended up great.

There were only a few people left on the field, mostly some players with their significant others, collecting their belongings. Some of Jungkook’s teammates greeted him when he was on his way there, some happier than others. Yoongi believed that a lot of them probably weren’t as fond of him now that he was dating a player from the rival team. That was fair.

Upon reaching the team bench, there was only Jungkook there, no sight of Jin. They had the field all to themselves, which made Yoongi very nervous for some reason.

Jungkook was sitting with his elbows resting on his knees, looking out over the field. Yoongi kept walking to make himself noticed, not knowing what he would say if he had to talk first. As soon as Jungkook saw him, Yoongi stopped walking, keeping his distance from him.

“Why did you bring him here?” Jungkook asked standing up from the bench. Straight to the point.

“It’s a football game, hundreds of people attend. And didn’t you say you wanted me to come?”

“Yeah, but not with him.”

“He’s my boyfriend, he goes where I go.”

He snickered, humorlessly. “You can’t tell your lap dog to stop following you for five minutes?”

“And why would I do that? I like being with him.”

Jungkook laughed, shaking his head. “You’re unbelievable.”

“Why did you ask me to meet you here?”

“So you can explain to me what you’re doing because I don’t understand.”

“I don’t have to explain anything to you, Koo. We’re not friends anymore.”

“Just like that?” Yoongi nodded confused, thinking it was painfully obvious. Jungkook still managed to seemed offended. “Wow.”

“Did you hit your head or why the sudden memory loss? You were the one who threw our friendship away when you told me to stay away from you. I’m staying away, you should try to do the same.”

“So I’m supposed to not feel anything for you that easily? After all those years? After growing up together?”

“Yes!” Yoongi said, getting pent up quickly.

“Then you’re fucking selfish, you know that? You’re cold and heartless. I can’t believe you don’t care about me anymore.”

“Oh, fuck you. You’re such a fucking asshole. You’re the selfish one telling me all this shit when you knew...” He took a deep breath. “When you knew how I felt about you.”

“Yoongi.”

“I was in love with you and you told me to fuck off. I move on and suddenly I’m the bad guy?” He shook his head full of compressed anger. “I’m the one who doesn’t understand. What is it that you want? Do you want me to be in love with you my whole life?”

Jungkook shook his head, looking at his feet. “I think it’s good that you moved on, I’m happy you did. But why did it had to be with him?”

“Because it did. It just happened. I stopped listening to you bitching about him and actually got to know him.”

“And what about everything he did to me?”

“What did he do, besides bumping your shoulders and provoking you in games?”

He scoffed. “Whatever. It wouldn’t matter to you, anyway.”

“Oh, poor you.”

“I don’t want your pity.”

“What do you want, then?”

“I want you to break up with him.” He said determined, like a father grounding his child. It made Yoongi laugh, but he didn’t really find it funny.

“Sure, and then what? Are you gonna break up with Jin?” Jungkook just stared, letting him know his answer. “So you’re still gonna be with Jin and we’re not gonna be friends anymore, so why the fuck would I listen to you?”

“Because I care about you and I don’t want you to get hurt.”

“Jesus, your lack of self-awareness amazes me.” Yoongi sat on a bench with his arms crossed. “If I get hurt or not, that doesn’t concern you anymore.”

“It always will.” He told him while putting his things away. “That’s why I’m telling you this. I know Jay is not a nice person and he definitely doesn’t deserve you. Break up with him, Yoongi, before it’s too late.”

“No.” He said convinced, not changing his facial expression. Jungkook sighed frustrated in response.

“Why are you doing this to me?” He asked tired.

“I’m not doing anything to you.”

“From the thousands of people you could have dated, you choose him. The one guy you know I can’t tolerate. And what? You want me to think you’re not doing it to spite me? To hurt me?”

“But why would that hurt you? Me dating Hoseok has nothing to do with you. You should ask yourself why it bothers you that much.”

“I know you want me to say it’s because I have feelings for you, but you know that’s not going to happen.”

“Fuck you, man.” Yoongi stood up to leave, trying to hide the hurt on his face.

“Yoongi, I don’t want you to come to any more of my games.” He said while Yoongi’s back was turned to him.

“Don’t worry, I won’t.” He said loud so the other could hear, still not facing him. “But I’ll see you in two weeks when you play against the Golden Knights.”

Chapter Text

Hoseok could tell that something was wrong, Yoongi knew it from the moment he got back to them and Hoseok laid his eyes on him. They spent so much time together that they could tell what the other was feeling by seeing it reflected on their faces. That was a sign that their friendship was stronger than they gave credit for.

As Yoongi got into the truck, he could feel all the attention on him. Jimin immediately asked him if he was okay, to which he replied yes. Hoseok asked him if he was ready to go home, to which he also said yes. What neither of them asked him about was what Jungkook wanted to talk about, Yoongi thought they could guess that nothing good from the look on his face.

They both respected his silence, not pressuring him to speak even if they were dying to know. Yoongi could also tell from Hoseok’s face that that was the case, that he was fighting back the urge to ask. He was within his rights to do so, not only because they were friends but because he was his accomplice in this scheme and this was relevant to the situation.

And still, he didn’t say a word.

Arriving at the apartment building, Jimin jumped out of the car as soon as it stopped, hurrying to leave them alone. He probably believed that they needed some privacy to talk, or that they would start making out or something. Either way, they were left alone in the car.

Hoseok was looking at him with care, like deciding if he should say something and what he should say. Yoongi would have liked to know what was going on inside of his head, what he was thinking and how he felt about it. But Hoseok didn’t say anything immediately. He first took Yoongi’s hand gently with both of his, his eyes never leaving him.

“Do you want me to stay?” Hoseok asked gently, which made Yoongi smile.

“No, don’t worry.” He caressed his cheek with his left hand. “I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?”

“Are you sure?”

He nodded. “You have things to do.”

“Yeah, but I can still do them even if I stay here.”

“You have classes first thing in the morning, then football practice, and then the game. Please go home and have some rest.”

“Okay.”

“Okay.” He opened the door of the car. “Drive carefully.”

“Yes sir.”

The next day Yoongi didn’t feel better.

He took the morning off and skipped his classes, staying in the apartment to eat cereal and binge watch Parks & Recreation for the thousandth time.

Jimin peeked into his room a little later that morning, concern written all over his face. He asked him if he wanted to talk about what had happened or if he wanted him to stay and keep him company, but Yoongi declined. For now, he wanted to be alone and just avoid thinking about Jungkook, pretending that conversation didn’t even happen. So Jimin went to his dance class, not without first making Yoongi promise him that if he needed anything he would call him.

Sometime later, when his bladder was begging him to take care of it, he summoned up a bit of will to get out of bed and go to the bathroom. As he was washing his hands, he saw his reflection in the mirror and was reminded that he needed to shower. He almost cried at the realization.

He really wasn’t in the mood to do it; he just wanted to lie in bed watching his show on his laptop, wearing his dirty t-shirt and old boxers, and go to sleep early. But he had promised Hoseok that he would go to his game to support him, and he more than anything didn’t want to break his promise, so he stepped into the shower before he could think about it too much.

Standing under the hot water that was falling on his body, his conversation with Jungkook came back to him. It felt like every time he closed his eyes, he could see the hurt in the other’s face and his upsetting demands echoed in his ears. It was unfair, everything he told him was unfair. How dare he pretend to still care about him when he had no intention of bringing him back into his life? It wasn’t concern, it was control. He didn’t like Yoongi doing anything he wouldn’t approve of, that was what his little fight had taught him.

He wasn’t even angry, he was just exhausted. This whole situation was draining his energy and confusing his mind, all while trying to get over his old feelings as he started to develop a bond with his fake boyfriend, who had become a real friend.

That was a lot for him, whose life consisted of not interacting with the outside world unless he had to. Now he was in a soap opera-sized problem.

When did his life get this complicated?

🌹☀️

During Hoseok’s game Yoongi was physically there but his mind was gone. He wasn’t even thinking about anything, he was just tuned out.

Jimin was screaming, jumping and having the time of his life, and next to him was Yoongi’s body that would clap from time to time because he would hear other people doing it.

He wanted to be there and cheer for Hoseok. Not because they were in a lie, but because he genuinely cared about him. He tried to concentrate, he tried to pay attention, but his eyes would lose focus and suddenly he wasn’t there anymore.

He thought his mind was trying to fight the need to think about yesterday’s conversation and decided it was best to just blank out. It was like he had a lobotomy and then threw himself into a football game, all he had to do was start drooling.

It was better to think about nothing than to allow himself to feel everything. It was the only way he could find peace with the horrors that lived inside his mind. This way there was no Jungkook, no memories of their perfect childhood or the tainted present. It was just Yoongi, the wind, the green of the field and the voices in the background.

He was okay.

He would be okay, he just had to keep his mind silent.

But he forgot he wasn’t alone and that other people’s minds were not in tune with his own. He felt like he had been hit by a train when Jimin hugged him and yelled in his ear that they had won. That was the moment Yoongi finally came back to Earth and realized where he was and why.

Hoseok won his game.

Yoongi was there to support him.

The crowd started to cheer and applaud, at least the half that supported their team. Jimin was jumping around, celebrating with the people next to them. Yoongi stood looking out at the field, watching the Golden Knights hug Hoseok and hit him in the helmet as he laughed with his million dollar smile. The sun in the darkness of his mind.

“What a good game.” Yoongi heard someone say next to him.

And he had missed it all.

Before he could drown in his guilt, Jimin grabbed his hand and guided him to the field, where the team was still celebrating. Hoseok dropped his water bottle as soon as he saw him, then walked towards him with a smile on his face and his arms wide open.

“I’m glad you’re here.” Hoseok said in Yoongi’s ear while hugging him tight. Yoongi didn’t say anything back, he just buried his face on the crook of his neck. Crazy how he still smelled so nice even with all of the sweat. Actually, it might’ve been the sweat that smelled so good. He wouldn’t put it past him.

After Hoseok let him go, Jimin got closer to them.

“Hey Jay, congratulations on the win.” He said.

“Thanks Mimi. Let me introduce you to my friends.”

“Please do.”

Hoseok put his arm around Yoongi’s shoulders to bring him along, not letting go even when they were with the others.

To say that Jimin was a hit would be an understatement. Every single one of the team members loved Jimin, even though some of them already knew him. He was so easy going and funny that everyone wanted to befriend him after one single conversation with him.

Even Yoongi fell for him that first night they shared sleeping in their college dorm. It had been awkward at first, because they both seemed to have nothing in common. Jimin was a cute, colorful, happy omega. Yoongi was quiet and distant. There was no way they would make a good pair. But then the night fell and they were both lying in their twin beds, side by side. The lights were off, silence finally reigning after all the noise college students made on their first day on campus.

Yoongi remembered how Jimin turned around to look at him and, without thinking much, he started the conversation. Something simple, something everyone would have an opinion on: What do you think of reality TV?

Oh, and Yoongi had an opinion.

He loved them. He loved that kind of trashy TV. It was guaranteed entertainment, easy to digest, and there was something exciting about it that made him look forward to the next episode. So they stayed up all night talking about their favorite reality shows. And after that day, they were more than just roommates.

Yoongi felt very lucky to have been paired with him, but he felt even luckier that Jimin wanted to continue living with him in another apartment.

Jimin was one of the biggest blessings in his life.

Time passed. It must’ve been a few minutes, or maybe an hour? He wasn’t very sure. But time definitely passed. People kept talking around him, about the game or something like that. He wasn’t paying attention, he was just clinging to Hoseok’s arm like it was his anchor, and he was smelling his sweat. It was so comforting, so... so relaxing. Hoseok smelled so good. Had he mentioned that before? His scent was delicious. He could smell it for hours without getting tired. He could bathe himself in a bottle of his perfume.

“Hey, are you okay?” Hoseok pulled him out his daze. Yoongi blinked a few times, trying to understand what was going on. Suddenly they were far from the group, Hoseok standing in front of him while examining his face closely.

Yoongi blinked again. “Yeah, I’m good.”

“You seem a little... out of it.” He put his hand on Yoongi’s forehead. “Do you feel sick? Or are you just tired?”

“I’m a little tired, yeah.”

“Okay. Let me grab my things so we can go.”

“No, Hoseok, you have to go with your team. They were saying something about going out, right?”

“Yeah, but I can miss that.”

He shook his head, his arms crossing in front of his chest. “I won’t let you.”

“Yoongi.”

“Besides, I came with Jimin. I’m not letting him drive back alone.”

He sighed. “You’re right, you have to go with him. But I can go to your apartment after this.”

“No. You’re going with your team.” Yoongi warned him, but he didn’t look convinced. “We’ll see each other on Sunday, okay?”

“Until Sunday?” Hoseok pouted, looking disappointed. “Are you busy the other days?”

“You know I’m not. I just want to rest a little bit.”

“I could just lay down with you.”

Yoongi let out a little laugh. “Hoseok.”

“Okay, okay, I’ll stop being clingy.”

“You’re sweet.” Yoongi looked behind him, noting that some of the guys were staring at them. “Now go with your team before they start to hate me.”

“Fine.” He leaned in to give him a quick kiss on the lips. Soft and delicate, transmitting the care he felt for him. “I’ll see you on Sunday.” He strut back to them, telling the news that his boyfriend gave him permission to go.

Jimin said his goodbyes to the team before walking towards Yoongi and grabbing his hand, telling him that they were stopping for milkshakes before going home.

🌹☀️

Over the two days he didn’t see Hoseok, Yoongi didn’t do much.

He did went to his classes on Friday and after he went to grab some coffee with Hiro (while he was still on his shift), but after that he went home and stayed there.

On Saturday morning, he was supposed to go out with Jimin to get groceries, but he pretended to still be asleep when he came to get him. Jimin definitely knew he was awake, but for the sake of friendship he let him be and went by himself. Yoongi did help him unpack the things when he got home because he wasn’t that mean.

Later that evening, Jimin asked him to go to a party with him, but the idea of seeing Jungkook made him almost throw up. There was no way he could face him again, much less without Hoseok by his side. So he told him no, which earned him a dismayed look from his friend. Jimin told him that he basically put himself under house arrest, which was kind of true.

On Sunday he forced himself to get into the shower. He might not have been very energetic, but he wasn’t going to let Hoseok see him dirty again. He wanted to look nice around him, mainly because Hoseok always looked good around him, and Yoongi refused to be the ugly one in the relationship.

As he stepped out of the shower, his phone light up where it was sitting in the bathroom sink, showing the photo he had with Hoseok to indicate that he was calling him. He picked it up to answer.

“Hey.” Hoseok greeted him.

“Hi.”

“What are you doing?”

“I just got out of the shower.” He said leaving the phone back on the sink so he could dry his hair with a towel. “And you? Are you driving?”

“Well.” Yoongi heard the bell rang as Hoseok replied. Suspicious of the timing, he went to open the door adjusting the short robe that covered his body. Sure enough, Hoseok was at the other side, staring at him with a smile, still holding his phone near his ear. “Hi.” He greeted again. His eyes traveled over Yoongi’s legs, noticing his almost naked body and his hair dripping wet. Yoongi ignored the tingle in his stomach.

“What are you doing here?” He asked, looking away from the door.

“It’s Sunday.”

“What are you doing here so early?” He corrected himself.

“As much as I love hanging out in your room, I thought that maybe we could do something different today.”

“Different how?”

“Not in one of our houses.”

“So go out?”

“Yeah.” Yoongi nodded his head. “Ah, and before you ask: I can’t say where we’re going, it’s a surprise.”

He sighed, rolling his eyes. “Fine.”

Yoongi took a step back, letting Hoseok enter the apartment. He scanned the living room, then turned back to Yoongi. “Is Jimin here?”

“Yeah, he’s in his room.”

“Great. I’ll go talk to him while you get dressed.”

He frowned. “Talk about what?”

“I have to pass on a message.” He winked at him.

Hoseok went to knock on Jimin’s door, leaving him behind. Yoongi got into his own room, closing the door behind him, with the intention of getting ready. He heard Jimin answer, and while he wasn’t exactly leaning against the door to listen in, he was paying attention to the conversation.

“Hey Jay, what’s up?” He said with his usual preppy tone.

“Jimin I have something for you.”

“Really?” A few seconds of silence followed. “Ah, I see. Thank you.”

“It’s very important, so don’t lose it.”

“I won’t, I promise. I’m very interested, so thank you for delivering the message. I thought I was going to have to make the first step.”

“Wouldn’t be the first time.” They laughed together like they knew something.

“Well, thank you again for this. You’re a good friend.”

“No problem. Enjoy.” Then the door was closed, which made Yoongi move to continue to get dressed.

He felt something strange in his stomach, but he didn’t know exactly what it was. Maybe it was the feeling that there was something he didn’t know, maybe it was something more dangerous than that. He had never questioned it before, but now that he thought about it, Jimin and Hoseok might have known each other from before. They were both popular and liked to party, and before Hoseok was his “boyfriend”, he was quite the flirt. It would make sense if they…

No, he would rather not think about that.

Yoongi changed into his clothes with his mind busy, secretly hoping that whatever he was thinking wasn’t true. Although it was extremely likely to be.

Once they were inside his car, Yoongi was in a constant fight with his mouth to keep him from blurting out what he wanted to ask. If something happened between Jimin and Hoseok, it wasn’t any of his business, so it would be for the best to stop thinking about that and talk about something else before he said something he might regret.

“So where are you taking me?”

“It’s supposed to be a surprise, but I’ll let you guess since I’m confident you won’t get it.”

“Challenge accepted.” He looked at the passing streets: seeing green leaves turn brown as they were getting dragged in the cold air of September. It was a beautiful day to be outside. “Are you taking me to a park?”

“Only if you want me to die.”

Yoongi smirked. “Not before we get married.”

“You really want my apartment, don’t you?” He asked humored, looking away from the road for a split second.

“And this nice car of yours.”

“You can’t even drive.”

“I would learn.”

“Okay, then I’ll teach you so you can be ready when I die.”

“Deal.” He answered with a shit-eating grin on his face.

“But you’d have to keep my action figures if you want the car.”

“I would keep them to honor your memory. Wouldn’t even try to sell them or anything.”

“Yoongi, that might be the sweetest thing you’ve ever said to me.” Hoseok took his hand to his chest, where his heart was.

“Shush.” He pushed his hand away. “Where are we going, Seok?”

“You give up?” He nodded. “You’ll find out in about ten minutes.”

Hoseok took him to a drive-in cinema for a special Fall feature. Classics like When Harry Met Sally, You’ve Got Mail and The Lake House were going to play. He parked in a good spot and then they got out to buy popcorn and soda at the concession stand. Yoongi begged him to let him pay for it since he was always the one to do it, but Hoseok just said he could next time (which he always told him). Yoongi bought him some chocolates when he went to the bathroom and hid them to give them to him later.

The first movie they showed was When Harry Met Sally, but he couldn’t pay any attention to it because he was watching Hoseok, who was charmingly focused on the film. Yoongi’s head kept thinking about his conversation with Jimin, so he decided to ask as sneakily as possible.

“So what message did you pass on to Jimin?” Yoongi asked before eating some popcorn from the bucket Hoseok had in his lap.

“Oh, Joon asked me to give him his number. He might have fallen in love with him from that short conversation they had.” He answered with this attention still on the screen.

“Wow. That makes sense, Jimin is really funny.”

“Yeah.”

“And pretty.”

“I guess.” He answered all of that without changing the expression from his face. Yoongi couldn’t tell what he was feeling.

“Did you know him before you met me?”

“Yeah, I think we met on my second semester.”

“Really? Where?”

“A party, of course.” He said a smile. “We made out once, but we were both incredibly drunk, and before we could do anything else he threw up and went home. We’re kinda cool with each other since then.”

Yoongi knew he was expecting to hear something like that, but it still made his stomach sink.

Hoseok said it like it wasn’t a big deal, which of course it wasn’t, they weren’t actually dating. They were friends, they’ve talked about past hookups before, it shouldn’t bother him. Maybe it was because it was about Jimin, who was the only real friend he had and he didn’t want there to be a problem between them. But why would there be?

They kissed once at a party, both drunk out of their minds. If Jimin had cared, he would have told him not to go out with him. And if Jimin had cared, he would’ve let him know, right?

This shouldn’t have bothered him, but it did.

“If you’re worried about that, I promise you don’t have to be.” Hoseok added, now looking directly at him. His voice was soft and his scent was calming, like he knew Yoongi was having trouble with the piece of knowledge he had learned. “Nothing happened, nothing will ever happen. Namjoon literally just begged me to give him his number, and besides, I already have a boyfriend.” He said it with a knowing smile, but perhaps with something more.

Yoongi rolled his eyes to hide his growing smile. “I’m not worried.”

“So you were jealous.” It wasn’t a question, and it wasn’t untrue. Yoongi hit him in the chest trying to look like he said something funny.

“You wish.”

“Nothing wrong if you were.” Yoongi frowned, looking at him as if to say, ‘Please be serious’. “I was jealous when that Paladino guy flirted with you.” Hoseok said simply, unaware of what that admission did to Yoongi.

“Why?” He asked softly.

“I don’t know.” He smiled at him again, this time without humor. “I guess you’re the closest person I have in my life, and I selfishly want you all to myself.”

“I get that.”

“Yeah?” Yoongi nodded. “Good.”

Now that he knew what he was dying to know, it didn’t make him feel better, but he managed to ignore it for the sake of his mental peace. He would deal with it later, when he were alone in his room and could let his mind spiral.

If he kept thinking about it in front of Hoseok, the alpha would be able to tell by the look on his face or his scent souring uncontrollably, and Hoseok would try to make him feel better. And although he would actually not mind that, at that moment he just wanted to enjoy the nice gesture Hoseok had with him by taking him out of the apartment.

Yoongi was also trying to move on from his confession that was sitting on the back of his mind, making his heart drum in his ears uncomfortably loud. Hoseok was jealous, he admitted it. And he didn’t say it sarcastically or to playfully flirt with him; he said it with weight in his voice. That had to mean something, he just wasn’t sure what or if he wanted to find that out.

“Yoongi?” Hoseok asked a little while later, his voice still as gentle as before.

“Yeah?” He tried to look focused on the movie to hide his nervousness. If Hoseok confessed something crazy like that again, he was going to throw himself out of the car and run through the forest until he reached a new civilization.

“What did Jungkook told you to upset you so bad?” Yoongi whipped his head to look at him, surprised with the question. “I know he said something bad because you’ve been… not yourself, and I’m kinda worried.” Yoongi opened his mouth to say something, not sure what since he was still startled. “I know you don’t want to talk about it, but you can’t let him get to you like this. Please talk to me.”

“It’s not something that he said, it’s just the whole situation.” Yoongi shifted on his seat so he wouldn’t have to look at Hoseok directly in the eye. Instead, his sight shifted to the screen where Harry and Sally were speaking on the phone, but he wasn’t really paying any attention to it.

“He’s just so different now, I almost didn’t recognize him on Wednesday. I don’t know if he changed or if he just wasn’t mean to me before, but he’s not the same guy that I grew up with. And I just… Can’t deal with that. It’s like losing a part of myself, of my past. And I hate that.” He shook his head.

“As you know I didn’t have a lot of friends or was particularly liked, but Jungkook was always there for me. And when my parents… died, he was the only one I still had. I thought it would always be that way. So it broke my heart that he would choose someone else over me, and not even in a romantic way, but it made me feel like a child again. So worthless and unloved.”

He sighed, still not having the courage to look at Hoseok, who he knew was looking at him attentively. “The image that I had of him is ruined and that hurts. He and my Nana were the only family I had left, and I don’t have him anymore. So yeah, I guess the conversation we had made me realize that and it made me feel… lonely.”

“You’re not alone.” Hoseok added in a quiet, assuring voice.

“I know that. It’s just…”

“He was your best friend.”

“He was my world. I used to have him on a pedestal, I thought he was the greatest thing to ever happen to me.” Yoongi corrected. Hoseok just nodded, unable to say anything else. “And now it’s over. That part of me is gone, and I don’t really know how to feel about that… But I know I’m not alone.” Yoongi took his hand, holding it tightly.

“And you won’t ever be.” Hoseok put his other hand on top of his, looking at Yoongi directly in the eye. “I care about you Yoongi, and whatever happens in December won’t change that. I promise.”

“Thank you, Seok.” He touched his cheek softly, Hoseok leaning into his touch like it was a magnet. “I hope you know it goes both ways. I’m here for you.” Hoseok nodded, switching his gaze between Yoongi’s eyes to his lips in a moment so brief if he had blinked, he’d had missed it. But he saw it, and realization came crashing on him.

Yoongi wanted to kiss him.

He wanted to lean in, grab him by the neck and kiss him good. He knew he would like it. Hoseok would probably smile into the kiss and then take it further with his tongue to tease him. Yoongi would fold so easily, letting him take control. Hoseok would probably grab his waist to put him on top of him, guiding his hips with his hands in a rhythm they both found pleasing. Yoongi knew the way he touched, but he wanted to know how good his hands would be on him when he truly meant it.

But he couldn’t.

He had to be professional and keep whatever was bubbling in his stomach under control, or this could end. If they trespassed the line between an act and reality, it would end up in a mess and Yoongi would lose him. And if that happened, Jungkook would win.

So that wasn’t an option.

Yoongi pulled away from the magnetic pull and stared back at the screen, watching the credits roll.

“We missed the whole movie.” He said.

“Yeah.” Hoseok didn’t move from his position with his right hand at the back of Yoongi’s seat, towering over him. Yoongi wasn’t strong enough to look him in the eyes, but he laid down on his chest and nestled his head in the crook of his neck, which made Hoseok relax his posture.

Later that evening, they left in the middle of You’ve Got Mail because Hoseok started feeling dizzy and wanted to go rest, so they went back to Yoongi’s apartment. Hoseok went straight to Yoongi’s room to sleep, wanting to be in the dark as soon as possible to see if his migraine would go down.

Yoongi went to the kitchen to pour him a glass of water, where Jimin surprised him by appearing behind him.

“Hey, you’re here early.”

“Yeah, Hoseok doesn’t feel so good and he’s sleeping now.”

“Oh. What’s wrong with him?”

“I’m not sure. He was a little bit dizzy.”

“His rut?” Jimin asked surprised.

“No, he said he had it in May. I think it might be a migraine.”

“Ow, that sucks.”

“Yeah.”

Jimin sat on the living room couch with his laptop in his lap and a cup of tea in his hand. For some reason Yoongi couldn’t move from the kitchen. He knew he had to bring the water to Hoseok, but part of him wanted to talk to his friend. So, while he was still in the kitchen, he blurted something out.

“So, Hoseok told me something.”

“Yeah?”

“About you two knowing each other from before.”

“Oh, right. What about it?”

“I just think it’s weird you never told me that you guys hooked up once.” Yoongi said while pretending to look busy in the kitchen.

“I mean, it wasn’t exactly a hook up. It was more like a messy kiss that ended up with me coming back to our dorm with vomit on my shirt.” He said it with humor, which loosened the knot in Yoongi’s stomach.

“Oh.” Yoongi felt him move from his position to look towards where he was.

“Babe, if it would have meant something I would have told you.”

“I know, I trust you. It’s just… I don’t know why it bothered me.” He finally turned to look at him, Jimin giving him an empathetic smile.

“I know why.” Yoongi sighed as Jimin tapped the spot next to him on the couch, inviting him to sit there. He knew he was going to tell him something he probably didn’t want to hear but he still listened and joined him. “It’s because you really like him, silly. You’re afraid something might take him away from you.” Yoongi frowned, trying to think about a reason why that couldn’t be true, but nothing came to him. “He’s really into you, so I don’t think he’s gonna leave you. Especially not for me.”

Yoongi groaned, unable to say anything else because Jimin was right. He was getting attached to Hoseok in a very dangerous way. It wasn’t only that he wanted to kiss him and have sex with him, but he also might’ve started to develop feelings.

Fuck him. How was Yoongi supposed to face him now?

Hoseok was asleep in his bed as the realization hit him. He couldn’t start acting weird or Hoseok would notice immediately the shift in his behavior because he weirdly knew him well. The alpha would be able to tell something was wrong with Yoongi, and he was going to want him to tell him what it was. Something Yoongi would never, ever do in his life.

With dread filling his head, Yoongi sat in the living room with Jimin, thinking about what he was going to do. Maybe he would take acting classes, it would help him with the pile of lies he was accumulating in his life. Or maybe he would drop out of college and move back to his hometown, so he could spend more time with his grandmother. He thought it wouldn’t be so bad to meet her friends from the beauty salon.

Once he was out of dramatic ideas, he got up from the couch and went back to his room, where he found his guy curled up in himself under the sheets. Yoongi tried not to coo at the sight.

He climbed into the double sized bed making as little noise as possible, but Hoseok must have felt him because without opening his eyes he pulled him towards him, taking him into his arms.

“How are you feeling?” Yoongi spoke quietly.

“Weird.” He responded almost in a whisper.

“Drink some of the water I brought you.”

“I just need to sleep.” He replied putting his head on Yoongi’s chest, near his collarbones.

Yoongi put his hands in his hair to caress it, trying to lull him to sleep. His hair felt soft in his fingers, already a little bit longer than it was when they started talking. Yoongi liked him with that length, so when he had the chance he would tell him that if he cut it, he would break up with him.

Hoseok had a hard time going back to sleep. Yoongi realized because his hands were around his waist, clinging to his shirt. His face was buried in Yoongi’s chest, and his breathing was somewhat labored.

With his other hand Yoongi caressed his back, making soft circles on it. Hoseok hummed at that, making his grip loosen up. Yoongi kissed him on the forehead, which was a very stupid idea considering his predicament, but it made Hoseok feel better. Yoongi could tell it did.

Little by little Hoseok was relaxing and his breathing was getting even, making him fall back to sleep.

Yoongi’s hands were still tracing his body while he watched him sleep. His fingers slowly made their way up to his lips: pretty, the deepest Cupid’s bow he had ever seen, full of softness and desire. He knew they had kissed many times before, but those kisses didn’t count. Not really.

And although Hoseok was a great kisser and his kisses made his body tingle with excitement and the air leave his lungs every single time, Yoongi wanted to know what it felt like to have his lips on other parts of him. In his hands, his wrists, his eyelids, his neck, his legs...

He removed his fingers from his lips immediately.

He couldn’t think like that. He just couldn’t.

It didn’t matter how real that fantasy felt with Hoseok on top of him, it wasn’t real. He had to repeat it until he, and his omega whom he had ignored for some time now, understood.

Hoseok wasn’t his, even if he was in his bed holding him tight.

He is not mine.

He is not mine.

This isn’t real.

Yoongi repeated to himself until he fell asleep in Hoseok’s arms.

Chapter Text

October.

Yoongi’s attraction towards Hoseok was just growing every day, and there was nothing he could do to stop it.

It wasn’t easy not to feeling something for someone who was a part of him already. He was always there: on his phone, next to him holding his hand, in his dreams. There was nowhere he could go without him anymore, so even if he tried to stop himself from feeling that way, he couldn’t. He had stopped trying and just let it happened, but that didn’t mean he’d try to do something about it.

Things were staying that way: a lie and a friendship. Nothing else could happen.

But he still dreamed about him.

Sometimes it was something sweet, something that couldn’t even be considered romantic. Hoseok was simply there as a reminder that Yoongi wasn’t alone, that he had a companion, a friend.

But other times, and Yoongi hated to say it was many times, the dream was... arousing. He didn’t want to go into detail because just remembering Hoseok’s playful hands, his lips on his neck, his knot deep inside him... It wasn’t good for his sanity. He had woken up many mornings with his underwear full of slick, sometimes even with a small hint of cum.

And there were other times, the ones that somehow felt even more forbidden, when the dream was like a fairytale. There were walks on the beach holding hands, kisses on the forehead, declarations with the L word; things Yoongi shouldn’t think about but his mind betrayed him by making him want them. And all because of a dream. 

That was why it was dangerous to feel the way he felt.

And still… Yoongi didn’t seem to be afraid or want to put some distance between them. Sometimes he found himself looking for any opportunity he could get to make out with him.

“Oh, someone’s looking this way. Come, give me a kiss.”

“Congratulations on the winning pass. Here, let me give you a reward.”

“Aw, I’m sorry you lost the game. How can I make you feel better?”

He felt like he was being too obvious, but he never heard Hoseok complain. He liked the physical touch, he liked the attention, and Yoongi liked giving it to him. It was kind of a win-win situation.

Yoongi also got something out of it: Hoseok took him out of his loneliness. He always had something to think about, something to long for. If he tried to seclude himself, he knew Hoseok was going to be there to pull him out. Perhaps he was confusing his gratitude with some other feeling he wouldn’t name, but the beating in his heart and the nervous shake of his body told him otherwise. He wasn’t mixing anything, Yoongi liked Hoseok. Plain and not so simple.

Anyway.

Weeks had passed. He hadn’t seen Jungkook at all. He thought the alpha had been actively trying to avoid him, which he appreciated. It wasn’t like he wanted to see him either. His feelings for him had changed.

He used to long for him; the little part of him that hoped that he would change his mind and eventually come back to him, it was all gone. Now he just wanted to erase him from his life. All the good things he used to feel about him had turned ugly. Things had changed but they were still there. It made him sad because as much as he’d like to, he just couldn’t forget.

But he could try to move on, which was exactly what he was doing.

More realistically though, he was being petty. 

Honestly, he had been counting down the days to The Game.

He had been at Hoseok’s football practices all week, watching him and his team prepare. Although that still didn’t determine who went to the finals, everyone knew that this match was important because they were rival teams. Everybody wanted to know who was better.

Hoseok seemed a little confident, or at least that was what he had been showing. His team seemed to like it, it made them confident too. Yoongi wanted to tell him to take it more seriously, that even if it wasn’t a decisive game, it was still an important one. But he didn’t say it because it wasn’t his place. Did he really care about which team would win? Or was it about what leader was better? Hoseok and Yoongi knew the answer to that question.

So he keep quiet and just watched them practice, enjoying the good weather, working on his projects, listening to music.  

In one of those practices, once Hoseok was done and resting on the bench, Yoongi joined him on the field. He approached him with a smile, hoping to get one in return, but Hoseok looked conflicted. Yoongi’s brow furrowed immediately.

“Hey. Can we talk?” He asked when Yoongi was close.

Yoongi paused for a second, suddenly nervous, and then continued walking toward him. “Yeah, sure. What’s up?”

“Uh... I have to tell you something.”

“Are you breaking up with me?” He tried to joke, but his laugh came out all wobbly.

“You’re not getting rid of me that fast, Yoon.” He said smirking.

“Okay, then what is it?”

His smile died down. “Do you want to sit down?”

“Seok, you’re making me nervous.”

“Wouldn’t be the first time.”

“Hoseok.” He warned, not feeling in the mood for jokes.

“Okay, okay. Sit down.” Yoongi sat down on the bench right next to him, crossing his arms on his lap, waiting for him to continue. Hoseok stood up in front of him, resting his hands on his hips. “Um, so... My parents are coming to see the game and they know about you... so they want to meet you.”

“What?” Whatever he was hoping to hear, it wasn’t that.

“Yeah.”

“Why?”

“Because you’re my boyfriend.”

“But we’ve been dating for two months.”

“I told them that, but um...” He touched his neck, nervously. “They think I’m really serious about you.”

“Oh. And what makes them think that?”

“Well, that we’ve been together for two months.”

“Oh my God.”

“But I also talk a lot about you.” He admitted sheepishly.

“You do?”

“Yeah.” He said looking at the ground.

“What have you told them?”

“A little bit about you, like what you’re studying, what you’re like and what you like. Sometimes my mother calls me when I’m driving on my way to see you.”

“Oh.”

“So yeah.” He sat back next to him. “What do you think?”

“It’s cool.”

“It’s cool?” Yoongi could tell he frowned at that, but he wasn’t sure since he was avoiding looking at him.

“Yeah, totally. So cool.”

“Then why do you look like you're constipated?”

“I’ve never met anyone’s parents.” Yoongi confessed in a very low voice.

“It’s going to be fine.” Hoseok’s voice seemed to relax a little, turning his body in Yoongi’s direction.

“What if they don’t like me?”

“Don’t worry, they will.”

“What am I gonna say? What am I gonna wear?” Yoongi stood up suddenly. “I should buy a nice shirt.”

“Yoongi, Yoongi.” He reached out to grab his hand. “Hey, come here.” He said softly, pulling him so he could seat back next to him. “Don’t worry about it.”

“You were worried first.”

“Yeah, because I was worried for you.” Yoongi gave him a look. “But now I’m not.”

“Why?”

“Because you’re great. You’re funny, you’re understanding, you’re friendly and surprisingly sweet.” Yoongi frowned at him, making him smile. “I know you think you’re not likeable or friendable–”

“That’s not a word.”

“It totally is. But look at us. We didn’t know each other a few months ago and now you might be the best friend I’ve ever had.” Yoongi scoffed and turned his face away so he wouldn’t see him blushing. “I really like you Yoon, and I know my parents will do, too.” Yoongi turned around so he could give him a faint smile, touched by the comment but not very convinced. “Seriously, you don’t have to worry about it. It’s just going to be a dinner in a restaurant that’s not French.” That made him smile bigger. “We’ll seat at the table to eat some overpriced food, make some conversation and answer a few questions. My dad will think that you’re way too cool for me, which is true, but my mom will think you’re good for me. We’ll say goodbye and part ways and then I’ll treat you to some ice cream.”

“Sounds nice.”

“What part?”

“All of it.”

“It’s gonna be okay.”

“I hope so.” Hoseok smiled, sneaking his hand on his. “But maybe they shouldn’t like me so much if we’re gonna break up in a few months.” Hoseok tensed up at that, seemingly forgetting that was happening.

“Yeah, I guess.” His hand left Yoongi’s, freezing on his thigh.

“So when are they arriving?”

“On Wednesday morning. Dinner should be that night.”

“Great, so I have a week to prepare myself.” Yoongi put his hand on top of his, giving it a little squeeze. “Do you think I should buy a button-up shirt?” Hoseok smiled a little.

“If you want to, but it’s not necessary.” He looked at him, relaxing a little. “I like the way you dress.”

“So I should just dust something off my closet?”

“Yeah, if that’s what you want.”

“Okay.” Yoongi smiled at him, then gave him another squeeze on his hand that was still on his thigh. “So, do you wanna go eat pizza?”

☀️ 🌹

One week later and the night arrived.

Yoongi wasn’t going to lie, he was nervous. No matter how much Hoseok assured him that his parents would love him and that everything would be okay, his stomach was in knots. Not just for dinner, but for the game. This week was important for Hoseok, so it was important for Yoongi as well. He wanted everything to go well, for his parents to love him and for Hoseok to win the game.

It had been a long time since he cared about something that much.

The drive to the restaurant was very quiet. After Hoseok picked him up at his apartment, he drove with his face tense and his fingers tapping on the steering wheel. Yoongi wanted to help him, but he felt the same way as he did. So he let everything be silent, just listening to the music on the radio.

Hoseok’s parents invited them to a Spanish restaurant to eat paella and tapas, and hopefully some wine (Yoongi was going to need it to drown his nerves). The restaurant looked quite expensive from the outside, which made him feel relieved that the parents were going to pay. He no longer had a job, and the few money his Nana sent him had to go for groceries and rent, so he couldn’t exactly afford to pay a Michelin star restaurant.

Hoseok helped him out of the car, while he handed the keys to the valet. Yoongi adjusted his shirt, making sure it was all buttoned up, and then he took his hand, intertwining their fingers. Hoseok gave him a squeeze and gave him a tender, complicit smile. Their lie would extend to his parents, which made Yoongi feel a little uneasy. Although Hoseok wasn’t explicit about why, it gave Yoongi the impression that his parents believed he wasn’t serious about relationships. Well, if they considered him a formal boyfriend for simply being together for more than two months, that meant they knew about his college lifestyle, and he might’ve wanted to change their impression of him. Whatever his reason might be, Yoongi was going to stick beside him.

They entered the restaurant holding hands, Hoseok leading through the tables.

“That’s them.” Hoseok told him in a low voice. Yoongi followed his sight to a table next to the open windows.

The first thing he noticed was that his mom was beautiful. As Yoongi walked towards her, his gaze could not move from her. It was impossible to stop looking.

Whoever was up there running everything sure took their time doing her. She had a perfectly sculpted face, with high cheekbones and a turned-up nose, honeyed skin, and deep brown eyes. Her hair was dark, long like a waterfall. That made her look young, even though she was wearing a black set of blazer and pants, and red lips with little makeup.

When she stood up from her seat, Yoongi swore he stopped breathing: he was looking directly at the female version of Hoseok.

He was so entranced by her that he didn’t even notice the other man present until he heard commotion next to him.

“My boy.” His father hugged Hoseok tight, clearly happy to see him. They broke apart and he took a quick look at his son, taking him back into his arms. “You look strong.”

“I’ve been working out.” Hoseok responded bashfully.

“And you’ve been playing better than ever.” He let him go for good this time, turning his attention to Yoongi. “And I presume this is the cause.”

“Oh, I can’t get the credit for that.” Yoongi said, shocked about the conversation turning towards him. His father smiled at him, amused.

“It’s so nice to finally meet you, Yoongi.” He said, grabbing his hand. “My name is Jaehyuk, and this is my wife Soojin.” She smiled at him gently, like a mother would.

“We’ve heard so much about you.” She began saying. “Hoseok’s always like ‘Yoongi this, and Yoongi that’.”

“Eomma.” Hoseok said, whining.

“What? There’s nothing to be ashamed of.” She said sounding a lot like a scolding, but then turned around to Yoongi with a polite smile on her face. “Please, join us in the table.”

The night went incredibly great.

His dad, who insisted Yoongi called him Jaehyuk (if he did that his parents would appear in his sleep to remind him of his manners), carried the conversation. He asked Yoongi a lot of questions and listened attentively, he made jokes that made everyone laugh (especially Hoseok’s mom), insisted on telling stories from Hoseok’s childhood, sounding incredibly proud of his son.

His mom was a little bit more serious, but very caring. She wasn’t smothering Hoseok with affection, but she showed it in other ways: subtle touches like putting his hair behind his ear, scolding him with a smile on her face, looking at him with devotion even if he wasn’t doing anything.

It was impossible for Yoongi not to feel sad, nostalgic for a life he once had. Years would pass and he would always have that void in his chest that his parents left. And as much as it hurt to see Hoseok interact with his parents, he was genuinely happy for him. Loving parents were something everyone should have, no matter the age.

At some point during dinner, Hoseok got up to go to the bathroom, leaving him alone with his parents. Yoongi was expecting a little bit of silence, or maybe a joke from Mr. Jung, but he wasn’t expecting what Hoseok’s mother wanted to talk about.

“I know it might seem weird to you that we wanted to meet you so soon, you might think we’re very intense parents.” She said, looking a little apologetic, but it didn’t seem that was the only thing she wanted to say.

“Oh, no, not at all.” Yoongi replied, trying to let her know that it didn’t really bother him.

“It’s okay, we know it does.” Mr. Jung intervened, leaning back in his chair. “But it has a perfectly fine explanation.”

“Hoseok was not like this when he was younger. He was shy and quiet, he liked to watch Japanese cartoons and sci-fi movies. He wasn’t really interested in sports.” Yoongi smiled imagining a young Hoseok with braces and glasses, lanky and timid. Nothing like the man he knew now.

“Yeah, he has told me about it.” He said with a smile. 

“So you know he didn’t have a lot of friends growing up.” He nodded. “His only friend was Asumi and after she was gone he changed. He’s more out there now, he likes going to parties and actually talks to people.”

“Yeah, he’s pretty popular. A lot of people like him.” Yoongi replied. His father grimaced as if he disagreed.

“But we still feel that he might be lonely, that he may not have any real friends.” To that, Yoongi didn’t know what to reply.

“You’re the first person he’s talked about since he started college.” His mom said.

“Really?”

“Yeah. I mean, he has mentioned some people and some teammates because we ask him to talk about it, but with you he call us just to talk about you.”

“So we were really curious and wanted to meet you.”

Yoongi’s eyes alternated the focus on them as they took turns speaking and releasing information that left him dumbfounded, and he didn’t think they even realized that. “Oh.”

“You’re very kind, Yoongi. We know why Hoseok likes you so much.” Yoongi smiled, a little awkward this time. “And we would like to, I don’t know… Thanking you would be strange.”

“We would like to express our gratitude and say how happy we’re that he met you.”

“And we hope that you don’t feel like we’re pressuring you to marry him or something, you both are so young to even think about that, right?” His mom asked, obviously kidding. Yoongi nodded, unable to respond with words.

“We wanted to meet you to know you, your character. You’re a great guy and we’re happy our Hoseok deserves you.”

“Oh, well, thank you. Hoseok is an amazing man, you made a great job raising him. He’s a gentleman, I can assure you. I’m the lucky one.”

“I think you’re both lucky.”

“I hope we didn’t make you uncomfortable. It’s just that we constantly worry about him.”

“Yeah, I get it. That’s what parents do.”

“But with him is different. You know, because of Asumi.”

“Right.” He said, even though he had no clue who that was.

“We’re happy that he has you. You’re a great guy and an even better friend.”

“What are you talking about?” Hoseok sat on the chair next to him and Yoongi felt like he was breathing again.

“Oh, nothing.” Hoseok’s mom replied bashfully. “Just telling Yoongi that we really like him.”

“Really?” He asked looking at Yoongi. He nodded, still a little too confused to reply verbally. “Well, that’s great.”

Dinner ended shortly after. They said goodbye to his parents outside the restaurant, saying that they would see them at the game and them promising to sit with Yoongi in the bleachers.

Hoseok took him out for ice cream as he promised: Yoongi chose cookies and cream in a cup, Hoseok chose a cone with a peach and mango scoop. They walked the streets for a while, watching the people passing by, while they chatted and shared their ice cream.

Only when the night began to cool down and the streets cleared of people, they headed back to Hoseok’s apartment.

After taking off his shoes and leaving his satchel in kitchen counter, Yoongi went to lay on the living room couch, leaning his head on the backrest. Hoseok joined him a little later, sitting immediately next to him, with no space between them.

Yoongi turned his head to smile gently at him. “Can I ask you something? You don’t have to answer me if you don’t want to, I would understand.”

Hoseok frowned, appearing confused. “Yeah, go ahead.”

“Who’s Asumi?” He watched the color drained from Hoseok’s face.

“How do you– ? What did my parents tell you?”

“Not a lot. Just that she was your only friend and that she was very dear to you.” Hoseok nodded, shifting his sight away from him. “And it surprised me because you’ve never mentioned her.”

“Right. Well, Asumi is– she was my best friend.” Yoongi could tell he pushed himself to finish that sentence.

"What happened?"

“She died when she was 15.”

“Oh Hoseok, I’m so sorry.” Yoongi rest his head on his shoulder, grabbing his arm to rub it.

“Thank you.”

“Is she the girl whose picture is in your drawer?”

“How do you even–?” He snorted, smiling humorlessly. “Yeah, she is.”

“What happened to her?”

“She, uh, she was sick. She had a heart condition where a part of her heart was just… thickened without any cause, really. I used to tell her that her heart was too big, and she would just roll her eyes at me.” He smiled a little, before a frown reappeared on his face. “And one day she just didn’t wake up. Her heart gave up and that was it, she was no longer here.”

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“Yeah.” He replied softly, but he took his time before he spoke again. “We met in kindergarten. We were the quiet kids in class, the ones who were always in the corners watching everything, so we gravitated towards each other. Then our mothers met and became friends, and that forced us to become even closer. We grew up spending the weekends together and summers going on trips to the beach. And if we were already introverted, having each other was enough for us and we stopped looking for other friends. We only really had each other. Like my parents said, I had no other friend back then. Just Asumi. And one day–” He let the air out of his lungs, sounding like a heavy one. “One day when we were in junior year, I woke up late. I remember looking at my clock, reading that it was way past 7 and just being so confused that my parents wouldn’t wake me up if I overslept. I never missed school, I had a perfect assistance record, so I felt like something was wrong. So I left my bed to go find what happened and I found my mom crying in the kitchen, and I just knew. She didn’t even had to say anything, she just look right at me and I knew.” Yoongi caressed his cheek and slowly made him turn around, making him look him in the eye.

“I’m sorry that happened to you.”

“It’s… fine.”

“It isn’t. And I’m sorry.”

“Thank you, Yoongi.”

“Why didn’t you tell me? You know I would’ve understood.”

“Because you lost your parents, that’s worse.”

“It’s not a competition Seok. You lost someone you love. There’s nothing worse than that.”

“Yeah.”

“So, what was she like?”

“A pain the ass.” He replied immediately. “We bickered all the time, for whatever reason. She wasn’t very affectionate nor she would like hugs, and I love them, so I would try to hug her and she would stay still like a statue. She was always acting so cold, so indifferent. But she was the most generous, genuine, caring person I have ever met. She never said it out loud, and she thought I never noticed, but I knew she liked hugs and hand holding and when I called her pretty. And she was pretty. You’ve seen her in that picture, but that doesn’t even make her justice.”

“Were you, you know?”

“In love with her?” Yoongi nodded. “No, it wasn’t like that. She was always like a sister to me. And actually, one of the reasons we used to fight all the time was because we liked the same people.”

“Ah, really?”

“Yeah, but they were never into us, so we would fight for no reason.” He looked at Yoongi and his lips trembled. “I miss her a lot.”

“I know.”

“She would’ve really liked you. I would know since we had the same type.” Yoongi smiled and hit him in the arm. “But seriously, I think you would have gotten along.”

“I would have loved to meet her.” He tucked a lock of hair behind his ear, and ran his hand over his cheek. “You should talk more often about her.”

“Only if you talk more about your parents.”

“Deal.” He gave him a kiss on the nose. “And Hoseok?”

“Yeah?”

“You should take her picture out of your drawer.” Hoseok looked at him as if he were a child who was asked to sleep without his blanket.  

“I can’t.”

“I know it hurts, but do it for her. She deserves better than a drawer.” Hoseok looked at him with pain in his eyes, so Yoongi gave him a peck in the cheek. “It doesn’t have to be in your room, you can put the picture frame somewhere else she would have liked.”

“She used to play the piano.”

“Then there’s where she should be.” Hoseok nodded eventually.

Without saying anything more, they sat on the couch for a little longer. Yoongi held him in his arms, while Hoseok was leaning on his chest. Yoongi couldn’t see him directly, and he wasn’t making much noise, but he felt his black shirt getting soaked with tears little by little. He let him let it out silently and when his breathing regulated, Yoongi moved from him so they could look at each other.

“Let’s get you to bed, baby. You have a big game tomorrow.” He said softly, caressing his nape.

“You’ll stay, right?”

“Of course.”

“Okay.” Hoseok stood up then helped Yoongi get up, but he never let go of his hand. It was fine because Yoongi didn’t want him to.

Chapter Text

That morning when he woke up, Yoongi felt a knot in his stomach that alerted him to the day it was. He felt his chest heavy and anxiety running down his back. It was a strange feeling, like an anticipation he didn’t necessarily want. It reminded him of when he was a kid and woke up on the morning of the first day of school, nervous about not knowing what to expect.

Just by seeing Hoseok’s face, who was lying next to him looking at his phone, he knew he felt the same way. Yoongi wanted to say something; he didn’t know exactly what, but he felt like he had to.

Hoseok placed his phone on the nightstand with a sigh, turning towards Yoongi so he could be in the same position he was. They both had their hands under their respective pillows, staring at each other. They didn’t speak for a long time, enjoying the comfortable silence that reigned in the room, Yoongi abandoning his desire to talk just for the sake of talking.

What could he say? Should he even mention the game? It wasn’t like Hoseok didn’t remember. They both knew exactly what day it was today. So Yoongi didn’t say anything, he just smiled at him and moved his hand to his hair, smoothing it down. Hoseok sighed again, this time closing his eyes and letting Yoongi play with his hair.

They didn’t mention the game for the rest of the morning.

They both skipped class, almost unplanned. It was already late when they woke up, plus Hoseok was very tired and didn’t want to drive, and Yoongi didn’t really need an excuse to stay and spend time with Hoseok.

A while later, they got out of bed calmly, moving lazily. They took their time making the bed and taking turns in the bathroom, so they could start the day.

Instead of eating out or ordering delivery, Hoseok made Yoongi breakfast with him sitting on top of the counter at the other’s request so he could see the steps. Yoongi agreed only because he wanted to watch him cook, but he had no intention of learning how to do it himself.

Hoseok reheated the white rice he had in a Tupperware, made a couple of fried eggs for them each (sunny side up, please and thank you!), and accompanied it with some kimchi he had in the fridge. Nothing fancy, in his own words, but it was the most substantial meal Yoongi had had in months.

They ate breakfast sitting on the black couch while watching the third season of 90 Day Fiancé, Hoseok with an incredulous expression on his face as if to say, ‘This can’t be real.’

Yoongi scoffed with humor, feeling kind of amused by his demeanor. Do rich people not like reality TV?

And that led him to another question: what do rich people watch on TV? Probably something fancy like documentaries about how to make more money or something sophisticated like opera concerts. He would have to ask Hoseok later.

The episode came to an end, Hoseok reaching out to take the remote control and pause it before the next one could start.

“I don’t understand how you like this stuff.” He said as he laughed with endearment.

“Because it’s fun.” Yoongi replied like it was obvious. “Because it’s cheap and entertaining and therapeutic.”

“Therapeutic?”

“Yeah. Reality tv has healed me when I needed it the most.”

“Okay, fine. That’s fair.”

“Thank you.”

“So which one is your favorite to watch?”

“Oh, where do I even begin?” He put the bowl on the table, turning to Hoseok to explain animatedly. “If you want to watch something fun and chaotic and kinda insane, then you watch Jersey Shore. If you want something so stupid you might get too invested, then it’s Love Island. If you want something that you’ll never get bored of, something artistic and entertaining and heartwarming, then you watch RuPaul’s Drag Race. In reality tv there’s something for everybody, there might even be something for you.”

“Like what?”

“I don’t know. Maybe something that combines sports and science?”

“I like math, not science. And besides, there is one reality that I like.”

“Oh, really? Which one?”

“The Great British Bake Off.”

“What? No way.”

“Yes way. I watch it with my mom whenever I go to visit, it’s her favorite show.”

“You mean you watch it with your mum.”

“Oh my God, don’t try to do an accent ever again. That was awful.” Hoseok laughed humorously but his face showed disgust.

“Fuck you, that was pretty good.”

“Terrible. I’m sure you offended a British person somewhere.”

“Boo, who cares?”

“Oh, that was awful.” Hoseok kept chuckling, shaking his head. Yoongi didn’t complain anymore, it was good to see him so happy and carefree, no trace left of the frown he had earlier.

“Whatever.” He reached out to grab the remote from where Hoseok had left it. “We’re going to finish this season whether you want it or not, lad. So get comfortable and be ready to enjoy this trash tv, okay?”

Hoseok smiled at him. “Okay.”

“And I’m going to keep doing a British accent just because you told me it was terrible.”

“I’m okay with that, too.”

Yoongi smiled back and hit play on the TV, settling into the free space between Hoseok’s legs. Hoseok shifted himself so Yoongi could rest his head on his chest, hugging his waist.

It was the first time they cuddled without going to sleep, and it was actually quite nice. Hoseok was warm and firm to the touch, like a pillow with a six pack. Plus he was caressing Yoongi’s back with his slender, soft hands, moving them in a soothing rhythm.

He was a good boyfriend… or friend. He was a good friend.

Once they finished the season finale, which Hoseok seemed to enjoy despite all the drama, Yoongi decided it was time to go home. He called a taxi, not wanting Hoseok to drive for so long when he had an important day ahead of him. He gathered his things, including the old jersey Hoseok had promised him weeks ago. He held it in his hand as they said goodbye at the entrance to the apartment, Hoseok leaning against the doorframe.

“I’ll see you later.” Yoongi kissed him on the cheek, patting him gently on the chest. “Go to practice, okay?”

“I will. Call me when you get home.”

He gave him another kiss on the cheek and left.

The knot in his stomach grew the further he walked from the building. Yoongi knew it wouldn’t go away until the game was over.

☀️ 🌹

Yoongi arrived with Jimin to the stadium of the Golden Knights.

It wasn’t surprising to see more people than usual. It was a rivalry match, like Coke vs. Pepsi, Madonna vs. Cher, Marvel vs. DC... ugh, Hoseok was really getting into his head. The point was that this it was a game everyone wanted to see.

Yoongi had put on the jersey, which had a delicious smell of Hoseok’s expensive soap and his natural earthly rain scent, with oversized black jeans and his black and white Nikes. He also wore a pair of sunglasses and tied his hair into a half bun.

Jimin was next to him on the stands, wearing a blue shirt for neutrality, since both of the guys he liked were playing for opposite teams.

“Choosing on a day like this seems cruel, don’t you think?” He said when Yoongi asked him.

“Sure.”

“And it’s not like they don’t know about each other.”

“They do?”

“Oh yeah, and they’re both okay with sharing. For now.”

“So you’re gonna have to choose eventually?”

“Yeah, but I like them both so much I might choose neither.” Yoongi knew that would be the right decision, but that it would hurt his friend more than the other would be willing to admit.

Now that they had arrived, Jimin looked more serene than he had when he was driving. He looked from one team to the other in the distance, making sure both guys were doing okay. Sometimes it was a disadvantage that he had a heart of gold, he cared too much without even meaning to.

Before the stands filled with more people, Yoongi walked down to the field so he could talk to Hoseok.

The guys on the team were scattered: some were resting, some were warming up, some others were chatting among themselves. Hoseok was by himself, pacing around in circles, clearly distracted. Yoongi decided not to scare him (which he would have done any other day) to not upset him further, so he just walked over and he gently put his hand on his shoulder.

“Hey.” He said. “How are you feeling?”

“Oh, thank god you’re here.” He stuck to Yoongi like a magnet, putting his head in the crook between his neck and shoulder. Yoongi didn’t know how he made himself smaller, being a bit taller than him, but he fit perfectly in his arms. “I was about to run away.”

“Where were you going to go?”

“Hawaii or Okinawa. Where do you prefer?” He asked, still hidden in his shoulder. Yoongi brought his hand to his hair to stroke it in soothing movements.

“Seok, why are you so nervous?”

“I don’t know, this has never happened to me.”

“Okay, look at me.” The alpha whined, holding him tighter. “Hoseok.”

“No.” Yoongi sighed. If he wanted him to listen to him, he was going to have to pull the big guns.

“Baby, look at me.”

That seemed to gain attention, lifting his face from his hiding spot. “Yes?”

“You’re so stupid.” Yoongi said inevitably laughing, which made his pout waver, fighting a smile.

“Call me baby again.”

“Only if you tell me the truth. Why are you so nervous?”

“Honestly?” Yoongi nodded. “Because of you.”

“Me? Why?”

“I don’t want to disappoint you if I lose. Or if he wins, more like.”

“Oh Seok.” He had to give him a kiss. It was more for himself, but he hoped it brought him comfort as well. “Baby, if that happens, you’re not gonna disappoint me.” He looked at him not convinced of what he was saying. “I’m not gonna lie, I’d be mad if I have to see that smug smile on his face, but I wouldn’t be mad at you, silly.”

“Promise?”

“Of course. Even if it’s your rival team, it’s still just a game.”

“Well…”

“It is, so don’t get nervous because of me.” He shook his head. “Don’t get nervous at all, actually. I need your over-the-top self-confidence to come back, okay? The Hoseok I know wouldn’t think about losing, much less to Jeon Jungkook.”

“He’s good.”

“Yes, he is good. But you are better.”

“Ha, I guess you’re right.”

“Of course I am.” Yoongi grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him playfully. “And to give you a little motivation, if you win I’ll watch those stupid elf movies that you like so much.” Hoseok gasped.

“You mean it?” Yoongi nodded. “Alright then, I have a game to win.” He kissed him on the lips quickly, a big smile appearing on his face afterwards.

“Go get ‘em.” Yoongi smacked him gently in the ass as he walked away.

The Jungs arrived just in time.

Soojin looked more relaxed than she did last night: she was wearing jeans (probably really expensive), some black t-shirt, and sneakers. Her hair was pull in a ponytail, wearing very minimal jewelry and sunglasses that were covering half of her face, but her smile was big and genuine.

Jaehyuk was in a typical dad attire, but in an out-of-reach, expensive and handsome way. He was wearing a white polo shirt, black pants with a matching belt, and impeccably clean white sneakers. It looked like he’d be off to play golf afterward.

They both approached Yoongi. Hoseok’s mother immediately sitting down next to him, greeting him with a big, friendly smile.

“How is he doing?” Jaehyuk asked Yoongi.

“He’s a little bit nervous but I’m sure he’s going to be fine.”

“He works well under pressure.” He replied, not sounding worried at all. Yoongi could see him looking at Hoseok through his sunglasses, a serene gaze clear as day. Yoongi wished he felt that calm, but his heart was racing even though the game hadn’t even started yet. It would only get worse for him. The good thing was that he had Jimin by his side so he could hold his hand and squish it like a ball, otherwise he would probably faint in the first ten minutes of the game.

Hoseok’s father received a call then, making him look away from the field. “Excuse me.” He said, walking away from the bleachers, leaving Yoongi alone with Soojin.

“So, Yoongi, did you watch a lot of football before dating Hoseok?” She asked, turning in her seat.

“I did, actually. My, uh, best friend... from childhood, he plays too. I used to go to every single one of his games.”

“So you’ve always been a fan?”

“I guess you can say that, yeah. What about you, Mrs. Jung? Have you always liked football?”

“God no. I’ve never been a sportsy type of person. When I met Jaehyuk he was already a retired player, so I didn’t have to see any of his games. I would watch the Super Bowl with him though, still do, but I don’t pay a lot of attention to them. And you know, when Hoseok was a kid, I attended science fairs and anime conventions.” Yoongi laughed, turning his head to look at said boy, who was stretching his long limbs in the field, looking more serene than before. “I thought I was safe, but then one day he was like ‘I think I want to join the football team’. You can imagine how happy Jaehyuk was. He trained him personally, made sure he was good enough for quarterback.” She gave him a sly smile. “Guess you can say he did a great job.”

“That he did. Hoseok is really good.”

“Better than I ever was.” Jaehyuk said returning to his seat next to his wife.

“I’ll take your word for it.” Soojin replied, giving him a smile. Even in that, Hoseok resembled her. They both expressed so much with their smiles.

“Did you train him before he presented?” Yoongi asked Jaehyuk.

He looked back at him in surprise, but quickly hid it. “Yes, actually. The kid was naturally talented, I would see him running in the backyard with the ball in his arms, pretending to run away from someone else. He had good aim, good endurance, he just needed to practice.” He nodded, as if remembering the pride of watching him grow up. “And then he presented at 15 and his skills just heightened. Natural steroids and all that.”

“He told me about it. That’s why he likes his nickname so much.”

“He earned it. He’s all natural talent and hard work. That’s why we support him so much. Not just because he’s our kid, but because he has worked hard to get what he has.”

Yoongi smiled at him. “I know. He’s an overachiever.”

He chuckled. “It seems like you know him pretty well.”

“I’m starting to.” He was surprised to realize how truthful that was. He never imagined they’d ever reach that level of intimacy and camaraderie, but they did, and it made sense. It felt right.

Standing in the bleachers while wearing his old jersey no longer felt like a performance, it was no longer a lie. There was no other place he’d rather be, no other person he’d rather root for. Hoseok was a part of him, and that was the greatest truth of all.

The teams were still warming up as the crowd continued to arrive. Yoongi could feel the uneasy anticipation in the air, his feet growing restless. Jimin tried to distract him, making small talk and taking him to buy drinks, but nothing seemed to help.

The waiting was the worst part. He just wanted to get it over with, rip the band aid off and deal with the result already. But all he could do for the moment was stand still and wait, while slowly losing his mind. Great.

“Hm. There’s that Jeon boy.” Yoongi heard Jaehyuk say to Soojin in a low voice. Intrigued, Yoongi paid attention to the conversation.

“Yes, I saw him.” Soojin responded, crossing her arms as she was looking in the Thorns direction.

“Hoseok told me earlier that both of their coaches made them take scent blockers for the game.”

Soojin let out a disapproving sigh. “I can’t believe it got to that point, but it’s for the best.”

Scent blockers? Nobody used those anymore, only in special cases. If it was done in small doses, everything was fine. The effect could last a couple of hours, at most a day. But if it was a large dose, it could disrupt the user’s hormones and screw them up for at least a couple of days. That was why Yoongi never used them.

Unfortunately it made sense that they would take them this time. The blockers were sometimes employed to eliminate one’s scent so that people wouldn’t recognize the subgenre of the user, but most importantly, to neutralize their pheromones. When the two of them met later on the field, they won’t be able to smell each other and become aggressive. They will simply smell their own sweat and that’s it.

Yoongi hoped it wouldn’t unbalance them in the game.

Hoseok’s parents continued talking about Jungkook, about how much of a problem he was. It was interesting to hear about their feud from another perspective, especially coming from those who knew Hoseok the best. It was obvious that they didn’t like Jungkook, Yoongi couldn’t really blame them. Every time the two alphas were on a field together, they ended up in a fight.

The interesting thing was that they didn’t blame Jungkook entirely though. They knew Hoseok was just as responsible as he was. Parents usually know better than their children. They saw Jungkook as someone else’s child, so they didn’t feel in a position to judge him too much.

“Who do you think is going to win?” Jimin asked suddenly, gaining his attention. Probably for the best, it would be embarrassing if Hoseok’s parents caught him eavesdropping on their conversation.

“Well, I hope–.”

“Not who you hope, or even want. Who do you think will win?”

Now that was a good question. Disregarding the captains, both teams were statistically very good. That was why there was an expectation and demand every time they met. So it truly was a 50/50.

However, Yoongi had an answer, and it wasn’t just his hope, it was his belief. He could bet money on it.

“I think the Golden Knights are going to win.”

“Really? What makes you say that? Is it just because Jay is your boyfriend?”

“No, I really think so. I went to their practices last week and from what I’ve seen, they’re very prepared. They know how high the expectations are and they have the best leader to guide them.”

“So would you say you’re 100% sure they’ll win?”

“I would say 90%.”

“That’s still a very good percentage.”

“What about you? Do you have a preference?”

“Well, I kinda do.” He said looking at the field. “I’m hoping our team will win. It would mean a lot to our university... and to Taehyung, too.”

“I get it.”

“I know you do.” He caressed his shoulder. “I wouldn’t be mad if the Golden Knights won, though. Joon would be very happy.”

“Well, either way you win.” Yoongi said. Jimin turned around to look at him. “While you celebrate with one, you’re going to comfort the other.”

“That’s true. But I do wonder what I’m going to do tonight.”

“What are your options?”

“Going to the winning team’s party, get wasted, have sex.”

“Great option.”

“Or going for pity drinks to a bar with the losing team, get wasted, have consolation sex.”

“Oh, yeah, that sounds like a... hard choice.”

“I can do both, though. I have a car and I have the stamina.” He said winking.

“Ever the positive.”

“Oh, look. They’re going to toss the coin.” Jimin said almost in a panic, letting out a deep sigh as he took his friend’s hand.

Yoongi’s eyes shifted to the field, watching Hoseok approach the referee with Namjoon not far behind. On the other side, Jungkook walked toward him, with two other players at his side. Neither of them greeted each other, they just exchanged tense glances.

The referee showed both sides of the coin to both captains. Since the Thorns were the visiting team, Jungkook had to choose between heads or tails before the coin was tossed.

Looking Hoseok straight in the eye, Jungkook chose heads. Unfortunately that was the side it fell on. He now had to choose between receiving, defending or deferring. He turned to look at his co-captain, who happened to be Taehyung, and after a short conversation he made his decision.

“Defer.” He said to the referee, still not breaking eye contact with Hoseok.

Yoongi knew that was a common strategy, as it can allow the team to get two possessions in a row if they score to end the first half and start the second. Jungkook usually chose that option.

“The Golden Knights will get the ball first at the end of this field. Good luck gentleman.” The referee announced, the captains proceeded to shake hands before walking away to their positions.

And so, the game started.

It was all a blur. It all happened so fast.

Yoongi’s mind was filled with images of players tackling each other, the ball flying through the air, the sounds of people colliding and grunting, more shouts of plays coming from the coaches.

There was a mix of emotions in the air with the crowd: the excitement and adrenaline of watching the game, the nervousness of the possibility of someone's favorite team losing, the frustration of not being able to do anything but watch.

The pressure was on, and it wasn’t even a final. Both teams wanted to win, both fans wanted to go home celebrating, everyone wanted to know who was the best.

It was a good game, the best Yoongi had seen all season. The score was proof of it: 27–27, fourth quarter, fifteen seconds left on the clock.

Yoongi was holding onto Jimin’s hand like his life depended on it, his heart pounding so loud in his ears he could barely hear anything else. His eyes were locked on Hoseok, who was giving directions to his team. His face was scrunched with determination, looking directly into the eyes of each of his teammates. Yoongi could tell that he was speaking firmly, never mean or hurtful, just being exactly what they needed.

It was clear that the Thorns had them under pressure. Their defense had been ruthless all game, Jungkook was doing a fantastic job at directing them. They were focused, they wanted to win, but The Golden Knights had the upper hand. They were in charge of the remaining time.

Yoongi couldn’t take his eyes off of Hoseok.

He would find it infuriating that he was so perfect if he didn’t like him so much.

But Hoseok was all that. He was the smartest guy on the field, he had great arm strength, accuracy and touch on his throws, he recognized when any receiver was open, he was the perfect person to make the decisions that could either win or lose the game.

Recognizing what he was capable of, did something to Yoongi.

It was pride and it was attraction. It seemed superficial to him to be attracted to Hoseok for something like that, simply for being good at a sport. But there was something provocative about it, like a high school fantasy.

Yoongi would’ve never imagined he’d have fallen for a jock (well, someone other than Jungkook) but there he was, drooling over the captain while his hands were sweating because he was too invested in the game.

Once all the players had come back to the field, it felt like everyone present held their breath.

This was it, the last play.

Yoongi felt weak, his heart pounding in his chest. They were on the edge of knowing the outcome, and although he wanted to be strong like everyone in the public, he truly felt on the verge of fainting. So he did what he thought was necessary: clinging to Jimin’s hand, he lowered his head and closed his eyes.

There was darkness and there was peace. He could no longer hear the noises because of the loud pounding of his heart that was ringing in his ears. He had never been so nervous, barely able to breathe. His hands trembled in Jimin’s embrace, who held him firmly even though he was shaking as well.

The seconds felt like hours, especially when he couldn’t see what was happening.

But then it was all over.

The crowd erupted, he had no choice but to open back his eyes, scared but hopeful.

The black and gold fans were celebrating amongst themselves, Jimin shaking Yoongi with excitement, Hoseok’s parents hugging each other as golden confetti rained down on them from the sky, the scoreboard reading 27–32.

The Golden Knights had won at home.

Yoongi slumped back in his seat, feeling like he could breathe again. His soul returned to his body as he watched Hoseok being carried on Namjoon’s shoulders while the team chanted around them. He was smiling big, his hair covered in sweat and his skin glistening with the stadium spotlights, looking natural in his surroundings.

Yoongi knew Hoseok was good, but that night he had been great. And him standing there, witnessing all his effort and his glory, he didn’t know what to do other than get down from the stands and run towards the field.

The moment their eyes connected was a scene Yoongi would remember forever. It felt like butterflies and relief. Hoseok was standing next to his team, but Yoongi could swear he was waiting for him, so he ran without stopping until he reached him, and he jumped into his open arms.

Yoongi’s legs wrapped around his waist, his hands immediately going to his hair, and his face buried in his neck. The scent blockers were still doing their job, masking the scent Yoongi loved so much, but his skin still smelled of his expensive lotion and his strangely arousing sweat.

Hoseok held him without saying anything.

Words weren’t necessary. They both knew what the other meant.

☀️ 🌹

After almost two hours of long celebration, the crowd cleared, leaving only the team and a few family members and friends on the field.

Yoongi hadn’t left Hoseok’s side even for a second, walking beside him hand in hand. He felt euphoric and so light that he could fly at any moment. Hoseok felt the same, the smile did not leave his face. He shared a knowing look with Yoongi that said they both won in more ways than one.

The red team had left quickly after the game, only gathering their things and stopping by to congratulate the winners. Needless to say, Jungkook never approached them, nor did Hoseok even glanced at him. They had already said enough on the field. And even though Hoseok would have liked to gloat, he told Yoongi that he preferred to keep the peace that night because he didn’t want to cause Yoongi any more stress. That moment was to celebrate and not think about Jungkook, this was for them.

Hoseok’s parents approached them to say goodbye, saying that they were going to the hotel since they would be leaving early the next morning. They told him how proud they were of him and that they would return to watch the final, certain that their team would be the winner of the season.

“It was a pleasure meeting you Yoongi.” Soojin said only to him, holding his hand in hers. Hoseok was busy talking with his father a bit far from them.

“Likewise, Mrs. Jung. I can see why Hoseok is so kind.”

“I like to think that we did a good job raising him. But if he ever does something unpolite to you, don’t hesitate to call me to put him in his place.”

Yoongi chuckled. “I will, but I honestly don’t think that will be necessary.”

“You can still call me if you ever want to just talk. I’m always available.”

“Oh.” That surprised him, but more than that, it moved him. “That would be… really lovely. Thank you.”

“I’ll ask Hoseok to pass you my number.”

“I would like that.”

“What are you two conspiring about?” Jaehyuk asked as they got closer again.

“Oh, nothing. I was just telling Yoongi that he could give me a call if he ever wanted to.”

“Really?” Hoseok asked while looking at him instead of his mother. Yoongi nodded in confirmation. “That’s great.”

“But I have to warn you that Soojin can talk on the phone for hours, so do it while sitting down with a glass of water next to you.” Jaehyuk said, Soojin gasped in offense.

“You’re going to scare him.” She scolded him, but then turned to the young couple and softened her gaze. “Anyway, we should get going. I’m sure you guys are eager to go to your party.”

“Thank you for coming.” Hoseok said as he hugged his mother, giving her a kiss on the cheek. “Have safe trip back home.”

“We will.” His father said as he gave him another quick hug, patting him on the back. “Have fun guys and be responsible, we don’t want to be grandparents yet.”

“Oh my God, dad. No.” Hoseok said in horror, his cheeks turning red.

“It’s my duty as your father to ask you to be careful.” He replied with a cheeky smile on his face, shrugging. Yoongi could tell where Hoseok got his humor and self-confidence from.

“Just go, please.” Both of his parents laughed, clearly pleased at having embarrassed him.

“Fine, fine. We’re leaving.” He said still smiling.

“We’ll see you guys in December.” Soojin said before leaving, a smile so affectionate it almost brought tears to Yoongi’s face.

He knew he couldn’t get attached to them, that that sense of belonging didn’t really belong to him. It would all be over in a couple of months, and he wouldn’t have a place at that table anymore.

But it was nice to allow himself to dream of having a family again, especially one that included Hoseok. He might have told him that when this was over, they’d still be friends, but it just wouldn’t be the same.

Yoongi sighed. “Your parents are really nice.”

“Yeah, they’re the best.” He grabbed Yoongi’s hand, holding it carefully. “I have to go to the locker room to change, want to come by?”

“Sure, let’s go.” They started walking still holding hands. Hoseok’s other hand was busy holding his sports bag and helmet, the shoulder pads still on his shoulders. Yoongi watched him intently as they walked, taking in his messy hair, his dirty face, and the sweat dripping down his neck.

He was pretty.

After quickly changing into a plain black shirt, denim jeans, the same pair of Nike sneakers Yoongi was wearing, and his stupid (yet incredibly sensual) baseball cap, he looked more handsome than ever.

Yoongi couldn’t stop looking at him from where he sat on the bench, watching him put his things away in his locker.

Hoseok must have felt his gaze because he turned around then. He walked over and knelt down in front of him, taking his hand with a smile on his face. It seemed like nothing could take away the happiness he felt now.

“We’re going to carpool with Namjoon to the party, if that’s okay with you.” Hoseok said, his thumb caressing his knuckles.

“Yeah, of course, but what about your car?”

“I gave the keys to my parents since I want to drink tonight.”

Yoongi smiled with excitement, putting his hands behind the alpha’s neck. “So I’m finally going to see you wasted?”

“Yeah, it seems.” Hoseok chuckled, his hands circling Yoongi’s waist. “Just so you know, I’m pretty fucking fun.”

“I’ll have to see it to believe it.”

Hoseok was fucking insane when he drank, holy shit.

Alcohol was like water to him; he drank it so easily that it left Yoongi speechless when he saw him down a can of beer in less than five minutes.

His neck and chest were flushed with the alcohol, his face dull and his eyes cheerful. He sang the songs that were coming out from the speakers loudly, looking Yoongi in the eye as he did so. He attracted people like honey to bees, everyone wanting to take a shot of tequila with him or talk to him about stupid things. He was less inhibited, he liked to touch Yoongi as if claiming him, not caring about privacy or decorum.

It reminded Yoongi that he wasn’t just his sweet, nerdy Hoseok. He was also a jock, an alpha, a fuckboy. This was the version of him Yoongi knew before he really got to know him: the party animal who drank and was cheered on by the crowd.

The difference was that now Yoongi liked that about him, now he understood it. The best part was that now he was in his arms, receiving his full attention.

Hoseok was energetic, affectionate, and quite hormonal, when he was drunk. He kissed Yoongi every chance he got (which wasn’t a complaint), he pressed his nose against his scent gland and traced it with his lips, impregnating himself with his scent just because he could. Yoongi was going crazy with his affections, his underwear filling with slick, his omega clearly being affected by the alpha’s touch.

Good thing Yoongi was just as drunk, because he wouldn’t be able to keep up with him if he was sober. He kept tossing back the shots that people were passing around, no longer feeling the burn in the back of his throat.

Being drunk was fun. His mind was all fuzzy, seeing all the pretty colorful led lights shine in the basement of whoever’s house they were in, the music coming from the Bluetooth speakers some frat boy had brought, while a random guy was on bartending duty behind the bar.

Yoongi would describe the place as a proper mancave. It had posters of some beautiful girls in bikinis and a few custom neon signs decorating the walls along with a dartboard, there was also a mini bar with shelves full of liquor, a pool table and a foosball table, a big couch and a few bean bags that looked raggedy and old.

The place was dirty, the floors sticky with spilled beer, with a strong smell of cigarettes and pee, for some reason. It was completely disgusting, but he didn’t mind that at all. There was no judgement left on his body. He could only smile, and laugh, and dance.

Everything was just great. The music, the people, the drinks, Hoseok… Especially Hoseok.

They were joined at the hip throughout the party. If one wanted to get a drink, the other would join them. If they wanted to dance with the crowd, they would stay close, hands on top of each other. When someone approached Hoseok, he would stand behind Yoongi and hug him around the waist, holding him tight. Namjoon would jokingly tell them they looked like Siamese twins, and they would flip him off and then continue kissing.

It was too much fun.

Now they found themselves playing beer pong against Mikey, who decided to come to the party with his foot in a cast, and his boyfriend Joaquin.

The stakes were high since there was a bet involved: Hoseok had bet his watch (which was from a very, very expensive brand) and Joaquin had bet his entire wallet. Yoongi was a little uncomfortable with the fact that it was so easy for them to put so much money on the line, but at the same time, his fuzzy mind only told him that if Hoseok won, they’d use the money on burgers and fries after leaving the party, so he didn’t care that much.

Standing on opposite sides of the table, Hoseok tossed the ball easily with his right hand, his free hand in the back pocket of Yoongi’s jeans.

Yoongi would say it himself, he had an amazing ass. Perky and round, it looked incredible even in the biggest jeans. It was one of his best features, along with his petal-pink lips, his feline eyes, and his button nose... but also his smooth porcelain skin, his black hair that was getting longer every day, and his doll-like legs. Really, everything about him was incredible, why lie?

But anyway, his ass was just out of this world. Something Hoseok made sure to remind him of all night. He looked into his eyes and told him that his ass was perfect, that he had never seen anyone with a prettier or rounder butt.

And he didn’t just tell him so, he proved it to him. Hoseok had his hand in the back pocket of his jeans for most of the night, and still with the remaining gentlemanly quality he had despite being drunk, he didn’t squeeze or pinch it just for the sake of it. At most, he felt it or patted it respectfully.

And Yoongi... Yoongi could have come just from that touch alone.

He was preening with the attention he was giving him, almost purring like a cat rubbing between his legs. One more tequila shot and he would have done just that, kneeling before his feet to ask for more.

Not only was the alcohol clouding his mind, he was also getting drunk on Hoseok’s presence. It was like a power trip to be by his side. The people who greeted Hoseok now recognized him too, smiling at him when they saw him by his side and saying his name like it meant something.

But that didn’t actually mattered. He wasn’t interested in other people’s attention; Yoongi only cared that Hoseok didn’t want to be with anyone else, even if it was his victory party. They could be with other people and talk to them, but ultimately the focus fell on each other.

For example, the beer pong game was over, and Yoongi had noticed until Hoseok took his hand out of his pocket to remove his watch from his wrist. Yoongi was confused at first, but when he saw him hand it to Joaquin like it was no big deal, his brain made the connection.

He pouted, placing his hands on Hoseok’s chest to rub it. “I’m sorry you lost your watch, baby.”

Hoseok shrugged. “It’s fine, I already won something bigger tonight.”

“I guess.” He sighed, but his face didn’t waver.

“Why are you still pouting?”

“I wanted to win that money to buy some food after the party.”

Hoseok chuckled, grabbing his hand to leave a kiss on his wrist. “I’ll buy you whatever you want. Just name it.”

“Yeah? What about some burgers and fries?”

“If that’s what you want.”

“Maybe a milkshake too?”

“Sounds perfect.”

“Yay, thank you.” He stood on his tiptoes to kiss him on the lips.

Hoseok seemed to like the idea because he clung to him and intensified the kiss, his hand traveling down the back of his jeans again. This time he did palmed his ass, making Yoongi moan. Encouraged by it he gave it a squeeze, his other hand taking hold of his waist to pull him closer.

Both of their breaths reeked of alcohol, they used a lot of tongue and produced a lot of saliva, but it was still an incredible kiss.

Sloppy and needy, certainly a bit too much to be doing it in front of everyone, but it was exactly what Yoongi needed at that moment. To feel so desired that nothing else mattered, and if people wanted to watch their tongues meet again and again, then so be it.

“Get a room!” Namjoon told them from somewhere behind them, hearing a few people laugh after that.

“Shut up.” They both replied when they separated, then immediately came back together to continue where they left off.

There was nothing elegant about the way they kissed; it was almost animalistic, as if they wanted to devour each other until there was no trace left.

Yoongi ran his tongue over Hoseok’s lips, licking them like they were a popsicle. The conscious part of him told him he looked terrible doing this, that if he could see what he was doing he’d be embarrassed, but that part was very small, his drunken side keeping it quiet.

They were so frantic, as if time was running out and they needed to memorize how each other’s lips felt. It was a mess Yoongi would make over and over again, becoming addicted to the feeling of lightness and freedom that alcohol gave him, and the perfect excuse to stay close to Hoseok.

“God, I could do this all day.” Hoseok said as he pulled away. He looked at Yoongi with a blurry but equally bright gaze, his hands gently caressing his cheeks. A great contrast to how filthy he was a few seconds ago.

“Then why did you stop?” He didn’t mean to sound so whiny, but he really did feel like a kid whose toy was taken away. He pouted and frowned, showing his disappointment.

Hoseok visibly melted, kissing his face with endearment. “You’re so pouty when you’re drunk.”

“I’m about to throw a tantrum.” He threatened. “Kiss.”

Hoseok laughed, giving in. He kissed him three times on his pouty lips, then separated. “You’re so cute, baby. The cutest.”

“Yeah? Then I should get another kiss, right?”

“And you will. But first I should go get us some water.”

“How are you still responsible?”

“Someone has to. Go sit with Joon, I’ll be right back.” He slapped his ass before going upstairs to the kitchen.

Yoongi walked over to where Namjoon was sitting on the couch, drinking a beer. Yoongi plopped down next to him, staring straight ahead. His head still felt a little floaty and his body felt light as a feather, nothing could upset him at that moment.

He was happy, unbelievably so. The world seemed as colorful to him as that basement with the neon lights.

“Life is beautiful, isn’t it?” He asked out loud to no one in particular, it was just a thought that escaped his mind.

Namjoon hummed in agreement. “Yeah, life is pretty good.”

Hearing his voice, Yoongi turned to him. “You’re the friend of Hoseok that I like the most.”

“Thank you, that’s really nice. You’re the boyfriend of Hoseok that I like the most.”

Yoongi smiled, pleased to hear that. “Yeah, I am his boyfriend.” He said, proud to announce it.

“Happy for you.”

At that moment he remembered something and turned his head to look around. “Where is Mimi?”

“He’s coming in a few. He went to see Taehyung first.”

“Oh, right.” He blinked a few times. “How do you feel about that?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know, it doesn’t bother me as it should.”

“So you’re okay with… it?”

“As long as I get a little bit of him, yeah, I’m okay with it.”

Yoongi nodded impressed. “You’re better than me.”

“Why? You wouldn’t share Hoseok with anyone else?”

“Never.” The answer came out of his mouth before he could even think about it.

“Not even with someone as hot as Taehyung?”

“That’s even worse. Hoseok is mine.”

Namjoon laughed entertained by his answer. “What? Are you going to pee on him to mark your territory or something?”

“I might, that way you won’t come closer to either of us again.” He replied giving him a playful push. Namjoon kept laughing even as his beer spilled from the bottle to the floor.

“What are you talking about?” Hoseok returned with two bottles of water in his hand, looking at them with amusement.

“Yoongi doesn’t want to share you.” Namjoon was quick to answer, sitting back on the sofa.

“Good, I don’t want that either.” His arm circled Yoongi’s waist, giving him a kiss on the temple. “He’s mine.”

Before Yoongi could even say anything back to him, Namjoon grunted. “Guys I’m begging you, don’t eat each other in front of me again. Your little scene from before left me traumatized.” They both laughed. “Yeah, you find it funny now, but you won’t when I send you the bill from my therapist.”

“Send it to Hoseok, I don’t have the money to pay for someone else’s therapy.”

“Don’t send it to me, I’m not paying for that.”

“Well, if you can’t do the time, don’t do the crime.”

Hoseok laughed. “Fine, we won’t make out in front of you.” He passed the water bottle to Yoongi, stroking his back with the other hand. “Drink some.”

He didn’t even try to protest, he could have said yes to anything he asked him to do. He opened the bottle and drank half of the water in one gulp, suddenly feeling very thirsty. It made sense, he had only had alcohol in the last few hours, and kissing had dried his lips out a bit.

He finished the water in one gulp, throwing the empty bottle back, not caring if it hit anyone.

“Oh crap.” Yoongi suddenly said.

Hoseok looked at him with concern. “What is it?”

“I need to pee.”

Yoongi stood up and almost ran up the stairs. The first-floor bathroom was occupied, so he took the liberty of going up to the second floor. He opened a couple of doors, finding bedrooms and living rooms, until he found the bathroom down the hall to the right. Of course.

After doing (what seemed to him) three liters of pee, he took the opportunity to tidy himself up a bit. Looking at himself in the mirror, he noticed that he had a few strands of hair out of place, his bun was about to unravel, his skin was sweaty, his face flushed, and his lips were thoroughly kissed. For a second he didn’t recognize the man standing in front of him, feeling like an out-of-body experience. But the more he looked at him, the more he recognized his features. He smiled at himself in the mirror. He may have looked like a mess, but the reason he did was because he was having fun.

Yoongi opened the bathroom door, finding Hoseok standing outside, leaning his arm on the doorframe. Yoongi looked up to smile at him, finding him already looking at him with interest.

“Can I come in?” Hoseok asked. Yoongi didn’t answer, he just made way for him to enter.

Hoseok closed the door behind him, locking it. He checked the bathroom, Yoongi staying in his spot in front of the sink. “You ran so fast I thought you were going to puke.”

Yoongi shook his head. “I can hold my liquor just fine, baby boy.”

“Yeah? That’s really hot.”

He chuckled. “I doubt that, but thank you.”

Hoseok stood in front of him, leaning against the wall. “Are you having fun?”

“Yeah, I think so.” He smiled gently, feeling fulfilled.

“I’m glad. I used to think that you were not a party person, but you always prove me wrong.”

“What do you mean?”

“You always go out with me and you’ve never complained, not even once. It seems like you have fun.”

Yoongi shrugged. “I don’t know, I just like being with you.”

It was as if that had opened the door to something more. Hoseok approached him slowly, the atmosphere becoming intense with the weight of his gaze on him. Yoongi’s breath hitched as he felt the warmth of his body close to his, staring into his eyes without blinking.

“I like being with you, too.” He said as if it were a secret. “You’re my favorite person in the world.”

“I am?”

He nodded. “You have no idea how happy you make me.”

Hoseok took another step forward, closing the distance between them. He reached up to Yoongi’s hair, taking the hair tie and undoing the bun. He ran his fingers through his hair gently, not taking his gaze from his lips.

Yoongi stood still, watching... Waiting.

With one last glance, Hoseok cupped Yoongi’s cheeks and closed the last remaining gap, this time between their lips.

There was no humor in the way he kissed him, not a trace of a smile. Now it seemed like he was doing it because he truly meant it, joining their lips with a concentration worthy of a saint, but there was nothing holy about it.

Hoseok was desperate, consuming him completely.

Yoongi didn’t know what to do with his hands; he felt the same urge to do it all, to do it now. So he simply followed the kiss, letting the other manipulate it as he pleased, giving him permission to do whatever he wanted with him.

This wasn’t like the other kisses they had shared, not even the ones from this same night. There was a burn in this one that overflowed the line they had created, this time it wasn’t a lie or to show off to anyone else. This time, they were alone hidden behind a door, kissing for their own pleasure.

There was a hint of danger, of excessive hunger that couldn’t be satiated by anything. Soon, lips wouldn’t be enough, they would need more.

And so it was. Hoseok began to run his hands over Yoongi’s body, touching every part he could reach. He broke away from his lips to run his tongue down Yoongi’s neck, biting gently as he let out a few grunts. Yoongi believed that at that moment, he would truly transform into a werewolf and take him like prey, and the thought made him wet his underwear with slick. The scent must have reached Hoseok’s nose, because seconds later he moaned louder, as if in desperation and madness.

Hoseok flipped him over and bent him over the sink, sliding his right hand into the front of his jeans while pressing his crotch against his ass. He was rubbing himself on him, making Yoongi feel his growing erection. He gasped, closing his eyes in pleasure. His hands braced themselves against the sink to hold on to something, his knees going weak with the way Hoseok was handling him.

Hoseok was palming him over his underwear, feeling his erect cock dripping with cum. He was sniffing at his neck, scenting him as his hips ground against his round ass. There was a peach scent in the bathroom coming from Yoongi, and a faint hint of the rainforest from Hoseok. It seemed like the scent blockers were losing their effect the more they touched, the more they wanted each other.

Yoongi straightened and reached back, gripping Hoseok’s hair in his hand, leaving more room for him to lick his throat.

Hoseok slipped his hand under Yoongi’s underwear to feverishly masturbate his cock, using the slick that oozed out of his hole to make the glide smoother. His slender hands and long fingers felt so good against his skin. He moved at an expert pace, syncing the motion of his hips with the rhythm of his hand, making Yoongi lose his mind.

This was the best dry hook up of his life. He hadn’t done it since high school, when he wasn’t ready to lose his virginity to his boyfriend, and they just dry humped with their clothes on. That had always felt awkward and incompatible, like a dog humping a pillow.

This case was totally different. It was arousing, the way they made it so dirty, so carnal. Hoseok cupped his face and turned him around to kiss him on the lips, unafraid to use his tongue. His cock felt harder against him, Yoongi was dying to take it in his hands and shove it inside of his hole. But the feeling of it against the crease of his ass was something he was also enjoying, their moans echoing in unison.

They were both close to cumming, so Hoseok moved his hand more precisely, touching the slit of his cock with his thumb. Yoongi almost cried at the feel of it, gripping his hair tighter. With a few more strokes, he came in Hoseok’s hand.

Suddenly finding himself very tired, he leaned his head against Hoseok’s shoulder, letting him continue to rut against him. He wanted to feel him cum, he wanted to hear his moans and how it would feel to be in his hands when he reached his peak.

Hoseok’s hands gripped his waist with a strength that was sure to leave bruises. Yoongi opened his mouth, letting out more moans. Hoseok turned to kiss him, and when he finally came, he bit down on Yoongi’s jaw. The omega almost came a second time.

After catching their breath while still clinging to each other, the atmosphere changed as they realized what they had done. They stared at each other through the mirror, feeling immediately sober.

Hoseok let him go, taking a step back with his gaze lowered. “I– I’ll let you clean up. I’ll be outside calling a cab.”

And he ran away, leaving Yoongi alone in the bathroom.

Everything that happened after made him even more dizzy than the alcohol itself.

He cleaned himself up as best as he could, washing his face and fixing his hair. When he was ready, he left the bathroom and walked straight out of the house. Hoseok was there with his back to him, talking on the phone.

The first thing he wanted to do was reach out and touch his shoulder to get his attention, to get him to look back at him and simply give him a hug. He didn’t want things to change or for everything to be awkward between them.

He wanted to tell him that this didn’t have to mean anything, that they could forget about it. But that wasn’t what he wanted. He might not have been ready to talk, or even think about it, but this wasn’t a simple hookup with a stranger.

This was Hoseok, his Hoseok, who he considered his best friend. Anything that happened between them could never not mean something.

That was the only clear thought that he had, so he decided it was for the best not to say anything at the moment.

The silence seemed to stretch on. They were both quiet during the ride, and they remained so even when they entered Hoseok’s apartment. They each took a turn using the bathroom, changing their clothes, and then getting into bed.

That night was the first time they slept with their backs to each other.