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The first time it happened, Jeongguk was only six years old. He’d woken up in the night, thirsty, and slowly climbed out of bed. He was scared to wake his parents, but the closer he got to the bedroom door, the more apparent it became that they were already awake. He could hear voices coming from downstairs, and he couldn’t help but be happy that he wouldn’t have to go down into the dark alone. Jeongguk quietly made his way down the stairs, his small hand curled around the banister to keep his balance.
He was only on the last step when he heard a loud noise, stopping him in his tracks. It was as if something had been thrown, and what was now clear was his father's voice became much louder, shouting. In his tired state, he was too surprised to know what he was saying. It quickly progressed, and Jeongguk’s eyes widened at the loud noise, and his mother crying out. His heart pounded in his chest as it happened again, and he soon realised that he was hitting her.
He’d never had the best relationship with his father, he barely saw him most of the time, and when he did the man acted as if he barely existed, or as if he wasn’t even his son. But Jeongguk loved his mother more than anything, and when he heard the pained noises continuing he couldn’t help but act on instinct.
“Stop it! Stop it!”
He might have been tiny, but he was determined. He rushed into the room, racing over to where his mother was standing, placing himself in front of her to protect her from any further harm. But his efforts were seemingly too fast to stop the blow that was already coming, and his head was jerked to the side as a force hit his cheek. A noise of pain left his mouth, and a noise of shock came from his mother. But his father didn’t seem to care about his young child, scoffing.
“What? It’s his own fucking fault, he should be in bed.” He said, reaching forward to grab Jeongguk by the arm, his whole hand wrapping around his small arm. “Why aren’t you in bed? You should be asleep.” He spat at him, and Jeongguk could only stare at him with wide, tear-filled eyes.
“I-I… I wanted a d-drink.” Jeongguk forced himself to get out, wincing at the smell of his fathers breath as the older man laughed directly in his face. He didn’t even get a response, and was dragged back towards the door leading to the stairs. His mother tried to follow in protest, but was stopped by a threat that he barely heard over the pounding of his heart in his ears.
He was taken out into the hall and pulled up the stairs, staying quiet even as he tried to stumble along without falling. Luckily he didn’t seem to have any further intentions to hurt him, apart from the tight grip on his arm that dragged him towards his bedroom. He was thrown into the room, his arm finally released. But his stomach dropped as he went to close the door, and Jeongguk quickly realised that his night light wasn’t on because he didn’t bother when the door was open since the light from the hallway filtered in. “N-no! My light, please!” He gasped, panicked.
His father paused, raising an eyebrow at him, and Jeongguk felt even smaller than he was. “Your light, really?” He asked, scoffing. “How old are you now, seven?” His heart ached at the realisation that he didn’t even know how old he was. He made his way over to where it was plugged in, and Jeongguk quickly noticed that he wasn’t turning it on. His instincts kicked in at the amount of noise he was making, and without thinking about it Jeongguk turned around and rushed into his slightly open closet.
Apparently it was the best idea, because only seconds after he heard the loud thump of his night light hitting the closet door, his father yelling about him going to bed. The door slammed and the young boy finally let the tears fall from his eyes as he was left in complete darkness, which was bad enough without the fact he was scared of it. Jeongguk let himself slowly lower to sit on the ground, sniffling as he pulled his knees to his chest and curled up in a small ball. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry…” He whispered quietly to himself.
Jeongguk didn’t know how long he’d been there, head buried in his knees as he sobbed quietly, but eventually he had no more tears left to cry. He lifted his hands to wipe his eyes, letting them fall afterwards. A soft gasp left his lips at what he saw, a light in the corner of his closet, seemingly coming from nowhere. But the most surprising thing was that he could see someone, a young man by the looks of it.
It probably should have been terrifying, but oddly enough Jeongguk wasn’t panicked or scared at all, only surprised. His eyes widened when the person looked over to him, offering a smile that felt like it could brighten his entire week. “Why are you crying?” He asked, tilting his head a little. “You’re too cute to be crying, little one.”
Jeongguk sniffled quietly, not sure what to say. His mother always used to say that when he fell over, or hurt himself in general. There was a silence and it was clear the other was waiting for some form of answer, so he soon spoke up. “Um… Um, I don’t- He was hurting her, and he hurt me.” He whispered vaguely, staring down at his knees.
The man hummed after a few seconds, as he if somehow understood. “Ah, I’m sorry.” He said, softly. “You seem to young to be dealing with all that… How old are you?” He asked curiously.
Jeongguk had always been taught not to talk to strangers, but he couldn’t help feeling that this person was special, the dim light that seemed to be around him soothing. “...Six, I’m six.” He answered with a hint of pride in his voice, since he always felt very clever when telling people just how old he was.
“Wow, six?” He asked, with another bright smile, and Jeongguk couldn’t help but giggle quietly at the other. “You’re so little! I’m twenty-one, so quite a bit older than you. My name is Hoseok, by the way.”
There was a few seconds of silence where Jeongguk looked over the man, a pout on his small lips as he contemplated what he wanted to ask. “Um.. I’m Jeongguk. But- but why are you in here? This is my bedroom…” He mumbled.
Hoseok laughed softly, lifting a hand to rub at his own arm. “That would probably be good to explain. But… I don’t really have an explanation. I’m not really here.” He said, not quite sure how to explain it to someone so young. “I don’t belong here, and I could disappear if I wanted to, and go back to where I belong. But I came here… to visit, and I saw you.”
Jeongguk paused for a few seconds, silent as he tried his best to understand. “Oh… Where do you belong, then?” He asked, tilting his head a little.
“Ah… I don’t really know how to answer that, somewhere far away, not in this world.” Hoseok explained, simply.
“Oh… So you’re like, magic?” Jeongguk asked, his eyes growing wide in wonder and amazement. “That’s really cool! I love magic, I watch lots of shows with magic and it’s awesome. But… you aren’t the bad guy, right?” He questioned, warily.
Hoseok laughed softly, shaking his head in response. “No, no. I’m not the bad guy, I promise. There are no bad guys where I come from, there’s nothing to worry about.” He assured the younger, with a small smile.
Jeongguk seemed content with that answer, nodding in understanding and opening his mouth to answer, but before anything could come out he let out a soft yawn. He lifted his hand to cover his mouth, eyes slipping closed for a few seconds.
“You should probably get back to bed, you look tired, and you need to be getting sleep.” Hoseok said, looking over the youngers small frame, and taking in how sleepy he looked. Jeongguk frowned a little but eventually nodded, feeling himself already drifting off where he was sitting.
He slowly got to his feet, holding on to the door for support. With a glance down to Hoseok he took a step forward to leave the walk in closet, relieved to find that the little light Hoseok was letting off meant his room wasn’t completely dark. “...Goodnight.” He whispered, before heading over to his bed.
After he quietly climbed in and wrapped himself up under the covers he closed his eyes, a small smile appearing on his lips as he heard Hoseok’s voice quietly echo from the closet. “Goodnight, Jeonggukie.” The older murmured, and it was only minutes before Jeongguk was fast asleep, not even aware when the light in the closet disappeared not long after.
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It was months before they met again, because Jeongguk convinced himself the next morning that it wasn’t real, and had been a part of a dream. Over time his father had been getting worse, openly abusing his mother in front of him, and also targeting him much more. He’d learned that he couldn’t tell anyone, and he didn’t try, fearing what his father would do if he did.
But there was one incident, nearly a year later, that had him cowering in the closet once again. He’d been asleep when his father got home, seemingly more drunk than usual. He wasn’t aware of what had happened between his parents before he was being woken up, his father dragged him out of bed by his arm, on to the floor. He whimpered in pain, tired eyes wide in fear.
“Your fault. Fuckin’... Fucking all your fault.” He muttered angrily at him, and Jeongguk was too scared to even question what he was talking about. The first blow was to his leg, his father kicking him, pain shooting up his leg considering the hard boots on his feet. “This ‘s all your fault, you piece of shit. Should… Should’ve got rid of you when we could.” His father said, giving a few more kicks.
“I’m… I’m sorry.” Jeongguk whimpered, curling up on himself as if to try and protect his body from more damage, and soon the kicking stopped. He looked up at the scoff from his father, but it seemed to be the wrong choice when it resulted in a slap across the face. Tears fell down his cheeks but that seemed to be the end of it, his father stepping over his small body to leave the room, stumbling down the hall. He knew by now that his mother didn’t come to make sure he was okay out of fear of making it worse.
He may have been used to it but he was only seven years old, and he was still terrified. The sound of him in the hallway had him fearing that he’d come back, and he slowly crawled towards the closet to hide. Luckily he wasn’t scared of the dark anymore, so he had no problem with tugging the door closed behind him, with a soft whimper. He positioned himself so that his leg didn’t hurt too much, trying to hold his breath as much as he could.
If he’d been a little older, and able to think more logically, he would have known that his father probably stumbled his way through to bed and passed out the second he got there. But he was young and scared, and tears fell from his cheeks as he waited in the darkness, for what he didn’t know.
It was a while later when he calmed down a little, and he started falling asleep where he was, head leaning back against the wall. He was exhausted, both mentally and physically, and all he needed at that moment was sleep. But just before he could reach that point he was interrupted by a noise beside him.
“...Jeonggukie?”
Jeongguk’s eyes shot open, his heart skipping a beat in his chest. His father had never once called him that and there was no way he’d got into the closet, but his mind instantly to the fear of being hurt again. But he gasped when he realised it wasn’t his father, and that the distant yet familiar glow was back in the corner of his closet.
“Hoseok?” He asked, his voice unsure, because he’d told himself that it was a dream. The other offered one of his wide, bright grins, and nodded.
“Yup. But I think it’s unfair that I have a nickname for you but I don’t get one…” He said with a small pout, and for some reason Jeongguk already found himself smiling at the man. “Come on, give me one!”
Jeongguk was too young to understand that Hoseok was trying to distract him, and even if he had known, he wouldn’t have cared. It was nice, to take his mind off everything. “Oh… Um, um…” He mumbled, trying his best. “...Hobi?” He offered, hesitantly.
Hoseok gasped as if it was the best thing he’d ever heard, which made Jeongguk grin happily, glad that he liked it. Even at such a young age he’d started being scared and worried of how people saw him, and if they would hate him if he said something wrong. “Yeah! Hobi is great, I love it.” He said, with a nod. “You can call me that.”
“Okay. I mean… Okay, Hobi.” Jeongguk said shyly, feeling oddly happy. They’d interacted twice, and the last time had been nearly a year ago, but he felt like he had a friend. “I, um… I thought that you weren’t… real.” He mumbled. “I thought it was just a dream.”
Hoseok gave a small smile, shaking his head. “It’s okay, don’t worry.” He said. “It’s pretty weird, so I didn’t expect you to think anything of it. It’s nice to see you again, though. You’ve grown a little bit.” He teased.
Jeongguk pouted, but eventually realised that it wasn’t a bad thing, and quickly nodded. “I’ve got taller! I’m taller than nearly everyone in my class now.” He said with a wide smile, proud of himself.
“Oh, really? That’s so tall!” Hoseok told him, encouragingly. “Maybe soon you will definitely be taller than everyone.” He said.
Jeongguk giggled quietly, nodding in agreement. “Maybe, very soon! I’ll be super tall, and strong, too.” He told him, determinedly. “Stronger and taller than anyone!”
The other laughed, before humming quietly. “Of course. But do you know the secret to growing back and tall, Gukkie?” He asked, tilting his head a little as the even shorter version of his nickname slipped out.
But the younger didn’t seem to mind it, and his eyes widened at the idea of getting a secret from his magical friend. “A secret? No, what is it? Will you tell me?” He asked, his innocent eyes wide and curious.
Hoseok smiled softly as he looked over the boy, shaking his head a little at how adorable he was. “Okay, but you have to promise to not tell anyone else, yeah?” He asked, watching the younger nodded enthusiastically before he continued. “Alright, here it goes… Sleep. If you get lots and lots of sleep, you’ll grow big and tall.”
Jeongguk pouted, obviously hesitant before he spoke up in a quiet voice. “What about… now? I’m not sleeping, does that mean I won’t grow?” He asked, with a small frown on his lips.
“Nope. But you have to make sure that you get lots of sleep, or you won’t get tall or strong.” He told him, knowing that the boy should be sleeping right now. As much as he didn’t know him, he worried about him, knowing that what happened was obviously still going on and wondered if it was a common occurrence that the other was woken up because of it.
“Oh… So I should go to bed, maybe? I like talking to you, but… I want to grow nice and tall.” He said, with a soft huff, before he went quiet as he looked down. “Maybe… Maybe if I was bigger. He wouldn’t hurt us.”
Hoseok frowned a little, but he didn’t comment on that part, licking over his lower lip. “You should get some sleep, don’t worry about me. We can talk another time, if you really want. But for now, you should be growing big and tall.” He said, watching the younger.
Jeongguk gave nod in agreement, sighing to himself, sounding way too exasperated and heavy for someone so young. “I am pretty tired…” He mumbled, thinking back to the way that he’d been just falling asleep when Hoseok had appeared. “Okay… I’ll go to bed, and we can talk another time, okay?” He agreed, looking at him hopefully.
“Yeah, of course. Go get some sleep.” Hoseok told him with a smile, watching as the boy moved forward to pull the door open, not missing the way he winced when he leaned on his right leg. He crawled forward until he was halfway out the door, turning back to look at him.
“...Night night, Hobi.” He said so softly, so quietly that Hoseok was reminded just how little he was, how he shouldn’t be having to deal with all of this. Hoseok lifted his hand to give a small wave, a light smile on his face.
“Goodnight, Gukkie.” He replied, happy with the smile on the younger boys face as he slowly stood up, making his way out of the closet. “Sleep well, little one.” He said, watching as Jeongguk closed the sliding closet door, making his way back to his bed. He was awake long enough to see the light that could be seen through the gap under the closet doors slowly fade into darkness, and it wasn’t long after that he fell asleep.
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A few nights later, Jeongguk found himself in the closet again, though luckily this time by his own choice. He waited and waited for Hoseok to appear, to see the shining light appear, but it never did. Maybe the other was just busy, he decided, and he’d be back to see him soon. So he tried again a few nights later, but nothing.
Weeks passed, and he found himself in the closet again, though this time it wasn’t by his own will. He cried to himself in the dark for hours, no sign of his magical friend and he realised that maybe he wasn’t real, or maybe he didn’t care anymore. But that didn’t stop him from trying, and wishing. But as the months passed by there was no sign, and he stopped waiting.
It was just over a year later that he lay awake in bed, staring off into the darkness, unable to sleep due to the noise from downstairs. He could hear his parents screaming, but luckily tonight it was just that, the loud voices echoing up the stairs. But that didn’t stop the tears from falling down his face, wishing it would just all stop.
After crying to himself in the darkness for what seemed like hours, he eventually calmed down. But the first thing that caught his attention was the slight source of light coming from the gap under the closet door, and his swollen eyes widened. He threw his covers off to stumble towards the doors, sniffling as he pulled it open, falling to his knees as he entered.
But he was met with darkness.
He couldn’t help the frustrated cry that left his mouth, soon turning into another round of sobs. He just wanted his friend back, his only friend that actually liked him. The other kids at school hated him, and the only chance he had to make a friend was the possibly imaginary magical guy who sometimes appeared in his closet. Jeongguk just wanted someone to talk to, someone that made him feel better when he was sad, but he was gone.
When he eventually dragged himself back to bed the young boy decided that he wasn’t going to waste his time anymore. Maybe Hoseok didn’t care about him anymore, or maybe magic wasn’t real, and he’d been imagining it all. That night, Jeongguk went to bed with a much more mature mindset than any child his age should have.
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Jeongguk stayed true to his word. He didn’t waste his time, and he stopped checking the closet, he stopped hiding in there when he got hurt or when he was upset. Months passed, which eventually turned into years. Before he knew it, he was twelve years old, nearing thirteen in only a few weeks.
Though it wasn’t like that mattered, his parents didn’t celebrate it, and he didn’t have any friends who cared, or in general. But he didn’t care, or he told himself that he didn’t. His father was still just as bad, but he’d grown scarily used to the abuse. He knew how to hide it, how to act like he didn’t care. He’d grown much taller, and he eventually had become the tallest in his year. But that hadn’t stopped anything, not the abuse or bullying at school. He was lanky, too weak to fight anyone back or defend himself.
That night he made his way upstairs, trying to keep his tears at bay because he didn’t care about the slap he’d just received for coming home ‘too late’. He closed his door behind him with a deep breath, moving to his closet to grab his pyjamas, just wanting to change and go to bed already. But he ended up pulling over a pile of shirts, dropping them on the floor. He huffed in frustration and kneeled down to pick them up again, not wanting to leave it for the morning when he’d forget.
He didn’t know how he didn’t notice the light, maybe he was tired or maybe he was so tuned out of it. The only thing that acknowledged him to the presence was the voice that came from the corner, almost hesitant. “...Gukkie?”
Nobody else called him that. He swore he stopped breathing for a few seconds, taking a few seconds to react before he slowly turned his head to look at the man sitting in the corner. It was Hoseok, of course it was. He looked exactly the same as he remembered, as much as he tried to forget him.
“What?” Was all he could get out as he looked away just a few seconds later, rushing to pick up his shirts and get out of the closet as quickly as he could, wanting away. He eventually got them, putting them back on the shelf the fell from, before turning to leave.
“Hey, wait, wait.” Hoseok called out with a small frown on his face, watching with wide eyes as Jeongguk went to leave the closet. He was so much older than the last time he’d seen him, and he wondered how much time had passed, having no concept of time. “Guk, wait, come here…”
“What?” Jeongguk repeated, turning back to look at him before he left, tears in his eyes once again. “You leave- You leave for years, literally years, and then you expect me to stay and talk to you like nothing? You said we could talk another time, I thought that would have been when I actually needed you.”
Hoseok watched with wide eyes once again, his heart aching with guilt at the fact he’d left the poor kid for so long. He hadn’t thought it had been so long, it seemed like days to him, but obviously it had been much longer for Jeongguk. “Gukkie… I’m sorry, I didn’t know it had been that long, or I would have come back sooner. Please. Just- Please come sit with me? I want to talk to you…” He pleaded, softly.
Jeongguk seemed to hesitate at this, and he eventually let out a small breath. He hadn’t had a normal conversation with someone who he got on with for so long, and he missed it more than anything. And even if he hated to admit it, he’d missed Hoseok over the last few years. Eventually he moved to lower himself to the floor of the closet, which had a lot less room than he remembered with how much he’d grown. Once he was sat down he looked to Hoseok expectantly, since he’d been the one to ask him to stay.
He couldn’t help but be slightly taken aback by how pretty the older looked, even though he had to force his thoughts away, willing his cheeks not to heat up as he noticed it. From what he remembered Hoseok was a lot older than him and that would be weird, even though he couldn’t help who he found attractive. Though what made him curious was that the other hadn’t seemed to have aged a day, never mind a few years.
“How… are you?” Was Hoseok’s starting point, obviously a little scared of making Jeongguk more upset at him, and the younger let out a small sigh.
“Uh… Just the same, I guess. Nothing much has changed.” He mumbled, picking at a loose thread on his trousers. “I just… got taller. Apart from that, nothing.” Jeongguk added, with a weak smile on his lips.
Hoseok hummed quietly in acknowledgement, seeming to him like it was only days ago when he’d been telling a much younger Jeongguk that he’d grow really tall if he got some sleep. “Mhm, that’s good, isn’t it?” He offered.
Jeongguk nodded, clearing his throat briefly. “Yeah, yeah, it’s good.” He said, before his curiosity got the best of him and he couldn’t help but speak up again. “You… You look exactly the same, as before.” He murmured, his voice raised slightly at the end to indicate it was a question as well as a statement.
“Ah, yeah, I do… I don’t age, as you can see. I don’t get older, and I don’t get younger, I’m just like this forever.” He said with a small smile, looking down at himself, adjusting his shirt before looking back to Jeongguk. “I mean, I’m not going to complain, at least I won’t age.”
Jeongguk gave a small laugh, his chest already feeling slightly lighter than before, and he bit on his lower lip. He was exhausted, but he was scared that Hoseok would take years before he came back again, and he didn’t want to leave just yet.
“So, how old are you now?” Hoseok’s question dragged him from his thoughts, and he looked up at him with wide eyes, forgetting that he hadn’t told him exactly how old he was now.
“Oh… I’m nearly thirteen.” Jeongguk answered him, with a smile. “In exactly two weeks it’s my birthday, so I’m basically already thirteen.” He said, with a small pout.
Hoseok laughed softly at him, nodding along. “Ah, right, of course. A teenager, huh? Don’t tell me you’re going to instantly transform into a mischievious troublemaker, are you?” He asked the young boy teasingly, who smiled widely and shook his head.
“No, no, I promise.” He told him, even if he knew that he was just joking around. “I won’t be breaking any laws or anything anytime soon, don’t worry about me.” Jeongguk told him playfully, already more than comfortable around him.
“Uh huh, if you say so.” Hoseok chuckled, shaking his head before he leaned it back against the wall. “So, what kind of things is the soon to be teenager interested in, then?” He asked, Jeongguk’s eyes brightening at the thought of someone actually listening to him.
It could have been hours that they spent in the closet, Jeongguk enthusiastically talking about the shows and games he was interested in, Hoseok listening intently and asking questions about it all. He loved every second of it, but at some point he was barely able to keep his eyes open.
“Hey, Gukkie? I think you should head to bed…” Hoseok spoke up softly, and Jeongguk only gave a noise of protest. He didn’t want Hoseok to leave again, he was only just used to him being back.
“No…” He whined quietly, opening his eyes once again to look back at him, hating how vulnerable he felt with how much he’d opened up in the last few hours or so. “Don’t wanna. You’ll disappear again. It’s nice, having a friend for once.” Jeongguk mumbled, quietly.
Hoseok gave him a sympathetic look, and he let out a small sigh. “Hey, I’m sorry…” He told him, shaking his head a little. “I will come back this time, I promise, I’ll come back.” He must have seen the disbelief in Jeongguk’s face, because he continued. “It’s your birthday soon, yeah? I’ll come back for your birthday, I promise.” Hoseok told him.
“How will you know? You said that it didn’t seem that long to you…” Jeongguk murmured, with a frown.
Hoseok paused for a few seconds, chewing on his lower lip. “Do you have a calendar?” He asked, going on at the questioning look. “If you hang it up in here, and mark off each day, then I can come back and forth to see what the equivalent is to a day here, so that I know. And then… If I know how long it takes a day to pass, then I can come back on your birthday.”
Jeongguk looked at him with wide eyes for a few seconds at the explanation, but he eventually nodded, understanding. “I have one…” He mumbled, moving to leave the closet, grabbing the calendar from his wall before rushing back as quickly as possible.
Hoseok smiled fondly at the marvel themed calendar, watching as the boy hung it up on the closet wall, so that he could see. “I’ll start marking the days off tomorrow, and I’ll always cross of previous day in the morning.” He mumbled, looking to Hoseok once it was up. “...You promise?”
“I promise.” Hoseok said softly, with a small nod. “I’ll see you on your birthday, Gukkie. Go and get some sleep, okay?” He told him, able to see the eyebags under his eyes from where he was sitting, and he was worried.
Jeongguk gave a wide smile and he also nodded, letting out a small sigh. “Alright…” He murmured, biting on his lower lip as he moved to leave the closet after grabbing a change of clothes, hesitating at the doors. “Goodnight, Hobi.” He said quietly, offering the older a small smile.
Hoseok smiled, lifting a hand to wave at him once again. He knew he’d keep his promise, and was determined to. “Goodnight, little one.” He told him, watching as the other slowly closed the closet door, his clothes in hand to go and get changed, and head off to bed to get some sleep.
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In the morning for the next two weeks, Jeongguk scored off the previous day, more nervous as his birthday grew closer. But in the end, there had been nothing to worry about. Just as he’d promised, when he’d entered the closet that night, Hoseok was waiting with a wide, happy grin on his lips. “Happy birthday, Gukkie.” He’d said, chest warming at the genuine smile that spread across the others face.
That night had been Jeongguk’s best birthday ever, even if all they’d done was spent the night talking to each other. And to make it even better, Hoseok had suggested that they could meet up every so often, as long as it was marked on the calendar. He explained that it was hard to come through often because of the way it was such a short amount of time where he was from, so it would have to be monthly, or every two weeks or so.
It worked out perfectly, they’d set three weeks to start with, and decided on the next time at the end of the nights when they met up. The times between visits always varied between two weeks to sometimes even eight if Hoseok was feeling tired. It went on for months, and before long it was going on years.
Jeongguk was growing up in front of Hoseok’s eyes, and the older couldn’t deny that he was growing up well, and was definitely growing into his handsome features. As weird as it felt to be thinking such things when he’d known the boy from such a young age, he couldn’t help it. Eventually he got used to the thoughts, even if he never mentioned them.
But there was a subtle flirting between the two of them as Jeongguk grew older, though only when he was nearing eighteen since it felt weird otherwise. They never mentioned it but it was clear in their words and how they interacted with each other at times, and it definitely got more noticeable after Jeongguk did turn eighteen.
But on the younger boys side, everything was getting so such harder. He’d come to the realisation that he was gay not long after his birthday all those years ago, where he still couldn’t help but think about how pretty and good looking Hoseok was. He had realised that he was attracted to guys in general, and no matter how hard he’d tried to keep it under wraps, somehow people at school found out.
It didn’t help the bullying going on, and had only increased it. It had gotten so much to the point he’d broken down to his mother over it, not knowing that his father had come home, and overheard everything he’d said. The abuse he faced at home only got worse after that too, and his only safe place was in his bedroom closet, at night.
Though he never told Hoseok about it getting worse, faking smiles at times and pretending that he was okay. It wasn’t hard to pretend, sometimes he really did feel like it was all okay when he was around the older.
But he knew that he wasn’t, everything was taking a toll on him, building up worse and worse over the years. It got to a point where he couldn’t deal with it anymore. The bullying, the comments, the words, the abuse, the hits and kicks, everything. The only regret he could think of was his mother, how he couldn’t help her, she refused help and refused to do anything. He hated to leave her, but he couldn’t stay for any longer either.
Everything would be better, he decided one morning as he skipped going to school, waiting for when his parents would be out of the house before he made his way back home again.
It would all be over and he wouldn’t have to deal with it all anymore, he thought as he snagged a rope from the garage, making his way to his bedroom.
Maybe now he’d get to be with Hoseok forever, he told himself as he took a deep breath and stepped into his closet, for the very last time.
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Hoseok had been sitting around patiently, looking down at his watch. There was only ten minutes or so before he was meant to go and see Jeongguk, and he didn’t want to miss it. It’d been five weeks in Jeongguk’s time, and even if it was much shorter for him, it had started to feel like a long time for him too. He loved seeing Jeongguk, and even if he’d first had trouble admitting it to himself, he knew that he liked the other. It had become obvious in the last few months, and he hated having to wait to see him all the time, but he’d do just about anything for him. He’d never missed a meeting so far, and he didn’t plan on it.
Which is why he was so surprised, and worried when a bright light started shining from the way out he usually took, fearing it would stop him from being able to go and see him. He quickly stood up to investigate, making his way towards the light. Just as he reached out to touch it, there was a loud noise, and suddenly there was a weight falling against his chest.
He let out a noise of surprise as the thing seemed to bounce off of him, and he soon opened his eyes which he’d closed out of fear of being hit in the face at the impact. And what he saw was definitely not what he expected.
“...Hobi? You’re really here?” His sweet voice rang through the air, sounding unsure and also a little scared, frightened, and so so small.
Hoseok was frozen for a few seconds, uncomprehending before he moved forward, lifting a hand to cup Jeongguk’s cheek as if to confirm if he was really there, because he knew what that meant. “Oh, Gukkie… What have you done?” He whispered, eyes scanning over his face.
Jeongguk swallowed thickly, tears gathering in his eyes. “I didn’t… I couldn’t d-do it anymore, I’m sorry.” He whispered, his voice shaking. “I’m so sorry, it was- it was too much, I’m not… I’m not that strong, I couldn’t.”
Seeing the younger upset was the last thing he wanted, so he shushed him quietly, shaking his head to show that he wasn’t scolding him. He’d said that he wished he didn’t have to be apart from the younger so much, but he hadn’t meant it like this, hadn't meant for the boy to have the same fate as him. “Hey, it’s alright. I just- I’m surprised, that’s all. You’re strong, Gukkie, so strong. This doesn’t make you any weaker, I promise you.”
Jeongguk sniffled, hesitating for a few seconds before stepping forward to wrap his arms around the other, the first hug they’d been able to share. “I was so scared that I’d- I’d be alone.” He whispered against Hoseok’s shoulder. “I wanted to be with you, I’m so sorry…”
Hoseok let out a small sigh as he held him in return, gently rubbing his back in a comforting motion, not able to ignore how natural it felt to have him in his arms. “Stop saying sorry, you’re here now. As much as I didn’t want it to be like this, I’m glad you’re here…” He murmured, soothingly.
Jeongguk sniffled quietly before he slowly pulled back, as much as he loved the hug. He bit his lip as he looked over Hoseok, taking in how he looked not being surrounded by his usual ray of light. He was still just as pretty, maybe even more since he wasn’t in the darkness of the closet. He was overwhelmed with the urge to lean in and kiss him, but he held himself back for now, knowing that they now had forever for that.
He distracted himself by pulling back a little more, looking around the area, a small forest opening that was surrounded by trees and pretty flowers, and the light filtering in from the sky was perfect. Jeongguk had the passing thought that it was almost otherworldly, before he realised that it technically was. He bit his lip as he slid his hand into Hoseok’s, the older holding it back tightly in response. Everything felt peaceful and perfect now, and he realised that he wouldn’t change it for anything, this was all theirs now.
“What is this place, Hobi?” Jeongguk asked him quietly as he looked around at the pretty view, squeezing his hand gently. Wherever it was, he was more than happy to spend forever here with Hoseok.
“This?” Hoseok asked, also looking around, taking a step closer to Jeongguk’s side as he squeezed his hand in return. “This is Arcadia, little one.” He told him, pausing for a second, a smile spreading across his lips before he finished.
“Our Arcadia.”