A YEAR LATER

HOSEOK

Hoseok is standing at the train station sighing each time he looks at the time occasionally glancing at the magazine stand next to where he is standing filled with the latest celebrity gossip but the one about Son Seungwan allegedly dating her fellow co-star Woo Jihoon sticks out the most but to Hoseok's defence he is bored and just wanted to distract himself.  He is late yet again and by a whole half an hour. Hoseok is almost ready to leave when he notices him running up to him a wide grin on his face. He stops in front of Hoseok bending down to catch his breath.

“Took you long enough huh,” Hoseok says.

“I’m sorry,” Minhyuk says.

“Saying sorry means you aren’t supposed to make the same mistake again,” Hoseok says. “You don’t really follow that now do you?”

“Hey, the traffic was horrendous okay,”

“Sure it was,” Hoseok says. “And you weren’t just busy with...”

“Come on now,” Minhyuk says cutting him off wrapping his hands around Hoseok’s shoulder. “If we waste more time we will actually miss the show”

“No way I have been dying to see this movie for a week now,” Hoseok says.

“Good, then we must go,” Minhyuk says walking as if he is marching making Hoseok laugh before he takes Hoseok’s hand and they walk to the theatre which is only a short distance from the station.

They reach and Minhyuk insists on buying the tickets so Hoseok buys them popcorn.

They settle down on the last row of the movie theatre. The row is sparsely filled the movie is somewhat of an indie film so Hoseok isn’t surprised.

Minhyuk digs in the tub shoving handfuls of popcorn in his mouth making Hoseok giggle a lot and it especially helps because the movie is quite boring but they decide to stick till the end to not waste money. Hoseok gets more snacks and they are both quite relieved when it is over as they leave the theatre. It’s already over 1 am.

“That movie was too ing long,” Minhyuk says stretching his arms.

“Yeah 3 hours and it was a bit too atrocious,” Hoseok says.

“Why do you always pick movies to watch?”

“That is a lie and you know it,” Hoseok says. “Last month we watched that horror movie and you were too scared to sleep without the lights off”

“It wasn’t because of the movie,” Minhyuk says.

Hoseok only rolls his eyes as they continue to walk. The streets are getting darker and emptier.

“We should get a cab,”

Hoseok only nods as Minhyuk stops a cab for them and they get in. Hoseok feels so sleepy that he can barely keep his eyes open and wonders how he will ever wake up from class tomorrow.

Hoseok doesn’t even realize when he falls asleep but he is woken up by Minhyuk.

“Hoseok,” Minhyuk says next to his ear. “Wake up”

Hoseok rubs his eyes as he stumbles out of the cab holding onto Minhyuk as he pays the driver.

“You okay?” Minhyuk asks.

“Mmhm,”

“Are you sure you don’t want me to walk you home?” he asks.

“No, I’ll manage,” Hoseok says.

“Okay...great,” he says. “I’ll get going then...goodnight”

Hoseok hugs Minhyuk.

“Goodnight,” he says.

“I miss you,” Hoseok adds as he moves away.

“I just quit the job okay,” Minhyuk says. “We still see each other”

“I know...doesn’t mean I can’t miss you,” Hoseok says. “It’s no fun to make coffee without you”

Minhyuk laughs a little.

“It’s not much fun without you either,” he says.

Hoseok smiles a little.

“Well then,” he says. “I guess I’ll see you soon Minhyuk”

“Of course,” Minhyuk says.

He grins before walking off to the opposite direction waving at him and Hoseok walks in the other direction still smiling as he finally reaches home.

He rings the doorbell four times before the door finally opens.

It’s Taehyung.

“Were you asleep?” Hoseok asks.

“Uh yeah I was waiting up for you but then I fell asleep,” he says.

“Where’s Yoongi?”

“You know where he is,” Taehyung says and Hoseok laughs.

“With Hyoyoung of course,” he says

Hyoyoung is Yoongi’s girlfriend of six months but he is smitten and Hoseok secretly enjoys seeing Yoongi being not the most rational person for once.

They go to the bedroom.

“So how was your evening?” Taehyung asks.

“It was great...Minhyuk and I went to watch a movie,”

“Oh great,” Taehyung says. “Was the movie any good?”

“It was quite but we had fun,”

Taehyung grins.

“How was your day?” Hoseok asks as he sits next to Hoseok on the bed.

“Eh, it was okay,” Taehyung says. “Just a lot of working you know”

“Did you do overtime again?” Hoseok asks.

“Yeah...,”

“Taehyung I told you...to not push yourself too much...,”

“Hoseok relax...I enjoy working...,”

Hoseok frowns.

“What about the promotion?” he asks.

“I don’t know...,” Taehyung answers. “I think Shin might get it...”

“But Shin doesn’t even work half as much as you do or how much experience you have,” Hoseok says outraged.

“Yeah, but you know things don’t always work the way we want them,” Taehyung says his tone sad.

“I’m so sorry Taehyung,”

“It’s okay...I like it here more than I liked the last one and the pay is better too...,”

Hoseok nods as he leans in kissing Taehyung’s cheek.

“It’s gonna get better okay,”

“Yeah I know,” Taehyung says. “I have you...that is all I need to be okay”

Hoseok smiles as Taehyung takes his palm and presses a kiss on it.

“I love you,” he says.

“I love you too,”

TAEHYUNG

Taehyung’s shoulders are aching his eyes feel watery as he g