"You're going to leave your car here."

Yoongi nodded, motioning towards his backpack. "My keys are already in here."

"I'm not going to be in the house, though," Namjoon said, frowning. "I'm going to be hanging out with Minnie for the rest of the afternoon."

"Your girlfriend's name is Minnie?" Yoongi inquired, immediately taking note of Namjoon's surprised expression. "As in Minnie Mouse?"

Namjoon rolled his eyes. "Sure, Yoongi. I'll be hanging out with Minnie, and I don't know when I'll be back."

"I'll just say I'm with you; it's no big deal," Yoongi waved Namjoon off. "I'll come back to get my car. That's it."

"What are you doing that has you taking all these precautions?" Namjoon asked, slightly suspicious. "Who are you meeting?"

Yoongi hesitated.

"If you don't tell me, I won't cover for you," Namjoon threatened. Yoongi huffed, casting his gaze down. "Is it her?"

Knowing exactly who Namjoon was talking about, Yoongi nodded. Namjoon's face lit up instantaneously, and a widening smirk slipped onto his lips, eyebrows wiggling in suggestion. Yoongi rolled his eyes, crossing his arms.

"Don't get the wrong idea," Yoongi grumbled. "I'm just listening to you and trying to get closure. It's just a one time thing."

"Does it have to end with closure?" Namjoon commented, leaning against Yoongi's car. "I mean, you look pretty excited for someone who's just trying to get closure. I don't think any regular person would go to such lengths for just closure."

"You just don't understand the gravity of the situation," Yoongi dismissed, to which Namjoon chuckled. "I'm serious! My parents will flip out if they find out I'm doing this. You'll do this for me, right?"

"Obviously," Namjoon assured. "I've never seen you like this before. It's fun to see. Will I get to meet her?"

"Only if you show me, Minnie." Yoongi shot back, knowing that Namjoon would back down.

Namjoon still hadn't shown a picture of Minnie to Yoongi. Though he told Yoongi about the status of their relationship, he never went as far as to give specifics. Yoongi didn't mind— as long as Namjoon knew that he could trust Yoongi, that was enough for him. The curiosity did remain, but Yoongi knew that Namjoon would tell him at the right time.

"Whatever," Namjoon muttered, scowling. "You'll tell me eventually."

"You're right," Yoongi agreed. "That day is not today."

Namjoon sighed, shaking his head, but said, "I'll try to be back by seven. At most nine. Do you want me to pick you up to make it seem legit?"

"Okay," Yoongi said. "I'll give you the address closest to where I'll be at. I meant it, Joon when I said that you wouldn't see her."

"Opportunity lost," Namjoon pouted. "You got it."

Yoongi's phone buzzed, and he took it out of his pocket, a small smile lighting his lips at Hoseok's confirmation. Namjoon watched curiously as Yoongi's expression lit up with an almost fondness, watching as Yoongi quickly typed out a message before looking back at Namjoon.

"I'm going now," Yoongi said, slinging the backpack over his shoulder. "Keep me updated. Have fun with your Minnie. This is the only time I'm doing this. Thanks."

"See you," Namjoon waved as Yoongi walked off, a slight urgency in his steps. Once he saw Yoongi get into the car, he chuckled, "Something tells me this won't be the last time."

~

"I hope you're not alarmed by the flag."

"Flag?"

Hoseok pointed at the flag that hung in front of the house as he parked in his driveway. Yoongi's lips parted in surprise at what seemed to be a rainbow flag, swaying softly with the breeze. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion. He'd never seen that flag before, but, considering that Hoseok's house was the only one that had it hung proudly, Yoongi could only assume that he wouldn't like it.

"Pride flag," Hoseok said as he turned off the car. "In support of the LGBTQIA community."

"Ah." Yoongi nodded once, pressing his lips together. "So you are then. Gay?"

Hoseok looked at Yoongi, amused. "You've asked this already."

"You never gave me a direct answer," Yoongi retorted. Hoseok sighed, his fingers tapping on the steering wheel.

"I am," Hoseok confirmed. "Does that change your mind about being here?"

Did it?

This meant that some of the rumors that had spread about Hoseok were true. Mere speculation had become true now. No wonder his parents wanted him to stay as far away as Hoseok as possible. But, it's not like Hoseok would want to try anything with Yoongi. It's not like Hoseok could just... spread his homosexuality or transmit it to him. Besides, to have a symbol like this out proudly— took some courage, and Yoongi would be lying if he said he wasn't impressed.

His mind was screaming at him, yelling at him to come to his sense. This is what his parents wanted him to avoid. He should be asking Hoseok to send him back home. That was the correct answer. That's what he should be doing.

"No," Yoongi said, unbuckling his seatbelt and getting out of the car trying his best to force down the wave of disgust that washed over him. "I'm surprised your neighbors haven't asked you to take it down."

"What are they going to do, replace it with the Texas flag?" Hoseok snorted, causing Yoongi to burst into laughter. Hoseok locked the doors to the car before leading Yoongi into the porch. "My mom would throw a fit if anyone tried taking down the flag. It's happened a few times before, but she'd quickly had them arrested. The camera catches them in the vandalizing act, and she just reports it to the police. She'll happily cause a scene too."

"She's very supportive of you then," Yoongi said, glancing back at the flag. Hoseok's smile faded a bit.

"She definitely came around," Hoseok said, unlocking the door. "Dad didn't. Ma, I'm home!"

Yoongi walked inside the house, breath drawing at the familiarity of it all. This was where he'd spent most of his childhood, where he'd been all the way up to freshman year. It was different now— with family pictures conveniently taking Hoseok's father out of the picture. Different ones, with Hoseok and his family wearing rainbow themed shirts smiling brightly. Fond memories surrounding the place, making Yoongi feel as if he'd never left.

He walked behind Hoseok as Hoseok led him into the living room, where Hoseok gestured for him to sit. The walls were painted a soft pink now, from the very dull brown that Yoongi remembered. There was a small commotion in the kitchen, cruses ringing out, making Hosoek sigh in embarrassment before a figure popped in, smiling widely.

"When Hoseok told me you were coming over, Yoongi, I thought he'd been lying," Hoseok's mother said, beaming. "But look, here you are! It's been years, Yoongi; you've grown so much!"

"Thank you, Mr—Ms. Jung," Yoongi clarified. "Your house looks lovely."

"You think?" Hoseok's mother scrunched her nose. "After the divorce, I tried sprucing up the place because that despicable man only liked dark colors. It looks much more lively now. How've your parents been? Do they know you're here?"

Yoongi shook his head, to which Hoseok's mother nodded, unsurprised.

"That makes sense," she hummed, nodding to herself. "Your mother would have hated you interacting with us. I told the kids to wait upstairs. We had to talk to you first."

"About?"

"Isla's transgender," Hoseok said. Yoongi raised an eyebrow, waiting for Hoseok to elaborate. "You remember her as Iseul. She goes by Isla now."

Truthfully, Yoongi knew nothing about the LGBTQ community apart from them being gays. Transgender was a foreign word to him, but if he was connecting the pieces right together, it meant that Iseul, Hoseok's younger brother, was female now. Was that even possible?

"I can see the smoke coming out of your ears," Hoseok mused. "You're thinking too hard about this. Isla was assigned male at birth. Her sex is male. Her gender is female."

Yoongi frowned. "Aren't those the same thing?"

"I thought so too, but it's not the same," Hoseok's mother said, smiling encouragingly. "Hoseok can explain it more later. I know it may seem hard, but please refer to Isla the way she wants to be referred to. You can do that, right?"

But Iseul was a boy— why would Yoongi refer to him as something he was not?

Noticing Yoongi's expression, Hoseok sighed. "If you don't think you can respect Isla, Yoongi, we might have to cut your visit short. You can keep an open mind; I know you can."

They were asking too much of him. Maybe this was a sign that Yoongi should leave. God's sign.

It wasn't too late for him to leave. It was for the better.

Hoseok's voice was stern but pleading. Hoseok was looking at Yoongi with desperation written implicitly on his face, masked with a serious expression. Hoseok wanted Yoongi to understand, to listen, and understand what he was being asked. Yoongi had already done so much to get to Hoseok's house— for him to leave so soon wouldn't be right.

So, Yoongi bit back everything he wanted to say and smiled.

"Okay," he said, nodding. "Isla. She. Got it."

Hoseok's mother nodded, disappearing upstairs to get the girls. Yoongi cleared his throat.

"Is Jisoo still a she?"

Hoseok grimaced at Yoongi's word choice but nodded. "She is."

"This shouldn't be too hard," Yoongi said, mostly to himself. "Two girls."

Yoongi paused.

"I used to call hi—her," Yoongi immediately corrected, "Iso. Could I call...her Isa instead?"

"If you want," Hoseok answered, "but it's better if you stick with Isla. At least until she's comfortable with you again, she'll tell you what you can call her."

"Okay."

"...remember he's not like us, but he said he's going to try his best, so be patient with him..."

Yoongi could hear snippets of Hoseok's mother speaking to her kids as they headed down the stairs, feeling slight shame over it. He felt as if he were an outsider. Everyone knew everything here, and he was the one that was out of the loop, having to be babied as if he couldn't keep up with them.

Two heads peeked into the living room. They both ran to Hoseok, one of them hiding her head against Hoseok's chest, while the other one looked at Yoongi, slight question in her eyes. After some gentle coaxing, the girl that had hidden her face looked at Yoongi. Yoongi was stumped— finding himself looking at the girls dumbfounded. They had already looked identical to Hoseok, and now that both of them had long hair, they looked like miniature versions of Hoseok.

He couldn't tell them apart.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you two were twins," Yoongi smiled, gazing at them fondly. "I may need a refresher. I can't really tell them apart."

Hoseok laughed. "They're nervous. They've been wanting to see you, I promise. Jisoo—" he gestured to the girl staring at him quietly. "— Isla—" he pointed to the girl that had burrowed her face in Hoseok's chest. "— Do they really look the same?"

"Oh yeah," Yoongi reassured. "It's been so long. Jisoo, Isla, how are you? How's school?"

Isla's eyes lit up, a small smile breaking her expression. "I started sixth grade. It's hard."

"We try to help her, but," Jisoo sighed, almost dramatically. "She's stubborn. Wants to do everything by herself."

"Sounds like the Isla, I knew," Yoongi grinned. "If you ever need any help, let me know. I'll help you."

Isla's expression brightened more. "You promise?"

The look on her face was too hard to resist. Yoongi leaned over and stretched out his pinkie. Isla stared at it, eyes flickering up and down at Yoongi, before shyly extending her own pinkie.

"Pinkie, promise."

"Does that mean you're coming over from now on?" Isla looked at Yoongi with big rounded eyes, hope lacing across her features. "You won't leave again?"

"I—" Yoongi hesitated, eyes flickering to Hoseok. Hoseok only shrugged, though his eyes were telling a different story. He wanted Yoongi to stay, so he'd only encourage his sister's antics. "I'll try."

Isla seemed a bit disappointed by the answer. Jisoo left Hoseok's side and opted to sit next to Yoongi. Surprised, Yoongi scooted over, giving Jisoo the space to sit down properly. Jisoo smiled, crossing her legs together, and she looked up at Yoongi.

"What have you been doing, Yoongi?" Jisoo asked. "Are you applying to college like Hobi is? That must be hard! I'm only in eighth grade, so I don't have to worry about that yet, but I am applying to high school!"

"Are you planning to go to the same school as Hoseok?" Yoongi asked. Jisoo shook her head, making a face.

"We don't practice Catholicism anymore," Jisoo responded. "They treated us very bad, especially Hobi and Isla. My dad even left because of them. He chose religion over us!"

"Jisoo, honey, maybe it's not the right time to talk to Yoongi about that," Hoseok's mother chuckled nervously. "He is still very religious."

Yoongi wasn't surprised that Catholicism had wronged them— it was clear with everything that had happened. He wasn't offended that they had lost their faith. It happened to the most devout worshippers, but, Yoongi knew that the Jungs had always been good people, so even if they were dousing in sin, they were still kind. Still, they were trying to baby Yoongi as if one little thing was going to set him off on a religious tangent.

Their house, however, was the last place he wanted to disturb. He had more respect for them than that.

Besides, he'd started feeling doubts too. He was starting to detach from God, he could feel it in himself, and the thought did scare him. Here he was, disobeying his parents, adhering to how Isla referred to herself as— accepting all this homosexuality. Strangely enough, he didn't feel angry or conflicted. It almost felt normal, like nothing had changed.

"It's okay Ms. Jung," Yoongi said, turning to Jisoo. "Everyone has different paths. As long as you're good, okay, Jisoo? Someone once told me that you don't need religion to be a good person. Looking at you, I can believe it."

Jisoo nodded vigorously. "That's what I told everyone! I'm still me, even without religion. If I want to get into religion later, Mommy said I could, but I don't have to. She wasn't going to force religion on us anymore."

"Forcing religion," Yoongi mused, finding the concept funny. "You're right. It's not good. People sometimes do it out of necessity, though. It's good that you have a choice, Jisoo. It's very important to find yourself first."

Yoongi could feel Hoseok's gaze burning into him, but he chose to ignore it, focusing on Jisoo instead. There was nothing wrong with Jisoo. Even without religion, she seemed to be doing perfectly fine. Everyone else seemed to be too. They didn't look lost or confused. They were sure of themselves.

Maybe religion wasn't necessary for people's lives.

Yoongi immediately took the thought out of his head. Religion was important— following it was the only way that you could get into Heaven. It was a moral compass, that helped people distinguish between the good and the bad. But, he couldn't say anything about religion, at least not here. Religion— Catholicism was clearly a sore topic, and it wasn't the time or the place. The Jungs were convinced they didn't need a religion, and he'd respect that.

"I hope lasagna is still your favorite, Yoongi," Ms. Jung smiled. "We made some just for you."

"I was always a fan of your cooking, Ms. Jung," Yoongi answered easily, grinning. "It doesn't matter what you do. I'll eat it regardless."

"That's good to hear," she said, straightening up. "Hosoek told me you just came out of volunteering at the church. I'm sure you're hungry."

Everything had gone far smoother than Yoongi had expected it to. After they ate lunch and had watched a movie (per Jisoo's request), Isla had insisted on them all playing tag outside the backyard, just like they would do before. The girls were at a big disadvantage because both Yoongi and Hoseok were skilled runners, but that didn't stop them from wanting to try to evade them. They ran around under the bright sunlight, squeals, and giggles, chimes of laughter as they played around to no end.

Yoongi didn't know how to properly describe it— the euphoric feeling he felt as he chased the girls around the backyard, running away from them when they were the ones doing the tagging. These simple, carefree moments that Yoongi had lost after severing his ties with Hoseok, had him feeling content.

He forgot all about the worries of his future. He forgot about his ties with Church, abandoning religion altogether. His parents' warnings flew past his head as he continued to play around with the Jung siblings, and he let the minutes stretch into hours, forgetting everything, except the people that were with him.

Every so often Yoongi would sneak glances at Hoseok, just to gauge his expressions. Much to his relief, Hoseok's shine only seemed to brighten. The smile on his lips never left his face, the small sparkle in his eyes that Yoongi had just noticed twinkling as bright as the sunlight. In those moments, Hoseok seemed at peace, and Yoongi couldn't help but feel at ease.

Sometimes their eyes would meet, Hoseok always keeping his smile though his eyes tinged with hope and bits of curiosity. Yoongi would snap back into reality and look away, though he'd feel his face warm. He'd feel sudden embarrassment at being caught looking at Hoseok too long, even though Yoongi knew it didn't mean anything. It was probably just the heat of the sun making him heat up at that moment— every moment that Hoseok and he made eye contact.

"Yoongi."

Yoongi looked up towards Hoseok, raising his eyebrow. Isla was sitting comfortably on Yoongi's lap, resting her head on Yoongi's chest as Yoongi fanned her with a towel. Hoseok stopped briefly, looking at the situation amusedly.

"What?" Yoongi asked. Hoseok laughed, shaking his head.

"I always knew Isla liked you more," Hoseok remarked, looking pointedly at Isla, who looked at Hoseok unbothered.

Yoongi shrugged. "Can you blame her? Isa has great taste."

"Sure she does," Hoseok rolled his eyes, "When are you going to work on your application?"

"It's only," Yoongi checked his watch, "five in the afternoon."

"It is," Hoseok agreed. "But, today's Halloween, and the girls are going to go trick or treating later tonight."

Yoongi's lips parted in surprise. He'd completely forgotten about the holiday.

Isla perked up at Hoseok's words. "Is Jimi coming with us? With his boyfriend?"

"Jimin is," Hoseok said, expression faltering. "His boyfriend isn't. He's not allowed to celebrate Halloween, remember? Now come on. Yoongi and I have to work on his college application."

Isla leaped off Yoongi's lap, waiting for him to go back inside with them. Yoongi followed behind them and grabbed his backpack from the sofa in the living room. He walked with them up the stairs, letting Hoseok lead him to his room. Before he opened the door, Hoseok turned to Yoongi.

"I forgot to ask," Hoseok hesitated. "Are you comfortable coming into my room? Seeing as I'm...you know...gay. We can always work in the study."

Right.

Yoongi had also forgotten about that very important fact.

"It's fine," Yoongi forced a smile of reassurance. "You're already helping me. It's not like you'll do anything to me."

Satisfied with the answer, Hoseok opened the door to his room. Yoongi walked inside, instantly noticing the photos that were taped in front of Hoseok's workspace. Curious, he set his backpack down and began looking at them. A lot of them he recognized— photographs that he'd taken on trips with family, some he'd taken on his own. He smiled as he noticed pictures of him and Hoseok, heart feeling heavy at how happy and carefree they had looked when they were younger.

"You kept the pictures," Yoongi said fondly. "We were so happy back then."

"I didn't have the heart to get rid of them," Hoseok confessed. "Part of me always wish that you'd come back. That we'd go back to how things were."

Wishful thinking, but Hoseok had always been like that. Yoongi couldn't blame him. Back then, they had been kids with the biggest dreams, planning on doing everything with each other. Times had changed drastically since then.

Yoongi continued to look at the pictures, his eyes zeroing in on the blonde haired boy that smiled brightly next to Hoseok in pictures with different backgrounds. These pictures seemed more recent, and Hoseok was smiling brightly in each of them, with that familiar expression Yoongi had etched into memory.

Who was the guy that had made Hoseok smile like that?

"That's Jimin," Hoseok said, noticing Yoongi's lingering gaze. "He's my best friend."

The one that replaced you.

A strange sensation coiled in Yoongi's stomach, and he couldn't put his finger on the reason why he felt that way. He nodded at Hoseok's words, knowing that it had only been right for Hoseok to replace him with someone else. Just from the photos, Jimin looked like a kind soul, and Isla had confirmed that Jimin was dating someone— a boy, so there was no doubt that Jimin was like Hoseok.

"He doesn't go to our school," Yoongi said, turning to Hoseok. Hoseok shook his head. "When did you meet him?"

"I met him during our sophomore year," Hoseok answered. "We were in the same group therapy session together. Kind of clicked and we haven't stopped being friends since."

"Therapy?" Yoongi asked, mostly out of concern. "What for?"

"We're here to help you submit your college application, remember?" Hoseok said, avoiding the question. "You need to turn in your Notre Dame application. Your future's at stake here. The essays weren't too hard, only about two hundred words maximum. How much do you have written for each of them?"

Yoongi opened his laptop, which already had the essays pulled up. He turned the laptop screen to Hoseok, who grimaced at the empty pages.

"So...nothing," Hoseok sighed, sitting on his bed as Yoongi took the chair in front of the desk. "Yoongi, I don't want to assume anything here."

"But?"

"It seems to me that you can't write anything for Notre Dame because you don't want to go there," Hoseok said, gesturing at the screen. "I'd get the last two you chose, but the basic one? The one that asks why you want to go to Notre Dame? Shouldn't you have that answered already?"

"My parents want me to go to Notre Dame," Yoongi responded bluntly. "I can't write that as part of my essay. Notre Dame is located in Indiana. Who would willingly want to go to Indiana?"

But, it was the only school that Yoongi would be able to stand going to that would challenge him academically. Ultimately, it was where his parents wanted him to go.

"What about the home one?" Hoseok asked, switching the subject. "You can say you were raised in a very religious household, and that Catholicism is one of your core values. Education is too which is why you think Notre Dame could be the best fit for you. Explain why religion and education are important to you. Tie it back to your definition of home."

Taking Hoseok's advice, Yoongi quickly typed out a small paragraph that only barely hit the requirements. He showed it to Hoseok, who skimmed over it and gave him a thumbs up. Yoongi smiled, deciding to keep that essay, and he moved on to the next one, a pit forming in his stomach.

"That one was the reason why you called me," Hoseok stated, receiving a small nod from Yoongi. "Why?"

Yoongi sighed. "It's dumb."

"I want to hear it," Hoseok said gently. "I won't make fun of you."

Yoongi hadn't really thought about it before. Why would someone else's opinion of him matter to Yoongi so much? More specifically, why did Hoseok's impression of him matter to Yoongi the most? Everyone else thought so highly of him, but those simple words that Hoseok had said. To him had been enough for Yoongi to fall off the rails. Yoongi was conservative, he was religious, he obeyed his parents, and he did everything that he was told would be seen as good, but Hoseok calling him pathetic had torn all that confidence down.

"If my ex-best friend thought I was pathetic, who's to say no one else would?" Yoongi looked down. "Your opinion of me matters a lot to me, and I guess I thought if you think I'm a terrible person, then others could see me that way too. The things that have made me who I am now were the things you called pathetic, and that's all I have to my name."

"Yoongi."

There was no pity in Hoseok's voice. It was one of understanding, one of gentleness— the type of voice you would use against someone who was insecure of themselves. Someone questioning, someone who did not fully know who they were. Yoongi hardly registered when Hoseok had gone up to him, nor when Hoseok had wrapped his arms around Yoongi, hugging him fiercely.

"People change," Hoseok murmured. "I was like you too. My sisters, my mom, all of us. Do you think any of us wanted to part from Catholicism? It was all we knew. My parents tried everything to try to get Isla and me on the right path. My mom snapped out of her sense and realized that she was harming us more than she was helping us. My dad didn't, so my mom asked for a separation, before fully divorcing soon after.

"What happened those two months you were gone?"

Hoseok stiffened. "I don't think it's the time to talk about it, Yoongi. Not when you're writing your essays for college."

He let Yoongi go, sitting back down on his bed. Yoongi nodded, somewhat disappointed that Hoseok hadn't said anything, but he knew it wasn't the appropriate time. He could tell from Hoseok's pain stricken eyes, the flit of urgency in his tone as he kept rounding the conversation back to Yoongi's tasks. Whatever had happened, it was still a sore subject.

Yoongi wondered if Jimin knew all about it.

"How do you want people to see you?" Hoseok asked. "I see someone who's devoted, loyal to their interests. Someone who's incredibly intelligent and very social. Someone that anyone can get along with anyone. I mean, you're charismatic, you know how to lead, you're dependable, and everyone loves you. You have so many qualities that make you an amazing guy, Yoongi."

"You think so?"

Hoseok smiled. "Yoongi, you're perfect."

For some reason, Yoongi's chest warmed at Hoseok's words. He found himself looking away, feeling his face feel become unnecessarily warm, lips blossoming into a smile. It was an odd feeling, one Yoongi hadn't felt before— but it wasn't all bad. It made him feel slightly nervous, yeah, but it was that good kind of nervous. Almost like butterflies. Strange, but nice all the same.

When Yoongi finally clicked the submit button, he sighed in relief, proudly showing Hoseok the screen. Hoseok grinned, clapping his hands in congratulations. What had taken Yoongi weeks had only taken him about an hour with Hoseok, and Yoongi couldn't be more grateful. Hoseok had unknowingly given him the energy, the motivation to finish something he thought he'd never accomplish.

"What other schools are you applying to, Hoseok, if you don't mind me asking?" Yoongi asked, swiveling the chair towards Hoseok. Hoseok looked at Yoongi, amused. "What?"

"My university choices haven't changed much since we discussed them years ago, Yoongi," Hoseok answered. "Remember? We'd stayed up one night and started looking at colleges we could want to go to. Northeastern's my top choice right now. Harvard, Yale, and NYU I added recently to my list, BC, USC, and Northwestern were on my list too."

"None in Texas?"

Hoseok shook his head furiously. "I want to get out of here. I've had enough of this state. Yoongi, you should apply to other schools too."

Yoongi frowned. "It's not like I'll be able to go, even if I were chosen."

"You should at least try," Hoseok argued. "Come on. I knew you. You wanted to leave Texas too. It's not like your parents are going to know where you applied unless you tell them. There's no harm in applying. I'll happily help you too. Just like I did right now."

"Hoseok..." Yoongi hesitated.

"Aren't you curious at least, to see if you can get in?" Hoseok continued, leaning slightly closer to him. "Come on Yoongi, there's no harm. You could even get more money from them than at Notre Dame! It's your future, Yoongi."

This is what his parents would call temptation. Yoongi knew what he had to do, he knew what his future was going to consist of, and still, Hoseok's words were making his resolve falter. It wasn't the same as Namjoon advising him to apply to other places too— he was able to easily shut Namjoon down then. With Hoseok though, Yoongi didn't think he had the strength to refute anything that Hoseok was telling him. Besides, Hoseok wasn't telling him anything bad— it wouldn't hurt for Yoongi to apply just for fun.

And if he did get into the schools— and did get more money from them, there could be something to argue with his parents.

"Fine," Yoongi sighed, quickly adding, "But you'll have to help me with them. It's not like I'll be able to do them with my parents or anything. I might just forget if I'm left to do it on my own."

"Oh, I'll make sure you apply," Hoseok promised, grinning. "Helping you realize your dreams, Yoongi? Who knows? Maybe we'll even be going to the same university next fall. Completely away from anyone's eyes, having a fresh start, we could have everything."

Yoongi smiled at the thought.

A fresh start would be everything.

"I guess this means we're stuck with each other, Gi," Hoseok said, looking at Yoongi. "I know you only wanted to get closure but, it's starting to sound that this—" he pointed to the both of them, "— is going to become more permanent. You also promised Isla to help her with her schoolwork, and you can't break that promise."

It was funny, and somewhat terrifying how quickly Yoongi had forgotten about the real reason he'd been at Hoseok's house. He'd originally just wanted to close the chapter of his life, one that had been left with plenty of unanswered questions. There was still much more that could be discovered, but Yoongi hadn't been focusing on that. He wanted to move everything past him.

Alas, he'd found it impossible to.

He found himself more attached to the Jungs than he'd been before. Perhaps he'd craved their company, nostalgic of all the memories that they'd built, and now he couldn't let it go. Now that Yoongi had gotten a taste of inclusivity, he wanted to keep it, no matter what his parents had told him he had to do. He couldn't keep away from them, the way that Yoongi had initially wanted to.

Everything he'd said had just been words. He didn't have the heart to go through it at all.

It didn't bother him that Isla was transgender as much as he thought it would have. It hadn't even been difficult for Yoongi to address her as a girl. It bothered him even less that Hoseok had told Yoongi he was gay. In a couple of hours, he'd forgotten everything— the rumors, the sin, everything. He'd enjoyed being with the Jungs as who they were, rather than what they were portrayed to be. Yoongi missed them.

He'd also found it increasingly hard to say no to the Jungs. Perhaps it was the soft spot Yoongi had always had for them, but he couldn't say no to them. He found it especially hard to say no to Hoseok, who just kept looking at him with those mesmerizing almond eyes, hopeful and patient, looking at Yoongi any chance that he could.

"My parents can't know about this," Yoongi finally said. "I won't lie and say I don't miss us, because I do. I think that's why I let myself come here. They can't know though, that we're talking again. It'll cause conflict and I depend on them, but if you want to be friends again, I won't be opposed."

"You never could say no to me," Hoseok grinned in satisfaction. "I'll wait for you as long as I have to. I've done it for years, after all. I'm just glad to have you back."

Yoongi smiled. "Me too."

Hoseok engulfed Yoongi in another hug. Yoongi's heart jumped at the hug, and he happily hugged Hoseok back, feeling his heart soar in his chest. Even though he knew it was wrong to befriend Hoseok again, it felt like the right thing to do. He didn't feel bad about his actions— only everlasting relief.

"Hoseok, are you ready to—"

An unfamiliar voice pulled Hoseok and Yoongi from their embrace. Stuck like a deer caught in the headlights, Yoongi looked at the boy in front of the door, who was looking at the both of them with slight suspicion. The boy seemed familiar, almost like the boy in the pictures he'd seen on Hoseok's wall, except this boy's hair was a vibrant shade of red, instead of blonde.

"I'm sorry, I didn't think he'd still be here," the boy said in distaste, glaring at Yoongi. "I should have knocked."

"It's okay," Hoseok smiled, motioning for the boy to come into the room. "Yoongi and I are done for today. I hadn't realized a lot of time had passed. Yoongi, this is Jimin. Jimin, this is Yoongi."

"I know," Jimin grimaced, glancing at Yoongi stiffly. "I didn't think you'd show. Have you been enjoying yourself? You better not have been mean to Hoseok or Isla, or I swear I—"

"Jimin, he's been great this entire time," Hoseok reassured. "Didn't misgender Isla once. He promised her that he would help her for school."

"Oh, so he's going to be showing up around these parts more often," Jimin deadpanned, glaring snidely at Yoongi. "You should be kissing Hoseok's feet for letting you come into this house."

"Jimin."

"He doesn't deserve to be here and you know it," Jimin crossed his arms. "You're lucky. I suppose you're friends again?"

"It's complicated," Yoongi said. Jimin scoffed. "I know we aren't getting off on the right foot here but I'm going to try."

"By bringing your religion shit into it?" Jimin inquired indignantly. "Your people, you Christians, Catholics, think you're all that over beliefs that hurt people like us. If I hear anything from you about religion, I will not apologize for the person I will become. I'm keeping my eye on you."

Yoongi nodded, not wanting to say anything else that could spark Jimin's anger. Seemingly satisfied with Yoongi's quietness, Jimin smiled, though the smile was unkind, mostly done out of politeness. Jimin turned to Hoseok, ignoring Yoongi's presence before asking,

"Are you going to dress up?"

Hoseok shook his head. "Chaperoning this year. Didn't have time to find any costume."

Jimin huffed. "Now I wish you had told me sooner. I could have brought Joonie's costume."

Yoongi's ears perked up. "Joonie? Who's that?"

"My boyfriend," Jimin answered, rolling his eyes, before turning back to Hoseok. "Anyways, he said he couldn't make it because he had other responsibilities to take care of, which I get, but I could have brought his costume for you. Doesn't matter now. The girls are waiting downstairs and your mother said we shouldn't be out too late."

Hoseok nodded. "Let me just drop off Yoongi. I should be back in about twenty minutes."

Jimin made a face, as though he was against the idea, but said nothing. He took one last look at Yoongi before walking out of the room, not bothering to say his goodbyes. Yoongi only watched him go, slowly putting his laptop in his backpack before looking at Hoseok. Hoseok remained quiet, opening his mouth every couple of seconds as if he were trying to figure out the right thing to say.

"I'm sorry about that. Jimin's a bit..." Hoseok trailed off, struggling to find the right word.

"Overprotective?" Yoongi suggested. Hoseok nodded. "It's fine. I would have been like that too if I were him."

"Let's get you home," Hoseok murmured, grabbing his phone and keys. "Where'd you want me to drop you off again?"

Yoongi told him the address as they descended the stairs. Everyone was crowded around the living room, waiting for Yoongi to appear so they could say their goodbyes. Isla was the first one to run up to him, hugging him fiercely. Jisoo followed, narrowing his eyes at him.

"You better come back," Jisoo threatened, pointing her finger at him. "I expect to see you here every day."

"Well not every day," Yoongi corrected, smiling. "I will try my best to be here whenever I can. Thank you for having me today."

Jimin remained sitting down, refraining from looking at Yoongi. Hoseok's mother smiled at Yoongi, waving him goodbye.

"You're always welcome here, Yoongi."

With that, Hoseok led Yoongi out of his house. He unlocked his car, getting into the driver's seat. He turned the car on in silence, waiting a bit for the engine to warm. Yoongi settled into the passenger's seat, a small smile on his face. He kept quiet, mostly just thinking about the events that had occurred today.

This was the most fun he'd had in a long time.

"Hey, Hoseok."

Hoseok only gestured for Yoongi to continue as he began to exit out of the driveway. Yoongi only sighed, looking outside the window for a bit, trying to figure out how best to put it. Hoseok didn't rush him, though he would peer curiously at Yoongi from time to time.

Finally, Yoongi spoke.

"If you want, there's always a spot for you on the cross country team."

Hoseok glanced briefly at Yoongi surprised, disbelief washing over his features. Yoongi only nodded, keeping his eyes maintained on the road. He knew it was odd for him to tell Hoseok such a statement, but Yoongi was willing to accept the consequences.

"What are the others going to say if they see me on the team?"

"Nothing," Yoongi responded. "I'll make sure of it. I'm the captain. They don't know you're gay, and I'm not going to out you like that. Besides, you love to run. You missed out on one year already. You should come back. It's our last year, after all. Can't have you regretting that you didn't finish your high school years running."

Hoseok chuckled. "A part of me thought you were going to out me. I'll keep it in mind."

"So maybe I'll see you Monday."

Hoseok shrugged. "Maybe."

Content with the answer, Yoongi settled into the seat, enjoying the ride silently, the only sound between them the soft tunes of the radio. When Hoseok finally dropped him off, Yoongi watched him leave, and once he was gone, he climbed into Namjoon's car, who kept trying to take a peek at Hoseok's car. When he realized he couldn't, he started the car, speaking after a few moments of silence.

"Did you get the closure you needed?" Namjoon asked on the drive back to his place.

From Yoongi's smile, Namjoon suspected Yoongi had gotten much more than that.

a/n: paradise lived refers to yoongi living in 'paradise', where he only knows what he's taught, and accepts it. as the chapter continues, yoongi starts to kind of second guess, alluding to eve, who basked in paradise and then began to be "tempted" by the snake to eat the forbidden fruit. he starts off in a state of contentment, where he knows that he doesn't have anything to worry about, before starting to open himself to the idea of temptation (his adam's apple), which is why when he swore he wanted to gain closure, he comes out more curious than ever, and slowly begins to abandon his 'paradise', aka the values and things that he's taught.

yoongi currently is in the "i know i shouldn't but i can't stop myself", which will be key in the next chapter: paradise lost.

after like centuries, i finally finished part two, so i will be posting those bi-weekly. it totaled to about 33.5k and that means i need to go back and actually make sure everything flows well (mostly because i wrote it in parts). i may end up cutting down and/or adding more but definitely expect part two to be released in the coming weeks. 

thank you for reading!