Work Text:
“Choi Minho!”
Taehyung glanced up from his phone extremely confused at the intense and rushed tone from Hoseok. He tilted his head, body language screaming HUH at his hyung, hoping he’d take the hint that he most definitely needed to elaborate further. Hoseok gulped down some air and spoke again, this time forming his words much more eloquently, “you have a crush on Choi Minho.”
Before confusion could cloud his train of thought, he felt laughter bubble up in his body as if the butterflies took time out from making him nervous and decided to brew some alcohol. Drunk butterflies, that’s it.
“Oh do I? That’s news to me,” teasingly, Tae’s lips quirked into a small smile as he recalled the events that lead up to this situation.
———
Long story short, Hoseok was trying to figure out who Tae has a crush on after Jimin came crying to him about how Tae won’t stop pining over someone and that he’s losing his mind over it as the person just won’t take the hint. Of course, Hoseok confronted Taehyung about it immediately because.. he could?
Okay yes, maybe he wanted to know so he could feel more sorry for himself, send virtual death glares to the person who had won over his heart and cry to Mickey about how love is stupid and that he’s never going to find anyone or settle down because as he already stated, love is stupid!
Anyone would say “it’s just a crush, why do you care so much” and usually he would be the person saying that but if it somehow wasn’t already obvious, Hoseok is hopelessly in love with Taehyung. He clearly just wanted to torture his poor heart even more by choosing to become a detective and look into Jimin’s words further.
The voice in his head had already told him to just move on already before and Hoseok even hyped himself up on how he’s ready to do just that but sadly, Tae would smile, breathe, do literally anything and that led to his heart falling out his ass again so apparently moving on was not an option.
Taehyung had just blinked whilst the elder stood there breathing as if he had just ran a marathon and that crossing the finish line meant he would unlock the bolt holding Tae’s heart closed making that information, that would surely make him suffer, available to steal.
“You have a crush,” Hoseok stated, attempting to mask the slight shakiness in his voice.
“Uh.. yes?” Taehyung questioned, a warm pink flush painting his face and ears. Unrelated but wow, Hoseok really wanted to kiss the blush away. Unfortunately Taehyung seems to shy away and blush ridiculously from the other kisses Hoseok has bestowed upon him (he couldn’t think why as Tae was very open to affection though?) so maybe this was a bad time.
“Why didn’t you tell me?!”
“I figured you knew?”
“What do you mean I knew?!”
“It’s sort of obvious hyung..”
“Obvious???” Hoseok guffawed. If it was obvious then he was definitely missing some key parts to this because he had absolutely no clue who it could be. Like at all.
“I’ve literally said I like this person so many times hyung, I don’t know how I could be more obvious..”
Hoseok’s brain short circuited, he genuinely heard the sparks from the gears just coming to a halt as if the brain cells just gave up and chose to tangle up in them as he tried to process this. He was still completely clueless. Clueless and jealous.
Finally after Hoseok had stood there pouting in the youngers direction for at least five minutes, Tae gave in, making sure to tell him he looks cute and tapping his nose before he proposed a dumb game. It was almost comedic how Hoseok didn’t even question it but actually lit up at the proposition.
The rules? Hoseok had a week to figure out who it was, every day Taehyung would give him a hint and at the end of each day, Hoseok was allowed to take a guess. Seven guesses and if he got the right answer then Taehyung would tell him but if not, well, then it would remain a mystery forever. Hoseok didn’t question why he’d never find out because he was too busy being extremely confused? He has apparently said he likes this person? There’s no way Hoseok would have missed it, he most definitely would have felt a twinge of envy.. Hm.
Hoseok declared that the game had begun and was about to strut out of the room to exaggerate his determination but before he could fully leave he heard Taehyung mutter a few words.
The first hint
“Don’t look too far hyung..”
———
Back to the present, it had barely been an hour and Hoseok had stormed into the room convinced that he knew the right answer (clearly ignoring the hint though). Almost yelling the name Choi Minho and frightening Tae to the point where he was sure his soul had left his body for a solid ten seconds.
Taehyung was extremely amused at the notion of having a crush on his good friend. Yeah they have a habit of grabbing each others butts when they are in close proximity with one another but that’s just platonic. Platonic ass grabbing.
“Hyung? You aren’t right by the way but how did you even reach that conclusion?” He asked, completely amused especially at how Hoseok was completely red faced. He eventually spluttered at how it was a test “that’s all” before promptly dashing out of the room.
The second hint
A faux pink feather
This hint was extremely vague? If it had been any other colour, Hoseok wouldn’t have even noticed it but the fluorescent pink made it impossible to ignore.
Ah Taehyungie what does this even mean..
He had questioned whether it could be related to an outfit of some sort, but when has anyone wore bright pink feathers? Maybe it could just be the colour? A hair colour perhaps? Who has had pink hair recently? Taehyung himself had but he doubts the answer was that Tae was in love with himself. But hey, maybe he took the love yourself message a bit too seriously..
His train of thought was interrupted when his studio door violently shook due to someone yelling at him to hurry up as they had to leave shortly. This resulted in him dropping the delicate feather onto the ground next to his prized plushie collection, the feather falling right next to a flamingo of the same exact colour. His heart caught in his throat as he viewed the little plushie, immediately reminiscing the strong feelings of absolute adoration he felt when the shy - love of his life - boy entered his room with the pink toy and gifted it to him. Hoseok was in complete awe and was literally two seconds away from just giving in and kissing Taehyung on the lips just from the sheer joy he felt. Thankfully he was interrupted by Seokjin feeling the need to notify him that Tae had actually spent twenty euros on carnival games (that are always way harder than they should be to get more money he might add) just to win it for him. Whilst this knowledge made the ‘loving Taehyung’ shaped spot in his heart grow even larger, the pink flush on his dongsaengs face had an even greater effect.
Hyung you said you had never seen one, I saw it and-
“Hoseok! We have to go!” Namjoon’s voice pierced through his daydream like a metaphorical knife. Before Hoseok could respond, the door crashed open too and he was found crouching on the floor with a flamingo in one hand and a feather in the other. Puzzled was one word to describe the look on Namjoon’s face, it was sitcom worthy and Hoseok would have definitely laughed if he wasn’t having a ‘wow I’m completely whipped for Tae huh’ moment.
“Hoseok.. what are you doing..?”
“Uh.. what does it look like I’m doing?”
“It looks like your flamingo plushie that doesn’t have any feathers on it has shed a feather and you are currently mourning it..”
“Ah I see.,” Hoseok blinked, “Well.. I’m not doing that?”
He suddenly stood up, after placing the flamingo back to where it originally was because a happy plushie means a happy Hoseokie. He handed Namjoon the feather and darted out the door after squeaking out a quick excuse.
Fortunately before Joon could begin to worry for his friends sanity, Jimin dashed into the room and told him about the game he and Tae were playing. Muttering some words as they walked out of the studio, following the path that Hoseok had taken a few moments before. Thankfully Hoseok was born with bat ears, or this day had granted him bat ears because he managed to make out a few words. They shot into his ears like an arrow and he wondered what the two’s full conversation had been about. He felt like context was needed and he just happened to have missed it.
“Such an oblivious hyung..”
Hoseok decided to give in to his confusion and didn’t guess anyone that day.
The third hint
You are my sunshine
My only sunshine
You make me happy
When skies are gr-
“Hobi, don’t you think that you are thinking too hard about this..” Joon sincerely poked.
A productive day at the studio turned into Hoseok analysing song lyrics, searching for hidden meanings and even going so far to ask Namjoon for help because he just couldn’t figure it out.
When he agreed to playing this game he assumed the hints would be simple, something easy where by the end of the week he would have been gifted a map leading him exactly to the treasure - in this case the answer. The thing is, Taehyung has a brilliant mind and he should have known it wouldn’t be that simple, he had just hoped it would have been. It was safe to say this game was some form of masochism because the more he thought about it, the worse he felt.
“Hoseok, why does it matter so much anyway?”a knowing tone was present and yes, Hoseok chose to ignore it, “it’s just a crush..”
Yes maybe it was just a crush and Taehyung showed no hints of actually acting on it at all but that wasn’t the point. He wanted to know who he had to send telekinetic jealous messages about how Tae has also called him his sun before so they aren’t special but that means neither is he and that sucks a lot because how can someone have two suns dammit.
He also wanted to know how he managed to speak his train of thought out loud because Namjoon looked heavily entertained and even let out a loud laugh when a horrified expression painted Hoseok’s face, almost as if he had just seen a ghost. Oh no..
“Did I say all that out loud?” He hid his face in his hands and immediately wished the ground would swallow him whole when his worst fears were confirmed. He groaned dramatically for longer than what would seem normal because he hoped it would drown out everything around him and that he would wake up finding this had all been a nightmare.
Thankfully Namjoon was sweet enough to ignore the outburst mostly in a silent way of saying, talk to me when you’re ready.
Grateful was an understatement.
They went back to the hint and Namjoon definitely seemed to help out more this time. He was smart, he clearly understood the situation more and wanted to show that without prying - very sweet actually.
“Hoseok are you sure that it isn’t something more simple than this?” Namjoon queried, there was a lilt of something more though - as if he knew something. Unfortunately Hoseok was too caught up on being bitter than Taehyung felt that someone else was his sunshine despite the fact he had already called Hoseok that before to ask any questions.
Too busy thinking about how he had approached him during Bon Voyage, showing off the sun henna he had gotten. Cutely showing off the red ring he had purchased too, the word ‘ LOVE’ written in white too.
“You’re my love.”
“You’re my sun.”
If Hoseok tried to explain how the butterflies reacted to that, he would have only been able to speak in keyboard smashes. He avoided the words, mentally slapping himself for it later but he couldn’t trust himself to actually focus on it. Almost inaudibly Hoseok called Taehyung his moon and that was that. The sun and moon..
That night Hoseok just pouted dramatically at Tae, whining about how the game was too hard and that he genuinely had no idea who it could be. Completely missing the affectionate gaze that Taehyung was giving him as he waddled out the room childishly.
The fourth hint
Flowers
Purple roses to be exact.
There was a bouquet of them outside his studio with a small card with the words beautiful flowers prettily written. Why is it that everything Taehyung does is stunning.
He sprinted out of his studio, pushing away the voice in his head that sounded exactly like Taehyung saying ‘ beautiful like j-hope’, attempting to find a vase that he could put the delicate plant in hopes of prolonging their life a little longer. He crashed into Namjoon and Yoongi on the way, the frantic look in his eyes only be noticed by the eldest.
“You okay?” Yoongi asked with genuine concern.
“Ah hyung, have you seen a vase anywhere?”
This led to Namjoon laughing, his suspicions were confirmed that it was related to Taehyung’s next hint. He felt sort of sorry for his friend though, he was clearly pining badly for the younger but seemed too scared to admit it. It would have been cute if the situation he had put himself in wasn’t so bittersweet in the first place. Thankfully they ended up finding a pretty vase that complimented the heavy purple of the petals and whilst Hobi was carefully organising the roses, Namjoon quickly explained to Yoongi what was going on.
Words were exchanged and it was obvious they both knew something already. They actually felt a little bit of heartache over the situation because again, it was kind of sad to watch. Especially when it all seemed extremely obvious in the first place?
“Hoba, have you looked into what the flowers mean? Purple roses may mean something specific and it would make sense that Taehyung would think that far into it judging by the other hints you have gotten.” Yoongi offered, clearly seeing how much Hoseok was overthinking this whole thing as he wasn’t even questioned on how he knew about it in the first place.
“Ha I knew I could trust you hyung!” He all but yelled and darted off towards his studio yet again, but this time with a handful of flowers.
“He didn’t even ask me in the first place..” Yoongi astoundedly uttered, earning a wheeze.
Purple roses relate to directly to love. The tender colour mainly symbolising love at first sight, among many other things. A lovely way of saying ‘I love you’.
Love at first sight, huh..
Does this mean they have only recently met?
Hoseok left the room holding one of the beautiful roses in between his fingers, wanting to have one in his room despite the overwhelming longing he felt viewing them. Beneath that he felt a huge wave of fondness, complete and utter enchantment.
He passed the man making him feel such things on his way out the building, Taehyung was conversing with Yoongi and had a deep flush on his cheeks again. Hoseok pointedly chose to ignore that, maybe that was the answer. He glanced away meaning he also missed how Yoongi nudged Taehyung’s side with purpose, pointing him in the direction of the flower. It was a shame he didn’t see that interaction.
He was going to shove music in his ears because he was overthinking everything extremely and it was having a negative effect on how he felt. Which was to be expected because of this completely stupid game anyway, but he halted his movements when he heard the patting of someone running and approaching him.
“Hyung!”
Hoseok’s heart leapt exceptionally dramatically this time, especially when Taehyung chose to wrap his arms around him as they carried on strolling.
“You heading back to the dorm?” Puppy dog eyes making him unbearable at this moment.
Don’t stutter, don’t stutter Hoseok, oh my god don’t you dare stutter
“ U-uh, yeah you?”
You idiot why did you fucking stutter I told you not to stutt-
Taehyung grinned, eyes crinkling and he wrapped his arms around him a little tighter.
“Then lead the way, hyung!”
Taehyung lowly whispered into his ear, managing to have an enthusiastic tone despite how quietly it was said. Hoseok pretends he didn’t shiver and that his ears most definitely didn’t turn a shade of red.
Taehyung was wrapped around him almost like a koala, except there was a fault as Taehyung was bigger than Hoseok and he also wasn’t hanging on him, just draped over him. His large hands began to play with the flower Hoseok was gripping onto, lightly removing it and either not noticing the light sweat coating the stem or just ignoring it. Hoseok’s breathing rate was definitely unstable and he practically held it as he watched the other boy’s movements through the corner of his eye.
“Pretty flowers Taehyung-ah..” he managed to spit out, words coming out as a quiet whisper, as if the words were sacred and something he only wanted Taehyung to hear.
The younger nodded and swiftly moved away, Hoseok released a breath and tried to act nonchalant. His mind screaming at his heart to calm the fuck down.
He shifted and shyly lowered his head down until he felt a hand delicately brush his fluffy hair behind his ear, the fingers bringing the lavender coloured rose to the section he had moved previously. Placing it carefully on his ear so it balances just right. Awfully quiet words fluttered into his ears like a lone foreign butterfly that wasn’t his own. A butterfly that wasn’t the cause of his nerves but someone else’s. If he wasn’t carefully listening he honestly would have missed them.
“I think I know how to make them even more pretty hyung..”
The fifth hint
I want to make you mine.
Hoseok lifted up the small section of old yet unused camera film that had the lyrics written onto it. A small yet hidden smile formed as he saw the effort that had gone into this hint. Butterflies fluttered in the depths of his stomach for no reason other than the sheer fondness he felt for the boy. He looked up at the roses and then back at the words.
Trying his best to push away the thoughts of how Taehyung sung this song to him. How his heart pounded when he noticed the picture for the song was one he had taken himself. Not having the nerves to ask him why he chose that picture - the picture that showed Taehyung taking a picture of the person holding the camera, the person being Hoseok. He sighed to himself, remembering how both Jungkook and Jimin were subtly teasing him on stage when Taehyung sung it. How they both picked up on Hoseok’s shy smile. When they both pretended to take pictures of each other. How Taehyung looked him in the eyes as he sung out I want to make you mine.
Hoseok’s mind was going somewhere that he wished it wasn’t. These hints were pointing in a direction that he didn’t dare to follow because he didn’t want the false hope. It was just hard to not reach that conclusion. He was putting puzzle pieces together that didn’t actually fit to reach the conclusions he was reaching because he didn’t want to take the hopeful route. Just this once.
He often wondered how things would have been if he had just confessed to Taehyung. If he had just told him ‘ hey i’m kinda extremely gay for u plz respond thx’, when he realised it wasn’t just a small case of puppy love. It was almost funny how he just pinned it off as nothing until he drank a little too much one night and asked Namjoon, (and unintentionally the rest of the members who were in the same room but thankfully ignored the conversation, well Hoseok thought they had anyway), whether it was normal to feel that way for someone. By ‘feel that way’, he had basically questioned whether it was normal to want to hold a friends hand, that’s all.. Well, also whether it was a ‘just friends’ thing to want to cuddle with them and express the fond feelings felt for them 24/7 and maybe he said something about wanting to kiss them in every way possible but that’s not the point.
Namjoon expressed to him that maybe it wasn’t just a friendly attraction and at that point Hoseok’s world sort of combusted. Alongside the chaos that was Jung Hoseok realising that he was in fact extremely whipped for Kim Taehyung, the chaos consisted of him crying whilst also hysterically laughing a lot (but it was fair to say that the alcohol probably didn’t help him out at all there). Issue was, he didn’t actually tell Namjoon who this mysterious person was, so he was trying to console him about how it was going to be okay with little to no information.
Due to the tears, the members who were still in the room came over to help comfort him. They didn’t pry nor did they say much, they just hugged him and helped calm him down. It was mostly quiet and Hoseok still isn’t even sure whether this detail actually happened or not, but how the words and the way they were spoken were almost engraved into his brain told him it most definitely wasn’t just a drunken dream.
Taehyung knew exactly how to comfort him, the way to hug him just right. Yes maybe it was because he was exceptionally whipped for the boy and anything he did would make his heart soar and explode into rainbows and confetti but it was comforting nonetheless. He whispered very softly and quietly into his neck that night, some words that he really can’t forget.
Whoever it is would be an idiot to not be stupid for you hyung..
“I think.. I’m in love with Kim Taehyung.”
Namjoon glanced up from the book in his hands, softly smiling at the man who had just appeared in front of him. Being too engrossed in the writing to notice the movement in the first place.
“I know.”
The sixth hint
190218 on pale green paper
A date? Not just any date though, his birthday. He couldn’t wrap his brain around it because the only people they had been around on that day were the staff and the members themselves. Taehyung wouldn’t have been that vague though and unfortunately he didn’t have a long time to figure out what he meant as he had actually made plans with him for today. They were just going to go out for a walk, take some pictures. Relax for a while.
Hoseok was feeling everything but relaxed right now, pulling out every single piece of clothing in his closet. Practically tearing them out, throwing them on the floor just hoping the perfect combination will come together.
The whole thing sounded really quite pleasant, especially when they had first organised it. Unfortunately because of the game, he had completely forgotten about these plans - funny really how he was distracted because of the same person, just in a different way. Also funny how he was about to rip his hair out because he didn’t come up with a perfect non-date-but-i-still-want-to-look-hot-just-in-case outfit.
Wait a second, 19/02/18, he went on vlive that day! Before Hoseok could pull it up on his phone at the revelation, he heard a soft knock on his door.
“Hey hyung? Do you know where-”
Jungkook pads into the room with a small smirk present on his face, it didn’t go unnoticed but Hoseok didn’t ask. Didn’t have a chance to ask, actually, as it had faded in a matter of seconds. Likely because he was faced with Hoseok who was literally drowning in a mountain of clothing.
“Yes Jungkook-ah?”
“Do you need some help?”
“Um.. maybe..?”
That was when Jimin strolled in too, noticing his half of the room had also been engulfed by clothing.
“Ah Hoseokie hyung you have too much clothing,” He dramatically exhaled and murmured to Jungkook about how he’s just as bad as Tae. Whatever that meant.
Hoseok looked like a lost, confused puppy, his hair was disheveled in a completely adorable way with a pout that was the cherry on top. Jimin’s heart clenched at the sight, he had a speculation and it was slowly beginning to make more and more sense.
“I don’t think he knows what to wear.” Jungkook whispered except badly because pretty much everyone in the dorm would have been able to hear him.
“Hyung you look good no matter what you wear!” Jungkook practically shouted, giving him a gigantic smile and a thumbs up. Jimin snorted, whilst Jungkook was being completely truthful, his delivery was absolutely terrible and seemed awfully staged. It was actually sort of sweet, the sentiment was obvious in his words and the small smile that managed to break Hoseok’s pout, just a little, made that clear.
Jimin chose this to be the right time to finally ask the question, or one that implies the question, that’s been on his mind for what felt like years now. Maybe it was years.
He moved the clothes, making sure to fold them before placing them on his bed as he knew his hyung doesn’t like mess for one but also because sitting on them wouldn’t be appropriate. Imagine sitting on clothes that expensive..
“Hyung, do you want help finding an outfit that will impress Taehyung?” Jimin quietly spoke whilst sitting down beside him. A small, caring and affectionate smile clear on his face. Jungkook’s head shot up and he finally understood what was going on, having only heard things here and there from Tae himself.
Hoseok and Jimin caught eyes and it was as if the eldest was searching for something, almost looking for the punchline when there wasn’t one.
“Please..”
There it was. He murmured it as quiet as a mouse, just one word. It confirmed it though, it was a confession in itself. As if Hoseok had finally given the key that would lock the puzzle together and have it make any sense. It wasn’t shocking nor scandalous as he had expected. Exhaling a shaky breath of relief was the last thing he thought would happen. He had expected Jimin or Jungkook to burst into laughter, thinking it was a joke or not understanding the heaviness of the situation but they both caught eyes and immediately launched into help.
“I’m not gonna lie Hyung, but I don’t think you need anything specific to impress Taehyungie hyung..” Jungkook blindly stated whilst fishing through the seemingly never ending pile. Almost in awe of the different garments.
“But wear those, they make your ass look good.” Jungkook threw some shorts at him with a shit-eating grin and Jimin slapped him. He wasn’t wrong but that’s not the point.
“He’s not wrong but don’t tell him that..” Jimin chuckles loud enough for Jungkook to hear him say it. Just like that, the mood settled immediately. Jimin and Jungkook bickering in the most flirty way ever and Hoseok fake gagging behind their backs.
10 minutes.
He threw on the clothes realising the small amount of time he had. Tight, pale blue shorts (that were definitely short) that truly did make his ass look good, and an oversized sweater to compliment it due to the cold weather. Of course he put on a cap that perfectly complemented the colours (and shoes that again, complimented perfectly), wanting to appear more casual than he felt.
He left the room faster than a squirrel being chased. This was after Jimin promised he and Jungkook would tidy the mess of clothing - clearly seeing how much he was rushing.
5 minutes.
“Hyung! You got this!” Jimin practically squawked down the hallway, a smile and a thumbs up present, before being pulled back in the room having left Jungkook to sort through the various garments by himself.
Hoseok was pacing around the hall again, phone in one hand and cute bag in the other. Was he overdressed? Would Taehyung notice? Would he even notice? Probably not, why would he? He couldn’t stop his mind from bombarding him with every thought out there that it possibly could.
The clocks ticking seemed a lot louder than usual, as if the surroundings were slowly being drowned leaving him, his nerves and the time as the only beings in a strange reality.
“Hyun-” Taehyung stopped in his tracks. Hoseok spinning round on his heels way too quickly, questioning look in his eyes. Contemplating how to respond based on Tae’s body language he stared right back at the younger who just wouldn’t take his eyes off of him.
“ Oh.”
It was almost daunting, being under Taehyung’s gaze. Not knowing his thoughts nor how to respond - Hoseok’s only response was his cheeks heating up extremely and an embarrassed laugh leaving his mouth as if it would break the weird electricity forming around them.
Thankfully it did exactly that and the other broke out of his trance. Huh, maybe Jungkook was right if how Tae was looking at him was any way to go by or maybe it was just due to overthinking and hope. That thought flying out the window when he caught Taehyung blatantly staring for the umpteenth time that night.
The thing was, both of them took solace in each others company. It was easy to let go when they were with each other, soft smiles and comfortable silences. It was rare to find someone you could feel completely lighter around no matter what and Hoseok cherished it fully. They walked closely together, leaning into each other as if they were penguins huddling. Masks covering their faces completely hiding their identity, the two of them still feeling the strong electricity in the air swirling around them. To the point where it was even hard to think straight.
They stayed like that, wandering together further into the night. Hoseok felt a bit of a chill due to the shorts he had decided to wear but it wasn’t a bother. Well, until it started raining. And no, it wasn’t a couple of droplets mixed with him being overly dramatic. It was a downpour as if the universe just finished a drama and it ended with a lot of angst. Heavy rain and denim shorts - unfortunately not a complimenting duo.
Hoseok let out a high pitch squeal and ran ahead towards the nearest shelter he could find. Unbeknownst to the fact Taehyung had fell behind completely to pull out his phone.
Thankfully they found a little cafe that was open still, offering warmth and an escape from the angry weather (that was seemingly only eating worse). Due to the time, it was fairly empty and cosy for the two of them so the frustration of being rained in dispelled very quickly.
Hoseok’s breath caught in his throat as a large hand brushed away his long hair, that was poking his eyes. Caressing his face gently, tenderly. The air around them thickening to an unbearable point as their eyes met and remained in that position with a very clear longing from both sides. Hoseok could have sworn Taehyung began to lean in, fingers toying with each of their masks as if to move them away. As if he was leaning in to kiss Hoseok. The energy was palpable as he moved closer to him, eyes unwavering though showcasing a great confidence, mask hiding the quivering lips.
Luckily for them, they were interrupted by the server asking whether they needed anything. Bringing them back to earth as if they were pinched extremely harshly in a dreamscape. A huge lump formed in Hoseok’s throat and he couldn’t speak. Thankfully Taehyung quickly ordered two hot chocolates as if the last couple of minutes didn’t even occur. Did they occur?
All Hoseok knew was his mind was screeching at him ‘ don’t even think about kissing when you’re in public Jung Hoseok!’
Despite nothing actually happening, it felt as if something had changed. They were exhibiting normal amounts of skinship as they usually would, yet it felt different. Touches lasting a few seconds too long. Blushes that were far more obvious but they didn’t attempt to hide them this time. They felt comfortable but Hoseok couldn’t shake off the feeling that a metaphorical line had been crossed. One that had been formed over the years, years of pushing and pulling at their feelings, intertwining to set a distance between them. He felt vulnerable under the gaze of Taehyung, as if he could read him like a book, but for some reason it felt right.
They sipped at their drinks as the rain didn’t seem to cease for what felt like hours. Taehyung was openly staring at Hoseok at this point, his gaze lingering even after he had been caught and it made the butterflies in Hoseok’s stomach go on a rampage.
Hours went by and unfortunately for them, they had to leave as the café was actually closing. Unfortunately being the word used as there was still the entirety of the earth's water falling from the sky. Hoseok cursed to himself for giving in and wearing the shortest shorts he could possibly find. Why didn’t he look at the weather forecast, this would have saved him the cold he is most definitely going to catch on the way back. As they left Hoseok had a very clear pout present on his lips, it wasn’t intentional but the weather situation was pout worthy. He heard Taehyung lightly giggle before a large jacket was wrapped around his shoulders. As cliché as it was, Hoseok was ready to rip his heart out and just give it to him then and there.
“Taehyung-ah I’m okay really, you need to take care of yourself!” Hoseok exclaimed, beginning to remove the warmth of the jacket (also removing the smell of Taehyung which was extremely comforting but he wasn’t going to admit that was he..).
The taller of the two halted his movements, wrapping his arms around Hoseok and the jacket as if to prove his point further - and also make it impossible for him to take it off.
“I don’t want you catching a cold..” Tae softly whispered and Hoseok was done. Wow he was so far gone for the man who was way too close for comfort right now. Temptation to just give in and spill his love right now was extremely high but thankfully the rain pouring down on them made it pretty hard to talk without it being muffled. Hoseok latched onto Tae’s arm for the rest of the way and thankfully that gesture seemed to alert the sky to stop crying.
They made it back to the dorm with a heavy sigh and Taehyung shook his head like a dog, removing the water from his hair. Bursting into a fit of giggles as the water flicked all over his hyung.
1:30am.
They were really out that long?
Fuck, Jimin will likely be asleep already due to the early schedule he has tomorrow.
Hoseok decided then and there that he would just take the couch for that night, Jimin had been so much help that day he couldn’t just go and risk waking him up like that. He hadn’t noticed Taehyung’s eyes on him as he quickly began organising the cushions to make it more comfortable for himself.
“Hyung, you can't sleep there? Your clothes are literally soaked through, you’ll get sick..”
“I can’t risk waking up Jimin, he’s working so hard currently and I can’t do that to him. I’ll be okay.” Puppy dog eyes on show.
“Hyung sleep with me!” Taehyung blurted. His mouth spitting the words out before his brain had even processed them. His brain to mouth filter having shut down due to the tiredness he was feeling. He felt himself flush, almost choke on his own spit before he could even muster up another response, “I-I mean, I have a bed that is more than enough for both of us and I don’t want you getting sick or anything..”
Hoseok was at a loss for words but found himself nodding in agreement to the proposition. Felt like an outer body experience and he was proud of whatever force enabled him to agree because he was certain his brain had hit an error.
A boxy grin covered Tae’s face and like an excited puppy he bounded towards Hoseok innocently before dragging him towards his room.
This was going to be a long night.
It was at that point when Hoseok realised he didn’t have anything to wear, at all. His clothes were soggy but there was no way he was going to choose nakedness to fix this situation. He must have looked like a deer in the headlights because Tae quickly pulled out a very oversized shirt - even bigger on Hoseok considering Taehyung was larger than him - and some old yet very comfortable basketball shorts. He stuttered out something and Hoseok quickly began removing the articles of clothing he had on.
No matter what nerves he felt at the time, nothing was going to stop him from removing the sopping wet clothing clinging to his body. Not even Taehyung. Although it didn’t go unnoticed by Hoseok when Taehyung stuttered and blushed at the sudden movement, turning away quickly. He almost felt pride at the situation, mainly due to the fact he wasn’t the one turning into a red flustered mess because of Taehyung for once - but the other way round.
They found themselves shuffling closer to each other once they both became engulfed by the blanket, Hoseok still shivering from the earlier rain shower. It was known that Taehyung would cuddle anything/anyone when he slept as it would help him rest well so Hoseok wasn’t a stranger to that, actually he knew it so well by now that he couldn’t stop thinking about it.
He wondered whether he and Taehyung would respect boundaries until they both fell into a slumber, resulting in them waking tangled up with each other like they usually would on nights like these. But something had changed. It was confirmed to be the case when Taehyung moved into Hoseok’s space, already pulling him into a hug — arm slung over Hoseok’s frame, holding him close and evoking a warm and incredibly safe energy.
“ Hyung, I think I love you too much.. ”, Tae muttered ever so softly into the back of Hoseok’s neck, sending chills down his spine and causing goosebumps to form.
As Tae moved his hand to caress Hoseok’s hair, the way he knew he liked, it was as if a key had finally been found and was being brought towards the lock that had the answer to everything. As it got closer and as Hoseok fell deeper into the trap that is sleep, he believed that maybe he understood. The hint. 190218.
The seventh and final hint
Hoseok woke up to the sound of a door closing abruptly, the familiar weight of Taehyung next to him no longer present. Despite the fact he knew they weren’t together in a sense for him to feel disappointment, he couldn’t ignore the sinking feeling in his stomach. As if an anchor had attached to the butterflies and was slowly dragging them down into the depths of an abyss. He knew Taehyung had likely just left him to sleep, not wanting to disturb him further and for that he was grateful. He just couldn’t shake away the idea of waking up in his embrace like old times.
It was when he slowly sat up with the intention to use the bathroom and make his way back to his own bedroom that he noticed something out of the ordinary.
Taehyung’s laptop, open with a post-it note attached. ‘ 오’.
In the process of waking up that morning he hadn’t once thought about the game he had been a part of for the past week. Perhaps Taehyung’s early exit made much more sense..
He froze up, glancing at the screen and seeing a folder, named the exact same word. He slowly moved the mouse, as if Taehyung would open the door any minute and catch him in the act of being on his laptop, as if this wasn’t part of the game they were playing.
For some reason this felt different. Serious almost.
He clicked the folder and expected its contents to open up like a birthday gift and show him the answer. Forgetting that there would be a puzzle to it until the six digit code, to have access to the contents, sprung up on the screen. Hoseok glanced at the note and then back at the computer. Murmuring ‘oh’ to himself repeatedly as if the numbers would suddenly spring out to him, as if everything would make sense. And then it hit him. “Oh..”
They were walking one clear night in Toronto, September 2015, the cool air gusting by but the overall scenery was calming, almost peaceful. Taehyung has fallen behind and whilst that hadn’t gone unnoticed by Hoseok, he did not question it nor did he bother to turn his way to see what had happened, he didn’t feel the need to. The buzz of intense electricity surrounding the two of them was more than enough to set his body ablaze to the point where he felt if he made any grand movements that he would witness a supernova of some kind. Why was it there? He had no clue. Even weirder, the spell wasn’t even broken when Taehyung’s voice fluttered through the late night air.
“Okay!”
“You’re cool, you’re cool”
“Turn back, turn back!”
So Hoseok turned back. He looked at him and in response got a shy ah from the other boy. Hoseok felt his face flush a deep red colour and was thankful that it was too dark to process that, he let out a loud, almost shy, giggle before walking ahead once more.
He couldn’t explain the clenching of his heart or the bubbles of excitement that were popping at frantic speeds at that moment.
If he was being honest with himself, he couldn’t explain the tightening around his heart at that moment, this oddly foreign yet somewhat familiar feeling present. But it didn’t matter. It just felt right.
The two men in question cuddled that night, as they always would, upon returning to their shared hotel room. Roommates during their time in Toronto. It wasn’t until he woke up the next day, in Taehyung’s arms feeling safe and warm, that he understood why the boy had fallen behind him the night before.
Pictures on fancafe. So many pictures. Pictures of him.
You
Only an exclamation can come out
I can understand now why people look at you and go ”Oh..”
That’s when the feeling he couldn’t decipher from the night before began to make sense. A feeling he was so deeply terrified to admit to himself that he just completely glossed over it. A feeling that would open countless issues for him in the future. A feeling that had the power to completely destroy him if he thought about it too much. Feelings for the other boy that he shouldn’t even dream of thinking about. Feelings he knew he couldn’t admit to from this moment on. Feelings of love.
Hoseok blinked at the laptop screen, knowing the exact answer if his theory was correct. It felt dramatic really, the fact he was playing a game set by his crush to figure out his crush and that perhaps the answer all along is that Hoseok is Hoseok’s crushes crush. Confusing right?
Hands shaking, he began to click the numbers onto the screen. The date they went out in Toronto. 150929.
He stopped himself before clicking the number 9, fearing that he was wrong and the hope that his thought train gave to him was wrong this entire time. It wouldn’t matter though. He had learnt to keep his feelings at bay after all this time, aware that nothing would or should come of it. He just wanted Tae to be happy, that is ultimately all he wanted. Whether it was with him or with someone else, he wanted Taehyung go to have someone who made him glow. Who made him smile like no one else could, who he would look at just differently. He deserved it more than anyone. Hoseok sucked a breath in, checked the numbers to ensure they were correct and clicked in the final one.
The folder unlocked like it had been waiting it’s whole life to do so. Pictures began to load onto the screen, so many pictures. Pictures of Hoseok.
Pictures starting from that day in Toronto up until the present. He glanced at the pictures depicting Hoseok in the exact fit he wore yesterday. The rain pouring around him but highlighting him in some weird way.
It felt like hours where he just looked at the screen. Taking it in, wondering when he was going to wake up from this weird dream he was currently living. Seeing the pictures from Amsterdam, from Vegas, from Saipan. Seeing pictures he didn’t even know Taehyung had taken. To say he was fond is an understatement.
He just couldn’t fathom any of this. The puzzle had been put together and he just sat there gaping at the screen. Unable to move. He wanted to scream, to cry, to yell in excitement yet he just couldn’t move. The hope in his chest bloomed into a beautiful flower in an instant and yet he was unable to even function.
Well, that was until he heard his deep voice echo through the door. It’s as if that was the on switch for his brain, in a few seconds Hoseok had sprung up out of the chair and ran through the door. Creating a loud crash that apparently didn’t go unheard by the others in the room down the hall. They all watched him as he slowly made his way towards them, as if he was a princess in a movie walking down the stairs in the most gorgeous dress at the ball. He couldn’t focus on anyone but Taehyung though. Taehyung with a pink flush on his face as if he knew, shy but unable to break eye contact and a smirk on his face despite it all. Hoseok walking with purpose yet fiddling with his fingers as the nerves began to eat at the flower that had previously bloomed. Feeling motivated to keep going as he wanted to wipe that smirk off his face that instant.
The silence should have been eating at him, but it wasn’t. He just kept his stride towards the younger. Not noticing the whispers from the other members who knew exactly what was going on, or the confusion from those who did not. A shit-eating grin present on some of their faces just waiting to see what their hyung would do. Hoseok just blanked it all, unable to focus on anything that wasn’t Taehyung.
A mantra of his name in his head. Taehyung Taehyung Taehyung Taehyung Taehyung.
The thing is, Hoseok was going to pull Taehyung to the side and ask him if he really meant it, ask him if he wasn’t dreaming but that fucking smirk that was directed at him just stopped his train of thought completely. The fact that Hoseok was still the embarrassed mess after all of this frustrated him beyond belief so he changed his mind. He got right into Taehyung’s space. Mere inches away from his face, breath ghosting the other boys lips. Hearing the hitch from the other but no movement in means of getting him to stop, just confirming exactly what he needed to know.
He looked him in the eyes with a purpose, cheeks slowly heating up as shyness began to cloud over him. They were so close, Taehyung’s gaze so intense and unwavering, his hands coming to cup Hoseok’s face as if it was an automatic response to their stance. He heard a gasp from outside the weird electricity bubble that had surrounded the pair and that is when he snapped.
If he’s being honest, he wanted to say something cool, something memorable. But unfortunately only managing to stutter out, “you’re an idiot..” before wrapping his arms around the boy's neck and pulling him into a kiss.
It took less than a second for Taehyung’s lips to respond and Hoseok felt himself smile, felt himself fall further, felt the electricity spark around them. He felt the kiss thrum through his veins and he almost lost himself in it. Key word: almost. As quickly as the kiss started, it also abruptly ended as there was an almost scandalised gasp from one of the members in the room. Oh yeah, Hoseok just kissed Taehyung in front of everyone, oops..
He quickly snapped his head towards the noise, not noticing the fact Taehyung was still staring directly at him. He expected everyone to be confused or to look disgusted at the fact they were on the verge of making our right in front of them but instead was welcomed with many shit-eating grins and excited looks. If it wasn’t already cheesy enough, when Jimin started cheering and clapping and the other boys joined in, he felt himself flush a deep red once more. He turned back and saw Taehyung still watching him, with a wondrous glint in his eyes. As if he couldn’t believe what had just happened. All Hoseok could do was smile wider than ever and shyly giggle into Tae’s lips as this time Taehyung initiated it.
“Yuck, get a room already!”, Jungkook yelled, with zero malice in his voice whatsoever. Without breaking the kiss, Taehyung flipped him off.
They spent the day huddled up in Taehyung’s room, cuddling and languidly kissing as if they had all the time in the world. Not wanting to sleep just yet, as if sleeping would wake them from this dreamlike state they were in. They knew they needed to talk about all of this and face the reality of their situation. But that could wait another day. Hoseok lay there in Taehyung’s arms playing with the boys fingers and listening to his breathing. Feeling so warm and comfortable to the point where he knew he was about to drift off.
“ Hey hyung, you ready to take your last guess yet?”
Hoseok shuffled around to look Tae in the eyes, to see the faux seriousness on his face. A smirk threatening to form on his lips as he subtly poked at how oblivious Hoseok was this entire week. How he completely disregarded such obvious hints when the answer was out in the open all along.
Hoseok’s eyes darted to the clock on the wall, 23:59, he had one minute to make his final guess
“Hmm..”, Hoseok put his finger to his face and looked up at the ceiling as if lost in thought and struggling to come up with an answer, a giggle on the tip of his tongue, “is it.. Choi Minho?”
Taehyung snorted, rolling his eyes at the probably well deserved teasing, flicking his nose lightly before pressing a kiss to the area fondly.
“Well, I hope it’s not..” Hoseok continued resulting in Taehyung tilting his head questioningly, not expecting him to elaborate on his teasing. Hoseok watched Tae’s eyes with a purpose, his eyes glittering as if all the galaxies had decided to encase themselves within them. He took a breath in before he quietly spoke. So quiet and so intimate that it’s a miracle Taehyung even heard him.
“I hope he’s not the one seeing as I am stupidly in love with you, Kim Taehyung..”
“ Oh..”