Taehyung picked up the phone as Hoseok was sitting up behind him, gently rubbing his back and eyeing him in silence.

“Joon?” Taehyung spoke into the phone.

“Taehyung? Where are you?” Namjoon answered and Taehyung frowned. He could hear something in his voice. He hesitated for a moment.

“Sorry, I forgot the time, Jimin-” he started, but Namjoon let out a frustrated sigh and interrupted him.

“Cut the crap and tell me where you are and what's going on. And don't you dare try to lie to me again, because Jimin is sitting right next to me, so I know you're not with him.” Namjoon said, his voice a bit stressed. Taehyung felt his chest clench, gasping softly. Hoseok was still caressing his back, but Taehyung could only focus on what to say.

. He should've texted Jimin back. He should've at least told him that he'd used him for his alibi again. God damn, he was such a ty friend.

“I'm-...I-” he started, his voice a bit shaky.

“Jimin came over because he was worrying about you all day.” Namjoon said and sighed at the other end of the line. Taehyung rubbed a hand over his face and searched for words. He felt bad. Really bad.

“Listen...if you're with that person...you know who...you could've just told me. You don't have to tell me who it is, but don't lie to me. I just wanna be sure that you're safe with someone and not out there alone.” Namjoon said and Taehyung felt tears welling up. He loved his brother and he was always doing his best to take care of him. He hadn't meant to worry or upset him.

“O-Okay, Joonie...I'm s-sorry. Really sorry.” Taehyung spluttered into the phone. He heard Namjoon sigh again.

“When are you gonna come back? Jimin told me about the exam...if you want to stay home tomorrow, that's okay. But I'd feel better having you back here, okay?”

“A-Are you disappointed...?” Taehyung mumbled into the phone and looked down. Hoseok had wrapped his arms around him, holding him close and kissing his shoulder to comfort him. It took Namjoon a moment to understand what he was referring to.

“No I'm not, Tae...I've been there...you've been stressing yourself too much. Don't worry, it's just one exam, it'll be fine.” Namjoon said and Taehyung let out a sigh, a tiny wave of relief washing over his clenching heart.

“Okay...I'll come home, soon, okay?” Taehyung said.

“Okay...”

“J-Joon?”

“Yes?”

“I'm really sorry...”

“I know...” Namjoon answered and a moment later, the call ended. Taehyung put his phone down and turned to Hoseok, burying himself in his arms as he let out a sob, letting the tears flow freely. Hoseok's brows furrowed in worry as he pulled him closer.

“Hey~ shh~ what's the matter?” Hoseok asked.

“I-...I lied to Joon about where I was and he found out about it, because I f-forgot to text Jimin. They were worried about me and J-Joon sounded so upset and disappointed. He h-hates when I lie to him. I-I'm so s-sorry.” he babbled and Hoseok over his head.

“It's going to be okay. Joon's never mad for long and he loves you so much. He'll calm down and forgive you. He was just worried about his little brother you know.” Hoseok said and Taehyung buried his face in his neck, sniffling softly.

“Can you drive me h-home? I promised, I'd be there soon.” Taehyung mumbled and Hoseok kissed his head.

“Of course.” He said softly and they hugged for a while more, before they pulled apart and gathered their clothes. Taehyung dressed up quietly and then got up. Hoseok did the same and walked over to him, fixing Taehyung's hair and cupping his cheeks.

“Do you regret that you called me...?” Hoseok asked in a gentle voice. Taehyung looked up and pulled him closer, shaking his head.

“No...absolutely not...” Taehyung said and looked into his eyes before he leaned in for a tender kiss. Hoseok cupped his cheeks as he gently pressed his lips back to his.

-

Jimin watched in silence as Namjoon talked to Taehyung on the phone. He could feel his muscles tensing in his hand as he held it and he couldn't hold back the thought of wanting to do something about it. Sooth him, calm him down, ease those muscles...

He could hear how upset and stressed Namjoon sounded and he knew that Taehyung wouldn't feel much better either. His guilty conscience grew bigger by the moment. He hadn't meant to cause a fight between the brothers. He had just worried about his best friend...

After Namjoon had hung up, he turned to Jimin and saw him looking down.

“Taehyung said he'll come home soon. Do you want to stay?” Namjoon said. Jiimin shook his head and let go of his hand.

“No, I-...I'm really sorry...I didn't mean to cause this much stress...I think I've ruined enough for today. I should leave you two to it...” Jimin said, still looking down. Namjoon scooted a bit closer and gently lifted Jimin's chin. The younger looked up at him with glassy eyes.

“Hey...don't you dare talk about yourself like that. None of this is your fault and I'm glad you came over. It'll all be fine, Jimin....” Namjoon said and Jimin nodded. He then got up.

“But I should really go...got school tomorrow...” Jimin said and walked towards the door. Namjoon followed him.

“Do you want me to drive you? It's late and you came all the way just for this...” Namjoon said, but Jimin shook his head and opened the door. Namjoon sighed and leaned against the door frame.

“Alright then...get home safely, okay?” Namjoon said and looked at him with a soft expression. “Text me when you're home, okay? Just wanna know you got home safe.” Namjoon said and Jimin felt his cheeks flush a little as he nodded.

“I will...” he promised quietly and turned to go. As Namjoon opened his mouth to say goodbye, Jimin suddenly turned back around to him and was suddenly up in Namjoon's space, looking up at him with furrowed brows. Namjoon opened his mouth, but nothing came out as he lost himself a little in Jimin's eyes.

“Joon?” Jimin asked softly and bit his lip.

“Yes?” Namjoon answered. It was barely a whisper. Jimin hesitated. His heart pounding in his chest.

“Earlier...when you were about to call Taehyung and I said this...thing...and you looked back at me...” Jimin started babbling and got more nervous, but he felt the need to get his question cleared.

“I didn't imagine what I felt there...between us...right? That moment...” Jimin said and looked down shyly for a moment as he waited for an answer. His mind was racing and his heart was pounding in his chest. He didn't know what came over him for just bluntly talking about that. If this went wrong, he could never look into Namjoon's eyes again.

“You didn't...” Namjoon said and rubbed his neck with a sigh. Jimin looked up, his eyes lighting up.

“You didn't imagine it...” Namjoon said and their eyes met. The same tension from earlier emerged between them and Jimin found it hard to breathe.

“But it's probably for the best if we...forget about that...” Namjoon said as he looked away. Jimin's heart cracked a little as he looked down.

“Yeah...you're probably right...” he said, his voice quivering a little as he forced out a short laugh to ease the tension. “Goodbye then...”

“Goodbye...” Namjoon answered as Jimin turned and left. He looked after him until he disappeared into the streets.

-

Hoseok parked the car around the corner, just like last time and turned off the engine with a sigh. Taehyung leaned over to bury his face in Hoseok's shoulder. The older turned to him and pulled him closer, cradling his face.

“It's going to be okay, Tae...don't worry so much...I'm sure you two will sort this out...Joon was just worried.” Hoseok said and kissed his forehead as Taehyung nodded.

“Text me later, okay?” he whispered and right after Taehyung mumbled a “Yes” he leaned in to kiss him, long and sweet, trying to make him understand that he'd be with him, through this. When Taehyung pulled away and got out of the car, Hoseok felt unsettled. The feeling got worse as he watched Taehyung walk to his house. Alone.

-

It wasn't that cold, but Taehyung was trembling a little as he neared the front door. He knew why. He always got physically upset when he had fought with anyone or when he was nervous. It got worse when he pulled out his keys and shakily unlocked the door. He was ready for anything. He was ready to be yelled at, to be met with an angry and disappointed Joon and he was ready to be treated coldly.

However, as soon as he had closed the door behind himself, he was nearly knocked over by Namjoon crashing against him to hug him tightly. After a moment of shock, Taehyung let out the breath he'd been holding and hugged him back just as tightly.

“Joon...” he sobbed out quietly and his brother held him even tighter, gently over his head.

“I'm so glad you're home now...” Namjoon mumbled.

“I'm so s-sorry...” Taehyung mumbled and hiccuped as tears welled up again.

“I know...I know...calm down...” Namjoon said in his soothing voice and Taehyung started to come down, slowly pulling away to look up at him.

“I was so upset and sad, I didn't know what to do with myself...I should've told you...I know I shouldn't have lied to you...I know you hate it...please don't hate me!” Taehyung babbled and Namjoon's heart nearly broke when he looked into his little brother's eyes that were full of regret and despair. The slight anger he had felt earlier, completely faded.

“Oh Tae...what are you thinking? I could never hate you! I was just worried...and Jimin, too. I don't like it, that's true...please be honest with me from now on. As honest as you can...alright?” Namjoon said and gently ruffled his hair. Taehyung nodded and sniffled softly.

“You were with that person, right?” Namjoon asked after a short moment of silence, but before Taehyung could answer the question, the doorbell suddenly rang and both of them nearly jumped out of surprise.

“W-What- who?” Namjoon mumbled as he opened the door.

“Hoseok?” he said in surprise. “Hey, uhm, what are you doing here?”

Taehyung stepped up to the door too and looked outside with wide confused eyes. What was he doing here? Hadn't he left?

Hoseok's eyes quickly drifted to Taehyung, softening in the moment, before he turned his attention back to Namjoon.

“Can I come in? I've got something important to tell you...” Hoseok said and Namjoon stepped aside, letting him in. Taehyung's mind was racing. Why was he here? What was he doing? Where would this lead? What was he gonna say?!

Namjoon was just as confused as Taehyung and had rarely ever seen Hoseok have such an urgent look in his eyes. He was about to say something, but nothing came out as Hoseok took a deep breath and stepped next to Taehyung, taking his hand and lacing their fingers together. Taehyung looked horrified and his heart was going crazy in his chest. He could barely believe this was happening.

For Joon, the penny dropped even before Hoseok started speaking.

“Joon, I-...I can't really explain it to you...I can't say why or when or how exactly...but I lost my heart to Taehyung...We've been seeing each other for some time now...we didn't dare to tell you because we didn't know how you'd react and everything was still a bit unclear...but it couldn't be clearer to me now...I tried to fight it for some time, I really did...but I can't anymore...” Hoseok said and held Taehyung's hand tighter. Namjoon listened with an unreadable expression and watched the two of them. Hoseok turned to Taehyung and looked into his eyes.

“I love you...” He breathed out and Taehyung's heart stopped before it started pounding furiously. “Tae, I-...I love you...I don't want to hide this anymore...I want to be with you...” Hoseok said and Taehyung felt like crying again. Could this be real? Could everything he'd been dreaming about, come true right here and now?

He forgot about Namjoon standing just a few feet away and got lost in Hoseok's eyes.

“I love you too, I- H-Hobi...” he said and wrapped his arms around his neck to pull him close. He wanted to pull him into a hug, but Hoseok dared to pull him into a kiss instead, sealing their lips right in front of Namjoon. After their lips separated, they hugged each other tightly, both reveling in the bliss of their confessions, but it dawned on them that they'd eventually have to pull apart and face Namjoon's reaction.

When they finally parted and turned back towards Joon, they saw him smiling at them fondly. Taehyung's heart lit up with hope as he nervously waited for him to say something. Hoseok was just as nervous as he still somehow feared to lose his best fiend. But he couldn't hide this anymore...he just couldn't...And he had seen what it was doing to Taehyung, so he had acted on his feelings to hopefully put an end to it.

“God damn, deep down...I knew it.” Namjoon finally said after taking a deep breath.

“W-What?” Taehyung blurted out.

“I honestly wish you two would've told me sooner...it would've made things a lot easier for you...” Namjoon said and Hoseok let out a sigh of relief.

“We were scared of your reaction...I didn't want to lose my best friend over this...but we couldn't keep this up forever. I really hope you know that you can trust me with him. I know how protective you are of Taehyung, but I promise you that I'll do anything I can to make him happy and that I will never hurt him...Joon, I-” Hoseok ranted and Namjoon smiled before he stepped forward and pulled Hoseok into a hug.

“You'll never lose me. You know that. And I trust you more than anyone else. I know you wouldn't hurt my brother. I know you. And I noticed that something bothered you. I'm happy you told me...” Namjoon said and pulled away. He looked over at Taehyung and smiled fondly.

“I've never seen Taehyung as happy as he has been the past few months. I really wish you two the best...” Namjoon said and Taehyung felt tears breaking out again, but this time they were tears of joy and gratitude.

“Thank you!” Taehyung blurted out as he nearly jumped into his brother's arms. The older one chuckled and hugged him tightly. Each one of them felt how a big weight was lifted off of all three hearts.

-

Taehyung and Hoseok stepped outside, their hands joined. Taehyung closed the door a bit more and then stepped closer to nuzzle his face into Hoseok's neck. The older one smiled and caressed his fingers.

“I'm sorry for surprising you like this...” Hoseok mumbled and Taehyung smiled against his skin.

“It's okay...” he mumbled and hummed.

“I didn't formally ask you yet, so I'm gonna do that now.” Hoseok said and lifted Taehyung's head to look at him.

“Do you want to be my boyfriend?” Hoseok asked and brushed their noses together. Taehyung giggled.

“I do!” he replied and Hoseok showered his face in smooches. The younger one kept giggling and threw his arms around his neck.

“Is this real? Tell me it's not a dream...” Taehyung then said with a sigh.

“It's real. I promise.” Hoseok cooed softly and leaned in for a kiss. Taehyung let out a happy hum and leaned into it, kissing him back gently.

“Goodnight Hobi~” Taehyung whispered against his lips.

“Goodnight, Tae~ see you tomorrow?”

“Yes please...” Taehyung sighed out and Hoseok smiled before they finally parted. Hoseok went to his car and Taehyung looked after him for a while, his heart glowing blissfully in his chest. It was still unreal to him. He was now officially with Hoseok. He felt like screaming out to the world that he was his.

-

Taehyung had come back inside, beaming like the sun and Namjoon couldn't help smiling too. He was so happy for him. It felt good to see his little brother like this. It was all he had ever wished for him.

They spent some more time together, talking on the couch before they decided to go to sleep and went to their separate rooms.

When Namjoon sat on his bed and pulled out his phone, he saw that Jimin had texted him that he was home by now. Namjoon immediately responded.

'I'm glad :) Have a good night.'

He put his phone down and changed into more comfortable clothes. When he picked up his phone again, Jimin had answered.

'Good night Joon.'

Namjoon stared at his phone for a while longer, his thoughts drifting back to their encounter.

Little did Jimin know that Namjoon spent the night lying awake thinking about him.

Little did Namjoon know that Jimin fell asleep in tears that night.