Yoongi and Hoseok had made history at St. John's Catholic High School.

It wasn't a good one either.

By the end of the week, everyone knew. Now, no one could look at them without getting suspicious of their whereabouts, and everywhere Yoongi turned, there seemed to be even newer eyes monitoring his every move. If he went into the bathroom, every guy quickly dispersed. If he was a couple of steps behind someone to get to a door, the door was purposefully shut so he wouldn't be let inside. All his teachers now looked at him differently— not like before, where they still held onto that tiny hope that Yoongi hadn't changed.

Word had gotten to Namjoon's parents, and as it turned out, they came down on Namjoon too, asking him if he was one of them. Namjoon had vehemently denied the allegations, and his parents had given him the same ultimatum as they had given Yoongi years ago. Because of it, Namjoon had to distance himself, and Yoongi found himself in the same position as Hoseok all those years ago. Namjoon still texted him, and it was like their relationship hadn't changed, but Yoongi could feel his absence in the school halls. Even in classes where they were sitting together, Namjon made sure to avoid Yoongi's gaze, only talking to him when he explicitly had to, and when he was offered a chance to move seats, Namjoon took it.

It hurt.

Knowing that Yoongi was now Namjoon's secret hurt more than Yoongi had ever thought possible. It took all of him not to spill over crying about the whole ordeal. He didn't lose Namjoon— he had been lucky in that sense. But his friendship was one he loved having at the school, and now all he had was Hoseok. But Hoseok wasn't there all the time, and there were situations where it couldn't be helped, and when Yoongi was alone— that was when everyone decided to strike.

"We always knew there was a reason you protected the fag months back."

Yoongi ignored Joshua's words as he walked toward his locker. The action only seemed to anger Joshua, who pulled hardly at Yoongi's backpack to force Yoongi to notice his presence. When he didn't, Joshua placed his hand on the back of Yoongi's head.

"You're one of them, too," Joshua sneered, pushing Yoongi towards the lockers. His head hit the lockers with a loud clang, pain searing the damaged area. Yoongi's eyes watered, but he said nothing, though he did attempt to move Joshua's hand out of the way. "It's no wonder your parents disowned your sorry ass."

"Leave me the fuck alone," Yoongi finally snapped. "It's not your fucking business."

Joshua grinned maliciously. "Of course it is. You cost us that win, but better that you did. Wouldn't have wanted a perverted thing like you to help us win. What did you do instead? Hang around with your boyfriend? Bet you did more exercise than all of the team combined."

Yoongi wrinkled his nose. "You're disgusting. You wouldn't appreciate me asking you about all the girls you've run through this past month alone. Get the fuck out of my face."

Anger flickered across Joshua''s eyes, quickly morphing into one amusement. "Satan Himself must have possessed you, Yoongi. Don't worry; we have the perfect remedy."

Now Yoongi had been used to his teammates throwing liquids at him— especially after a win. But, none of them had ever dared to drench him on school grounds, much less in their school hallways where it would be an insane mess for the janitors to clean up. Until today, at least.

The cold water hitting his head left him spluttering, drenching him from head to toe. Joshua and the others laughed around him, and Yoongi kept his eyes firmly shut until the final drop of it finished soaking him off. It didn't help that the hallways were air-conditioned, so now he was even colder. All he could hear was everyone's laughter at Yoongi's expense— cold, wet, with all of his belongings, now soaked. He couldn't even text anyone because Jess had ruined his phone a while back, and he hadn't been able to get a phone yet (to which Hoseok's mother had assured him she would get for him later in the afternoon free of charge).

"He's been blessed with the Holy water!" Joshua hollered, snickering in between words. "Now, all we need is to exorcise him, and he'll be cured!"

All Yoongi could do was walk away.

Without another word, he walked away, his shoes squelching with every step he took on the floor. He caught the eyes of some teachers, not surprised in the slightest that they averted their ages, purposefully acting as if nothing had happened. Yoongi didn't know why he'd been thinking it would have been different and the teachers would step up. Why would they? He was a freak in their eyes, someone undeserving of even the basic empathy.

He supposed it could have been worse.

It could always be worse.

—🏝—

"I don't think they managed to scare the Devil out of me."

Yoongi's attempt at a joke was brushed aside by Hoseok, who bore an expression of guilt on his face. Yoongi frowned, inching closer to Hoseok as they sat in Hoseok's backyard. He looped his arm into Hoseok's, and he rested his head on Hoseok's shoulder. Hoseok softened slightly at the interaction, leaning his head against Yoongi's for a couple of seconds before fully looking at him.

"I can't help but think this is my fault."

Yoongi's frown deepened. "It's not. Why would you say that? All they did was throw water on me."

"And then what are they going to do to you, Yoongi?" Hoseok asked. "It wasn't like it was a water bottle they threw. It was a freaking jug like the kind they fill with Gatorade. That water nearly flooded the hallway. You were drenched and...." He trailed off. "And I wasn't there to help you. You got hurt."

"The water didn't hurt me."

"The bruise you got on your forehead did."

Hoseok brushed away Yoongi's hair from his face. His eyes swarmed with pain at the bruise as he brushed his fingers across it. Yoongi winced slightly, but he didn't shy away from Hoseok.

"You going to kiss it away?" Yoongi murmured, pulling a small smile from Hoseok's lips.

"I can't kiss it away," Hoseok answered, a chuckle bubbling from his chest. "But I can kiss it better."

Hoseok pressed a fleeting kiss on Yoongi's bruise, and though he knew that it was more of a gesture than actually having magical healing properties, he appreciated it regardless. It tinged his heart with hope, enveloping his body with warmth and love. While it was true that things could get so much worse for him, he didn't want to have to worry about it. There had been too much drama that had happened, some of which he had yet to fully process, but the constant had been Hoseok. At least, Hoseok was here. At least they were together.

Yoongi wouldn't know where he would be if he didn't have Hoseok.

"Hey, it's okay."

"Hm?"

Hoseok gently wiped the tears that Yoongi hadn't realized were streaming from his face, his fingers gently caressing Yoongi's dampened cheeks. It was as if Hoseok had been waiting for the moment for Yoongi to completely break down, and from the looks of it, everything from the week had finally weighed on Yoongi. He clung to Hoseok tighter, and Hoseok wrapped his arm around him, pulling Yoongi to his chest, not caring whether or not Yoongi stained his shirt with tears.

Times like this reminded him how caring Hoseok was and how Hoseok if given the choice, would absolutely do anything for him. The guilt of it all still hit Yoongi, and if he could go back in time, he would have stuck by Hoseok's side. If he had only known that his future would be one without his family, then he would have stuck with Hoseok. Maybe then he could already be used to this treatment. Maybe then he wouldn't be feeling this bad.

"My mom suggested that maybe you should transfer out of St. John's," Hoseok said after a few moments. "We're lucky that next week is our Spring Break, but I don't want you to have to go back and suffer all that. It could be worse later, and I'll never forgive myself if you end up getting sent to the hospital."

"Is it even possible to move this late in the year?" Yoongi mumbled, glancing at Hoseok. "It's March. We graduate in May."

Hoseok shrugged. "Anything's possible. I think it would be the best thing. If you transfer into a school where no one knows who you are, then you won't have to get bullied. You can spend the rest of high school out of religion and graduate without having to deal with anyone."

"And you?"

Hoseok hesitated. "I think I'll stay at St. John's."

"Why?" Yoongi asked incredulously. "Wouldn't it be better for you to transfer out too?"

Hoseok nodded. "It would, but I have my personal grudges with the school." He sighed. "I promised I would stay all four years, and I don't want to let that go. I'm spiteful. It's the only way I managed to make it through. I intend on graduating from there. I will, and I'll be the first fully out gay student they've had."

"You don't owe them anything."

"I don't," he agreed. "But, I made it this far, and I'll be damned if I don't follow through. Besides," he shifted slightly, "I have you, Yoongi. Even if you move, we'll be together. That's all I could ever ask for."

Yoongi's lips pressed together. "Do you think that would help make everything easier for me?"

Hoseok shook his head. "Nah. It'll make it slightly better, though. For one, you won't get your head busted into a locker. For two, you can transfer to a school that's more accepting. A school like Jimin's."

"And you think Jimin's going to be happy to know that we'll be classmates?" Yoongi mused. "He's never liked me."

"He has no reason to dislike you anymore," Hoseok hummed, pressing a kiss to Yoongi's cheek. "He'll love you now. They all will. We'll be separated, but separation is good, and I want you to be in a place where you'll be safe."

"But you'll be by yourself."

"Don't worry about me," Hoseok smiled crookedly. "I've lived through this for years. I've created a community there that I can't just abandon. I'll be fine by myself. Always have been." He sighed. "Just think about it. You don't have to give my mother an answer yet, but whenever you decide, whatever you decide, we'll be here to support you."

Support.

Somehow, that word made everything all the more bearable to Yoongi.

—🏝 —

Ultimately, Yoongi decided it was best that he transfer schools.

As much as he had wanted to stay with Hoseok, Yoongi knew that staying in St. John's was nothing more than a shot in the dark. He knew that he shouldn't be putting himself into any unnecessary problems. Truthfully, Yoongi didn't think he could stomach handling another day having to deal with those he used to call friends. The scrutinizing gazes, the bruises, and the bullying were all something that could be avoidable, so Yoongi asked Hoseok's mother to help him with the transfer, and by the time their Spring Break came, Yoongi was set to start school somewhere else in the city.

"I heard you're starting a new school come Monday."

Yoongi looked up to see Jimin walking up to him. Currently, Hoseok and his sisters were out, helping his mother with some errands before they all left on a trip. For Spring Break, they were going to go down southern Texas to South Padre Island. Yoongi had never been, and they'd be driving down through some of the major cities, including Austin and San Antonio, so he was pretty excited. Jimin was also tagging along, though Namjoon wasn't going to go, which in hindsight made sense; Yoongi knew it was still pretty sad news to hear.

Jimin sat next to him and pulled two soda bottles out of his backpack. He offered one to Yoongi, who took it gratefully. Jimin seemed to be a lot nicer to him now. Sure, they hadn't seen each other since the whole "Jess forcing him to come clean about Hoseok" thing, and Jimin didn't know the exact details either, but he did accurately guess that with Yoongi suddenly living with the Jungs, Yoongi had been kicked out.

"I-Yeah," Yoongi said, taking a small sip of his drink. "I'll probably have to take the metro to the city, but it should be fine."

Jimin frowned. "What makes you think you're taking the bus? Not that there's anything wrong with the bus, obviously."

Yoongi shrugged. "Well, it's not like Hoseok can get me a ride, and I don't want to make him late for class anyhow. He starts earlier."

"I'm going to be taking you, Yoongi," Jimin said, looking amused. "I'll just come by to pick you up in the mornings. You're going to my school, after all."

"Oh," Yoongi said, glancing at Jimin, surprised. "I didn't think you'd offer to give me a ride. You don't like me."

"Eh, I think that dislike's been distilled just a tiny bit," Jimin stated, averting his gaze a bit. "You gotta admit, I was a bit of an ass to you, and you didn't really deserve that shit. 'Sides, you've already struggled enough as it is. Hoseok told me some of the things you went through after that school found out. He was beating himself up over it, too, because it was exactly what he didn't want to happen. I'm glad though that he managed to convince you to transfer for the last few months instead. No need to have the rest of senior year fucked because you were outed."

Yoongi smiled at that, though the smile was anything but happy. "It's funny. I never imagined that they'd all turn against me. Feels like I haven't had a full grasp on it yet. I always thought I was going to graduate from there. I ended up contacting Northeastern about the situation, and honestly, I think they bent the rules a little bit. They gave me a full ride. Sports."

Jimin nodded. "Makes sense. You're almost as fast as Hoseok, if I remember right. You'll help them kick ass for sure." He paused briefly. "It's weird, isn't it? Everyone's your friend when you're like them. When you become something they despise, all that love they have for you just disappears. You know, I'd actually hoped you'd just end up straight."

"Really?"

"Well, yeah," Jimin chuckled, shaking his head. "Not that I didn't want Hoseok's wishes to come true or anything; it's just that life is hard here. I mean, we only just got the constitutional right to marry who we love regardless of gender. Texas ain't forgiving in the slightest. I know how much your parents meant to you too. While I think it was stupid of you to drop Hoseok because of them—" Yoongi winced at the intensity of the words. "I get it. In a way, you were just trying to survive the only way you knew how to. Think of it like your paradise of sorts."

"I'd go back and stay by Hoseok's side," Yoongi said, sighing. "I don't know why I was so hung on needing to please my parents."

Jimin smiled crookedly. "What else can we do as kids except please our parents' every whim?"

Jimin had a point.

"I think now I just have to make my own perfect place," Yoongi said, to which Jimin nodded. "Now that I don't get to live with what my parents said, I can do whatever I want. It's kind of freeing. I was terrified at first. It was like, how could I like Hoseok? It doesn't make sense, but when I was with him back then, it was like...."

"Everything made sense?" Jimin piped softly. Yoongi nodded, blush starting to stain his cheeks just a little bit. "Yeah, that's how it felt like when I met Jungkook. Nothing like a first love, eh?"

"I'm sorry for what happened with him," Yoongi said, to which Jimin laughed. "Hey, he was your first love, wasn't he? I'm sure it hurt like a bitch when he did all that shit to you."

"It stung," Jimin agreed, pressing his lips together. "He'd made all these promises that we were going to be together, that he wanted no one else but me. I didn't even tell him I loved him, you know? Not until he told me. Get this; he even said that he even wanted to marry me." Jimin laughed scornfully, sipping his soda. "Of course, he didn't even acknowledge my presence when we were in public, but hearing that voice slip the sweetest words reeled me in enough to overlook it."

"Do you think his feelings for you were real?"

Jimin cocked his head to the side. "Do you think your feelings for Hoseok were real before it was pointed out to you?" Noticing Yoongi's face, he continued. "I know he loved me. The way that Hoseok would pine for you from the distance, that's exactly how he'd look at me. You don't fake feelings like that. It was just wishful thinking that he'd be willing to give up everything so we could be together. You heard Jess. I'm sure he's happy with whoever he is now. Good for him."

"You're with Joon now." Yoongi said, adding, "Do you think if Jungkook came back, you would want anything to do with him?"

To that, Jimin laughed. "My romantic life isn't like yours and Hoseok's, Yoongi. Even if Jungkook came to knock at my door with a million flowers, would I ever think of going back to him? He fucked me up. I almost didn't take a chance with Namjoon because of him. Jungkook may be the first boy I ever loved, but I will never go back to him. He made his choice all those years ago. He gets to live with it. I'd tell him off, though. I hope that his life goes miserably."

It's the least of what he deserves, Yoongi thought. Judging by Jimin's expression, Yoongi suspected that Jimin agreed with him to some extent.

"Did you ever think that Hoseok and I would get together?" Yoongi asked. "Like, in all honesty?"

Now, this was a question that left Jimin silent. He could see from the way Jimin's eyebrows began to furrow and his eyes narrowing just the slightest bit. It left Yoongi wondering how little faith Jimin had in Yoongi and Hoseok becoming a solid relationship. He knew he shouldn't be expecting much, considering that Yoongi had deliberately unfriended Hoseok. Jimin had absolutely no reason to believe that Yoongi would ever come around. Yoongi knew it was a silly question, but he felt compelled to ask it all the same.

Finally, Jimin answered.

"I didn't want you two to happen."

Yoongi should have expected it, but it still stung to hear.

"Not because you didn't look like you liked him," Jimin said, noticing Yoongi's expression. "I just knew the repercussions that could happen if you were. As much as I didn't like you because of what you did to Hoseok, in some off, twisted way, I was protecting you too. If you couldn't be friends with Hoseok all those years ago, then it wasn't safe for you to harbor feelings for Hoseok." He got quiet. "I wanted to protect you from what I had to go through. Then you came back, stronger than ever. I don't think you ever realized how much you actually had feelings for Hoseok."

"You knew too?"

Jimin scoffed. "It was obvious, Yoongi. Just because you never admitted it to yourself, it doesn't mean that no one else could see. It was kind of pathetic, really. It was more of a game to see how far it would take you to realize your feelings. If I could have taken a picture of how you looked at Hoseok every time he was in the room, you'd see what I mean. Stars in your eyes, Yoongi. That's what it looked like when I looked at you. Like stars in your eyes every time you looked at Hoseok."

"If you knew, then why didn't you say anything?"

"Discovering that you're not straight is something that you need to do on your own, Yoongi," Jimin mused. "We all could have told you that you had feelings for Hoseok, but you wouldn't have believed us. Hell, it wasn't until I pushed you to tears that you managed to admit it to yourself. You still tried denying it afterward."

Jimin had point, but Yoongi didn't feel the need to tell him that.

"I think I wanted to look out for the both of you," Jimin said. "I thought you two would be better apart. Life would be easier that way. For you both. I met Hoseok a bit after his first heartbreak, and I thought he deserved better. I still do. You tell yourself that too, right? That Hoseok deserves better."

Yoongi grimaced. "He does."

"But he doesn't want better," Jimin sighed, rolling his eyes. "He wants you. Always has. Always will. He's stubborn. It's annoying, actually. It's like the more I didn't want y'all to be together, the more y'all started hovering over each other. Now, look at you. You got disowned, you're transferring schools because you were bullied, and who knows what the future will have for you."

The future terrified Yoongi.

Every aspect of it. The future that he once had was gone now, burnt to ashes by his decisions. The dream he used to have with a wife and children living in a house with a white picket fence was gone, replaced with Hoseok. But, he had never once imagined a future where he would have a man by his side instead of a woman. What would that look like? How bad was his future now? Would he even have a future at all? It was hard for him to imagine anything anymore. Yoongi was blind. The future was no longer set in stone.

It was unpredictable.

"I'm sorry, by the way," Jimin said, looking at Yoongi. "I don't think I ever apologized for the Winter Formal. I shouldn't have driven you to tears. That was kind of fucked up of me."

"I get why you did it," Yoongi answered. "Without it, I wouldn't have figured anything about myself. Maybe Hoseok and Alex would be together now. I would be at home. I wonder what I'd be doing."

"Crying," Jimin said immediately. "What? Don't look at me like that. You looked like you wanted to kill Alex. I don't know why you set yourself up like that. You were purposefully putting yourself in pain, Yoongi. Do you realize that?"

"I—" Yoongi cleared his throat. "I didn't think about it like that. You think I would have realized too late?"

Jimin pondered on the question for a couple of moments, then shrugged. "Even if you'd figured it out months from now, I think Hoseok would choose you. Now, if you two never saw each other again, then maybe not, but something tells me that you two were fated to be together. You two are made for each other, and there's nothing like a first love, Yoongi. Even if Hoseok could have learned to love Alex, I don't think he would have ever forgotten you."

"I wouldn't have forgotten him either."

Jimin smiled. "I know."

"Did you ever give Namjoon those hundred bucks?" Yoongi asked.

Jimin's expression scrunched into confusion for a split second before breaking out into a scowl.

"He's never let me forget it," Jimin grumbled. "Now that is something I'll never forgive you on. You made me lose a hundred bucks."

Their conversation ceased for a few moments, both of them sipping their drinks casually. The tension they used to have around each other seemed to have disappeared, and they could finally relax in each other's company. Jimin seemed more at ease, and Yoongi knew that the status of their relationship had changed. Maybe someday, Jimin and Yoongi could grow to become the best of friends, and with the future so uncertain— nothing more than a blank canvas, Yoongi knew that anything was possible between them both.

"I'm glad you gave Namjoon a chance," Yoongi spoke earnestly. "Really."

Jimin's smile widened, and his eyes folded into crescents.

"Me too."

—🏝—

It was different.

A good different, but different nonetheless.

"So, you and Hoseok are dating."

Yoongi nodded.

When Hoseok's other friends visited, Hoseok found it the perfect opportunity (with Yoongi's permission) to tell them that he and Yoongi were dating officially. The news had come as a complete surprise to everyone but Alex, and everyone had gathered around the two of them, ecstatic at the revelation. Josie proudly claimed to be the only ally in the group, to which Kangdae quickly reminded her that she was not, which left her momentarily sulking, but it quickly dissipated as she claimed that her love for Kangdae rang stronger than allyship.

Yoongi didn't know exactly how it happened, but Alex and Yoongi ended up sitting next to each other. Occasionally, Hoseok would throw a glance at them, ensuring that nothing was going on between any of them, but Yoongi knew that there had always been a pending conversation between Alex and him. It was only a matter of time, especially when Yoongi had been the one to cut Hoseok and Alex's budding relationship in the bud.

"I didn't think I'd get to see the day."

Surprisingly, Alex didn't sound the least bit mad or upset. Yoongi turned to look at Alex, a look of surprise painted on his features. Noticing it, Alex chuckled, shaking his head.

"I'm not mad, Yoongi," Alex said, a soft sigh escaping his lips. "I knew what I was getting into when I first started liking him. Then when you encouraged him to actually try things with me, I thought maybe we'd get to a point where he would want to be with me."

"It feels like I took away your boyfriend."

"Nah," Alex grinned. "If anything, I was trying to take away your boyfriend. I met him when we were both at Living in Hope. I know all about how much he's loved you, Yoongi, and how long he's been like this. He was my only friend there. It took a while for us to warm up to each other, though. He was bent on 'fixing' himself so he could be your friend again. That was all he cared about."

Yoongi winced at the statement.

"He realized after a while he wouldn't be able to make it go away, and that's when we really started getting along," Alex continued. "He left a couple of weeks before I did. Left the place lonely."

"Did you like him back then?"

"I think I started liking him once we reconnected," Alex answered. "I mean, how could I not? You know how Hoseok is. From there, it was an on and off thing. Never truly boyfriends, but always something more than friends. He never got over you, though. Clearly. It's cool, though. Hoseok's intuition was right. You had feelings for him."

"Jimin said it was obvious."

Alex shrugged. "I didn't see you enough to tell, but Jimin's always been good at sussing people's emotions before they realize them. Jimin guessed when I started having feelings for Hoseok, so I'm not surprised he could see your feelings too. What is it that he always says? Oh, right. Stars in your eyes."

Yoongi nodded. "He said that to me the other day."

"He'd say that to me too," Alex laughed, dipping his head slightly. "You got lucky with him. Yoongi. Hoseok's a special one. Don't break his heart. Well, any more than you already have."

"I'm trying," Yoongi said, a slight wave of guilt coursing through him. "I still think he deserves more than someone like me."

"I don't know; y'all look really good together," Alex countered, looking at Hoseok briefly. "From the pictures he showed me of the two of you, I could tell. I mean, how many people do you think can say that they've been with their childhood crush? It's possible y'all loved each other way before freshman year. Come on, didn't it strike you odd ever that you weren't interested in anyone? Like at all?"

"I thought that was normal," Yoongi answered, earning a laugh. "I'm serious! I remember sometimes getting annoyed if Hoseok was around other people when we were younger because I wanted his attention to myself, but I thought that was normal. Like he was my friend, he should be with me type of mentality."

"You still had that," he said, adding, "When you and Hoseok were still friends. Not really friends, but in the bubble that Hoseok and I were in. For what it's worth, I'm really sorry for how everything turned out for you. You didn't deserve to get disowned. You deserved your family's support."

Yoongi shrugged. "It couldn't be helped. I'm just glad it wasn't worse."

"Yeah," Alex agreed. "Hoseok told me about the whole gun situation. That must have been terrifying."

Yoongi nodded. To know that your parents would go to such lengths was an indescribable feeling— and not in a good way. The way his neighbors had also gone to grab their guns, how they had all started breaking out in whispers about the two of them together. Seeing his father's look of hatred and fury while threatening to shoot at innocents...it was unfathomable. Yoongi wouldn't ever be able to forgive them for that, and if there was a God out there, he hoped that God wouldn't forgive them either for threatening their son's life.

"Hoseok saved me from most of it," Yoongi said, smiling ruefully. "He heard everything my dad said. I didn't hear. He hasn't told me. I don't think I'm ready to know what he said either."

Alex nodded in understanding. "You know what my parents told me when I came out to them?"

"Nothing good, I assume."

Alex laughed. "You're right. Se te metió el diablo. Que Dios te perdone tus pecados. The Devil got into you. May God forgive your sins. There was more, but I don't think you need to hear all of it to understand the full picture. Eventually, I got sent to Living in Hope, and now we don't talk. Out of sight, out of mind. I don't know if I would have appreciated it more if they'd kicked me out because at least I knew they felt something about me."

"Maybe your family will come around," Yoongi suggested. Alex shrugged.

"Maybe," he agreed. "I'm really happy for you, Yoongi. Really. I wish nothing but the best for you two. I'll try to keep Jimin off your back. I can practically hear him sulking in the background."

"Jimin and I talked," Yoongi chuckled. "I think we're getting there. We could even be the best of friends one day."

Alex's eyes widened comically, his expression filtering in mocking shock.

"No, Jimin?" he asked, gasping. "Friends with you? Wow, that's how I know the world's going to come to an end." He smiled. "I kid. Jimin's got a good heart. I mean, he gave Namjoon a chance. I don't know how he'd be able to resist your charms now that the past is all behind us."

"Alex, stop smearing my name and get your ass over here!"

They both looked at Jimin, who was far away, but they could tell that he'd been able to hear them talking about him. Alex took that as his cue to go, but not before giving Yoongi a quick side hug. He went to Jimin, and Yoongi stayed by himself for a couple of seconds, staring at Hoseok's friends and Namjoon, chattering among themselves. It didn't take long for a familiar figure to sit next to him, and a smile lit Yoongi's features. Hoseok draped an arm over Yoongi's shoulders, and he gave Yoongi a kiss on the side of his head, eliciting a laugh from Yoongi's lips.

"I hope Alex wasn't too bad on you," Hoseko joked, adjusting himself so that Yoongi could lay his head on Hoseok's shoulder comfortably. Yoongi rolled his eyes, though the smile never left his face. "Jimin told me you, and he talked a bit a couple of days ago. How're you feeling?"

"Good," Yoongi said. "I feel like Jimin, and I had a lot to talk about. We're going to see more of each other, so it makes sense that we started to talk to each other. We might be good friends someday."

"Oh, I'm sure," Hoseok answered easily. "No one can resist your charms, Yoongi."

"Not even you?" Yoongi lightly teased. Hoseok's eyes softened, and he tilted Yoongi's head upwards, placing a gentle kiss on Yoongi's lips.

"I was a goner from the moment those pretty brown eyes turned to look at me."

Yoongi's smile lit up with the light of thousand stars at the words. He caressed Hoseok's cheek, feeling his heart thumping louder the longer he looked into Hoseok's eyes. His eyes fluttered closed as he captured Hoseok into a kiss, and as the warm feeling throughout his body, Yoongi knew that no matter what happened, as long as he was in Hoseok's arms, everything would be fine.

Everything would be perfect.

No one could mistake the way Hoseok and Yoongi's expressions wrapped in unceremonious bliss. Despite the world around them not wanting them to be together, they looked like everything in their world was going exactly right. And maybe it was. They were a part of each other's lives after being apart from each other for so long. From childhood friends to strangers to friends to lovers. Even when they pulled apart from each other, you could see just how much love the two carried for each other, enough that would rival even the most perfect of couples.

"I've been dreaming about you for a long time, Gi," Hoseok confessed. "And now that you're here, with me, it feels like a dream. Apart from all the shit that happened, I don't think I've ever been happier."

Before, Yoongi used to want to do nothing more than please his parents' every whim regardless of his personal feelings. It was all he had ever known. Get married to a woman, have kids, and live a life full of God, but now, in Hoseok's arms, knowing that he was now the farthest from the paradise he grew up in, Yoongi knew that he was finally fine with it. He didn't need the paradise that was conditional.

"We'll get through everything," Yoongi promised, tucking Hoseok's hair behind his air. "Together."

Yoongi hadn't realized it then, but paradise wasn't something to be learned. It wasn't something static that could only be achieved after certain required conditions were met. Paradise was malleable. It all depended on an individual's outlook. All Yoongi had needed in his paradise were people that could love him unconditionally despite who he was.

Hoseok smiled and gently lifted Yoongi's left hand, pointing at Yoongi's ring finger.

All he really needed was Hoseok.

"My ring will be on this finger in the future," Hoseok promised. "One day, I'm going to marry you, Yoongi, and the entire world will know how much I truly love you. The universe will know that you, Yoongi Min, are the best thing that has ever happened to me."

Hoseok Jung was Yoongi's paradise.

Yoongi wouldn't have it any other way.

a/n: this is the end of paradise found! i will have an epilogue which i have not written fully, but once it's out that will be the end of paradise in you! thank you so much for bearing with me in my procrastination and irl shenanigans!