Yoongi's hands shook as he stood outside the restaurant and pulled out his phone.

"Hello?"

"Hyung..."

"Go inside," Seokjin commanded.

"How did you – "

"Yoongs, it's time. You know that. And you deserve this."

"I'm nervous."

"That's normal," Seokjin encouraged. "And I'm sure he is, too."

"Not like me," Yoongi muttered, but Seokjin caught it. He sighed.

"If you're that worried about it, tell him you're nervous. He seems like the type of guy who would understand and be kind about it."

"He is," Yoongi agreed. "But still – "

"It's going to be okay, Yoongs. You've got this."

"I wish I was as confident as you are."

Seokjin chuckled. "I'm confident because I know you and that you're ready for this. You need to give yourself that kind of peace, too."

Yoongi closed his eyes, trying to heed what Seokjin was saying and calm his nerves. "It'll be okay?"

"It'll be okay."

"Okay."

"Good luck, Yoongs. Let me know how it goes."

"I will." Yoongi ended the call and looked at the restaurant's doors. He took a deep breath and finally opened them.

And there stood Hoseok, looking as handsome as always. Yoongi took in his outfit, then looked down at his own. He'd worn black skinny jeans, a nice white t-shirt, and a black leather jacket. He was still worried that he had gone too casual, but Namjoon had insisted that Yoongi be himself, and this was one of his favorite outfits.

He looked up and realized that Hoseok had spotted him. He was smiling and heading his way. Yoongi flashed him a nervous smile.

"Hey!" Hoseok said. "Wow, you look great!"

And some of Yoongi's nervousness melted away.

"Hey," he said, hoping he didn't sound awkward. "You do, too."

"Thanks," Hoseok said with a grin. "You ready to eat? They've got a table ready for us."

Yoongi nodded and followed Hoseok to a table near a window. Yoongi stared out of it, zoning out a bit.

"Are you okay?" Hoseok asked, concerned.

"Hmm?" Yoongi looked back at him. "Oh yeah, sorry."

"That's okay. Are you ready to order?"

"Yeah," Yoongi said, after glancing over the menu. "I'm going to get the yanggochi."

Hoseok smiled a smile that seemed to light up the entire room. "I figured you would."

"I-Is that why you chose this place?"

Hoseok nodded, and Yoongi's cheeks flushed. "You remembered."

Hoseok nodded again before putting his menu down. "I wanted you to be comfortable. Figured comfort food would help."

Yoongi smiled. "Thanks," he said quietly. "To be honest with you, I am really nervous."

"That's okay," Hoseok said earnestly. "I'm nervous, too. We'll get through it together. As long as you don't judge me for anything awkward I might say or do, I'll do the same for you." He winked and Yoongi smiled.

"Agreed."

And while Yoongi felt that everything he did and said was awkward, Hoseok never seemed to notice. He seemed completely content talking and laughing with Yoongi. Eventually, Yoongi did relax and began to allow himself to enjoy the date. Hoseok was easy to talk to, and fun to be around. Yoongi noted that being around him was like taking a happy vitamin. His mood was contagious, and Yoongi couldn't help but smile often.

Yoongi felt slightly bad as Hoseok paid the bill. "I'll get the next one," he said quietly.

Hoseok looked up with a raised eyebrow and a smile playing at his lips. "So, there'll be a next one?"

Yoongi nodded. "If you want there to be."

"I'd love that," Hoseok said.

Yoongi smiled. "When would you like to get together again?"

Hoseok shrugged. "As soon as possible?" Yoongi's eyebrows shot up and Hoseok grinned. "Whenever you'd like."

"How about Friday," Yoongi suggested. "If you're free."

"I am," Hoseok said. "Just let me know where to be and when."

Yoongi nodded, and they both stood and walked to the door. As they stood outside, Yoongi didn't really know what to say. "Um, t-thanks," he finally offered. "I had a really great time."

"Me, too," Hoseok replied. "I'm looking forward to Friday."

Yoongi smiled. "Me, too."

It took everything in Hoseok not to look at Yoongi's lips. He wanted to kiss him, but knew it was too soon.

"You okay to get home tonight?" he asked.

Yoongi nodded. "My place is actually just a couple blocks from here."

"Oh!" Hoseok said. "Well, I picked a great location then!"

Yoongi chuckled. "I guess you did. Are you okay to get home?"

Hoseok nodded. "Just a short bus ride away."

"Okay, I'm glad it's not too far. I'll wait for the bus with you. I-If that's okay."

Hoseok smiled and nodded again. "I'd like that."

They chatted idly as they waited at the bus stop. Much too soon, however, Hoseok's bus showed up.

"I'll see you Friday," he told Yoongi as he boarded the bus. "Have a good rest of your night."

"You, too."

Hoseok waved at the window as the bus took off, and Yoongi waved back. Then he set out on his way home.

"How'd it go?"

Yoongi chuckled into the phone as Seokjin didn't even bother with a greeting.

"Really well," Yoongi answered. "Much better than I expected."

"You told him you were nervous, huh?"

Yoongi pulled his phone away and stared at it. "Are you psychic or something?" he asked as he pressed it back to his ear.

Seokjin chuckled. "I know you, Yoongs. There was no way you were going to relax without being honest about it."

"He said he was nervous, too," Yoongi countered.

"And I have no doubt he was. But didn't knowing that make it easier, too?"

"Yeah, actually."

"So, what happens now?"

Yoongi took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "We're going out on Friday."

"Yeah?!"

"Yeah. It's my turn to take him out."

"You're taking turns?"

"Not like that," Yoongi said with a roll of his eyes. "I just want to take him out this time."

"I'm really glad it went well enough tonight that you want to do that."

"Me, too," Yoongi admitted.

"Well, I'll let you go," Seokjin said. "I know you'll want to call Namjoon."

Yoongi chuckled. "He'd kill me if I didn't."

"I'll see you soon."

"Okay."

"Oh, wait!"

"Yeah?"

"I'm really proud of you, Yoongs."

Yoongi smiled. "Thanks, Hyung."

-

"Wow."

"Yeah, this guy!"

"What do you mean?"

Hoseok was sitting with Jimin and Taehyung at lunch the next day. He'd invited them both so he could tell them about the date at the same time.

"He sounds great, is what we mean," Jimin elaborated. "He was honest with you from the start, telling you he was nervous."

Hearing about honesty, Hoseok couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt in his stomach about the garden, but he tried his best to push it aside. "He was adorable. But I was nervous, too. I mean, not as much as him, I don't think. But I was, so I told him that. It seemed to make him relax a bit."

"So, what did you talk about?" Taehyung asked.

Hoseok shrugged. "Everything and nothing. It was easy-going. Nothing about the conversation felt awkward."

Taehyung grinned. "That's great!"

So," Jimin continued. "Million dollar question..."

Hoseok raised an eyebrow.

"Did you kiss him?"

Hoseok shook his head. "No."

Both Jimin and Taehyung leaned back and sighed dramatically.

"Why not?!"

"Didn't you want to?"

"Of course I wanted to," Hoseok said defensively. "But I don't know if he's ready for that. Knowing about his wife, I assume he probably wants to take this somewhat slow. And the way he acted suggested that, too. I'm not going to ruin it by being impatient."

Taehyung and Jimin looked at each other. "Okay, that does make sense," Jimin said.

Hoseok nodded. "Everything in time."

"You're such a great guy, Hobi," Jimin continued.

"Yeah, eat your heart out, Junho," Taehyung said with a smirk. Hoseok rolled his eyes, but a small smile graced his lips.

-

It wasn't until the fifth date that the subject of exes got brought up. And to Hoseok's great relief, it was Yoongi who did it.

They were sitting in Yoongi's living room, having a glass of wine after dinner. The atmosphere was casual, so it wasn't awkward when the subject came up.

"So, if you don't mind me asking," Yoongi said quietly. "What happened during your last relationship? You said you haven't done this in a while, so I just wondered..."

The way he was asking made Hoseok think that he might be ready to tell him about his wife, so instead of dreading talking about Junho, Hoseok actually felt somewhat happy to.

"His name was Junho," Hoseok started. "We were together for almost a year. I caught him cheating, though. That was about five months ago."

Yoongi looked horrified. "I'm sorry," he offered.

Hoseok shrugged. "It is what it is. It was hard to get over at first. But then I met you."

Yoongi blushed. "I-I'm helping you get over it?" he asked shyly.

Hoseok nodded. "And thank you for that."

Yoongi smiled slightly. "You're welcome."

"So," Hoseok began carefully. "Do you mind if I ask you the same question?"

Yoongi's smile dropped. Though he'd been expecting Hoseok to ask, it was still hard to talk about.

After a few moments of silence, and the unsure look on Yoongi's face, Hoseok continued. "You don't have to – "

"Her name was Jia," Yoongi said quietly, avoiding Hoseok's eyes, and Hoseok's mouth snapped shut. "The truth is..." Yoongi took in a deep breath. "We were married."

He looked up at Hoseok for a reaction, but all he did was raise his eyebrows a bit, and Yoongi felt comfortable enough to proceed.

"S-She passed away." Yoongi's voice was shaky, and Hoseok could tell he was trying not to cry. "S-She..."

Yoongi paused as he closed his eyes. Hoseok waited a moment until it became obvious that Yoongi couldn't continue.

Hoseok reached out and took one of Yoongi's hands. It was trembling. "Yoongi," Hoseok said gently. "You don't have to tell me everything now. It's okay."

But Yoongi shook his head. He didn't want to talk about it any more than he had to, so he wanted to, for lack of a better turn of phrase, get it over with. He opened his eyes slowly and they were shining with tears.

"Cancer," he whispered. "It had gone into remission when we started dating, but then..." He took another deep breath. "It recurred."

Hoseok was quiet, letting Yoongi take his time. He didn't let go of Yoongi's hand, however, and he squeezed it gently to reassure him.

"23," Yoongi continued. "She was only 23."

"So young," Hoseok whispered.

Yoongi nodded. "So...u-unfair."

The tears escaped then, mercilessly pouring down Yoongi's cheeks. He looked up at Hoseok. "I-I'm sorry." he let out a small sob. "I..."

"It's okay," Hoseok murmured. "It's okay."

Yoongi met his eyes. "Y-You're the first one I've...since..."

Hoseok nodded, and Yoongi looked away as if ashamed. "T-That's why I...I've been taking it slow. I need..."

"Time."

Yoongi nodded. Hoseok squeezed his hand again. "It's okay, Yoongi. I can wait."

"B-But you...you shouldn't have to. I don't know how long I...and I – "

Hoseok reached out and cupped Yoongi's cheek, wiping some of the tears away. "For you, I'll wait."

Yoongi looked up and into Hoseok's eyes again. "But why?" he whispered.

"Because you're worth it," Hoseok replied. "I know we haven't been dating long, but I can already tell that you're special, Yoongi. You're different and you're..." he smiled. "Wonderful."

Yoongi stared at him, and though he was upset, he was compelled to reply. "You are, too," he said so quietly that Hoseok almost didn't hear him. Hoseok smiled again.

"We can take our time with anything and everything. I really like you. Taking things slow - even if you think it's too slow - isn't going to change my mind. Okay?"

Yoongi nodded. After a few moments, Hoseok was rewarded with a very small smile. "Th – "

"No need to thank me," Hoseok interrupted. "I'm still here."