Tell Me Without Telling Me || Sope

chapter seventy-two

hoseok takes a shower the next morning and is saved from hyperventilating over his phone call with his father when jungkook calls ten minutes later. not just jungkook. jungkook and seokjin. together. giggling and huddled in jungkook's bed.

he giggles with them.

jungkook no longer looks tired. he's glowing and pink cheeked, alight with life and energy hoseok hasn't fully seen in months. he wants to talk to hoseok about christmas. the second the plane touches down in seoul he wants to go shopping for presents for everyone and hoseok has to come with him and help.

"our parents would really love to have you and everyone come over for christmas too," he says softly. "everyone's welcome. it's at my parents house this year. jiminie-hyung said he'll come. and taehyung-ssi. namjoon-ssi... do you think yoongi-hyung would if i asked?"

"ask him yourself," hoseok giggles, turning the phone on yoongi, who is perched on the edge of the bed eating one of hoseok's cookies.

yoongi takes his time chewing and swallowing before he answers, turning his phone over in his hand. currently it's out of battery and he hasn't attempted to charge it. "um, yeah, so long as they're not... against... gay guys... i'm up for it. yeah."

"i've told them that you guys are gay," jungkook says uncertainly. "they said it wouldn't be a problem... but i haven't... i haven't told them that i'm..."

yoongi nods, throat bobbing. "s'fine. i'll come. don't pressure y'self."

"i think you'll really like it," jungkook mumbles shyly, resting his head on seokjin's shoulder.

from seokjin's lack of participation in the conversation, hoseok can tell he's still half asleep. his eyes are open, but he's staring into space with his hair sticking up in all directions, eyelids drooping.

hoseok isn't sure how long he and jungkook talk about christmas for, or how long they spend discussing what might happen when seokjin and jungkook are back for good.

jungkook pessimistically predicts getting a job in a convenience store, then spends ten minutes painting a picture of what their house will look like.

"purple walls," he says decisively. "jiminie and me were talking about it. pastel colours. and we're manifesting a place with more than one bathroom, so..."

hoseok's heart soars. he can breathe again. he's laughing, asking what sort of purple and telling jungkook getting a place with two bathrooms is great in theory, but the reality is any place with two bathrooms will probably be woefully out of their price range. "if all you do is work in a convenience store we definitely aren't getting two bathrooms."

"i think i should have thought about that before i decided to get a music degree," jungkook says, unperturbed. "maybe i'll work as a producer somewhere then. i could host a radio show."

"i  could host a radio show," seokjin chimes in softly, and says nothing else for a long while.

hoseok tears himself away from them an hour or two later when he realises he's starving and it's almost lunch time. but he says goodbye with a smile on his face.

he gets a dramatic wave from seokjin, fake tears and pleading with him not to go. "hoseok-ah, no don't go i love yoooouuu."

unable to stop smiling, he finds himself in the living room for a final meal before they set off. seongjin and soyeon are already gone, having left early this morning to avoid any traffic. the house feels less crowded and more peaceful without them. jimin is nursing a hangover, lying on the living room floor with a pillow and duvet. taehyung has his sketchpad out at the coffee table.