Work Text:
"If you want to get yourself into fights, Min Yoongi, make sure not to get beaten up," Taehyung says as he comes into a hospital room where Yoongi is.
"The hell you're doing here?" Yoongi asked trying to stand up, but groaned in pain and stopped.
"I guess I'm still your emergency contact" Taehyung placed himself in a chair near Yoongi's bed.
"I'll make sure to change that," Yoongi said and wanted to take his phone, but it was taken by the younger one.
"Don't you dare. Tell me what happened. Whom did you fight with?" Taehyung glared at the other with anger and worrying mixed in his eyes.
"I don't know them. I was just walking down the street and saw how some guys were beating up one boy. He was lying on the ground and I couldn't walk away"
"Your superhero ass will be the death of you one day. What if you broke your arm or leg? How would you go to uni with those injuries?"
"Stop whining about it, jesus christ. Better check on the kid, see how is he"
"Stay here and don't move. I'll come back soon"
"Yeah yeah go already"
Taehyung looked at Yoongi and left the room just to come into the next room. He knocked and opened the door slowly. "Hey, can I come in?" he asked quietly. The boy just nodded.
"How are you feeling, kid? I'm Yoongi-hyung's friend, don't worry. We just wanted to check on you" Taehyung smiled and sat on a chair.
"I-I'm okay. How's Yoongi-hyung? Is he all right?" the boy seemed to be very sad about dragging the older into a fight.
"He's fine, nothing can harm his stubborn ass. I'm Taehyung by the way, and you are...?"
"Jungkook."
"Jungkook" he repeated to memorize. "You seem younger than me, you can call me hyung if you like" he smiled at the other.
"Taehyung-hyung" the younger said. Taehyung smiled more.
"What happened to you? Who were those guys? Why did they beat you up?"
"They are freshmen from SNU, just like me. They somehow found out that I was gay. I don't know how, I never told anyone except my friends. They caught me on my way home and started beating me. They called me manwhore and abomination" he started crying, "they said I'm awful and don't deserve to live."
Soon the boy was crying hard and Taehyung grabbed his hand to calm him down. "And then Yoongi-hyung stepped in. I asked him not to do anything, but he fought with them anyway to help me. When they left, he asked if I was okay and then passed out. I called the hospital and they took us."
Taehyung was listening to Jungkook and had lots of thoughts in his head. The reason for all of them was Yoongi. How did he know Jungkook? Why did he help him? Did he know why he was getting beaten up? Why couldn't he be more careful? Taehyung was getting angrier, but also sadder as he worried about the guy he's not friends with.
Jungkook's voice snapped him out of his head.
"I called my step-brother, he's gonna be here soon. You can go home with Yoongi-hyung, I'll be fine. Take care of him and thank him for me"
"Nah, we'll stay till your brother comes. Plus you can thank Yoongi-hyung in person. I'll go get him and we'll wait together, alright?" Taehyung stood up and started walking towards the door.
"Alright, thank you hyung" Jungkook smiled.
But as soon as Taehyung walked out of the younger's room, he heard a nurse speaking loudly with a patient. With one particular stubborn patient. Taehyung sighed.
"Sir, you can't go home on your own, please come back to your room" a young woman tried to reason with him, but the man still tried to walk away from her.
"Min Yoongi!" Taehyung spoke out loud and walked forward, grabbing his arm. "I told you not to move, why can't you listen to me? We need to wait till Jungkook's brother comes and then we'll leave too. Can't you wait for a bit longer?" Taehyung apologized to the nurse and pulled Yoongi towards Jungkook's room.
"I can walk by myself, stop whining. I don't have to listen to you" Yoongi tried to get out of the other's grip, but failed.
"This time you MUST listen to me, whether you like it or not. And the kid wants to thank you for stepping in for him so suck it up and let's go"
"Oh my god, Yoongi-hyung!" the pair was stopped by the sudden yell as they were about to walk into the room. They turned around and saw two guys running towards them.
"Yoongi-hyung, hey. Jungkook called and told me what happened. How are you, are you okay?" the older guy came closer to Yoongi.
"I'm fine, Hoseok-ah. Go to your brother, he needs you right now" Yoongi said, calming down his friend.
The second man pulled Taehyung in a tight hug. "Tae, what are you doing here? Were you with them? Are you hurt?"
"I came here to take him home," he looked at Yoongi, "I'm okay, Jiminie, I didn't fight"
They came inside where Hoseok was sitting next to Jungkook and hugging him tightly.
"Thank you for helping me and staying here, Yoongi-hyung, Taehyung-hyung. I'll be fine now" Jungkook said while pulling away from his brother's suffocating hug.
"Then we'll go now. Take care, all of you. See you at uni" Taehyung smiled at the trio, took Yoongi's hand and walked away. Yoongi silently followed him.
"How are you feeling?" Taehyung asked, driving through the city.
"I'm fine. Fine enough to go home on my own. You don't have to drive me there."
"You're right, I don't. But I still do it, so deal with it."
Silence fell between them and was there for most of the road. Taehyung was the one to finally break it, "Can I ask you something?"
"Ugh, what is it?"
"Why did you help him? I never thought you'd be the one to help a gay person."
"Well, consider me sensitive. I just know what it feels like to be unaccepted for who you are. Now my turn. Why did you come there? I thought you hated me. Never thought you'd worry about me."
"Well, consider me sensitive. I always worry about you. And I never hated you, Yoongi" Taehyung glanced at the older and smiled sadly.
"That's not what you told me in that text," Yoongi said with annoyance in his voice and got out of the car.
Taehyung followed him and grabbed his hand. "What text are you talking about? I sent you texts about how much I missed you. Tell me! I'm not letting you go until you tell me."
"Missed me? Are you serious right now? I got only one text two days after your family disappeared. It said that you left to be away from me. That you were disgusted by me. That I was sick and you didn't want to know me anymore."
"No, I never said that. We left because my grandmother was sick. I sent you texts, but you never responded. I even tried finding your old social media accounts, but couldn't find any."
"I thought you were mad at me for leaving so suddenly, so I decided to give you space for a week. But then a week turned into two, then into a month and in two years. And then I saw you in snu and I was so happy. I tried to talk to you, but you ignored me all the time," Taehyung lowered his head and let go of Yoongi, "Now I know why."
Yoongi took this opportunity to leave and turned around and took a few steps. And Taehyung just stood there collecting his thoughts. It finally all made sense now.
After his grandmother got better, he wanted to go home and see Yoongi, but his parents refused and told him they will never come back there. They always said how Taehyung shouldn't be friends with Yoongi. And then he realized something - the day before they left Yoongi and Taehyung were hanging out in the younger's room. That day was when Yoongi confessed that he liked one boy. Taehyung was very happy for his friend but at the same time a little sad. Back then he didn't know why. And then when Yoongi left, Taehyung's mother told him that his grandmother was sick and they needed to go to Seoul to take care of her.
Was it a coincidence? He didn't want to know. Because if it wasn't, that meant his parents told Yoongi that he hated him. When he didn't! He always cared for him as a friend. Or was it something more? Taehyung looked up to find Yoongi walking away.
He ran to him and hugged his hyung from the back. "Hyung, I'm so sorry. I didn't know," he held Yoongi close, holding himself from crying.
"I'm so sorry I didn't come to see you and explain everything. To tell you how I missed you. I promise I never sent you that text. I never hated you, how could I? You were my best friend. You shared your secret with me and I left you. I'm so so so sorry."
Taehyung felt Yoongi shiver. He walked around to see the older's face, he was crying, palm clenched into fists. "I thought you hated me for who I am. I thought you found out everything and hated me. "
"Find out what, hyung? Why would I hate you?"
"It was you. I liked you. I thought you realized that I liked you and left me. I tried to hate you after that. Tried to ignore you in uni because it all reminded me of how my best friend left without a word right after I told him my secret. When you tried to talk to me, I thought you wanted to mess with me because you hated me. Now I guess, it's not true."
Taehyung held Yoongi's face and left a small kiss on his forehead. They were hugging and crying. "Hyung, my beautiful hyung, I promise you, I never hated you. If I found out that you liked me, I'd run to you and kiss you right there. I would never hate you for that. I like you so much."
Taehyung looked at Yoongi and caressed his cheeks. Yoongi held him by the waist and looked at Taehyung. "Do you mean it? You like me too?"
"I do, hyung, so much. May I kiss you, hyung?"
"Yes. Please."
Taehyung gently held Yoongi's face and placed a kiss on his lips.
"Ouch, " Taehyung felt Yoongi pull away, "My lips are hurting." A small scar on his lip started bleeding. Taehyung chuckled and said: "Let's take care of that scar and talk more, okay?"
"Okay, we'll talk more."
They went back to Taehyung's car and drove to the dorms. Their hands didn't leave each other on all the way.