The Long and Winding Road || A Vhope FF ||✔️

Chapter 23

The next day, Hoseok woke up with the sun. Taehyung was already out of bed, and had left a glass of water with aspirin at the bedside table for Hoseok.

He didn’t need the aspirin, but the water he gladly drank. Yeontan, as if sensing that Hoseok was up, came to sit on the bed with Hoseok and licked his face.

“Good morning,” Hoseok said to him, causing Yeontan’s tail to wag more. He ended up settling on Hoseok’s chest, as if he knew that it was a rough morning for him. Hoseok wasn’t hungover, per say, but he was definitely on the cusp of not hungover and hungover, hanging over a little bit more on the hungover side than he was comfortable with. Hoseok didn’t even try to move, instead sitting and placing his hand on Yeontan’s back, dozing off before he heard the door open.

“How do you feel this morning?” Taehyung asked, already dressed for the day. He had probably already fed the chickens and worked in the garden, if his cold reddened cheeks were anything to go by.

“Fine.” Hoseok paused, internally gauging how okay he was. He knew he didn’t drink much, but Hoseok was also notoriously a lightweight, which none of them had ever had to experience before. “I want to cuddle, though.” He held his arms out, waiting for Taehyung to step between them.

“You’re so cute,” Taehyung told him, nuzzling into Hoseok’s neck with his cold face. Hoseok shuddered at the sensation, but didn’t push Taehyung away. Instead he snuggled closer, even though Taehyung was still in his jeans and his jacket.

Taehyung pressed a soft kiss against Hoseok’s throat. “My cutest, handsomest, best hyung.”

Hoseok sighed at the sensation, knowing there was no heat behind it. He just wanted to be close to Taehyung, and could tell that Taehyung felt the same way.

“So, was your curiosity sated last night?” Hoseok asked, luxuriating in the way that Taehyung was brushing his fingers through his hair.

“I think so.” Taehyung paused, and Hoseok could hear the frown in his voice when he said, “I definitely have thought a lot about it.”

“What do you mean?”

Hoseok sat up to talk about this, and he could tell by the way that Taehyung wasn’t looking at him that something was up. It made something unpleasant boil up in the pit of his stomach. He and Taehyung had never really fought about anything--and had only really ever disagreed on things for a few moments before somehow working it out.

Hoseok wasn’t sure that he wanted to deal with this, but he knew that he had to, and so he sat and waited as Taehyung formulated his thoughts.

“It’s not you, hyung,” Taehyung started, and Hoseok’s entire body turned to ice. He had no idea how he was going to thaw out of this. “But.”

“But what?”

“I guess just seeing you and Yoongi hyung together, it just made me realize how...different we are. And how you’re going to have to leave here, eventually, and go back to people who are refined, and smart, and know what it’s like to be an idol. And I’m...I’m none of those things. Hyung, I never even went to college, and-”

“Hey, wait a minute,” Hoseok cut this off before it could get too far. “Do you think that matters, when it comes to how I feel about someone?”

“It’s not you! Really, it’s not. I just couldn’t stop thinking about it when we went to bed last night, because it’s true. You’re going to have so many options once your break is over with and I’m just going to be here. I’m just going to be...me. And, hyung, that’s not a lot. Especially not compared to what you’re going to have.”