Archive of Our Own ^beta

Yoongi liked collecting photos. He didn’t even know why; something about old photos is just fascinating to him. He loved finding out the stories behind old photos. He loved the history behind it all.

He did have a favorite photo. He still remembered the day he got it. It was a rainy day in Seoul. Yoongi loved the rain, but not being drenched in it. So he walked into the Magic Shop antique store. He had quickly found old photos that were stacked along the walls. A pink-haired man who had introduced himself as “Namjoon” sat at the cash register, reading a book. He was the owner of Magic Shop.

Yoongi had perused the photos. None of them really caught his eye. Black and white photos, family portraits, vintage-looking photos. All of the types that Yoongi usually collected were there, but none of them seemed to catch his eye.

Until he found it. A photo of one of the most beautiful men Yoongi had ever laid eyes on. Though the photo was over exposed, Yoongi could tell that the man had beautiful tanned skin. The man’s nose was pointed and curved up ever so slightly. His eyes were big and beautiful, seemingly as deep as the ocean. The man’s hair was slicked and curled perfectly to reveal his forehead and his lips looked like they had been sculpted carefully. His jacket fit perfectly on him; he looked to be a pilot. In short, the man was ethereal.

Yoongi bought the photo immediately. He was intrigued by who this man was. He wanted to find the story behind the photo. As he left the Magic Shop, he felt a rogue wind blow against him.

From then on, the photo remained with Yoongi. He was never able to find any traces of the man. He had given up. The only reason he kept it around was that it always seemed to lift his spirits. No explanation as to why. There was just an energy around the photo that made Yoongi feel better. It had lifted Yoongi out of some of his darkest moods and some of his worst times.

All of his friends thought that was weird. Why would Yoongi be so obsessed with a photo? That definitely wasn’t normal for a healthy 26 year old. Taehyung, Seokjin, and Jungkook would always ask him about it, but Yoongi would never have an answer that satisfied them. He didn’t even know why he was obsessed with the photo.

Yoongi had gone back to the Magic Shop a few times, enough to where he got to know Kim Namjoon and his boyfriend Park Jimin. They were co-owners of the small antique shop. They were some of the nicest people Yoongi ever met, but that wasn’t the reason he kept coming back. He always went through their newest additions to see if he could get another photo of the man or even a hint as to who the man was. It was always to no avail. Even when he tried to get other photos, nothing pulled him like the photo had.

When he asked Namjoon and Jimin about it, they had simply stated that there’s one in the Magic Shop for everybody. That the Magic Shop had something special in it for everyone, but never multiple things for one.

It was cryptic as hell, but Yoongi just passed it off as Namjoon’s usual behavior. He was often like that, especially when talking about The Magic Shop.

It was another rainy day when it happened. Yoongi was rushing home from work, completely drenched because he forgot to pack an umbrella. He ran through the streets of Seoul, trying to protect his groceries. He often brought groceries back home from his work because employees got a 10 percent discount and Yoongi was not doing too well on money. Hell, he couldn’t even afford to have a car.

Yoongi rushed into his broken down apartment building. The elevator was broken as usual. Yoongi wasn’t sure he’d ever get used to the 9 flight trek. The wet footsteps of Yoongi’s sneakers against the stairways echoed through the apartment building, occasionally echoed by a stray lightning blast that always seemed to close for Yoongi’s comfort. He wasn’t necessarily scared of lightning, but the last thing he wanted was to get struck by it.

“Fucking hell,” Yoongi cursed to himself. A leak in the ceiling of the apartment was dripping water all over the stairs and it was hitting his groceries. The paper bags were not holding up well. They were thoroughly soaked and Yoongi wasn’t sure they’d last much longer. He checked how many flights of stairs he had left.

5 more flights of stairs left. Yoongi sucked in his breath and continued his trek upwards. He stepped in a puddle a few times and his shoes were now making that annoying squeaky sound against the stairs. Yoongi just had to power through it. There was no way he could reach the earbuds in his pocket and his phone even if they were still working. If he even tried, he was sure the paper bags would rip.

Flight by flight, Yoongi trekked up to floor 9. He was way too unfit to do this. Even with the almost-daily 9 flight trek, Yoongi was far from fit. Maybe it had to do with the fact that he spent all of his free time sitting down at his desk with his various photographs and eating.

He knew it was bad to not exercise, but he couldn’t give a damn. He much preferred hanging out with his photos in the comfort of his home (with the occasional time for hanging out with his friends).

By the time he reached the top of the stairway, he was a panting, soaked mess. The mint in his was bleeding out of his head and onto his white shirt. The one day he decided to wear white too.

Suddenly lightning struck the sky extremely close to Yoongi, catching him off guard. The sound made him step back instinctively for his own safety. He missed the step below him. Just as suddenly as the lightning struck, Yoongi was fearing for his life.

He closed his eyes, not wanting to see what was going to happen to him. He felt the groceries fall out of his hands.

Something was wrong though. Why hadn’t he hit the steps yet?

Yoongi tentatively opened his eyes to find him staring down at him and holding his shirt collar. The same perfect features, the same jacket, and the same piercing gaze. Yoongi blinked slowly. Was he in an unconscious dream? Was he already dead? Was this his angel that was supposed to take him away?

Yoongi was in a state of pure shock. He couldn’t move except for his hands which he clasped around the man’s wrist. His lips barely could form the words to speak.

“A-am I dead?”

The man blinked at Yoongi confusedly. He pursed his lips and furrowed his eyebrows, trying to find an answer. When he finally spoke, his voice was somehow warm and serious at the same time. It carried a slightly nasally sound to it, but it was not annoying in the slightest. Almost endearing in fact.

“Your pulse suggests otherwise.”

Yoongi blinked at him. The man’s slender fingers were in fact pressed against Yoongi’s wrist, feeling for his pulse. Yoongi tried to speak again, but his mouth just opened and closed like a fish. He took one of his hands off of the man’s wrist and reached into his back pocket. Yoongi pulled out the photo, only to find that it was blank.

The realization dawned upon Yoongi slowly as he looked between the now-blank photo and the man holding him up.

Yoongi never screamed louder. He propped himself upright and threw the photograph down the stairways, screaming like it was the devil himself. He looked back at the man standing there. The man was looking at Yoongi concernedly.

The rain slowly washed some semblance of sense back into Yoongi. He grabbed the man’s wrist and ran down the stairs faster than he thought he could ever run. The man didn’t complain. He just followed Yoongi wordlessly, his steps fell into rhythm with Yoongi’s. Almost like a soldier’s march.

They ran through the rain. Yoongi didn’t even care about how soaked he was or that he was getting this man soaked. The light pitter patter of the rain was no match for their heavy footsteps. People stared at the two weirdly. Yoongi didn’t care about that either.

Yoongi burst into the Magic Shop like a madman, nearly scaring poor Jimin to death. He marched right up to the cashier with the man in tow. Namjoon looked up from his book, The Vegetarian by Han Kang. He looked at Yoongi’s soaked figure and the man behind Yoongi with a knowing smile.

“So let me guess, the photograph you’ve bought came to life,” Namjoon asked amusedly.

“YOU KNEW,” Yoongi screeched. “THERE’S A FUCKING HUMAN WHO CAME FROM A PHOTO AND YOU DIDN’T THINK TO TELL ME BEFORE I BOUGHT THE PHOTOGRAPH.”

Namjoon rolled his eyes and explained, “The Magic Shop works in whatever way it wants to. I told you there’s one thing in the Magic Shop for everyone. Each of these antiques do something different, but the one thing in common is that they draw the right person to it. His photo drew you to him because in some way and somehow, this photo is connected to you.”

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN IT’S CONNECTED TO ME?!?! I DON’T WANT THIS,” Yoongi yelled. “HOW DO I GET HIM BACK IN HIS PHOTOGRAPH?”

Namjoon sighed exasperatedly and turned back to his book. He clearly was done with this conversation. Yoongi turned around to look at the man. He leaned against the cash register tiredly, leaning his head back onto it to rest.

The man stood up straight. He stayed planted, looking at Yoongi expectantly as if he was waiting for something. Yoongi tilted his head towards the man with one eye open lazily.

“What do you want,” Yoongi spat. His eyes landed on the patch on the man’s jacket.

Oh. Right. The man was a pilot. He was likely waiting for orders from who he saw as a commander. Although, Yoongi didn’t really look like a commander right now with his sopping wet clothes and hair. His shirt was practically see through with the rain and it was almost completely mint-colored now. He felt like a hot mess. No, not hot. Sloppy. He felt like a sloppy mess.

Yoongi waved his hand dismissively, “Don’t just stand there like an idiot staring at me. Go talk to Jimin or something.”

Namjoon smacked Yoongi’s head with his book, “Aish hyung, don’t be rude. He’s still a human. Ask him what his name is.”
“Lieutenant Colonel Jung Hoseok of the 107th Regiment.”

Yoongi scowled and leaned back onto the register, “Cut it with all of that shit. You’re not part of the military anymore.

Hoseok blinked slowly as he processed Yoongi’s words. When he realized what that meant, a blinding heart-shaped smile spread across his face. It seemed to brighten up the room around him. Maybe that was the energy the photo had that lifted Yoongi’s mood.

Namjoon nudged Yoongi and whispered, “It’s not going to be bad unless you want it to be.”

“How would you know,” Yoongi grumbled. He was not in the mood for one of Namjoon’s ‘have a positive attitude’ talks right then. In fact, it was the last thing he wanted.

“Jimin used to be a photograph.”

~~~

Living with Hoseok was easier than Yoongi anticipated. In fact, he almost got used to the other’s presence. Neither of them had talked to each other since Yoongi dragged them to the Magic Shop which made it a lot easier. Hoseok was quiet for the entire first week at Yoongi’s apartment.

There were a few strange habits Yoongi noticed Hoseok seemed to have though. Every morning, Yoongi would hear Hoseok wake up at the crack of dawn and go outside. What he did once outside was a complete mystery to Yoongi and he was not intent on finding anything out. Hoseok also seemed to eat at exactly 7:00 am, 12:30 pm, and 5:30 pm. He always only ever ate a small bowl of rice and some meat. It was fine with Yoongi since that meant not that many more groceries he had to buy.

Other than that, Hoseok sat on the couch and stayed quiet. Old habits die hard Yoongi guessed.

Throughout the week Yoongi had gone to the Magic Shop to try to find some way to return Hoseok to his photo. He even picked up the blank photograph from the stairway.

That quickly became Yoongi’s routine. Sleep, go to work, go to the Magic Shop, come back home, eat, repeat. It was a little bit unnerving coming home to see someone sitting up straight and staring blankly at the wall.

The only way Yoongi remained sane was by reminding himself Hoseok would be gone sooner or later. He would be back in the photo.

~~~

They were at about the two week mark when Yoongi finally got tired of Hoseok sitting on his couch all day doing nothing. After coming home from work, Yoongi set his bag of groceries down and stood right in front of Hoseok.

“You know you can do something other than sit around all day,” Yoongi grumbled. He watched as Hoseok blinked at him with large doe eyes.

Hoseok didn’t miss a beat before replying, “Truthfully I do not know what to do. This world is much different than the one I remember.”

Yoongi sighed and started digging through his grocery bag. He pulled out a bag of Poka chips from his many groceries. Yoongi sat down next to Hoseok with the bag held out towards Hoseok. Hoseok looked at it curiously and inspected it. It was almost humorous how bewildered Hoseok was with the bag.

After a few seconds of Hoseok trying to figure out what it was, he asked, “What am I supposed to do with this?”

“You open the bag and eat it. If you’re going to just sit on the couch, might as well do what the rest of us do,” Yoongi explained. He grabbed the bag and opened it for Hoseok. He showed Hoseok the chips inside, slightly amused by how amazed Hoseok looked. “Go ahead.”

Hoseok reached inside the bag hesitantly and pulled out a chip. His slender fingers held the chips in the most awkward way possible. Before he could take a bite however, Yoongi stopped his hand.

“You should also get in a more comfortable position if you’re going to be a couch potato,” Yoongi mumbled. He grabbed Hoseok by the ankles and flipped Hoseok so that he was laying down on the couch. “There, now you can fully be lazy.”

Hoseok laughed wholeheartedly at Yoongi’s serious expression. Yoongi was immediately caught off guard by the laugh. It was a cute laugh that seemed like it could make you laugh harder than the joke did. Yoongi didn’t give in though. He kept his deadpan expression and got off the couch.

“You enjoy those chips or whatever. Eat as much as you want,” Yoongi yawned. It was a little late since he had a slightly later shift at work that day and he spent a little more time at the Magic Shop too.

~~~

Not long after Yoongi gave Hoseok the chips, they had a full conversation. Nothing too major prompted it. Yoongi just noticed that Hoseok was a bit fidgety. The poor guy was probably used to the adrenaline of flying planes every day. Now he was confined to the couch.

Yoongi approached Hoseok with a slightly worried expression on his face. Hoseok did look like he was about to burst and start bouncing off the walls any second now. So of course Yoongi approached Hoseok about it.

“You need to take a shower.”

Okay so maybe Yoongi wasn’t the best at human interaction. He didn’t really ever talk with anyone other than Namjoon, Jimin, Seokjin, Taehyung, and Jungkook. He could practically see all of them cringing at his word choice. He had only meant to suggest Hoseok do something.

When Hoseok looked up at Yoongi with wide doe eyes, he really knew he fucked up. Any type of doe eyes were Yoongi’s personal weakness and he will never be proud to admit it.

“I did not mean it like that,” Yoongi grumbled. “You just haven’t taken a shower and you probably feel dirty. It might help you feel a little less antsy. It’s just a suggestion though. Don’t take it as me telling you to shower.”

Hoseok looked down at his pilot’s jacket hesitantly. He was very visibly nervous. His shoulders were tensed up a little bit and he looked like he wanted to say something.

Yoongi placed his hand on Hoseok’s lower thigh and quietly reassured him, “Hey, it’s okay. I may have been annoyed the first night, but I’m not as irritated now. We’re going to get you back in the photograph so you don’t have anything to worry about. Feel free to just be yourself. Talk as much as you want, leave the apartment, have fun.”

The look Hoseok shot Yoongi is still nervous, but it brightened in almost an instant. Hoseok smiled at Yoongi a little sheepishly, “I don’t think I have any clothes other than this.”

Right. Hoseok wouldn’t have had anything. But at the same time, Yoongi wasn’t really sure if he would have anything Hoseok would be comfortable in.

“Oh, erm...do you like comfort or fashion more? ‘Cause I’m not very fashionable and I can’t really afford to buy new clothes for you right now,” Yoongi awkwardly rambled. He scratched his head trying to think of something in his closet that would fit Hoseok.

“That’s fine,” Hoseok laughed awkwardly. “I don’t really know what I like, so I’ll just take whatever you have! I’ve only ever been in military uniforms my whole life.”

Yoongi can’t help but blank at that. His whole life is a pretty long time. Then again, Yoongi didn’t really know Hoseok’s age so he wouldn’t be able to speak on how long Hoseok’s life was. For all Yoongi knew, Hoseok could have been a 19 year old.

“You’ve never worn normal clothes,” Yoongi asked almost in disbelief.

Hoseok laughed sheepishly in response, “Yeah. I was raised by the military. Found me on the battlefield and took me in. I got all of my learning done from the soldiers and I eventually joined myself. After they taught me how to fly a fighter jet of course.”

“I feel unaccomplished. Damn,” Yoongi scowled. “How do I learn to fly a jet?”

It’s a little shocking to Yoongi how they seemed to be carrying a decent conversation after that little road bump in the beginning. It seemed to just be something they slipped into naturally, as if they’d been friends for a while now.

Hoseok’s soft laugh seemed to echo through the apartment and into the corners of Yoongi’s mind. There was just something about the younger’s laugh that just seemed to stick. Like you could hear it replaying in your head of your own volition or not for hours on end. Not that Yoongi minded the beautiful sound. It was one of the prettiest laughs he’d heard in a while.

Yoongi cleared his throat awkwardly and got up off the couch, “I’ll go grab some clothes for you now. You can wait at the shower I guess.”

“I can wait in the shower,” Hoseok parroted back. He got up and walked to the bathroom (aka the only room in Yoongi’s apartment that wasn’t his bedroom or the kitchen/living room area.) Yoongi walked to his room to try and find something for Hoseok. He ended up selecting his biggest shirt, a pair of boxers that he hoped would fit, and a pair of sweatpants for Hoseok.

The bathroom door was cracked open just slightly, enough for Yoongi to poke his head in. Hoseok was just sitting cross-legged on the toilet cover with his jacket folded over his legs. His expression was eerily blank. Hoseok turned to look at Yoongi.

Yoongi stood there a bit awkwardly with the clothes in his hand. He nodded towards Hoseok’s jacket, “Do you want me to wash that for you? I can throw it in the washer before I leave for work.”

Hoseok looked down at the jacket hesitantly. Yoongi could visibly see his arm muscles tense. He was wearing a dress shirt, but it was tight on his lean muscles. Yoongi didn’t say anything as he watched Hoseok.

After the better part of a minute, Hoseok handed the jacket to Yoongi. He took the clothes into his own hand.

“Please be careful with it,” Hoseok timidly requested. His voice was barely above a whisper.

Yoongi half-smiled a bit awkwardly, “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure it doesn’t get damaged or whatever. I’m going to go to work. Feel free to do whatever you want.”

“Thanks.”

~~~

Namjoon grabbed a random book off of the shelf. As much as he didn’t want to do it, Yoongi was really pushing for Hoseok to be in the photograph again. Namjoon truly believed in the Magic Shop. It pulled Yoongi towards Hoseok for a reason.

He used to not believe in the power of the Magic Shop. His father always held that it was magical, but Namjoon was a man of science. He liked his facts and never really believed in what he saw were fables.

Namjoon always said that everybody got three chances in life. After Jimin came to him, he knew deep down in his heart that Jimin was his first chance. The sweet boy charmed Namjoon from the start. His second was when he took over the Magic Shop. It was going to be torn down after his father retired, but something in Namjoon just couldn’t let it go. It was Jimin that convinced him to quit his job and take over the Magic Shop. He never regretted it.

Namjoon knew that Yoongi would regret it if he sent Hoseok back into the photo. There wasn’t much he could do about it though. He read through the book he just pulled out from the Magic Shop.

At least his research skills were getting put to use for something.

~~~

Slowly, Yoongi noticed Hoseok’s behavior changing. He seemed a whole lot more relaxed and bright. Hoseok would be humming to himself with a smile on his face while he glided around the apartment. How Hoseok turned Yoongi’s apartment into his own personal ice rink was lost on Yoongi.

Occasionally Hoseok would be out doing whatever he was doing. Yoongi didn’t care enough to ask. He’d come back with a gigantic heart-shaped smile on his face and sometimes with a coffee in his hand.

Hoseok still wore his jacket, but most of the time it was tied around his waist. It was a little bit unfair how Hoseok was more fashionable in Yoongi’s clothes than Yoongi was.

Everyone in Yoongi’s life seemed happier. Jimin and Namjoon were celebrating their 3rd anniversary, Jungkook had met a cute boy on a run who he wouldn’t stop gushing about in the group chat, Taehyung had gotten a promotion at work, and Jin’s manuscript was going well. Meanwhile Yoongi didn’t even want to touch his photographs anymore.

One day while Yoongi was relaxing on the couch with a bag of chips, Hoseok burst in with a slip of paper. He practically was a walking sunshine, that’s how bright he was glowing.

“Hello Yoongi-ssi!!!”

Yoongi blinked a few times in confusion. Hoseok rarely spoke to Yoongi unless he needed something, let alone greet Yoongi.

“Do you need something,” Yoongi asked cautiously. He was a little caught off guard by the greeting. Hoseok skipped over to Yoongi and sat down next to him on the couch. He showed Yoongi the slip of paper. It had a series of numbers on it.

“Yoongi-ssi, what’s a number? I met this cute person and we exchanged something called numbers,” Hoseok exclaimed. “They just gave me this paper and started screaming and jumping around.”

Yoongi looked at the number written on the paper, “Wait how did you exchange numbers? You don’t have a phone.”

Hoseok placed his hand on his knee and started rubbing it shyly. He looked down at his knee, “I...maybe I gave them my military code number.”

Were military code numbers even 10 digits? What should Yoongi even say? Yoongi placed his hand on Hoseok’s shoulder awkwardly. It was meant to be a reassuring thing, but it looked like it only made Hoseok more nervous.

“I’m sure you’ll see her again. Just explain that you don’t have a phone,” Yoongi suggested. Hoseok cast Yoongi an embarrassed side glance. As to what it meant, Yoongi had no idea.

Hoseok shrunk down into the couch. The glow he seemed to have dimmed ever so slightly. And Yoongi didn’t know why he cared. Hoseok was just a guy that appeared from a photograph. It’s not like Yoongi knew a lot about him or they were best friends. In fact, he was doing everything in his power to get Hoseok back in the photograph.

“Hey what’s wrong,” Yoongi found himself asking. Blame it on the magic. It was definitely the magic, not the fact Yoongi got used to Hoseok’s bright and poppy energy.

Hoseok shook his head, “It’s nothing.”

“Hey, I know I seem cold and rude, but you can talk to me. I’ve been told I’m a good listener,” Yoongi smiled. It came out as more of a “baring your fangs” type of thing. At that moment, he knew he was way too out of practice with talking to people.

Hoseok cupped his face with his hand and cast Yoongi a little glance. He bit his lip to stop himself from laughing. He pinched Yoongi’s cheek lightly, “How cute. And it’s really nothing. It’s just a guy.”

Yoongi felt himself relax a little. He half-smiled at Hoseok, “That’s completely okay. You should meet my friends. I have a feeling that you’d fit right in. They’re all chaotic and gay.”

Hoseok burst into laughter, a wide heart-shaped smile crossing his face. He threw his head back onto the back of the couch. His fluffy, black hair fell softly and framed his face just perfectly.

Yoongi couldn’t help but stare.

~~~

The first time they went outside the apartment together was when Hoseok asked Yoongi if he could sit in on Yoongi’s work. He really was trying to get to know Yoongi. So far, the only thing he’d been able to accomplish was finding out that Yoongi was a year older than him.

To everyone’s surprise (including Yoongi himself), Yoongi agreed. So Hoseok and Yoongi made their way down the 9 flights of stairs. Yoongi didn’t wear anything fancy. Just a black hoodie with ridiculously long sleeves and a matching pair of black ripped jeans. A beanie covered his mint hair for now. Meanwhile, Hoseok had managed to dig up the one colorful item Yoongi had in his closet. He was wearing a pastel blue and white striped shirt with a pair of jeans that he cuffed.

By the time they got to the store, Yoongi was sweating buckets. Whoever made stairs a thing could rot in hell for all Yoongi cared. His mint hair was fading so fast, it didn’t even look like mint anymore. It just looked like a mess of bleach.

Somehow Hoseok still looked perfect. That annoyed Yoongi. How could somebody still look so beautiful after running down 9 whole flights of stairs?

They walked inside the store quickly. Yoongi grabbed his mandated apron and slipped his hoodie off so that he could put the apron on. Behind him, Hoseok was silent. Yoongi slipped the apron on and tied it around his waist. When he turned around, Hoseok was a bright red color.

Yoongi raised his eyebrow at Hoseok inquiringly. Hoseok laughed nervously in response, covering his face with his hands.

“I- I just- you have a nice back hyung,” Hoseok muttered. Of course, he probably hadn’t seen anyone else’s bare skin for a while. He’d definitely be flustered by it. Although Yoongi definitely wasn’t the calmest person either. Back in middle school, Yoongi had even gotten flustered by seeing his crushes’ knees. He would be lying if he said he’d improved much since then. The last crush he’d had, a dance instructor at 1MILLION a few months ago, had managed to fluster Yoongi just by panting.

Yoongi fiddled with the cash register. How do you respond in a situatio-

“You too,” Yoongi blurted. He felt himself die of embarrassment at that exact moment. Luckily, a customer was ready to pay for their items and save Yoongi from this situation. Thankfully they didn’t point out Yoongi’s pink cheeks. Hoseok sat on the bagging area of the cash register, swinging his legs happily.

After that, they quickly fell into a little routine. Hoseok would place the items Yoongi scanned in the bags for the customers. The customers all loved Hoseok’s bright smile and cheery attitude as opposed to Yoongi’s overall grumpiness and cold demeanor. The older patrons almost always pinched Hoseok’s bread cheeks and commented on what a handsome young man he was.

Somehow, Yoongi found himself agreeing. No. That’s just an objective opinion. It’s just a cold, hard fact.

~~~

It was another rainy night. Yoongi was eating dinner in the kitchen and Hoseok was eating his at the couch as per usual. On the table, Yoongi’s phone started buzzing. If Hoseok noticed, he didn’t let on. He kept eating his food in silence.

Yoongi picked up the phone. He pressed the answer button and held it up to his ear with his shoulder.

“Hello?”

Jimin’s voice hummed out through the phone, “ Yoongi-yah, Namjoon found out how to get Hoseok back in his photo! ”

“Great,” Yoongi smiled with relief. “How do we do it?”

“ It’s easy! At the next full moon, you have to be at the Magic Shop with Hoseok and his photograph. That’s it! Our only problem is that the last full moon was yesterday, but you’re patient, ” Jimin exclaimed.

“Okay, thanks Jimin. I’ll see you later,” Yoongi hummed happily. Jimin hung up the call shortly after Yoongi finished his sentence.

Yoongi looked over at Hoseok. He felt his gut twisting as he looked at Hoseok’s happy smile. Hoseok really seemed to like it in this world. It kind of made Yoongi feel bad for trying to send him back into the photo. But there was something more to it lurking just underneath the guilt. Yoongi couldn’t quite pinpoint it.

“Hoseok,” Yoongi called out. Hoseok’s head shot up when Yoongi called his name. He smiled brightly at Yoongi when their eyes met.

“What is it Yoongi-hyung,” Hoseok asked curiously. Yoongi almost never initiated their interactions.

Yoongi fidgeted with his fork. He debated in his head whether or not to tell Hoseok. Telling Hoseok might make Hoseok sad, but not telling Hoseok just wasn’t right.

“Namjoon-ah found a way to get you back in the photo. We have to do it in a month on the next full moon.”

If Yoongi had maintained eye contact with Hoseok for just a second longer after announcing that, he would have seen how Hoseok’s smile faltered or how his eyes dimmed just a tad. Tears even started to prick Hoseok’s eyes. He had grown attached to the apartment and to Yoongi so quickly. He didn’t want to go back to not even existing.

“That’s...that’s great hyung.”

~~~

The next day, Hoseok was at Yoongi’s work again. He was sitting in the bagging area again. His movements were slower and he didn’t seem quite as excited. Yoongi immediately felt guilty. The beautiful boy next to him was sad and it was partially his fault.

(“Partially” because Yoongi mostly blamed the Magic Shop for all of his current problems.)

“Hey Hoseok,” Yoongi called out softly. Hoseok’s head didn’t even turn to him. It stayed fixated on Hoseok’s hands. “I’m sorry.”

Hoseok shook his head slowly, “No don’t be. I get it. I’m kind of just a nuisance that popped into your life. You just want to get rid of me. That’s fine.”

Something in Yoongi’s gut twisted at Hoseok’s words. On top of that, his heart felt like it was going to start crying at Hoseok’s pained smile. He didn’t know why he felt so bad. He’d only known Hoseok for a little less than a month.

Yoongi placed his hand on Hoseok’s shoulder carefully, “Hey, don’t be sad. Why don’t you get out of here? Have as much fun as you can before you’re back in the photo. Do anything you want.”

“I want to be here with hyung,” Hoseok answered truthfully. “I like being around hyung.”

Yoongi felt something inside his heart get tugged. Why was he feeling like this? Of course Hoseok wanted to be here with him. Hoseok hadn’t really been around anyone else besides that one cute boy he met a while ago.

“Umm we can grab dinner after this,” Yoongi suggested. “I know a place that’s pretty good. Maybe you’ll like it?”

The slightest hint of red seeped into Hoseok’s face as turned back down to his hands. His long, slender fingers were rubbing his knees. Yoongi noticed Hoseok doing that a lot. Maybe it was a comfort-action?

“Erm...I- maybe you could show me fun stuff to do in Seoul this month,” Hoseok shyly proposed. “At least I could see a lot of what Seoul is like nowadays before I have to go back in the photograph.”

“I can take a few days off of work,” Yoongi smiled. He felt his mind running through ideas of where to take Hoseok before he could even stop himself. By the time the next customer came up, Yoongi had his entire list.

1. The Gwangjang market
2. Lotte World
3. Octagon (with Yoongi’s friends
4. The Cheonggyecheon Stream
5. N Seoul Tower

And of course anywhere else Hoseok wanted to go.

~~~

After Yoongi clocked out of work they headed to the Magic Shop to borrow Jimin’s car. It was easy to convince Jimin after Hoseok talked with Jimin privately. As to what they said, Yoongi didn’t know.

Yoongi and Hoseok hopped into Jimin’s car and headed off to the Gwangjang market. It wasn’t a long drive, only 20 minutes. They spent the car ride in silence. Hoseok was too busy fiddling with his pilot’s jacket. Every so often, Yoongi would catch Hoseok staring at him. When their eyes met, Hoseok would look away as discreetly as possible. Yoongi would just smile to himself afterwards.

When they arrived at the Gwangjang market, Hoseok’s eyes were sparkling with amazement. He didn’t waste any time grabbing Yoongi’s wrist and dragging him around. Yoongi smiled and watched as Hoseok weaved his way through the crowds effortlessly. With all of the dim, yellow lights softly illuminating his face, Hoseok looked like a fairy. Yoongi had to hold onto Hoseok’s wrist as well to make sure he was real.

When Hoseok looked back at Yoongi with a wide, heart-shaped smile, Yoongi felt his heart hammer a little in its cage. His breath felt like it got knocked away. He didn’t know what this feeling was.

“Why don’t you choose a place to eat,” Yoongi suggested softly. “Just drag me anywhere and I’ll pay for it. It’s the least I can do.”

Hoseok immediately found a free space. He pulled Yoongi right next to him on the bench. The sign on this stall included what they were selling. “Mayak Gimbap.” Yoongi knew them all too well. They were rice and pickled vegetables wrapped in seaweed. Before they’re served, they get brushed with a layer of sesame oil and sesame seeds. They weren’t big, so when you ordered them they’d be piled high on the plate. It was so good, it was addicting. The stall also had tteokbokki, rice rolls that were stewed in a thick and red chili sauce.

An old lady approached them and took their order. Some of the vendors were mean, but the old lady was one of the nicest. Yoongi handed over the money for one tteokbokki and one mayak gimbap. Gwangjang market was a lot more expensive than Yoongi remembered, but he was fine with it. After all, he was treating Hoseok to this meal. He’d just have to dip into his personal savings a bit.

When the food came Yoongi let Hoseok dig in first. Even though he was hungry, it was for Hoseok. He was completely fine with watching Hoseok eat. Yoongi was just like that. With all of his friends, watching them eat was enough for him. So he watched as Hoseok grabbed a piece of tteokbokki.

Hoseok held the piece up to Yoongi’s mouth, “You should have some! It’s really good!”

Yoongi leaned forward to bite into the rice ball. Hoseok was right, it was good. Yoongi chewed it slowly for fear of choking (he remembered what happened to Jungkook when he got overeager one time). Hoseok watched Yoongi eat the rice ball. His eyes never left Yoongi’s face until Yoongi swallowed the tteokbokki.

“You should try the mayak gimbap,” Yoongi hummed. He pointed at the stack of gimbap with his chopsticks. “Like the name suggests, it’s addicting.”

Hoseok grabbed one of the pieces with his chopsticks carefully. Now that he was right next to the light, the dips and curves of his face and collarbones were illuminated just right. Hoseok’s pilot’s jacket was off his shoulder on one side and his t-shirt was looser than Yoongi thought it was earlier. Yoongi would be telling the biggest lie he’d ever told if he said that seeing Hoseok’s collarbone out like that didn’t make his face heat up a little bit.

It’s normal. It’s just a physical attraction. There’s nothing more to it, Yoongi reasoned. After all, anyone would be physically attracted to Hoseok.

Speaking of Hoseok, he had just taken a tentative bite out of the gimbap. Yoongi found it so cute how Hoseok seemed nervous about eating it. When it hit Hoseok’s tongue, his entire face lit up. He immediately took a big bite out of his piece. As he chewed, he patted Yoongi’s arm rapidly.

“Oh my goodness! It’s so good,” Hoseok exclaimed. His eyes were wide and sparkly as he grabbed another one. “I haven’t had any Korean food this good since we had that general that was a chef at the airbase!!!”

For the first time, Yoongi smiled unprompted in front of Hoseok. His gummy smile made its appearance to Hoseok’s surprise. He immediately dropped his chopsticks onto the plate and started squealing.

“HYUNG YOUR SMILE,” Hoseok screamed. It startled everyone around the pair, but Hoseok didn’t care in the slightest. “IT’S SO CUTE!!!! YOU’RE A LITTLE GUMMY BEAR!!”

“If you call me gummy bear I’m going to stop letting you sleep on my couch,” Yoongi replied with the smile still on his face. He turned back to the food and shyly started pushing the tteokbokki around in the dish.

“That’s okay. I’ll just jump in your bed and sleep there,” Hoseok laughed happily. He leaned against Yoongi’s shoulder to stabilize himself when he laughed. “I’ve been told I’m a good cuddler. I can warm you up. Or I could just fling myself on you and sleep on top of you.”

Yoongi tilted his head to lean it onto Hoseok’s. They sat there eating in silence for a while. The food truly was addicting. It wasn’t long before they finished up. They walked through the Gwangjang market a little longer. The market was in fact very pretty. Hoseok was amazed by all of the lights and the decorations on the stalls. Hoseok held Yoongi’s wrist through all of it though. He didn’t want to get lost was what he said.

If this was a picture, Yoongi could easily come up with a thousand words to describe it.

By the time they got back in the car, Hoseok was already sleepy. About 5 minutes into the drive, Hoseok was out like a light. Yoongi took this opportunity to take glances at Hoseok. His gaze lingered for a fraction of a second before he would tear his eyes away.

Hoseok was still holding Yoongi’s wrist while he was asleep.

~~~

Four days and one hair dying later on a chilly winter day, black-haired Yoongi and Hoseok found themselves at Lotte World. It was a Saturday and Yoongi was dismissed from work so they naturally used the opportunity to go out. Hoseok was currently marvelling at the castle. If Hoseok was from the time period Yoongi thought he was from, they definitely would not have had structures like that. Yoongi had been to Lotte World maybe once or twice when he was a kid so he just had to hope his memory didn't fail him.

The first thing they did was some sort of boat-themed ride. It was one of the ones where it swung back and forth. They decided to do that one since it didn’t look too fast from the outside. Yoongi was surprised to learn that Hoseok was terrified of roller coasters. He didn’t think it would be possible since Hoseok used to fly a fighter jet, but here they were.

The line was fortunately not too long, so they were able to get on quickly. Hoseok took the very edge of the ride, letting Yoongi squish him against the wall. Unfortunately for Yoongi the person next to him was a little kid who had sticky hands from the candy he’d been eating. Yoongi wasn’t a germaphobe, but that was straight up disgusting. He was not going to let that kid touch him.

As the ride started going, Hoseok and Yoongi were visibly nervous. It started off with small swings that were easy enough to handle, but it progressively got higher. Soon it was enough to where people (Yoongi and Hoseok definitely included) started screaming. Yoongi clung onto Hoseok for dear life. Yoongi almost passed out once or twice. Hoseok was used to more Gs than that, so he was relatively fine.

The moment the ride stopped, they jumped out. Yoongi could barely stand upright. His legs felt like they were slowly turning into jelly. Not to mention when he looked at Hoseok. Hoseok’s hair was wind-tousled now. He looked absolutely gorgeous with his flushed cheeks and his faraway gaze. It was like Yoongi was witnessing a model pose live. Complete with all of the self-confidence issues that came with it.

Yoongi couldn’t help but feel himself smile.

~~~

On Friday, Yoongi managed to get his friends together at Octagon. Octagon was a high-end club in Seoul. The only reason they were able to afford it was because Jin was a best-selling author.

Yoongi didn’t get there with Hoseok though. Jimin had decided that he’d give Hoseok a makeover because “nothing Yoongi-yah has is appropriate for a club”. It was partially true, but Yoongi felt that it was a little unfair. He had some pretty killer outfits if he just modified them a little. Like what he was wearing now. It was a dress shirt that had two buttons undone so that it could hang loosely around his shoulders and a pair of the tightest jeans Yoongi had.

His friends looked much better. They always put more time into fashion than Yoongi.It was just a fact. Jungkook wore a cropped hoodie and a corset underneath, highlighting his thin waist. The bottom half of the corset was concealed by his high-waisted skirt. A series of intricate belt chains rested on Jungkook’s hip. He even bothered to comb his long hair into a messy half-bun that sat on the back of his head. Taehyung looked effortlessly flawless in his black t-shirt and jeans. His t-shirt was tucked into his jeans carefully, the edges of it tactfully spilling over the belt of his jeans. His hair was a hot, curly mess. Jin wore a colorfully patterned suit jacket over a plain white hoodie. His pants were matching his jacket and his beach-blonde hair was coiffed perfectly around his face.

So yeah, it was an objective fact that they looked better than Yoongi.

Jimin and Namjoon hadn’t arrived yet. A part of Yoongi wondered what was taking them so long, but he didn’t really look into it. He was sure they’d come when they were ready. So Yoongi, Jungkook, Taehyung, and Jin just sat down at a table and ordered the first round of drinks (on Jin’s tab of course). Their drinks arrived quickly. A lemon drop for Taehyung because he didn’t like the bitter taste of alcohol, a gigantic glass of beer for Jungkook, a sangria for Jin, and straight whiskey for Yoongi.

As Yoongi sipped his whiskey, he savored the cool burn as it slipped down his throat. He hadn’t had alcohol in a while. Yoongi subconsciously licked his lips with every sip of the whiskey. When Jungkook was at about halfway through his glass he perked up at something by the doorway.

“AAAA!!! IT’S THE CUTE BOY,” Jungkook screamed. He stood up and waved at the doorway like a madman, trying to get the cute boy’s attention. When he got it he practically bolted towards the person. Yoongi just took another sip of his whiskey. He didn’t really give a fuck about what was going on in Jungkook’s love life. Especially when his own was so miserable and nonexistent. Yoongi leaned his head back against the seat couch and closed his eyes.

Jungkook ran up to them with the cute boy in tow. Yoongi could barely hear him over the pulsing music. Part of the reason why Yoongi liked clubs was because it was so easy to drown everyone out in a club. All you had to do was focus on the music and the alcohol. Occasionally you could mess around with someone on the dance floor. Maybe it would lead to both of you getting out of there and ready for a drunk hookup. Yoongi wasn’t a big fan of hookups though. He knew he was the type to be clingy after sex and hookups often get weirded out by that. It’s not that Yoongi wanted to have a relationship with them. He just always craved a rawer intimacy than sex.

“GUYS, MEET HOSEOK-HYUNG!”

Yoongi’s eyes shot open at that. He straightened his head to look at who Jungkook had brought over. Maybe it was a different Hoseok. I mean, how common was that name?

Yoongi really regretted looking. Hoseok practically looked like sex on legs. Jimin had done a damn good job at giving Hoseok a makeover. The first thing Yoongi noticed was that Hoseok’s hair color didn’t seem to be black anymore. He wasn’t really able to tell what color it was now due to the flashing lights in the club, but he could tell it was not black. On Hoseok’s ears were some dangly clip-on earrings that looked absolutely stunning on Hoseok. Resting on the bridge of Hoseok’s nose were a pair of yellow-tinted aviators. His lips were painted with a pink tinted lip gloss that glittered in the light of the club. He was wearing his jacket with a white, cropped shirt underneath it. Jimin even went above and beyond, putting a fishnet around Hoseok’s waist. A pair of short-shorts that barely covered Hoseok’s pelvic area rested high up on Hoseok’s hips. His bare legs were out in the open for anyone to see.

Jimin himself was wearing a dress with a skirt that fell just short of his knee. He had a smokey eyeshadow applied as well as a striking pink lipstick. He must have spent all of their time decking out Hoseok. Namjoon wore a tank top and shorts.

But that’s not what Yoongi was focused on. He couldn’t keep his eyes off of Hoseok. Yoongi’s cheeks flushed ever so slightly. Nothing that couldn’t be hidden by the lights of the club. The heat pooled down in his stomach and straight into his dick. The lights sure as hell wouldn’t be able to hide the semi he was now sporting.

Hoseok’s eyes flashed with recognition when he saw Yoongi. He immediately darted over to where Yoongi was sitting, “Hyung!”

Jungkook’s face turned into something similar to shock when he saw Hoseok run over to Yoongi. If he had any thoughts, he didn’t show it. He just sat down and quietly sipped his beer. To his dismay, most of the beer had been finished already. So the seven did the only logical thing; they ordered another round of drinks for everyone whether they were finished or not. This time they added the newcomers’ orders. Jimin ordered a large glass of wine for him and Namjoon to share and Hoseok went for some whiskey just like Yoongi.

Yoongi was already a little buzzed. He still had most of his senses, so he just watched the conversation between the seven of them. It turns out most of them couldn’t hold their alcohol very well. Most of them became a giggling mess. Hoseok barely finished half of his glass before he started acting bouncing off the walls. He practically flung himself onto Yoongi. He even started spouting some shit.

“Hey handsome,” Hoseok laughed over the music. He leaned his head onto Yoongi’s shoulder and started making kissy faces at Yoongi. “I know I’m a pilot, but you could take me higher than I’ve ever been.”

Yoongi nearly burst out into laughter hearing Hoseok say that. Hoseok even had an almost completely serious expression on his face. The only thing that ruined it was the lopsided smile Hoseok had plastered across his face. Yoongi’s buzzed mind decided that it would be fun to tease Hoseok a little bit. So he grabbed Hoseok’s chin with his thumb and pointer finger. Their faces were close together, but it barely fazed Yoongi. It only made the heat in his chest and stomach increase tenfold.

“What else you got pretty boy,” Yoongi hummed. He stared down at Hoseok’s glossed lips flirtatiously. Yoongi definitely noticed how Hoseok’s breath hitched and he started rubbing his knee. “Impress me pilot . Let’s see if your pickup skills stayed in that photograph, shall we?”

Hoseok accepted the challenge with a swing of his leg onto Yoongi’s left leg. He slowly wrapped his leg around Yoongi’s while whispering in Yoongi’s ear, “I can fly jets, but I'm also great at riding. Why don’t I give you a private demonstration?”

One of the five others seated at the table threw their shoe at the flustered Yoongi and Hoseok. Jungkook and Taehyung started snickering while Jimin called out, “Take it to the dancefloor.”

At the mention of a dance floor Hoseok switched back into bubbly mode. His eyes scanned the area quickly. When he found the dance floor, he smiled brightly. Hoseok turned towards Yoongi with a mischievous glint in his eye.

“No. I am not dancing,” Yoongi declared sternly. “I don’t dance.”

“Aww come on hyung,” Hoseok whined playfully. He shook Yoongi around like a baby rattle and wrapped his arms around Yoongi. The warmth of the coat, even from the outside, was comfortable. ”You only have to dance for a little bit. Then we can come back and get drunk as much as we want.”

Them dancing went somewhat like this:

Yoongi awkwardly hobbled out onto the dance floor with Hoseok. Hoseok then proceeded to put Yoongi’s hands on his waist and start dancing like it was nothing. Yoongi stepped around awkwardly, trying not to ruin Hoseok’s fun because Hoseok looked too beautiful and happy under the strobing lights of the club.

Hoseok then started rolling his hips which were dangerously close to Yoongi. Yoongi gripped Hoseok’s waist tighter subconsciously. Hoseok’s face was a bright red color by now and Yoongi couldn’t tell if it was from the alcohol, the dancing, or his hands.

Probably the alcohol though. It had to be the alcohol. There was no other logical explanation for why Hoseok would be flushed red right at that moment.

Because of Yoongi’s increased grip on Hoseok’s waist, Hoseok decided to get a little daring. All of Yoongi’s friends at the table started cheering as Hoseok began to grind on Yoongi. Yoongi could do nothing but stand there in shock and arousal. He probably should have stopped Hoseok, but his buzzed mind just froze. If Yoongi was a computer, he would have been displaying the rainbow pinwheel of death.

Yoongi finally got the cue to stop Hoseok when he felt his pants get even tighter. He let go of Hoseok’s waist and turned Hoseok around. Hoseok’s face landed right in front of Yoongi’s. Hoseok froze for a second, clearly panicking.

“Hey it’s okay,” Yoongi whispered quietly. He wasn’t even sure if Hoseok could hear it above the music. “I’m going to order another round of drinks for us if that’s okay with you.”

Hoseok’s Adam’s apple bobbed up and down once before he replied, “Yeah...yeah that’d be great hyung. I’ll-I’ll be right behind you. I- I just need to go...to the uhm- the restroom.”

The pair separated ways. Yoongi walked to the bar to go get drinks. Hopefully he could find a way to hide his hard on from his friends or they would tease him about it over the group chat for the rest of his life. Yoongi brought the new round of drinks to his friends. He tried his best to act casual, but the group was oddly perceptive for a bunch of drunk guys. As he sat down Taehyung and Jimin started nudging him with their elbows.

“So Hoseok can really move his hips, huh? It’s a good thing I dolled him up,” Jimin laughed.

Taehyung high-fived Jimin and cackled like a maniac, “Poor Gigi looked like he was about to nut on the dance floor.”

Jin snorted into his drink. Poor Yoongi was being picked on by the kids and he was going to do nothing to stop it. It was too hilarious. Plus, Yoongi hadn’t gotten any ass in a while so maybe he’d finally stop whining over the groupchat if he got some. Meanwhile, Namjoon looked at his wine thoughtfully. He discreetly set his wine down and walked away to exchange it for something stronger.

Jimin gulped down his glass of wine and smiled at Yoongi cheekily, “Speaking of, Hoseok-ah is back!”

Yoongi turned his head to where Jimin was looking. Hoseok had come back from the restroom looking a little disheveled. Of course Jimin noticed it and started fussing over Hoseok’s hair. Jimin took out his phone from his pocket. He turned the flashlight on to get a good look at Hoseok’s hair and-

Oh. Hoseok's hair was chestnut brown and it was fluffy. He looked like he was straight out of Yoongi’s wildest dreams. Jungkook caught Yoongi staring at Hoseok.

“Hey Hoseok-hyung,” Jungkook yelled (but not before taking another swig of his beer). “You can move your hips pretty well. For someone who sits around all day in a jet, I wouldn't have thought you’d move so fluidly.”

Hoseok visibly blushed. He locked eyes with Yoongi and shook his head, “I’m not that fluid hahaha. I just got a lot of practice moving my hips at the airbase. We also used to have something called a happy hour where the airbase would turn into a dance floor when I was a kid. They were trying to make sure I had at least a little bit of a childhood.”

Yoongi sipped his whiskey as he listened to Hoseok talk about the airbase. He should’ve asked a long time ago what it was like. The whole reason he bought Hoseok’s photo anyways was so that he could find out about Hoseok’s life. And honestly? Yoongi’s chest warmed hearing Hoseok talk about his childhood.

At some point in the night, almost everyone escaped to the dance floor. Hoseok and Yoongi stayed behind. Primarily because Hoseok had a little too much to drink. He sat there, leaned against Yoongi’s shoulder, and kept the deadest expression Yoongi had ever seen on his face. Hoseok was quiet and red as he looked around the club. The lights flashed across his face, illuminating it every so often (Yoongi’s favorite was when the blue lit up Hoseok because the neon and white on Hoseok’s outfit glowed).

Yoongi brushed the hair out of Hoseok’s face (he was pretty drunk himself, so he wasn’t doing things he’d normally do). He leaned his head onto the top of Hoseok’s, “So are you having fun?”

Hoseok smiled at Yoongi softly and blushed, “Yeah, I’m having so much fun. I really like your friends hyung. And who knew the cute boy is your friend?!”

Yoongi’s stomach felt like it was twisting up slowly. He didn’t know why, all he knew was that he regretted not going for something nicer to wear. Whatever it was, it started eating away at Yoongi’s stomach. He had to try his best not to sink down into the couch and stay there forever (even though the couch was very soft and tempting.)

“So how exactly did you meet Jungkook,” Yoongi asked casually. He swirled around the whiskey in his cup as he waited for Hoseok’s answer.

“‘S not important,” Hoseok mumbled sleepily. He grabbed Yoongi’s hand and guided it around his waist. Yoongi’s arm encircled Hoseok’s thin waist, the tips of his fingers trapped within the fishnet around Hoseok’s waist. Yoongi didn’t let go. He let Hoseok close his eyes and rest on his shoulder.

Yoongi carded his fingers through Hoseok’s hair gently. He let the soft fibers of Hoseok’s hair run through his fingers. He didn’t expect Hoseok to move his face into the crook of his shoulder and murmur, “Hyung is so nice to me. ‘M gonna miss hyung when I go back into the photo. Where will hyung take me next?”

“The Cheonggyecheon Stream” Yoongi breathed out gently. He could smell the alcohol on his breath (which was definitely not a good thing). “It’s a romantic spot, but I like it because it’s pretty. I have a feeling you like pretty things.”

“I do like pretty things,” Hoseok mumbled into Yoongi’s shoulder. “I definitely like pretty things..and I like feeling pretty...and I like pretty people. But right now I like sleeping.”

In the early hours of the morning, Yoongi hailed a cab to get him and Hoseok home. They stumbled up the stairs to Yoongi’s apartment. As they climbed up they laughed at their lack of dexterity. It was hilarious and Yoongi was definitely going to get a noise complaint from the elderly lady that hated him. A noise complaint would be worth it though.

They stumbled into Yoongi’s apartment after very nearly dropping Yoongi’s keys off of the balcony and flopped on the couch in a fit of giggles. Despite Hoseok saying he was sleepy, Yoongi was the one who knocked out first. Hoseok tried to carry Yoongi to the bed, but their limbs were too entangled for him to escape.

(Yoongi did get his noise complaint the next morning along with a nasty hangover and no recollection of anything that happened that night.)

~~~

The Cheonggyecheon Stream was beautiful at night. That’s where Hoseok and Yoongi found themselves 3 days later. Even though it was a Monday, Yoongi had an early shift at the store. That meant he had the evening to himself. He chose to spend that evening taking Hoseok to the Cheonggyecheon Stream.

They were seated at the steps that lead down into the stream. Hoseok looked just as beautiful tonight as he did at the club. Less flashy for sure, but he could really pull off anything. Hoseok had put his hair up in a little sprout on the top of his head. The little sprout stuck up on Hoseok’s head even after he moved around. Hoseok wore a t-shirt and his pilot’s jacket. It was cold outside, so he bundled up in the jacket. His sweatpants were enough to keep his legs warm.

Meanwhile, Yoongi wore his hoodie with the sleeves that were a little frustratingly long. When he stood up with his arms dangling at the sides, the sleeves reached down to his mid-calf. It also just happened to be his warmest hoodie.

Hoseok sat together on the bridge, sharing a cup of ice cream that they bought before they arrived. To Yoongi’s amusement, Hoseok ordered his half as mint-chocolate chip. Yoongi went for the red bean ice cream that was normally found in the Binggrae Samanco. When they were melted together it didn’t taste too good but Yoongi dealt with it. After all, Hoseok was going to get sent back into the photo in 17 days.

17 days. The month was sure going fast and Yoongi didn’t know if he really wanted Hoseok to go anymore. He was starting to get pretty attached to the younger. Lately, he’d been finding his gaze lingering on Hoseok a little longer or a soft smile crossing his face whenever he looked at Hoseok smiling and having fun. What Yoongi wanted was a little futile though. He had too much pride to turn around now. As much Hoseok had grown on him, he would be mortified if he had to go to Namjoon and tell him to back out.

The stream was illuminated by the city lights. Surrounding the area of the stream were tall buildings. It was a striking contrast, the stone steps of the streams with the skyscrapers behind it, but it wasn’t ugly. The lights from the buildings reflected into the stream. It made it look like the water was an array of rainbows floating past the stone steps that Yoongi and Hoseok sat on. The water in turn reflected into Hoseok’s eyes. As Hoseok ate the ice cream he smiled at the beautiful steam. Hoseok looked like he had the whole universe in his eyes.

Hoseok did have the universe in his eyes. His almond shaped eyes sparkled at everything all the time. Yoongi could imagine Hoseok as a young pilot, getting behind the controls of a jet for the first time. He must have been so starry eyed.

Right now, Hoseok’s eyes were focused on a couple about 6 kilometers away from them. The woman was on her knee, proposing to her boyfriend. What a beautiful place to get engaged. Yoongi made a mental note to propose in a beautiful place if he ever got lucky enough to find someone. So far, his luck wasn’t going too well. He’d had only two relationships in his entire life and one wasn’t really a relationship. It was more of a mutual fucking each other with the occasional dinner and the other was in middle school with a girl (that ended about as quickly as it began. He never really liked her anyways). He’d had crushes, but they never lasted long and they were never anything close to love.

“Hey Seok-ah, can you tell me what life was like at the airbase?”

The nickname slipped out of Yoongi’s mouth so naturally Yoongi barely even noticed that he said it. When he realized what he said, he looked down at the stream in embarrassment. He didn’t look at Hoseok. He was a little too cowardly for that.

Hoseok laughed at Yoongi wholeheartedly, not a hint of being upset in his voice at all. He placed the ice cream in Yoongi’s lap and snuggled up with Yoongi. Yoongi was still getting used to how touchy Hoseok was, but he didn’t mind much.

Hoseok placed his hand on Yoongi’s thigh gently, “I like Seok-ah. What do you want to know about the airbase? There’s a lot and I surely can’t tell it all in one night.”

“Why don’t you start with how you got to the base itself,” Yoongi suggested. “That sounds like it would be an interesting story.”

“Well, it was the early 1950s. I was found on a battlefield by a general. Nobody knew my name or where I came from or who my parents were. I was just a baby who got abandoned,” Hoseok hummed. He didn’t seem uncomfortable with telling the story. “The general didn’t get to keep me since it was too dangerous for a kid to stay with an active regiment. So they took me to the airbase. They decided my last name would be Jung because the general who found me was General Jung. I don’t quite know where Hoseok came from though. I got my education from the soldiers there. I was the only kid on the airbase and everyone loved me. Apparently I was quite the little shit.”

Yoongi burst out into laughter. His gummy smile lit up his face, “Don’t call small Seok a little shit. I bet he was cute.”

He has to be cute if he grew up into you.

“Nah, little Seok deserves a special place in hell,” Hoseok chuckled. He looked down at the stream as if he could see the memories replaying there. “I kind of miss it. You know, the whole fixed routine I’ve had all my life. The last thing I remember was my plane going down and then black. And now I wake up here with everything I ever knew stripped away from me. I mean, one of the first things you said to me was to ‘cut all of that shit’ and that I wasn’t part of the military anymore.”

Yoongi felt the guilt brewing in his stomach as he watched Hoseok’s expression turn sad. He wrapped his arm around Hoseok’s waist gently. He didn’t know why. Some part of him just felt compelled to do it. Yoongi felt the heat rise in his cheeks as his fingers touched Hoseok’s stomach. His heart hammered loud in his ears. It felt like a flower bloomed in his stomach.

It felt right.

Yoongi motioned the ice cream cup towards Hoseok shamefully. He ducked his head down in embarrassment. He wasn’t fair to Hoseok at all. He should’ve thought about how Hoseok was feeling.

“Hyung, it’s okay,” Hoseok whispered. He leaned into Yoongi's body and tightened Yoongi’s grip around his waist. “It’s not like it will matter once I’m back in the photo. I’ll be out of your hair and you won’t have to ever think about me again.”

Yoongi tightened his grip on Hoseok’s waist subconsciously. He took a deep breath and quietly changed the subject, “Tell me more about the airbase. How did you learn how to fly? Did you have any relationships?”

“Eh, just one that I can really remember. I used to watch this one boy at the docks. He was the coolest person to me. He was really pretty and hot and I just couldn’t help but watch him,” Hoseok gushed quietly. Some part of Yoongi wanted Hoseok to stop, but it was better than dealing with the guilt of talking about what would happen soon. “One day I decided to go to the docks. The general at the time let me of course. Everything kind of just happened from there. He kissed me and took me on a date.”

“Oh...what happened with him,” Yoongi asked as casually as he could.

Hoseok played with Yoongi’s fingers slowly and sighed, “It was great, but I just couldn’t stay with him you know? I couldn’t really stay with anyone I liked. We always had to move around, never stayed at one place for too long. I think my love life might be cursed. I can’t even stay now because I’m going to get sent back into the photo.”

Yoongi felt a pang in his heart. Sharp and heavy, echoing around inside. He didn’t know why it hurt so much to see Hoseok’s glassy eyes. He just wanted to make Hoseok smile his beautiful, heart-shaped smile again. So Yoongi cupped Hoseok’s face with his hands and turned Hoseok towards him. Hoseok could barely meet Yoongi’s eyes.

“Seok-ah,” Yoongi whispered gently. He wiped the tears that started to roll down Hoseok’s cheeks with his ridiculously long hoodie sleeve. “Do you want to go back to my apartment? We can play some board games or something there.”

Hoseok shook his head and tore away from Yoongi’s loose grip. He stared at the stream quietly. An uncomfortable silence fell over the two of them.

Yoongi pushed the ice cream towards Hoseok, trying desperately to cheer Hoseok up. It didn’t seem to work though. Hoseok just moved down a step. Yoongi really didn’t know how you’re supposed to deal with things like this. It wasn’t like he was an expert on love and emotions.

So Yoongi set down the ice cream and crawled over to Hoseok. His hoodie sleeves limited his movement a considerable amount but he worked with it. He crawled behind Hoseok quietly. Yoongi wrapped his legs and arms around Hoseok for a back hug. Yoongi dug his face inside the crook of Hoseok’s shoulder, right where the fur of the pilot’s jacket was, and mumbled, “Please don’t cry Seok-ah. Let’s go home. I’ll make you some hot chocolate...we can play some board games...just please stop crying.”

At the mention of hot chocolate, Hoseok started wiping his tears. Hoseok pulled Yoongi closer before sniffling, “You better let me bundle up in your blanket with you. And you better pull out all of your snacks.”

“Wait, before we go,” Yoongi mumbled. He released one of his arms to dig through his pockets. Yoongi pulled out his phone and opened it. “Can I take a picture of you? I wanna have a picture of you.”

Hoseok let Yoongi step away from him. Yoongi backed up onto the top of the steps and zoomed his phone in on Hoseok. Hoseok smiled softly at the camera, eyes full of sadness but also hope. The photo came out beautifully. Hoseok looked right in place with the city lights and the stream. Yoongi saved the picture into his favorites before he could even process what he was doing.

They drove back in Jimin’s car to the Magic Shop. It was a silent drive, but it wasn’t uncomfortable or awkward. They happily listened to the rumbling of the car’s tires against the road and the low hum of the engine. At least for Yoongi, it drowned out the heartbeat in his ears.

Seoul was beautiful at night. It was like its own little galaxy. The different colored lights of the cityscape ranging from the standard yellow to a brilliant purple stood out like stars against the night sky. All the people bustling about in the city acted like the different planets that orbited the stars. After all, each person had their own little worlds that they operated in .

And Hoseok had crashed into Yoongi’s in a beautiful explosion of color and light.

Luckily for them, the elevator in the apartment building was working that day. They took the short ride up and entered Yoongi’s apartment. Yoongi immediately went to his pantry to start making some snacks for Hoseok. Meanwhile the younger grabbed Yoongi's blanket off of the bed. Yoongi had to stifle a laugh when he saw Hoseok bundled up in the blanket on the couch.

Yoongi brought the buttered popcorn and the hot chocolate over to the table. He searched his dusty closet for some game that Jungkook probably brought over but forgot at his place. Eventually Yoongi found a Monopoly set. Subconsciously he knew what he was getting into if they were to start playing Monopoly, but he didn’t really care. As long as Hoseok was having fun and smiling. That was all Yoongi wanted.

Hoseok looked up at the Monopoly box from his blanket den. He tilted his head curiously like a little puppy finding out about tennis balls for the first time. He seemed immediately intrigued by the green box.

“Monopoly,” Hoseok read out curiously. “It sounds complicated. Can you help me once we start playing?”

As it turned out, Hoseok was naturally skilled in Monopoly. Or maybe he was just skilled in money management. Whatever the case was, Hoseok managed to pretty clearly stay ahead for the entire time. It didn’t help that Hoseok kept unintentionally making Yoongi nervous. Something about the butter from the popcorn that coated Hoseok’s lips made Yoongi’s palms sweat. Especially when the hot chocolate didn’t wash the butter away. If anything, it made Hoseok's lips look glossier.

Being around Hoseok was refreshing. Yoongi didn’t often have a lot of energy to do things, but something about Hoseok made him find the power to pick himself up and do things. Hoseok was like a battery. And like the battery he was, he managed to keep Yoongi up playing games until 3 am. Even though the original intent for them playing games was to stop Hoseok crying, they kept going hours after Hoseok had stopped.

Yoongi couldn’t help but try to keep the smile on Hoseok’s face for as long as he could. So they kept playing until Hoseok started to yawn. He barely managed to keep his eyes open as Yoongi made him brush his teeth.

Hoseok sleepily wiped a little of his toothpaste foam with his finger and poked Yoongi’s cheek. He giggled softly as Yoongi started whining and throwing things in the bathroom at him. Yoongi wasn’t really that intimidating. Even though he was really grumpy most of the time, he was really a softie inside.

As Hoseok laid down on the couch, Yoongi got to work cleaning up the snacks they consumed. Hoseok stayed bundled up in Yoong’s blanket. It was, and I quote, “warmer than anything I had on the airbase.”

By the time Yoongi was done cleaning, Hoseok was passed out on the couch. He looked peaceful as he slept. A soft smile rested on Hoseok’s face. It made Yoongi want to know what made Hoseok so happy in his dreams. Yoongi sat on the chair in front of Hoseok and watched Hoseok sleep for a while. His heart hammered in his ears as he watched Hoseok. A ripple of some strange, faraway feeling washed over Yoongi.

He didn’t know what it was. Couldn’t even begin to guess what it was. It felt good but in a way that kind of hurt. Yoongi had never felt anything like this. He could tell that, whatever this feeling was, it was only in its beginning stages.

Yoongi got off the chair quietly for fear of waking Hoseok up. He pulled the blanket over Hoseok’s shoulders gently. Yoongi swept the fluffy, chestnut colored hair out of Hoseok’s face, admiring how it fell back down onto Hoseok’s forehead.

Jung Hoseok was truly one of the most beautiful things on Earth.

If this was a picture, Yoongi could come up with a million words to describe it.

~~~

That Friday, Yoongi took Hoseok to the N Seoul tower. It was a popular place for tourists but it was one of the most beautiful views in Seoul. You did have to pay to get in, but it was worth every won. A lot of people got in to go through the Bridge of Love with their significant others. Some people even proposed there on the Proposal Staircase.

Yoongi’s plan for the night was to take Hoseok to the Tunnel of Love. It wasn’t really what the name suggested. It was actually a very pretty staircase that made for a very good photo opportunity. Then he would take Hoseok down a few floors to the OLED Media Art section of the N Seoul tower. Then he’d take Hoseok back up to go to the 3D World Experience Center. That section in particular was breathtaking. Then he planned to end the night by going up to the Observatory to look at the view of Seoul with Hoseok.

Going to the Tunnel of Love was a good decision. Once Hoseok laid eyes on the glittering staircase, he let go of Yoongi’s hand out of pure shock. The Tunnel of Love was a red colored staircase with arching metal poles over it. The metal poles were completely covered in fairy lights and bulbs that shined red and gold. The mirrored panels on each side of the staircase only reflected the light tenfold.

Yoongi immediately pulled out his phone and took a photo of Hoseok. Hoseok wasn’t even on the staircase yet. Yoongi took a photo of Hoseok simply staring in amazement at the staircase. The lights reflected in Hoseok’s deep, brown eyes. It amazed Yoongi how those almond eyes always seemed to carry the universe.

Something about Hoseok’s eyes made the heat rise to Yoongi’s cheeks. As much as they held the universe in them, there was also a storm deep down inside. The kind of storm that made Yoongi just want to keep looking inside forever and ever until he found it.

Hoseok tugged the sleeve of Yoongi’s hoodie excitedly, “Oh hyung, it’s so pretty!! It looks just like Christmas at the airbase!!!”

The air outside was cold and crisp that night, so there weren't that many tourists at the Tunnel of Love. The tunnel was outside and a lot of people didn’t like that cold that much. Hoseok didn’t seem to mind. Yoongi sure didn’t mind.

Hoseok’s cheeks and the tip of his nose were kissed pink by the cold. His hot breath turned visible in the cold air. Yoongi was sure the same things were happening to him, but Hoseok definitely looked a lot better than him. Hoseok’s lips were pulled up into that beautiful heart shaped smile.

Yoongi nudged Hoseok towards the staircase with his elbow, “Go ahead Seok-ah. The tunnel is supposed to be for taking photos after all.”

Hoseok ran to the staircase excitedly. He looked small under the lights, but he looked like he belonged there. Yoongi looked through the camera to get the perfect shot of Hoseok. He wanted to get the best picture he could of Hoseok. He managed to snap a couple ones that he was satisfied with. (Taehyung could probably do much better.)

“HEY HYUNG,” Hoseok yelled. He waved his hands wildly to motion Yoongi to come over. “YOU HAVE TO TAKE ONE TOO!”

An elderly lady near them chuckled at Hoseok and offered, “I can take the photo for you two. You guys are quite the cute duo.”

Yoongi stared at the lady for a little longer than what was socially acceptable. He couldn’t help it though. He was a little bit caught off guard. So he stood there opening and closing his mouth like a fish.

The lady placed a reassuring hand on Yoongi’s shoulder and smiled, “It’s okay dearie. I meant it in a platonic way. You never want to assume, you know? Now would you like me to take your photo?”

“Yes, thank you ma’am,” Yoongi replied quickly. He handed his phone to the elderly lady and ran over to the excited Hoseok. He didn’t seem to notice the lady’s small exchange with Yoongi because he didn’t inquire about it.

Hoseok slung his arm around Yoongi’s shoulders as they smiled for the picture. Yoongi did his best not to look awkward, but he really wasn’t the best at smiling for the camera. At least he was until Hoseok discreetly started tickling Yoongi’s sides. Yoongi burst out into laughter as the camera shutter sound on his phone went off.

The lady chuckled at the two and walked forward to hand Yoongi his phone. Yoongi tried to meet her halfway, but Hoseok’s arm was still tight around him. He ended up inadvertently being jerked backwards and right next to Hoseok’s face. The lady laughed wholeheartedly at the two.

Once Hoseok realized what he had done he blushed embarrassedly and let Yoongi go, “Oh sorry hyung.”

“It’s okay,” Yoongi breathed out quickly. He took the phone from the lady and bowed to her in thanks. Yoongi looked at the picture the lady took. A pout crossed Yoongi’s face as he raised the phone up for Hoseok to see. “You’re not looking at the camera.”

Hoseok indeed was not looking at the camera. He was staring straight at the laughing Yoongi in his arms. Hoseok was smiling softly at Yoongi’s gummy laugh. The photo wasn’t actually half-bad. The lights of the Tunnel were slightly blurred around Hoseok and Yoongi, making the two of them stand out more prominently. It was actually quite a pretty photo. So Yoongi favorite-ed it and put his phone inside his hoodie pocket. He kept his hands in there too since they were pretty cold.

“Hey, let’s get going. I wanna show you the OLED Tunnel thing on level 1. It’s hella cool,” Yoongi hummed. Hee started to make his way down the stairs, not realizing Hoseok hadn’t yet moved from his spot. He only looked back when he hit the bottom of the steps.

Yoongi chuckled at Hoseok and ran back up the steps to get him. He grabbed Hoseok’s hand swiftly, dragging him back down the steps. They stepped into the empty elevator together. Hoseok still hadn’t let go of Yoongi’s hand, but Yoongi didn’t mind too much. His hands were fucking cold and Hoseok’s hands were somehow warm. The heat was actually kind of nice.

The last thing Yoongi expected though was for Hoseok to shove both of their hands into Yoongi’s hoodie pocket. Yoongi looked at the embarrassed Hoseok confusedly. He couldn’t help but feel a little shy too. So he looked away from Hoseok and smiled shyly at the ground. They stood there in an awkward silence as the elevator went down.

DING!!

The elevator shuddered to stop. The number 1 was displayed on the red screen above the control pad. The doors opened slowly to reveal people waiting for the elevator. They looked at Yoongi and Hoseok incredulously. They were obviously questioning the hand in Yoongi’s hoodie pocket. Since Yoongi’s hoodie was longer than a normal hoodie, the pocket sat over his pelvic area. Meaning the people waiting were thinking that Hoseok was in the middle of giving Yoongi a handjob in the elevator.

Yoongi shuffled out of the elevator embarrassedly. Hoseok struggled to follow behind, but he didn’t let go of Yoongi’s hand. They walked to the OLED tunnel that they briefly passed by while coming in.

The N Seoul tower was really just full of amazing things. The flexible OLED panels displayed beautiful red roses and the cityscape all around Yoongi and Hoseok. Above their heads, the panels displayed a beautiful purple and pink colored galaxy of stars. Hoseok looked around in amazement at the tunnel. He’d probably never seen something as high-tech as this.

“It’s like magic,” Hoseok squealed. He hopped up and down happily as he looked at the images displayed on the panels. “I don’t even think my jet is this high-tech! Well, was I guess. It’s probably still in the ocean, but that’s not the point!”

Yoongi quietly snapped a photo of Hoseok with his free hand. He kept snapping pictures as he asked, “It’s in the ocean?”

“Umm yeah,” Hoseok laughed sadly. He looked at the roses displayed on the bright screens. “We were flying over an enemy country’s aircraft carrier by accident. We were on our way to do something? I don’t really remember. I was trying to get my team out of there, but it was raining and we could barely see.”

Yoongi felt a jolt of energy come from Hoseok’s hand. Yoongi stepped back in surprise. He could see Hoseok yelling over an intercom and trying to maneuver a team of jets out of there. He saw Hoseok’s hands on the controls of the plane, a panicked expression on his face as he tried to stay calm for his team. He could see the rain hitting the glass of the plane and clouding Hoseok’s vision.

When he opened his eyes again, everything was back to normal. He was standing in the OLED tunnel with Hoseok. Yoongi looked around a little bit, not wanting to seem like he wasn’t paying attention to Hoseok.

“I remember I saw a cannonball-type thing launching at one of my pilots and...I don’t know. I couldn’t really let one of my team die like that. He was yelling over the radio that his eject button wasn’t working and the parachute was missing anyways. So like the dumbass I was, I flew my jet right into the cannonball so that he wouldn’t die,” Hoseok recalled. He sat down against the end of the tunnel. Yoongi could feel Hoseok’s hand shaking. Yoongi sat down next to Hoseok. He pulled Hoseok’s head down towards his chest for a slightly awkward hug. He couldn’t deny that it felt nice though.

Hoseok leaned in a little more and sighed shakily, “Sorry, it’s just….it’s a little weird to talk about how I died. Especially knowing I’m basically going to die again once I go back in the photo. But hey...at least this time I know I’m going to die. At least I know better than to look forward to anything I could have in the future this time. I was actually supposed to be having a date that night. He and I...we could’ve had something long-term.”

Yoongi was honestly so impressed with Hoseok. The younger wasn’t even crying despite the subject matter. Hoseok seemed to be someone who really valued and craved commitment. Yoongi supposed it made sense considering Hoseok’s background. He wouldn’t really have had a permanent family as a kid. His caretakers probably kept switching around as soldiers died or got discharged. But Yoongi was also heartbroken for Hoseok. Hoseok could have finally gotten everything he’d ever wanted in life, but his golden heart wouldn’t let him let someone else die.

Yoongi let go of Hoseok’s hand to wrap both of his arms around Hoseok. Their knees bumped a little awkwardly, but an overwhelming warmth filled Yoongi’s chest. He could feel that warmth that emitted from Hoseok’s body too. He felt so guilty for what they both knew was going to come in the next

Yoongi squeezed Hoseok a little tighter and mumbled, “It’s okay. It’s okay Seok-ah. Let’s cheer you up. I think you’d like the 3D center. It’s really trippy, but it’s also really pretty.”

“Only if you let me warm your hands up while we get there,” Hoseok smiled. Yoongi could feel Hoseok’s smile against his shoulder. “Don’t want hyung to have cold hands on such a cold day. We have to be careful so that neither of us lose fingers.”

Now Yoongi knew that they wouldn’t lose any fingers, but Hoseok was too adorable. So he didn’t question it. He simply stood up and grabbed Hoseok’s hand. Yoongi didn’t miss how Hoseok’s slender fingers wrapped themselves in between Yoongi’s longer, knobbier fingers. Yoongi’s hand practically devoured Hoseok’s, but it was endearing in a strange way.

They walked to the elevator from before hand in hand. Yoongi discreetly kept taking pictures of Hoseok as they walked out and towards the 3D center. He got so distracted taking pictures, he almost forgot that he was supposed to be the one leading the way. Luckily, Hoseok didn’t tease him about it. Yoongi would have been mortified if Hoseok started making fun of him about that.

Yoongi didn’t really know why he was taking so many pictures of Hoseok anyways. Was it because he wanted memories? Was Yoongi’s brain trying to find a replacement for the photograph that always cheered him up? Or was it because Hoseok simply captivated him so much in those moments, he felt the need to immortalize it?

...Maybe Yoongi was overthinking it a little. Yeah, he was definitely overthinking it. He always tended to overthink everything and it sucked.

Suddenly, Hoseok’s voice snapped Yoongi out of his own little thought train.

“Is it supposed to be this blurry?”

Yoongi looked up to find that they were there. He chuckled at Hoseok’s lack of understanding. It was a little amusing how futuristic it must have seemed to Hoseok. In fact, Hoseok looked like he was trying to turn the gears in his head trying to figure it out. As Hoseok tried to figure out what he was supposed to be seeing, Yoongi let go of his hand.
Immediately, Yoongi felt the lack of the warmth that came from Hoseok’s skin. He also felt the warmth slip away from his chest. So Yoongi, as quickly as he could, waddled-ran over to the bin full of glasses and grabbed two of them. He waddled back over to Hoseok with the glasses. Yoongi placed his glasses on the top of his head so that he could put on the glasses for Hoseok.

“Okay trust me on this. I’m going to put this on your face and it’s going to be trippy at first,” Yoongi warned. He wrapped his long fingers around Hoseok’s wrist gently. “Everything is going to look like it’s right there. If you get freaked out, I’m right here, okay? Feel free to take off your glasses if you need to.”

Hoseok giggled a little at Yoongi’s serious expression. The giggle sent a shiver up Yoongi’s spine. It was a sweet peal that practically blindsided Yoongi’s brain. He momentarily forgot what he was supposed to be doing.

He came back to his senses when Hoseok nudged the glasses with his finger. Yoongi blinked a little embarrassedly. He practically shoved the glasses on Hoseok’s face.

“OUCH...WAIT IT LOOKS LIKE WE’RE IN ALICE IN WONDERLAND,” Hoseok exclaimed. He started running around like a little child, amazed at everything he was seeing. It was kind of endearing how his smile was threatening to stretch past beyond the limits of his face.

It did in fact look like a scene from Alice In Wonderland. Once Yoongi put on his 3D glasses, the neon colored mushrooms took shape. He wasn’t lying when he said it was trippy. In fact, it was he imagined being high to look like. The neon mushrooms popped out at them, looking real as hell. The neon colors almost flashed through Yoongi’s eyes. Purples, pinks, blues, more color than Yoongi could imagine. He didn’t really like how bright it was, but Hoseok looked like he was having the time of his life trying to grab the mushrooms. Everytime his hands would close around the air, he giggled happily and went for another mushroom.

Yoongi watched the scene with a wide smile. Hoseok looked so beautiful and in place surrounded by the color, yet he somehow outshined the bright neon colors. He was brighter than sunshine itself and deeper than the midnight sky in Yoongi’s opinion. Jung Hoseok himself was simply the whole goddamn sky.

Hoseok caught Yoongi looking at him. Time seemed to slow down as Hoseok twirled around and, somehow, Hoseok seemed to smile brighter in the brief moment their eyes caught each other.

Yoongi caught himself smiling brighter too, but his smile was no match for Hoseok’s. In fact, Yoongi couldn’t think of any smile that was close to the radiance of Hoseok’s.

...And that scared him...It scared Yoongi a lot more than he would ever care to admit. He’d be found dead before he ever admitted he was scared of that brilliant smile. (Or more accurately, everything that Yoongi felt with the smile. The suspicion lurked in the back of his mind, feeding his biggest fears and insecurities without even being one fourth of a realized thought.)

Hoseok ran up to Yoongi with a big pout on his face, “Hyunngggg why can’t I touch any of the mushrooms? Is this magic? I don’t believe in magic but I think this might be it.”

Yoongi snapped out of his thoughts. He looked up at Hoseok quickly, meeting the younger’s gaze. Something about it seemed a little off now that Hoseok was up close. As cliche as it was, the smile didn’t quite seem to reach Hoseok’s eyes.

Or maybe that was just Yoongi grasping for straws. He certainly didn’t know Hoseok well enough to tell if that was just Hoseok or something deeper. (Although sometimes, it definitely felt like they’d been lifelong friends.) The only guess that wasn’t simply “Hoseok just smiled like that all the time” was that it maybe (just maybe) had something to do with their talk earlier.

The younger must really have been hurt over and over again. He seemed like the person who fell too easily and got hurt just as quickly. Not that it was a bad thing. Yoongi just couldn’t imagine being hurt like that over and over again and still staying cheerful. Or having the energy to pretend to stay cheerful.

“It’s technology Seok-ah,” Yoongi laughed. “Something about red and blue and when you wear these glasses, it creates a 3 dimensional image.

Hoseok twirled around happily towards Yoongi. He plopped down right next to Yoongi to ask, “Is this what that blue caterpillar sees when he’s high? I don’t think I’d mind if this is what I get to see. Too bad I can’t give you the prettiest mushroom here.”

“Oh yeah? What’s the prettiest mushroom here?”

Hoseok pretended to look around at the mushrooms carefully. The smile on his face told Yoongi that he already knew which mushroom it was though. Personally, Yoongi thought the prettiest mushroom was the one in the corner that was a light pink with rainbows of color on the edges. It was tall and a little bit thinner than the rest, but it was one of the prettiest things Yoongi had ever seen.

Yoongi felt two hands clasp around his face. Hoseok was cupping his face with a bright smile on his face. This one reached his eyes and made the almonds gleam like stars.

“Wait...are you calling me a mushroom,” Yoongi exclaimed in mock-horror. “I feel insulted, upset, offended, another synonym I can’t think of right now!”

Hoseok burst into a fit of giggles in front of Yoongi, still cupping the older’s face. Yoongi felt a weird sense of pride making Hoseok laugh so hard that the younger flung himself into Yoongi’s arm.

That was a habit Yoongi noticed among others. (Such as how Hoseok seemed to touch his neck when he was nervous or how Hoseok tilted his head when he was surprised like a little puppy.) Yoongi didn’t watch Hoseok for habits or anything. He just happened to notice the cute little habits while they’d been living together.

“You are a mushroom though,” Hoseok giggled. He lifted himself off of Yoongi’s chest almost lazily. As if he didn’t want to get up. “Your hair is so fluffy, it makes you look like you’re wearing a mushroom cap!!! Don’t be affronted!”

“Well I am,” Yoongi huffed playfully. Hoseok shoved Yoongi’s shoulder roughly in response, scoffing to himself.

They sat there in silence, looking at the 3D projections. There were families there with their kids and couples who looked like they were the happiest people in the world. It made Yoongi’s heart ache. He had always wanted that connection so badly, but he didn’t even know what that connection felt like.

Right at that moment, Hoseok wrapped his hand around Yoongi’s. No big spectacle. He did it quietly as if any excess movement or noise would ruin it. He didn’t even look at Yoongi while his thumb rubbed the back of Yoongi’s hand. Hoseok kept his eyes on the mushrooms happily.

Yoongi looked down at his hand in Hoseok’s. It was kind of amusing how much smaller Hoseok’s hand was. The younger wasn’t that much taller than Yoongi, yet his hand was so much smaller. The slender fingers were also boney like Yoongi’s but not as much. Yoongi also happened to notice calluses and blisters on Hoseok’s hands (probably from his being a pilot. If that was the case, the Magic Shop was weirdly detailed.)

After a good 30 minutes of Hoseok marvelling at the mushrooms, they were getting a little bored. Hoseok didn’t quite want to leave yet though, so they sat down and talked for a while. Pretty much on par with how their nights go, but Yoongi was stalling until as late as possible so that the view from the observatory would be extra pretty.

“So tell me some things about your life,” Hoseok hummed. “You know a lot about mine but I don’t know anything about you. I think that’s not fair, hyung.”

Yoongi shook his head and laughed sheepishly, “I don’t really have an interesting life. I’m not a pilot or an orphan or anything. There’s nothing that’s interesting to know unless you want to hear about that time I got mono twice in a row from sharing a soda with my cousin and kissing my crush who kissed my cousin.”

“Aww come on,” Hoseok pouted cutely. His doe eyes somehow got more sparkly and wide. It was slowly killing Yoongi inside. “Tell me anythingggg. Where did you come from? What was your childhood like? Who was your first kiss? What was school like? What was your family like?”

Yoongi…was a little bit overwhelmed. That was a hell of a lot of questions and he could barely process just one of them. So he laughed a little awkwardly, “I don’t know Seok-ah. It’s all a bit boring. I’m sure you’d fall asleep while I’m telling it.”

Hoseok frowned at Yoongi. He turned back towards the neon mushrooms with a sad expression on his face that Yoongi couldn’t decipher. Why was Hoseok sad? It’s not like it would matter how much he knew about Yoongi once he was back in the photo. A pang resounded deep inside Yoongi’s heart. It felt so real, he almost lurched over in shock. Yoongi clutched the fabric of his shirt right where his heart was absentmindedly. A chill ran through his spine as he watched Hoseok’s face.

Why did he look so sad?

“I’m from Daegu.”

Hoseok’s attention immediately shot to Yoongi, a heart-shaped smile spreading across his face faster than Yoongi thought was possible for human facial muscles. Yoongi felt a little shy from the attention from Hoseok, which he found weird. He barely ever got shy from someone he was familiar with. In fact, the last time he got like this was when Jin asked how his sex life was going.

But this was different. Hoseok was simply interested in Yoongi’s life and he was getting flustered . Yoongi almost felt guilty for getting flustered. It was such an innocent question and Hoseok’s intentions were most likely nothing but pure. Yet Yoongi’s mind was acting as if the younger had just loudly proclaimed that Yoongi was going to get fucked later that night (not that he would be or even wanted to that night.)

“Oh that’s so cool hyung,” Hoseok exclaimed. “I’ve been to Daegu a few times! It’s a really safe city, isn’t it?!”

“Oh, um yeah,” Yoongi blanked. Hoseok’s enthusiasm about Daegu wasn’t something he was quite used to. Most people simply knew where it was and moved on or were from there. Yoongi tried his best to recall one interesting story from his youth. “Oh there was one time I almost got run over by a car in the pick-up for my primary school.”

“And apparently the high chance of mono,” Hoseok noted with a teasing laugh. “What was your childhood like?”

Yoongi took a look around at the mushrooms to avoid Hoseok’s gaze. Avoiding things was an art Yoongi had perfected over the years. Luckily it was coming into use at that moment to save him from his own flustered mind.

“I guess it was normal. Decent house, good parents, a brother, a dog. I hated school and loved music. I failed math but I never use it in real life so it doesn’t really matter,” Yoongi mumbled. He was slightly aware he was rambling, but he couldn’t stop his own mouth. “I had some friends who were nice, but I never got really close to any of them besides Taehyung.”

“That’s so cool!! You had a dog?! I’ve only seen a dog once let alone own one,” Hoseok laughed. “What was your dog like?? Were they cute? Were they playful?”

Hoseok was lurking into dangerous territory. All of Yoongi’s friends could attest that, once you got him talking about Holly, he wouldn’t stop until you physically forced him too. It was kind of cute that Yoongi loved his dog like a child but that didn’t mean they would stand listening to Yoongi talk about Holly for hours. (Although Taehyung does the same thing with Yeontan and Yoongi doesn’t complain about it at all.)

“Holly is the cutest dog in the world. He’s so obedient. He never gives anyone who’s not the mailman any trouble. But he’s also really playful and he loves cuddles. He’s the perfect dog,” Yoongi bragged proudly. “He’s my child. He absolutely loves me.”

“Aww that’s so cute hyung,” Hoseok cooed. He started swaying around happily like a seaweed plant in the ocean. “How come I’ve never seen Holly around your apartment.”

“Sadly, he’s back at home in Daegu. I couldn’t take him with me to Seoul no matter how hard I tried. All of the apartment buildings we found didn’t allow dogs. So he’s at home with my brother. They send me pictures sometimes but I haven’t seen Holly since I moved out,” Yoongi sighed.

Hoseok noticed how Yoongi’s shoulders slumped a little. It must have broken Yoongi’s heart to leave Holly behind. A pet was a bit different than a person, but they both were capable of being the subject of someone’s love.

So Hoseok wrapped Yoongi up in a hug. Yoongi froze a bit, but eventually he melted into the hug. Their bodies seemed to fit together perfectly. Hoseok smelled good. Really good. Yoongi wasn’t normally a person to notice things like that but, when the younger was everywhere around him, it was hard for Yoongi to not let himself get enveloped in the scent. Hoseok smelled like strawberries.

How was it even possible that Hoseok smelled different than Yoongi? They’d been using the same soap, shampoo, and conditioner to shower so one would think they’d smell the same. But no. Somehow Jung Hoseok was so magical he managed to smell different from Yoongi.

Yoongi wasn’t really complaining though. He was so comfortable and warm at that moment, he could feel himself drifting off to sleep. He almost forgot he was going to take Hoseok up to the observatory. Luckily for Yoongi, Hoseok pinched his cheek ever so slightly to wake him up a little.

“Your eyes were getting droopy,” Hoseok laughed. His dimples poked out as he smiled at Yoongi. Yoongi felt the urge to poke them with his fingers. (He didn’t because he didn’t want to be embarrassed in front of the two other people at the exhibit). “Are you tired? Do you want to go back to your apartment to sleep?”

“No. One last stop before we go back to my apartment,” Yoongi yawned. He tried his best not to let his eyes droop or to show Hoseok he was tired in any way. Yoongi managed to stand himself up. He was dead set on showing Hoseok the view from the observatory.

They deposited their 3D glasses into the bin. Yoongi grabbed Hoseok’s wrist and pulled them out of the exhibit, towards the elevator. He barely managed to see with his droopy eyes. Yoongi could feel himself getting more and more tired. While in the elevator, he slapped his cheeks a little bit to stop himself from falling asleep against Hoseok’s shoulder.

When the elevator doors opened up, Hoseok was the one who had to drag Yoongi out. Yoongi was barely able to pay attention to anything. Although, once Hoseok caught a glimpse of the view, Yoongi’s arm got yanked so hard that he became wide awake.

Several people sitting there got interrupted by Hoseok’s squealing. None of them seemed annoyed however. They were more amused seeing Hoseok dragging the half-asleep Yoongi to look at the view. Yoongi was sure they all thought he and Hoseok were a couple, but he didn’t have the energy to give a damn at that point.

It really was a beautiful view though. Seoul looked like it was practically glittering. Hoseok took a seat as close as he could to the glass. He was practically pressed up against it. Yoongi sat down next to him, letting the younger bask in the view.

Hoseok started rambling about how many views he’d seen and how this one beat almost everything else. Yoongi wasn’t really paying attention though. He was too sleepy and too busy taking pictures of Hoseok looking at the view. Normally he would’ve just fallen asleep, but what was he supposed to do?? Not take pictures of Hoseok???

Yoongi pinched himself a few times to stay awake, but he could feel himself slowly drifting off into dreamland. He couldn’t let himself sleep though (unless he wanted to risk Hoseok driving Jimin’s car back to the apartment.) So it was either Yoongi falling asleep while driving or Hoseok potentially getting them into a wreck. Then again maybe pilot skills translated into cars?

It still wasn’t a chance Yoongi was willing to take. For all he knew Hoseok could end up trying to put the car in the sky on instinct, and that was a chance Yoongi was not willing to risk.

Even through Yoongi’s tired eyes, Hoseok looked like he was the sun. He practically emitted his own light with how brightly he was smiling and warmth radiated off of him. He was also what Yoongi was trying to stay awake for.

Hoseok poked Yoongi’s head with his pointer finger, watching as Yoongi started to slowly fall over. Yoongi barely managed to sway back to an upright position. Hoseok giggled at Yoongi’s sleepiness. It made Yoongi’s stomach twist so much that he got jolted awake ever so slightly.

“Hyung are you sleepy,” Hoseok whispered. He looked a little tired himself, but he was about 100 times more energized than Yoongi at that point. “You should get your rest. Don’t you have work tomorrow? You need to be well rested if you want to do the best job you can. It’s the number one rule in the airbase.”

Yoongi shook his head quickly and mumbled, “Enjoy the view for as long as you can. I can always come back and see it if I want to. After you go back in the photo, you won’t be able to.”

“Hahaha yeah,” Hoseok laughed. If there was any emotion of underlying tone to it, Yoongi’s tired brain couldn’t pick up on it.

Yoongi started playing with Hoseok’s soft, fluffy hair. It felt like playing with feathers (which made no sense to Yoongi considering how he and Hoseok used the same shampoo and conditioner. At this point he was convinced Hoseok was some kind of fairy of shampoo.) Hoseok seemed to enjoy Yoongi’s absentminded playing as well. He leaned against Yoongi’s chest tentatively, as if he wasn’t sure if it was okay with the older.

In a desperate attempt to try not to fall asleep, Yoongi grabbed his phone and earbuds from his pockets. He pressed Spotify and pressed shuffle on one of his playlists. It may have been rude, but at least it would keep him from slowly falling asleep on Hoseok’s head.

Hoseok pointed towards Yoongi’s phone and earbuds curiously, “What are you doing? Are you listening to the radio?”

“Kind of,” Yoongi responded lazily. He kept his fingers running through Hoseok’s hair gently, the younger practically melting this time under Yoongi’s touch. The music was loud in his ears but it faded into the background as Yoongi looked at the view. “You take songs you like, put them on a playlist, and then you can listen to them whenever you want.”

“Wow hyung that’s so cool,” Hoseok exclaimed. His eyes looked like dinner plates as he looked at the earbuds. “Are these little genitals you put in your ears???”

Yoongi nearly choked to death on his own saliva. He felt his face getting way hotter than it normally would have in this situation. If, for example, Jungkook had said that Yoongi would have smacked him over the head a few times and scolded him for being dirty minded.

It’s just because Hoseok caught me off guard.

People were staring at Yoongi weirdly as he kept hacking on the ground. Hoseok apparently had first aid training from the military, because he crawled behind Yoongi and started going through the steps of the Heimlich maneuver. Yoongi couldn’t stop him before he pumped Yoongi’s stomach sharply.

Yoongi let out a loud groan of pain as Hoseok tried to get him to stop choking. It had worked, but it hurt like hell and people were still staring at them. Hoseok patted Yoongi’s back carefully. He didn’t want to hurt Yoongi any more than needed.

On the bright side, Yoongi was definitely awake now.

“No it’s not a dick,” Yoongi wheezed. He didn’t even care that people could hear (although the grandma in the corner was looking a little scandalized.)

Hoseok tilted his head like a curious puppy and pouted cutely. He took one of the earbuds out of Yoongi’s ears with the music still playing. Yoongi’s head got yanked by the other earbud towards Hoseok.

Fuck earbuds being attached to one another.

Luckily Hoseok caught Yoongi’s head just before it hit his chest. He looked at the 30,000 won earbud curiously, trying his very best to figure out what it is. He pressed his finger to the speaker area before putting it close to his ear. The moment he heard what was playing, he made a face and shoved the earbuds back to Yoongi.

“Hyung turn that off! It’s so inappropriate,” Hoseok scolded. “Why would you listen to that of your own free will??? Turn that off. You can talk to me instead!!!”

Yoongi wrinkled his nose at Hoseok before hesitantly turning his music off. The younger looked delighted to see that Yoongi had listened to him. In fact, Hoseok was so happy that he smiled so brightly it nearly blinded Yoongi.

“Come on hyung,” Hoseok pouted at Yoongi’s grumpy expression. “You’re a small child that could probably kill me if you wanted to and I’m a big child who would never hurt a fly unless I’m in a jet!!! Any conversation between us would be fun! And it would definitely keep you awake!!!”

“I didn’t need that much convincing,” Yoongi chuckled. He tucked away his phone and earbuds quickly before turning his attention back to Hoseok.

Hoseok leaned into Yoongi’s shoulder and smiled brightly at the older. How the hell could someone smile that brightly? Hoseok had to be the reincarnation of the sun or something like that. There was no way he was real.

Although if you really think about the whole appearing from a photograph thing, “real” was a weird concept with Hoseok.

But when Yoongi looked at Hoseok…the younger felt too real to be something simply conjured up by magic. There were so many layers to Hoseok that Yoongi had found in only 2 months of coexisting. He wondered how many more there were that he hadn’t seen. A part of him wanted to explore the depths of Hoseok’s being, to get lost in the deep waters that was Hoseok.

“The view is really pretty isn’t it,” Hoseok asked, snapping Yoongi out of his thoughts. The younger looked out at Seoul from the glass panes of the observatory. Yoongi was sure he had seen much better views from higher places, but Hoseok looked absolutely enamored with the city. Yoongi could practically see how amazing the view was simply by looking at Hoseok himself.

If this was a picture, Yoongi could come up with a billion words to describe it.

“The prettiest,” Yoongi replied without thinking.

Hoseok leaned into Yoongi’s shoulder more. This time he closed his eyes, as if he was envisioning something. He looked so peaceful that Yoongi didn’t know what he was supposed to do. Should he talk? Should he hug Hoseok or something? Or should he get going because he had work tomorrow?

So Yoongi went with his backup plan. He sat there unmoving like a rock. It was actually pretty peaceful once he closed his eyes too. The low buzz of the people talking quietly was relaxing. Yoongi almost fell asleep.

“You know, Seoul looks much different than it did back then,” Hoseok hummed. He wrapped both of his arms around Yoongi’s, clinging to it like a koala. A very cute koala at that. “I don’t know which is prettier, but this Seoul looks like the stars. The other Seoul looks beautiful in a more rustic way.”

Yoongi smiled at Hoseok’s daydream-like voice. It sounded far away and soft. It made Yoongi’s chest warm in the best way possible. All Yoongi wanted to do in that moment was float around in Hoseok’s voice. Or was that weird?

Was it weird he wanted to hold Hoseok forever as well?

“So why do you like flying if you’re scared of roller coasters? Aren’t roller coasters just a less intense flying,” Yoongi asked curiously. He didn’t really know what he was expecting the answer to be, but he was nonetheless curious to find out.

Hoseok hummed a little bit in thought before replying, “I wanted to see the world from where barely anybody had seen it before. It’s so beautiful up there. Maybe one day we could see it together. You and me up in the clouds. It would be so much fun, don’t you think?”

Guilt stabbed Yoongi in the heart over and over again. It seemed as if every word Hoseok said made the wound deeper. A small price to pay Yoongi told himself.

“Yeah,” Yoongi gulped. “One day Seok-ah...one day we will.”

Why was Yoongi feeling so bad? It’s not like Hoseok is important to him. It’s not like he’ll miss Hoseok when he’s back inside the photograph. He’ll still have Hoseok anyways. He’ll have Hoseok like he used to. Inside the photograph… Not as a human, but what’s the difference?

The only difference would be that Yoongi wouldn’t go to these places again… and that he wouldn’t get to learn more about Hoseok… and he wouldn’t get to have the conversations with Hoseok he lo-liked anymore… he wouldn’t have anyone to keep him company at work… he wouldn’t have anyone to happily spend his money on… his apartment would be empty once again, with only memories of when there was another inhabitant there. Yoongi’s life would be dull and colorless again, without sunshine.

But Yoongi lived life just fine before Hoseok came barreling in. It would be easy for him to get back to normal. After all, only 2 months can’t make that much of a difference, right? Yoongi would be able to go back to normal and forget this ever happened, right?

Yoongi looked at Hoseok hesitantly. The younger was looking at the view. The lights cast colors of all shades across Hoseok’s face to make him look like a painting. Yoongi’s chest grew warm as he looked at the younger.

Hoseok turned to look at Yoongi with a wide, heart-shaped smile that left Yoongi’s heart hammering in his ears. Yoongi couldn’t help but feel shy all of a sudden as his gummy smile started to spread across his face. He looked away from Hoseok to hide his smile from everyone.

A hand grabbed Yoongi’s chin and turned Yoongi’s face towards Hoseok. Yoongi’s ebony eyes met Hoseok’s deep, dark brown ones and, for some reason, he didn’t want to look away.

Oh.

The realization struck Yoongi like a bat. Here in the N Seoul tower with Hoseok, staring into each other’s eyes instead of the view, and heart fluttering more than it ever has before, Yoongi realized.

I’ve been falling for him. I am falling for him.

And Yoongi was terrified. He was terrified of this new feeling that had bloomed in his chest. He was terrified of how Hoseok and his fates were tied by the Magic Shop. He was terrified by how he knew he couldn’t stop his feelings. It wasn’t terrifying in a exciting and new way. It made Yoongi feel like he was going to throw up and scream and cry all at once. He wanted to burst into tears right there.

He hadn’t meant to start falling. He hadn’t meant to get attached. He hadn’t meant to let Hoseok become such a big part of his life.

The biggest reason he was terrified though was because he knew that his heart would inevitably break in the end. Yoongi knew what he had to do. He knew what he had to do to protect himself from what was coming. Still, Yoongi could feel his eyes welling up with tears.

It’s for both of our good. Yoongi thought to himself.

He had to get rid of Hoseok before it was too late.

~~~

Ever since Yoongi realized he was falling for Hoseok, he avoided the younger. He took random shifts without telling the younger. He hung around the apartment as little as possible. He went on long walks for no reason. He hooked up with random people so that he could spend the night at their place. He was a complete mess.

His heart ached the longer he was away from the younger, but he ignored it. Instead he listened to the terrified feeling in the back of his brain. His primal instinct was to run, and that’s what he was doing. Running from his problems just like he always had.

When college was getting too hard for him to handle without help, he ran. When his parents approached him and told him to get his act together, he ran. Yoongi’s been running his whole life and he doesn’t know how to stop. Even if he could, he probably wouldn’t. It’s easier to run than to deal with it. Especially when it hurt so much. So he just kept running. When he burst into tears because Hoseok left out food for him, he ran. When he saw someone or heard something that reminded him of Hoseok, he ran. When his heart started aching for Hoseok’s company, he ran.

When the younger tried to approach Yoongi about what was wrong when the older came back to the apartment in a drunken state, Yoongi pushed him with all of his force and ran. He didn’t even look back at where Hoseok had crashed. He didn’t even look back when he heard sobs coming out of his apartment.

One day passed, then another, then another, then another. They all blurred together in a jumbled mess of running and hooking up and working odd hours. His friends called him, they came and went. None of them could make Yoongi open up about what was wrong. None of them could see Yoongi’s heartache even though Yoongi looked like a mess.

Yoongi’s clothes were thrown together haphazardly, hickies decorated practically every inch of his skin, his eyes were slightly red and puffy from crying, his lips were a little swollen, his hair was messy, and his eyebags were deep to say the least.

Yoongi was a mess.

~~~

The day finally came. The day of the full moon. The day Yoongi could finally stop running.

Yoongi cleaned himself up a little in the hour before coming to the magic shop. He didn’t want the younger to see that he was such a mess. There was only so much he could do about the hickies and the puffy eyes though.

Yoongi walked into the Magic Shop at exactly 11:47 to find Namjoon, Jimin, and Hoseok already there. Namjoon was setting up everything for Hoseok to go back into the photograph. Jimin and Hoseok sat off to the side. Hoseok was curled up into a ball on a countertop with Jimin trying to console him.

“-Jimin I’m going to be gone,” Yoongi heard Hoseok sob. “I-I’m going to die again. I’m going to die alone and heartbroken. A-and you’re not even going to be there to comfort me when I- when I leave.”

Seeing Hoseok cry was a whole different thing than hearing it. It broke Yoongi’s heart. Especially knowing that it was partially his fault. He couldn’t bring himself to say anything though. He just stood there watching Hoseok cry his heart out while Namjoon set up.

Then it struck him, why was Hoseok even here? He could have easily stayed in Yoongi’s apartment. Then he’d get to live. Why the hell did he come if it made him so sad?

Jimin pulled Hoseok in for a hug. Yoongi watched as Jimin whispered some inaudible consolations to Hoseok. Jimin was always great at comforting other people. He was always the natural empath.

“Hey it’s going to be okay Hoseok. I have to go now, but there’s still five minutes. Say your goodbyes. I promise it will make you feel better,” Jimin whispered. He squeezed Hoseok once before letting go and walking away.

If Jimin saw Yoongi, he didn’t let on. He simply walked outside of the Magic Shop and started nailing wooden boards across the doors. Namjoon locked eyes with Yoongi. They both looked at each other blankly for a second.

Namjoon held up four fingers. Only four more minutes until midnight. Four more minutes until Hoseok would be gone forever. Namjoon tilted his head to where Hoseok was crying. The silent message relaying clearly to Yoongi.

Yoongi bit his lip nervously and walked towards Hoseok. His footsteps felt heavy against the wood floor of the Magic Shop. Each step echoed within the walls. If time could slow down, Yoongi swore it did in that moment.

That moment when Hoseok looked up towards him and they locked eyes.

That moment when the tears fell from not just one, but both of them.

That moment when Yoongi wrapped Hoseok in the tightest hug he could without thinking.

That moment when they both sat and bathed in each other’s warmth one last time before Hoseok would have to go.

Hoseok was the first one to let go. He wiped his tears and pushed Yoongi away from him gently. Neither of them knew what to say. Yoongi had so many things he wanted to tell Hoseok. But neither of them could come up with two words to even rub together.

As the clock struck 11:57, Hoseok spoke.

“I guess I should say my goodbyes hyung,” Hoseok sniffled. “Oh god, there’s so many things I want to tell you. I- I don’t know if I have enough time.”

Yoongi bit his lip to prevent himself from crying. There was no turning back now though. Jimin had already put up all of the boards and they’d take too long to take down. Hoseok would already be gone by then.

“Then just go fast Seok-ah,” Yoongi replied. The nickname felt heavy on his tongue.

Hoseok wiped his tears to no avail. They just kept falling and falling like a waterfall. So he settled for simply crying, “Hyung, I’ve had so much fun with you in my short time here. These two months were the best time I’ve ever had and it was because of you. The places you took me. Even though I knew you only took me there because you felt bad for me, I really loved going there with you. I loved eating with you at the Gwangjang market. You first showed me your gummy smile there, hyung. It was so beautiful. And Lotte World was so amazing. I loved how you looked at me when we went to the club. And the Stream was so beautiful. You looked so beautiful, hyung. I mean- you always do, but you looked like an angel there. I loved the N Seoul tower. I wish we could have gone again, but you kept avoiding me after that.”

“Seok-ah,” Yoongi called out. He was nearly on the verge of tears. Hearing Hoseok’s side of all of this only made him feel more and more guilty for letting this happen. For letting his pride and fear get the best of him.

He stopped running too late.

“Hyung let me speak please,” Hoseok cut off with a choked sob. The more he spoke, the more he started breaking down into tears. “Hyung… it hurt so much when you avoided me like that. All I wanted to do was be around you and be with you, but I barely even saw you. The one time I even saw you, you shoved me into the table. I- I was only trying to help you hyung, I was only trying to help. You looked like you were in so much pain and it hurt and I was only trying to help you.”

“Hyung knows Seok-ah, hyung knows,” Yoongi sniffled. A few tears managed to spill out of Yoongi’s eyes. “I’m so sorry Seok-ah. I’m so sorry for all of this.”

“Sh-shut up,” Hoseok cried. He held onto Yoongi’s shoulder for support as he cried. His entire body was shaking. “It’s 11:58, no 59 now hyung. I still have one last thing to say to you.”

Yoongi waited for Hoseok to say something, but it never came. Instead he felt a pair of lips crash onto his.

The tears only poured out harder. Everything about it was perfect. Yoongi’s heart and stomach was exploding with the force of a thousand fireworks. Their lips slotted together perfectly as they kissed each other. Hoseok tasted like the sweetest thing Yoongi could ever imagine. It felt too right.

Hoseok grabbed the sides of Yoongi’s face carefully, deepening the kiss further. Both of their tears mixed together messily, painting both of their faces with the salty liquid. Even so, Yoongi couldn’t ask for a better first kiss with Hoseok.

“Hyung I- I love you,” Hoseok sobbed into the kiss. “I want you to find someone who will take care of you like I never got the chance to. Find someone who can love you right for me, hyung. I love you Yoongi.”

Yoongi grabbed at Hoseok messily. His hands tangled themselves in Hoseok’s hair and he cried, “Seok-ah I…”

Suddenly, Yoongi’s hands were empty. His eyes flew open in shock to find that Hoseok was gone.

“NO NO NO NO NO,” Yoongi screamed. He desperately clawed at the air where Hoseok was. The tears that he was trying to restrain poured out now. They practically drowned his face as he tried his very best to grab at something, anything that could have been left behind. “NO NO NO NO NO BRING HIM BACK! SEOK-AH COME BACK! COME BACK TO ME SEOK-AH PLEASE, I LOVE YOU. PLEASE YOU CAN’T LEAVE ME LIKE THIS. I’M SORRY SEOK-AH, PLEASE COME BACK. I DIDN’T-”

Yoongi slumped against the counter Hoseok was sitting on. He curled up into a ball by the counter crying, “Namjoon-ah...I- I didn’t get to say I love you to him. Please bring him back. PLEASE NAMJOON. BRING HIM BACK, PLEASE BRING MY SEOK-AH BACK. IT’S ALL MY FAULT, HOW DO I TAKE IT BACK.”

“Yoongi… he’s gone for good,” Namjoon explained softly. He regretted it the moment Yoongi’s face turned into pure heartbreak. The older looked at Namjoon with his eyes completely drowned in tears.

“No no no no no,” Yoongi sobbed. He curled himself up into a little ball against the counter. Yoongi was shaking badly. “No no no no no, h-he’s not gone. He’s c-c-coming back, he h-has t-to. He- he has to come back. I h-have to tell him how I feel. He can’t- he can’t just leave like this, he’s coming back. H-he has to. I told h-him w-we’d see the c-clouds together one day. He’s coming back, he’s coming back, he’s coming back. H-he’s coming back to me and we’ll get t-to do everything he wanted- wants to do with me. He has to.”

Namjoon nudged Yoongi’s shoulder gently. Through the crack of Yoongi’s arm, he managed to slip something inside for Yoongi to see.

The older unfolded his hoodie ball to find Hoseok’s photograph there, except for this time…

…the younger was smiling in the photograph.

“Hyung he went back happy. And I’m sure he would have wanted you to be happy too,” Namjoon whispered gently. He slowly wrapped Yoongi in a hug and let the older sniffle into his shoulder.

“I would have b-been happy with him,” Yoongi cried. “C-can’t I be s-s-sad a little longer?”

Namjoon patted Yoongi’s back reassuringly and sighed, “You can be sad as long as you want hyung. It’s okay to feel bad, because that feeling means that you’re going to be happy again. Life is a rollercoaster. The same emotions will come in waves, but that means you’ll be happy again. And then you’ll be sad and guilt-ridden and mad at yourself again. All you have to do right now is let yourself go down this first hill.”

Yoongi nodded into Namjoon’s shoulder weakly. He looked at Hoseok’s photograph again. He stared at the beautiful, heart-shaped smile that was now immortalized in ink on some film. A couple of tears dropped down onto the photograph.

If this scene was a photograph, Namjoon only had only 6 words to describe it.

The day Yoongi lost his third chance.

~~~

The last place Yoongi ever thought he would go again is the Cheonggyecheon Stream. But here he was 2 months later on a date with the dance instructor from 1MILLION.

Just being at the stream hurt Yoongi so bad. He hadn’t completely processed that Hoseok was gone yet. Even though there was clearly an empty, gaping hole in Yoongi’s life, he still couldn’t come to terms with it. The part of him that desperately cried for Hoseok to come back every night kept him from coming to terms with it,

But here he was, on a date with Junseo. Yoongi had finally decided to fulfill Hoseok’s wish for him to find someone who will love him. So when Junseo approached Yoongi about possibly going on a date, Yoongi didn’t say no. He even dolled himself up a bit for Jungseo. He curled his hair and put on a loose sweater that hung off his shoulder just a little with some skinny jeans.

Junseo and Yoongi sat down at the stream not far from where Yoongi and Hoseok had been just a few months ago. Yoongi tried his best not to look heartbroken while cuddled up with Junseo there.

Apparently he wasn’t very good at hiding it. Junseo hugged Yoongi tighter and asked sweetly, “What’s got you so blue Yoongi-ah? Are you not having fun?”

Yoongi felt the tears threatening to break once more. All it took was a glance at a couple eating some ice cream for Yoongi to break down. He cried into Junseo’s arm, not even caring that people were watching them. Junseo was a dream about it too. He let Yoongi cry into his hoodie as much as the younger wanted. He didn’t pry into why Yoongi was crying either. Junseo simply sat there and held Yoongi.

“I’m sorry,” Yoongi sobbed quietly. He did his best to wipe his eyes with his sweater sleeves, but Junseo got to them first. He held Yoongi’s face with his hands and wiped away the tears with the pads of his thumbs.

“It’s okay bub. Crying is natural,” Junseo reassured. He pressed a kiss to Yoongi’s forehead gently, holding Yoongi carefully.

Yoongi nodded at Junseo weakly and sniffled, “I just- I went here with someone really important to me not that long ago and they’re- he’s…well he’s not here with me anymore.”

That was much easier than explaining that he got transported back into a photograph. The photograph itself was in Yoongi’s phone case where it could be preserved and carried with Yoongi. He still looked at the heart shaped smile whenever he wanted to feel a little bit happier or when he wanted to cry. It depended on his headspace when he looked at the photograph.

Suddenly, a burst of wind rushed by and hit Junseo and Yoongi. Yoongi felt a chill run through his spine as it passed by. That chill was soon replaced with a warm and happy feeling as Junseo pinched Yoongi’s pink-nipped cheeks. Before Yoongi even knew it, he laughed and pinched Junseo’s nose in retaliation.

Junseo raised his eyebrow at Yoongi teasingly. A mischievous glint appeared in his eyes as he leaned in closer to Yoongi’s face.

Yoongi wasn’t stupid. He knew what was about to happen. And yeah, he was a little scared. He’d never kissed anyone since Hoseok. What if kissing Junseo felt more right than kissing Hoseok? Would that mean Yoongi would really have to let go of the younger?

Only one way to find out.

Yoongi grabbed Jungseo’s face and smashed their lips together gently. The way Jungseo kissed Yoongi was so soft and loving. It felt amazing when they kissed.

But it didn’t feel complete.

“Oh…”

Yoongi’s eyes shot open at the familiar voice. He felt like he was about to cry again. It can’t be… It can’t be him.

Don’t fucking get your hopes up. He’s gone, he’s gone forever. Namjoon said there’s no way to get him back. Don’t be fucking stupid. Stop fucking crying, Yoongi chastised himself.

“Bub are you okay,” Jungseo asked worriedly. Yoongi turned to the source of the voice only for tears to pour out of his eyes like waterfalls.

It was Hoseok, backing away from Yoongi and Jungseo with tears flowing out of his eyes. Yoongi froze as their eyes met. Hoseok’s were filled with nothing but heartbreak as he ran away from the scene.

Yoongi turned back to Jungseo slowly and cried, “Th-that was the important person…He- he just saw us kissing.”

Jungseo held Yoongi’s face in place firmly and looked into Yoongi’s eyes. After a brief second, he smiled sadly, “Go, run after him. Forget about me. True love doesn’t come around every lifetime, you know?”

God, what did Yoongi do to deserve someone like Jungseo. So many people would have kept Yoongi to himself. He felt guilty for leaving. But the longer he hesitated, the more Hoseok would get out of sight. So Yoongi hugged Jungseo one last time before running as fast as he could in the direction he saw Hoseok going in.

Yoongi ran and ran aimlessly, trying his very best to find even a glimpse of Hoseok. He asked strangers if they saw a crying male running by, but most of them thought he was crazy. Yoongi ran, and ran, and ran, and ran until he couldn’t run anymore. He ended up near the Magic Shop. The place that he had never stepped into again because of the memory it held within its walls.

He was just about to give up when he saw it. The top of Hoseok’s hair poking out from behind a car.

“SEOK-AH,” Yoongi yelled. He didn't care about the cars that were driving on the road. He ran straight across towards Hoseok, his heartbroken tears being replaced with happy ones as he ran towards the younger. A wide, gummy smile spread across his face when Hoseok stood up to look at the person that had called him. He stretched his arms out to Hoseok as he got closer for a hug.

Yoongi ran straight into Hoseok, wrapping the younger in his arms tight. Oh how he missed the warmth in his chest from when he hugged Hoseok. He was a fool for not realizing it earlier.

“Hyung you should go back to your boyfriend,” Hoseok mumbled bitterly. Yoongi could feel teardrops hit the top of his head. “Please… go back to your boyfriend and save me from the embarrassment.”

Yoongi held Hoseok even tighter and asked, “What embarrassment Seok-ah?”

Everything felt fuzzy and warm and perfect. Like a cup of hot chocolate by the fireplace on a snowy day. Yoongi never wanted to let go of Hoseok again. He never wanted to lose this feeling again.

Hoseok tried to pry Yoongi off of him gently as he sniffled, “I- I told you that I- that I loved you. And now I’m back god knows how many months or even years later thinking that it was possible you returned those feelings. It’s stupid because you never even said-”

Yoongi cut Hoseok off by grabbing the younger’s head and kissing him deeply. It felt euphoric and absolutely perfect. It felt like their first kiss, but better. Because now they had all the time in the world. They had all the time in the world to love and to hold each other.

When they pulled away, Yoongi wiped the tears away from both of their eyes and laughed breathily, “Hoseok, I know how I feel. These past two months have only confirmed what I already knew. I could barely function without you. I love you Hoseok.”

Finally saying it to Hoseok was even better than Yoongi imagined it. Because this time it wasn’t in his dreams. This time, Hoseok didn’t disappear. This time, Hoseok stood there dazed with shocked tears pouring out of his eyes. He couldn’t even respond to Yoongi.

“I knew you would come back,” Yoongi laughed deliriously. “They all said you wouldn’t, but I knew you would. I promised you we’d see the clouds together, I knew there was no way you wouldn’t come back.”

Hoseok smiled at Yoongi softly and laughed along with him, “It was a good thing you took pictures of me on your phone.”’

As Yoongi and Hoseok kissed again, Yoongi knew exactly what Namjoon meant when he said that his and Hoseok’s fates were connected. They were always meant to beat the odds, to do the impossible, and to bring each other happiness. The magic of the Magic Shop truly was a beautiful, beautiful thing. And even though the Magic Shop had deemed them tied together, Yoongi knew that what he felt for Hoseok was not the Shop’s doing.

He loved the tsunami of a man that was Jung Hoseok. And he was the lucky one to get to dive into Hoseok’s waters and discover everything. And there was no way he was ever letting this chance get away.

A picture is worth a thousand words, but theirs is worth a thousand times more.

The End ~