Hoseok hated being undermined. 

He liked to be in control of his situations, no matter how big or small. Unfortunately for him, Yoongi seemed a new man when he had come out of the bathroom, Jungkook following closely behind, alerting Hoseok that Jungkook may have spilled the beans on some of the key families. When he saw Yoongi introducing Jungkook to Jimin, who seemed appalled at seeing Jungkook, Hoseok knew he was right.

Leave it to his best friend to think about his dick at dire times like this.

The rest of the time went by smoothly, and by the end of the night, all the necessary families seemed to approve of Yoongi. It was the best possible alternative, but Hoseok had wanted to haze Yoongi into the business, to see if he truly had what it took. In ways, Yoongi did, because Yoongi was on top of everything that made each family unique to each other. The ones in the jewelry industry, others in tech like Yoongi, and of course, the oil and gas companies, who feasted on gaining wealth. Yoongi seemed to be more in his element, than let on, and it infuriated Hoseok, while also recognizing Yoongi's skillful abilities.

It was a curse, really. Blessing sure, but a curse just as well.

When they were finally alone, Hoseok turned to Yoongi sweetly.

"Your proposal filled me with so much despair I almost threw myself off the roof."

Yoongi's lips curled into a smile, his eyes glinting with nothing but disdain. He leaned towards Hoseok gesturing for Hoseok to get closer. The younger obliged, and Yoongi brought up a hand to cover his mouth from onlookers as if he were about to whisper a big secret.

"The fact that you didn't is the most disappointing decision of the night."

Yoongi straightened back up, not waiting for Hoseok's reaction. Hoseok looked at him agape, before splitting into a wide smile, laughter erupting from his throat far faster than he'd anticipated. Those who still remained looked at them strangely, and Yoongi forced a laugh as well, also looking at Hoseok weirdly. Hoseok wiped a stray tear off his cheek from the result of laughing.

"I wasn't saying anything funny," Yoongi remarked, passing a glass of cider to Hoseok. "Here, to repay what you so graciously gave me earlier in the night."

Hoseok took it, smirking, and said, "Anything that comes out of your mouth is comical, Yoongi. I didn't realize you loved me that much."

"To support you in your decisions?" Yoongi questioned, taking a sip. "Believe me, there's no one else I'd rather throw themselves than you. It will get me out of this shitty engagement and then I'd get b—"

"With absolutely no one because this is not the time nor the place for these talks," Hoseok interjected, casting Yoongi a dirty look. Yoongi nodded, pressing his lips together. "I heard someone helped you."

"Your best friend was very helpful," Yoongi agreed, smirking. "I had my doubts, but it seems when it comes to him, all you have to do is give him what he wants to spill."

"He tricked you into giving him Jimin's number," Hosoek corrected. "I know him. I bet he told you and then you stupidly offered something that he actually wanted so he took it as a way to make business. It worked, though. Look at him."

"I'd prefer not to," Yoongi sighed, pinching the bridges of his nose. "He's going to make a fool out of himself. Jimin isn't interested in people like him."

"I don't know about that one, Yoongi," Hoseok answered. "He looks to be having the best time. Look."

Hoseok was lying, but he wanted to see if Yoongi's curiosity would win over. Jimin seemed to be having the worst of times. Though he was blushing furiously the more Jungkook talked, he suspected Jimin wasn't interested from the beginning. The way he shifted his weight from one side to the other, and the way he kept sipping his glass of cider despite there being nothing in there only further proved that fact. Jungkook was having a great time, as he always did. He loved messing around with people he knew he would never go for (and vice versa).

Yoongi turned to Hoseok. "You're lying to me. Jimin is not having a great time. In fact—" he pulled up his phone, showing Hoseok the message. "— I have confirmation that he needs out. ASAP. It's not Jungkook's fault. Jimin's not into jocks like that, especially not jocks that have had their dicks in anything they find remotely attractive."

Now to that, Hoseok had to scoff. "Jungkook's not just a jock that puts his dick everywhere! He's also smart. And he's rich. And get this, he's sweet and kind and charismatic!"

"You're rich too, and you're an ass," Yoongi shrugged. "You just don't stick your dick in anything." He eyed Hoseok suspiciously. "Or do you?"

Hoseok scrunched his nose in distaste. "Do I look like I have time to be with anyone below my wealth range? Other than you, of course." He rolled his eyes. "Do you know how many girls could fake their pregnancy to trap me into a loveless marriage? I'd be ruined."

"Wow, so you opt for trapping men in a loveless marriage instead," Yoongi deadpanned, to which Hoseok chuckled. "What's the difference?"

"The difference is you're an investment," Hoseok answered, folding his arms across his chest. "An asset. You're going to make my parents wealthier, and when you go off to college, we'll never see each other again. Apart from the occasional tabloid feature, maybe an interview or two, and then you'll go back to college. I'm sure you'll try to continue your studies to get away from our marriage. The next decade for us is going to be easy. We just have to put in the work now."

Yoongi nodded. "At least, we both know where we stand."

They turned to look at each other, and Yoongi tilted his glass as if he were about to give a toast. Hoseok smirked (Yoongi didn't need to get a smile from him), and clinked his glass with Yoongi's, taking a sip. Yoongi and Hoseok had no intentions of falling for each other. No matter what was thrown at them, all they had to do was survive the next couple of months, and their eventual wedding date. All they had to do was have everything set up and it would be fine. They didn't have to be head over heels to make it work.

Yoongi still infuriated Hoseok. This was just the first time they'd agreed about something. Them two? Nonexistent. Would never work out, didn't want them to work out. No matter what their parents threw at their feet, they wouldn't get used to each other. They wouldn't fall for each other.

"So when are we meant to move in together?" Yoongi asked. Hoseok frowned, having completely forgotten about that part of the agreement. "My parents have already helped me box most of my stuff. Surprisingly, I don't have that much."

Hoseok scoffed. "It's definitely because you're from a poor background. Why would you have so much stuff? I bet they're all second-hand clothes too."

"Hey, we were just starting to get along," Yoongi snapped, getting visibly offended. "What's wrong with thrifting? My family struggled a lot financially growing up. I'm not about to go batshit crazy spending money to compensate for my childhood. Look at where that's gotten you."

"Unlike most wealthy people, I'm stylish," Hoseok retorted, raising an eyebrow as he looked at Yoongi. "I can't show it off because of our stupid uniform policy, but I promise you I got it. What I'm hearing is, we're going shopping for a new wardrobe. At least, a wardrobe for when we go out. It's your prerogative to wear thrifted clothes."

Yoongi sighed. "I don't shop thrift anymore, Hoseok. I can afford to buy decent clothes. I just haven't thrown my thrifted clothes away yet. They still fit me. I promise you, my wardrobe will not clash with your designer shit."

"Good," Hoseok stated simply. "That's all I'm asking for. And if we fall in love, we can wear matching outfits."

"Fall in love," Yoongi snorted, cringing at the thought. "If anything, you're going to fall for me first."

"What makes you say that?"

"There's no way I'd fall for your personality," Yoongi answered, shrugging. "You're an asshole. You have this entitled aura around you just because you have money. Just tonight you tried to make me seem bad. You didn't even try to correct anyone when I was talked down. I wouldn't fall for someone like you. You haven't struggled. You're arrogant. It's not attractive."

For some reason, those words came in harsh. If Hoseok cared about what Yoongi had to say, the comments would have hurt him. They definitely wounded his ego, but he couldn't take offense to that. It wasn't like Yoongi knew him. He didn't want Yoongi to know him. Still, Yoongi was right. Hoseok was all of those things. Perks of growing up with wealthy oriented parents. Why would Hoseok want to spend his time being a genuine person, when he knew all everyone wanted was his money? Money was great and it gave him everything he needed. It also attracted unwanted attention. He supposed he could be more down to Earth, but good would that do to stop all the unwanted attention?

It didn't.

"Thankfully, I do not want to attract you," Hoseok smiled sweetly, the tips of the smile sharpened with ice. "I think you'll fall for me first. I know you will."

To that Yoongi laughed, almost spilling his glass. "I told you all the reasons why I would never develop feelings for you, and you still think that there's a chance that I will?"

"Love isn't a straight line, Yoongi," Hoseok hummed. "You may think all you want about me, but I assure you when you fall—and I do mean when— you're going to realize it when you least expect it. And when that happens, well, let's just say I'll enjoy tearing your heart to shreds."

"I'm terrified," Yoongi deadpanned, feigning a yawn. "Shaking in my boots."

"You two look like you're having fun right now."

Hoseok grinned at Jungkook, quickly gesturing him to come next to him. Jimin followed behind, immediately getting next to Yoongi, who gave Jimin an apologetic glance. Jungkook looked like he was on cloud nine, and Hoseok couldn't wait for Jungkook to tell him all about it. He glanced at his phone, reading a message from his mother, letting him know that the move in date had been pushed forward. Hoseok frowned, confirming it before he cleared his throat, and looked at the both of them.

"I assume Jimin's going to be living with us?"

Jimin looked at Hoseok confused. "What do you mean?"

"Yoongi and I are moving in together, tomorrow," Hoseok said, much to Yoongi's surprise. "I just received confirmation from my mother. As stated, you are allowed to bring a guest. I assume it's going to be Jimin. Unless you're not planning on inviting anyone."

"It slipped my mind," Yoongi answered honestly, looking at Jimin. "I did want to ask you, but you definitely don't have to. I think it would be nice for you to have your own room for a change though. And, I can give your family monetary compensation."

"Actually, my family will," Hoseok corrected, to which Jimin and Yoongi gawked. "What? He's going to be a guest. It would be disrespectful of my family not to cover everything they can for Jimin. It's not a big deal. You're on scholarship with the school. The place we're going to be in is farther away, so you'll require transportation. We can give you that, free of charge too. Anything you need, we'll cover it."

Jimin chewed on his bottom lip. "I can't just leave my home. I have to speak to my parents first."

Hoseok nodded. "You can move in anytime. I'll let my mother know to arrange a meeting between your parents and mine. Your parents too, Yoongi. Can't leave them out. Only if you agree to give it a shot, Jimin. I don't want you to feel pressured into signing onto anything, got it?"

Jimin was looking at Hoseok as if he'd grown a fifth head. For what? All Hoseok was doing was offering services that he had to. He wasn't going out of his way to recruit Jimin— it would be better for him altogether if Jimin refused. He was just playing his part as the host and fulfilling the contract Yoongi and Hoseok had signed. He wasn't actually trying to be nice. He was doing his job.

"Who are you inviting?" Jimin asked. Jungkook broke into an amused smile.

"As if that's even a question," Jungkook answered, slinging his arm on Hoseok's shoulder. "Me, except I don't need to talk to my parents because they've already agreed and we've all signed the contract."

Yoongi's eyebrows furrowed. "Contract?"

Seriously, did Yoongi expect there not to be a contract for guests?

"Yes, Yoongi," Hoseok said, stretching Yoongi's name out. "Anyone who decides to live with us has to sign the appropriate documents. An NDA, for starters. If Jimin or Jungkook ever try to talk to the wrong people, they will get taken to court. It's a measure to ensure that we're both safe. This will include telling anyone other than those who know about this arrangement."

"I guess that makes sense," Jimin mumbled, eyeing Hoseok warily. He turned to Yoongi, his expression clouded before saying, "I'll think about it." To Hoseok, he said, "You can let your parents set the meeting. They'll probably think I'm lying."

"Perfect." Hoseok smiled politely. He held out his hand towards Jimin, who took it after a couple of moments. They shook hands, and Hoseok looked at Jungkook, who nodded once. "We'll get going now. Have a wonderful rest of your night. I will see you tomorrow, Yoongi."

"Can't wait," Yoongi drawled, already turning in the opposite direction. "Lead the way."

Once they were in Hoseok's car, Jungkook sighed loudly, settling into the passenger seat. They looked at each other silently, before bursting into laughter. Hoseok pulled out of the parking lot and began to drive, laughing the entire way out.

"I knew Yoongi would fall for that," Hoseok snickered, accelerating more. "You even managed to get a number out of it. I know you weren't interested but, hey, you got something out of this deal. Exactly like I told you."

"I don't think Jimin's used to someone being interested in him," Jungkook commented. "He looked like I was about to kill his favorite animal. Are you sure this is what you wanted to happen? Yoongi seems to hate you more now."

Hoseok nodded. "I don't need feeling to get in the way of this arrangement. The more reasons he finds to hate me, the better."

"You're hellbent on this?"

He was.

Hoseok hated being undermined, which is why he thought of every possible scenario and its solutions. It's why he'd purposefully set up Jungkook to meet with Yoongi in the bathroom. It's why he feigned that he had no idea Jungkook had gone to him in the first place. Why would he go out of his way to help save Yoongi from the families, when he could have Jungkook do it? Hoseok had an image to keep, and if it involved ensuring Yoongi despised his very being, then that's what he would have to do.

He had to stay on top of everything, and in a game where his parents were expecting the two to fall in love, Hoseok would do whatever it took to ensure that would never happen.

a/n: hoseok is very much im gonna throw him most yeetable character but i swear we can fix him. mans isn't thinking about battles, he thinking about the war. i don't think i mentioned this already, but there's going to be classism involved as it is a part of hoseok's identity. he's grown up rich while yoongi had to 'pick himself up by the bootstraps', and is only just now reaping the benefits of being wealthy. so plz forgive him for any insensitive shit he says HE WILL LEARN I PROMISE. HE'LL CHANGE!

they was lowkey getting along this chapter. lowkey. that stopped very quickly. between the two of them i wonder who'll fall first. maybe hs, maybe yg, or both at the same time. maybe they'll fall in love 10 years from now (jk the story doesn't go on that long)

thanks for reading! i appreciate y'all lots <3