9
the first time they meet, it's embarrassing.
it's unintentional; he's rushing to class and all of a sudden, there's this thing lying on the floor and blocking his way. of course he trips, and of course he's sorry about it, and he wishes he could make a proper apology, but he's so embarrassed about this awkward scenario that he ends up mumbling a weak "sorry", before scampering off like a frightened mouse.
he hopes that he never meets that person again, so that they'll never call him out and bring up this terrible memory.
》》
the second time they meet, things are kind of...interesting.
he's not really a fan of approaching people, but his cactus is important, and so he picks up the courage to walk to the greenhouse on an early tuesday evening, fingers rubbing against the side of the terra cotta pot.
"um—excuse me?"
"hello, yes, public officer of green committee, botanist major, protector of plants, jung hoseok here," he mutters out monotonously. "how can i help you?"
he's kind of intimidating. maybe yoongi should turn and leave, google how to take care of your dying cactus and pray to the gods. or maybe seokjin can help, since seokjin's a doctor and all. "i, um..."
"yes?" shit, he's annoyed, and yoongi kind of wants to abort the mission and sink back into the ground. he certainly doesn't want to bother the other if they're busy, but it's already too late; they're waiting on him for an answer.
"i think my cactus is dying." silence. "i kind want to save it. if—it's possible."
hoseok looks up, and he has a starstruck look on his face. yoongi blinks repeatedly, not quite sure of what to say, so he just repeats himself. "is it—is it too late?"
"did you say that was a cactus?" he cocks his head to the side and stands up.
yoongi nods curtly. "my roommate," (goddamn you, kim seokjin.) "told me to get a plant. so i got this cactus in chinatown—the seller said it was from california."
"...that's not a cactus. that's a darlingtonia californica."
what the fuck is that.
"...also known as the cobra lily. y'know. carnivorous plant. eats flies and meat."
what the fuck.
"so, um, is it too much for you? i guess i can find a place to take care of it."
eying the plant warily, yoongi holds it out in front of him. "i—are they hard to care for? i mean, i bought...it. i might as well."
hoseok beams, hands clapping together. "not really! just water it, feed it meat (like hamburgers, or bugs, or just stuff you eat) once a week—don't stick anything else in its leaves, and it'll thrive. you might have to changer pots if it gets bigger, but just—keep it in light. treat it like a regular plant."
yoongi would give it away, but he spent a good chunk of cash on that stupid plant, so he might as well toughen up and take care of it. if anything, he can always blame seokjin. "i guess. i can't abandon it." he says, shoulders sagging.
"if you need help taking care of it, you can always call me! did i give you my name? it's ho—"
"— seok, public officer of green committee, botanist major, protector of plants," yoongi mumbles offhandedly, before drawing his arms back in. "i think i'll be okay." he hums out, shuffling his feet together. "thanks for letting me know, hoseok. i'll drop by if i need anything."
he turns to go, stopping at the sound of hoseok's frantic words. "it's nothing! nice meeting you, um—uh—i don't know your name—" and god he sounds so awkward and gross and—
yoongi doesn't think this is really necessary, as they'll probably never talk again. nevertheless, he gives it out anyways. "yoongi. it's yoongi." a pause. "it's nice to meet you too."
》》
the third time they meet, it's kind of...weird.
"h—hi, yoongi!" hoseok yells, his voice cracking, free hand waving wildly.
yoongi looks up from the floor, footsteps coming to a stop as blank eyes stare inquisitively at him. he's not quite sure why this over-enthusiastic boy is greeting him when they barely know each other, but to be polite, yoongi returns the gesture.
"hi, hoseok."
and then he walks to class.
》》
things get kind of weirder from there. yoongi starts seeing him everywhere, all of a sudden at his door, on his way to class, at the bustop, at the cafe, and on the bus. it's like some disease that spreads everywhere from initial contact. yoongi is mildly concerned, but hoseok doesn't seem to have any bad intentions, so yoongi doesn't say anything about it.
"...do you want to sit?" comes an awkward question, yoongi's eyes flickering back and forth between the empty seats up front and the one next to him, his hands already grasping the straps of his backpack. he's not quite sure why hoseok would choose to stand when there's about twenty empty spots, perhaps he doesn't like to be alone, enjoying the company of others. (which is ironic, considering yoongi is possibly the worst companion that one could find.)
"no!" hoseok shoots down his question quickly. well, jesus, okay then. "i mean—i—i like to stand, you know, keep the circulation going," he babbles on, a hand reaching out to grab the metal pole above. "i just—saw you! sitting alone and i, thought i'd drop by to say hi—coincidental, isn't it, hah."
yoongi only shrugs, hands releasing the bag to rest on his orange textbook. the bus lurches forward, and hoseok looks like he's struggling.
yoongi rests his head against the window, gazing outside. he likes watching the scenery, how people pass by so peacefully. it would've been relaxing for yoongi, if only he didn't find himself locking eyes with hoseok every three seconds. it would be kind of rude to call him out on it, because there's always a possibility that hoseok's looking in the same direction he is, and the last thing yoongi would want to do is to wrongly accuse him of...staring.
the bus turns sharply; one moment yoongi is looking at the sidewalks, the next minute, hoseok's face is in full view as his body sprawls across yoongi's lap. to make matters worse, hoseok is gazing at him intensely, and yoongi feels like it's deja vu. like, he's been in this scenario before, where they gazed at one another intently, and—oh. he's the guy yoongi tripped over.
oh, shit.
he wants to melt into the ground, hoping that hoseok doesn't remember him from a few weeks earlier. hoseok still hasn't moved, eyes still dazed, and oh my god, what if he realizes the same thing that yoongi realized—and then he'll talk about it—and—yoongi coughs hot air billowing into hoseok's face in a desperate attempt to distract him.
"i'm so sorry, it was unintentional, i swear, i didn't—"
eyes diverted to the floor, yoongi leans over to hook his arms over his backpack and tug it onto his lap, leaving the seat empty. "i think you should sit down." he says, trying to keep his voice steady. he's positively vibrating, trying his best to not seem nervous.
hoseok nods his head repeatedly, taking a seat next to yoongi. yoongi attempts to pretend that nothing happened.
which is easy, until yoongi catches the reflection of hoseok's phone on screen, and reads the words: I WANTED TO KISS HIM TO BAD
surely. it's not. him, right?
I WANT TO KNOW HIM MORE AAAAAHHH
....it's not yoongi, it can't be. they have zero connection, no moments with each other. they're simply strangers that happen to bump into each other, yoongi wants to think, ignoring the sight of hoseok's eyes drilling holes into the side of yoongi's head. it doesn't make sense, why jung hoseok would ever show interested in min yoongi, the most boring person to exist since the beginning of time.
the bus comes to a stop in front of the university, and yoongi turns his head to glance at hoseok. "my stop's here."
"oh—okay—" hoseok mumbles, scooting out of the seat to allow yoongi into the middle.
he takes a few steps forward, before turning back. "you're not going to class?"
"nah, my stop's a little ahead; i'm going to...a...bakery! great drinks, really craving."
and he's contemplating whether or not to call hoseok out on his weird staring and text messages, but yoongi likes to give it the benefit of the doubt in order not to make things awkward. "photograph by offonoff is also really nice, if you haven't listened to it." he says instead, before turning around and walking out of the open doors.
》》
"hi," hoseok mumbles, cheeks a bright pink.
"hi," yoongi says back, hardly audible.
hoseok makes a smart decision to sit behind him, today. yoongi applauds inside his mind.
it makes things less awkward for him, enabling him to relax a little more, and it's not long before the lull of the bus pulls him to sleep. until they hit a pothole and yoongi jolts awake. his eyes flicker open, sleepily finding himself gazing at hoseok's reflection through the bus window, a dreamy look in his eyes as he leans into the edge of the bus seat. he looks terribly dorky, and for some odd reason, yoongi finds it endearing.
he bites back a small smile, diverting his attention down to his lap.
》》
it's been one hour, and yoongi can only make out the first 3 digits of hoseok's phone number. it's not that his handwriting is ugly, or unreadable, it just...doesn't look korean. yoongi's eyes divert back and forth between the sweater and the poorly-written scrap of paper, before giving up and knocking on seokjin's door.
"what?"
"i can't read this."
seokjin snatches the paper away from his hands, head tilting to the side as he studies the writing. "you know, this really looks like hoseok's handwriting. it just...speaks out to me."
"what are you, a shaman?" yoongi snorts.
lips pursed together, he leans over to grab a pen, smoothing out the crumpled sheet of paper as he begins to decipher the mess. "don't mock me and my spiritual connections, yoongi. you'll come begging for me to read your future one day."
"i doubt you could get it right."
eye twitching, seokjin yanks yoongi's hand, fingers rubbing against the crevices in his palm. "i...i see...a lot of sudden coincidences...a ray of light is about to change your life..."
jung hoseok?
seokjin squeezes his hand, suddenly leaning in closer. "so, have you like, been meeting up with a so-called 'jung hoseok' a little more often than usual?"
what the fuck. there's no fucking way seokjin should know that—there's no way he has any spiritual connections or can see the future or shit like that, considering he's the most rational person on earth. kim seokjin believing in spirits is like, min yoongi becoming a buddhist monk. it's not possible. scandalized, he withdraws his hand, pretending not to be shook at seokjin's accuracy. "no," he huffs out. "you're terrible at bullshitting."
the great thing about kim seokjin is that he's super dense, despite having really big brains. the older male pouts, bottom lip jutted out as he turns back to the chicken crawl "are you sure that you two haven't been meeting? do you even know what he looks like?"
kind of short, weird-mouth-cheek-dimple things (honestly, yoongi's not sure where they're located), messy black hair, and a smile that can power a city. yeah, that's jung hoseok.
"i've seen him around," yoongi throws out vaguely, childishly not wanting to prove seokjin right.
"huh, that's odd," seokjin hums out, before clicking his pen.
"do you like, know him or something?"
"yeah...we kind of, uh, share a best friend."
"share a best friend? what the fuck is that supposed to me—"
"here," the other jabs the paper at his chest, cutting him off short. "i think the last number is a five, but it could also be a six, or even a weird eight. i tried my best, if it's the wrong number, then blame whoever gave you the paper.
yoongi takes the paper, tucking it in his hands. "thanks, hyung."
"wow, you're such a snake. you only use honorifics when you want something from me," seokjin scowls, swiveling in his chair.
blowing him a kiss, yoongi grins as he turn around, pulling out his cellphone to text the number while he walks back to his room.
jung hoseok(?)
is this hoseok's number?
hoseok replies by the time yoongi settles back in his back in his bed.
yeah, it's hoseok.
is this yoongi?
: )
hi, yes, this is yoongi.
i finished sewing your hoodie.
when are you free? i can come by the apartment to pick it up.
yoongi's about to question "how the fuck do you know my apartment", because not to be mean, or make any assumptions, but it sounds like hoseok's stalking him and that's a little. creepy. then again, seokjin did say they share a best friend, so maybe yoongi's just highkey overreacting, and that's probably how hoseok knows about yoongi and seokjin being roommates.
or maybe hoseok's like, a sasaeng.
i get out of class after one, then i'm home.
i get out at three, so i'll bus straight there.
okay. just tell me about ten minutes before you come.
alright, see you tomorrow, yoongi!
see you.
he's so enthusiastic. yoongi's wondered if he should be worried.
》》
jung hoseok(?)
i'll be there in 10! i'm getting on the bus!
okay.
things probably would've been better if busan didn't decide to attack his fucking plant at the last 2 minutes, causing him to screech in distress as he attempts to cut in between the feud between the two stupid organisms. by the time he successfully detaches the cat away from the plant, the doorbell buzzes, and yoongi rushes out of the hall to open the door, busan squirming around in his arms. fuckfuckfuck this is so embarrassing he looks like a mess. trying to calm down, yoongi sucks in his breath and forces out a small: "oh, hoseok. hi."
"h-hi," hoseok stutters, and wow, yoongi isn't the only nervous mess around here. it's kind of sadistic, but it actually makes him feel a little better about himself.
"my arms are full of this lazy lump right here, but rest assured, cat hair isn't on your jacket." yoongi drawls out, swiveling on his heels to walk away from the door. he winces internally at home ugly he sounds right now, like some cheap host trying to show hoseok his not-that-great pad.
"thanks," hoseok mumbles, collecting it in his arms. "what happened to your plant?"
"busan kept on trying to poke at it, so i had to take it to my room and lock it for the sake of both of their health."
"...busan?"
"this." yoongi announces nonchalantly, lifting up the cat.
"you named your cat after a city?" he sounds condescending. "sorry, it's just—"
yoongi sighs out, one hand stroking the cat's fur. goddamn seokjin for naming the stupid cat busan, because now they always have to explain why their cat isn't given some cute name like "soonshim" or "sashimi" or something but instead, it's named after a city. busan, out of all the cities, which isn't even a nice-sounding word. he launches into a vague explanation about their "gay friendship trip", pausing to breathe, the faint shade of pink coloring his face, "yeah."
goddammit, he's rambling, and now he probably looks stupid in front of jung hoseok.
hoseok stares at him, (wow, yoongi, way to go, he silently wails, now hoseok thinks you're a weirdo!!!) before he looks down and starts to rummage around in the pockets of his varsity jacket. after a few seconds, he pulls out a ticket, sliding it over. "the showcase for all male choreo is tonight, at 7, and, um, this is kind of like a thank you card? i choreographed the opening routine, so you should totally come! you know, if you're free, and all, um, yeah." he croaks out, rubbing the nape of his neck.
it's yoongi's turn to stare at him, not really knowing how to respond. it's not that he doesn't like being asked to go to social outings, because realistically, it's a nice thing to do, but it's the fact that he's hardly ever asked to go. the fact that jung hoseok, some guy he barely knows, is asking him—
ohmygodishetryingtoaskmeout? yoongi's half panicking now, because wow, this is a whole new situation. the dating territory isn't something yoongi ventures in, and all of a sudden comes this guy who causally barges in yoongi's life and is all asking him out and shit. hoseok straightens up abruptly, and it startles the yoongi, who shrinks back into the corner of the kitchen.
"um, it was pleasant seeing you, as always," he says a little formally, (scratch that, he's not hitting on yoongi) taking steps backwards. "thanks, again, for the hoodie, it looks great! see, you, you should come, if you want, i'm not forcing you or anything, but it'd be nice, you know, um, yeah," hoseok babbles on, before turning around and rushing to the door, slipping on his shoes and hurrying out of the room.
okay so, maybe yoongi's mildly overthinking, and maybe jung hoseok is genuinely a nice guy that wants to show yoongi his gratitude by giving him a free ticket. maybe jung hoseok's just some dude who finds yoongi kind of cool and wants to be friends with him, and that's fine. that's kind of bizarre, as yoongi has no idea why anyone would want to be friends with him, but it's fine. yoongi should make a new friend, too, considering it's senior year and kim seokjin's going to be bored of how clingy he is.
okay. yeah. yoongi will go, then. friends support friends, right? kind of? sort of?
busan yowls, head turning to stare at him with a knowing look.
》》
ohgodohgodohgod, he's late, he's late, fuck, stupid bus schedules. yoongi can hear the music playing already, and he'd feel so awful if he missed out on the intro that hoseok so-carefully-emphasized.
baby coming home, MYK's soft voice rings out, and yoongi pushes the doors and steps in, cringing at how much light spills into the dark theater. people turn their head and stare at him, and his head ducks sheepishly as he looks around for an empty seat, succeeding in scoring the seat in the far corner.
arm movements here and there, capturing the audience' attention with each flourish, and yoongi finds himself hypnotized as hoseok jerks backwards, he's no dance critic, or knows anything about dance, but wow, that was really fucking good. maybe it's simple to dancers, but yoongi swears that if he ever attempted at it, he'd look like an ugly chicken.
eyes wide and lips parted open, yoongi finds himself nodding along to the beat, his eyes trailing over the whole crew, and occasionally landing on hoseok.
they finish eventually finish, and a couple of the guys group together in front of the stage, introducing themselves one by one. hoseok stands up, and says: "hello, i'm jung hoseok, your hope!"
it's kind of gay, but it's cute, so yoongi supposes it's justifiable.
they talk a lot, but yoongi's not paying attention; his eyes are focused on jung hoseok and how good (wow that sounds gay) he looks, in gray joggers and a stussy jacket. he looks like a nice/friendly fuckboy, the kind of guys that look really attractive but actually approachable.
(there's also a lot of cute guys in the dance crew, and yoongi's wondering why he's missed out these past few years. then again, someone as antisocial as him wouldn't ever have a chance with any of them. maybe the closest he'll ever get is a facebook friend request.)
the dances and the music start again, and yoongi's moving around in his own little space without realizing it, mouthing the lyrics and awkwardly shuffling around to the beats.
a slow song comes up, and yoongi calms down, only nodding his head and singing along silently. there's a sudden rustle of movement next to him, and it causes yoongi to glance over and jump, hands flying up to clutch his chest. he clears his throat, glancing back and forth between the empty seat next to him and hoseok.
now, it's kind of awkawrd for him and frankly, yoongi would've preferred to enjoy this showcase alone, where he can be free to jam along without any judgment—especially from a choreographer. but moving would be kind of rude, considering hoseok gave him these tickets, and so yoongi decides against it.
hoseok breaks the ice. he leans over towards yoongi (which, unfortunately triggers his social defense system and results in him stiffening) and whispers: "you actually came! i didn't think you'd come."
yoongi nips his bottom lip, before slowly turning to face him with a serious look on his face. "i—i wasn't planning to come, but it'd be a waste of tickets and i didn't know who else would want them, so um, yeah. i had nothing to do, so might. might as well come." he mumbles, before shrinking back into his seat. which is mostly the truth. mostly.
"is this your first showcase?" yoongi nods, albeit hesitantly. "you've been at this school for how long, and you didn't come to any of the great performances? i'm mildly offended," hoseok teases, clearly trying to be friendly.
"senior year makes you do things." yoongi shrugs, tentatively.
"you're a senior? i thought we were the same age?!" well shit, hoseok isn't a senior?
"what are you, a freshman?"
"i'm a junior," he squawks indignantly, and yoongi laughs at how endearing he is. (but really, yoongi lowkey thought he was a senior all this time.)
he clears his throat, gazing at hoseok sternly. "is that so? i guess you have to call me hyung."
"okay, yoongi hyung." he says with a cheeky grin. what a brat.
yoongi's eyes travel back to the stage to watch, nodding along to the beats, stopping once he catches hoseok's gaze on him. there's that stupid feeling again, where yoongi's stomach twists and pulls, and he isn't sure if hoseok's romantically interested in him, or he's just amused by yoongi's tactics as a friend. kind of like what seokjin does, sometimes. and so, he's not sure if he should call out hoseok, and be like "hey bro i know ur staring at me lmao do u like me" or if that would make things awkward, as hoseok would recoil back in horror and tilt his head to the side like "bro i'm trying to be ur friend because u look pitiful and lonely" and yoongi would melt to the ground in shame.
he ends up saying nothing, and they watch side by side, occasionally brushing arms if one of the shift, and if someone viewed from afar, it's probably the most painfully ambiguous things in the history of two-people-together, and it somewhat bothers yoongi how blurred the lines are between flirting and casual contact.
he gets up to leave, and yoongi looks up questioningly. hoseok gives him an apologetic smile, leaning in to whisper "i have to go, my solo's coming up."
oh.
yoongi waves his hand, positioning at his waist so that it isn't very obvious, and hoseok waves back, and slipping away to go change.
it takes a moment, but yoongi decides that they're friends, and that he's just delusional.
》》
hoseok
yoongi hyung!
i heard seokjin's not coming home : (((
yoongi's in the middle of lying down on the bed and making bad life choices, such as clicking on the first episode of a 5-season tv series.
yeah, he told me.
is there food? ;o do you know how to cook?
i have basic survival skills. ramen it is.
hes kind of naggy, like seokjin.
oh, that's good. tbh, if i lived with seokjin, i would never know how to cook.
i'd just eat. : )
me, all the time.
yoongi shuts off his phone and turns back to his laptop, clicking play. to his annoyance, his phone buzzes again a few minutes later.
hey, can i drop by? i have extra carp bread, and i wanna leave some for you and seokjin
especially since he's kind of stressed and all.
isn't it late?
nah, this is nothing for me.
i'll uber. : )
it's kind of rude to say no to such a thoughtful gesture.
i mean..i guess.
twenty minutes later, there's a knock on the door.
"hey," yoongi mumbles, stepping aside. hoseok slides his shoes off, shuffles to the kitchen, and places the warm carp bread down. "those are custard, those are red bean, those are taro," he points to the three divided bags. "i got some for, um, you."
yoongi blinks, mouth open. "oh, you didn't need to—"
"eat up with me!" he adds cheerfully.
yoongi thought this would be a drop-off-delivery-and-dash. not a social party. he opens his mouth to protest, before reaching out for the red bean carp bread, nibbling on it. they munch in resumed silence, yoongi looking everywhere but hoseok, hoseok (trying to be subtle but failing) with his sneak glances. the ice isn't broken until something clatters on the floor, causing yoongi to widen his eyes and scramble out with a loud yell of "kim busan!"
he's scrambling back to his room, only to witness the piece of shit dipping his paw into the hole of the poor plant, clearly harassing it.
"dari didn't conset to your nasty filth, you dumb cat," yoongi snaps, causing the cat to shrink away, tail flickering as if it wasn't guilty of messing around, when yoongi clearly said no 500 times. "i told you to leave the plant alone! that thing can eat you!" he growls, on arm sliding around the cat, and lifting it to his chest. " i swear to god, you're such a troublemaker, i should've never spoiled you the other day, you don't deserve this." he rants, pressing busan tight to his chest as he makes his way down again. "dari doesn't deserve your harassment." comes a huff, as yoongi emerges from the hallway, his lips pouty and annoyed. busan, uncaring as ever, leans over to lick yoongi's carp bread. what an asshole.
glancing back at hoseok, who looks like he's enjoying yoonig's misery, the older male flushes lightly, lifting the cat up to hide his face. "cats and flesh eating plants don't go together well. i should've gotten a spiky cactus."
"the combination can't be that bad." hoseok reprimands.
yoongi's jaw drops, peeking back out from behind the lazy lump. "are you kidding me? you don't even know how troublesome it is, trying to keep your cat from lodging its paw in the hole."
"tell me about it."
a hand reaching out for a taro carp bread, yoongi takes a bite out of it, chewing thoughtfully before he talks. "one time, i came home—and this is when dari was still on the sink—and found the cat trying to dip its paw in, and i freaked out so much, that seokjin had to put the plant in the cat carrier—can you believe it? he values the cat more than my poor, defenseless cat! (i mean, it's not defenseless, but still!) and i had to literally guard the poor plant until i could carry it safely to my room, and even then the evil thing was still trying to attack my poor dari..."
hoseok props his arm on the counter and watches him talk, his cheek smushed against the palm of his hand, and yoongi trails off once he realizes hoseok's not really listening; he's staring at yoongi with this dreamy look in his eyes, and yoongi doesn't know how to respond to it. his words become slower and smaller, and still, hoseok seems hypnotized by this stupid image of yoongi ranting about a lame plant and cat.
theoretically, yoongi doesn't have any charm or appeal, so he doesn't see why anyone would be romantically interested in him, much less someone as cheerful and hyper as jung hoseok, who looks like he could persuade anyone into dating him (including much better candidates).
"it's, um, getting late. you should probably go home." yoongi mumbles out, awkwardly, eyes flickering to stare at his cat.
hoseok takes a look at the clock. "oh, yeah. i should."
yoongi's resumes back to his usual, quieter self, not quite sure what to say or how to take this in. hoseok shuffles out the door, and yoongi trails behind him, busan placed down on the floor.
shoes slip back on, jacket zips up. hoseok steps outside, turning to look at him a final time. "we—" he croaks out, clearing his throat, shoulders rolling backwards. "we—should do this more often. it was fun, hyung."
hoseok stands his ground and waits, looking expectantly at yoongi, and it totally doesn't sound like a cheesy k-drama line or anything. totally. it's not like an invitation for another meeting like this, where hoseok just stares at him like he's found "the one" and yoongi pretends to be oblivious, kind of nervous and confused like some high school girl from a cheesy anime.
but truth to be told, yoongi kind of likes hanging out with hoseok, even if he doesn't understand hoseok's intentions and acts all awkward around him. he likes how comfortable he can slowly become with hoseok, even if they're not talking about anything deep or personal, and he likes how fun hoseok can be. it's a contrast to his boring, drab life of introverted computer science majors, and it's kind of nice. so honestly, yoongi does like spending time with him, and he wouldn't mind growing closer to hoseok (despite the fact that jung hoseok is occasionally kind of creepy.)
"...yeah. yeah, we should."
》》
yoongi eventually learns that "kim seokjin and jung hoseok's shared best friend" is kim namjoon, a dorky third year architecture student, and that he's yoongi's cooking partner, and a terribly incompetent cook.
"coconut milk, namjoon, not cow milk, jesus—"
"listen, i study shapes and design, not food," namjoon complains as he pours the milk inside the bowl and somehow spills part of it outside. yoongi snickers lightly, proceeding to slide his chopped up potatoes into the bowl.
there's something easy-going about kim namjoon that makes it easy to mellow out and talk to him. it's like, walking weed. kim namjoon is literally the human embodiment of marijuana. it's nice that yoongi paired him up with namjoon; makes things easier to work with, as yoongi literally directs him on what to do and he just complies.
a wild shriek fills in the air, causing yoongi to look up. hoseok's laughing next to seokjin, hand waving it off or something, while seokjin looks like he's clearly annoyed as he applies ointment on hoseok's skin. yoongi is mildly concerned, but namjoon wails quietly, and his eyes direct back to what looks like a burning pot.
"oh my god, what did you do—why is there no water in the post, my god, this is basically potatoes and air— "
"it was taking too long, so i just turned up the heat and when i came back, this happened—"
yoongi's half-laughing, half-internally-dying as he stares at the potatoes, practically stuck to the bottom of the pot. "i...you know, you're something, namjoon."
things flow rockily, but manageable: yoongi attempts to fix namjoon's mishaps, until things become terrible as yoongi (accidentally) messes up, and the two of them end up squeaking at seokjin for help. seokjin walks over with an annoyed cloud over his head as he has to help joon, yoongi meets hoseok's gaze and the two of them stare back at their chicken, flustered. mainly because, wow, is hoseok watching his demise? this isn't something worthy of being noticed.
seokjin's teaching namjoon how to cut onions paasive-aggressively (which is quite the sight), his hands sliding around namjoon's ones as they cut down. namjoon has the ecstatic, shy smile of content on his face as he wiggles backwards into seokjin, and it's kind of cute, despite the fact that seokjin and namjoon are hogging up nearly 3/4 of the workspace, leaving yoongi inching to the edge of the table. yoongi raises his head up, trying his best not to notice how intently hoseok is looking at him instead of the adorable sight besides him. he's 60% sure that hoseok may or may not be into him (as weird as it sounds), but there's always chance for variables.
"okay, it's time to start the taste-testing session!"
namjoon nudges yoongi and points at hoseok's dish, mumbling the fact that he "doesn;t know anyone else in the room" and "would rather not approach a random stranger". yoongi's never related to anyone as strongly as he has to kim namjoon.
"hey, uh, do you—wanna try it?" hoseok mumbles offhandedly, eyes staring at the ground. is he nervous? he shouldn't really, yoongi muses to himself. after all, it's just yoongi and namjoon.
"it looks like you ejaculated curry all over the rice. seokjin said a drizzle—that's nothing close to a drizzle."
the statement causes yoongi to snort loudly, but regardless of the sexual comment, yoongi spoons the rice and curry and takes and bite of it anyways.
"it's actually really good," yoongi hums out genuinely, taking another bite for good measure.
"why don't you cook like this at home?" namjoon complain, swallowing to flash him a wry grin. "this stuff is bomb, hobi."
"hobi?" it's cute. yoongi peers curiously at hoseok.
"it's, um, my nickname," hoseok explains hastily. "hope, hobi."
"ah.." yoongi nods slowly, just as seokjin announces for them to clean up. "hobi," he drawls out slowly, and there's a nice, clean ring to it.
(hobi, hobi, hobi, hobi. brrrrrAH i got broads in atlanta. yoongi winces at himself.)
》》
the plan was supposed to be this: kim seokjin introduces yoongi to two of his really good friends over dinner, so that yoongi gets more friends, and can kind of stop being an antisocial piece of trash for the rest of his life.
"...hey, hyung?"
seokjin turns to face face yoongi, trying to keep the smile on his face as he ignores the look of terror on hoseok's face. "yeah?"
"...you didn't tell me there was going to be four other people at out dinner tonig—"
the plan goes like this, instead:
"WELCOME TO BANGTAN SQUAD, AND CONGRATULATIONS PARK JIMIN, YOU'RE NO LONGER THE ONLY TINY PERSON! WOO, CELEBRATORY DINNER!"
"oh my god, shut up tae, that's not even funny—" jimin sulks, punching his arm in a playful manner.
orange-head drags yoongi over to the table, patting the chair repeatedly. "hi, you're yoongi, right?"
("hyung!" seokjin adds in, but no one really pays attention to him.)
yoongi nods, clearly overwhelmed by the sheer amount of people. his eyes drift across the room to settle on a stranger in the corner, who looks like he wishes he had the power to become invisible. yoongi relates to this stranger.
they introduce themselves one by one, with him half-paying attention to each, until orange-haired-kid points straight at the stranger who turns out to be none other than hoseok himself, mustering a somewhat-awkward-stone-face at yoongi. it's kind of confusing. "jung hoseok, botany major, mr. popular over here," the kid croons out.
yoongi gives him a small smile, because hey, at least he knows one other person here.
some more introductions go around, until all eyes are on him, and he feels kind of nervous. "...min yoongi," he throws out shyly, hardly loud enough to hear, "senior, computer science. it's...nice to meet you all."
orange-haired-boy is beaming, sliding off the table to land delicately on his feet. "it's nice to meet you too, yoongi hyung," he drawls out slowly, a sweet smile curling upwards.
it breaks the silence; and things go back to the way they were before; yoongi exhales sharply, drawing out laughter from jeongguk. orange-haired-kid, who yoongi thinks is jimin, continues to talk to him, clearly in an attempt to warm him up, not wanting to make things any more difficult, yoongi complies, and slowly integrates himself in their tight-knitted circle.
throughout the hour, yoongi can't help but glance towards hoseok, noticing how shy and quiet he's become, much unlike his usual personality. he doesn't want to make any assumptions, but perhaps it's the yoongi's presences that's making him all...weird.
it's even harder to ignore that possibility when hoseok blushes right after they meet eyes, suddenly choking on his food and avoiding yoongi like the plague.
》》
hoseok
hey uh
are you free tonight??
yoongi stares at his phone, inhaling sharply. he's tempted to write boi, if you wanna hookup...but maybe hoseok's feeling bored and just wants to hang out, or some platonic gay friendship stuff.
i'm always free. it's just a matter of whether i want to physically move or not.
film club is hosting a summer movie night near the north side of campus. you know, typical big white screen plus a projector? i don't have anyone to go with, so i was wonderin if you'd be willing...?
ISTHISADATEISTHISADATEAREYOUASKINGMEOUT, yoongi's brain shrieks, suddenly crouching further down inside his cranial cavity. because, honestly, a date would be fun. hoseok's a nice guy, and yoongi would love to break the so-called "computer science majors can't get a date and remain single for life" myth. which is. somewhat accurate.
do you know what's going to be played?
akira.
the japanese animation?
yeah.
hn...okay. yeah, sure, i'm down. time?
9 pm.
alright. i'll see you, then.
okay. : )
extenjin
hey.
theoretically.
if a person sends you a smiley face after lowkey flirting with you
whats that supposed to mean.
WHO'S FLRITING WITH YOU OH MY GOD
UR LIKE A LIL EARTHWORM
excuse me??
U R .
MIN YOONGI.
AN EARTHWORM.
SMALL HIDES IN THE DARK LOWKEY FLABBY
that's so rude wtf.
COMES OUT WHEN THERES LIKE NO PPL AND ITS NOT SUPER HOT OUTSIDE
aNYWAYS SO WHOS TRYING TO FEEL MY LIL EARTHWORM UP
that's so gay
and i downloaded tinder....so...uh..
W O W
GET IT ON
CLAP CLAP CLAP tell me when u do the frick frack so we can celebrate yoongi not being a lil baby virgin anymore
SEOKJIN.
anywayssssssss
if they send you a : ) it's platonic friendship
if they send you a ;) then they're trying to score your ass.
in conclusion: yoongi's dumbass mind has jumped ahead again.
》》
yoongi's wearing his usual blue souvenir jacket when he steps off the bus, and like a dedicated puppy, hoseok's standing by the stop looking around all lost. "you really didn't have to wait—"
"i wanted to." he blurts out, a hand rubbing the nape of his neck. "i didn't have anything better to do, anyways."
how touching. yoongi bites back a lame wow-no-one's-ever-done-that-for-me-before comment, instead, diving straight to the point. "north end, right?"
''..yeah, yeah. north end."
they talk about random, casual things, and yoongi responds back lamely, silently cursing at himself for not being more...interesting? cool? like jung hoseok?
"do you want anything to eat, or drink?" hoseok asks as they approach the lush fields, white screen already set up as music videos play on it. "i, uh, brought a towel for us to sit on."
head shaking, yoongi looks around, before pointing to a clean area of grass, in the middle of the screen but further from the rest of the crowd. "i'm good. that place looks good? or do you wanna come closer?"
" it's good." hoseok mumbles, spreading out the beach towel until it's even, before he plops down on it. yoongi does the same, settling down on hoseok's right, hugging his legs to his chest and props his chin on top of his knees.
the movie plays, and they don't say much, remaining in their own little circles. occasionally, yoongi shifts, and he brushes into hoseok, contemplating whether or not apologizing would make things more awkward. hoseok's doing that stare-at-min-yoongi-super-obviously again, and yoongi is trying his best to pretend like he isn't noticing.
"sorry," hoseok says out of nowhere.
yoongi turns, blinking repeatedly. "for what?"
"accidentally bumping into you—"
"but...you didn't bump into me."
hoseok stares at him, arching an eyebrow. "i just—i felt it just now, when i was moving, against my left...hand..."
somewhat panicking, hoseok shines the light on his hand, revealing an ugly black beetle crawling over his hand.
oh. poor kid, yoongi silently muses to himself. the younger male screams, hand shaking wildly and scrambling away to press into yoongi.
"ho—"
"oH MY GOD, HYUNG. IT'S A FUCKING BEATLE, THERE'S BUGS EVERYWHERE, I FELT SOMETHING CRAWL ON MY LEG— "
the top of his head brushes against yoongi's lips, and yoongi's suddenly hyperaware of how close hoseok is to him. the heat radiating from his body seems to warm yoongi up, blood rushing from his cheeks to the tip of his toes. he's kicking repeatedly, bringing himself closer to yoongi with every push, and yoongi doesn't know why the proximity makes him a little flustered and kind of—shy. hoseok's holding onto him so tight, it's like he's jack in titanic and yoongi's the piece of wood.
(he's kind of giddy at the imagery.)
trying to hide his laughter, his eyes crinkling up once they meet gazes. while hoseok flushes brightly, hands slowly letting go of yoongi's arm and slowly scooting away. the other's eyes squeeze shut, trying to curl up into a ball, and wow, he's such a cute stupid ball of fluff that yoongi can't help but try to be merciful.
standing up, yoongi extends a hand. "c'mon, i know the perfect solution to this."
hoseok heaves a sigh, locksing his fingers with yoongi's and hauling himself up. "m'sorry," he mumbles sincerely as they collect their things and walk out, his head hanging low like a kicked puppy.
"s'fine, i don't like being outside much, anyways," yoongi hums out with a low laugh, heading out to the ssang school of engineering's entrance. he pushes the door open and heads inwards, hand fishing around in his pockets. the way their hands are fitted together are kind of nice, yoongi doesn't really want to admits.
"uh, yoongi..? what are we..doing here?" he sounds kind of fearful.
and honestly, yoongi's not really sure why he's doing this. they're not even that close, and yoongi doesn't even talk to him a lot, but...yoogi just doesn't know. maybe it's because hoseok's really nice, and hoseok's a nice friend that makes him want to do lowkey gay friendship things like he does with seokjin, or maybe he's just really comfortable and doesn't mind revealing small stuff about himself. it's kind of impuslive, now that he thinks about it, and yoongi's normalyl not really the kind fo do bold, impulsive stuff.
hoseok's just rubbing onto him.
yoongi pushes the key into one of the doors, unlocking it and pushing it aside with his body. "relax, i'm not going to kill you." with a low laugh, he tugs hoseok in, walking all the way to the end.
"i was developing a software last year to get into the advanced program..." yoongi begins to explains matter-of-factly, stopping in front of the glass windows that overlook the quad, he flashes hoseok a gummy smile, feet shuffling around in hopes of a good reaction.
"...holy shit, hyung, you're really cool." yoongi won't deny that his heart flutters at the compliment. it's not usual he's deemed cool.
he shrugs offhandedly, plopping down on the floor. "yeah, yeah, i guess being introverted has it's perks. people always think you're boring and, y'know, routinely, then boom. surprise!" yoongi holds up his hands, shaking them lightly, before dropping them in his lap.
"i don't think any of us find you boring, honestly." hoseok pipes up as he takes a seat next to him.
oh. "you think so?"
hoseok mirrors it back. "yeah, i think so."
there's a moment of silence as they look at each other, slow smiles casted upon their faces while the lights flicker on their skin, red to navy to white and the process repeats. yoongi is 70% sure that hoseok likes him, mainly because only love-blinded people would find yoongi cool and not boring.
(and oddly enough, he doesn't really...mind.)
》》
in yoongi's twenty-two years of being a boring person, he's never done something as wild as this: saying ok to a party. but seokjin's been nagging him and elbowing him and somewhat threatening him with throwing the plant out the window, and namjoon's been kind of suggestive that yoongi really needs to go to hoseok's party, and the wild triplets have been spamming yoongi with memes, so...
hoseok
hey.
can you start at 8 instead of 9?
yoongi presses enters and shuts his eyes. not even a minute later comes hoseok's text.
are you coming if i do?
...yeah.
;) you got it. starting at 8 it is.
HESENTAWINKYFACEOHMYGOD. yoongi breathes heavily.
haha. don't get your hopes up, i'm not much of a fun person.
too late! i'm already excited!
(ohhhh goooooooooooooood.)
》》
the party was fun. yoongi likes it, he likes the way hoseok looks, he likes the people, and the vibes, but social interaction is exhausting and so, he quietly exits and hopes that hoseok doesn't notice. he's already kicked off his shoes, jacket sliding down to his elbows as he picks up busan and reprimands the cat for being a little asshole. maybe ramen would be good, since he's getting a little hun—why is the doorbell ringing. eyebrows furrowed, he sets it down and walks over to the door, wondering who the fuck would be here at this hour.
"hoseok? what are you doing here?" oh. oh no . what if he's like, drunk, and here to hook-up with yoongi, who's still somewhat awkward and just wants to eat ramen and watch game of thrones.
"you don't like going to parties, right? so i...i..i, um...brought the party to you."
yoongi stands there, mouth agape, eyes blinking repeatedly in shock as hoseok tries to untangle the string lights around his shoulders. oh my god. this is the most extra thing that yoongi has witnessed in his entire life. "i—you didn't need to. do that."
"it's senior year, hyung; you can't just stay at a patry when the party hasn't even started," hoseok says in seriousness.
yoongi closes his mouth, a light blush slowly creeping on his cheeks. "you can't have a party with just two people."
"all you need is music and drinks, and to have fun—no requirements for a set amount of people." he quips, cutting yoongi's protest.
the older male gnaws on his bottom lip, sending an internal prayer to the spirits up above that things don't go too crazy, amen. "c'mon," he mumbles, turning around and heading inside.
"m'lazy to clean up the living room, so i hope you don't mind," yoongi explains, turning left into his bedroom. "i'm—i'm not a very fun and enthusiastic person," yoongi adds hastily, shooting away busan. "sorry if i ruin the mood."
"it's okay, that'll balance out my excessiveness. let's do a little bit of redecorating, yeah?"
they work together in silence, with yoongi side-eyeing hoseok every now and then, watching him earnestly traveling around the room in circles, eyes wide with awe as he pushes things aside and sets up the speakers and projector.
the older male pulls the fairy lights away from the bag, tiptoeing up and arms stretching up to hook them around the curtain rails. a few seconds later, he can feel soft breathing against his neck, warmth pressing against his back. arms extend forward to to help him out, and god, it's like those cheesy moments in kdramas where they female protagonist is trying to reach and the male lead just swoops in all heroic and coolly.
yoongi turns around, expecting to see hoseok all neat and suave, maybe looking down with a coy smile. instead he gets this: hoseok wobbling as he struggles hard to stay balanced while he tiptoes. he's such a dork, gosh, yoongi can't help but question incredulously.
"are you tiptoeing?"
hoseok flushes, laughing awkwardly as he slowly lowers himself down, eyes diverting into every direction except at yoongi. "you looked like you were struggling, so i thought i could try to help!"
yoongi snorts loudly with a wry smile, playfully punching hoseok's chest. "you're dumb," he mumbles, ducking under hoseok's arms and weaving his way past. "you're lucky you're cute," yoongi murmurs to himself.
biting his bottom lip, hoseok swivels on his heels, leaning against the desk. "but charming, right?"
throwing hoseok a glance over his shoulder, yoongi picks up a can of beer, popping the tab open. "ha ha, i almost swooned."
"and what would i have to do to make you actually swoon?" he drawls out, head cocking to the side as he connects his phone to the dock and presses shuffle.
coldplay plays on the stereo as yoongi looks at him, the can of beer pressed against his lips as he takes a sip. the older male shrugs, eyes flittering down to the beer, before back at hoseok. "i don't know," he grins wryly, before taking a seat on the bed.
》》
saying i don't know was the worst idea yoongi ever came up with.
because 3 beers in, hoseok is straight up drunk, giggling cutely on yoongi's floor, wile yoongi sits cross-legged on his bed and tries to hide his smile behind his second bottle. he's a little tipsy, a little warm despite the open windows, but still somewhat coherent enough to amuse himself with hoseok's antics. he's been going off for awhile now about making yoongi swoon, trying out stupid tactics like putting out the ugliest flirting lines—
("hey, are you a min? 'cause i'd love to min-ce that ass," hoseok slurs, winking with both eyes before laughing giddily.
yoongi sighs. "that's new.")
he's also tried to drunk serenade yoongi with celine dion's my heart will go on, which, was terrible, but somewhat endearing, and told him the cringiest puns and jokes, courtesy of seokjin, probably, which sent him giggling on the floor and causing them to land in this exact situation.
"did you swoon yet?"
yoongi's probably swooned a long time ago, but for the fun and games, he says—"no, not yet."
with a pout, the younger male stands up defiantly, wobbling around on his feet. "you know what always makes people swoon? a dance. dances make people swoon, he huffs out. "okay, watch this, hyung," he starts off, stumbling towards the phone dock. yoongi arches an eyebrow as he changes the song, to—oh—oh my god.
"is this ariana's side to side? are you serious?"
hoseok's head lolls to the side to give yoongi a humorous smirk, winking playfully. he bounces back and forth on his feels, head nodding to the melody. for someone as drunk as hoseok, he's still surprisingly in tune and sync with the music; it's probably the gift of being a dancer.
"these friends," hoseok croons out with the music, taking somehow-well-coordinated-model-like-strides over to yoongi, "keep talking way too much," he slides an arm around yoongi, who's starting to wonder if hoseok's ever worked as a stripper before, "say i should give you up, can't hear them, no 'cause i—" he drawls out, backing away.
yoongi braces himself.
"i've been there all night," he screeches, head tossing back and forth as he shimmies his body in the air, and yoongi bursts out laughing, head burying into his knees as his eyes peek out to witness hoseok being...hoseok.
god, it's such an iconic sight, he's actually crying, tears seeping from his eyes whenever he looks at hoseok shimmy wildly without a care. cheeks a bright red, yoongi wheezes into his knees, rolling over onto his side as he clutches his stomach.
hoseok plops down on the floor again, breathing erratically as he grins cheerily at yoongi. "did you swoon yet?" he chirps in enthusiasm, shimmying on the floor.
"n-no—"
"you're stuttering! you're lying!"
"i'm—i'm not," yoongi chokes out, clearing his throat. "i'm a tough cookie, hoseok, i'm not going to be that easily swayed."
lips pursed together, hoseok looks like he's struggling to think of an idea, and it's not long until he's standing up again. "are you hungry?"
"what?"
"i asked, are you hungry? my cooking skills are great, i'll make you indirectly swoon, yoongi."
sitting up, yoongi wrinkles his nose. "i don't think you should cook when you're drunk, seokjin's going to kill us both, honestly."
"shh, i'm also great at hand and eye coordination, if that charms you," he mumbles out, unsteadily making his way towards yoongi. he barely makes it to the third step, before he ends up crashing on top of the bed, and therefore, landing his head straight in yoongi's lap. like a newborn puppy, hoseok presses his face into yoongi's thigh and sighs softly. "i can recite all the parts of a plant, too, and—yoongi. yoongi, yoongi, yoongi."
"what?" he mumbles out, his hard carding through hoseok's hair.
"let's go to the convenience store."
"...why? hoseok, it's like...2."
"i can play future's mask off perfectly on the kazoo, you'll be super charmed, yoongi," he breathes out, head tilted upwards to gaze fondly at yoongi.
god, he's cute.
"why are you so intent on making me swoon?" yoongi murmurs out, head tilting to the side in curiosity.
hoseok's eyes crinkle up, slowly sliding down yoongi's bed from the lack of friction. "because...if you swooned...you'll be all dazed and frozen...and that's like, the perfect... perfect moment to kiss you..."
"....kiss me?"
"mhmm," hoseok chirps out, before his face lands on the floor. "i like you so much, i could kiss you and explode!"
yoongi blinks repeatedly, clearly taken back and not quite sure what to say.
hoseok lifts his head, a mischievous look flashed at yoongi. "did you swoon yet, hyung?"
trying to find his voice, yoongi clears his throat, cheeks pink. "you're such a dork, c'mon, it's late, you should sleep now," he mumbles in a rush, sliding off the bed. "you can sleep in my bed."
eyebrows knitted together, hoseok plants himself onto the floor. "i'm not going to get up until you admit you swooned!"
"okay, okay, i swooned, there. go to sleep now, yeah?" he mumbles, tugging on hoseok's arm.
"now you're just saying it for the sake of pleasing me, which is super mean, hyung."
...shit, he's right. chewing his lip repeatedly he stares at a frown-faced hoseok, whose lips have already pressed together in a trapezoid. "if i kiss you, and admit that i swooned, will you go to sleep, then?"
mouth open, hoseok looks around, as if trying to decipher yoongi's words. instead of waiting for years for him to come around, he plops down next to hoseok, and tugs the younger male up until they're sitting across from each other.
"are you serious?" hoseok mumbles out, a clearly hopeful look in his eyes. "i don't wanna force you to feel uncomfortable, hyung, i—i was just kiddin', you don't really have to do this, you—"
"you, jung hoseok, have officially made me, min yoongi, swoon, as of 2:35 AM, august 30."
and with that, yoongi leans over to plant a quick kiss, square on hoseok's heart-shaped lips.
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