Speak Yourself || YoonKook

Chapter Eight

Just as he was stepping into the elevator, Jungkook heard someone ask for him to hold the door.

He did just that, planting his foot in the gap to keep it from closing.

When he saw the person who made the request was Hoseok, he somewhat regretted deciding to be a Good Samaritan.

He kept his foot where it was though until Hoseok– looking and smelling like he'd just come from the gym, duffel bag thrown over his shoulder– stepped into the elevator next to him.

"Thanks," Hoseok smiles gratefully.

"Yep."

Jungkook doesn't say anything more, only offering a closed lip, disingenuous smile with a curt nod.

They both live pretty high up in the building–on the sixteenth floor– and the elevator isn't the fastest so by the time they reach about the fifth floor, the ride already feels like it's lasted an eternity.

It doesn't help that the atmosphere around them is filled with tension.

Tension because Jungkook is replaying in his mind how Hoseok was looking at Yoongi as well as the fact that Hoseok took Yoongi all the way to work today.

As he begins to wonder what the two spoke about, how much Hoseok flirted and if Yoongi noticed– if he maybe flirted back in the unintentionally innocent way he sometimes– Hoseok speaks.

"Did Yoongi get home okay?"

Jungkook scoffs in offense. "Of course he did."

"I didn't mean anything by it. He just isn't with you is all..." Hoseok mumbles, shifting on his feet uncomfortably as he faces forward again.

"You don't have to help me paint," he then blurts out after several seconds.

Jungkook turns his head in Hoseok's direction with furrowed brows. "Paint? What?"

"O-oh, um, Yoongi had said that he would help paint tonight after he got off of work. That he would tell you to come– or not tell you, invite you, to come too, but you don't have to. I didn't expect him to either. It's not necessary."

"I don't think he will be feeling up for it tonight anyway..." Jungkook says in a voice with much less of an edge than his previous words had.

"That's no problem. Like I said, it's not necessary. I was glad I was able to help him and I was going out anyway." Hoseok smiles. "He doesn't owe me anything."

Thankfully just after he says this the elevator bell dings, signaling they have reached their floor.

As soon as the doors open they both step forward, Hoseok halting though when he sees Jungkook shoot him a look from the corner of his eye.

He follows Jungkook out instead as they make their way to their apartments.

"Jungkook, I know it isn't my business, but can I ask you something?"

Jungkook lets out a sigh, before turning to Hoseok.

The furrow in Hoseok's brows, the way he'd been shifting on his feet paired with how he'd basically done nothing but talk about Yoongi the whole ride causes him to deduce this was probably going to be about Yoongi as well.

Although he felt annoyed, he was also curious as to what he was about to say.

"What is it?"

"You and Yoongi..." he begins slowly and Junfkook's nostrils flair with annoyance.

"If you are going to ask if Yoongi and I are together, the answer is no. We're just friends," he tries to mean it when he adds, "If you want to ask him out, go ahead."