Piano Boy

13

• Yoongi •

"Hey, what's up?"

Hoseok's voice is crackly through the phone, and I let out a shaky breath, not sure what to say.

"Yoongs, you ok? Want me to come back? I can leave Taemin in charge here if you need me."

"I - " my voice catches in my throat, and Hoseok's voice grows louder, hurried.

"You sound upset, what happened?? Yoongs, I'm leaving right now, is everything okay?"

I shake my head even though he can't see it, and I can hear his rushed breathing through the phone, a puff of breath with each step he takes. "I'll be there in like ten minutes tops, okay? You want me to stay on the phone with you?"

"No, it's - its fine," I say finally, my voice unsteady, chest tight, and Hoseok lets out a breath.

"It's not, I can hear it's not, I'm almost there, Yoongs, okay? Did something happen?"

I bite my lip, my fingers knotting themselves together, breathing unsteady.

"I'm at your building, just one minute," his phone cuts out, probably as he climbs the stairs, and it's only a moment later that I hear his key in the lock; he must have run, to be here this fast, and the thought that he dropped everything to get here so fast makes me tear up.

"Yoongi, what wrong?" Hoseok appears in the doorway, the door closing behind him, and it's not seconds later that he's hugging me tightly, and I lean my head against his shoulder, my breath catching in my throat; tears escape my eyes, slipping down my cheeks, and Hoseok tightens his arms around me, out of breath from running.

"Did something happen? Tell me what happened, Yoongs, are you okay?" He's worried, because I haven't cried in a long, long time, because I don't let myself break down like this in front of him; anxiety attacks are what he's used to, rather than tears.

"You - left, and Jimin - " I can't breathe, my words coming in gasps as I can't help crying harder, remembering the look in his soft grey eyes. "Came over, and - "

"Jimin came over?" Hoseok pulls away, eyes meeting mine. "It didn't trigger another anxiety attack, did it? I know this morning was about him, it didn't help having him here, did it? I'm going to kill Taehyung, I bet he encouraged it."

I shake my head, leaning against his shoulder again, and he lets out a breath, tightening his arms around me again. "What happened, Yoongs?"

"He..." I hiccup, my eyes filling with tears again. "He told me he liked me."

"What?" Hoseok pulls away from me, his eyes bright, a grin forming on his lips. "He told you?" His smile falls slightly, and he bites his lip. "Why aren't you happy about this?"

"I - I didn't - " I can't breathe, my chest too tight to continue for a moment. "I said no," I whisper, and Hoseok stares at me for a minute.

"You - said no?"

I nod miserably, and Hoseok's eyes widen, confused and shocked. "Why?"

"I - I don't know," I whisper, and I lean my forehead against his shoulder so I don't have to see his face. "It just - came out, I - told him I didn't need anyone right now, and I - I rejected him," a muffled sob escapes my lips and Hoseok's hand comes up to pat my hair absentmindedly.

"But you like him," he says, and I nod, another strangled sob escaping my lips, and Hoseok lets out a breath.

"Take a deep breath, Yoongs," he says softly, and I can't breathe, each breath a strangled attempt for air as I cry.

"Hoseok, I fucked up the only chance I'll ever have with him," I breathe shakily, and Hoseok wraps his arm around me, shifting away to look me in the face.

"That's not true, Yoongi. Maybe this time you made a mistake, but that doesn't mean you can't fix it," he says, eyes steady. "If Jimin really likes you, he won't give up for a long, long time. And you can talk to him, Yoongs, you can tell him about all the anxiety this is giving you and he'll understand, I know he will."

"But I rejected him," I whisper, and Hoseok nods.

"You rejected him this time, but the fact that you're upset over it means you realize you made a mistake in pushing him away." Hoseok's voice is low, thoughtful. "Next time, you know what you won't do, right?"

"There won't be a next time," I say softly, looking away. "He won't try again."

"Why do you say that, Yoongs?"

"Because he's perfect," I whisper, my chest tightening again. "Because he'll respect my decision."

"Then you need to let him know that you made the wrong decision." Hoseok moves to look at me, serious. "Take things slowly. Work toward the confession stage again, and tell him everything."

"I can't," I whisper, and Hoseok shakes his head.

"I know you can, Yoongi," he says quietly. "Because I know you don't want to lose Jimin."

~

This chapter broke my heart a little to write.

Thanks for reading!