Tell Me Without Telling Me || Sope

Chapter Forty-Seven

It's pain mixed with selfish relief that he carries with him for the rest of their time in the kitchen. And anxiety he takes with him to Jimin's bedroom door later that evening while Yoongi is in the shower, Namjoon is out at the allotment, and Tae and Jimin are shaking with giggles where they're curled on tae's bed.

"Hey," he says quietly, stopping just in the doorway, halted by Taehyung's presence.

"Hey," they chorus, Tae's hey coming softer and several milliseconds after Jimin's. 

"Come in," Jimin says, kicking his leg towards the end of the bed to indicate Hoseok should sit.

Hoseok hesitates, hand on the doorframe. "I... I can come back later—I don't want to interrupt."

"You're not interrupting. Sit down," Jimin says, rolling his eyes. He leans forward this time and slaps a hand against the duvet insistently.

Hoseok swallows, trying to wet his dry throat. "I-I k-kind of needed t-to just... y-you alone—I w-wanted to talk. N-no offence, Tae."

Tae blinks at him with large, soulful eyes, whatever he feels about being asked clumsily to leave hidden out of Hoseok's sight.

Jimin blinks too, clearly taken aback as he glances from Tae to Hoseok. Then he smiles, cheeks rosy. "I've been summoned. I'll be right back, Tae. Let's go into your room, hyung," he says to Hoseok, swinging his legs out of bed.

They do, Hoseok throwing Tae an apologetic look before he closes Jimin's bedroom door behind them. 

In Hoseok and Yoongi's room Jimin plonks himself down on Hoseok's bed, crossing his legs and turning to Hoseok with an air of unseriousness that makes Hoseok feel marginally better as he joins him, keeping a good distance between them.

"What'd you want to talk about?"

"C-clubs," Hoseok says, the word shooting out of him hoarsely. He clears his throat. "Y-you said e-earlier you w-wanted us to—Yoongi-hyung and me... to a club. I-I th-thought we'd... th-the fight, we—I c-can't go, I-I d-don't.... I can't. I-I'm sorry. I know w-we made a deal, but I can't. I-it's too crowded a-and loud. I-it's too overwhelming. I can't." His teeth chatter despite there being no chill. He holds back shivers that are threatening to turn convulsive.

Jimin laughs lightly, but his eyes seem sad. "I'm not making you go to a club—a deal is a deal, and you both promised me you'd do whatever I wanted, so I could make you go to a club if I really wanted, but I won't."

"Oh, but you said..." Hoseok flushes, relieved and confused and embarrassed.

Jimin flaps his hands at him. "Technically it is a club that we're going to, but I picked it because I think it's somewhere you'll like."

"N-no, Jiminie, I can't—"

"Hear me out," Jimin says, holding up his hands to silence Hoseok. His eyes are bright as he pulls out his phone. "Boyfriend number two put me onto it—he's not a hardcore party person. He knows all these chilled out places. Look." He passes hoseok his phone, where he's pulled up a website of a place with a flowery sounding name. "I went with him to check it out first and it's a great place," Jimin says. "There's a dane floor and music, but it's small and no one really gets drunk off their ass there so there's no stumbling and no one's spilling drinks on you. There's a lounge area where you can go to breathe and be away from people, to talk, but still here the music. It's not overly crowded—boyfriend number two says it never is. I think you'll like it—look at the pictures. It's so pretty there. Oak floors, cosy, the armchairs and couches are so comfortable. It's not at all like a club club."

Hoseok stares at the pictures, taking in what does look like a cosy place, a nice place, and he finds himself blinking hard. "Oh. I thought..." he feels ashamed and touched. "This looks lovely."