tw // mentions of conversion therapy

"Yoongi, my poor, poor baby!"

As soon as Yoongi had stepped foot into his home, his mother had wrapped her arms around him fiercely, brushing her fingers over his head in a protective manner. Yoongi stayed perfectly still, letting his mother drag him into the house in that state, the door closing loudly behind him. After what seemed like forever, his mom sat him down in the living room, letting him go only a bit, before looking at his father, who wore a stern look on his face.

"Are you okay, sweetie?" his mother asked, cupping Yoongi's cheeks. "Do you need anything? You're not hurt, are you? Any place where it hurts?"

"I'm fine."

That didn't stop Yoongi's mother from checking Yoongi's face to ensure that he wasn't lying. She yelped as she saw Yoongi's bandages, rushing immediately to go get some ice and the first aid.

"We heard, Yoongi, that there's been an unwanted addition to the cross country team you are a captain of," his dad began, crossing his arms. "Can you tell us anything about that, son?"

Yoongi shook his head, trying his best to be as calm as possible. "Coach deemed it best for Hoseok to return. He wants to win state wide. As captain, I can't do anything but accept what the Coach says."

"But Yoongi, does your Coach not realize he's putting you and every other boy there in danger?" his mom asked, worry clear as day on her face. "You know we can't have you—anyone around that bad influence. Think of what that would do to our wonderful school!"

"Mom, it's out of my hands," Yoongi sighed. "I can't do anything about it. It is what it is."

His mother frowned. "There is always something that can be done. Did you all complain to the Coach?"

There was no point in lying.

"I supported the Coach's decision," Yoongi answered. "As my superior, I did not want to go against his rules. I told the other members of the team not to make a fuss about it either."

Yoongi's parents looked horrified at the statement, looking at Yoongi in shock.

"We've told you to stay away from that boy," she said, "And now you want him to stay on your team? Unbelievable! Yoongi, I thought you had learned better than this. I thought we taught you better than that. God teaches us to face our temptations, but that does not mean that you should be inviting temptation into you."

Yoongi could tell his mother was getting angrier by the second. His father only looked at him skeptically, clearly displeased that Yoongi was letting Hoseok remain on the team. He knew that his parents had a point. Hoseok and Yoongi had history. They used to be extremely close back in the day, and his parents from then on had decreed that Hoseok was a bad influence. They were just trying to protect him from the evil that they saw in Hoseok.

He understood their apprehension and worry. If he were in his parents' shoes, he wouldn't want himself subject to temptation as big as Hoseok. Hoseok was the black sheep of their little town, one that threatened anything that was considered normal. Yoongi doubted his parents knew Hoseok's sexuality for sure, but that still didn't mean that they should be trying to limit Hoseok's opportunities on the team.

It was only for a couple of practices. Once the season was officially over, Yoongi and Hoseok won't have to interact anymore. All his parents had to do was be patient with the Coach and the team. They had to trust Yoongi. Yoongi wouldn't let himself fall to temptation. He had God by his side. If anything arose, then he could pray to God, and God could help him see things clearer. Nothing has changed in Yoongi.

"We also heard there was a little...altercation between Hoseok and the other members of the team."

Yoongi froze.

"It's fine," Yoongi mumbled. "Joshua got kicked out of the team. The other two are probably going to quit on their own. It sucks that they were in the final lineup for the meet, but they can be easily replaced."

"Did Hoseok hit you, sweetie?" his mom asked, placing the ice on his jaw. "Just say the word and I'll have him kicked out of the school. Only he can be capable of hurting you. He is a menace to the school and I should have made him leave a long time ago!"

"No!" Yoongi nearly yelled, stunning both of his parents. He took a deep breath, composing himself. "Joshua hit me. Hoseok did nothing. As captain, I had to stop the fight between the two of them. Joshua landed every punch and also hit me. Then he said some things I didn't take kindly, so I hit him."

"You hit Joshua?" his mother asked perplexed. "Yoongi, you've never hit anyone in your life. Why would you be so reckless? He did hit you, yes, but you never hit someone back. God wouldn't want you to do that."

"I snapped, Mom, okay?" Yoongi sighed. "It happens to the best of us. He deserved it."

His father shook his head. He rubbed his temple, pinching the bridges of his nose, clearly looking displeased at Yoongi's answer. His mother also looked disappointed, as if she couldn't believe the words that had come out of Yoongi's mouth. Yoongi scoffed, noting how different their expressions were looking now. They were looking at him as if he were some stranger— like they couldn't figure out why Yoongi would come to someone like Hoseok's defense, especially when his parents had told him not to hang around Hoseok.

Did they see this as something that was directly defying their orders? How far would Yoongi's parents go at the sound of Yoongi even breathing the same air as Hoseok? Time seemed to have only made his parents' paranoia and disgust towards Hoseok more prominent, and it was clear that no matter what way Yoongi was looking at this, his parents were not going to be happy.

They would rather defend someone who bullied an innocent than defend someone they deemed to be unworthy of anything God may have put in their place.

It was sickening.

"I thought you would understand the importance of helping those in need," Yoongi pressed his lips together. "I see that I was wrong."

"Hoseok is a bad influence," his father snapped. "You shouldn't be defending those who are against God's favor."

"What did Hoseok do to make you two despise him so much?" Yoongi shouted, anger building in him. "He was my best friend since childhood and because you told me to I stopped talking to him. Today, he needed my help, and I didn't help him in time. Do you know why? Because all I could think about was how disappointed you, mom, and everyone else would be at my decision! Who cares about how you feel about him? He deserves to be treated like a human."

"Yoongi!" his mother gasped, looking shocked without words. "That's no way to talk to your parents! We know what's best for you. You blatantly disobeyed us. You rushed to Hoseok's defense. You chose the wrong side to defend. Yoongi, I didn't want to have to tell you this, but Hoseok's is one of those people. Those homosexual things that parade rainbow flags everywhere."

"His youngest brother believes he's a girl!" Yoongi's father cut in. "The Lord only knows how the middle of them is. That family is nothing but trouble. Hoseok's father did well in divorcing that crazy family. We're trying to protect you from that!"

"And how is that protecting me?" Yoongi seethed, looking at his parents for genuine answers. "All I did today was help defend him from Joshua and you guys are...you guys are giving me shit for it!"

"Yoongi, what has gotten into you?"

"Me?" Yoongi pointed towards himself. "What's gotten into me? What's gotten is that instead of understanding why I had to step in to stop violence, all you two will drone on about how it was acceptable because it was directed to Hoseok and his family. You were close to them too! How could y'all talk about them like that? They were like family!"

Tears were starting to spring in Yoongi's eyes, his voice becoming more wobbly the longer that he spoke. His parents seemed more furious by the second— his mother looking more like she'd seen ghosts, and who was already crying at Yoongi's outburst. His father was as furious as ever, his face a dark beet red, something Yoongi had never seen before.

"It isn't fair that y'all are getting mad at me for doing the right thing," Yoongi said, feeling the tears finally trail down his cheeks. "Just because Hoseok and his sister aren't like us, it doesn't mean you can treat them like they're lesser than us. It's not right."

"You're a kid, Yoongi," his mother shook her head. "You don't know what you're talking about. I thought we had raised you better than that. There are some people who don't deserve our help. We tried helping them— recommended them to the finest institutions that could help Hoseok and Iseul correct themselves. We tried helping them and they refused our help. We tried. You can't help those who don't want to be helped."

"Helped them how?"

What could Yoongi's parents have done to help out the Jungs?

"We sent them towards God, Yoongi," Yoongi's father answered. "They decided to listen to the Devil instead. That's why they don't deserve anything. They choose to live in sin, refuse to repent for their ways of life. Believe us, it hurt when Hoseok's mother suddenly pulled them out of Living in Hope. The divorce followed soon after."

Living in Hope?

Yoongi made a mental note of the words, reminding himself to check what that was later.

"That's why we have discouraged you all this time," he continued, eyeing Yoongi warily. "You could end up just like them. The last thing I want is for my son to go to Hell. Have him kicked out of the team, Yoongi. Reinstate Joshua and his friends. They deserve this more than Hoseok ever will."

Just like that, Yoongi's anger flared up once more.

"You don't even care that Joshua hurt me," Yoongi shook his head. "All you care about is making sure I don't talk to Hoseok again. You guys are fucking unbelievable. I don't care if you guys tried to help the Jungs out before. That gives you no reason to try to justify the violence that you're trying to justify towards them. It's not fair to them. It's not fair to me."

"And here I thought you'd calmed down," his father shook his head. "this is disappointing. Well, you won't know our reasoning until you get older. When you have a wife, kids, and live a good, sinless life, you'll realize that everything we were trying to encourage in you was for a reason. You're just a kid. I don't expect you to understand anything that your mother or I have said to you. The point still stands though."

"You cannot talk to that walking sin," Yoongi's mother almost wailed. "I refused to lose my son to those sinners. They will rot in Hell for their crimes and I'll be damned if I let my son, my beautiful son be corrupted. Adam and Eve had everything, remember? Look at what happened to them. We pay for their sins now, Yoongi. Remember that. Soothe your mother's heart, Yoongi. Tell me that you won't go back to your old habits."

Yoongi's lips pressed into a thin line. "The fact that you prioritize that over the wellbeing of others is enough for me to want to curse your name."

If Yoongi's mother had been crying before, she was worse now. Her eyes widened into saucers at Yoongi's hateful words, looking at her son in pure disbelief. His father appeared more furious than ever, eyes lighting with discord as he looked at Yoongi's tear stricken face. Yoongi's mother began wailing, asking where her son had gone, before burying her face into her husband's shoulders. Yoongi couldn't take back the words he said. He didn't want to either, so the only thing he did was look at them.

"You aren't even going to apologize?" his father scoffed. "This is all Hoseok's doing, isn't it? When I get my hands on him, he'll pay."

Yoongi's jaw clenched. "Leave the Jungs alone. This all began because of you not liking the fact that I helped someone in need. Y'all are embarrassing."

"I hope you reflect on your words, Yoongi," his father said gravely. "Do not come down for dinner. Your mother and I do not want to see you until you're ready to apologize and obey us as your parents."

Saying nothing else, Yoongi stomped up the stairs, attempting (but unsuccessfully) to calm himself down. He slammed his door shut, throwing his backpack to the ground with a loud thud. After he changed out of his school uniform, he opened his laptop and quickly searched for the ministry his father had talked about, quickly reading over their website.

Align yourself to the path of God.

Here in Living in Hope, we understand the confusion that comes with propaganda given daily by the government and media worldwide is one that can help you lose your way. But, it is normal to start away from God's light, as we are daily tempted by the Devil himself. That is why we bring no judgment, only encouraging that you dispel yourself from that confusion by leaning in towards God. We offer various forms of therapy and counseling that will help you get back into God's good graces.

God will make you free. Come join us in surrounding yourself with His Embrace, and remember that you will be fixed. God will strengthen you and bring you from the dark clouds of what you think you want. God knows you best. He will guide you through the path of Salvation.

The Scriptures are clear in sexuality. We must surrender ourselves to God, letting him cleanse any impure thoughts. We accept those who wish to be reborn, rid themselves of their abnormal sexual urges, and wish to develop an intimate relationship with God.

As homosexuality, gender confusion, and sexual urges continue to become normal in our world, here at Living in Hope we strive to provide a safe space for those who are directly affected by these urges and are in need of help. Through our various techniques, we will help you become an ideal fit for our Christ loving society.

Rid yourself of your impurities.

Join us.

"Well, it seems decent enough."

Maybe his parents had actually just tried to help the Jungs. There was nothing shady about the website at a glance. Something, however, told Yoongi to keep researching, so he did. He couldn't fully believe that the help his parents had given Hoseok was good help, and he had to rest his already troubled soul.

"But what is it best known for?" Yoongi murmured, typing the question up. In an instant, he was met with various articles, each one more terrifying than the last. His eyes blurred the longer he continued to read, hand covering his mouth at what he was reading. He couldn't believe it— it couldn't. be true. His parents couldn't be endorsing that type of ministry.

Conversion therapy.

That's what it was called.

A way to attempt to change someone's sexual preference and gender expression, disguised under the promise of God. Everything that he read, aligned itself with God. That was the reason for the support in conversion therapy. Yoongi was appalled, shakily closing his laptop.

How could his parents do that to Hoseok?

Grabbing his keys and phone, he rushed out of his room, breezing down the stairs, with no intention to talk to either of his parents. He said nothing as he exited the house, hearing the voice of his parents following closely behind them, shouting at him to come back. He wiped his tears with his sleeve and got into his car, quickly getting out of the driveway.

Yoongi was acting out of impulse— he knew it. But, he couldn't make himself stop the car. He had already memorized the route to Hoseok's home, one that he had forgotten from long ago, and drove as fast as he could. There were no thoughts in his head as he was driving, only the need and hurry to get to Hoseok's place as fast as he could.

He pulled up to Hoseok's driveway, stopping momentarily as he noticed the car he was parked next to, one that looked exactly like Namjoon's. Deciding it was not important, Yoongi dialed Hoseok, hoping that he wasn't doing anything much at the moment. After the first two rings, Hoseok picked up, but before he could say anything, Yoongi spoke.

"I'm outside."

Yoongi winced at the sound of his hoarse voice. He quickly looked at the mirror, cursing himself slightly as he realized it was obvious that he'd been crying very recently, and by the sound of Hoseok already heading down the stairs, Yoongi knew that Hoseok suspected what he'd already confirmed to himself.

He got out of the car just in time for Hoseok to burst out of the front door, his eyes already searching wildly for Yoongi. When their eyes finally met, Yoongi offered a small, awkward wave, even though he already felt like bursting into tears again. Saying nothing, Yoongi engulfed Hoseok in a big hug, muttering 'I'm sorry', over and over again.

"Yoongi, maybe we should head inside," Hoseok spoke quietly, clearly bewildered at Yoongi's current state. "People will see us. Don't want them to get the wrong idea."

"Okay."

Hoseok led Yoongi inside, calling out to his mom, "Ma, Yoongi's here! We'll be in my room for a bit." Turning to Yoongi, he asked, "Does anyone know you're here?"

Yoongi shook his head, not trusting himself to answer.

"That's fine," Hoseok reassured as they entered his room. "I have some visitors today, but they're in the basement right now. I don't think they'll come up here for a bit."

Hoseok closed the door, shaking his head. He grabbed a box of tissues as Yoongi sat on the floor, to which Hoseok followed, making sure to keep a few inches away from Yoongi. He handed the box to Yoongi, who took it gratefully, blowing his nose.

"You have got to stop calling me every time you're crying," Hoseok joked, trying to lighten the mood. "you're going to give me a heart attack at this rate. At least you had enough sense to come over here. What's wrong?"

"I fought with my parents today," Yoongi answered. Hoseok raised an eyebrow, expression becoming serious. "About what had happened. They didn't like that I defended you."

"That's not surprising," Hoseok smiled ruefully. "Did they say anything else to you?"

"They mentioned your family," Yoongi's voice got softer. "Isla being transgender and you being gay. How they tried to...help you and her."

Yoongi couldn't meet Hoseok's eyes. He felt shame in even trying to show his face to Hoseok, his hands trembling as he held the tissue box. Hoseok, though confused, was starting to piece the pieces together, but waited for Yoongi to finish speaking, not wanting to interrupt him.

"Hoseok, those two months you were gone, were you at Living in Hope?"

At the question, Hoseok drew a breath, growing still beside Yoongi. Yoongi scoffed, dipping his head lower, knowing that silence was his answer. Another sob escaped Yoongi's throat, the tears that had dried resurfacing again at the confirmation. Hoseok edged closer to Yoongi, cupping Yoongi's face lightly as he wiped the tears from Yoongi's cheeks.

"Don't cry," Hoseok whispered, pulling Yoongi towards him, letting Yoongi place his head on his chest. "It's alright."

"They told me," Yoongi continued, only crying harder. "My parents told your parents to send you and Isla there to fix you. You were gone because of my parents. I googled what the ministry was, and I'm so sorry Hoseok. If I had known what my parents had you signed up for—"

"Don't talk like that, Yoongi," Hoseok said firmly. "We were kids. You couldn't have known. No one knew what your parents had told us to go to. No one did. My parents didn't pay a thing to send us over there. Your parents covered the costs. It's not your fault."

But it was.

Hoseok and Yoongi had been inseparable growing up together. Their parents got along with each other, and as time passed, Yoongi and Hoseok seemed to be a lot closer than was found permissible by Yoongi's parents. Then, Hoseok had come out to his parents, who'd both been stunned at the declaration. Naturally, his parents went to get help and guidance from Yoongi's parents, who offered the resources. They knew how important the friendship between their sons was, and Yoongi's parents did not want Hoseok near Yoongi unless he was cleaned of his ways.

If Yoongi's parents had been more accepting, then Hoseok wouldn't have had to put himself through that. If Hoseok had thought Yoongi would accept him just the way he was, maybe then Hoseok wouldn't have had to put himself through it.

Yoongi knew that Hoseok would have done anything back then to remain friends with him. So, while his parents had been the ones extending that invitation

"I wanted to do everything I could to save our friendship," Hoseok admitted, feeling almost foolish to say it out loud. "So I told myself it was a good thing to do. I'd be fixed and then I'd be able to keep my friendship with you. I wouldn't get shut out. You wouldn't hate me."

"I've never hated you, Hoseok," Yoongi murmured, "You were my best friend. We grew up together. How could I ever hate you?"

"That's not how it felt like."

How could it not?

Yoongi had effectively cut out Hoseok from his life after his parents told him to.

If anything, Yoongi leaving Hoseok behind was the worst punishment Yoongi could have ever done to Hoseok.

"I'm sorry."

That was the only thing Yoongi could say.

"Yoongi, you didn't do anything," Hoseok said. "I mean, other than cutting me off. Your parents were the ones that wanted me to go. Once upon a time, my parents wanted me to go. I wanted to go, Yoongi. I thought it was the only way that I'd get to have you in my life. If I had known what it actually was, it could have been different, but you have to understand that the only wrong you've ever done was listening to your parents. I can't hold that against you."

Hoseok continued to gently wipe the tears away from Yoongi's face, slightly hesitant in his touch but doing it all the same. Frankly, it was more than Yoongi deserved from Hoseok. Yoongi's family had done irreparable harm to Hoseok's family, all in the name of religion. The realization of the truth tasted bitter in Yoongi's tongue. He admired his parents. Happily obeyed everything that they told him to because he thought that was what he had to do— what God would have wanted him to do. But, how could such cruel things happen in the name of God? It was a thought that never would have struck Yoongi.

How many more people had gone through that just to realign themselves back to God?

"What matters is what you do now, Yoongi."

Hoseok stood up, leaving Yoongi briefly to grab a tissue box from his desk. He gave it to Yoongi, who took it gratefully, immediately blowing his nose. Then, Hoseok grabbed the trash can he had by the side of his deal and brought it closer to Yoongi, so he could throw away the used tissues. He waited for Yoongi to calm down, making sure to keep some distance between them to make sure that he wasn't intruding. He leaned against his desk, a small, relieved chuckle escaping his lips.

"You know, this wasn't how I imagined it would go down."

Yoongi looked up at Hoseok questioningly.

"I mean, I didn't think we were going to get this far," Hoseok admitted. "You came to my house willingly in your car. Last time, you left it at Namjoon's place so that your parents wouldn't suspect anything. I don't know, maybe I thought that I was going to have to convince you that your parents had sent Isla and me over there. With how much you defend your parents, Yoongi, I thought I'd have to prove it to you."

That was a fair claim.

Yoongi couldn't blame Hoseok for thinking that way. If Yoongi's parents had not let it slip, Yoongi wouldn't have searched anything up. He wouldn't have cared enough to figure out what Living in Hope was, nor would he have gone the Google rabbit hole to figure out what the place actually stood for. Knowing that made him feel much worse, but Yoongi deserved it.

"I can't blame you," Yoongi answered, looking away. "I don't think I would have believed you either. Seeing my parents in a different light would have been harder to stomach coming from you. No offense."

"None taken," Hoseok smiled, tapping his fingers on his desk. "It's hard to admit that our parents are wrong. They taught us everything we know, so for them to be wrong... makes you wonder what you actually know about the world. If your parents are wrong and they've raised you all your life, what does that make you?"

Yoongi nodded.

"My father left my family because he couldn't handle the fact that he'd created beings that lived against God's word," Hoseok said. "My mother saw her mistakes and decided to love us for who we were. She chose to stay with her kids and support them. I think that's what makes it worth it. Parents have the capacity to change, some of them refuse to. Our parents don't define us. Not really."

"Do you still talk to your father?"

Hoseok shook his head. "My mother has full custody of all of us. Last I heard, he just welcomed a new child. I think he's rebuilding the family he used to have."

"I'm sorry."

"If anything, be sorry of the child," Hoseok mused. "At the very least, he pays child support. He'll also have to pay for half my college expenses. I may not have his love, but I have his money. Besides, I don't want a father that can only love his children subjectively."

Before Yoongi could respond, there was a loud knock on the door, accompanied by several giggles. Hoseok rolled his eyes, and Yoongi smiled, knowing exactly who was behind the closed doors. Hoseok went to open the door and in burst Isla and Jisoo, who immediately jumped on Yoongi. Hoseok sighed, exasperated, and attempted to get them off Yoongi, to which Yoongi waved off, greeting Isla and Jisoo with the same excitement.

"Hoseok didn't tell us you were going to be here!" Isla grinned. "He's trying to keep you all to himself!"

"I told you to come every day," Jisoo huffed, crossing her arms. "You already skipped a day! What happened to commitment?"

"Y'all, please get off him," Hoseok said, "Don't make me call Ma."

Isla and Jisoo completely ignored him.

"Yoongi, can you help me with my math homework?" Isla asked, with big eyes. "Joon was helping me but then Jisoo asked for himself and Jimin isn't that good at math."

Yoongi smiled. "I'd love to help you with your homework, Isa, but you and Jisoo are both on top of me. I can't help you with your homework if I can't move."

To that, Isla and Jisoo quickly got off Yoongi, earning an offended look from Hoseok.

"Oh, so you listen to Yoongi, but you can't listen to me?" Hoseok gasped dramatically. "Your own brother!"

Isla wrinkled her nose. "You can't help me with math either. You suck at it."

Yoongi laughed. "Seems to run in the family."

"Hey!"

They all burst into laughter.

"Isla, how about you bring your homework here?" Hoseok asked as the laughter died down. "Yoongi can help you here."

Isla frowned. "But I always do my homework in the basement. What if I end up needing Joonie's help? And Jimin's?"

"Hoseok, it's fine," Yoongi assured, already standing up. "I don't mind being around Jimin and Joonie."'

"His boyfriend!" Jisoo said, eyeing Yoongi's reaction. "You're okay with that, right?"

Yoongi shrugged. "Just like any other relationship, right? Your house, your guests."

"Yoongi, I really don't think it's a good idea."

Yoongi should have sensed that Hoseok's hesitation was a warning that he was about to see something that Yoongi wasn't going to want to see. Back then, however, Yoongi hadn't seen it like that. He thought Hoseok was just trying to keep Yoongi in his comfort zone. Yoongi had just been starting to change his views, and Yoongi had assumed that Hoseok didn't want to overwhelm Yoongi. But, Yoongi had felt prepared. All he had to do was not hate the idea of the relationship. He just had to remind himself that a couple was still a couple, regardless of what gender they were.

Isla excitedly took Yoongi's hand and dragged him down the stairs amidst Hoseok's protests. Hoseok's mother smiled at Yoongi, her expression turning slightly alarmed as she noticed the bruise on Yoongi's jaw and his reddened eyes. Before she could ask about it, or even try to help Hoseok keep Yoongi out of the basement, Isla pulled him down, laughters echoing down the stairwell.

"Look who's here!" Isla grinned, pulling Yoongi forward. Yoongi smiled, already beginning to introduce himself, but as he looked up, his eyes locked with Namjoon's, and he froze mid-sentence, eyes widening into saucers. Namjoon looked just as shocked, mouth slackening in surprise. Jimin was next to him, alarmed and already stepping in front of Namjoon. Hoseok had made it down the stairs, but far too late, quickly getting in between Namjoon and Yoongi.

"Namjoon," Yoongi said, trying to keep his voice calm. "I-"

"Yoongi, I can explain—"

"I tried stopping him," Hoseok said, apologizing. "Isla was persistent. This is my fault."

Yoongi shook his head, mind still reeling, "No, no. It's okay. I'm just surprised. I just didn't realize that Namjoon was Joonie. I should have realized."

Jimin scoffed, already shooting a glare in Yoongi's direction. "Please. Do you think Joonie is a common nickname?"

"Well, I'm sorry that my best friend wasn't the first person I thought of when your boyfriend was mentioned!" Yoongi retorted, harsher than he'd intended to. He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. "No wonder you didn't tell me who you were in a relationship with."

"Are you entitled to know everything he does?" Jimin snapped, glare only intensifying. "Namjoon has a right to keep things to himself, especially when his best friend comes from a severely homophobic family and is homophobic himself."

"This isn't the place to talk about this," Hoseok intervened, trying to dwindle the situation. "The girls are present. Jisoo, take Isla back up. Close the door behind you."

In his shock, Yoongi had forgotten that Isla and Jisoo were still in the room. He had barely registered that Isla had already let go of his hand and that she was looking like she was on the brink of tears. Jisoo looked disappointed, and she was gently tugging Isla back, trying to get the both of them back up the stairs. When the door fully closed, Hoseok turned to Namjoon, expression warm.

"You don't owe Yoongi anything," Hoseok said, "If you're not ready to talk, I can get him to leave. I'm sorry he found out. I tried to keep out of here."

Yoongi swallowed thickly and forced his gaze onto Namjoon, his heart breaking a little. Namjoon looked terrified even look in his direction, and Yoongi knew that it was only right that he feel that way. Namjoon had just accidentally been outed to Yoongi, and as harsh as Jimin's words had been. Yoongi knowing that Namjoon was going out with a man now left Namjoon in a terrible predicament. Hoseok was right; Namjoon didn't owe him an explanation.

"Hoseok's right."

Even Jimin was surprised at Yoongi's response. Yoongi couldn't blame him. If it hadn't been for what he knew now, Yoongi would have been angrier, disgusted even, at the thought of having Namjoon as a best friend. There was still a long way for Yoongi to go, countless more things that he had to fix about himself, but at the very least, he wanted Namjoon to know that he didn't want Namjoon to say anything he didn't want to. It was clear that Namjoon didn't trust him enough to tell him about Jimin, and while that hurt, it was what made the most sense to keep himself safe.

Though this had come as a surprise, Yoongi didn't have any feelings of antipathy. Yoongi wanted to be supportive in any way that he could. It was the bare minimum he could do. He only hoped that Namjoon could see that.

"I thought you would out me," Namjoon said, finally looking at Yoongi. "You dropped Hoseok as soon as your parents told you to. All because he was gay. Losing your friendship would have been bad enough, but you know how my parents are. They're like yours. I could have been in real danger if you knew. So I kept it secret. I never concealed Jimin's gender identity, Yoongi. You assumed he was a girl and I didn't try correcting you on it, because you assuming that I was dating a girl was a lot safer to see what you would think if I told you I was dating a man. I would have told you eventually I—"

"It's fine," Yoongi said, giving Namjoon a small smile. "Your safety is more important. You don't have to apologize. If anything, it should be me. You don't owe me anything, Namjoon. It just caught me off guard, s'all. The fact that you didn't feel I was trustworthy enough to tell is on me. I made you feel threatened. You don't deserve that."

"You're not mad?"

"If he were, I would bash his head in," Jimin interjected, crossing his arms. "He has no right to be mad."

Yoongi nodded. "I don't. You're more than entitled to your privacy. I wasn't completely honest with you either. I didn't tell you about Hoseok. I don't really have a right to be mad at you when I've also been going behind your back like this. I guess you could say that I didn't want you finding out about Hoseok because I didn't know what you would do."

Namjoon let out a shaky laugh. "I guess we both have been keeping our relationships private."

"Yeah," Yoongi smiled. "Guess we have."

"What brought you here, anyhow?" Namjoon asked, changing the subject. "Your parents wouldn't have let you come here and you didn't text me to leave your car in my driveway."

The smile slowly melted off Yoongi's face. As Yoongi opened his mouth to speak, Hoseok put his hand on Yoongi's shoulder, gesturing towards the chairs.

"Maybe we should sit down."

Yoongi watched Hoseok and Jimin make eye contact, Jimin's eyes widening slightly. He turned to Yoongi briefly, before leading Namjoon towards the table, not once taking his arm off him. Yoongi had to admit, it was an endearing sight to see, not at all disgusting as his parents had put it. It looked normal— nothing out of this world. Hoseok sat next to him, asking Yoongi if he could take the lead in the conversation. Yoongi nodded, slowly trying to ease himself into the suddenly stiff chair.

"Yoongi, in defending me, figured out that his parents had been the ones to send Isla and me to Living in Hope."

Out of both of them, Jimin looked the most surprised. Namjoon didn't betray any emotion, only listening attentively as Hoseok began telling them about the fight that had happened after school (that of which Jimin had no idea about yet), and how after Yoongi had arrived home, he'd gotten into a fight with his parents. From there, Yoongi took over, going over every detail that he could remember. He tried his best to keep his voice from shaking in anger but the longer he continued, the more it was obvious to everyone that he was still reeling from the events.

When Yoongi finally finished talking, silence descended into the room. For the first time ever, Jimin gave Yoongi a sympathetic look, his face softening around the edges. Yoongi could see the anger and resentment slowly dissipate from Jimin, and Namjoon only looked at him in understanding, his gaze switching from Hoseok to Yoongi. While this was something that Yoongi had experienced, this was something that Hoseok had fully gone through. Yoongi's realization of everything didn't change the fact that Hoseok went through it.

"You came all this way here to apologize to Hoseok?" Jimin asked, clearly stunned. Yoongi nodded.

"It's what was right," Yoongi answered, intertwining his hands together. "I dunno. I just acted on instinct. I know my parents will never apologize for what they did, and it wasn't right that it had happened in the first place. I can't say that I would have done something before but I'm doing something now. I'm going to try to be a better person now."

"It takes a lot of guts to admit you were wrong," Namjoon said, smiling a bit. "It took you a bit to help out Hoseok, but you still defended him against your parents. You're kind of changing, Yoongi. I don't think the Yoongi from a couple of weeks back would be sitting here, having a conversation like this."

Yoongi smiled thinly.

"I still don't like you," Jimin grumbled, looking away. "But, I respect that you actually seem to be changing. I don't know if Hoseok cast a spell on you or some shit but at least you're changing for the better."

"I'm not a witch," Hoseok remarked dryly. "I'm merely a voice of reason."

"No, I think you must be," Namjoon agreed, taking Jimin's side. "It took me a while to get Yoongi to even help you, but from what I've been told, you only had to correct him for Yoongi to act right. It's witchcraft. You sure you're not working for the Devil?"

Silence descended on them for one second, before they all burst into laughter.

"Honestly, Hoseok is the one that's kinda been making me look at things differently," Yoongi admitted. "If it wasn't for him, I don't think I would be changing."

"I still don't like you," Jimin repeated. Yoongi smiled.

"I know."

Jimin looked at him disdainfully, shaking his head, "I don't think you know, know. So I'm letting you know. I don't like you."

"Jimin, that's enough," Hoseok said, smiling apologetically at Yoongi. "He's just protective."

"For good reason!" Jimin retorted. "I don't know if I can trust him yet. Maybe if he posts a picture on Instagram saying hashtag pride and the rainbow flag I'll reconsider."

Yoongi laughed nervously. "We aren't at that level yet."

"You wouldn't make me do that, would you?" Namjoon asked. "I'm not out and I have homophobic parents."

Jimin waved him off. "You're different."

"I'm your boyfriend."

Jimin grinned, leaning over to kiss Namjoon on the cheek. "Exactly."

Namjoon blushed fiercely, and they all burst into laughter once more— Yoongi included, who found the scene unraveling more endearing than anything he'd ever seen before. It felt normal— all of it, and that's what shocked Yoongi the most. Maybe it was because he already held a deep love for Namjoon that it didn't matter that Namjoon wasn't heterosexual. Namjoon was his best friend, and nothing would ever change that, not even what his parents had ever tried to insinuate of those who weren't heterosexual.

Nothing had changed about Namjoon. Nothing had changed about Hoseok either. Frankly, he was tired of listening to his parents. After today's events, Yoongi wanted as little contact with them as possible. He still had to go back home, but for now, he'd enjoy the small moments. Like right now, where Yoongi finally got along with Jimin, and with Namjoon and Hoseok being completely comfortable around him. He could deal with the consequences later.

Amidst the laughter, Yoongi felt himself naturally tuning to Hoseok. No sooner had Yoongi gazed at Hoseok, the latter caught his eyes. Hoseok gave a smile, squeezing Yoongi's shoulder lightly.

Yeah.

For now, this was enough.

a/n: i am so inactive on wp y'all i'm sorry lemme just catch y'all up with everything there is for pt 2 <3