Temporals

4. Getting Comfortable

When Rae opened the door, Hoseok was speaking to Yoongi, standing in front of the space between the two rooms.

"You didn't knock on my door?"

"I did, I did," Hoseok shifted his attention to her. "Yoongi also opened up, so I started speaking to him. Ah, listen, Rae, is this allowed in the house?"

With that, he held a blunt at her eye level. Rae slightly rolled her eyes. "I make money off of it. Of course it's allowed. It is from The Smiths, right?"

"Yes, of course."

Yoongi chuckled from the side. "I'll go back to my notes then. Good night, people."

"Yoongi hyung!"

Hoseok stopped him. When he turned around, the younger smiled and offered him to join him. "No, no. I'm in support of the medical use of weed. And, I won't judge if you want a high. But I don't wanna indulge."

"You don't have to. Just sit with us."

"Us?" Rae raised an eyebrow.

"Don't you indulge either?"

"I do. But, I'm already drinking tonight, so.."

"Ahh! We can all sit together at least? I mean, if that's okay?"

Rae exchanged glances with both the men once before inviting them into her room.

She set up two more chairs in front of the window, and offered Yoongi a glass of the whiskey she was drinking. He took it gratefully, while Hobi lit up his joint. They sat in silence for a long time, puffing and drinking.

"So," Rae broke the silence, "how was work this week?"

"Dramatic," Yoongi mentioned. "I'm bound by ethics to not tell you. But, I can tell you that it was dramatic."

"And you, Hoseok?"

"Well, I don't have shows right now. So, I'm trying to write scripts for when I tour again. My company has an YouTube channel for me and that has a lot of views. So I'm not broke."

"Inspiring!" the other man commented. "What about you, Rae?"

"It was busy. Lot of work. I met your mom this week, actually."

"I heard. You see her often?"

"I've made it a point to visit her institution at least once a month, if not more. The cause is very close to me."

"Is it because of your daughter?"

Rae looked up to meet Yoongi's scrutinizing eyes. His black fringes did nothing to hide the curiosity gleaming in his eyes. Hoseok gazed at her too. He was visibly high at this point, but he continued puffing. Rae sighed and nodded.

"You know the whole clan knows, right? Don't tell me you work with a charity specialising in this, but you don't accept your own daughter."

"I do." Rae felt agitated at the sudden intervention. "I was initially aloof about her crisis, but I met with Alma solely because I wanted to understand what Dakota was going through. The more I see, the more I learn. And, the further she gets from me."

Rae lit another Marlboro, and refilled her and Yoongi's glasses. When she sat back down on the Ottoman, the very high Hoseok started the conversation again.

"What do you think, hyung? You must have met quite a few patients with identity crisis?"

"I have, actually.."

"You know, I always talk about self-acceptance and self-love. On my Tedtalks, I mean. Do you think that works with people like Dakota?"

"I think people who have come out and shared their dilemma, have already accepted themselves. And they're now sharing so that their kins also accept them. Now, Rae, I know you're scared for her to face the struggles that people at MM do. But maybe being controlling is not the solution."