A/N
Hey everyone! So, it hasn't even been a week yet, and I'm here with another update!! Woohoo! I hope you all enjoy it.
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Namjoon had just gotten out of his car, the parking lot only half full as he walked to the entrance. He walked slowly, doing his best not to walk in front of any cars. Once he finally reached the doors, they automatically opened. The business on the inside didn't mimic the outside at all. People were walking all around, Namjoon quickly turning right as he always did when he came here.
Okay. Take a left here. Now, take the elevator to the third floor.
Namjoon had memorized how to get to where he needed to go, having visited this building so many times for almost a year now. However, he wasn't leaving alone this time. After reaching the third floor, he made a couple more turns before finding the right hallway. He noticed a nurse sitting at a desk, slowly approaching to grab their attention.
"Hi! Can I help you?"
"I'm here to pick up a patient. They're supposed to be leaving today."
"Let me see." The nurse typed a couple things into the computer before looking back up to Namjoon. "Can I have the patient's name?"
"Min Yoongi."
"Okay, perfect! I'll have you sign a couple discharge forms just stating that you are the one picking him up, and they have our contact information in case you ever need to contact us for any reason."
Namjoon was passed a couple forms on a clipboard, taking the pen provided as he took a seat in the lobby. After a minute or two of reading the forms and signing them, he moved to go back to the desk. When he got out of his chair, he hadn't noticed the vase on the desk next to him with a couple of flowers in it, knocking it swiftly to the ground with the sound of a shatter. Namjoon sighed deeply before looking back at the nurse who was now looking in his direction.
"Sorry about that. I tend to break things wherever I go." Namjoon had his right hand rubbing the back of his head, obviously embarrassed at the situation. He was just glad no one else was in the lobby.
"Well, I find it hilarious."
Namjoon looked in the direction the voice came from, seeing the man he had been waiting for. Namjoon couldn't help the smile forming on his face, quickly moving with open arms towards the shorter man. Yoongi had been holding some of his things in both hands, not being able to reciprocate the hug as much as he wanted.
"It's nice to see you! Do you have all of your stuff?"
"I think so? I mean, I didn't really come with much to begin with."
Yoongi chuckled, even if there was a slight darkness to it. Namjoon chose to ignore it since Yoongi seemed to be doing the same. Yoongi was looking at his things, as if checking his mental list one last time, before looking up to Namjoon and nodding.
"Ready to go whenever you are."
"Sounds good." Namjoon looked at the nurse behind Yoongi and nodded his head slightly. "Thank you for taking care of him."
"Of course. Have a great day, both of you."
The nurse smiled before passing back through the doors that lead to where Yoongi had been housed for a while now. He couldn't imagine that he would leave this soon, thinking that he'd never be able to leave.
Namjoon and Yoongi both walked out of the hospital, Yoongi not allowing Namjoon to carry any of his things. After the display he saw in the lobby, Yoongi was afraid he would break something of his, especially the game console he was gifted from his psychologist. They got outside, the automatic doors closing behind them. Yoongi took a couple more steps before he stopped. Namjoon was now a couple steps ahead of him before he noticed.
"Everything okay, Yoongi?"
"I ..." Yoongi trailed off, looking around him as he took everything in. "I haven't been outside since I was admitted. It's nice to feel fresh air for once."
Yoongi took a couple deep breaths, smiling slightly as he watched the trees rustle with the wind. His eyes caught onto some birds and squirrels that were outside, only having seen them through the one window in the cafeteria area in the section of the hospital he was in. He was taking everything in and becoming slightly overwhelmed.
"Hey." Namjoon gently placed his hand on Yoongi's arm, grabbing his attention immediately. Yoongi looked up, seeing Namjoon smiling as well. "You're never coming back here, okay? I won't let that happen. You're free, Yoongi."
At the last sentence, Yoongi teared up slightly. He had felt like he was stuck in a cage for so long, Mikrokosmos quickly becoming a way for him to escape reality. However, he only started playing the game recently, having been fully trapped for much longer than he realized. Even though he knew the hospital was helping him, and truly believed they did, there was nothing more invigorating than being here. Being free.
"Come on."
Namjoon moved his head towards the direction of his car. It was a short walk, Namjoon not having parked too far away from the entrance. When they reached the car, Yoongi put his few things in the back seat as he got into the passenger side. Namjoon started the car, letting a bit of A/C flow into the vehicle as he looked towards Yoongi.
"Are you sure you don't want to go home?"
"I'm sure."
It was a quick response, Yoongi looking outside the window, his smile long gone. He played with his fingers, some of them taking a hold on the fabric of his shirt as his anxiety slowly flowed through him. Yoongi took a deep breath, the anxiety leaving him as quickly as it appeared.
"My parents ... they didn't visit me once while I was in there. My brother at least visited twice towards the beginning, but ..." Yoongi took another breath before looking back at Namjoon, a small smile now on his face. "I'm ready to move on. I'm curious what it'll be like living with you, seeing how you literally break almost everything you touch."
Yoongi said this somewhat sarcastically, Namjoon smiling at the sight in front of him. He hadn't seen Yoongi this happy in a long time, even when he did visit the hospital to see him. The genuine smile seemed to replace all of the fake ones he always put on, and Namjoon couldn't be more thrilled. Namjoon only huffed slightly before pulling away from the parking lot, talking with Yoongi the whole way home.
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Yoongi had already settled in, the both of them having just finished dinner. Yoongi was washing the dishes when Namjoon spoke from his living room.
"Yoongi, do you need anything?"
"No, I'm okay. Thanks."
"Need any help unpacking?"
"No, I think I unpacked almost everything earlier. The only thing I have left is the console, I think."
Yoongi finished the dishes, drying his hands before heading towards the living room. He saw Namjoon setting up his console, the Mikrokosmos disc being inserted. Yoongi was smiling, the game always bringing him joy.
"Did you still want to try the multiplayer mode? I've never played it before, and I'm not exactly sure how it would work. Especially since we've both made different choices in the game. According to the game developer, it puts together the character of each player that they've interacted with the most. Who have you interacted with the most?"
"Hoseok. You?"
"Jin. So, I'm assuming, if we play the multiplayer mode, my game's version of Jin will be there, and your game's version of Hoseok will be there."
"What about that killer character. Can he just disappear?"
Namjoon laughed, not blaming Yoongi for his thoughts. Based on the couple interactions he's had with the blonde murderer, he could only imagine what interactions Yoongi had with him. Just thinking of the man makes Namjoon's spine crawl.
"I wish. But unfortunately, he's stuck in the game. Still want to play?"
"Sure."
Yoongi moved to where his console was still placed in one of his bags. He took out his headset, moving to where Namjoon had grabbed his. Yoongi could see the opening screen on Namjoon's television, looking towards the taller man with a small smile. Even though he's only been in Namjoon's house for a couple hours, it's already felt like more of a home than anywhere he's ever been.
"Ready?
"Ready."
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After soaring through pink clouds, both of them were placed in the middle of a city that was bustling with life. The noise made it hard to focus on anything, Yoongi looking around as if he was trying to find a place he remembered. It almost reminded him of a recent venture he had into the game, shivering slightly at the thought of the blonde man coming after him again.
"Looks like it dropped us off in the city. We could do almost anything. Are you interested in anything in particular?"
Yoongi looks around for a couple seconds. He saw a coffee shop, a small café, and a couple shops around the area. He looked to see Namjoon scanning the area as well, the sights of the place bright and slightly overwhelming. Before he could pick anything, he saw two figures turning the corner, one of them waving him down immediately.
"Yoongi! Yoongi, over here!"
The man was louder than ever, Yoongi becoming used to the man's vibrant personality. Hoseok was waving his arms in the air like a child, not ashamed in the slightest of how he might look to strangers. Yoongi blushed slightly as Namjoon and him walked over to the two men, a smile never leaving either of their faces.
"Jin! It's great to see you again."
Namjoon pulled Jin into a hug. If Yoongi thought for too long, he would have thought that something was going on between the two of them, the hug lasting just a couple seconds longer than he would have thought friends would hug for. And Jin's hands rubbing Namjoon's back calmly wasn't helping the case at all. However, Yoongi was still looking at the ground, afraid to look at Hoseok in fear that the man would see the blush growing on his cheeks. Yoongi hadn't even seen Hoseok take a few steps closer, the man's smile slowly fading.
"Yoongi? You okay? Yoongi? Earth to Yoongi? Jin, I think there's a glitch. He won't –"
Hoseok's sentence was cut short but Yoongi's body colliding with his, the hug tight as if Hoseok was Yoongi's lifeline. Yoongi buried his head into Hoseok's shoulder, still worried the other would see how pink his cheeks were. Hoseok smiled once again, rubbing his hands gently into Yoongi's back.
"I'm here. I promise."
"Everything okay?" Hoseok didn't want to sound too worried, but he couldn't help but care for the man.
"Yeah. Everything's great now that you're here."
"Yoongi, I'm supposed to be the cheesy one here."
They both laughed, Hoseok naturally slipping one of his hands into Yoongi's. The comforting feeling flooded Yoongi's senses, finally looking up to see just how content the other looked. Hoseok was looking at Yoongi as if he was the only one in existence. Yoongi couldn't help but do the same. Before Yoongi could even think about closing the gap, he heard someone to his left clearing his throat. Both Hoseok and Yoongi were startled slightly, looking towards the person in question.
"Sorry, didn't mean to break the moment. I didn't know you two were ... together."
Namjoon seemed slightly surprised. Yoongi looked at him confused before he looked towards his hand connected to Hoseok's. Yoongi looked up into Hoseok's eyes, the panic beginning to set in. His anxiety began to grow as well, not realizing how open he was being with his friend only a couple feet away. Hoseok could see the panic rising, feeling Yoongi distancing himself slightly.
Before Yoongi could do anything else, Hoseok connected their other hands together, rubbing his thumbs gently on the top of his hands. Yoongi was shocked by the action, his mind moving at a mile a minute. He looked up to see Hoseok smiling slightly.
"Breathe."
He hadn't realized how long his was holding his breath, taking a deep breath in and exhaling slowly. The exhale seemed to push some of the anxiety and panic away, the calm of Hoseok taking over. Hoseok let go of their hands, wrapping his one around behind Yoongi's back and holding onto his side gently. Yoongi looked to Hoseok, his fingers playing with his shirt.
"Thanks."
"I'll always be here when you need me. Remember?"
Yoongi nodded slightly, Hoseok smiling as they both brought their attention back to Namjoon and Jin. Yoongi was shocked to see the two men holding hands, their backs now to them as Namjoon was pointing to one of the shops. When Yoongi looked to Jin, who he hadn't interacted with much in his version of the game, it was obvious that he was staring at Namjoon lovingly.
"I didn't know you two were together either?"
Namjoon's head shot back to Yoongi, cheeks quickly dusting pink as Namjoon realized his hand was intertwined with Jin's. Before Namjoon could speak, Jin turned the two of them towards the other two.
"Please, it took forever for him to realize how much I liked him. I thought I was going to be single forever."
"Hey, I'm just ... not used to this sort of thing."
Namjoon put his free hand behind his head out of nerves. Jin rolled his eyes before giving Namjoon a peck on the cheek, the man's blush only becoming more and more obvious as the seconds passed.
"I love you anyways ... I guess."
"You guess?!?"
"He broke a lot of things, didn't he?"
Jin looked to Yoongi who now had his hand back to holding Hoseok's. The tone that came out of Yoongi was nothing but confidence, as if he couldn't be wrong. Jin chuckled slightly, wondering how long Namjoon and this man had been friends.
"A lot? He breaks everything."
Hoseok, Yoongi, and Jin laughed as Namjoon seemed more embarrassed than anything, huffing before looking towards Jin. Namjoon knew they were right. He was the biggest klutz he'd ever seen, luck never in his favor.
"But I love him. So, as long as he doesn't break my heart, I guess we're okay."
Jin looked towards Namjoon lovingly, squeezing his hand slightly. Yoongi smiled as well, happy that his friend found someone that cared about him just as much as he did. He turned to Hoseok, seeing the man smiling before leaning his head on the taller man's shoulders.
"So, what do you guys want to do?"
Jin thought that they should get moving, knowing that two of them were on limited time. Everyone looked around for a couple seconds, no one coming up with a solid plan. Yoongi shrugged his shoulders, not seeing anything that was interesting to him at the moment.
"Why don't we just walk around a bit? Maybe we'll find something in town."
"Sounds like a great idea."
And with that, the four boys walked around the city for the rest of the time they were allowed. Yoongi never let go of Hoseok's hand, wanting to be as close to him as possible before he had to leave for the day. The entire afternoon was full of laughter, fun, and maybe some stolen kisses.
In a mind that once held pain and anxiety, Yoongi finally felt at peace. He finally felt happy.
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A/N
I hope y'all enjoyed that little ball of fluff chapter. Just a heads up that there is only ONE chapter left! I'll be posting it either on Friday or the weekend. The end is upon us *tears up* but I'm so happy that the story was enjoyed and loved. I hope to see you all soon for the final chapter. Thanks again for all the support! =^_^=