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"Hoseok, maybe we shouldn't go to your house. I mean, I've never been to a friend's house. I don't know what to do."
"No worries, hyung! My mom's really cool! She's super nice, too! My little sister, though...she's super annoying."
"You have a sister?"
"Oh! I haven't told you about her? She's four. That's four years younger than me and...five years younger than you! And she always wants to play with my friends."
"You're lucky. I wish I had a brother or sister."
"Trust me, you don't. They always touch your stuff and never leave you alone!"
".....better than being alone..."
"...How about this? Why don't you think of me as your younger brother?"
"What?"
"We do everything together! Things only boys do! I've always wanted a brother. And plus, you're older than me!"
"You can do that? Just claim a person to be your brother?"
"Yeah! But that means we have to stay close! You can't stop being my friend, okay?"
"...alright..."
"Promise!"
"I....I promise."
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"Do you know how long I've waited for you?"
"Hey. I'm not the one who tells you to come over. This is starting to get annoying."
Hoseok lets out a long sigh. "Yeah, I know. But you're my sister. My only sister. You can't be out this late alone. Not in the city."
I want to argue but I decide to drop it. I know he's just trying to look after me. I know where he's coming from. We only have each other.
"Where were you, anyway?" Hoseok asks.
I wave the bag and fabricate my lie. "Just shopping for random things. Nothing special."
"Oh?" Hoseok replies with a sly grin. "Any snacks?"
I scoff. "No. Even if there were, you wouldn't get any."
He pouts. "Aww! Why?"
"Because you would eat them all?"
Hoseok gives me another sad look and sinks into one of the barstools next to the counter of my kitchen.
I groan and walk to one of my cupboards. I pull out his favorite snack and throw it at him.
"Take it!" I yell jokingly.
Hoseok's face immediately lights up and he rips open the bag and starts relishing the snack. I roll my eyes and put the bag from the store into a cabinet that I use for storage. Hoseok would be suspicious if he saw exactly what was inside.
"So, older brother, " I say, putting a sassy tone in it. "What did you do today besides being overprotective of me?"
"I am not-"
He cuts himself off at the knowing look he looks away.
"Fine. Maybe just a bit, " Hoseok finally admits. He changes the subject. "But I had the day off so I hung out with the maknaes for a bit. They wanted to come but...they didn't...for reasons.
"So I came here but you weren't here. I decided to pass by the time and introduce myself to your neighbors. There's a really nice old lady who lives a few doors down. She gave me cookies!"
I chuckle. "Yeah, she's super nice. Sometimes she makes too much food for herself and gives us all the extras. It's really nice."
"Yeah..." Hoseok trails off. "I have a question."
"Ask away!" I say freely.
"Um...have you met all your neighbors?"
Crap, he's probably trying to test and see if I've met Yoongi. I don't want to die so I can't act suspiciously.
I look at my ceiling as if I'm thinking. "Well, I've talked to the girls who live at the end of the hall. They're super funny. And the super buff guys who live across from them. I kind of think at least one of them will get with one of the girls."
"Wait..." Hoseok starts. "You were with the two guys alone?"
I roll my eyes. "Girls can hang out with guys platonically. Calm down, Hoseok."
"Hoseok?"
"Oppa, " I give in, not trying to start another one of his rampages.
"Hmph, " Hoseok crosses his arms. He gestures with one of them. "Continue..."
I put a finger to my chin. I think I'm overacting but I can't stop now. "Well...there is the mysterious guy who lives next door that I haven't met yet. I've seen him a few times but he always runs away. Do you think I should try harder to get to know him?"
"No!" Hoseok suddenly yells as he slams his hand on the counter. It makes me flinch and take a step back.
Hoseok clears his throat. "I mean, mysterious guys almost always have something weird about him. You shouldn't meet him unless...unless...never mind."
Maybe I can try to get some information about this situation out of him.
I squint my eyes. "Now that I'm thinking about it, I saw how weird you acted when we all saw him in the hallway that one time. Do you know him?"
Hoseok stares at me with wide eyes. "Umm...no. That was just an awkward moment in the hall with a stranger."
I put my lip out a bit. "But then why would you not want me to meet him. You always told me to try to talk to the loners and mysterious ones since they always have good stories and life experiences. Why is it different for this one person?"
Hoseok lets out a quick sigh. He glares at me. "I hate that you can see through me."
"No one knows you better than me! Not even yourself!" I sing.
"Fine, fine. I did know him. I met him when we were children, " Hoseok admits.
My jaw drops. "Since you were children? How come I don't know him?"
Hoseok bites his tongue. Something he does when he's trying to choose his words carefully.
"You did meet him. Once. You were very little so you don't remember."
I furrow my eyebrows. This whole situation isn't making any sense. Why can't they just tell me straightforwardly?
"And his name?" I ask, still trying to make my lie seem believable.
He shakes his head. "You don't need to know. He's not important."
He is important.
Huh, that thought was unexpected.
I ask the question that's been bugging me for the past few weeks.
"Wait, so if you've known him since you were little, what made you stop talking to him?"
Hoseok looks down at his hands that are folded on the counter. "He did something...well he didn't directly do it, his choices caused it to happen. Was it really his fault?"
Hoseok's words slowly got quiet and it turned into a whisper as he thought to himself. Wow, this must really bother him.
"Hoseok?" I ask, making him jump and look at me.
"Ah, uhm, I'm sorry. I must be super tired. Do you mind if I stay here tonight?"
I shake my head. "No. I've actually been working on turning that storage room into a guest room. Since you guys come over so much."
Hoseok stands up. "Thank you, little sis. I'm going to go into the bathroom real quick. I'll be back."
I nod and he walks away. Ahhhh, I shouldn't have pushed too hard. Now he's in a weird mood.
Hmm, I wonder what Yoongi is doing.
I pull out my phone and open our text conversation. I see his last good morning message where he wrote me a poem. It isn't bad. I love it since it's from him. He's surprisingly artistic.
I send him a message:
coast is clear. he doesn't suspect a thing. but he's staying the night so you can't come over for breakfast.
He responds almost immediately. I smile at his contact name. It's set as Suga just in case if Hoseok ever checked my phone.
He wrote:
aww nooo i dont get any of your delicious pancakes???
I laugh quietly. I reply:
too bad for you. i was going to make a full american breakfast too. eggs, bacon, sausage, waffles...
Wow, he texts really fast. He writes:
dont tease me maybe you can make it and i can sneak in like a ninja to get a plate
I shake my head, still wearing a smile, and answer:
umm...do you want to die? if hoseok caught you, you would be murdered on the spot. he would probably think you were stalking me or something.
Yoongi sends:
dying would be worth eating your food
I scoff and type:
nothing is worth more than escaping death from my brother's hands
He takes a bit longer to reply this time:
youre right but i am going to miss your food
I text back:
you'll live. it's only one day.
I laugh at his next message:
i will die from deprivation from the most amazing food
I text with a smile:
fine. i will try to sneak you some.
"Y/N!" I hear Hoseok yell. He walks into the living room where I can see him from the kitchen, I look up from my phone with wide eyes.
"What are you laughing at so much?"
I quickly show my phone towards him and shake it a bit so he can't read. I give him an excuse.
"Memes, " I state simple.
His nods with a face that shows approval. "Right. Well, I'm going to sleep. Don't stay up too late. Do you have plans for tomorrow?"
I shake my head. He continues speaking, "Good. We are going to have a mandatory sibling day just you and me. Okay?"
I shrug. "I don't really have a choice, do I?"
"Nope, " he says with a grin. He starts walking away. "Goodnight, my sister! I love you!"
"Love you too!" I yell back. I hear the door shut.
I look back down at my phone to read Yoongi's texts:
i would love you if you did
but i shouldnt keep you up for too long
good night y/n
sleep well
My thumbs hover over the keyboard before I type a response:
would? you mean you don't love me now?
...don't respond to that...
good night
I quickly turn my phone off and facepalm. Agh! I'm so awkward.
Well, I'll see what damage I did in the morning. For now, Yoongi is right. It's time for bed.