The next few weeks were full of hang outs, sleepovers, you name it. Everyone had been to each others houses, except Hoseok. When a certain event occured he was scared Shownu and Jooheon would be uncomfortable being in that apartment but they weren't. Maybe cause they were who they were, good people trying to help a broken person. He wasn't sure if the other four would be as understanding. The two however, constantly came over to check on Hoseok, even when he didn't want them there. If Hoseok was in his room shutting himself out, the two friends would go out of their way to clean up and (try to) make food for the poor boy.
Hoseok was grateful but felt like a burden. Telling the boys that the treatment wasn't needed and to 'stop wasting their time on me'. The two never gave up - even waking Hoseok up everyday and making him actually see the sun. This went on for half a year before Hoseok got his shit together and returned to work.
He slowly came out of his shell again, going out (rare, but it still happened), working out again, and somehow having Jooheon make him a social media account. Even though he would never admit it, he was absolutely terrified when Jooheon said he was bringing a friend to their hangout back then. He looked on the bright side however and was glad he did. He met the other three boys and felt 'normal'. Instead of always being a slave to work or just staring at nothing he'd had gotten dragged out of the apartment almost three times a week to hang out with his new friends.
Hoseok was glad he'd been hanging out with everyone more, even hanging out with Minhyuk and Changkyun without the company of Jooheon or Shownu. This was getting to be normal for Hoseok and he enjoyed it. But the thought of them not wanting to be friends with him after knowing what he went through was constantly hanging over his head. He knew he had to tell them, he told Hyungwon he'd open up and at least try to get comfortable around them. Speaking of Hyungwon, Hoseoks feelings for the younger male kept growing. He wanted to desperately ask Hyungwon to hang out, just them two. But he was still nervous.
How was he gonna explain the fact that after two weeks of moving into that apartment to help his mother with her health problems she up and died?
Hoseok couldn't get the image out of his head.
The morning he went to wake her up and nothing.
His lifeless mother and best friend.
Just laying there oh so peacefully.
She died in her sleep.
In the living room, how fucking ironic.
Hoseok cried for weeks. The mother that provided and worked her ass off to get Hoseok where he was all by herself. The mother that could care less about the gender Hoseok loved, just wanting her son to succeed and be happy. The mother that comforted him through his first breakup. The mother that loved her son so so much and showed him everyone is equal, no matter how much the world wanted to convince him he was wrong, she told him it didn't matter.
"We're all humans Seokie, our opinions on certain things make us unique. But in the end we're all the same, looking for a purpose."
If he decided he was gonna tell them he wanted to do it without Shownu or Jooheon, to prove to himself he can open up again. To be happy and live a fun life with his friends, not always focused on work or what people thought of him.
To prove to her that he was ready to let her go and live again.
