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Hoseok sighed as he hung up the phone with his parents, more specifically, his mother. He loved her dearly and she really was one of the biggest supporters he had in his life; he just wished she wouldn't pressure him so much about his future and who was going to be in it with him. He only wanted to focus on school right now.
He had just finished High School in the spring and had been accepted into his first choice of colleges. Right now, his studies were where he wanted his focus. He still didn't even know what area he wanted to major in yet and he was already 1 semester into his freshman year. All he knew was that he wanted to be here. He wanted to further his education.
Classes had just let out for winter break and lucky for him, his school and home were in the same place so he didn't have all the holiday traveling to do like most did. Not like his high school best friend, Min Yoongi, did. In fact, Hoseok was on his way to meet his friend at the train station. He'd been accepted into a different college after graduation and like so many, was coming home for the holidays.
"Yoonie!" Hoseok called out from the platform at the station while waving his hand in the air as if his loud boisterous voice wasn't enough to grab his friend's attention.
Yoongi looked up from his suitcase and nodded before rolling the heavy thing over to his greeter. "You'd think with how loud you are, I'd have a whole ass welcoming party waiting on me"
Hoseok laughed then wrapped his arms around the shorter man and hugged him tightly."Merry Christmas eve! I AM the party!!" he joked but was half serious. He pulled back from smothering Yoongi in his plush bubble coat. "I haven't seen your mom yet, do you think she's late?"
"Tch," Yoongi scoffed under his breath" and you won't see her. "I got a signal at our last stop and all her messages came flooding into my phone. "They canceled Christmas."
Hoseok stared dumbfoundedly."Canceled???" He glanced around when he heard his voice come back to him from the echo. "How do you cancel Christmas??"
"The way she just did but I don't feel like talking about that to be honest. I wanna get home and relax, which shouldn't be too hard to do since I'll be alone now.. 12 hours on a train isn't my ideal place to sleep."
Hoseok nodded and let it go, he didn't want to pry but a thought had come to mind. "I don't want you being alone on Christmas and I have an idea."
Yoongi started walking, dragging his suitcase along with him as they headed out of the station. "I figured you'd say something like that, it's so you. But what could you possibly have in mind?"
"Come spend it with me at my parents."
Yoongi blinked several times "are you serious? I thought they were all about their traditions and stuff, especially your mom."
"Well yeah…" Hoseok rubbed the back of his head lightly "but you suddenly not having plans on Christmas kinda works out with something I had been thinking about asking you when you got here…"
Yoongi turned his head to stare at Hoseok. "Let me guess. You want me to come with you for Christmas?"
"I– how did–" Hoseok's mouth practically gaped
Yoongi shrugged nonchalantly "It's not like you haven't been ranting to me for the past year about your mom. I'm not surprised. And it'll be easier for you to deal with all her pressure when you've got a friend there, right?"
Hoseok grumbled but forced a smile. "Ok so...yes. Fine. I want you to come with me but there's a catch. I know how I can get her to leave me alone about it."
"Hm?"
"Come with me as my date...as my boyfriend. Then she won't be all over me asking why I'm not with someone and all that mess. Please, Yoonie?"
It was Yoongi who grumbled this time as he mulled it over.
Hoseok frowned at the grumble, "You don't have to. It'll be fine. Really. I was just kid–"
"No. I'll do it. I'm just trying to think of what to wear. I mean, why not, right? I'll make it so she never bugs you about it again."
"Geez, Yoonie. You make it sound like I'm hiring you for an assassination." Hoseok mumbled as they rounded the corner to the street of Yoongi's old house.
Yoongi smirked and chuckled "Aren't you?"
Hoseok quickly shoved the shorter male "Yoonie! Bad!! No, of course not!!" He said, then pulled the hood of Yoongi's coat up and over his head. "I swear!!"
"Chill chill" he couldn't stop laughing "You always take me so seriously. I'm kidding, duh!"
Hoseok scoffed and rolled his eyes before laughing a bit "I can never tell with you. You're such a jerkface sometimes"
"Oh wow, I haven't heard that one in a while"
"That's because you left me here and went out of town." Hoseok quickly retorted.
"Oh here we go again. I came back to visit and we still talk almost everyday or at least message each other."
Hoseok smirked then wrapped his arms around Yoongi from behind and rested his chin on the smaller males shoulder as he hung on him. "Now who's taking who too seriously?" He smiled big, his lips forming into a little heart. "And you better keep in touch or I'll sue you Min Yoongi~"
"I have nothing to give but myself." Said Yoongi as they stopped in front of his house. The driveway was empty of the 2 usual cars that were there. There were no lights on and it was the only house on the street that didn't have any decorations up. Not even a wreath.
"Then either way I get you so it's a win win" Hoseok looked up at the house and a look of annoyance came over his features. "They're really already gone? They knew you were coming home today, right? Why would they just leave like that?"
Yoongi shrugged and ducked himself out of Hoseok's arms. "It doesn't really matter. It's no big deal, but I should probably get this stupid suitcase inside. It's been nothing but dragging around dead weight for the last 14 hours." He glanced at Hoseok "I think I know what I'm gonna wear on Christmas. Yeah." After a few moments of silence, Yoongi grabbed the handle of his suitcase and went for the front door. He lifted his hand to wave at his friend. "I'll see you tomorrow, Hobi. I'm gonna go pass out for the rest of the day and probably the night too."
Hoseok watched as Yoongi disappeared inside the house and shut the door. Yoongi tried to act all nonchalant but Hoseok knew better. He had been somewhat fine until he saw the house all empty and deserted. Hiseok could physically feel the change in Yoongi after that. He hated it. Yoongi was never the type to openly express himself or put his emotions out there but Hoseok knew his friend was hurt and disappointed.
**********
The next day Hoseok shot Yoongi a Merry Christmas and good morning text. The sun wasn't even up yet but to Hoseok's surprise, Yoongi responded. The brightest of smiles came to his face. After about 30 minutes of back and forth messages, Hoseok had to cut their chatting off to go help his mom start making the food for their Christmas dinner but not before telling Yoongi when to be there and warning him not to be late.
The whole time Hoseok spent helping her, he was thinking about Yoongi. His friend seemed in better spirits this morning. Hoseok could tell even if they were only texting. Maybe the 17 million hours of sleep helped or maybe Yoongi just needed to be alone to express himself in his own way. "Probably a little bit of both," Hoseok told himself.
Hoseok's parents' house was the complete opposite of Yoongi's. Brightly and festively decorated. The most immaculate one on the block. Yoongi stood just beyond the driveway and stared at it for a while. The home was huge, painted white and with the freshly fallen snow on the ground that happened over night, it glowed. There were lights strung up all over and there were even decorated Christmas trees in the yard. "They really do go all out." he said to himself then started up the driveway.
Moments later he was on the porch. He smoothed down his clothes and checked his hair in his phone's camera before knocking. A few seconds later the door was answered by a face Yoongi didn't recognize. He assumed it was his friend's sister. Hiseok had spoken of her though Yoongi had never met her in person. "Is uh...I'm here to see Hoseok."
"He's in the kitchen" the girl replied " but who are you?" She asked
"I'm Yoongi, his boyfriend," he said.
"Hobiieee!!!! Your boyfriend is here!!!!" She called out rather loudly. Yoongi was sure he heard it echo outside somehow in the distance.
In a matter of seconds the sound of an equally loud "YOOONIIIIEEEE" Echoed from within the house and it was only getting louder. Hoseok emerged and ran to the front door but what he saw when he got there made stop and stand there speechless with his mouth hanging half open.
Yoongi stood there dressed in all white. With the snowy outside background behind him, he looked like a prince from one of those Hallmark Christmas movies. White pants, white dress shirt and a white jacket over that. Even his shoes were white, and in his hand was the only thing about him that had any color to it.
Yoongi lifted up a small half dozen bouquet of red and blue flowers to Hoseok. "Merry Christmas, baby. These are for you. I hope you like them." He put on his softest gummy smile to accompany his words.
Hoseok was still speechless. He couldn't stop smiling though. Other than a couple of school functions, he'd never seen Yoongi so dressed up, and definitely not in such a bright color. Usually his friends always stuck to the darker colors, mostly black so this was a very big change and Hoseok loved it.
"Well don't just stand there out in the cold," a voice sounded from behind Hosrok. It was his mother. "Come on in, Yoongi. My Hobi has told me all about you." She said, and as he walked in, she looked him over.
"Mom!!" Hoseok grumbling softly under his breath after that.
Yoongi nodded in thanks to the woman then walked in as the others stepped to the side. It was so warm, a welcomed relief to Yoongi. Of course he hadn't thought about wearing a coat, he just wanted to wear the nicest suit he had. Hoseok was one of his best friends...his only friend and he knew how much it meant to him plus he wanted to at least help with his mother's badgering.
It was funny in a way because Hoseok wanted the same thing. Yoongi was going to be alone if he had not asked him to come. Despite his original reason for asking, when he heard about Yoongi's mom leaving, Hoseok's own mother was the least of his worries. He just didn't want his friend to be all alone on Christmas. He wanted to help.
Only Yoongi and Hoseok were left in the living room after his mother ventured back into the kitchen and the girl had left as well. Yoongi looked around. The room was decorated from top to bottom. Tinsel and lights were strung up along the walls along with a few big red bows and wreaths here and there. The inside was just as immaculate as the outside. His eyes landed on the fireplace that had an actual fire going in it and above hung several stockings that were filled to the brim. Yoongi blinked several times in disbelief.
Hoseok grinned from ear to ear when he saw Yoongi looking, he was sure that his friend had noticed. "Yup, that one is yours." He grabbed Yoongi's arm and pulled him over to the fireplace. "I got it for you when you told me you were coming home for Christmas. I didn't know you'd actually be spending Christmas here but I had planned on giving it to you. I hung it up last night" he half chuckled "It's how the topic of my boyfriend coming over was brought up to my mom. She saw it and of course had to ask a million questions"
Yoongi didn't know what to say but he didn't need to say anything. That soft smile on his lips said it all. It was one of those smiles that unless you knew the person, you'd miss entirely but that wasn't the case for Hoseok. He knew his friend almost better than he knew himself. Yoongi felt so warm inside and it wasn't from the fireplace.
Hoseok threw his arms around Yoongi and hugged him from behind. "I'm glad you came, Yoonie and thank you so much for the flowers. I love them, they're so pretty."
Yoongi looked back over his shoulder, half smiling "What kind of boyfriend would I be if I didn't bring you flowers?"
Hoseok let him go, his face a bit flushed by the gesture. Fake boyfriend or not, he was a sucker for those kinds of things. He reached out and took Yoongi's hand then pulled him through the living room towards the dining room. "I have the perfect place to keep them too!" When they got to the doorway, Hoseol broke away and went to get a medium sized green vase from the table. He placed the flowers inside then finally brought them up to inhale their sweet scent. After putting them in the center of the table, he went back over. "See? The perfect centerpiece."
Yoongi chuckled. The food was almost done being put out. Hoseok's mother and sister came out with more, taking up the empty spaces with the last of the dishes. The table already looked perfect to him but he wasn't about to correct his date plus his excitement was adorable. "Would you like some help?" Yoongi spoke up with his offer to the other two.
"Absolutely not! You're the guest here" Hoseok answered for them, "besides, that's the last of the food. It's time for dinner!" He grabbed Yoongi's arm and pulled him over to the table. Surrounding the vase with flowers was a wide array of dishes. A mix of cultures even, both Korean and western.
Yoongi's mouth was practically watering just from all the delicious smells. He took a seat at the table after being gestured to, followed by Hoseok and his family. "Everything looks so amazing and smells great"
Hoseok beamed as he watched his friend's expression. Over the year that they had been friends, he'd learned to pick up Yoongi's little habits. It's just how he was, very perspective. He was just happy that Yoongi seemed to be enjoying himself. "Yoonie, you get the first plate, as our guest." He explained, his mother chiming in in agreement.
Yoongi wasn't the type to thrive in a spotlight, he didn't like all the attention being on him even if it was just little things like this but he bit back his habits and nodded. 'When in Rome...' he told himself then picked up a plate and started to get his food. He didn't want to seem greedy so he only got what he thought looked like a normally portioned amount when in reality he could probably have eaten at least half of what was there. Once Yoongi finished, everyone else got theirs as well.
The dining room was quiet as everyone started eating, only the sound of silverware and chopsticks touching the plates and bowls filled the room aside from the christmas music that had been playing the whole time. It was a rather peaceful setting and was nuce, Yoongi thought.
"So Yoongi," Hoseok's mother spoke up as she wiped her mouth with a napkin. "Tell me a little bit about yourself. I'd like to know more about who my baby boy is with. What are some things you like? How did you two meet?"
While Hosrok looked panicked from his mother's mini onslaught of sudden questions, Yoongi seemed just fine. Calm and relaxed. He was supposed to be Hoseok's boyfriend and these days, any caring parent would be curious so to him, it was only a matter of when she would ask.
Yoongi finished the sip of the drink he was taking then wiped his mouth as well before clearing his throat. Unknown to Hoseok, he'd thought about what anyone could possibly ask and had calculated and formed a few answers that would appease his friend's mother.
"Well… we met in high school actually. I was in my third year while he was in his second. We met one day through a mutual friend and from the start, we just kinda clicked together. We've been friends since then. I finally decided to ask him out right before he graduated from his third year." He paused to take another sip of his drink and to gauge her reactions. So far everything he said had been the truth except for the asking out part. He could tell that both Hoseok's mother and sister were already captivated by what he was saying, so he continued on confidentiality.
"After I graduated though, I left the city for more schooling but we keep in touch as much as we can and I come home to visit for holidays with my parents and usually when we have breaks from classes at school. Currently I'm in my second year of college, I'm studying music theory and culinary. Two of the things I have a real passion for, other than my Sunshine of course" he added, glancing over to a now face flushed Hoseok from the new nickname. The name also earned soft looks of approval from the two women.
Jiwoo and her mother were on the verge of gushing with how cute the whole scene was. The backstory, the sincerity in Yoongi's words and the nickname was just the cherry topping. Meanwhile Hoseok's face could have been the cherry but despite that, he literally could not stop smiling. He had been so panicked at first but of course Yoongi put all his worries to rest. He obviously knew how much of the story was true but just imagining everything else had his heart fluttering.
"It makes me so happy to hear that," His mother spoke up then looked to her son. "Hosek baby, why didn't you tell me you had such a nice young man"
Yoongi answered for him since for a split second he seemed to have that deer caught in the headlights expression. "It was for my sake. I asked him not to say anything. I'm not really…" he paused for a moment "I'm the quiet type when it comes to things like that. I guess you could say I'm a lot more reserved than your son."
His mother nodded softly "I understand and can respect that. I'm happy that we know now though. My heart is warm for you two and with how my boy has talked about you since he asked if you could come and join us today, well, it's enough to make any mother cry tears of joy. It's so apparent how happy you make my son."
Yoongi wasn't expecting such a warm and welcoming response from her. Maybe it was hervwords, or maybe it was Hoseok's brightness and glowing aura next to him, or maybe it could have been the spirit of the season but Yoongi felt so whole at that moment. His smile had grown 100% and even his little gums were peaking out to say hello.
"I don't know what I would do without my sunshine. He really knows how to brighten up not only your day but your whole life too. He's my other half that I don't ever want to lose." Yoongi was feeling so good inside that those words had come out from him and at that point he didn't know if he said them to win over his friend's mother or not but either way, what he did know was that he meant every single one.
Hoseok had been so quiet almost the whole time but in the midst of Yoongi talking, he had leaned his head over to lay it on his friend's shoulder. Yoongi's words hit him hard, right in the feels, but in the best possible way. Yoongi was never the type to be so open like this but Hoseok could tell he meant what he said. Fake date or not, Yoongi was being an amazing friend and an even better boyfriend, even if it was only for the night.
The rest of the dinner was filled with little stories Yoongi told about things he and Hoseok had done in the past, and none of them were false either. Which worked for him because they all came out so naturally and he didn't have to lie. He could just be upfront and honest, and it was less stressful og Hoseok too. Yoongi had even stolen a kiss from Hoseok, placed one right on his temple since his head was still on his shoulder.
After everyone had gotten their fill of dinner, Yoongi managed to convince them to at least let him help clean up. He was careful not to dirty his white suit in the process, successfully at that. The night had gone better than either him or Hoseok could have imagined, and maybe, just maybe it had been an eye opener for the both of them.
The dining room looked as if not a soul had been in there only a half hour ago for dinner and conversation. Hoseok glanced at the clock on the wall for the millionth time. The night was so perfect, he didn't want it to end but when he saw a yawn from his friend, the third one in a tow, he knew it was coming to a close.
Hoseok's mother told Yoongi he was more than welcome to come back anytime and Yoongi said he would take her up on the offer the next time he was in town. Reluctantly, he gave Hoseok a tired look.
"Come on, I'll take you home" Hoseok told him and Yoongi tried to decline.
"I'll be ok to walk. I made it here just fine didn't I?"
"It's snowy outside, below freezing and that suit, I know that wont keep you warm enough. I'm driving you home, end of story." Hoseok said, leaving no room for his friend to argue. "And you're wearing one of my coats." He grabbed two from the hallway closet, handed one to Yoongi and slipped the other on.
Yoongi stared at him in silence before sliding the coat on. "Fine, if you insist" he turned and said his goodbyes to Hoseok's mother and sister before turning to follow his friend out the door and to the car.
It only took 5 minutes or so to get to his house, they really didn't live that far from each other. Hoseok pulled up in front and parked the car. "You know, tonight was really great. Everyone had fun, mom was so happy and you–" he turned to look at Yoongi "I could tell you were having a good time too. Thank you, for everything. It really meant alot, Yoonie."
Yoongi mumbled under his breath but smiled "It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. And yeah, I had a pretty good time." He yawned again then looked to the house "I'll message you tomorrow and we can hang out or something, okay?"
Hoseok beamed and nodded in response. "I'll be looking forward to it. Have a good night, Yoonie!"
"I will, and…." Yoongi paused for a moment then leaned over and placed a soft kiss to Hoseok's cheek. "You have one too, Sunshine. Merry Christmas." With that, Yoongi got out of the car, shut the door and moments later, he disappeared into his house.