By Any Other Name | A BTS collaborative fanfiction

Chapter 5

by itwasjin

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The days following his encounter with Seokjin at the market were a painful blur, most thanks to the sporadic headaches and the time Hoseok spent indoors trying to nurse his squash injury.

A dull laugh scratched its way up his throat. Who was he kidding? Jungkook's not-yet-confirmed assassination attempt on the heir of Jung Corporation had lost its side effects the minute he woke up that following day. But he can't confess that the true reason was because of Jin; he refuses to admit that, so when a mint green-headed man questions where he had been hiding post-fundraiser, all he could think of was:

"I'm still adjusting to the time difference."

It was so vague and slightly odd-sounding coming out of his mouth, but Min Yoongi nods his head understandingly, satisfied with his answer. "Your sleep schedule must be all kinds of messed up. You looked like you were in another world at the fundraiser." He pauses. "You don't look so great now either, to be honest with you." Yoongi takes a long drag from his cigarette and turns his head away to release the smoke in one, slow breath. Hoseok's lips twitch upward in a quirky smile as he leans forward in his chair.

"Bold coming from the infamous Daegu chainsmoker, isn't it? What is that, like, your seventh one since we sat down?" Hoseok chuckles to himself, amused at the slight raise of Yoongi's brows and how he enters a small coughing fit at the sudden change of topic. "Yah, don't die on me Yoongi-hyung or the world will never forgive me."

He continues hacking for a moment longer, and when Yoongi takes back the reins on his throat, he glares at Hoseok pointedly. "See, this is what I get for trying to be a good friend." His composure cracks and he can't help a laugh, accompanied by a small cough. "But I get the connection. You think my lungs are going to shit, I think you look like shit, very clever."

"Hey! You're treading deep water, my friend." The younger mocks in a warning tone, eyes wandering happily around the outside of the cafe. They light with excitement as he spots someone approaching, drinks in hand, and he smirks at his friend across the table. Yoongi eyes Hoseok carefully before a very obnoxious spiel of jumbled garbage reaches his ears, causing him to roll his eyes in annoyance.

"Alright everybody, what have we got here- Oh! This caramel latte with three pumps of caramel, two pumps of sugar, but-hold-the-cream, for my esteemed friend with the best stocks and socks in town, Mr. Jung Hoseok, ladies and gentlemen."

Hoseok spares a laugh, accepting the drink as Taehyung's hand outstretches and nearly releases it before he can get a good grip on the cup. He swears, the man is like a toddler. A very rich and powerful toddler that pays no mind to one of the other two drinks slightly spilling their contents over and onto his Louis Vuitton slides.

"Next we have this beautiful, juicy, and fruity drink-- and no fellas, this isn't a reference to Mr. Park Jimin-- that has the essence of chamomile with a hint of sweet, succulent strawberries." He takes a whiff of the capped plastic cup, following with a melodramatic ahhh, then places it in a spot beside Yoongi on the table. He pauses, just for a split second, and Hoseok can see the dread clear-as-day on Yoongi's face.

"And last but certainly not least--"

"Taehyung, for the love of God, please just hand me my americano like a normal human being." Yoongi deadpans, before his eyes roll up slightly to meet with the younger's playful ones in a pleading motion. A soft smile spreads across Taehyung's face, as he gazes at the man with an emotion Hoseok can only decipher as awe, and it confuses him for a moment.