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It really was a great day outside. Taehyung was really glad that Jin had suggested they all meet up for lunch at the park. He was surprised, though, to find that Namjoon and Hoseok had beaten the rest of them there. As Taehyung approached, he noticed Namjoon had an arm around Hoseok's waist with a hand on Hoseok's back while Hoseok leaned in enough to whisper something in his ear. That was... strange. Taehyung did not know what to think of that, even as Hoseok stepped away, lifting his hands to his mouth to cover a giggle. “Hey, guys,” Taehyung stated as he got closer to the two of them, holding up the plastic bag he brought with him filled with different soft drinks and waters for everyone. “What's up?”
Hoseok turned to face Taehyung and he smiled, making grabby hands toward the bag. “Nothing, just waiting for everyone,” Namjoon stated with a shrug of his shoulders. “Jin has Jungkook and Jimin helping him bring the food. Where's Yoongi?”
“Coming from his studio,” answered Hoseok as he pulled the different drinks out of the bag, lining them up on the table. He left one of the water bottles in the bag to place it on the ground next to the table and keep the bag from blowing away. “He should be here soon. How were your morning classes, Tae?”
It was not often that the seven of them got a chance to hang out, especially in the middle of the day. Jungkook, Taehyung, and Jimin were all in their last years of university (Jungkook a junior, while Taehyung and Jimin were seniors). Namjoon worked a couple of part time jobs; he worked at a local bookstore and as a barista and would pick up a few shifts at a restaurant downtown for extra cash. He also was known for writing some songs for different companies though he did not rely on that as a job, not like Yoongi did. Hoseok was a nurse at the local hospital, stationed in the pediatrics ward more than anywhere else. The kids liked his soft hair and pretty smile and gentle touch. Yoongi, as already mentioned, wrote and produced songs – unlike Namjoon he was tied to a single production company and was paid a hefty price for each one of his songs. He did not have to work a lot, and spent a lot of his free time with Taehyung; the two of them had been dating for three years by that point and the others were just waiting for Yoongi to finally propose. (Taehyung knew it was coming, he'd found the ring. He was trying to remain patient). Seokjin owned and operated his own restaurant, was working on getting a branch of it opened in Busan and Daegu as well. It was hectic and crazy but he loved it. He loved it even more when he could come home after work and Jungkook would make him something to eat and they'd curl up together on the couch.
The three of them were not there too long before Yoongi finally showed up, a little out of breath and worried that he was late. Taehyung laughed at him and linked their fingers together while lifting Yoongi's hand to kiss the back of it. “Jin is not here, yet,” he informed his boyfriend. “You're good.”
It was only a couple minutes later that Jin showed up with Jimin and Jungkook, the three of them carrying various bags that held enough food for the seven of them. There were all kinds of greetings, loud and enthusiastic, or quiet and almost unnoticed; but, then they all sat down at the table and unpacked the food. They talked and laughed and caught up with one another and their lives. It was a warm day with not too much of a breeze, and Namjoon could not keep the fond smile off of his face as he rested his elbow on the table and his chin in his hand. The boys surrounding him were easily his favorite people and seeing them happily in one place was not something that got to happen often enough. They promised, though, as they went their separate ways a couple hours later, that they would do better at making sure they all hung out more often.
Jimin was the first one to leave, going to meet up with one of his friends from dance classes – Namjoon was pretty sure that Jimin had a crush on the guy but Jimin had not admitted as much to him. Taehyung and Yoongi left soon after that, with Taehyung tugging on Yoongi's hand insisting that he just had to come and see the new puppy at the puppy cafe down the street from their apartment. Jin and Jungkook left after them, taking the leftovers and extra drinks with them after Hoseok and Namjoon helped the two of them pick up. Jin promised to have some lunches for Hoseok to take to the hospital that week come the next morning, which Hoseok thanked him for with a big hug, squeezing Jin tightly until Jungkook pried him off and insisted they needed to go.
Then it was just Namjoon and Hoseok and the two of them shared a soft smile as they started to walk back to the apartment they had shared for the previous three years. “Movie night tonight?” Namjoon asked when they were about a block away. He put his hands into the front pockets of his jeans as they walked.
Hoseok hummed a little in thought before nudging Namjoon with his elbow. “Sure, but nothing too long. I have to be at the hospital early tomorrow,” Hoseok answered, nodding his head slightly. “And nothing scary, or I'll never sleep.”
Namjoon clicked his tongue against his teeth. “Well there went that idea.” He chuckled as Hoseok nudged him with his elbow again, stumbling a couple of steps at the sudden push.
They discussed movie options as they walked up to the building and Namjoon held the door open for Hoseok once they got to it, following him inside. They did not say much on the elevator ride up to the floor they lived on or as they walked down the hallway to their front door. Namjoon pulled his keys out first and opened the door, stepping aside so that Hoseok could go in before him. Hoseok said a mumbled thank you as he went inside before toeing off his shoes while Namjoon looked the door. Neither one said too much as Namjoon took off his shoes or they both moved farther into the apartment to grab some comfortable clothes to change into.
Namjoon put on his favorite pajamas while Hoseok went with a pair of basketball shorts and a too-big hoodie that made him seem much smaller than he was. When they were done changing, the two of them went to the couch in the living room where Namjoon pulled up the movie they had agreed on during their walk. Hoseok waited until Namjoon had picked it out before he wrapped his arms around Namjoon's middle and rested his head on Namjoon's shoulder. Namjoon wrapped an arm around him, idly brushing his thumb against the side of his shoulder. They hadn't been sitting there very long before Namjoon turned his head to press a kiss against the top of Hoseok's head, lingering there and taking a deep breath as he mumbled to Hoseok to tell him if he got too tired. “Are you going to carry me to bed?” Hoseok asked with a smile.
Namjoon laughed. “I might. If you ask nicely.”
Hoseok smiled and just hugged Namjoon a little tighter. The two of them continue to stay there in front of the television, watching the movie and just hanging on to one another until finally Namjoon pressed another kiss to Hoseok's head and squeezed him a little tighter for a moment. “Come on,baby, let's go to bed,” he said tiredly. Hoseok complained and whined a little but he kept his arms around Namjoon. It made getting up from the couch a little awkward; they both stumbled and laughed softly as they tried to keep themselves upright. Hoseok grabbed the remote to turn off the television while Namjoon turned off the light on the end table, and then the two of them made their way back to their bedroom, passing the second bedroom that had been converted into a makeshift studio for Namjoon about three years prior, a few months after Hoseok and Namjoon had gotten together in the first place.
Making the change from roommates and best friends to lovers had been the easiest thing. Namjoon had adored Hoseok for as long as they had been friends, but when he finally realized his feelings were more than that, he'd just smiled at Hoseok and asked him to go on a date with him. They'd been eating ramen in the kitchen at two in the morning while Hoseok was busy cramming for a test and Namjoon was attempting to finish a new song that he couldn't quite get the right lyrics for. Hoseok had thought he was kidding at first, laughed and poked at his noodles before eating some. It was when he realized Namjoon was looking at him that Hoseok had smiled and agreed, realizing that Namjoon was being serious. They'd been together ever since. Their friends just did not seem to realize this.
»»------------------» ♥ «------------------««
“What are your plans for Friday?”
Hoseok looked up at Jin, the two of them sitting at one of the picnic tables outside the hospital. Jin had dropped by during down time for Hoseok so that he could bring some food. Since it was so nice, they decided to eat outside. There was a slight breeze and the sun was warm on his back. It was a nice change from the frigid and still air inside the hospital. “Uh, nothing much,” answered Hoseok with a shrug of his shoulders. “Why?”
“We should go out. There's this new bar downtown. I know one of the bartenders. I think you'd like him.”
Hoseok laughed and shook his head a little. “I'm not interested, hyung. Thanks, though.”
Jin just shot Hoseok a look, one that showed he was a bit confused and surprised all at once. “Why not? He's cute, and he's just your type.”
“Really, hyung. I don't need you or any of the others trying to set me up.”
“We just worry, Hoseok. I don't like the thought of you being alone.”
“I'm not alone. I have Namjoon.”
Jin laughed at that and nudged Hoseok with his elbow lightly. “Right. Yeah. But I mean relationship wise.”
“I knew what you meant.” Hoseok shook his head slightly and took a drink of the tea that Jin had brought him.
“So come on, then! Let's go out Friday and have a bit of fun. It's been too long. Please, Hoseok?” Jin was practically pouting, resting his chin on Hoseok's shoulder. It made Hoseok sigh and reach up to ruffle Jin's hair. Jin grinned because he knew right then that he had won.
That was how that following Friday, Hoseok found himself pulling on some skin tight dark jeans and a t-shirt with an extremely low collar that almost fell off his shoulder that was a matching black color. The shirt was actually Namjoon's (and Hoseok always cussed him out for wearing it because it was too distracting with his stupid collarbones and stupid beautiful skin) but it looked good on Hoseok as well. Namjoon came up behind where Hoseok stood in front of the full length mirror on the inside of the closet door that was opened. He placed his hands on Hoseok's hips and pressed a kiss to the top of his shoulder. “Have fun tonight,” he stated, looking up to Hoseok's reflection with a soft smile.
“It would be better if you were going to,” replied Hoseok with a sigh as he turned around to face Namjoon. “Are you sure you can't join us?” Hoseok closed his eyes and sighed softly as Namjoon pressed a kiss to the bridge of his nose. He opened his eyes when Namjoon pulled away just enough to smile softly at him and brush the fringe of his hair back out of his eyes.
“Sorry, Seok-ah. I really need to finish working on this song and I have an early shift tomorrow.” He smiled sadly, honestly disappointed in the fact that he couldn't go too.
“I know. I'll be quiet when I come in, hopefully you'll be asleep.” Hoseok moved his arms up to wrap them around Namjoon's shoulders. “Don't stress yourself out too much. I know you'll write something wonderful. You always do.” Namjoon laughed, a faint pink color on his cheeks that Hoseok found too endearing. He almost wanted to just stay there and kiss Namjoon until the pink was more prominent but he had to leave before he was late to meet Jin. He did make sure to kiss Namjoon before he rushed out of the apartment, shouting back at him that he would see him later.
The bar was fine. It was a bit too crowded and a little too noisy but Hoseok had fun with Jin – even if he did spend half the night trying to avoid the guys that Jin kept trying to push him toward. Hoseok always managed to brush them off and smile kindly but not accept any offers to dance or for a drink. Jin sighed at him and tossed a piece of ice in his direction, making Hoseok flinch with a laugh. “I told you that I wasn't interested, hyung,” Hoseok defended himself. Jin just sighed and shook his head, insisting that he was going to find someone perfect for Hoseok.
»»------------------» ♥ «------------------««
It had been a long day and Hoseok just could not wait to get home. He wanted to take a long, hot shower and curl up in bed wearing one of Namjoon's hoodies. He wanted to close his eyes and sleep for hours and forget about the awful day. If he closed his eyes while resting his head against the wall of the elevator, Hoseok could almost hear the terrifying sounds of the machine beeping that had haunted him throughout the last couple of hours of his shift. Hoseok took a deep breath and pushed himself away from the wall of the elevator before heading down the hallway to his apartment. Once inside, Hoseok stopped when he saw all of his friends scattered around the apartment. Right. He had forgotten. They had planned on a movie night.
Hoseok's gaze landed on Namjoon and tears almost immediately filled his eyes. Namjoon tried to say something but Hoseok did not even register it. He just crossed the room and walked right up to Namjoon. He wrapped his arms around Namjoon's waist, plastering himself against Namjoon's chest while hiding his face in the side of Namjoon's neck. Namjoon's arms wrapped around him with zero hesitation. He mumbled something to Hoseok that sounded something like an apology and a promise to get everyone to leave. As much as they both loved their friends, Namjoon could tell without asking that Hoseok was much too overwhelmed to deal with all of them.
Hoseok was only vaguely aware of the others in the room. Someone asked if he was okay. He could almost hear the confusion in one of their voices about how Hoseok was tucked up against Namjoon so completely when the two of them were never big on skinship with one another, not like Hoseok was with everyone else in their group. But the hug was different than that, even. It reminded Jin of how Taehyung would wrap Yoongi in his arms and cradle him close whenever Yoongi was up for almost two days straight and was crying over absolutely nothing again. Or how he would pull Jungkook into his chest whenever Jungkook was hyperventilating because he was so sure he was going to fail out of his classes (he hadn't and he'd cried in relief when he saw the grades posted). It was too intimate and familiar to just be a friendly gesture. His brow furrowed as he looked to Namjoon, who was assuring everyone that Hoseok was going to be okay but they would appreciate it if everyone left for now.
“How long?” Jin asked the question as everyone pulled on jackets and gathered there things.
Namjoon had his lips pressed against Hoseok's temple, mumbling something to him while running a hand through his hair. Then he looked over at Jin, knowing exactly what he was being asked. “About three years.”
“And you guys never told us?”
“We told you about our first date, you all assumed we were just talking about going out as friends and you kept assuming because we're not as free with our affection in public that there was nothing there.” Hoseok held Namjoon a little tighter, squeezing his eyes shut. Namjoon was right, they had told all of their friends but none of them seemed to accept the fact that they weren't joking or exaggerating something. Just because they weren't as obvious with physical affection did not mean anything.
“I knew it,” Taehyung laughed and smiled, pulling Yoongi into his side with an arm draped over Yoongi's shoulders. “I tried to tell everyone but no, let's not believe Taehyung.”
Namjoon gave Taehyung a tired smile, nodding his head a little with an inaudible thanks. He appreciated Taehyung greatly, to be fully honest. He was not sure if Taehyung was telling the truth or not, but his theatrics along with his words pulled everyone's attention from Hoseok. That was what Namjoon was thankful about. It was Yoongi that reminded everyone then that Namjoon had already kicked them out and that they needed to leave. Namjoon let out a heavy, relieved breath once the door shut behind them. He pulled away enough to look at Hoseok.
Hoseok's shoulders were shaking and there were obvious tear tracks down his face. His eyes were swollen and red. “Do you want to talk about it?” Namjoon asked, gathering Hoseok back into his arms and pressing a kiss to his forehead. Hoseok mumbled that he did not want to talk about it yet, but that he would later. Namjoon left it at that, simply hugging Hoseok as they stood there before eventually leading him back to the bedroom so that they could climb into the bed and he could wrap himself around Hoseok. Hoseok lay there and cry, his body shaking even with how close he was pressed to Namjoon's chest, until he eventually fell asleep.
Most days, Hoseok loved his job; but, most days, Hoseok did not have to deal with one of his younger, long term patients not making it through their personal battle.
»»------------------» ♥ «------------------««
“So. Three years?” Jin laughed a little with a shake of his head as he and Hoseok sat in the middle of the living room, playing a card game on the floor. Hoseok hummed his agreement. “You let me think for three years that you were single.”
“I told you that I had Namjoon,” replied Hoseok with a laugh of his own. “We never lied about it, you guys just didn't believe us. So we decided we would rather keep it to ourselves. Plus, public displays of affection makes Namjoon uncomfortable most of the time so I try to keep it subtle.” Namjoon did not mind some small displays of affection as long as it was subtle. Hoseok was sure it had more to do with the fact that Namjoon was uncomfortable being watched and the two of them together could easily pull focus of everyone around them. Hoseok would not bring it up unless Namjoon did.
Jin nodded with a fond smile. “Yeah, you did. I'm sorry none of us took you seriously. I just... I don't know. I couldn't see it. You and Namjoon? I never would have thought.” Over the past couple of weeks since the unintentional reveal, however, Jin would have to admit that watching the two of them he could see it easier. Since knowing what he was looking for, Jin could tell their affection for one another was more deeply rooted than he had initially assumed. It was all very subtle, but it was there. They would stand close to one another, bodies instinctively turning toward one another. There were several times over where their hands would get close together or even accidentally brush against one another, though it would be so simple for one of them to just grab the other's hand. There were the small things like getting each other tea or asking about one another's day. They knew each other better than anyone else and subtly took care of one another when no one else was watching. “You guys are cute together.”
“Thanks.” Hoseok smiled fondly, glancing over toward the other side of the room where Jungkook and Namjoon were working together on a song for Jungkook's project for school. Then he looked back to Jin and smiled a little more. “He makes me happy.”
“Good. Or I'd have to kick his ass.” It was still a little surreal to Jin, the fact that Hoseok and Namjoon had been together as long as Yoongi and Taehyung. Still, as he watched Hoseok get up and go over to squeeze Namjoon's shoulder while asking the two of them what they would like to order for food, Jin could not help the smile that formed on his face. He did not have to worry anymore about Hoseok being alone with no one to look after him because Hoseok had been right; he had Namjoon. He had Namjoon and Namjoon had him; and, while they might not have been like Jungkook and Jin who were clinging to one another as Jungkook ordered them something to be delivered to the apartment, Jin could practically feel the affection between the two of them as they just sat there quietly talking between themselves with soft smiles on their faces like no one else in the room existed.