Note: Sorry I wanted to have these chapters up like five days ago, life's been pretty hectic but I really hope you enjoy, and I hope your all having a wonderful week <3
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"What. Where you one of the bastards who left my father?" Yoongi sneered, tried to sound aggressive, but failing miserably as his own tiredness revealed itself through his tone.
Sanha was about to speak when Taehyung cut in, "Hey! We're not doing this right now. Once we can get help and we know Hobi hyung is going to be okay, than you guys can fight it out all you want." His voice was defiant, something that Yoongi learned he used when the boy needed his position respected.
"Tae, is this it?" Jungkook asked from the wheel, pointing forwards towards an army's base that looked, quite honestly like it had been bombed mercifully, "Yeah, that's it."
"Geez, the south really got hit hard..." Jiwoo echoed from the front seat, before Jimin's eyes grew wide, "Jungkook! They're going to shoot at the car and we don't even have a front window."
"What do you mean we're on their-oh wait. Dammit that's right the car's in camouflage mode." The boy brought the car to a jerk filled stop, turning towards Taehyung, "Can you-"
The older smiled, "Yeah," He opened his passenger door, "I'll go on ahead and tell them who we are, stay here and wait for my signal." Jungkook nodded watching as Taehyung ran the last few yards remaining between them and the base.
Yoongi sighed, frustrated, desperate "Please. Please can we hurry?"
Jimin put a comforting hand on the olders knee, "We are hyung, he's going to be okay." However at the end of his sentence, his eyes flickered towards Hoseok, an uneasiness filling them.
"We're clear!" Jungkook exclaimed, excitedly from the front as the car jerked to a start again, they were at the bases gate in seconds, not a moment after the gates opened and a medical team came running out, Taehyung not far behind as Yoongi wasted no time in swinging his door open, hesitatingly giving up Hoseok's limp form to the strangers in medical gear who laid him on a stretcher. Yoongi started to follow them, only to be stopped by Taehyung, "Hyung, I don't think you're going to want to be in that room while they're taking care of him." His eyes were hard.
But Yoongi wasn't about to leave him again, "No. I'm going."
Taehyungs hand latched onto Yoongi's forearm, holding him back, "Those are orders hyung. Let them stitch him up. I know how these things go, you're not going to want to see him like that."
There was an awful taste in Yoongi's mouth as disgust welled in his stomach, he didn't care how bad Hoseok's wounds were, or how much the situation itself already tore his heart into pieces, because Hoseok was alive and that's all he needed. That's all Yoongi needed. But this time Jimin's hand held onto his shoulder with another hard look in his eyes before Taehyung started speaking again, this time, to the whole group who was now conjugated outside the car, "Alright so, I had to make a deal because we have northern prisoners and we're driving a northern vehicle, they can't trust us right away but they agreed to help Hoseok and allow one of us too look after him when they're finished."
"Wait...so we're just supposed to sit here by the gate? Twirl our thumbs all night? I thought the south was supposed to be a paradise?!" Seungmin retorted.
Taehyung sighed, frustrated, "Look, there defenses are low, they've taken multiple hard hits from the north and we show up with prisoners and a wounded lieutenant, they're just trying to protect themselves." Jungkook who was next to him shined pointed eyes towards the former prisoners, "And besides, we still don't know if we can even trust you."
The group was quiet, an understanding that filled the air before Taehyung continued, "But they agreed to fill up our gas tank, and give us new back tires, then we're on our way home."
Everyone nodded, hard faces before Yoongi spoke again, "I'll volunteer to stay with him."
The beginning of a laugh past Taehyung's lips, "Hyung, we know, that spots reserved for you."
_
Yoongi was sitting in the chair beside Hoseok who was lying unconscious in the hospitals bed, the boy didn't know what time it was but judging by the moons height in the sky, it was late. The fatigue from the last 24 hours, hell, from ever since they set off for the orphanage over a week ago, the exhaustion began to drift upon his shores.
Playing with the tags around his neck, he reached out to hold Hoseok's hand in his, colder than usual, but there was still a warmth that Yoongi didn't know how to describe other than, Hoseok.
"Hey, you're still here I see." Taehyung's soft voice came from behind Yoongi, hardly startling the other as he hummed in confirmation.
The younger stood behind Yoongi, placing a comforting hand on the boys shoulder, "They said we have to leave by morning, but they gave us rooms to stay in for tonight. They gave you one too but," He chuckled softly, "I doubt you're going to move from this spot, huh?"
Yoongi smiled, gentle, one that held a softness he didn't often allow himself as his thumb drew circles over Hoseok's knuckles, "Yeah"
Taehyung moved to the other side of Hoseok, sitting on the bed by the olders feet, asking in a voice, almost small, "He's going to be okay?"
"He's got a broken rib, two fractured, they'll take about six weeks to heal. The doctor stitched up the bullet wounds okay, but she said he needs to rest for a few weeks." Yoongi spoke, almost in a mechanical voice.
Taehyung doesn't say anything a first, just lets the air weigh down their breathes, until, "I'm glad he's back with us. This won't happen again. To anyone." There was a strength, but also a vulnerability to his tone that caused Yoongi's heart to sink further before the younger looked towards him, "Hyung, he's always been close to us and joked around when it was hard, gave us strength when we needed it, but ever since you came he's been different..."
"Different?" Yoongi felt his heart constrict.
The boy searched for his words, "Yeah like...he smiles more but it's, like it glows more. And he's never once messed up on a mission, or tried to sneak out of the base, and he's never been worried about saying the right things in letters before, but when he was writing your letters oh my god he asked each of us at least twenty times to make sure he wasn't 'Coming off too strong'." The boy finished with a light chuckle.
Yoongi couldn't help the blush that dusted his cheeks, or the small giggle that escaped his lips because that, that sounded exactly like something his Hoseok would do, "What makes you think I made him like that?"
Taehyung's face grew serious, looking straight towards Yoongi, "Because when you went back to America, his smile didn't glow anymore."
The older gulped, words seemingly clumped together in his throat as he looked down, embarrassed, before Taehyung spoke again, "You know, my mom used to tell me this red string of fate story." The boy started, a small smile on his lips, "It was an old fairy tale of sorts, everyone had strings tied around their pinky that connected to other people. There were yellow strings, connecting you to your family, blue strings, connecting you to your mentors, green strings, connecting you to your best friends, but there was always one red string-"
"Connecting you to your soulmate." Yoongi smiled, "Yeah, my mom used to tell me that story too."
Taehyung smiled in return, motioning towards Yoongi and Hoseok hands that were interlaced, "Hyung, Jungkook and Jimin agree, what you two did, or rather, what you two were willing to do for each other, to give up, for each other, that's not something you see often out here."
"Anyone would do what I did Tae, I just..." Yoongi trailed off, unable to put the swell in his chest when Hoseok would smiled, into words.
A playful smirk painted the youngers lips, "So you'd be completely okay with it if I kissed Hobi hyung?"
Yoongi felt his mouth open, eyes wide as heat flushed his cheeks, his grip in Hoseok's hand tightening as he tried to speak, only to be cut off by Taehyung's giggling response, "I'm just kidding you, I mean, I used to have a crush on Hobi hyung, I think we all did at some point, but in the end I think our string is just blue, green maybe, or maybe teal?" He shook his head, looking back towards Yoongi, "That's not the point, the point is, hyung I think you two are connected by the red string."
Yoongi's answer comes in the form of a soft, understanding gaze before he turned towards Hoseok, a look, so intimate and intense, the yearning in his chest only growing, he didn't know if he could wait before Hoseok woke up to kiss him again, "Yeah, I think so too." He smiled.
_
Yoongi woke up to the sound of birds, just outside the window that poured the beginnings of the mornings light into the small room. Lifting his head he realized he'd fallen asleep next to Hoseok's bed, rubbing the crank in the back of his neck, before Jimin opened the door, "Good morning hyung, the rest are getting ready to leave..." his voice trailed the closer he walked, "He hasn't woken up yet?"
Yoongi rubbed the sleep from his eyes, sighing, "No, the doctor said it might take a little while, are the others ready?"
Jimin looked conflicted, "Y-yes, but, he's going to wake up right?"
"Yes." The older snapped, "Of course he'll wake up."
The younger flinched from the quick reply, but quickly recovered as he laid a hand on Yoongi's shoulder, squeezing it reassuringly, "Your right, he has to. He will." The older nodded before Jimin continued, "Hyung keep an eye out for Jeongin and Seungmin, they haven't said anything since last night. Sanha and Jiwoo don't know why they've been imprisoned either."
Yoongi knit his brows together, "What do you mean? Can't you just ask? Arrest them until you find out?"
"They've just been following us around, I don't think they're a real threat hyung, but we just don't know what they did yet. We'll bring them to the higher ups when we get back to Daegu." Jimin spoke before leaning to pick Hoseok up in his arms, "Now come on, we gotta go. Oh, and Sanha wants to talk to you by the way."
The older tried his best to hide his pout, "I don't want to talk to him. And you know I could carry Seok-ah."
But there was a change in Jimin's tone, a waver, masked well, but not well enough, "Yeah, you probably could carry him. I can hardly feel him anyway." Yoongi didn't miss the way Jimins arms only tightened, didn't miss the hidden meaning behind his words.
Because they all knew Yoongi wasn't the strongest, but in Hoseok's state now, it would be like carrying a feather in his arms.
_
"Look we don't have a choice." Jungkook sighed, defeated.
"It's fine, we got new tires but I don't think this engine is going to make it there in one go. Let's stop by the shore and give her a break." Taehyung spoke from the front seat, "We're all in one piece anyway right? What's the rush?"
Once the wide ocean came into view, and the soft sand was underneath their tires, they stopped. The group of men quickly hopping out, Jungkook lifting up the hood of the jeep before Taehyung playfully grabbed his hand, dragging him and Jimin out towards the waves. The little black cat, energetic if anything, racing towards the boys as Jiwoo followed, Jeongin and Seungmin not far behind.
Yoongi smiled from inside the car, watching as his friends raced and played in the waves, their laughter melting into the sea's cooling wind. He moved so that Hoseok could lay in the back seat, his head on Yoongi's lap.
"Hey, do you mind if I join you?" A voice called, all the doors in the jeep were open, allowing the breeze to rustle their hair as Sanha appeared outside the door beside Yoongi, "There's something I need to tell you."
"The only thing that should be coming out of your mouth is an apology." Yoongi stated flatly, his gaze turned toward the water as his hands mindlessly ran through Hoseok's chocolate locks.
Sanha sighed, "Yeah, well, I think there's more than just an apology I owe you." The boy finished by revealing the dog tags, Min Hyun engraved into the metal. Yoongi froze before yanking it out of the boys hands, "Why do you have that?!"
The boys eyes softened, guilt was swimming in them like a lone whale in the sea, "Just, listen. Will you listen to my story?"
Yoongi's lips pursed together to form a line, his jaw tight as he nodded, allowing Sanha to speak.
_
"...I'm sorry." The boy finished.
A tear fell heavy down Yoongi's cheek before he shook his head, "No, no thank you for telling me. He was a hero. He...he chose to be a hero." He smirked, "I knew he was all along." Looking down at the tags in his hand, he smiled, grateful, before returning them to Sanha, "Tell my brother his story, and then give my fathers tags to my mother. Please."
The boy smiled, a sad kind of thing, but also hopeful, before taking the tags back in his own hand, "You know, you don't just look like him. You act like him too."
Yoongi smiled, gum filled and bright, choking out a quiet, "Thank you."
Sanha smiled back, but his gaze soon fell to the man in Yoongi's lap, "There's...something else I should apologize for."
Yoongi noticed his gaze fall to Hoseok, his jaw tightened before Sanha continued, "He was, really, the guards favorite. Because of his rank but there was just...something about him...something that radiated hope and they had fun with it, trying to tear it apart." He looked down, eyes dark, "He did nothing wrong. There was no reason for them to be so harsh with him, I tried to bring him food and water whenever I could, he would talk about you, you know, every night. He..."
As Sanha trailed off with his words, Yoongi's gaze returned to Hoseok, running his fingers through the boys hair, watching the steady rise and fall of his chest, a confirmation. A moment passed before Sanha finished, "He didn't think he was going to make it. He thought he would never get to see you again so he wanted me to deliver a message to you."
"A message?"
The boy looked hesitant, "Well, I guess in summary he thinks your smile is cute, and he wants you to do that more."
Yoongi almost laughed, the smile crinkling the corners of his eyes as he looked down towards the sleeping boy, "Seok-ah your something else, just something else entirely."
Sanha smirked, "There was another part to that message, but I'll let him tell you that himself."
Before Yoongi could ask what he meant, the group of boys laughing too much for their own good while completely soaked hopped back in the car, "Let's go!"
_
It was in the evening, two days after arriving back at the base, that Yoongi realized that Hoseok laying in a hospital bed, or vice versa really, was too normal to call strange at that point. And it scared him.
So to pass the time, and to stop the never ending thoughts he would talk to Hoseok, hoping that if his words didn't reach him, at least they'd try to wake up, "Seok-Ah there's talk of the war ending, Jiminie said that there might be a peace treaty soon. There's hope, don't you think?"
Yoongi's question was answered by Jungkook waltzing into their space, setting a plate of food by Hoseok's bedside table, beside Yoongi, "I think there is hyung." he said before moving to sit on the bed by Hoseok's feet.
"Thanks Kookie." Yoongi sighed, looking over towards the food before pouting, "Oh, I thought you'd bring actual cookies."
The younger played right along, "They don't call me the Kookie monster for nothing!" He giggled, flexing his muscles in triumph.
Yoongi laughed, taking some bread from the plate before asking, "Find anything out about Jeongin and Seungmin?"
Jungkook sighed, "Not yet, we're waiting for Sanha and Jiwoo's trial, it won't be for a while though. Those brothers are actually pretty cool. I think once they tell the judge their side they won't be charged for anything too seriously, and they're actually willing to go! Like, Sanha asked Taehyung when he could plead guilty!" The two boys laughed before Jungkook continued, "Oh, and the little cat, her names tac isn't that cute! She follows Jimin around everywhere, I think she adopted him."
Yoongi chuckled, "I'm pretty sure it's supposed to be the other way around."
The younger shrugged, still smiling, before his hand reached the back of his neck, an unsure expression on his features, "But as for Jeongin and Seungmin, they still haven't said anything. They just follow us around, they help out around the village, they particularly stay close to Jiwoo and Sanha. Taehyung and Jimin don't let them out of their sight but they said that if they don't talk soon, they're going to have to take them to court as well."
"Remind me why you guys let them in the car?" Yoongi spoke in aggravation, the last thing they needed was two unidentified prisoners in their base.
A moment passed where Jungkook struggled to find his words, until, "It was kinda a heat of the moment thing I guess."
"Keep an eye on those two, they could just be adjusting to the south, but they may know something we don't. Don't trust them yet." Yoongi spoke.
Jungkook nodded, an understanding smile before looking towards Hoseok, "Hyung, he's been out for three days now...how long did the doctor say till he wakes up?"
"He said it might be a few days." the boys words fell flat.
"That's not all they said...is it." Jungkook asked in a tentative voice, as if he was a deer in the eyes of a prey, "He's going to wake up hyung...right?"
"Of course he is!" Yoongi cut immediately, "He's right here, he's alive he's just resting. He'll wake up. He has too."
An unsure look flooded the youngers features before looking towards the sleeping boy again, humming in agreement, "Yeah, he has to."
_
Yoongi awoke to the sun trickling in through their dorm window, he was laying on his own bed that he'd pushed up beside Hoseok's, who was resting, unmoving, beside him. It had been a week now, and Hoseok still had shown no signs of consciousness. Yoongi was thankful when the doctors let him rest in their dorm, at least he would have a familiar room to wake up in.
But he wasn't waking up, was he.
The worry and doubt that Yoongi had fought so bravely against the past week had begun to dim his hopeful flame with its downfall of rain. He held Hoseok's limp hand in his own, the reality of Hoseok not waking up putting Yoongi into a shock so intense that he had to focus on the gentle rise and fall of the youngers chest, he had to remind himself that he was there. He would wake up. And Yoongi would wait as long as it took, he would wait a month, a year, ten years, heck a hundred years he'd wait until-
Hoseok's hand twitched in Yoongi's own, before his fingers curled over Yoongi's holding his hand with a gentle strength. Yoongi held his breath as Hoseok's eyes fluttered open, the second his brown orbs caught Yoongi's own, a smile so beautiful, it put the sun, the moon, the flowers and all the oceans to shame, as it beamed on the younger, towards Yoongi. A smile that seemed so right, so perfect, as he whispered, "Yoongi"
Yoongi reached his free hand to cup the youngers cheek, bubbling with so much relief, with every heart swelling emotion in the book as he looked into Hoseok's eyes after so long, as he choked out, "Hi"
But worry filled Hoseok's eyes as he spoke, his voice heavy from sleep, "Yoongi what's wrong? Are you hurt?"
The older shook his head, letting the tears that he didn't know he'd kept for so long, fall, freely, fall into his gum filled smile as he bumped foreheads with the younger, breathing in-between the quiet sobs, "Don't do that...ever...ever again...please...don't leave me like that again..."
Hoseok was shocked, but his features filled with a gentle smile, so full of love that Yoongi didn't know if he had the right to gaze upon it, but then the younger spoke first, "You saved me, you know that right?"
Yoongi wasted no time in retaliating, "You saved me first."
The younger giggled, softly, and quickly due to the pain but still, the joy rested in his eyes, "Than we're even."
Yoongi changed the hold of their hands, interlacing their fingers together and pressing their palms to kiss as he giggled into the air between their noses, wet, and relieved. Hoseok looked towards him in awe, reaching a hand to the boys cheek, before softly sliding it to rest on the base of Yoongi's jawline, thumb pressed just below his ear, "You kissed me."
The boy's eyes grew wide, "I-I um maybe I did, yeah, sorry it was a heat of the moment thing and I just missed you, so much and you just wouldn't stop talking and I just-"
"Do I have permission...?" Hoseok cut him off, gaze lingering on his lips with a shy smile on his features that was quickly dusted with red, a beautiful contrast to how white his skin was while he was asleep, "To kiss you, hyung?"
Yoongi's answer came in the form of gentle lips pressed to Hoseok's, a smile pressed to his lips that was too much to contain as he let the tears fall even more, waterfalls painting his blushed cheeks. Hoseok's lips were soft as he savored the kiss, catching Yoongi's lips in his own before releasing, and tenderly kissing away all the tears that littered the olders cheeks. Before coming back, and catching Yoongi in a chaste kiss as his arms weakly sliding around the olders shoulders, pulling him closer. Yoongi felt himself melt completely to mush under the youngers touch, tilting his head to deepen the kiss and fall into Hoseok before their lungs screamed for air, pulling back just slightly, Hoseok breathed, his lips brushing against Yoongi's, "I missed you, so much, Yoongi hyung."
The older gently moved a strand of hair blocking Hoseok's eyes before feeling his heart jump up to his throat, "God I missed you Seok-ah."