Chapter Text
Monday comes around, the weekend gone in a heartbeat much to everyone's dismay.
Hoseook had revised for chemistry class, ignoring the tightness in his gut, fearing having to sit next to Yoongi for the first time since camp ended.
While he waited for every student to enter the classroom, Hoseok dreaded the moment Yoongi would sit down beside him.
Meanwhile his mind wanders to last week when he had seen Yoongi in the changing rooms before practice.
Hoseok was lacing his shoes when Yoongi entered, Namjoon and Seokjin trailing behind him as they chatted about the first game of the season. Between the bickering and the smugness of his friends, Hoseok had seen Yoongi’s smile. He looked endeared by his friends. Soft. So soft it had made Hoseok’s heart beat loudly in his chest. Hoseok had also watched them during lunch period for the next few days, wondering what they were talking about. By the shouts and hollering, he imagined it was about basketball or something like that. Taehyung had seen Hoseok entranced by the way Yoongi threw an arm around a guy he hadn’t seen before, and he explained that was Jungkook, one of the younger players of the team.
“I know Jungkook-ah, he’s really sweet…” Taehyung had said, eyes drifting to the other table and setting his gaze on Seokjin. When Hoseok saw the stars in his eyes, he needed to know what was up with that.
“We-” Taehyung bit his bottom lip, glancing away from Seokjin and smiling shyly at Hoseok. “He’s nice, he cooked a muffin for me once.” Hoseok snorted and Taehyung chuckled. “He’s one of the pros in cooking class!”
“You attend cooking class?” Hoseok gaped at him.
“Yeah…” he grimaced, “I suck.”
The days went by as easily as they came, and now at the start of another week, Hoseok was waiting for the moment Yoongi and him crossed paths again.
He didn’t have to wait much.
Before he had time to make up his mind, Yoongi was sliding on the seat next to him, dropping his backpack on the floor and finding Hoseok’s eyes.
Hoseok did his best to ignore him, focusing on scribbling his name on the notebook, but it was pretty hard to avoid Yoongi’s gaze when he was sitting right next to him. He's afraid to admit, even to himself, how much he had missed Yoongi's perfume.
“Hi…” Yoongi sounded wary, cautious. Hoseok met his eyes, the fire in his gut dissipating as they stared at each other. He didn’t know how Yoongi did that. How he was able to melt Hoseok with just one look. He wanted to curse at him, but Hoseok didn’t find it in him to do.
“Hi,” he answered, swallowing the nerves down his throat and looking away. The students were starting to arrive one by one, serving as a distraction for Hoseok’s troubled heart—which skipped a beat when Yoongi spoke softly, gently, as if he didn’t want to make this harder for him.
“I’m sorry, Hoseok. I shouldn’t have treated you like I did.”
"It's okay." He sounded defeated but he didn't care anymore. He shivered when he felt Yoongi leaning closer, but not close enough.
"No, it's not. I treated you like shit," Yoongi whispered even lower, "And you don't deserve it. I'm deeply sorry."
Hoseok gulped, trying to find the words.
"Can we—" Yoongi bit his lip, looking at Hoseok's lips fleetingly before landing on his eyes. "Can we talk after class? I want to explain everything, if you’d let me…"
Shrugging his worries away, Hoseok hummed in response as he saw the professor entering the class with a frown on her face. "Okay." He looked back at the front of the room, wishing his cheeks weren't as pink as he felt them, and that his heartbeat would settle down again. Having Yoongi too close was far more dangerous than he had thought.
For the rest of the class he tried to avoid Yoongi's eyes, even when they had to make conversation about the new topics at hand, even when he could feel Yoongi's eyes on him.
The worst thing was that Hoseok liked it. He had missed having Yoongi's attention on him.
When the bell went off, Hoseok was willing to hear Yoongi out. Maybe it was Yoongi's pout or his remorseful eyes that told Hoseok to give him a second chance.
They had worked on the daily assignment without problems, thinking out loud and trying to come up with answers for the questionnaire. Hoseok pushed the page towards Yoongi, who signed his name at the end as well. Today's class finished successfully. No drama, no tears, no arguing. Maybe Hoseok was too bland but he didn't feel like being combative. Could it be that what Taehyung and Jimin had said made Hoseok more empathic? He didn't want to judge Yoongi or his reasons for not being out. He understood. But it still hurt that Yoongi had ignored him like that.
Startled by Yoongi getting up from his seat, Hoseok took a deep breath. He was ready. He followed Yoongi's back as he walked closer to the teacher, who smiled kindly at the student. Everyone seemed fond of Yoongi. Everyone including Hoseok. He just couldn't help it. The way Yoongi carried himself with that air of nonchalance—that Hoseok knew was a facade of his shyness, was kinda cute. Hoseok knew him from the summer, long gone summer that had made them very happy. There hadn't been a moment where they stood apart, even in silence they shared a nice, comfortable bubble that made their hearts soar.
Maybe Hoseok was believing in their natural connection because he had never experienced this sort of thing with anyone else.
Yoongi glanced at him as he crossed the doorway, asking with his eyes. Hoseok got up to his chair and followed him after packing his things. Yoongi was waiting for him at the door, and Hoseok walked closer, feeling his heart going boom boom boom , thudding against his ribcage.
They started walking side by side, Hoseok trying to ignore the curious looks people were giving them. Hoseok imagined what went through their minds— How does the newbie know the basketball captain? Who was that guy? Were they friends?— Hoseok didn’t actually care. Mindless talk that didn’t matter. It wasn’t their business. Yoongi was quiet beside him. Hoseok could see him fidgeting with one of the straps of his backpack as he looked at his feet.
“So,” he faced Yoongi, who opened his eyes in surprise. “You have a big game coming?”
“Uh, yes, the start of the season is always a big thing...” Yoongi began, now scratching the back of his head. Hoseok saw the uncertainty in his eyes, and he didn’t feel like pressuring Yoongi into talking more about nonsense so he kept his mouth shut. Yoongi continued though, a tentative smile on his face, “Should we—Would you go with me to the gym? I think there's no one there so we could talk—so that I can talk. Explain.” He cleared his throat.
Nodding, Hoseok said with an encouraging smile, “Yeah, sure.”
•••☼•••
“Thanks for hearing me out. I don’t think I deserve your forgiveness but,” he stopped with a sigh. He looked irritated with himself, and Hoseok felt all the harsh feelings leaving him at once.
They were on the bleachers in the empty gymnasium, facing each other as Yoongi explained why he acted like that on the first day.
“God, I’m sorry it took me a week to say this. I would have talked to you after—after that, but…” he looked up and met Hoseok’s sympathetic gaze. He faltered, feeling the thick emotion in his voice as he tried to put what he went through into words. Hoseok let him talk because he knew how hard it must be for Yoongi to talk about it. “I panicked. I freaking panicked when I watch you get closer, and my mind went on autopilot and—” Yoongi licked his lips and took a deep breath, “And I haven’t—I just haven’t come out yet and—and everything is harder for me when I have all these eyes on me all the time in this hell of a school, wondering who am I dating, who I would like to date…” he glanced up, and Hoseok felt his stomach sink when tears welled in Yoongi’s eyes. “It’s exhausting.”
Hoseok did the first thing that came to his mind. He extended his hand, offering Yoongi to take it. There wasn’t anyone in the gym but he wasn’t going to make Yoongi uncomfortable if he didn’t want to take his hand. He gasped when Yoongi locked their hands together.
“Thank you,” he sniffed. “I’m so sorry again.”
Brushing Yoongi’s knuckles with his thumb, Hoseok said, “It’s okay. I accept every single one of your apologies.” He offered a kind smile, tiny dimples showing. Yoongi squeezed his hand as he visibly tried no to cry anymore.
“I’m gonna make it up to you, I promise.”
“We can start with ice cream if you want…” Hoseok wiggled his eyebrows and made Yoongi giggle between hiccups.
Yoongi cleaned his nose with his sleeve and hid a smirk. “Mint chocolate?”
Hoseok pretended to be offended and let go of Yoongi’s hand with a scoff. Yoongi laughed and he joined. “For you information I now find mint chocolate an attractive flavor,” he declared, which made Yoongi laugh harder.
“Okay, what time do you go out today?”
•••☼•••
It was actually surprising how fast they went back to being Yoongi and Hoseok from summer camp. Everyone knew they were friends, and even if they were rumours about them being something more, Hoseok didn’t mind, though he always made sure Yoongi was okay with the talk going around. Surprisingly, he wasn’t. Or he was trying not to be. Hoseok wasn’t pushing either. He didn’t want Yoongi to come out to the whole school and the news to reach Yoongi’s parents. But they were friends and Hoseok cherished that.
Although, it wasn’t hard to tell from the outside that Hoseok still looked at Yoongi with a sparkle in his eyes. Yoongi knew it. Hoseok knew it. There was something indescribable between them, that connection neither wanted to let go.
It was when they were hanging out with both of their friends that Hoseok’s heart did a thing. Yoongi reached for his hand, unconsciously, lacing their fingers together in front of their friends. Something so...soft and gentle. Couple like. He opened his eyes wide as he searched for Yoongi’s eyes. Maybe he didn’t know he was holding Hoseok’s in that moment, maybe he didn’t want to really do it right this second. He tugged at their hands and that was when Yoongi glanced down at their joint fingers, and looked back up to Hoseok’s eyes. Yoongi offered a heartfelt smile that soon turned into a beaming competition between the two of them. All the laughter and jokes surrounding them was suddenly background noise. They looked at each other’s eyes as if they could find the answers there.
Hoseok sucked in a breath when Yoongi’s breath tingled in his ear.
“I’m ready.” Hoseok heard the thrill in his gravelly voice. He felt the pink shade blooming on his cheek as he got their faces closer, noses barely brushing together. He felt exhilarated, pride swelling in his chest. Love for this guy reaching every corner of his body. Hoseok didn’t think he had ever grinned this wide before.
“I like you so much, Min Yoongi.”
“Oh, thank god.” Yoongi whispered as if he didn’t know that already. They giggled. “So, does this mean we could...kiss?” he lowered his voice, sending chills down Hoseok’s spine. He bit his bottom lip, right hand coming up to brush Yoongi’s cheek. His eyes closed as Hoseok leaned impossibly closer, lips a breath away. He closed his eyes and followed his instinct. Their lips met in a featherly kiss, too soft and pure for Hoseok’s heart, when there was a long whistle from around them.
Right, their friends.
Opening their eyes, they smiled against each other’s lips. Yoongi ducked his head, hiding his face in Hoseok’s neck as their friends joked around.
“Stop, you’re making Yoongi shy!” Hoseok chuckled too, happiness exploding inside him.
“I’m not shy!” Yoongi argued, mumbling against Hoseok’s skin and tickling him. They stayed like that, Hoseok hugging Yoongi to his chest, eventually kissing his head until Yoongi was brave enough to confront their friends’ laughing mess. The laughter soon died down and the topic changed once again. Hoseok and Yoongi kept holding hands, stealing glances here and there, and beaming at each other every time they locked eyes.
Hoseok was proud and happy, and by the looks of it, Yoongi was too.