Soulmates

c h a p t e r . t e n

Snow fell outside Hoseok's large window as he glanced out briefly. 

Christmas Eve came faster than he expected, and Hoseok found himself alone. Even Zelo had somewhere to go, introducing his pack to his parents.

As Hoseok remembered how alone he was, he began silently crying.

All he had of his parents was an image of them holding him all swaddled up. He frowned and pouted a little as he pushed himself further into his nest and wrapped himself up in his blanket as he pressed play on the living room tv.

Christmas music played softly as he fell asleep with the picture of his parents on his knees that were pulled to his chest.

He woke up on Christmas Day to see he was still alone. Hoseok's heart broke at the fact that he finally found a family and people who loved him but he somehow still ended up alone. 

"I need to get out of here." He said, standing up from the nest and rushing to his room to get dressed.

He threw on a pair of winter under clothes before slipping on 2 pairs of slacks, boots, 2 long sleeve shirts and grabbed his winter coat. Fleece lined the inside of the jacket and the hood so he placed it on his head, grabbed two pairs of gloves, a scarf and his apartment keys before leaving the building and going for a walk.

Once outside, the world was quiet, most people inside out of the snow and with their families.

The stragglers were people rushing to get to those families and friends as Hoseok casually walked by, his heart breaking more as he saw a couple hand in hand, lightly jogging into an apartment building nearby. 

He found a park bench and decided to sit for a bit, his legs stretched out as he didn't have to be cautious of people walking by. He frowned and looked up into the cloudy sky as snow continued to fall on his face.

He watched the snowflakes fall onto his eyelashes before they melted and slipped down his face like the tears he wanted to cry.

He got back up and sighed, walking further away from his apartment and to a spot he hadn't visited since he was a child.

❁

The snow crunched under his feet as he made his way up a small hill to a statue of two wolves with their heads on each other's shoulders.

He kneeled at the base and swiped at the snow on the ground. "Eomma, Appa." He said, in almost a whisper as he looked at their names.

"I wish you were here with me. I can just imagine the meals I'd make for you." A tear slid down his numb cheeks he didn't realize was slipping until it landed on the headstone and froze. He sat there crying over their grave until his knees went numb.

❁

"Hyung?"

He heard a soft voice call to him.

He looked up and saw Zelo, "What- What are you do-ing here? I tho-ught you were with your pack." Zelo nodded, "I wanted to introduce them to you properly too, but you weren't home. This is the only other place I knew I'd find you." He said, kneeling beside him, side hugging him.

"Come on Hyung, you're cold as the snow." Hoseok pouted. "I- I wish I remembered s- something about them. I- Instead of knowing them as a st- stone statue." He said looking up at the stone wolves.

Zelo stood up and held out a hand for Hoseok, but when he went to stand, he couldn't feel his legs. "Ah!" He screeched, "I can't f- feel my legs." He cried. "How long have you been outside, hyung?" Hoseok shrugged, "I didn't bring my phone." He said, looking up at Zelo for help.

Zelo knelt down and picked him up, "I left my place at like 10 am." He said.

Zelo gasped and took off running toward the street, "Hyung it's almost sun down." Hoseok's eyes widened as Zelo carried him to the car. "Alpha, can you take us to the hospital?" The driver nodded, worried but started the car nonetheless.