Work Text:
"Happy birthday to you…"
Hoseok’s gaze flitted from Jeongguk to Seokjin to Taehyung, matching the excited flicker of the candles before him.
"Happy birthday to you…"
His smile widened, revealing a probably frosting-stained smile. Yoongi had convinced him to sneak into the kitchen while Seokjin was adding the final decorations to the cake. They had stolen a bag of frosting and hid in the cupboards while their hyung paced seriously around the kitchen island, wondering where the hell his bag of lavender colored frosting went.
Their shushed giggles made it appear as though they were 18 again, stealing sugar cookies from the corner store and sneaking off to the roof of the Jung’s house to count the billions of stars in the sky, one by one, because Yoongi had always insisted on having a competition to see who could count the most stars.
But alas, they weren’t 18 anymore. They were 26. Well, Hoseok was turning 26 in just a few hours, but who’s counting? Certainly not Hoseok, because the only thing he would ever think of counting was the billions of stars in the sky, with Yoongi by his side.
His eyes caught Jimin’s, who was clinging onto Namjoon’s arm with glee. The two boys sent playful smiles towards Hoseok, who then let his eyes scan his group of friends once more.
Scratch that— if he were going to count the billions of stars in the sky, he’d not only do it with Yoongi by his side, but with Jimin and Jeongguk and Taehyung and Namjoon and Seokjin by his side as well. Because…
"Happy birthday dear Hoseoooook…"
Because… they’re a package deal, all seven of them. They’re a package deal, and Hoseok wouldn’t wish for it to have happened any other way. Their love is all Hoseok needs to get up and out of his too-heavy duvet every morning. It’s Taehyung’s backhugs and Namjoon’s wise words that get him through his tough days. It’s Seokjin’s homemade miso soup and Jeongguk’s 40-minute banter about how amazingly awesome IU is that makes Hoseok realize that home doesn’t always have to reside under a roof. It’s Jimin’s new choreography every week that allows Hoseok to let go of all of his problems and just dance. It’s Yoongi… Just… Just Yoongi’s presence, he guesses, that causes him to feel… something— nothing— everything. Every laugh and argument and bags of frosting stolen— he wouldn’t trade that for the world.
But sometimes he wonders.
He lets his eyes wander to Yoongi’s mop of dark hair, because it’s his birthday and he’s gonna allow himself to do whatever he wants, dammit. And he allows himself to let the gaze linger awhile, to pour all of his unsaid thoughts and wishes and dreams into this one stare. He wonders what it would be like to come in a package deal of two.
Because Hoseok will always belong to this package— this family of seven, but he’s never wanted anything more than… well… Yoongi. And they know it, all six of them do. Every single member of their little family (except for Yoongi, duh) is aware of Hoseok’s hopeless little crush, and Hoseok thinks that that’s exactly why his birthday wishes haven’t been coming true. Because six people know about his stupid birthday wish that he hopes upon every. Single. Year.
Don’t you know that wishes don’t come true if you tell other people?
"Happy birthday to you!"
Hoseok’s stare breaks, and his smile leaks into his eyes as he closes them, makes his silent wish, and forms his heart-shaped smile into an O. He blows out the candles and opens his eyes.
(And if you were wondering— Yes, Hoseok wished on the same thing. This is the fourth consecutive year that he’s wished for Yoongi to love Hoseok as undeniably as Hoseok loves him, and he’s well aware of the fact that his birthday wishes have never come true. But there’s just nothing else for Hoseok to wish upon anymore. He’s got all he needs, right here in front of him, in the form of six smiling boys, twelve clapping hands, and Jung Mickey sitting at their feet, tail wagging happily. All he’s missing is… Well, you get the picture.)
He opens his eyes, only to find a cake in his face, lavender frosting and all. When the cake makes its way back onto the table where it belongs, Hoseok’s still smiling, and the six of them are still smiling back at him, albeit a little sheepish.
/
“So, Hoseok-ah, what’d ya wish for?” Yoongi questioned from the kitchen, where he was helping Jeongguk sweep up cake crumbs from the floor. Apparently it had been Jeongguk’s idea to plant the cake in Hoseok’s face, and consequently, it had been Seokjin’s idea to punish Jeongguk for making a mess in his dining room. See, Seokjin liked to keep his apartment neat, because he lived alone, and more often than not, Jeongguk or Jimin or Taehyung will crash at his place for the night, and leave chip crumbs on the couch and a mussed up guest bedroom in their wake. Jeongguk had seen this one coming. But was it worth it? In Jeongguk’s eyes, it abso-fucking-lutely worth it, thank you very much.
The pause that had been cast upon the room became increasingly evident as Yoongi looked up from his dustpan and broom and shot a curious glance at the six boys. Their heads shot from Hoseok to Yoongi, then back down to whatever chore they had been doing around Seokjin’s almost-clean apartment. Jimin even whistled a little tune as he scrubbed at the remaining dishes.
Hoseok internally slapped all five of their faces, then his own. How could they have made anything so awkward? They knew what Hoseok had wished for, that much was clear, but apparently, what wasn’t clear was that they should keep Hoseok’s infatuation as lowkey as possible.
But, Hoseok had to give them some slack. They’d been hiding this for four years, after all, and his heart was still bursting at the seams after all that time.
“…What was that about…?” Yoongi chuckled hesitantly, resuming his sweeping. Namjoon had sauntered by Yoongi, accidentally tripping over the dustpan, causing the crumbs to freckle the floor yet again.
“Namjoon!” Yoongi threw his hands into the air and Jeongguk stifled a giggle. And just like that, the atmosphere had resumed. Whether or not Namjoon had done that on purpose, Hoseok will never know. But he’s eternally grateful either way.
/
The soft pit pat of their footsteps filled the silence as Yoongi and Hoseok walk back to their shared apartment, side by side. Just like they always have been— side by side. They’ve braved through it all, Yoongi and Hoseok. And Hoseok wouldn’t— couldn’t do it all over with anyone but Yoongi by his side. Maybe that’s why…
Maybe that’s the second reason Hoseok’s wishes weren’t coming true. Because he can’t even fathom the idea of his life without Yoongi as his bestfriend. He’s just as important to Hoseok as Mickey is important to Hoseok, if not more. (But he’d never admit it. Because if Mickey were to hear about this, he’d go absolutely feral, and Hoseok doesn’t think he has the heart to deal with that.) And if his wishes were to come true, in a dazzling turn of events, they might just mess everything up… Then he’s back at square one: A life without Min Yoongi, the single most important person in his life.
But, technically, they’ve only known each other for, what, nine years? So, c’mon Hoseok, what are you worried about? His life had been fine without Yoongi, so square one shouldn’t even be that scary.
Except… It is. Don’t ask Hoseok why, because he can’t tell you. He just knows that it is. Maybe it’s because those nine damn years have been the happiest consecutive ones out of Hoseok’s (almost) 26 years of living. Or maybe it’s because everything’s just less scary with Yoongi around. Because Yoongi is safe. Because he’s Hoseok’s safety. His savior.
Yeah. Yeah, that might be it. The realization doesn’t shock him, but it does cause him to look up from his footsteps that he was concentrating so intently on, and sneak a gaze at his best friend, who was — apparently — droning on about how the piano in the lobby of our apartment building is just collecting dust, so we should just steal it and take it back up to our apartment, because…
Hoseok doesn’t bother to tune into that monologue. Whether or not Yoongi notices is a mystery to Hoseok, but he does stop talking, so either way, it’s a win for Hoseok.
“What’re you looking at?”
Okay, so maybe it’s not a win for Hoseok.
“Nothing!” He giggled quietly, brushing off the incident, as he’s learned to expertly execute over the past four years, “Why do you sound so suspicious, hyung?”
Yoongi’s stare into Hoseok’s eyes shifted. Hoseok couldn’t tell what changed, but something did, and at that moment, Hoseok felt as though Yoongi knew. He felt as though Yoongi had figured it out, and suddenly he knew about the disgusting, shameful, nasty little crush that Hoseok had been harboring in the depths of his heart for four long years. Hoseok’s breath shallowed because, yes, that’s definitely the case— he could see it in the way Yoongi took a deep breath, winced uncertainly, and opened his mouth to let out the words of disgust and hatred and rejection and-
“You’re hiding something.” Was all he said. No disgust, no hatred, no rejection. Oh.
Of course he wouldn’t have been disgusted, Hoseok. He’s your best friend. Do you really not trust him enough? Y’know, you should be ashamed for thinking of Yoongi as such a shallow person. He’s better than that.
Hoseok frowned, partly at what Yoongi had just said, but mostly at the thought that had just occurred in his brain. “‘M not.” He responded and turned to face the sidewalk ahead of them.
“Like hell you aren’t.” Yoongi said simply, as though he knew what was going on, but he was just waiting for Hoseok to fess up himself. Not angrily though, Yoongi could never get angry at Hoseok over such a silly thing. With Hoseok, he’s all patience, soft glances, and hugs at 12am. With Hoseok, he’d wait. And even after he’s waited, and Hoseok finally gains the nerve to tell him what’s wrong, he’d understand. He’d nod his head and tuck Hoseok’s head back into his chest and nod some more, just like he’d been doing for the past nine years. And he’d wait a few hours until speaking again, just to make sure that Hoseok was feeling okay enough to talk, then they’d talk about it until he knows that Hoseok doesn’t want to talk anymore, but he’d still understand.
Right?
Hoseok took a strained, uncomfortable breath, the February air cold in his chest.
“I saw how the others looked when I asked them about your birthday wish. C’mon, Seokie, just tell me.”
Seokie, he had said. Okay, good, they were still on a nickname basis. So Yoongi wasn’t mad-
Of course he wouldn’t be mad, you moron. He scolded himself internally, He’d never be mad over this shit. So just tell him already, why don’t ya?
“How come the others get to know, and I don’t?” Yoongi whined, stomping his feet aggressively as he walked, a pout forming on his already-pouty lips, “I’m your best friend! BFF! Ride or die! Homie! Main-Bro!”
And he went on and on, listing synonyms for ‘best friend.’ Maybe he did figure it out, and maybe this was his way of letting Hoseok down gently. Because, Hoseok was right, Yoongi was patient, and understanding, and kind with Hoseok. It wasn’t his fault that he couldn’t reciprocate Hoseok’s feelings.
Hoseok smiled softly and looked up at the billions of stars in the sky, Yoongi still listing synonyms by his side, and Hoseok began counting. By now, Hoseok was sure that all four of those consecutive birthday wishes were lost somewhere in that great expanse of stars, and as he and Yoongi walked together, those wishes were floating farther and farther away from the both of them. So Hoseok could wait a while. He can wait to tell Yoongi about his secret, kept tucked into the safest corner of his heart, because if they weren’t going to come true anyways, might as well hold onto the four what if’s amongst the billions of could have been’s.
And that’s okay, because Yoongi would wait too. He’d be patient, and gentle, and kind. Just like he had been for the past nine years.
/
——
hoseokie’s a lil wuss baby
hobabie: alright who the fuck changed the group chat’s name
ur gonna get it.
taetae: wut r u gonna do, hit me?
hobi hyung thats mean D:
namu: u know whats also mean, taehyungie?
Calling someone a little wuss baby.
googie: o shet he brought out the proper capitalization and punctuation.
also whys he a lil wuss baby again?
hobabie: IM NOT A LIL WUSS BABY
chim!: bc he didnt tell yoon hyung what his bday wish was
googie: O YEA LMAOOOOOO LIL WUSS BABY
jinnie jin jin: cmon guys.
cut it out.
googie: o shet hyungs here
taetae: okok im srry hobi hyungie i luv u :((
pls accept my apology in cuddles n japchae next time i come over
hobabie: nuh uh
i want cuddles, a new groupchat name, AND the good japchae. yk… the one from the place across the street from the train station…
chim!: take me w u!!!!
namu: o yea me too that place is so go ooo d
googie: mention the good japchae place once and suddenly the proper capitalization n punctuation is gone
taetae: deal!
taetae changed the chat name to: OGYAHT (HLBPFH)
jinnie jin jin: what the fuck does that stand for?
chim!: Operation Get Yoongi And Hoseok Together
googie: (Happy Late Birthday Present For Hoseok)
taetae: wow good job chim n guk
namu: theres no way they got that right
taetae: actually they did
the power of soulmates!!
<3 <3 <3
chim!: <3
googie: <3
hobabie: nice try guys
not happening
idc what ur plan is
im not telling yoon
chim!: hyung its been 4 years
dont u think u should start doing something abt it?
i mean, obviously the universe has been doing a shit job at making it happen
namu: hey be nice to the universe D:
but also, yea hoseokie im w jiminie on this one
if the universe wont make it happen, then we can!
hobabie: im good, thanks tho
its just
maybe theres a reason it isnt coming true
like youd think after 4 years, the universe wouldve been like,
‘oh shit, hoseoks been wishing for yoongi to reciprocate his love for 4 damn birthdays’
but it isnt happening guys, maybe its for the better tho!! ill be fine
jinnie jin jin: the fact that u had to reassure us that youll be fine probably means that u wont be fine
hobabie: i will! promise!
id rather have him as my best friend anyways :]
no use in ruining everything over a stupid crush
taetae: hobi hyung it isnt stupid
i dont wanna jump into anything too deep but
judging from… various resources… id say he already does love u just as much as u love him
googie: lmao wut r ur various resources
hobabie: it doesnt matter
that kinda love is different, taetae, u know that
oop gtg yoonies home!!!
——
“Hey ‘Seok,” Yoongi noisily entered their apartment, headphones still dangling from his neck and backpack slung over one shoulder, in the process of being taken off. His hair stuck up in different directions, and outside, Hoseok could hear the wind howling from the window.
Yoongi’s eyebags were present, and his clothes weren’t matching because he was running late this morning, so he has Hoseok’s bright red hoodie and a pair of grey sweats on (the sweats were fine, but the hoodie was just not Yoongi’s cup of tea), and the wind had fluffed his black locks with no mercy. But holy shit did he look good. His smile widened as he walked over to where Hoseok was situated on the couch, plopping down to stretch across his lap and watch colors blur across the TV.
Maybe Hoseok was just biased, because, y’know, the whole ’I-have-a-massive-gay-crush-for-my-best-friend-that-I’ve-been-festering-for-four-years’ thing, but sometimes, he thanks the universe for losing all four of his wishes in that endless ballpit of stars. Because, who knows, if they had come true, things might’ve gone haywire, and Hoseok wouldn’t have been able to witness moments like these ever again.
“Hey,” Hoseok had responded, opting to shift his attention back to the rerun of Wheel of Fortune that was playing on their TV. Don’t judge him, either. It was nearing 11pm and all the good channels are just showing the same reruns that Hoseok had been forced to watch whenever he decided to stay up and wait for Yoongi to come back from the studio. Nights like tonight, he might add.
“Thanks for staying up,” Yoongi said, as if Hoseok even had a choice. Well technically, he did, but they’ve been doing this for so long that Hoseok was starting to forget what it was like to fall asleep before Yoongi came home, or to come home from the dance studio without Yoongi waiting for him on the couch. It was just them, and Hoseok’s not in the place to change any of that.
“Mm.” Hoseok mumbled, doing his best to not doze off.
Yoongi lifted his head from Hoseok’s lap and poked at his cheek incessantly, “Hey, wait, you can’t fall asleep. I had plans!”
Hoseok cracked an eye open, “Plans?”
Yoongi stared back into Hoseok’s open eye for a second too long for Hoseok’s comfort. Was there an eyelash on his face again? Those gross crusty things that grow at the inner corners of your eyes when you sleep? Ew.
The older boy nodded and stood up from the couch, stretching and looking back to the clock on the wall. 10:57 pm. “Perfect..” He mumbled to himself.
Intrigued about his plans, Hoseok followed suit and shut the TV off, following Yoongi wordlessly. He does admit, he should be a little more hesitant and weary about sudden 11pm plans, but it’s Yoongi. And they’re paying the bill together, so Yoongi wouldn’t dare to try anything to put Hoseok in harms way. Well, that, and the fact that they’re best friends, and Hoseok trusts Yoongi with his life and more.
“Grab a sweater.” Yoongi stepped into the kitchen to grab a pack of crackers and popped one into his mouth as he waited for Hoseok by the door.
Reemerging from his room, Hoseok bent down to slip on his shoes and eyed Yoongi narrowly, “We’re going out? For dinner?”
“You’ll see,” Yoongi’s smile bled into his eyes as he ushered Hoseok out the door and locked it behind them, “See, you should’ve answered my text earlier when I asked what plans you had tonight. Maybe then I would’ve told you.”
“I did!” Hoseok spluttered accusatorially, which probably wasn’t the best reaction, as his neighbors were probably sound asleep, “I told you, word for word, that I only planned on staying home. Maybe grab some dinner or something.”
He pulled out his phone to shove it in Yoongi’s face, to which the older squinted at. His eyes scanned across the words quickly and Hoseok didn’t miss the split second of shock that splattered across his best friends face.
He reached to pull his phone back, but Yoongi quickly exited out of the apps and shut the phone off, stuffing it into his pocket.
“Hey, what gives!” Hoseok wrapped around Yoongi to grab his phone back, resulting in an equally stubborn Yoongi. Hoseok’s phone ended up deeper into Yoongi’s pockets, where Hoseok was not going to stick his hands into. Absolutely not.
“No phones during this outing!” He declared decisively, leaving no room for discussion, “We’re gonna enjoy it!”
They kept walking, down the elevator, out the building, and onto the streets. Why they didn’t take a car, Hoseok has no clue. “I can’t enjoy it if I don’t know what we’re doing.”
“You’ll see, just be patient.”
“I’m cold.”
“I told you to bring a sweater!”
“You’re wearing my warmest one.”
Yoongi paused to look down at the sweater adorning his body. It was a bit longer on him than it was for Hoseok, but his shoulders made it fit better than it would’ve for the younger boy. In short, the sweater looked good on him. No complaints here, except for the fact that the cold was biting into Hoseok’s skin.
Resuming his steps, Yoongi faced away from Hoseok, opting to look out onto the empty street and the dimly lit shop windows, “Whatever.”
“Why’re you looking away,” Hoseok laughed suddenly, aware of the reddening of his hyung’s face, “C’mon look at me!”
“Fuck off.” Yoongi said with no bite. In fact, Hoseok could hear the smile tainting his words. This was more than enough invitation to reach out and grab Yoongi’s face, squishing at his cheeks and forcing him to look his direction.
“Agh, ‘Seok!” Yoongi wriggled his face free, prying it by taking Hoseok’s hand in his own, “Don’t act up now, we’re almost there.”
Hoseok laughed and followed along, hand content in Yoongi’s own, and too scared to do anything to mess that up.
/
“You brought me,” Hoseok deadpanned, spinning around to look at… well, nothing. “To a field?”
“Mmm.” Yoongi grinned, splaying himself in the grass, looking up at the sky.
“Yoongi it’s, like, 11:30 at night. Are you trying to murder me? Tell me now.”
“Oh my God, Hoseok just lay down.” Yoongi raised a hand and motioned for Hoseok to follow suit. Which, of course, he did.
He sat down, feet facing the opposite direction from Yoongi’s, and laid himself flat to the cold grass, head resting next to his hyung’s. He noticed the wind licking at his skin and the grass poking at his sides, but honestly, laying there next to Yoongi, all Hoseok could feel was warmth. Warmth and a million little butterflies making a home in his stomach. He hoped Yoongi could feel it too.
“So,” Yoongi murmured, only loud enough for Hoseok to pick up. It wasn’t like he needed to speak any louder anyways, it was silent save for their breathing and the gentle gusts of wind.
“So.” Hoseok threw back at him, turning his head to take in the sight of the boy he’d been in love with for four fucking years.
Four years.
Holy shit, he was so sick of being in love.
Correction— he was sick of being in love and not getting to act upon it. Sick of doing things like this with Yoongi and not being able to just lean over and kiss him senseless, to run his fingers through dark hair, to give him more sweaters to steal on cold, windy, February nights.
Hoseok caught Yoongi peek at him sideways, not moving his head in favor of facing the stars, “Bet I can count more stars than you.”
Hoseok’s breath hitched in his throat, remembering what it felt like to be 18, on the roof of his parents’ house, counting the stars like his life depended on it, so blissfully unaware that he was only counting on the stars that would eventually fail his wishes. “You’re on.”
/
It was 12:43 am when Hoseok stopped counting. He dropped the number in his brain, certain that he’s already surpassed his previous record for the number of stars counted, and just watched. He watched as stars twinkled in the sky and Yoongi occasionally brought a hand up to point at funny looking clusters, or point at stars individually.
It was 1:27 am when Hoseok rolled his head to the side to see Yoongi still counting, eyes flickering from star to star, refusing to look back at Hoseok. Instead, he offered his best gummy smile, and the occasional stick of the tongue. Hoseok reached out to distract Yoongi from his counting, with no promising reactions.
It was 1:34 am when Yoongi let out a dramatic puff of air and finally turned to face the attention-starved boy.
“Finally.” Hoseok huffed, flicking the older boy in the forehead, “How many did ya count?”
“Oh, I stopped counting after, like, 200?” Yoongi chuckled.
“200?” Hoseok sat up, poking a finger to his chest, “I got to, like, 8000! What the hell were you doing for the rest of the time?”
“Watching.” Yoongi admitted simply, as if it cleared up the question.
Hoseok threw a screwed glance at him, as the older boy sat up as well, stretching dramatically and leaning a head on Hoseok’s shoulder. Hoseok stiffened.
“Watching for the…” Yoongi squinted at the sky.
“The…” Hoseok prompted, “Yoongiiii, answer m-“
“There,” Yoongi pointed quickly, dragging his hand slowly to follow the trail of white streaks across the black canvas sky. “‘Seok-ah, d’you see it?”
“Yeah…” Hoseok breathed, too stunned to say more.
He thinks this is his first meteor shower. In his 26 years and 3 days of living, Hoseok’s never experienced a meteor shower, not until now. Now he can finally wish upon a star, like what his mom would tell him to do.
And maybe.
Maybe these wishes won’t get lost in that cosmic ballpit.
“Make a wish.” Yoongi nudged from where his head rested on Hoseok’s shoulder, still peering at the streaks.
/
“So what’d ya wish for?” Yoongi’s hands were tucked into his pocket, feet shuffling in the cold 2am streets.
“Quit asking me,” Hoseok slapped the backside of his head, “‘M not gonna tell you. Or else it won’t come true.”
“Well…” Yoongi started uncertainly, which is something Hoseok rarely heard. Yoongi was more of a ‘Say it with your whole chest’ kinda guy. Not a ‘Well…’ type of guy.
Hoseok let the silence sink in, waiting for Yoongi to finish his sentence.
“Was it the same as your birthday wish?”
“Uh. Yeah.” Hoseok chuckled awkwardly, picking up the pace to reach the apartment faster. Get him home, out of the cold, into the safety of his own room. Away from Yoongi, who might uncover his worst secret, and hate him forever.
“You must really want that wish to come true, huh?” Yoongi laughed along, walking slower, leaving Hoseok to backtrack his steps a bit, no matter how much he wanted to sprint away.
“Well, yeah I guess.”
“What was it?”
Hoseok sighed, peering at Yoongi’s hopeful glance. He did a doubletake when he realized that Yoongi was looking at him with more fear than hope. What was he scared of? Hoseok should be the one looking at him like that.
“I’m not telling you, Yoon.”
“C’mon, Hoseok, I already know.” He said jokingly, letting the fear dissolve and normalcy settle back in.
What.
Yoongi knew?
“You…” Hoseok’s breath shallowed, and his feet stopped moving. His eyes landed on anything that wasn’t Yoongi’s face, or his hair, or his (Hoseok’s) sweater. Anywhere.
“Oh, shit.” Apparently he wasn’t supposed to let that slip.
“You know?”
Fuck, this was bad. All hell was going to break loose in, probably like, 8.52 seconds. Hoseok could feel it in his bones. He also felt shaking, and the sudden urge to vomit, and a heavy craving for Taehyung’s cuddles and japchae. As soon as he gets this over with, he’s going straight for Taehyung’s apartment.
“Yoongi, I’m really sorry. Oh my God, I’m so so sorry-“
“Hoseok?”
“I get if you, like- God I can’t even say it, I…”
“Hoseok.”
“What I’m trying to say is, I’m okay with you being upset with me. You can- You can hate me if you want, that’s oka- okay.” Hoseok spat through stutters and shaky breathes. “Just-“
“Hoseok, you’re shaking.”
“Yea,” Hoseok laughed bitterly. That’s the least of his worries. Ah, fuck, his vision’s going blurry, and his breathing even more shallow, and-
And then there was a hug. A hug, and slow, even paced steps towards the nearest bench that Hoseok vaguely remembered passing a few minutes ago. Yoongi’s hands tangled themselves into Hoseok’s hair, letting them sit, and letting Hoseok cry into his (Hoseok’s) sweater.
“‘M sorry,” Hoseok mumbled after a second.
“For what?”
“Just- Y’know.” His voice shook harder, resisting the urge to cry even more and ruin the sweater. It was a good sweater, one of his favorites, in fact.
Then there it was. The familiar feeling of Yoongi nodding his head above Hoseok’s, which was tucked tightly into Yoongi’s chest, and then the feeling of arms running up and down his back as he cried and Yoongi listened.
He was listening.
Yoongi was… He wasn’t running, spitting digust, or rejecting Hoseok. He was…
“I’m listening.” He prodded. Gently, though, because Hoseok could take all the time in the world, and Yoongi would wait with a patient smile. Just as he’s done for the past nine years.
With a deep breath and a newfound fraction of confidence, Hoseok loosened his grip on the red hoodie and sat back from Yoongi’s grasp. “How’d you find out?”
“Your phone was on the wrong chat when you showed it to me, earlier. Was on the chat with the rest of the guys.” He said simply, telling the truth, the whole truth for what it was. And that gave Hoseok another fraction of confidence, knowing that there would be no beating around the bush. He’d just have to deal with it once, and then its over. Kind of like a flu-shot.
“Oh, right. Sorry-“
“Quit it.” Yoongi, for the first time since Hoseok’s met him, furrowed his brows and expressed frustration while comforting him. The fraction of confidence was taken back.
“Quit saying sorry for shit you don’t need to be sorry for.” Yoongi explained, tossing a gentle glance in compensation for the frustrated outburst.
“But this is different,” Hoseok muttered to his lap, not bothering to meet Yoongi’s reprimanding eyes.
“How?”
“It’s… I’m…”
“I wanna hear it.” Yoongi pressed further, straying from his usual demeanor when he was comforting Hoseok. “Wanna hear you say it.”
“Say what?”
“Say it. Your wish.”
Fuck it. Fuck it all, at this point. If Yoongi was going to find out anyways, it’s better to hear it from his own mouth than from a phone screen.
“I want you to love me the same way I love you,” he muttered into the collar of his own jacket.
With a pleased sigh, Yoongi removed his hands from his pockets and stood up, facing the younger boy. Hoseok’s gaze followed, but his head remained downcast. Yoongi brought his hands up to lift Hoseok’s fringe out of the way, kneeling to look into his eyes, just as he always had done, to make sure that Hoseok was okay enough to start walking back to their apartment again.
“That’s… that’s it?” Hoseok straightened his back and looked around, looking for the hidden cameras, or the show host waiting to come out and tell him that this is all one big prank
“Mm.” Yoongi affirmed, taking Hoseok’s hand in his own and tugging it up. Hoseok complied.
“You didn’t even reject me, or tell me I was being stupid, or-“
“Why would I do that?” Yoongi’s pleased look dropped and became replaced with a confused one. “You- you didn’t think I’d-“
“I kinda thought you’d think it’s… Y’know… weird. Or, like, disgusting or something or-“
“Hoseok you really think I’d-“
“I don’t know! Alright? If you want to know what I was thinking, then, fuck, here it is:”
Taking a step back from Yoongi, Hoseok took a shuddering breath, “I’ve loved you since we were, what, 22? I dunno, it’s hard to keep track with you. It’s just, like, everyday there’s something new to start loving, and something old to fall in love harder with. And it kind of fucking sucks because I can’t ever do anything about it. I’m just sort of… left to love from the sidelines.”
Hoseok could feel Yoongi’s gaze burning holes into him, as he trained his blurry vision to his shoes and kept talking, “But just… I don’t want to let this ruin our friendship. I mean, nine years, Yoongi. I don’t wanna lose nine years of friendship. But, like, I get it if-“
“I don’t want to lose it either, ‘Seok.” He used a nickname again. Which means…
“But I also don’t wanna keep this whole ‘Best-Friend’ thing going.”
Oh. Yoongi didn’t- he didn’t want to…
“Oh. Okay.” Hoseok mumbled, defeated smile forming on his lips. He knew this was bound to happen. Yoongi says he wants to keep the friendship, but then cuts off the ‘Best-friend’ title. This had all played out in Hoseok’s mind before, so why is it taking him by surprise now?
“Hoseok? Are you…?” Yoongi kneeled down again to look at Hoseok’s eyes, seeing the tears pooling and the strained smile present. A wave of shock seemed to have entered his understanding, as his eyes widened and a rushed string of words flew out, “Oh- Oh! Hoseokie, ‘Seok-ah, no, I think you’ve got it wrong- I… Just listen, alright?”
Taking Hoseok’s hands into his own, he straightened up his posture and smiled his gummy, albeit nervous smile (which was new for Yoongi. Again, he wasn’t the type for nervous smiles. He smiled with his whole being, gums and all).
“I’ve been starting to think you’re a little blind,” He began, chuckling airily, “I mean, I get that you’ve been blinded by love for this genius, adorable, sexy-”
Hoseok kicked him in the shin.
“Agh! Okay okay. Anyways. I think you’ve been so focused on the fact that you couldn’t have me, to register the fact that you already do.”
Hoseok’s gaze raised to meet Yoongi’s gentle one. Gentle, like it has been since the moment they met.
“Hoseok, I’m literally wrapped around your finger,” He chuckled, earning a screwed glance from the younger which made him lighten up even more, “Guess you were too focused on counting those stars to notice, huh?”
“The…” Hoseok started, glancing around again to find the hidden cameras, the show host, something, “What?”
“Need me to spell it out?”
“Yeah.” Hoseok nodded eagerly, 80% of his confidence flying back to him, hoping that he was going to say what Hoseok thought he was going to say, “Please.”
“Mmm.” Yoongi cocked a head and brought a hand to his chin, as if in deep thought, “No.”
“Huh?” Hoseok screwed his glare to Yoongi even more, “You offered!”
“Oh come on give me a break!” Yoongi started laughing, despite Hoseok’s tortured appearance, “I’ve been waiting for you to see it for six years.”
“Six…”
“Seokie, you’re not the only one who’s been wishing on those stupid fucking stars.”
“Stars…” Hoseok’s daze was too strong to be pulled out of. Fuzzy warmth enveloped his body and he was only left to repeat Yoongi’s words. With a satisfied huff, Yoongi broke the space between them to wrap around Hoseok’s slumped figure and press soft lips against his forehead.
“Alright, I’ll stop messing with you now. I’ll say it, if you want me to.”
“Yes. Yes please.” Hoseok’s stupor broke, replaced with shaking hands and the fasted heartbeat he’s ever felt. Say it, say it, say it. Don’t let his hopes drop, please.
And Yoongi seemed to comply, because, with the gentlest smile, and the firmest nod of a head, he tilted his head up to the stars and said,
“Jung Hoseok, I’ve been just as in love with you as you are with me. For the past six years, in fact. I beat you to it.”
Then, the butterflies broke loose and the shaking steadied, and Hoseok’s laugh erupted from his teary figure. He tucked his head over Yoongi’s shoulder as they stood in the 3 am streets of Seoul, and Yoongi rocked them back and forth.
/
“So, six years, huh?” Hoseok nudged, head in Yoongi’s lap, Wheel of Fortune playing in the background.
“Shut up, at least I wasn’t wishing on stupid birthday wishes for four years.”
“Hey! Those wishes came true!”
“Mm, I think it was the shooting stars that made it come true, actually.”
“C’mon, you’ve been in love with me since we were like, 20, I don’t think the stars has anything to do with it.”
“And a birthday cake does?”
Hoseok fell silent, argument leaving his body. He opted for looking up at his best friend (boyfriend, he added with an internal giggle) and sticking a tongue out at him.
To which Yoongi smoothly reacted, swooping down to peck at his lips and ruffle a hand through his hair. And, Hoseok’s been his best friend for nine years, so he knows that this action wasn’t one of love or romance (which, it probably was, to some extent), but it was one that said, “I won this argument. Haha, loser.”
Huffing, Hoseok sat up and made his way to the kitchen to grab some leftover japchae from he and Taehyung’s outing that day. “Whatever.”
“I love you!”
“…Love you too.”