What were they?
There were so many questions that still had no answers. And he realized that most of them would forever remain that way. As nothing more than curious little inquires locked within his own mind that would never actually see the light of day. But this one had plagued him from the very first moment. Since the very beginning. And it seemed like so long ago now, looking back at it from the other side. Peering through the annals of time until he landed on that moment. When their eyes had met and whatever this was had sparked within them both, igniting a flame that was impossible to put out.
What were they?
There had never been any need for an actual definition. For their relationship to be labeled. And he had called it a situation for so long that he almost had trouble thinking about it in any other context. Had trouble viewing it any other way. Perhaps for them it didn't actually matter. Because they both knew their truth.
That Seokjin belonged to Jungkook.
And Jungkook belonged to Seokjin.
But occasionally, someone else would ask. Would be curious as to his status and he wouldn't quite know how to answer. Did he have a boyfriend? A fiance? Were they actually going to get married or had those words truly just been whispered in the heat of a passionate moment?
Jungkook hadn't brought it up again. And neither did he. So the question remained unanswered.
...
"So..." It was almost painfully awkward, sitting there across from Hoseok, tucked away in a corner of the little cafe they liked to frequent on their days off. It was quiet and secluded and no one ever came in during mid-afternoon so they were as alone as they possibly could be in a public place.
And it wasn't like he hadn't been expecting that he would have to give some sort of explanation. Because he had been. Had anticipated it. Had practiced in front of the mirror until he had the lines memorized. Yet somehow he managed to forget them all in the moment. Maybe because he desperately needed someone to tell him what he should do, and Hoseok was the most unbiased opinion he was ever going to get.
"I'm just gonna guess that Jimin didn't exactly leave after you were finished talking." It was a good guess. An educated one. And really, it practically explained everything.
"You could say that." There were a lot of things that could be said about this entire situation. That it was bordering on absolutely insane was definitely one of them, but he really didn't want to travel down that path.
"And..." Sharp white teeth sunk into his bottom lip as that single word got drawn out, like he really wasn't sure if he even wanted to ask this much. "Do I want to know what happened?"
"Probably not." There were somethings in this life that you just weren't meant to know. And considering he wished he could go back and somehow unlearn everything that had been revealed in the past forty eight hours, he couldn't even begin to put that burden onto someone else.
"Is..." There was another invisible line, drawn between asking something that would lead to the entire story being told, and staying on the side where he would be free of that information. And it was clear which side he was attempting to stay on. "Everything okay?"
That was such an incredibly loaded question.
Was everything okay? No. No it wasn't. And he had the distinct feeling that it was never going to actually be okay again. Someone's life had almost ended. Had then been uprooted so completely that there was no going back. No reconciling it.
And he had been forced to learn truths that he wished he didn't know. Had been forced to hold that information deep within his heart and attempt to just forget about it, both for his own protection and well-being and for someone else's. But it ached. It ached and it hurt and it settled at the bottom of his heart like a stone, a weight he was never going to get rid of.
But telling them now wouldn't ease that pain. It would only put another person in potential danger and he wasn't sure how much more weight he could bear.
If he said no, the entire story would come pouring out.
If he said yes, it would be clear that it was a lie, and he would carry that too.
But there really was no choice.
"Yes." Because on the surface, everything was. It was only once you managed to dig beneath it that things changed. But there was nothing that Hoseok could actually do about any of that. "Well -" But there was one thing that he could help with. That pesky little curious notion that had been hanging around in the back of his mind. "- there is one thing."
"Oh? Don't leave me hanging." Because most of the things that occurred in Seokjin's life were interesting. Probably because it was happening to someone else and he was just lucky enough to be directly outside the line of fire. Where he could watch from a safe distance without fear of ever being too caught up.
"It's just -" It sounded ridiculous when he thought it through. When he tried to actually speak the words. "I don't know what we are. We've never actually discussed it."
"Wait, we're talking about you and Jungkook, right? Because I thought for sure that dude would have a ring around your finger and you using his last name by now." Really, he had always figured the vast scope of Jungkook's possessiveness was directly correlated to the sheer numbers of bruises currently being poorly hid by Seokjin's collar.
"Actually... he did ask me. To marry him, I mean." Only it hadn't been a question. No. It had been a statement. Like he didn't really have any choice in the matter. And maybe that was because he didn't. Maybe that was because he would have said no matter what.
"Holy shit." It came out as a harsh whisper, those dark eyes going almost comically wide as Hoseok reached across the distance between them, taking one of his hands in both of his own. "What did you say?'
"I said yes." It was an answering whisper, like someone who wasn't meant to hear them was going to, despite how there was literally no one around.
"Jinnie!" The sound of his name was an excited squeal now, and he laughed as Hoseok practically jumped out of his seat, barely bothering to come around the table instead of just going directly over it. As he slid into the space beside him, arms wrapping around his shoulders. "Holy shit. Do you know what this means?"
"Not really." It was difficult to reach that level of excitement when there were so many unknowns. Had Jungkook actually meant to ask him that question? Did he really intend to follow through? Was there even any reason for them to get married? Would it change anything? Make it better?
"It means -" Means was drawn out, like the word it's self was a frustrated sigh. "- that gorgeous man who I am already incredibly jealous you get to fuck is your fiance and I really need to know if he has any single friends who look even half as good as he does."
