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“Hyung?” Taehyung asked, “what's this I hear about you having a girlfriend?”
Hoseok choked on his ramen; they'd been talking about Parks and Recreation and how season seven was a let down. How did this come about?
“News to me,” Hoseok put down his bowl and turned to face Taehyung on the sofa. “Who from?”
“People around campus. It might have been boyfriend, now that I think about it.” Taehyung avoided his eyes. It seemed suspicious. So, being the caring and kind best friend he was, he decided to tease Taehyung about it.
“Would you be jealous if I said its true?” Hoseok said, his tone seductive.
“No, you dick,” Taehyung picked up the nearest cushion and walloped Hoseok in the face.
“Aw don’t you care enough to be jealous?” He put on a fake crying tone, “is hyung no longer your best friend? Should I just leave now?”
“Shut up,” Taehyung slammed down his ramen and picked up a second cushion and began pummelling Hoseok.
“And now you're getting aggressive. I'll really miss our friendship, before it was all ruined.” Hoseok was subsequently sat on.
“Prick.” Hoseok held his breath and pretended he was being crushed, which Taehyung ignored, much to Hoseok’s displeasure. “You know I care. I have to, I can’t get rid of you. Haven't since I was fucking born.”
“You love me really,” Hoseok cupped his own face and fluttered his eyelashes.
“Like fuck do I, especially when you’re in this mood.” Taehyung stepped off Hoseok and reclaimed his ramen before walking to the kitchen.
Okay, Hoseok thought to himself, something's up. He stood up and followed Taehyung into the kitchen.
“What’s up?” Hoseok leaned on the doorway as Taehyung filled their dishwasher.
“Nothing.” Taehyung didn't look up.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, now get off my case.” This was particularly unlike Taehyung.
“Tae. I’m sorry. I was being an ass.”
“Yeah, you were. It's not like I was genuinely asking or anything about something I’d heard.” Sarcasm, negatively. This was bad.
“Dude, come on. You'd know if I was dating anyone. You'd be the first I’d tell, and you know it.”
“Whatever,” Taehyung slammed the dishwasher door shut and barged passed Hoseok.
“Tae, it’s just gossip!” He followed Taehyung back into the living room. “Meaningless drivel of people who have nothing better to do. Why do you care so much?”
“I don’t know,” Taehyung muttered.
“What was that?” Hoseok cupped his ear, half-serious, half-mocking. After all, humour was the only way he dealt with anything remotely serious.
“I DON’T KNOW,” Taehyung spun around and grabbed Hoseok’s shoulders. “If I knew do you think I’d be freaking out this much?” Hoseok shook his head. Taehyung sighed and dropped his hands. “So just leave it, yeah?”
He turned miserably and made an attempt to walk away, but Hoseok grabbed Taehyung’s wrist. “No.”
“No?”
“Yeah I said no. I’m not leaving it. We’re talking about this.”
Hoseok gripped Taehyung’s wrist tightly and led him back to the sofa. He could tell the younger boy was upset about this.
“So,” Hoseok released Taehyung’s wrist. “What’s actually bothering you?”
Taehyung half-laughed, “what isn’t?”
Hoseok tilted his head, “what do you mean?”
“Well first of all, I'm in denial about this rumour: there’s no possible way my best friend is in love with someone else and didn't tell me. Second of all, I’m pissed because people keep asking me and I didn’t know. Thirdly, I’m losing sleep, my appetite and I'm stressed 90% of the time.”
After all of that, Hoseok had one section ringing in his ears: ‘with someone else.’
“Dude. Why're you such a wreck?”
“Fuck if I know,” Taehyung slumped and ran both hands through his hair.
“Come on.” Hoseok stood up and patted Taehyung’s knee. “We’re drinking tonight.”
~
The first thing Hoseok noticed was a headache that felt like he was being repeatedly pounded on the skull with a hammer. The second was how bright light streamed through the cracks between shutters, making his eyes sting. The third was the person cuddled up by his side. For a heartbeat, he found the presence comforting and familiar, and for that one moment, he relished in the warmth and steady rhythm of the persons heart rate. His fourth realisation was that the person was Taehyung. Ordinarily, a simple cuddle wasn't too out of the ordinary, but from what Hoseok could tell from the angle from which he lay, Taehyung was naked from the waist up. At least he hoped it was waist up; fully naked would certainly put a damper on their friendship.
They'd been friends since childhood; Hoseok was that older kid that watched out for the too-trusting new kid on the playground. He'd found Taehyung amongst the trees lining their school field, watching butterflies and ladybirds. His face had been beaten and bruised, but he smiled at the flutter of colourful and translucent wings. Hoseok felt vengeance. He was bullied when he was new too; he was not going to let it happen to this poor kid too. So, Hoseok hunted down the nine year olds that had pummelled Taehyung and got a beating himself, but Taehyung saw and they bonded over a mutual bruising pattern. They went through high school together too, and planned to go to college together. They managed to, but only just. Hoseok spent a year away from his friend, but tried to stay in contact as much as he could. He wouldn’t- no, couldn't let Taehyung feel lonely or forgotten, so as soon as he passed his exam just, they moved in together. Yes, they’d both dated their fair share of people, gotten jealous at the amount of time the other would spend with their significant other, but that was ordinary friend stuff. At least Hoseok assumed that was the case. He'd often spoken to people in his psychology classes and let it out that he was jealous of all the time Taehyung spent with a past girlfriend, which the other guy was confused by.
He supposed that maybe he and Taehyung didn't have the most ordinary of friendships, but that was okay, a little homo never hurt anyone. But if he got drunk enough to fall asleep in Taehyung’s bed, with both he and Taehyung somewhat in the nude, perhaps subconsciously he saw Taehyung differently. He didn't mind, he just didn't expect such an outcome.
“Hyung?” Taehyung blinked in the streaky light, “you awake?”
“Yep.” He couldn't be more awake, especially not after his little epiphany.
Taehyung noticed the look on Hoseok’s face and sat up, his face puffy. He was no longer touching Hoseok, who fell cold quickly. “How much do you remember from last night?”
“Fuck all. You?” Taehyung rubbed his own neck. “You do. Care to enlighten me?”
“Not really.”
“Oh.” Hoseok suddenly became aware of his and Taehyung’s exposed skin. He pulled the covers up to give himself a little more dignity.
They sat in silence, both avoiding each other’s eyes, until Taehyung turned and stood up. Thankfully, he was still wearing his boxers, but that still could have meant he put it back on after…
Taehyung left the room, and Hoseok buried himself under the covers.
~
“Ready to tell me yet?” Hoseok asked over breakfast.
“Nope.” Taehyung stared into his porridge.
Hoseok asked again at lunch. Again, no. Then, he asked while Taehyung was working on a project. Another no. Finally, at dinner, with a comic book movie on, Taehyung hesitated.
“Is that a yes?”
Another pause, “I don't know if you’re ready.”
“Dude, I’m dying to know. It’s been agony waiting.”
Taehyung sighed, “okay. So-”
“No wait, hold up a second.” Hoseok put down his sandwich and swivelled himself. He nudged Taehyung and he did the same. “You can go now.”
“We got very drunk.”
“Yes, I remember that much.”
“AND-” Taehyung’s voice was terse. “You, uh, called me baby.”
“Yeah, and? You’re my baby bro. No big deal.”
“You stroked my hair and called me cute when I’m angry. And then changed your mind and said I’m cute all the time.”
“Well, I’m not wrong-”
“Hyung. Let. Me. Finish.” Hoseok nodded obediently. “I remember calling you cute as well. And it got late and you tried to take me to bed, but I may have pulled you down too.”Hoseok swallowed. This was escalating. “I also remember you literally ripping off my shirt, then I did the same to you and…”
“Did we…?”
“No. But you did kiss me.”
“I kissed you?”
“Yeah. A lot.”
“And then we fell asleep?”
“Yeah.”
Silence fell once again. Taehyung looked at the floor, but Hoseok studied Taehyung.
“Was I good?”
“What?” Taehyung sprang his head up, a look of confusion and panic on his face.
Hoseok folded his arms. “Was I a good kisser?”
Taehyung laughed nervously and blushed, “you were… intense.”
“But,” Hoseok clapped his hands together. “Was. I. Good?”
Another nervous laugh, “yeah I guess.”
Hoseok tapped his chin, “I can't remember about you, though.”
“Oh I’m good.”
“Were you?”
“Yep. Guess you'll have to take my word for it.”
“I don’t think I will,” Hoseok grabbed Taehyung and pulled him close. “If that’s alright with you.”
Taehyung swallowed and blinked. “Well- I mean- I don't see- um- okay.”
“Good.” Hoseok pulled Taehyung closer and kissed him.