Unfamiliars - themarmalade(AO3)

Chapter 6

*This is not my story but from @ themarmalade on AO3*

-*-

The warm yellows and greens of Hoseok's apartment are a gentle relief after the loud fireworks and deeps and darks of night air and uncertainty and humid crowds. Yoongi sits on the edge of the sofa as Hoseok rounds the corner to change clothes out of sight.

"Shit, I forgot to bring back your duck shirt," Yoongi realizes suddenly.

Hoseok smiles and flops down on the sofa. He shrugs. "It's fine. You can bring it later, whenever."

As if to say there will be whenevers, laters that they'll be together again.

Yoongi stares around the little apartment, marveling at how much smaller it seems, now that he's so much bigger. There, the spot he'd nap on the windowsill when Hoseok went to work, or there, the big ceramic bowl on top of the bookshelf where he'd hide from Kookie. The spaces had been just right then, but seeing them now, they're so small. He had been so small, this apartment had been his whole world.

"You okay?" Hoseok asks at the look on his face, hand coming up to scratch through Yoongi's hair.

Yoongi nuzzles into it. They freeze and leap away from each other.

"Sorr-"

"-orry just hab-"

"-hab-habit. Yeah."

Yoongi pulls his knees up to his chest as an uncertain silence takes over.

"It's weird. I never for a second thought you were anything but a cat before, but now, I dunno you- you kinda feel the same," Hoseok chuckles nervously. "Your eyes are the same, somehow," he muses.

Yoongi blinks away and blushes. Again. He's accepted that he's just gonna humiliate himself by blushing constantly. It's fine.

"Where are you staying now?"

He shifts uncomfortably and shoves a cookie in his mouth. "There's aneighlangsfjshefsd." Unimpressed with his sad attempt to avoid answering, Hoseok stares, patiently waiting for him to repeat himself.

Yoongi sighs. "There's a neighbor who has a shed that doesn't lock. There's a couch inside I slept on a lot before. Before uh, you."

"You should stay here," Hoseok says firmly.

Yoongi opens his mouth to argue, but it's all over Hoseok's face that he's not gonna back off of this one. He nods.

"I'll get you blankets," Hoseok says, trotting over to the closet by his bed.

"Oh god," Hoseok suddenly barks, hiding his face in his hands. The blankets fall to the floor. "You saw me jerk off. Like every day, fuck."

He grins at his feet. "I looked away."

"You looked away? You looked away? That's the best you can do? I'm dying here, oh my god."

Yoongi shrugs, looking not at all sorry, and grins harder. "Still want me to stay here?"

"Yes," Hoseok hisses, launching a pillow at his head. He's beet red when he finally dares to look up at Yoongi. He's smiling happily, hair disheveled from the pillow attack. Hoseok tries to scowl but can't help but smile back.

-*-

Life goes on normal for a couple days, a different normal than they ever had but it feels good. Yoongi wakes up for work or Hoseok does. Both of them sit groggy and silent at the table, passing the milk and cereal box between them. Hoseok perks up after he eats and Yoongi perks up after sipping a second cup of coffee and watching Hoseok water all the plants in the apartment.