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Jeongguk punches in the code to Yoongi’s apartment and slips inside. It’s dark and no one is home, but Jeongguk expected that. Yoongi and Hoseok are still at school and work respectively. He toes his shoes off and walks inside, heading for the kitchen, turning on lights as he goes.
Yoongi’s apartment has become more of a home to him than his own over the past year, and he spends more time here too, than at his own place. Neither Yoongi or Hoseok seem to mind his presence, though, and Jeongguk definitely doesn’t mind theirs. He enjoys spending time with them, has even started considering the two of them his family. He doesn’t know if it’s too soon or if they feel the same, he’s just happy they’ve allowed him into their lives.
It hasn’t been the easiest, since Jeongguk is very much still a famous person. He and Yoongi agreed in the beginning that they would keep their relationship hidden. Jeongguk is always in the public eye while Yoongi and Hoseok are not, it’s best this way for their safety. Though, Jeongguk would love to tell the whole world about his wonderful family.
Hoseok has really opened up to him lately, and he would like to think that Hoseok sees him as more of a friend and hyung than an idol. He knows Hoseok felt strange about it in the beginning, when Yoongi and Jeongguk first told him about their relationship. They didn’t tell him everything, just what they felt he needed to know, though Jeongguk would love to tell him that he and his dad used to know each other when they were younger, if only to see his reaction to finding that out. He knows Hoseok is curious, too, and that he knows they didn’t tell him everything. Maybe Jeongguk will answer his questions at some point.
Now, he sets down the bags of groceries he brought and starts unpacking everything. He’s planning on surprising them with dinner. Usually it’s Yoongi who does the cooking. Hoseok loves to help but Jeongguk has never had much involvement. Mainly because Yoongi always shoos him out of the kitchen telling him to rest, he always works so hard. But Yoongi works hard too, maybe even harder than Jeongguk sometimes, so now it’s Jeongguk’s turn to take care of him.
Since he’s so familiar with Yoongi’s place, he easily locates everything he needs and gets started. He actually enjoys cooking, on the rare occasion he gets to do it. Over the years it hasn’t been often, what with his schedule being the way it is, leaving him with little time and energy to do much else than order something for delivery. But lately his schedule hasn’t been so hectic, so he has more time for himself, and for Yoongi and Hoseok.
Humming to himself, he mixes the noodles with the sauce. It’s almost finished, it just needs to simmer for a moment, and perfect timing, too, because just then Jeongguk hears the front door open. Two voices filter into the apartment and Jeongguk smiles, listening as his two favorite people make their way towards him. They don’t know he’s here. Yoongi might have noticed his shoes by the entrance but Hoseok definitely wouldn’t have.
Hoseok enters the kitchen first. He freezes in the doorways when he sees Jeongguk, eyes full of surprise, then he lights up in a smile and bounds over to him. Jeongguk can’t keep the smile off his own lips when Hoseok wraps his arms around him in a quick hug. Then he lets go and goes to inspect the food on the stove.
“Are you hungry? It’s almost ready,” Jeongguk says as he takes plates out of the cupboard to set the table.
“Yes!” Turning to Jeongguk, he adds, “I didn’t know you would be here.”
“Neither did I.” Yoongi enters the kitchen just then.
Jeongguk smiles. He sets down the last plate on the table and walks up to him to wrap his arms around him. Yoongi circles his arms around his waist and looks up at him. He’s slightly shorter than Jeongguk and Jeongguk loves having him in his arms, small and cute.
“Hi,” he says.
Yoongi stretches up to place a soft kiss on his lips. “Hi,” he returns, his lips brushing Jeongguk’s.
Jeongguk shivers slightly and is about to dive back in for more kisses when the sound of Hoseok audibly expressing disgust pulls them apart. Jeongguk extracts himself from Yoongi’s hold with a chuckle and goes back to the food on the stove. Yoongi tells Hoseok to finish setting the table and soon they’re all sitting down to eat.
“Thank you for cooking for us,” Yoongi says, placing a hand on Jeongguk’s thigh.
Jeongguk waves him off. “It’s no problem. You’re always the one cooking, I thought I’d do it for once so you could get a break.”
They exchange soft smiles before going back to their food. Jeongguk likes this the most, when all of them have dinner together. It’s always at home, since going out to a restaurant would be risky – but it’s not the place, it’s the people. That is probably the cheesiest thought Jeongguk has ever had; he cringes to himself. Good thing he didn’t say it out loud, Yoongi would never stop making fun of him.
“Jimin got into trouble today at school,” Hoseok says and Jeongguk turns his attention to him.
Yoongi frowns. “Why?”
If there’s one thing Jeongguk knows, it’s that Seokjin, Namjoon, Jimin and Taehyung are just as much family to Yoongi and Hoseok as each other. Jeongguk doesn’t mind in the slightest. He has hung out with them a few times since they met and they’re good people. Jeongguk doubts Yoongi would’ve kept them around if they weren’t. He likes their dynamic. Hoseok is basically Jimin and Taehyung’s brother, they grew up together and spend time together all the time.
They sometimes remind Jeongguk of himself and Yoongi, in the sense that the two of them also grew up together. They met when they were young and spent a lot of time together, and were practically inseparable. Granted, a lot of that time was spent in the practice room after they became trainees, but they were together nonetheless.
“He told Minwoo off for being nasty to Jieun but instead of punishing Minwoo the teacher sent Jimin to the principal. Jimin was pissed and so was I because why not punish Minwoo? He was the one who said those things, not Jimin.”
Hoseok is frowning down at his plate, upset on behalf of his friend. Jeongguk can understand. Jimin should definitely not have been the one to be sent to the principal.
Yoongi is also frowning still. “Did they call Jin or Joon?”
“I don’t think so. Jimin just said he got told off,” Hoseok says. “It just makes me so angry. People like Minwoo should be punished.”
“Yes, but it’s not your responsibility to do so. It was good of Jimin to tell him off but it’s the teacher’s responsibility to make sure their students behave.”
Jeongguk looks at Yoongi, in awe of his boyfriend. He’s such a good dad, such a good role model to Hoseok. Yoongi has always been mature, seemingly older than his age. He’s so good with words, so good with taking care of people. Jeongguk thinks he’s always been meant to be a dad. The role suits him.
“Yeah, I know,” Hoseok says quietly.
He goes back to his food but the atmosphere around the table is a little tense. Yoongi turns to Jeongguk and they exchange a look. Jeongguk feels uncertain of what to do. He wants to cheer Hoseok up but isn’t sure how. Maybe after dinner he can offer to teach Hoseok some choreography, dancing always cheers him up.
“Ah, before I forget,” Yoongi says after a moment of silence. “I’m going on a work trip next week. I’ll be gone for five days and I was wondering, Jeongguk, if you would mind staying here with Hoseok? Technically, if I make sure to cook enough food, he could be fine on his own, but I don’t want to leave him alone for that long. It’s no worries if you can’t or you don’t want to, I’ll just ask Jin and Joon if he can stay with them.”
Hoseok lifts his head up and looks at his dad, then turns hopeful eyes on Jeongguk. Jeongguk quickly goes over his schedule in his mind: empty for the next couple of weeks. He turns to Hoseok.
“Would you mind me staying with you?” he asks. Hoseok seems surprised at being asked his opinion but quickly shakes his head. Jeongguk smiles and looks back at Yoongi. “Then I don’t mind. I mean, I practically live here anyway,” he jokes.
Yoongi reaches out a hand to place it at the back of Jeongguk’s neck, and plays with the short hairs there for a moment. “Thank you.”
Jeongguk smiles. “Hoseok and I will have so much fun while you’re gone. Right?” He looks at Hoseok with a smirk and Hoseok grins.
“Just don’t have too much fun, it’s still a school week,” Yoongi cuts in.
Hoseok groans. “Why do you always have to ruin the fun, dad?”
Yoongi widens his eyes, feigning innocence. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, I’m so fun.”
He picks up his glass of water and takes a sip, and Jeongguk can tell he’s hiding a smile. He laughs at what Yoongi said and Hoseok rolls his eyes. Then Hoseok stands up and brings his empty plate to the sink.
“I have a couple of assignments I need to work on before bed. Thank you for dinner, hyung.”
“You’re welcome,” Jeongguk answers with a smile.
“Don’t stay up too late, and let me know if you need help,” Yoongi says.
Hoseok acknowledges it with a thumbs up, then leaves the room.
Yoongi’s hand is back in his hair and Jeongguk leans into his touch, closing his eyes for a moment. The apartment is silent and Jeongguk basks in the peacefulness.
“Let’s move to the couch,” Yoongi says after a moment, and Jeongguk nods.
Together they clear the table. Yoongi tells him to leave the dishes to him, that he’ll do them later since Jeongguk cooked. Jeongguk kisses him on the cheek and pulls him along to the couch. He sits down first and Yoongi sits down beside him and immediately curls into his side. Once again, Jeongguk gets to have his small and cute boyfriend in his arms. He places another kiss on the top of Yoongi’s head.
He’s reminded of the very first time he visited Yoongi at his apartment. They had eaten ramen straight out of the pot then cuddled on the couch. Although, that time the cuddling had not been intentional, it had kind of just happened, the two of them slowly inching closer to each other until they were right beside each other. It’s a fond memory, even if what happened not long after that is not. But that’s all in the past, and both of them agreed to leave it there.
“Is this the only good thing that’s on?” Jeongguk asks, referring to the show that’s playing on TV. It’s some reality show Jeongguk couldn’t care less about but he’s come to find out Yoongi enjoys watching them.
“You know reality is my guilty pleasure,” Yoongi mumbles and Jeongguk chuckles.
He pulls him closer to himself and places another kiss on his head. “I know,” he says into his hair.
“We can watch something else if you’d rather,” Yoongi suggests but makes no move to reach for the remote.
Jeongguk kisses his hair again, just because he can. “No, this is fine.”
Yoongi hums and adjusts himself slightly, curling deeper into Jeongguk’s side. After a while, his breathing slows and evens out as he falls asleep. Jeongguk thinks it’s a blessing in these moments that he likes going to the gym as much as he does because it means he can carry his boyfriend to bed with little effort. If Yoongi was awake he’d find it humiliating to be carried, or at least pretend to. There’s been multiple instances where he’s made Jeongguk carry him to bed under the pretense of being too tired to walk by himself. Obviously Jeongguk never says no. He’d carry Yoongi anywhere and everywhere if he asked.
Once Yoongi is tucked into bed, Jeongguk dips into Hoseok’s room to check on him. He’s fallen asleep at his desk, on top of his open textbook. Jeongguk smiles fondly as he walks into the room and gently shakes him awake by the shoulder. Hoseok stirs and blearily looks up at him. Jeongguk gently pulls him out of his desk chair.
“Come on, brush your teeth and get into bed. You can finish your work tomorrow.”
Hoseok does as he’s told, going into the bathroom to brush his teeth. While he’s gone, Jeongguk digs out pajamas from his closet and lays it on his bed, then exits his room. He meets Hoseok in the hallway. His eyes are barely open and he has toothpaste in the corner of his mouth. Jeongguk chooses not to comment on it.
“I put pajamas on your bed, don’t sleep in jeans. Goodnight, Hobi.”
“Night, hyung,” Hoseok mumbles in reply, briefly leaning against him in some sort of half-hug before trudging on into his room.
When Jeongguk comes back into Yoongi’s bedroom, Yoongi is awake. He’s still lying down, but his eyes are open, blinking at Jeongguk when he enters.
“You’re a good hyung to him,” he says but it comes out muffled because his face is squished into the pillow.
Jeongguk turns away to remove his shirt and also to hide his blush. He’s in no way trying to be a father figure to Hoseok, that’s Yoongi’s job, but he wants to be a friend, a hyung, and not just his “dad’s boyfriend”. Getting it confirmed by Yoongi himself that he thinks Jeongguk is doing a good job must mean he’s succeeding.
He pulls on a pair of Yoongi’s shorts, then slips into bed beside him. “I don't know. I mean, I hope so. And I hope Hoseok thinks so.”
“He does, I can tell,” Yoongi reassures, scooting closer and putting his head on Jeongguk’s chest.
Jeongguk l wraps his arms around him. “I’ll miss you.”
Yoongi huffs. “I haven’t even left yet.”
“I know but you’ll be gone a whole week.” Jeongguk pouts.
“Five days,” Yoongi corrects, then adds, “and you’ve gone longer than that without seeing me.”
“Just say you won’t miss me and go.” He jokingly shoves at Yoongi.
Yoongi only tightens his hold around him. “I won’t do that.”
Jeongguk smiles and tightens his own arms around Yoongi. “Let’s sleep.”
“Mm, night,” Yoongi mumbles, already half asleep.
✧
A week later Jeongguk is saying goodbye to Yoongi as he leaves for his trip. If Jeongguk is completely honest, he’s a little nervous about spending a whole week alone with Hoseok. The two of them haven’t spent a lot of time alone without Yoongi, but Yoongi assured him that he would be fine without him even needing to express his concerns. Realistically, he knows he’ll be fine. Hoseok is a teenager, he can largely take care of himself, all he will need Jeongguk to help with is cooking food.
He’s already at school so right now Jeongguk doesn’t have anything to worry over. He kind of wishes Yoongi had an entertainment system so he could entertain himself with video games while he waits for Hoseok to get home. He could bring his own over from his place but that sounds like a hassle. Maybe he’ll buy one for them but he doesn’t have a birthday to hide behind. Neither Hoseok’s or Yoongi’s birthday is close and he knows how Yoongi feels about him spending his money on them on things that are not a necessity. Jeongguk doesn’t mind, he has more money than he knows what to do with, but Yoongi is stubborn.
Since he can’t play video games, he could go into the studio to try and get some work done. He doesn’t have a comeback he needs to work towards but he likes to make music anyway, even if it doesn’t become anything. It can be therapeutic to get his thoughts down on paper in the form of song lyrics. He just needs to remember to come back home before Hoseok does.
He also decides he can stop by the gym while he’s at the company building, and changes into appropriate workout clothes.
He spends a few hours in his studio but he doesn’t get much work done. Yoongi texts him at some point to let him know he’s arrived at his hotel and they talk for a while. Before Jeongguk knows it, it’s already afternoon and he should hit the gym now if he wants to be home on time.
Home. He almost doesn’t realize he’s referring to Yoongi’s apartment as ‘home’, it just makes sense to him. It’s where his favorite people are, the person that is home to him. It’s more of a home than Jeongguk’s own apartment. His is big, with big furniture to fill out the space but it’s not comfortable. It feels sterile, a place he goes to sleep in-between schedules. Or maybe it just feels that way to him now that he’s been spending so much time with Yoongi and Hoseok at their place, and their place is the epitome of home. It feels lived in, the furniture used and comfortable, the space warm. It has quickly become his favorite place over the past year.
He gets home and, after a quick shower, gets started on dinner. Hoseok will be hungry when he comes home after a full day of school, and he will need the energy to do his homework. Except, Hoseok comes home coughing and sneezing. Jeongguk’s heart plummets when he sees him.
“Are you sick?” He approaches him when Hoseok comes into the kitchen and gently lays a hand on his forehead to check his temperature. He’s not hot so at least he doesn’t seem to have a fever.
Hoseok waves him off. “I’m fine,” he says and it would be convincing if he doesn’t sneeze three times in a row after saying it.
Jeongguk frowns and wonders if he should call Yoongi but Yoongi has his own things to worry about and he’s not even in the same city, Jeongguk shouldn’t bother him. It’s just a cold anyway, Hoseok should be fine after some food and rest and maybe some medicine. Jeongguk digs in a cupboard after some and hands it to Hoseok. Hoseok takes it without protest. Jeongguk has a feeling he would’ve protested had it been Yoongi who made him take medicine, and feels proud that Hoseok listens well to him.
After dinner, Jeongguk urges Hoseok into bed. This time, he protests.
“But I have homework.”
“You’re sick, you need to rest. I know your dad would say the same if he was here,” Jeongguk argues. “If you need it, I’ll help you with it tomorrow when you feel better.”
Hoseok relents and goes to bed.
The next morning, Jeongguk gets up at the same time as Hoseok to keep him company while he eats breakfast and, under Yoongi’s instructions, to make sure he gets to school on time. Except, Hoseok isn’t getting up. Jeongguk heard his alarm ring a while ago but he has yet to make an appearance, so he goes to check on him. When he enters Hoseok’s room, he sees he’s still in bed.
“Hey, are you awake? It’s time to get up or you’ll be late.” Hoseok doesn’t move. Jeongguk gets a little worried and walks into his room and up to his bed. “Hobi?”
Hoseok turns to face him and Jeongguk’s worry increases. His face is flushed, eyes glassy. He looks even more sick than last night. “‘M not feeling well,” he mumbles.
Jeongguk’s heart twists in empathy and he leans down to feel his forehead. As suspected, he’s burning up. “Alright, you can’t go to school like this. I’ll get you some more medicine and let your school know.”
On his way to the kitchen for the medicine, he texts Yoongi. He doesn’t want to worry him but he doesn’t have the number to Hoseok’s school. Yoongi replies instantly, saying he’ll call the school and to give Hoseok medicine. Since Jeongguk is already a step ahead of him, he lets him know he has everything under control and not to worry. Yoongi sends him an “i love you” back. Jeongguk smiles and replies with the same sentiment, then brings Hoseok the medicine and tells him to go back to sleep.
Jeongguk sits down on the couch after he’s made sure Hoseok took his medicine and had water. So much for spending the day in the studio again, but he’s not complaining, he wants to be here for Hoseok. It’s not fun being sick and if he can help Hoseok feel better quicker in any way, he will.
Speaking of, he should go out and buy some soup and more medicine, there isn’t a lot left of what Yoongi has at home. Hoseok will be fine for a few minutes. Besides, he’s sleeping, he won’t even notice Jeongguk is gone. So, Jeongguk takes his phone and wallet and leaves. It’s not until he’s outside and halfway to the convenience store down the street, that he realizes he forgot his hat and mask to hide his face slightly. He just has to hope he doesn’t get recognized.
Once he gets to the convenience store, he stands by the different kinds of soups for a while. He doesn’t know what Hoseok likes, and it’s not like he can call and ask without waking him up; Hoseok needs his sleep right now.
He picks up a packet of chicken soup, debating on it, when he hears voices whispering to his left. He freezes, holding his breath. Slowly, he glances to the side to see two girls standing a bit farther down the aisle. They’re looking at him and whispering to each other, not even caring that he’s spotted them. Despite them only being two, his heart rate picks up. He can’t stay here.
He doesn’t remember what flavor of soup he picked up, but he brings it to the counter quickly. The two girls follow a bit behind, when he glances at them they pretend to be interested in a display of magazines. Jeongguk feels a chill go down his spine and he almost forgets to ask for the medicine. The man behind the counter doesn’t notice anything out of the ordinary, he probably doesn’t even know who Jeongguk is and Jeongguk is glad for that at least, but the girls are still there and are slowly inching closer to him. He quickly pays for his things and gets out of there.
When he hears the door open again behind him he knows he can’t go straight back to Yoongi’s apartment. This is not how he intended this to go, he was just going to get some food and medicine for Hoseok and it was going to be a quick trip. Now he has to take a lap around the block to lose these creeps. He considers calling his manager, he could send him a car and maybe a bodyguard to scare these people away, but they’re just girls. Jeongguk shouldn’t feel threatened by them. Except he does, and his heart is in his throat the entire time he’s walking.
Every so often, he glances behind him to see if he’s still being followed and, every time, the girls are still there. He’s been waking for maybe fifteen minutes when, finally, they give up. They must’ve realized he isn’t going somewhere interesting or back to his own apartment where they could follow him and get some juicy stalker info. Just the thought makes him sick to his stomach and he’s glad he didn’t go back to Yoongi’s place. It would’ve been really bad if they’d known his address.
Jeongguk needs to be more careful.
He walks for a bit longer, just to make sure he’s not being followed, then makes his way back to Yoongi’s apartment. His heart is still racing and his hand that’s holding the plastic convenience store bag gets damp with sweat to the point he has to keep switching hands to hold the bag with. He wants to call Yoongi, wants to hear his soothing voice and feel his calming presence, but it’s the middle of the day so Yoongi is most likely in a meeting right now.
Back home, he works on trying to calm down. He made sure continuously on his way back that he was no longer being followed. These situations always make him paranoid and make his anxiety skyrocket, and these feelings stay with him for days. Now, he’ll have a hard time leaving the apartment for fear of being stalked.
But, at the same time, he doesn’t want to act like anything is wrong, for Hoseok’s sake. Hoseok is sick and Jeongguk needs to take care of him. He needs to get it together and make sure he’s in a good headspace. He wishes Yoongi was here.
He goes into the kitchen to put the medicine and soup away, and to chug a glass of water. His hands shake as he fills the glass up and he leans his back against the counter once it’s full. It takes everything in him not to call Yoongi. It wouldn’t be fair to interrupt him at work. Instead he sends him a quick text asking if he can call Jeongguk when he gets back to his hotel. It will have to do for now.
A couple of hours later, Hoseok wakes up and he looks a little better after some more medicine and sleep. He walks into the living room with a blanket around his shoulders and Jeongguk smiles genuinely when he sits down on the couch beside him.
“Feeling better?” he asks.
Hoseok nods, pulling his legs up under himself and getting comfortable against the cushions.
“Are you hungry?”
After a moment’s thought, Hoseok nods again. Jeongguk gets up and goes to prepare the soup he bought earlier, desperately avoiding thoughts of what happened when he went to the store to buy it. When he comes back into the living room with the soup, Hoseok adjusts his position against the cushions to easier be able to eat and takes the bowl Jeongguk hands him with a small “thanks.”
“I didn’t know we had soup at home,” Hoseok comments, scooping up a spoonful of the soup and blowing on it before eating.
“We didn’t. I went and bought it for you,” Jeongguk says.
Hoseok turns to him with wide eyes. “You didn’t have to do that,” he says.
Shrugging, Jeongguk says, “I wanted to. Soup is a good food to eat when you’re sick.” Hoseok’s mouth forms a small ‘o’ and he looks at Jeongguk a moment longer. He laughs. “Eat up before it goes cold.”
They sit in relatively comfortable silence as Hoseok eats. Now that Yoongi isn’t home, Jeongguk can watch whatever he wants. He doesn’t mind watching reality TV with Yoongi, but sometimes he just wants to put on a drama and get immersed in the plot, especially if it’s romance. He’s a sucker for romance.
“This is so cheesy,” Hoseok says. The two main characters are confessing their love to each other on screen. Jeongguk thinks it’s sweet. Clearly he’s the only one.
“You think romance is cheesy?” he asks.
Hoseok shrugs. “I guess. It seems kinda lame.”
Jeongguk huffs out a laugh. “I suppose it can be but when it’s right, when you’ve found someone you want to love and spend your life with, it’s quite wonderful.”
Hoseok looks at him with a grimace and Jeongguk has to bite his tongue to not burst out laughing at his expression.
“Are you talking about my dad?” he asks, still grimacing.
Jeongguk hadn’t even realized it, but he supposes Yoongi is someone like that for him. He’s always held a special place in Jeongguk’s heart, and over the past year of them getting back together, the feelings have only solidified more and more for him.
“What would you say if I said yes?” he asks, simply because he’s curious.
“I would throw up,” Hoseok says as serious as ever and this time Jeongguk can’t hold his laugh. The corners of Hoseok’s mouth twitch and he quietly goes back to his soup.
Once he’s calmed down, Jeongguk wipes at his eyes. He’s feeling better now, the anxiety from before not as strong. Hoseok wasn’t even aware anything was wrong but he still managed to cheer Jeongguk up.
“Have you ever had a crush?” Jeongguk isn’t sure why he asks that, he just wants to get to know Hoseok better and they rarely get moments like this when he can ask him whatever he wants.
Hoseok gives him a sideways look. “Are you gonna interrogate me now?”
“No. I’m just curious but you don’t have to answer if you don’t want to. You are very welcome to tell me to just fuck off.” He slaps a hand over his mouth when he realizes what word he just said.
Hoseok giggles. “It’s fine. Dad won’t be mad at you for swearing in front of me if you’re worried. Uncle Jin swears all the time, dad’s never been able to make him stop.”
Jeongguk laughs. “Good to know.”
“Anyway, to answer your question, no I don’t think I’ve ever had a crush.”
“That’s normal. Not everyone has crushes.”
Hoseok is silent for a moment. “What’s it like?” he asks then.
Jeongguk tilts his head in confusion. He had gotten pulled back into his drama. “What’s what like?”
“Having a crush. What’s it like?” He asks it quietly, like he thinks it’s a stupid question and Jeongguk will think so too. Jeongguk thinks there are no stupid questions.
“It’s wonderful and awful at the same time. Wonderful because the person you’re crushing on is. They’re amazing and beautiful and you just want to spend every moment with them. You get butterflies at being close to them and you think about them all the time. It’s awful because you think they’re out of your league so you never make a move, or you’re scared they won’t like you back. You’re scared of them rejecting you if you confess. But if you confess and they return your feelings, it’s the most wonderful thing.”
Hoseok listens raptly at every word, looking at Jeongguk with wide, curious eyes. Jeongguk gets hit with the realization that he’s still so young. He may be a teenager now but there’s so much he still has to learn and find out about the world.
“Is that how you feel with dad?” he asks. “The butterfly thing I mean.”
Jeongguk smiles. “Once upon a time, I did. I wanted to be near him all the time and, yes, I did get butterflies when I was around him. But just because you can’t feel it physically in the form of a tingling tummy or your heart fluttering doesn’t mean the love isn’t there. After a while it tones down a bit, or maybe you just get used to the feeling, I’m not sure.”
“You love him?”
“Yes, very much.”
Hoseok nods, looking deep in thought. Jeongguk leaves him to his thoughts. He knows the concept of love can be hard to wrap your head around, it is even to him sometimes, despite feeling and experiencing romantic love all the time.
After a while, Hoseok lies down, cushioning his head on the arm of the couch and pulling the blanket up to his chin. He finished his soup a while ago and the empty bowl sits on the coffee table. Jeongguk does a mental count of how many hours it’s been since Hoseok took the latest dose of medicine and determines it’s been long enough to take more.
“Do you want more medicine?” he asks.
“I want to sleep,” Hoseok mumbles.
“Okay.” Jeongguk reaches for the remote to turn the volume down on the TV to make it easier for Hoseok to fall asleep.
Later in the day, after dinner time (Jeongguk realized he should’ve bought more than one packet of soup but since he got distracted by other things, he completely forgot, so he whips up something quick and easy for Hoseok to eat while he’s still sick) Yoongi calls like Jeongguk asked.
“Hey, baby.”
Jeongguk almost bursts into tears at just hearing Yoongi’s voice through his phone. “Hi.” He keeps his voice low to not have it crack.
“Is everything okay?”
“No.” He doesn’t like lying to Yoongi and he also sees no point in doing it right now.
“Is it Hobi? Are you worried because he’s sick?” Yoongi asks, voice gentle.
Jeongguk closes his eyes. He’s already in bed. Hoseok went to sleep early and Jeongguk didn’t see the point in sitting on the couch all alone, so he got cozy in bed while waiting for Yoongi to call.
“No, I know he’ll be fine. It’s–It’s something else.”
He swallows thickly. Just thinking about what happened earlier is enough to make his heart pound painfully against his chest. He’s been avoiding thinking about it for that reason and also because he didn’t want to worry Hoseok by making it obvious something was wrong.
“Okay. Do you want to talk about it? If not, do you want a distraction?” Yoongi’s voice is still gentle, soft. Jeongguk suspects he’s doing it on purpose to comfort him. The thought makes him smile slightly.
But then his anxiety makes itself known again and his chest squeezes painfully. He wants to tell Yoongi about what happened. Yoongi won’t be able to do anything while he’s two hours away, he actually wouldn’t be able to do anything even if he wasn’t. This isn’t something anyone can just make stop happening, at least not quickly.
“I want to talk about it but it’s difficult, scary,” Jeongguk admits.
“I’m here, baby. I will listen.”
Jeongguk swallows the lump in his throat and takes a deep breath. “Earlier today I went to the convenience store down the street to get some soup and more meds for Hobi and…” He pauses to take another deep breath. Yoongi silently waits for him to continue. “There were these two girls. They recognized me but they didn’t approach me. I guess it was my own fault they did recognize me because I left without putting on a mask and my hat.
“Anyway, I quickly got out of there but they followed me. Hyung, they didn’t even make it subtle, they knew I knew they were there. And they followed me for so long. I didn’t go back to your place right away because I knew they’d think I lived there and stalk the address and I don’t want that for you and Hobi so I walked around the neighborhood trying to lose them. They kept following me, hyung, I was so scared. I didn’t know what to do.”
He’s sobbing at this point, no longer able to keep the tears at bay, but he’s trying to be quiet since Hoseok is asleep in the room next door.
“Jeongguk,” Yoongi says, voice serious, “you should’ve called the police. Or at least your manager, so he could call the police.”
Jeongguk stifles a sob against his hand and Yoongi exhales.
“I’m sorry. You don’t need me to tell you that, you need me to comfort you right now. I’m sorry, Jeonggukie, tell me what I can do to make it better.”
“Come home.” He regrets it as soon as he’s said it. It makes him sound like a child wanting their parent when they’re upset, but Yoongi doesn’t make fun of him.
He chuckles lowly. “I wish I could, baby. I really want to hug you right now.”
“I’m not gonna leave the house for the rest of the week,” Jeongguk says, wiping his tears away.
“What about work?”
“Don’t need to go.”
“Are you just saying that because you don’t want to or do you actually not need to?” He can hear the smile in Yoongi’s voice as he speaks and it makes an involuntary smile appear on his own lips.
He turns to lie on his side and places his phone between his ear and the pillow. “I actually don’t need to go. I don’t have any schedules this week. Although I had hoped for some studio time.”
“That’s a good excuse to get yourself out of the house,” Yoongi suggests.
Jeongguk hums. “I suppose. If anything, I’ll need to buy more soup for Hobi if he’s gonna be sick for more days.”
“I got him a couple days off, let me know if he needs to stay home longer.”
“I will,” Jeongguk promises.
It’s silent for a moment, just the sound of their breathing heard over the speaker. Jeongguk feels better after speaking to Yoongi like he knew he would. Yoongi is his safe place, there’s no one who would be able to comfort him like Yoongi can.
“I’m sorry that happened to you, Jeongguk. I wish there was something I could do to make it stop, you don’t deserve to be treated like that. I mean, stalking is literally a crime–“ He interrupts himself with a gasp and Jeongguk jumps slightly.
“What?” he asks, suddenly worried something is wrong.
“Namjoon is a lawyer, he could make sure those people are never allowed near you again. And anyone else that stalks you, for that matter.”
Jeongguk remembers Yoongi telling him about what Namjoon does. Seokjin had joined the conversation and the two of them had bragged and gushed about Namjoon for a solid ten minutes, much to Namjoon’s embarrassment. His face had been as red as a tomato and the kids had made fun of him, which only served to make his face even redder.
“It’s fine, hyung. You don’t need to bother him about this, I’m sure he has bigger, more important cases to work. I’ll tell my manager, though, but he won’t be able to do much either. But it’s not like I’m not used to this.”
Yoongi makes a noise in the back of his throat. “You saying that is so wrong on so many levels. You shouldn’t be used to something like this. I’m sorry.”
“Hyung, you don’t have to apologize. This isn’t your fault. Sometimes I do wish things were different but I chose this career, I should be able to handle it and everything that comes with it.”
“Jeongguk..” Yoongi sighs and doesn’t finish the sentence, instead he says, “I love you, so very much, okay? I’m here for you, you’re not alone.”
Tears once again prick at Jeongguk’s eyes but he doesn’t blink them away, instead lets them fall sideways down his face and soak into the pillow.
“I love you,” he chokes, voice thick with tears.
✧
The next morning, Jeongguk wakes up with a headache from crying the night before. His eyes feel swollen and when he looks in the mirror as he’s brushing his teeth, he can tell his whole face is swollen. He tries to settle it by splashing cold water on his face. It probably does little to help with the swelling but it does wake him up.
He goes into the kitchen to make himself some breakfast and swallow a headache tablet. Still feeling a little vulnerable from yesterday, he pops a single piece of toast into the toaster and calls that breakfast done, then sits down with it and a cup of coffee on the couch. He still has a few episodes left on his drama so he presses play on that and digs into his toast.
Today, he allowed himself a bit of a lie-in since Hoseok isn’t going to school, and it doesn’t take long for Hoseok to join him. Once again, he comes into the living room draped in a blanket, still in his pajamas.
“Good morning,” Jeongguk greets, then takes a sip of his coffee.
“‘Morning,” Hoseok says around a yawn.
Jeongguk puts down his coffee cup and reaches over to Hoseok, feeling his forehead with the back of his hand. He’s not burning up which hopefully means the worst of it is over.
“Are you hungry?” Hoseok nods. “Want me to make you something?”
This time he shakes his head and sits up more on the couch, looking like he’s about to stand up but not getting further than leaning forward. Jeongguk takes pity on him; he’s still recovering, still has little energy. He stands up.
“It’s fine, Hobi. You rest.” Hoseok leans back against the cushions again, looking grateful but also a little embarrassed. Jeongguk does him the favor of ignoring it. “How do you feel about no-effort toast?”
“Good.” He manages a smile and Jeongguk returns it before going back into the kitchen to make him his breakfast.
This time he pops two pieces of bread into the toaster and, when they pop up, put a couple of slices of cheese on each after buttering them. It’s more effort than what he put into his own breakfast, but Hoseok needs to make sure he eats properly to recover quickly. After filling a glass with some juice, he brings the food to Hoseok. Then he realizes he forgot the medicine and has to turn back for it. Once he actually has everything, he goes into the living room and hands it to Hoseok.
“Take the medicine first,” he says, then sits back down and grabs his coffee.
“Sorry you have to take care of me,” Hoseok mumbles after a while of eating in silence. He’s managed to eat one piece of toast and is nibbling on the second.
“Nonsense,” Jeongguk says. “Of course I’m gonna take care of you. I would even if you weren’t sick.”
Hoseok doesn’t respond, just continues nibbling on his toast. Jeongguk goes back to his drama, thinking the conversation is over, when Hoseok speaks up again.
“But you’re not my parent, you’re not required to take care of me.” He speaks quietly but the TV is on a low volume and it’s otherwise silent so Jeongguk hears him.
“Do you want to know why I’m doing it?” Hoseok nods, glancing at him. “Because I want to. And it’s not just because you’re my boyfriend’s son, okay? I care about you, Hobi, I want you to know I really do.”
Hoseok is silent again, staring down at the plate with the half-eaten piece of toast on it in his lap. Jeongguk doesn’t know why he feels embarrassed about being sick in front of Jeongguk, or maybe it’s because it is Jeongguk. Not only his dad’s boyfriend but also a famous idol. He doesn’t know how Hoseok sees him but hopes it’s more than an idol who’s music he listens to and who he sees on TV sometimes.
“Would you rather I’d dropped you off with your uncles than stay with you?” he asks gently.
He doesn’t mean for it to be judgemental in any way and hopes it doesn’t come across that way. He simply wants to know if he in any way can make things easier for Hoseok in the future.
Hoseok shakes his head, then shrugs.
“You can tell me if you ever feel uncomfortable with anything I say or do, I won’t take offense, I promise,” he adds because he feels like it’s important that Hoseok hears him say that, then leaves the topic be. If Hoseok wants to talk about it more at some point, they can.
Jeongguk gets immersed in his drama and barely registers when Hoseok leaves the room. He kind of wants to make popcorn but, one, it’s still early in the day and, two, he doesn’t know if Yoongi has any at home and he doesn’t feel like going out to buy some. He’ll have to make do with his coffee, though his cup is almost empty, but the show is too interesting to look away from.
Around lunchtime, Yoongi sends him a text asking if he’s been outside today. Jeongguk knows he’s referring to their conversation from last night, and not just asking to make sure he gets enough sunlight or something. He appreciates Yoongi checking in on him, but he’s going to have to disappoint him with his answer. Though, something tells him Yoongi already knows the answer to his own question.
‘No :(‘ Jeongguk sends back and Yoongi responds with the same sad emoticon. It strangely makes Jeongguk feel a little validated, like Yoongi is sympathizing with him. Still, he changes the topic and asks Yoongi what he’s up to. It leads to a nice conversation about Yoongi telling him about his day so far instead of an unpleasant one where Jeongguk has to relive a traumatic experience.
Hoseok comes back into the living room at some point, still in pajamas and looking like he just woke up. He comes and sits down beside Jeongguk on the couch.
“You’re still watching this drama?” he asks.
“It’s a good drama.” Jeongguk shrugs.
He doesn’t get much time between schedules to watch shows and indulge in his interests with how hectic his life has been over the years. But lately it’s slowed down a bit which means he has more time to do those things now, and he’s been taking full advantage of it and bingeing all the dramas he wants. As much as he likes his career and keeping himself busy with work, it’s nice to slow down sometimes, to sit back and do nothing. Though, at this point, he’s just waiting for it to lose its glory and for him to become bored and beg for some work to do. Maybe he should stay ahead of it and start planning an album for his comeback. He has to have one at some point.
Thinking about work now has him itching to get back to the studio. He wonders if Hoseok would mind being alone for a few hours.
“I wish we had a game console, then we could play games,” Hoseok says, then adds, “Uncle Jin and uncle Joon got Jimin and Tae one for their birthday last year.”
He’s pouting a little and it’s adorable. He’s clearly jealous of his friends for having a video game console while he doesn’t. At least now Jeongguk knows he would be happy receiving one if Jeongguk gets him one for his birthday.
“I’ll get you one for your birthday,” he says and Hoseok turns to him with wide eyes.
“I forget you’re rich,” he says, almost in awe.
It startles a laugh out of Jeongguk. Hoseok smiles sheepishly. Jeongguk wipes at his eye and takes a deep breath, calming down, then looks at Hoseok.
“But don’t tell your dad I said that, he won’t like it. If he doesn’t know about it until you already have it, there’s nothing he can do about it.” He grins mischievously and Hoseok giggles, then raises his hand for a high five. Jeongguk slaps his palm with his own, sealing their deal.
✧
Jeongguk hasn’t been able to stop thinking about how much he wants to go to his studio since earlier, he might just have to. But he doesn’t want to have to leave Hoseok alone, even though he knows he’ll be fine by himself for a couple of hours. He seems to be feeling a little better now, though, so maybe he won’t mind leaving the house for a bit.
Right, Jeongguk will have to leave the house to go to the studio. But it’ll only be a short moment and he’ll spend the majority of it in his car, it should be fine.
They’re currently cleaning up after having lunch. Jeongguk had made fried rice with whatever he found in the fridge, too lazy to make anything more complicated.
“Hey, have you ever wondered what the inside of an entertainment company looks like?” Jeongguk asks, finishing stacking the dirty dishes into the dishwasher.
Hoseok furrows his eyebrows in confusion. “I mean, I guess?” he says slowly.
“Would you want to find out?” Hoseok looks at him hesitantly, unsure of what he means. Jeongguk smiles a little. “Do you want to see my studio?”
Immediately, Hoseok lights up. “Really?” he asks, looking like he’s trying hard to contain his excitement at the thought of seeing Jeongguk’s studio.
“Yes. I was thinking of going in. Do you want to come with? I’ll show you around.” Hoseok furiously nods his head and Jeongguk laughs. “Okay. Go change out of your pajamas then and we’ll leave right away.”
Hoseok hurries out of the kitchen to his bedroom to presumably do as Jeongguk said. Jeongguk finishes cleaning the kitchen and goes to collect his phone and keys, then waits for Hoseok by the entrance. It doesn’t take long for him to join him and together they leave. Jeongguk is trying not to think about what going outside could potentially mean. He needs to not start associating it with bad things or he’ll actually never leave the house ever again. But now he’s only going down to the parking garage where he has his car parked in Yoongi’s spot while he’s away.
The drive to his company building is spent in silence, only the radio turned to a low volume filling the space, and they arrive in no time. He parks in the garage because it’s easier, and leads Hoseok to the elevators. Maybe he should’ve messaged his manager to tell him he’s bringing a kid to work but now they’re already here; he’s sure it’ll be fine.
They get off the elevator on the floor where his studio is located. Jeongguk figures while they’re here he might as well show Hoseok around properly, and tells him about the different areas as they pass through them and where different doors lead.
“My studio is on this floor along with a few other artists’ studios but obviously I can only show you mine.”
Hoseok is nodding along to what he’s saying, looking around curiously. When they turn down the corridor where Jeongguk’s studio is, there’s suddenly a different vibe than the rest of the floor. Jeongguk likes this corridor for that reason. Some other artists who he shares this space with like to collect art and they’ve put some of it up on the walls outside their studios. It makes the space feel more alive, instead of dark and boring. Hoseok inspects the art pieces as they pass.
Jeongguk stops by his own studio door and removes his shoes, then types in the code to the lock and opens the door. He pauses and looks at Hoseok.
“Take off your shoes, please.”
Hoseok hurries to follow his instructions and places his shoes in a neat line beside Jeongguk’s. Jeongguk opens the door wide and motions for Hoseok to enter first. He stops short at the threshold, looking around the space with wide eyes, his mouth falling open slightly in awe.
Jeongguk’s studio space isn’t much. There’s a couch and a big desk to fit all his equipment, and a comfortable desk chair because Jeongguk would take comfort over style any day. Along one wall stands a shelf decorated with a few nicknacks and figures. Hoseok makes a beeline for the shelf when he spots it. Jeongguk goes and sits in his chair.
“Wow,” Hoseok breathes, hovering his hand in the air like he wants to reach out and touch but isn’t sure he’s allowed. He turns to Jeongguk. “You collect Iron Man figures?”
“Not really collect but I do own a few. I have more at my apartment, these are just a couple.”
Hoseok gasps and turns back to inspect the figures some more. Jeongguk smiles to himself. He was being modest when he denied being a collector. If Hoseok was to see Jeongguk’s apartment, he’d surely never want to leave. He knows Hoseok is a fan of Marvel, it’s something they bonded over in the beginning. It’s fun having someone he can nerd out with and he bets Hoseok feels the same. Yoongi isn’t much for these things so Hoseok hasn’t really been able to share this interest with his dad. Jeongguk hopes he’s a good second option.
Eventually, Hoseok turns away from the shelf.
“Will you show me them sometime?” he asks, a little shyly, looking at Jeongguk through his lashes. Jeongguk tries hard not to coo at the sight; Hoseok is just too adorable.
He smiles warmly at him. “Of course,” he promises and Hoseok lights up in a big smile. Then he stands up and motions for Hoseok to come closer. “Come here and I’ll show you how I work if you want.”
Hoseok nods and walks over, and sits down in the chair when Jeongguk offers it to him. He himself kneels on the floor to be at the same level, then opens his software. It’s a little complicated to show someone who has no concept of how a song is made but Jeongguk tries his best to explain in as simple terms as he can. Hoseok seems to understand well enough.
“Can you show me something you’ve made? Or, I mean, I know you participate in making all your songs but, like, something no one has heard,” Hoseok asks, keeping his eyes on the screen.
Jeongguk considers for a moment, thinking what files he has saved that haven't become anything. There’s a lot. He’s always making melodies and beats when he gets the inspiration but not a lot of it makes it out of his drafts. He has a lot of stuff from his debut days that he doesn’t want to delete in case he ever wants to come back to it and rework it. There’s also some stuff from a few years ago when he met Yoongi again and the time after when he broke it off. The lyrics he wrote back then are depressing love songs, he doubts Hoseok wants to listen to that, especially because it’s about his dad.
Then he remembers something he wrote quite recently that he’s been meaning to come back to. He finds the file and hovers the cursor over it.
“It’s not much but,” he trails off and presses play.
He turns the volume up slightly on his speakers, then watches Hoseok’s reaction. He’s gently bopping along to the beat. There are no proper lyrics yet, only the guide lyrics Jeongguk sang in English. He can tell that Hoseok is trying to figure out what he’s saying.
Frowning, he tilts his head slightly. “It’s not Korean,” he realizes.
Jeongguk shakes his head. “It’s English.”
Hoseok turns to him, impressed. “You can speak English?”
“A little bit,” Jeongguk says in English and holds up a hand to show the amount between his fingers.
Hoseok stares at him in awe. Jeongguk chuckles and turns off the music, then he stands up from the floor and rubs his sore knees, and sits down on the couch.
“I’m gonna tell dad I want to learn English,” Hoseok says, mostly to himself.
“I’m sure he’ll love that idea.” Jeongguk smiles. Yoongi doesn’t know much English himself but he loves learning and would be delighted to know Hoseok wants to learn something new.
Hoseok spins around in the desk chair to face him. “Can I see more things?”
“In the building? Sure.”
They leave his studio and, after putting their shoes back on, Jeongguk begins the tour again. First, he points down the corridor in the opposite direction of where they came earlier.
“Down there is the gym but that’s boring to look at so we’ll go this way.”
He gently steers Hoseok back down the corridor, past all the artwork and back towards the elevators, and thinks of what would be fun for a teenager to see. There’s the cafeteria which is big and spacious but it’s a place where you eat and not much to look at. There’s the floors that have office spaces and conference rooms; also boring. Then there’s the huge studios that they use to film and shoot different content.
When they enter the elevator, he presses the button for the floor with the studios. Hoseok once again looks around at everything curiously when they get off the elevator at the new floor. Jeongguk keeps up his commentary of what different rooms and places are until they arrive at their destination. The doors to these studios are big and heavy, and Jeongguk pushes against one to open it.
“This is where the fun stuff happens,” he says as he holds the door open for Hoseok.
Hoseok walks inside and, after Jeongguk has turned on the lights, gapes at the size of the room. The walls are all white and one side of the room is largely empty while the other holds all kinds of equipment, such as cameras and lights. Hoseok walks farther into the room and makes a sound to test the acoustics. There’s a slight echo and Hoseok grins.
“This is so cool! This is bigger than our apartment,” he says.
He laughs and starts running to the opposite wall, touches his hand to it and runs back. Jeongguk chuckles but grabs him by the shoulders when he’s running past to stop him.
“Yes, but you’re still sick so take it easy. There’s one more place I wanna show you,” Jeongguk tells him.
It’s on the same floor so they walk past the elevators. Jeongguk knows Hoseok will like this the best. He opens the door and waits for Hoseok to step inside before turning the lights on. Hoseok gasps and runs to the middle of the room. It’s Jeongguk’s dance studio. All the artists in the building have their own and Jeongguk is pleased to say his is one of the bigger ones.
He walks up to the sound system and boots up the computer, then presses play on a song in his discography. Hoseok laughs, delighted, when the music starts playing through the speakers, and Jeongguk joins him in the middle of the room.
“Let’s go,” he shouts over the music. “Five, six, seven, eight!”
Hoseok starts dancing to the choreography for this particular song. It was why Jeongguk chose it, because he knows Hoseok knows it. Jeongguk also follows along to the choreo, standing a couple of steps behind Hoseok; he wants Hoseok to have the spotlight. He sees in the mirror how Hoseok has gotten a serious look on his face and smiles.
Then he makes a wrong move and struggles to catch up. He starts laughing and stops dancing altogether.
“You’re outdoing me!” he accuses, but without any real heat to it. Hoseok is an amazing dancer and Jeongguk loves seeing him in action.
Hoseok laughs, breaking his serious front, hits every beat to the last chorus, then stops to catch his breath. Jeongguk turns the music off and grabs a couple of water bottles from the mini fridge. He hands one to Hoseok and sits down on the floor. Hoseok is still catching his breath and a particularly deep breath he takes ends in a coughing fit. Jeongguk unscrews the cap to his water bottle for him and urges him to drink. Now he feels irresponsible, just moments ago he told Hoseok to take it easy since he’s still sick, then he allows him to dance the full choreo to a song. If Yoongi was here he’d scold them both.
Catching his breath again after his coughing fit, Hoseok sits on the floor beside Jeongguk.
“Thank you. This was fun,” he says, voice scratchy from the coughing but tone excited.
“Anytime you want to practice your dancing, just let me know and I’ll take you here. So much better than your living room since you’ll actually have space,” Jeongguk says with a warm smile.
Hoseok nods, gives him a shy smile, then looks away.
“Why are you suddenly shy?” Jeongguk exclaims.
Hoseok startles slightly and, when he sees Jeongguk’s expression – he’s purposefully making a ridiculous face to show he’s not mad – he giggles. “Sorry.”
Jeongguk smiles and waves him off. They sit in silence for a moment. Hoseok plays with the label on his water bottle, occasionally stifling a cough behind his hand. Jeongguk’s knees are starting to hurt from sitting cross-legged so he scoots across the floor so he can sit with his back against the wall of mirrors.
He watches Hoseok for a moment. Even though he knows Yoongi isn’t Hoseok’s biological dad, he can see so much resemblance between them. Maybe it’s because Hoseok’s biological dad was Yoongi’s brother, and Yoongi and his brother were very alike. They have the same button nose, similar eye smile. It’s endearing, like they’re a smaller and bigger version of each other, respectively.
“Has Yoongi ever told you that he used to be a trainee?” Jeongguk asks, suddenly remembering the little tidbit he wanted to share with Hoseok.
Hoseok shakes his head. “No. Like a trainee to become an idol?”
“Yeah. We were trainees together, your dad and I.”
“No way,” Hoseok breathes, looking surprised and also a bit like he’s questioning his entire existence.
Jeongguk waits a moment to let the information sink in.
“Why did he quit? ‘Cause I assume he did, since he works a boring office job and isn’t an idol. Oh my god, imagine my dad as an idol, I’m getting chills.”
Hoseok physically shivers at the thought and Jeongguk chuckles. “Yeah, it’s kinda hard to imagine now, isn’t it? But he was a great trainee, we had practice together all the time and even lived in the same dorm.”
“Cool,” Hoseok says and looks like he genuinely thinks it is. “What was dad like when he was younger?” he asks then.
Jeongguk feels fond thinking back on that time, the time before their breakup. “He wasn’t much different from now, to be honest. He was kind and thoughtful. Hardworking. We had the same dream of working within the entertainment industry and your dad was the one who made sure we got a chance at it. He dragged me along to all the auditions until we got accepted under the same company. He could be stubborn and hard on himself but I loved him. I was fully convinced he was the love of my life.”
“Dad has never mentioned he used to know you,” Hoseok says, brows furrowing like he’s still trying to wrap his head around all this.
A bittersweet feeling settles in Jeongguk’s chest. These days, thinking about the past doesn’t hurt so much. Maybe because he actually has Yoongi now, and they’re in a good place. Still, he has regrets and there are things he will never forgive himself for.
“Do you know the story of how your dad got you?” Jeongguk asks. When Hoseok nods, he continues, “Your dad had to make a choice, his career or you, and he chose you. That’s why he quit being a trainee, so he could take care of you. And it’s also the reason we fell apart and stopped talking. I was upset over his decision, even though I had no right to be, and we fought. We didn’t see or speak to each other for a long time.”
Hoseok is staring intently at the wall, a crease still between his brows. He’s silent for a long moment and Jeongguk gives him time to process. He can imagine this is a lot of information to receive about your own dad. Jeongguk hopes he didn’t cross a line by telling him all of this, especially without consulting Yoongi first. Maybe there’s a reason he hadn’t told Hoseok this himself; it is a private matter, after all.
Eventually, Hoseok blinks back to reality and says, “But now you’re together, and you seem happy.”
Jeongguk nods with a small smile. “Yeah, we are happy. You know, I believe there’s one person for you that’s meant to be your soulmate, if you will, and I think your dad is that for me. We’ve been through a lot of difficult times over the years but in the end we found our way back to each other. There’s gotta be something special in that.”
Hoseok looks at him with big eyes. “Soulmate.” He mouths the word to himself, as if testing out how it feels on his tongue. Then he seems to shake himself out of it and makes a grimace. “This is weird, hearing you talk about my dad like that.”
Jeongguk laughs. “I bet.” He stands up. “What do you say we get out of here and go get some food?”
He hadn’t realized just how much time they’ve spent at the company but his stomach is starting to let him know it’s nearing dinner time. Hoseok agrees and together they make their way down to the parking garage. Jeongguk decides they can indulge in takeout tonight and asks Hoseok to think of something he wants to eat. He chooses pizza, says it even before Jeongguk has finished asking his question, and he isn’t about to deny that. Pizza works anytime.
Once they’ve acquired their pizzas they go home to eat. While eating, they watch something other than Jeongguk’s drama for once. A Marvel movie, to be specific. It was Hoseok’s choice because, he said, after seeing Jeongguk’s Marvel figures, he really wanted to watch a movie.
“Who’s your favorite superhero?” Hoseok asks with his mouth full of pizza.
Jeongguk would chastise him for talking with food in his mouth but he’s supposed to be the cool hyung, not annoying dad.
“Iron Man,” he answers without a second thought.
Hoseok nods. “I like him too, but my favorite is Cap!” He makes a pose as if holding a shield up in front of himself.
“That means we’re enemies,” Jeongguk says, striking a pose where he holds up a hand as if about to shoot a beam from his suit.
“You mean like in Captain America: Civil War? That was so stupid, like, why couldn’t they just get along?” Hoseok huffs and Jeongguk laughs.
“That’s a good point. But then the problem would’ve been resolved quickly and that’s not fun for a movie,” he says.
Hoseok thinks about that for a moment, picking up another slice of pizza. “Well, maybe, but did they really have to have a fight at an airport?”
“I get the feeling you don’t like that movie very much,” Jeongguk laughs.
Making a noncommittal noise, Hoseok says, “Eh, it’s alright. But the best Marvel movie is by far the first Avengers movie.”
“Should we watch that one next?” Jeongguk asks.
Hoseok nods and they go back to silently watching the current movie they have on while finishing their food. After they’re done eating and watching, Hoseok grabs his phone and leaves the room, saying he’s gonna call Yoongi and tell him about his day.
Jeongguk sits back against the couch and gets lost in thought. It hasn’t even been a full week yet but he has enjoyed spending this time with Hoseok, despite Hoseok being sick. Since he’s feeling better, he’ll go back to school tomorrow. It will give Jeongguk an opportunity to go into the studio alone, to actually get some work done. Today he didn’t get to do anything, but he’s not upset over it. He had fun spending time with Hoseok. He’d say they’ve had some good bonding moments over the past couple of days.
He wants to do this all the time, wants this to be his reality every day, with Hoseok and Yoongi. Sure, he spends time here whenever he can, but he usually sleeps at his own place for convenience when he has to work. He doesn’t want that. He wants to spend every moment with the two of them. He never wants to have to miss Yoongi (even though he always will when he isn’t with him). Wants to wake up to him and go to sleep with him.
It’s maybe a little cheesy, Hoseok would definitely think it is, but Jeongguk is a romantic at heart. He’s also spent the better part of his life loving Yoongi, he wants to take advantage of every moment he gets with him.
Suddenly, an image of Yoongi waiting for him at the end of the aisle enters his mind, their friends and family lining the aisle as Jeongguk walks on a path laid out in flower petals toward the love of his life.
He quickly dispels the thought before it takes over his whole mind; it’s a little too early to be thinking about marriage, he tells himself.
Before any more crazy thoughts can enter his mind, Hoseok comes back into the room and sits down beside him.
“Dad said to tell you to call him later,” he tells Jeongguk.
He wonders what Yoongi could want to tell him, and hopes it’s nothing serious or bad. He probably only wants to say hi. “Okay.”
Later, he does call Yoongi, and it was as he suspected: “Just wanted to chat.” They end up talking until Yoongi falls asleep on the phone. Yeah, Jeongguk thinks, I’m home.
✧
The next day Hoseok goes back to school. He had asked Jeongguk if he couldn’t stay home the whole week, they didn’t need to tell Yoongi, but Jeongguk had to be responsible and say no. Hoseok is well enough to go back to school, so to school he will go. Hoseok had only grumbled about it a little. Jeongguk hopes it didn’t ruin his image of being the fun hyung too much in Hoseok's eyes.
But it means him being bored home alone. He no longer feels like going into the studio. It’s a good thing he left one of his acoustic guitars at Yoongi’s place once and never brought it back to his. He plays around on it now, strumming random notes and seeing if anything comes to mind. He’s been wanting to write something specific for a while but never really knew how to start. Now it’s as if he’s finally found the words for it. He grabs his notebook and begins.
It’s a song for Yoongi, because of course he has to write him a song. It’s the way in which he communicates, through songwriting.
Before he knows it, it’s Friday and the end of the week, which means Yoongi will come home. Hoseok gets home from school looking as excited about it as Jeongguk feels. He’s not even going to hide it; he’s missed Yoongi and needs him to know it.
When Yoongi comes home later in the evening, he’s barely made it through the door when he’s attacked into a hug by both of them. Hoseok squeezes Yoongi’s middle and Jeongguk puts his arms around both of them, closing his eyes and subtly burying his nose in Yoongi’s hair. Yoongi laughs and hugs them back, then struggles out of their hold saying he needs a shower.
Jeongguk goes to wait patiently in bed. He hears as Yoongi talks to Hoseok for a bit before saying goodnight to him, then he comes into the bedroom and slips into bed beside Jeongguk. Finally, Jeongguk gets to have him in his arms again. It’s only been five days since he last saw him, but it felt much longer.
He pulls Yoongi toward himself. Yoongi goes willingly, curling up against his side and rests his head on his shoulder.
“Did you and Hobi have fun this week?” he asks, gently tracing a pattern on Jeongguk’s arm with a finger.
“Yes. Though I doubt Hobi had much fun being sick half the time,” Jeongguk says.
“He had fun visiting your work, though. And he told me it was fun getting to talk to you like he did this week.”
Yoongi’s finger on his arm tickles a little but Jeongguk doesn’t make him stop. He adjusts himself slightly to be able to brush his hand through Yoongi’s shower-damp hair.
“Yeah, that’s been nice. We don’t really get opportunities to talk like that often, I feel like,” he says and it reminds him of the thoughts he had the other day. He wonders how he can best bring it up.
Yoongi hums in reply and it gets quiet. Jeongguk knows that if he asks, even if Yoongi says no, he won’t be mean about it or judge Jeongguk for wanting to do something like that so soon. Personally, he doesn’t think it’s too soon. It’s been a year since they got back together.
“What are you thinking about?” Yoongi asks, switching his gentle tracing on Jeongguk’s arm to stroke his tummy.
“Hyung,” Jeongguk starts and Yoongi hums, “ask me to move in with you?”
Yoongi’s hand freezes on his stomach and Jeongguk holds his breath. He’s still for a moment, then he lifts himself up on his elbow to be able to look at Jeongguk properly. His gaze flits between his eyes; Jeongguk holds his gaze.
“You want to move in together?” he asks eventually.
Jeongguk nods, bites his lip. He can’t read Yoongi’s expression. Just then, a smile starts pulling on Yoongi’s lips, growing bigger and bigger until his gums show. It’s Jeongguk’s favorite smile and seeing it makes him want to smile too. Yoongi places a hand on his cheek.
“I’d love to move in with you, baby.”
Jeongguk smiles but shakes his head. “No, you have to ask me.”
Yoongi frowns in confusion but doesn’t question it. “Jeongguk, will you move in with me?” he asks, stroking his thumb over Jeongguk’s cheekbone.
Surging forward, Jeongguk captures Yoongi’s lips in a kiss. “Yes,” he says against them, then kisses him again and again and again.
He continues to kiss him as he gently pushes Yoongi onto his back and climbs on top of him. Yoongi circles his arms loosely around his neck, bringing them even closer together. They kiss for a long while, and it’s just that: kisses. Jeongguk doesn’t mind, they have all the time in the world.
Eventually, Yoongi pulls away. He stays close, though, his forehead touching Jeongguk’s.
“There’s so much we need to talk about,” he breathes into the space between them.
“I know, but we have time,” Jeongguk responds, equally quiet, then dips back down for more kisses.
The next morning at breakfast, Hoseok looks at them weirdly when he sits down at the table across from them.
“Why are you acting strange?” he asks.
Yoongi laughs, surprised. “Strange?”
“Yeah, you’re being all smiley towards each other.” He makes a disgusted face and both Yoongi and Jeongguk laugh.
“Aren’t we always like that?” Jeongguk asks.
Hoseok seems to think about it for a moment, taking a bite of his food. “It’s more than usual.”
“Are we not allowed to be happy and in love, Hoba?” Yoongi asks, raising an eyebrow teasingly.
Hoseok makes a face. “Only happy. I don’t know about ‘in love’.”
Jeongguk leans back in his chair laughing so hard it almost topples over. Yoongi saves him from ending up in a heap on the floor, hissing, “careful.”
“You’re funny, Hobi,” he tells him, then looks at Yoongi. He can physically feel his chest swell with the love he feels for him, and for Hoseok. “I can’t wait to have this every day.”
Yoongi smiles and kisses him. Hoseok groans at the display of affection then pauses.
“Wait what? What do you mean, hyung?”
Jeongguk and Yoongi share a knowing smile, then Jeongguk turns to Hoseok and says, “I think you’ll like having my Marvel figurine collection close.”
Before Hoseok can comment or ask about that, Yoongi turns on him. “You can not bring that collection with you. You have over a hundred figures in it! It won’t fit.”
Huffing, Jeongguk looks back at him. “That is such an exaggeration, hyung, and you know it. It all fits on one shelf, don’t be dramatic.”
“I can be dramatic if I want to be,” Yoongi challenges. Jeongguk bites his lip to stop a smile from taking over.
Hoseok is still looking between them, as confused as ever. “Is either of you going to tell me what you’re talking about?”
“No,” Yoongi and Jeongguk say in unison. Hoseok huffs and falls back against his chair
“I’ll tell you what,” Jeongguk says to Yoongi. “I’ll buy us a bigger place. How about that?”
“I don’t get why we can’t just move to your place,” Yoongi says.
“Because it’s not home.”
Yoongi’s expression softens and he brings a hand to Jeongguk’s cheek. “Okay,” he relents. “We’ll figure something out.”
“I got it,” Hoseok says loudly, startling them both. “You’re moving in together.”
“No, Hobi, we’re moving in together,” Yoongi corrects gently. “You are a part of it.”
Hoseok looks down to hide his coloring cheeks. “I knew that,” he mumbles. Jeongguk smiles.
Yoongi puts his hand back on his cheek, making Jeongguk turn to him. He leans forward and kisses him.
“I love you.”
Jeongguk smiles against his lips. “I love you, my little family.”