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“Hyung.”
Seokjin looked up from his pot of boiling water over at Namjoon who was sitting on the edge of his kitchen counter, nervously kicking his feet. Seokjin didn’t particularly know why he was over here, their weekly movie night with the rest of the boys wasn’t for another couple of hours, but Seokjin found it was better not to analyze the working mind of one Kim Namjoon.
When Namjoon didn’t speak for another minute, he made sure he wasn’t needed at the pot of water before walking over to him, leveling him with a Look that Seokjin only reserved for Namjoon. “Yes?”
“Have you ever been in love?”
“Why, yes, I really loved that meal that I made yesterday-”
Namjoon rolled his eyes, kicking his feet at Seokjin who dodged just in time. “You know what I mean.”
Seokjin’s face went soft, smiling fondly at Namjoon. “Yes, I do, and yes, I’ve been in love.”
“Did it work out?”
Seokjin tilted his head, tapping his chin as if he were thinking. “Hm, I’m not sure. YOONGI!” He screamed this last part toward his bedroom, where a few minutes later, a groggy and disheveled Yoongi appeared in the hallway, clad in silk pajamas.
“Kim Seokjin, I swear to god I’m going to kill you.”
“Relax, babe, Namjoon just wants to know if our love worked out.”
Yoongi squinted at him, then at Namjoon sitting awkwardly on the kitchen countertop. He sighed. “If I haven’t broken up with you before, I doubt I’ll start now.”
Seokjin beamed at him, then kissed his forehead, ushering him back to bed. After Yoongi was tucked back in, Seokjin came back into the kitchen, leaning against the counter. “There you go.”
Namjoon just stared at him with his mouth open until Seokjin leaned up and shut it gently. Namjoon opened it again, made a choking sound. “How long has that been going on?”
Seokjin turned around quickly, busying himself at the pot of water that he stirred, but Namjoon didn’t miss the pink in his cheeks. “Only a couple of weeks. But we make a cute couple, huh? Though of course I’m the better looking one.”
Namjoon just smirked behind his back. “Sure, hyung.”
Seokjin turned back to him then, spoon held high. “So, why’d you wanna know?”
The smirk wiped off Namjoon’s face as quick as it had come.
The reason why he wanted to know. That was a bit harder to say. “I-”
“This couldn’t have anything to do with your crush on Hoseok, could it?”
Well, maybe it wouldn’t be that hard to say after all. But how obvious was he that Seokjin could figure it out? Namjoon just gulped. “What do you mean?”
Seokjin raised an eyebrow. “Your crush. On Hoseok.”
“I, no. Yes. Maybe. What crush on Hoseok?” Namjoon crossed his arms, pouting at Seokjin.
“So it is about that!” Seokjin clapped his hands in glee. “Does this mean you’re finally going to tell him?”
“What do you mean finally ?”
“Oh, come on, Namjoon-ah. Please tell me you didn’t just figure this out. You’ve been in love with him forever.”
“That’s not true,” Namjoon mumbled, but it was weak. In fact, Seokjin was right. Namjoon had been in love with Hoseok forever. He could vividly remember that time he had met him as a child, Hoseok had been only a year older, but to Namjoon it had felt like ages. They were playing on a playground and Namjoon had tripped, sprawling into Hoseok who had screamed. Namjoon had profusely apologized, but not after looking at the boy with awe; the boy who was backlit by the sun. In that moment, everything Namjoon knew about the sun was thrown out of the window. It was like Hoseok was the one who had been there for billions of years, shining down on him.
Seokjin just stared at him, but backed off, continuing his cooking. “Okay, Namjoon, whatever you say. But I’m right.”
Yes, you are , Namjoon thought, but he didn’t say anything, just waited for Seokjin to be done cooking.
Why was it always Seokjin? He didn’t know what he had done in his past life to deserve this. He had problems of his own, too. Like figuring out his and Yoongi’s confusing feelings for Jungkook and his new promotion at the restaurant and his maybe, sort of, up and coming model career. But here he was again, being asked about romantic advice as if he was some sort of love tester. He had been playing Mario Kart on the Switch with Hoseok, screaming as he slipped on a banana peel and Hoseok had won first place. And Hoseok had just beamed, leaning back against the couch with triumph when,
“Hyung, have you ever been in love?”
Oh, fucking hell. “Yoongi is literally sitting on my lap Right Now.” He glared at Yoongi. “Which, by the way, I couldn’t see the game over your big head. You made me lose.”
“No, you lost because you suck.”
“Ouch.” Seokjin clutched his chest dramatically. “You wound me.”
“Wait a second,” Hoseok interrupted them, “you two-”
“Are together, yes.” Seokjin finished for him, nodding his head. “Didn’t I explain everything in the groupchat?”
Yoongi rolled his eyes, but smiled. “To be fair, you texted a hamster emoji, a cat emoji, and a heart.”
“I thought everyone would understand what that meant! Taehyung congratulated us, at least.” Seokjin then pointed a finger sharply at Hoseok. “And if this is about Namjoon, save it. I’m tired of being treated as the side character in a romcom that only gets asked romantic advice when I would obviously be the love interest.”
Hoseok squeaked in surprise, trying to cover it up by replying nonchalantly, “Namjoon. Why would this be about Namjoon?”
“Uh, maybe because you’ve been in love with him since forever.”
“I have not!”
“Have too!”
“Have not!”
“Yoongi, back me up here.” Seokjin batted his eyelashes at Yoongi.
Yoongi just shrugged helplessly at Hoseok. “I mean, you kinda have. Namjoon handed you a bowl of cereal this morning and you literally looked at him as if he hung the moon.”
Hoseok crossed his arms. “It was a very good bowl of cereal.”
Seokjin sighed, flopping his head back against the couch. “You both drain my brain cells. Just please, for the love of me, talk to him.”
Hoseok huffed. “Yeah, sure.”
But Seokjin, being Seokjin, knew they wouldn’t say anything to each other. So Seokjin, being Seokjin, devised a plan. One of his best. Even better than the time he had tricked Jimin into taking him on a three-week trip. ‘I need rest and relaxation, Jiminie. I’m getting old. What’s going to happen next year when my bones turn to dust and I’m feeble?’
So next time when Seokjin went to the doctor, he might’ve, you know, stolen a clipboard. For the aesthetic. After that, he had gotten one of his pretty ballpoint pens and he spent the rest of the day writing down every lovestruck thing Hoseok and Namjoon had ever done for each other. And thus, The Plan
™
was born.
It was a chilly Thursday, and the heater was broken in the practice room that Hoseok and Namjoon currently resided in. Namjoon was bundled up in the corner, smiling widely as he watched Hoseok dance, tapping his fingers against his leg absentmindedly. He jumped a little when a body settled next to him, but relaxed when he realized it was just Seokjin. He became back on edge however when he noticed Seokjin’s smirk.
“You do know that Hoseokie is facing a mirror, right? He can literally see your lovestruckness.”
Namjoon clapped a hand over Seokjin’s mouth, yelling “shhh” as if that didn’t make him look more suspicious. Hoseok raised an eyebrow at the commotion he could see behind him due to the mirror, but continued his dancing as if he hadn’t noticed Namjoon’s murderous glare directed at Seokjin.
Seokjin and Namjoon continued to glare at each other before Seokjin slowly licked the hand that was over his mouth. Namjoon finally pulled his hand away with a look of disgust.
Seokjin smiled in triumph then shouted toward Hoseok. “Hoseok, Namjoon’s in love with you! Oh my god, he has airpods in. Oh my god, he can’t hear us.” He turned to Namjoon and pouted. “You never let me use your airpods. Isn’t that, kind of, I don’t know, telling?”
“First of all, I don’t let you use my airpods because I hate you. Second of all, him using my airpods isn’t some kind of like love declaration or anything.”
At that moment, one of the airpods fell from Hoseok’s ear and clattered to the floor. Namjoon cringed, but at Hoseok’s sheepish grin and his fingers stumbling to put the airpod back in, he felt his anger dissipate. Seokjin just watched him with eagle eyes, then pursed his lips, reaching into his bag and pulling out a pair of glasses, sticking them onto his face. Namjoon just watched in surprise as Seokjin pulled out a clipboard (and how on earth had that fit in there) with an “aha!”
Seokjin brought his knees up to his face, his eyes inches from the paper before him. “Number 988585 of the ways Namjoon loves Hoseok: lets him use his airpods and then doesn’t scream bloody murder when Hoseok almost breaks them,” he recited as his pen flew across the piece of paper in front of him.
Namjoon sighed loudly as if the very act of being next to Seokjin was an inconvenience to him. “Hyung, what on earth is that?”
“My evidence I’ve compiled on how you and Hoseok are both in love with each other, but are too stupid to see it.”
“Hoseok doesn’t love me.” And this was laced with a pain that ripped through Namjoon like paper cuts. Of course it wasn’t entirely true— he was sure Hoseok loved him. Like he did Jungkook, like he did Taehyung, like he did the rest of them. But it wasn’t a different kind of love; a love reserved especially for Namjoon.
But,
“Namjoon, you are so fucking dumb. He literally told you he loves you not even an hour ago.”
“Well yeah, but-”
But,
And then hope ripped through Namjoon in waves, drowning him and spluttering him.
“Look, I’m going to text the groupchat and tell them to come over and kick your asses. This has gone on long enough. It’s time to put the plan in motion.”
“But-” But before Namjoon could stop him, Seokjin had texted a koala emoji, a squirrel emoji, an explosion emoji, and then a peach emoji. Namjoon thought there’d be no way any of them would understand what that meant, but it wasn’t even fifteen minutes later, Taehyung fell through the doorway wheezing, Jimin and Jungkook in tow.
Hoseok took the airpods out in surprise, stuffing them into his pocket. “Wha-”
“You guys are in a crisis, I’m on my way!”
“You’re literally right here in front of us, Taehyung,” Hoseok sighed.
“It’s the principle of the thing.” Taehyung sat down and then patted next to him. “Now sit.”
Hoseok smiled fondly at him and sat next to Taehyung, Jimin sitting on Taehyung’s other side, his head on Taehyung’s shoulder. Jungkook moved and then revealed the small figure of Yoongi that had been behind him the whole time. Yoongi then sat down next to Jungkook. Seokjin cleared his throat, alerting everyone to his presence.
“I’ve gathered you here today because Namjoon and Hoseok are idiots.”
“Isn’t that every day?” The rest of Jungkook’s words were cut off by a yelp as he dodged the shoe Namjoon threw at him.
Seokjin continued as if nothing had happened, turning toward Namjoon. “Kim Namjoon, what did you say to me during Hoseokie’s last dance performance?”
Namjoon blushed, ducking his head. “Hyung-”
“Kim Namjoon.” Seokjin’s voice was stern, brokering no argument.
Namjoon deliberately looked anywhere but at Hoseok sitting across from him. “I told you that I thought he looked very good,” he mumbled, still with his head ducked, not wanting to see Hoseok’s reaction.
Seokjin’s smirk was vicious as he turned to Hoseok. “Now, Hoseok, what do you think that means?”
“That Namjoon thinks I look nice? But I don’t see the point-”
Seokjin ignored Hoseok in favor of Yoongi. “And what did Namjoon say to you during your last rap battle?”
Yoongi crossed his arms, pouting. “He said I looked okay, he guessed .”
“Now what does that mean?” Six pairs of eyes darted toward Hoseok, waiting for his answer.
Hoseok squirmed. “That……... he needs better fashion sense?”
“Rude. I’m never feeding you again.”
Seokjin just sighed, rubbing his temples. “I’ve literally had twenty grey hairs added to my head just from this conversation alone.” He grabbed his clipboard, perused it, and then got a new spark in his eye. “Okay, let’s try a different tactic. Hoseok, what did you get Namjoon for his birthday?”
“Some expensive speakers he wanted.”
“And what did you get Yoongi?”
“Some socks.”
Yoongi pouted even more. Seokjin just sat there waiting for Hoseok to put the pieces together. When no one said anything, he stared hard at Hoseok, “And?”
“That means, Yoongi hyung needed more socks?”
Seokjin flopped dramatically onto the floor, burying his face into his hands. “They’re hopeless,” he wailed. “Utterly hopeless.”
Jimin just patted him sympathetically on the head while Hoseok and Namjoon squirmed uncomfortably in their places on the floor, still deliberately not looking at each other. Seokjin was making more wailing noises and what vaguely sounded like “I just want to be their best man” while Jimin tried to soothe him.
“Maybe we should just lock them in here,” Jungkook piped up, “they’ll have to figure it out eventually.”
Seokjin sat up so hard he knocked Jimin over. “Jungkookie, my love, what an excellent idea! Hurry up, everyone. Go!”
Before Namjoon and Hoseok could make a sound, the rest of the boys ran out of the room, locking them in the practice room. Namjoon opened his mouth, closed it, opened it again. He hesitantly turned toward Hoseok, hiding his hands in his sweater. Hoseok met his eyes, flushing.
“So.”
“So.”
“Do you want to split a cookie?” Namjoon bit his lip after he said it, inwardly cursing himself.
A cookie, Kim Namjoon? Was that the best you could come up with? How about the fact that you think about him all the time, how when the sun hits his face just right, it’s like you’re blinded by him? Just say you l -
Hoseok squinted at him suspiciously. “Is that supposed to be a One Day at a Time reference?”
That scene made its way into Namjoon’s mind and he instantly spluttered, “N-no! Not at all! I really do have a cookie.”
Hoseok still squinted at him, but slowly smiled. “Alright, then.”
Namjoon dug the squished cookie out of his backpack, broke it in half, and passed one half to Hoseok, ignoring the five guys crowded around the window set into the door, watching them. Namjoon doesn’t remember how it happened, but a few minutes later they’re both lying next to each other on their backs, staring up at the slowly turning ceiling fan. A sense of peace came over him, brought by the way Hoseok’s hand was mere inches from his own. The warmth of it made its way into Namjoon’s body, holding him—cradling him.
He turned his head to discreetly watch Hoseok, but found the man already looking at him. There were cookie crumbs around the corners of his mouth, his hair slicked back with sweat, but Namjoon found him so beautiful that he couldn’t catch his breath.
“Namjoon.” Hoseok’s voice was so breathy, floating on air. Namjoon wanted to wrap himself in it.
“Are we really idiots?” Namjoon couldn’t help asking and Hoseok laughed, turning onto his side to face Namjoon.
He just nodded, his smile bright. “Yes, I think we are.”
“I’ve loved you for so long—do love you. Yesterday morning, I almost said it out loud.”
Hoseok frowned for a moment. “Didn’t I walk out of the door without my pants on yesterday morning?”
Namjoon laughed, a loud, barking sound. “Yeah, yeah you did. It was cute.”
Hoseok slapped Namjoon’s stomach, ignoring his yelp of pain. “It was not , I didn’t notice it until I got halfway down the hallway. I scared a poor old grandma nearly half to death.” He laid back down, staring at Namjoon as if he hung the stars in the sky. “I almost say it so many times. Whenever you buy me a coffee after a long day of practice, whenever you let me shower first, whenever it’s movie night and you hand the remote to me so I can pick.” Hoseok sucked in a breath. “You don’t know how many times I’ve wanted to say it.”
“Oh?” Namjoon smiled cheekily. “How many times?”
“Since the first day I met you. Okay, maybe not exactly then. I mean, you did trip and fall on me in the sandbox-”
“It was slippery!” Namjoon protested weakly, but Hoseok kept on.
“But I don’t think there was an exact moment I truly found out. Loving you, Kim Namjoon, is as easy as breathing. That moment we both got detention because you kept arguing with the teacher and I couldn’t help but argue as well. I knew then. When you graduated and you were worried about finding a place and I offered my extra room, you smiled this wonderful smile. I knew then as well. We’ve known each other forever so I guess I’d say I’ve loved you forever.”
“Say it now, then,” Namjoon blushed a little, “that you love me.”
Hoseok smiled his beautiful smile and it was like the sun came through the windows, warming Namjoon from the inside out. “I love you.”
And Namjoon couldn’t help but smile, too, leaning in, stopping just before Hoseok’s lips to make sure it was okay. At Hoseok’s wordless nod, he pressed their lips together, doing his best to ignore the catcalls outside the door.
And maybe Hoseok was the sun, and maybe Namjoon was the moon, and maybe the rest of the boys were the stars surrounding them. And maybe, all together, they made up the vastness of the universe.