https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5LJ2IswNvMc

They spent a few hours sitting on the bench. Whispered sweet nothings intermingled with gentle kisses and embraces. It was almost midnight when Hoseok left Taehyung in front of his dorm room, parting after brushing the younger's cheek with his lips.

When he stumbled into bed next to Yoongi, the first thing Yoongi said was "You did it, didn't you?"

Hoseok rolled over and jumped on Yoongi excitedly. "Yes! Yes, I did it and he said yes! Hyung, he said yes!" Hoseok's smile was so wide that Yoongi could see it even in the dark.

Yoongi laughed and ruffled Hoseok's hair. "I'm happy for you, Hobi. You two are finally official. But you know, we all already knew he was going to say yes anyways."

"I don't care! He said yes!"

"Okay, you can tell me all about it tomorrow. Now sleep." Yoongi pushed Hoseok off of him onto his side, and wrapped an arm around Hoseok's waist.

Hoseok laughed. "Stop trying to pretend you don't care. You literally just said you're happy for me, hyung."

"Shut up. That doesn't mean I don't want to sleep."

Smiling, Hoseok replied, "Good night, hyung."

"Night, Hobi."

Hoseok and Taehyung crossed paths briefly between classes. Taehyung led Hoseok to a secluded corner between two campus buildings and asked something that had been bothering him since the night before.

"Hyung, what are we going to tell the others? Are we going public right away? Or . . ."

Grabbing Taehyung's hand and squeezing it gently, Hoseok answered, "It all depends on what you want, Tae. I'm fine with anything, honestly."

Taehyung hesitated, thinking. "I'm fine with Jimin and the hyungs knowing . . . Sungjae and Hyuk too. But I'm not sure about going completely public for the whole campus . . . I'm sorry . . ."

After glancing around them to make sure no one could see, Hoseok leaned forward and pressed a short kiss to Taehyung's lips. "Don't apologize for your emotions, ever. I told you, I'm fine with anything. I'm glad you're okay with telling at least those people, though." A short laugh. "I think they would figure it out anyways."

"Especially Yoongi hyung." Taehyung giggled until he saw Hoseok's sheepish expression. "You told him last night, didn't you?"

"Maybe?"

"That's okay. I told him this morning."

Hoseok scoffed and reached up to flick Taehyung's forehead gently. "Idiot."

"But I'm your idiot."

There was a moment where both of them didn't really know what to do before Taehyung buried his face in his hands and Hoseok laughed so hard that he doubled over.

"I never thought," Hoseok wheezed in between gasps, "that you would ever say something like that. Oh my god."

"Neither did I," Taehyung muttered. His face was now a light shade of pink, and his ears were burning bright red.

When Hoseok finally calmed down and Taehyung didn't look like he had a fever anymore, Hoseok kissed Taehyung's cheek and they started toward their respective classes.

They were both a little bit late, but they didn't really care.

Taehyung rested his head on Hoseok's shoulder, and Hoseok reflexively wrapped his arm around Taehyung's waist, pulling him closer.

Yoongi wiggled his eyebrows at them, and both Hoseok and Taehyung made the same obscene gesture at him simultaneously, which caused Yoongi to start laughing in the middle of Jimin's rant about how much work his professor had given him.

Namjoon, Jin, and Jimin turned to look at him, confused. "Uh, hyung, my professor giving me too much work isn't that funny."

"What's so funny?" Namjoon asked, raising his eyebrows.

"I was just thinking about how perfect Hoseok and his boyfriend are together."

Jin, who had been in the middle of taking a sip of water, spit the liquid out in surprise, directly onto Namjoon, who yelled "Ah, hyung, ew!" and started wiping his skin frantically with his shirt. Jimin's jaw hung open, and he glanced between Hoseok and Taehyung with wide eyes. Taehyung himself was completely frozen, and Hoseok gave Yoongi, who was wearing a satisfied smirk, an exasperated glare.

"You mean you finally did it?!" Jin shrieked, smiling widely at Hoseok.

Hoseok nodded and a small smile tugged at his lips. Feeling how tense Taehyung was, he drew Taehyung even closer and rubbed his waist comfortingly.

"Oh, how cute," Yoongi interjected, causing Hoseok to throw a pillow at him.

"You've already said enough, hyung. Please shut up."

"You . . ." Jimin pointed at Taehyung, narrowing his eyes and holding eye contact with the nervous younger boy. "You came back at midnight last night."

"Hoseok also came back at midnight last night," Yoongi supplied helpfully, before yelping as another pillow hit him, of course courtesy of Hoseok.

Namjoon had finally finished drying himself off, and muttered, "So that's why you went on a walk yesterday."

"You knew they were gone?" Jin asked, turning to face Namjoon.

"Yeah, they told us. You probably weren't paying attention, hyung," Namjoon answered.

Jin pouted and hugged his knees to his chest. "Man, if I'd known, I would've stalked them."

"Ew. No. That's creepy. Now I'm really glad you weren't paying attention," Hoseok said.

"It's okay, hyung, I would've come with you," Yoongi declared, and Jimin nodded his head in agreement. Hoseok and Namjoon exchanged a look and rolled their eyes as Yoongi, Jin, and Jimin grinned and high fived one another.

"So . . ." Taehyung's soft voice spoke up tentatively, and the entire room suddenly fell silent as they realized that Taehyung was finally saying something. "So . . . all of you are okay with it?"

"Uh. Yeah?" Jin casually took another sip of water.

"Why wouldn't we be?" Namjoon blinked in confusion.

Hoseok abruptly realized why Taehyung had been so tense; even though he knew that all four of the others cared for them, he was still afraid of being judged for his uality because he hadn't officially come out yet. Telling Jin, Namjoon, and Jimin made it a total of five other people that knew his orientation. Hoseok was a bit disappointed that he didn't immediately believe that they would accept him for who he was, especially since they were perfectly comfortable with Hoseok and Yoongi not being straight, but he knew that it stemmed from the rejection of his parents, and how he didn't want to ruin any of the new relationships he had created in college.

Sighing, Hoseok pecked Taehyung's cheek gently (he ignored Jin's coo and Jimin's grin) and said quietly but firmly, "Taehyung, did you know that they've been bugging me to ask you out for months? They're our biggest fans."

Taehyung glanced around the room at all of them, a smile slowly forming on his face as he saw all of them nodding in agreement. "Wait, really? Months?"

"Months!" Jin confirmed,

"Then why didn't you do it earlier, you jerk?!" Taehyung exclaimed, slapping Hoseok's shoulder.

Yoongi, Namjoon, Jin, and Jimin burst into laughter as Hoseok groaned and buried his face, which was turning red, in Taehyung's neck.

"He was too scared," Yoongi said in a mocking tone, "that you wouldn't like him back that way."

Taehyung reached up and smacked Hoseok's head gently. "Hyung, I've liked you since winter."

"Same, Tae Tae. Same." Hoseok voice came out muffled since he was still hiding in Taehyung's neck, and Taehyung flinched away, giggling since it tickled.

Jin scoffed. "You took a really long time to get around to it officially, but the sad part is that we've been dealing with your PDA for what feels like forever."

Jimin snickered. "Hyung's right, actually. You've looked like a couple since winter."

"All of you shut up or we'll start making out in front of you right here."

Taehyung gasped. "No! No we won't! Hyung!"

Hoseok shrugged. "I wouldn't mind."

"This is so disgusting. I'm already regretting that the ship has sailed," Namjoon complained.

"Stop it, hyung. Do you really want us to start making out? Because if you hate it that much, I'm down."

"No!" A chorus of four voices replied instantly, and the rest of the evening was spent in bright chatter and laughter.

The next few weeks passed like a dream. Hoseok was floating on cloud nine, lifted up by his friends, the little kids at the camp, and, of course, his boyfriend.

Boyfriend.

Hoseok smiled every time he thought the word.

Taehyung was his boyfriend.

His first legitimate relationship, and it was with one of the most beautiful people he had ever met in his life.

It was two weeks before all of the summer programs ended and it was time to move back into the regular dorms.

Hoseok was in the shower when it happened.

His foot slipped slightly so his back knocked into the wall, and at the same time, he happened to glance above the shower curtain at the bright light on the ceiling.

He screamed.

He was going to die.

No, no, no, no, no he had to stop. He couldn't let it take over -

Don't leave me I don't want to die.

He had to stop. Stop. Stop. Stop stop stop stop stop. His breathing was getting heavier, he couldn't stop he couldn't he had to stop but he couldn't he would die.

Don't leave -

"Hoseok!"

Hyung. Yoongi hyung.

He tried to say it, he tried to make the words come out of his mouth but he couldn't and why couldn't he do it and he wasn't strong enough and he was going to die.

He started sobbing and felt the hands pushing back his hair, rubbing his back, but he couldn't stop.

Why couldn't he stop he couldn't stop because he didn't want them to leave and he didn't want to die but he was going to but Yoongi was there but everyone always left him anyways.

Yoongi was gone.

Hyung where are you where are you where are you he couldn't stop crying and he felt the sobs wrack his whole body.

He couldn't breathe why couldn't he breathe he didn't have enough air everything was getting dimmer.

Hyung why did you leave.

Everything was fading.

He couldn't . . . he couldn't . . . he . . . couldn't . . . he . . .

And then someone else was beside him, pressing soft kisses against his cheek as he curled into a ball and hid his head in his knees.

"Hyung, please. Hyung, you're fine, I'm here, hyung, I'm here."

"Hobi, we're both here for you. You're safe, nothing is going to hurt you."

Hoseok found himself nodding while he cried, and he felt a little light coming back, he was able to breathe a little again, and he took heaving gasps of the air that he desperately needed.

When he finally felt the effects of the attack fade completely and he was able to breathe normally, Hoseok rasped, "I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry for anything, Hobi, please don't be," Yoongi said quietly. "I left a towel and some clothes for you next to the sink. Get dressed and come out when you're ready, okay?"

Nodding slightly, Hoseok stayed curled up until he heard Yoongi sigh softly and leave, Taehyung following behind him.

After a few minutes, when he was sure that he was really okay, Hoseok uncurled himself and stood on shaky legs. He stumbled out of the bathtub and to the sink, reaching for the towel. He dried himself off roughly, wincing when he rubbed the towel over his torso and upper arms. Once he slowly pulled on the sweatpants and long sleeved shirt that Yoongi had left him, he trudged to the bedroom and stopped in the doorway.

They held out their arms, and Hoseok didn't think he would be able to stop himself from running to them even if he wanted to.

Hoseok fell asleep with Yoongi and Taehyung on either side of him.

He didn't have any nightmares that night.

Yet what Yoongi told him the next morning made him feel like his real life was becoming a nightmare.

"Taehyung saw your scars, Hobi."

Yoongi had forced Hoseok to stay with him in the studio all day instead of going the camp, and had called in sick to Hyukjae and Donghae for him. Even though he had been against it at first, since he wanted to spend time with the kids, Hoseok decided in the end that it had been a good idea. The two of them didn't talk much, instead focusing on their music. They communicated through quiet suggestions of changes to make to certain parts, adding and removing loops on tracks, and sliding sheets of lyrics to each other.

Hoseok tried as hard as possible to keep Taehyung off of his mind, but his thoughts kept drifting toward the other boy, and he would start biting his nails or tapping his foot nervously. Once he noticed, Yoongi would hold Hoseok's hand until he became absorbed in the music again.

He hadn't been prepared. He had wanted to tell Taehyung after steeling himself up for a good few weeks or so, not have his biggest secret laid out with no prior warning.

Maybe he should tell Taehyung the half-truth that he had told Jin and Namjoon when they had found out.

But it didn't feel right.

Taehyung had bared his soul to him, leaving out no details, and Hoseok owed him the same.

He just had to figure out how to do it.

Hoseok was wrapped in Yoongi's arms on his bed when Taehyung walked in. He was feeling drowsy, and Yoongi had decided to hold him so the chance that he had any nightmares while he slept decreased. However, when he heard the door open, Hoseok shot up, suddenly not sleepy at all. Yoongi pulled him back, and muttered "Relax" into his ear, before pushing him up to face Taehyung.

"Hey, hyung." Taehyung's smile didn't quite reach his eyes.

"Hey, Tae." Hoseok's smile didn't either, but he reached out his arms, and after Taehyung took his shoes off and set his bag down, he crawled onto the bed and snuggled into Hoseok's embrace. Yoongi, feeling squished, opted to move to Taehyung's bed, lying down on his side and watching the other two.

"Hyung, I saw," Taehyung said quietly.

"I know."

"Is this what you've been hiding from me?"

"Yeah."

"How . . . How did you get them? There are . . . so many . . ."

Yoongi sighed as Hoseok looked away and didn't reply. "He was bullied last year. It got really bad, and he has scars from what they did to him. It's part of the reason he moved in with me."

Hoseok hummed softly and moved away from Taehyung slightly, removing his arms from around him. "I-I'll show you."

"Hyung, you don't have to -"

"I'll show you, Tae." Holding eye contact with Yoongi, who was staring at him with clear worry in his eyes, Hoseok pulled off his shirt. He balled it up, and squeezed it tightly, refusing to look up. "I know they're bad. They're pretty ugly."

"Hyung, no . . ." Tentatively, Taehyung reached out and lifted Hoseok's chin, making him look at him directly. "Hyung, they're not ugly, okay? It's just . . . you must've gone through so much to get all of these . . . and you don't deserve anything like that . . ." Taehyung turned his eyes back to Hoseok's upper body. He reached out a hand timidly, then stopped when Hoseok flinched away. "If you don't -"

"Go ahead, Tae. I'm sorry for reacting."

Taehyung reached out again and traced the raised white lines all over Hoseok's chest and stomach. "Please, hyung, don't be sorry."

"You really shouldn't be, Hobi," added Yoongi, now sitting up and watching the scene carefully, ready to step in if anything went wrong and Hoseok had an attack.

Hoseok stiffened when Taehyung's fingers reached a particularly deep scar that was positioned diagonally across his stomach, starting where his rib cage began and ending near his bellybutton. 

"Hyung, how could they do this . . ." And Taehyung's breath caught in his throat when he looked to the side, at Hoseok's upper arms. The scars there were too straight, too evenly spaced on both sides. "Hyung, these don't look like someone else did them." Taehyung glanced up at Hoseok's face, and Hoseok gazed back expressionlessly. "Oh my god. Hyung, you . . . Hyung . . ." The tears started to form.

"He's really good at hiding things, Tae," Yoongi commented almost inaudibly.

"I don't . . . I don't understand." Taehyung looked back and forth between Hoseok and Yoongi, distressed. "If it was this bad, then why couldn't you do anything about it, hyung?"

"I had no one to tell, no one that could do anything, at least. And the people that could have done something wouldn't have."

"But what about your family -" Taehyung stopped short when Hoseok laughed, a dark tone coloring it. He was suddenly afraid, even though he hadn't thought it possible to be scared of his Hoseok hyung.

His heart stopped when he heard Hoseok's next sentence.

"Taehyung, my family is dead."

THERE IT IS.

Oh man. Oh man oh man I've been WAITING FOR THIS. GUESS WHAT'S COMING NEXT CHAPTER. HAHA. HAHAHA.

You have no idea how excited I am for this. XD

Also this chapter should make a lot of things from earlier chapters clear.

Why did Hoseok cry while looking at a picture of his family in chapter one . . .?

Why did Hoseok stop Taehyung from changing his clothes when he was drunk . . .?

Why did Hoseok rub his upper arms so much . . .?

Why did Hoseok move in with Yoongi in the first place . . .?

I'm also updating before a whole month has gone by this feels slightly unreal ehe.

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO EVERYONE. I hope that 2017 will be better than 2016 lmaooooooo.

206 subbies~ Thank you so much for subbing (if you're reading this)~ It just feels amazing to know that wow, there are people that are legit waiting for my next update. That's. Very much wow. And it's like . . . 206 people, man. That's crazy.

About the whole special chapter thing . . . it's still just that one person requesting something (you gonna screenshot this one too? <3 :D), so I'll hold off on that for now. I'm very likely to write a special chapter at some point anyways.

Aight, I'll shut up now.

Until the next time~ 

<3 ^~^