The moment Yoongi opened his eyes, he could tell he was in for a miserable day. As soon as he was semi-conscious, he was hit with nearly a dozen inexplicable symptoms that hadn’t been there the night before. His head throbbed, his throat burned, his stomach flipped, his nose ran, and his body shook from chills. It came from absolutely nowhere. He felt perfectly fine when he went to bed last night. Now he could hardly breath without wheezing, and he felt the ever-present and unpleasant tickling sensation of a sneeze in his endlessly dripping nose. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt this sick. This was the end; he was going to die a sick, miserable mess.

He cleared the fog in his mind just enough to think about what the day had in store for him. Or rather, what the day used to have in store for him. He’d already decided that he would do absolutely none of it. What day of the week was it? He sort of remembered that yesterday was Friday. Saturday comes after Friday. And on Saturday Yoongi didn’t have any classes. Yoongi thanked his lucky stars that he’d caught this bug on a weekend. He couldn’t afford to miss any more lectures. His grades were barely just passing as it was. He’d have to fix that before the end of the semester.

Okay, so no classes. Work? He usually worked on weekends. The pizzeria was always busy on weekends, so many people ordered delivery instead of cooking a meal for themselves. His boss would definitely give him a hard time if he had to call off, but there was no way he could (or should) handle food in his condition. He typically got one weekend off a month. Was this that weekend? As he reached for his phone on his bedside table, he prayed that this was his free weekend.

Opening up his calendar app, he let out a sigh of relief (followed by a miserable bout of grating, dry coughs) when he didn’t see a purple dot on today’s date. The only marking on the day was a blue dot. Purple dots meant he had a shift. Blue dots meant he had plans with Hoseok.

Realization hit Yoongi like a truck. Fuck. It was date night. And not just the usual casual stay-at-home dinner date night. It was a date night extravaganza. A date night that would put every other date night in the history of date nights to shame - Hoseok’s words exactly. First dinner at a super fancy French restaurant. Hoseok made those reservations at least 2 months ago. Then a movie, a new release of course. Then frozen yogurt with all the fix-ins and a night of stargazing out in the middle of nowhere where no light pollution would prevent them naming every visible constellation. Falling asleep under the stars without a care in the world. Then they would wake up whenever and Yoongi would take them home, Hoseok hugging him tight from the back seat of his motorcycle. A date night that would go down in the history books. A date night their kids would talk about, and their kid’s kids after that.

And he had to cancel. Yoongi was convinced he couldn’t even make it out of bed without killing over, let alone get through a whole night's worth of activities. Hoseok would be upset, sure. Disappointed, perhaps. But he wouldn’t be angry. Yoongi hoped he would understand. He really wanted to spend the night with Hoseok; but he also wanted to be healthy enough to enjoy it. So with a guilty conscience weighing down on him, he dialed his boyfriend.

Hoseok’s phone rang twice before he answered. “Well, aren’t you up early this morning.” Yoongi could tell there was a wide smile spread across Hoseok’s face as he spoke. He was always so cheery in the mornings.

Yoongi swallowed, scrunching his face at the pain that the action caused. “Hoseokie,” His voice felt like sandpaper scraping against his raw throat. But somehow, he forced the word through. And it only sounded slightly congested. It could have easily been confused with the grogginess of just waking up.

Which was exactly what Hoseok must have done, because he was quick to sternly cut Yoongi off. “Don’t. Okay. No. I’m gonna stop you right there. Don’t say my name like that. Don’t ‘Hoseokie’ me with your pity voice. You always do that when you have bad news. You can’t have any bad news today. You can’t do this to me today. You hear me,” Hoseok’s voice was no longer pleasant and cheery. “You’ve canceled the last four date nights we’ve planned.”

Yoongi hadn’t realized that. But as he thought about it, he started to remember all the phone calls he made to Hoseok letting him know at the last minute that he had to cancel. But it was always for a good reason. Well, valid reason. There was no such thing as a good reason to cancel a date. The first time he had to pick up an extra shift at the pizzeria; the second time he had to make up a lab for his biology class; the third time he had to travel out of town for his brother; and the last time he had to cancel to get his bike repaired.

Yoongi’s heart nearly shattered in his chest when he realized Hoseok was absolutely right. Yoongi had made a recent habit of canceling their date nights, apparently a very bad habit. He could only imagine how Hoseok must have been feeling about their relationship after so many canceled dates. He must have felt pretty expendable.

Hoseok’s voice interrupted his train of thought, “If you don’t like hanging out with me, just break up with me. It’d be easier.” Yoongi swore he heard a whimper.

Yoongi’s heart sank and he cringed at the sound of his worst fear coming to life. He didn’t even want to imagine what his life would be like without Hoseok in it. It would be like living without oxygen, without water, without sunshine. He wouldn’t have it. He wouldn’t let some flu ruin his relationship with Hoseok. The thought of losing the best thing that ever happened to him made him feel sicker than any bug ever could. “I’m not calling to cancel.” Maybe by a rush of adrenaline or just by pure luck, his voice managed to sound pretty close to healthy. He heard an obvious sigh of relief on the other end of the line. He would probably pay for it later, but Yoongi was sure he was doing the right thing. “I’m sorry I’ve canceled so many times before. I didn’t know you felt that way. I never want to make you feel like that.”

“It’s alright. I mean, I understand that your life is busy. I’m sorry for throwing that tantrum just now.” Hoseok let out an embarrassed giggle, “I’m just really excited for tonight. It’s been so long since we’ve been able to have a night out.” The ear-to-ear grin was back in Hoseok’s voice. Yoongi had never been more pleased to hear it.

“Me too,” Yoongi turned his head away to cough, covering his phone’s microphone with his palm.

Hoseok continued to go on and on about how much he had been anticipating their date. The fancy wine he wanted to order at the restaurant, the all star cast of the movie they would see, the new dairy-free flavor at the yogurt shop. Yoongi listened in near silence, clearing his throat and sniffling discretely. Suddenly, Hoseok cut himself off with a small gasp of realization. “Sorry, I’m rambling. You called me,” Hoseok reminded himself, “What was that about?”

Yoongi realized his lie may be catching up to him quicker than he anticipated. Because he did call to cancel. There was no other reason. And his head was pounding too much for him to come up with another lie to cover his tracks. This call had gone on for too long. He wanted to go back to sleep. He quickly blurted out the first thing that came to mind. “I miss you. I just really wanted to hear your voice.” Not exactly a lie; he hoped Hoseok wouldn’t put too much thought into it and just take the out-of-character sappy compliment.

Yoongi could practically hear the blood rushing to Hoseok’s cheeks on the other end of the line as he fumbled for words, “You big dumb idiot charmer.” Hoseok giggled with no malice, “Why do you go and say things like that.”

Yoongi laughed back, turning away to sneeze, “What, you don’t like it when I say stuff like that.”

“Always say stuff like that,” Hoseok deadpanned.

Yoongi hummed in affirmation, “Maybe I will.” His burst of fear induced energy was quickly draining and he knew he had to come up with an excuse to get off the phone. He could only mask the symptoms for so long. He wiped his running nose on his t-shirt sleeve. He really needed to blow it. Once again, he spouted the first thing that came to mind. “Alright, I need to get some homework done before tonight. I’ll see you later?”

“Okay, aegiya. See you at 5. I love you.” Hoseok replied.

“I love you too.” Yoongi returned the sentiment before quickly hanging up and burrowing himself deep under his covers.

Lying to Hoseok was so physically and mentally draining.

But Yoongi was now determined to squash this flu by the evening. He took a pharmacy’s worth of different medicine. Some pills for the pulsating headache, a gross purple syrup for the hacking cough, a cool patch for the prickling fever, and antacid tablets for the bubbling nausea. And after he was effectively medicated, he set an alarm on his phone for 3:45 and laid back down in his bed. Whatever this bug was, he had about six hours to kick it out of his system.

He awoke hours later to the sound of his alarm reminding him that his date with Hoseok was only slightly over an hour away. Yoongi gasped awake, realizing that a) he still felt like complete shit despite his previous medicine frenzy and b) he should have given himself more time to prepare. Hoseok’s apartment was a 20 minute ride away. That left him with barely 30 minutes to shower, dress, and remedicate. Yoongi decided that he might not have time to remedicate. He might have to just make due.

In the shower, he thought about all the symptoms that might give him away. He couldn’t hold Hoseok’s hand because he might notice how unnaturally sweaty Yoongi's hands would be. He would have to suppress every cough, sneeze, and sniffle that might want to make its way out. He would obviously have to eat something at dinner, despite the way his throat burned when he swallowed and the looming nausea that would likely erupt if he tried to consume anything. Yoongi could count dozens of things that could give him away.

In reality, Yoongi would consider himself the luckiest man in the world if he made it through the date. Hell, he’d be lucky just to make it through dinner. He knew Hoseok was observant. Hoseok had a way of reading Yoongi in a way that no one else could. It was both endearing and a bit frightening. Sometimes Yoongi felt that Hoseok knew him better than he knew himself.

Yoongi finished getting ready with just enough time to ride to Hoseok’s apartment complex. As he mounted his bike, he started to realize that this was not a great idea. With his mind as it was and the chills that coursed through his body, he knew it wasn’t really safe for him to be riding. Especially twenty minutes on the highway. But he emptied out all the energy reserves he had and pulled out of his parking spot. He was doing this for Hoseok. It was all for Hoseok. He kept Hoseok’s cheerful grin in his mind as he made his way over.

Fortunately, he made it without any major problems. The route to Hoseok’s apartment was muscle memory for him at this point. He did have to stifle a handful of painful sneezes just to keep himself in his lane. But overall a simple ride. But he resolved that Hoseok would be driving them to their next destination. And every destination thereafter.

Yoongi managed to make it up the stairs to Hoseok’s fifth floor apartment, coughing and wheezing and cursing the building maintenance for not fixing the elevator as he knocked on the door. Hoseok quickly pulled it open. His signature infectious smile dropped into a shocked frown and his brows quickly furrowed at the sight of Yoongi. The older was hunched over, hands pressed against his knees to keep his balance and hacking like his lungs needed immediate ejection from his chest. He guided Yoongi inside, rubbing his back as he continued to cough mercilessly.

Hoseok ushered Yoongi onto the couch, where he could sit and be more comfortable as he rode out the rest of the fit. As the coughing continued, Hoseok left to get a glass of water for Yoongi. He was sure the older man would need it. He waited until Yoongi finished to say anything. In the meantime, Hoseok pressed the back of his hand to Yoongi's forehead and tousled his sweaty hair. It wasn’t unusual for Yoongi’s hair to be a little damp after a ride, but this was much too wet to blame helmet hair. He looked deeply at Yoongi’s pale complexion with dark eye bags and his running red tipped nose.

Yoongi finally stopped coughing and was able to catch his breath, rattling deep within his chest. He reached for the glass of water on the table before him and took a few tentative sips. The silence was eerie; he looked up at Hoseok hesitantly. Hoseok looked back at him with a hurt expression. “Why didn’t you just tell me you were sick?”

Yoongi leaned into Hoseok’s chest, resting his head in the crook of Hoseok’s neck. He could tell from the gentleness of his tone of Hoseok’s voice that he wasn’t mad. And Yoongi craved Hoseok’s touch. Because of their conflictingly busy schedules, Yoongi had been feeling deprived of Hoseok’s affections. It had been over two weeks since they’d been able to physically see each other. The fact that he was miserably sick only amplified his desperation. He wanted to be cuddled by his sunshine.

Hoseok didn’t pull away. Instead, he wrapped his arms tighter around Yoongi and started rocking him gently. “Didn’t wanna cancel date night again.” The strenuous coughing fit had taken what little power he had in his voice. He sounded like nails on a chalkboard, and it felt just as bad coming out of his throat. “Really wanted to see you.”

Hoseok's expression morphed to guilt. "You called me this morning to cancel, didn't you?" The steady tone of his voice made Yoongi think he already knew the answer.

Lying was exhausting. And Yoongi was already exhausted from the little effort he’d put into the day. "Maybe, a little bit. Until you reminded me of what a shit boyfriend I've been the last few months." He strained, wiping his dripping nose against his sleeve.

Tissues seemed to magically appear in front of Hoseok and he offered a handful to Yoongi. “You’re not a shit boyfriend, Yoongi.” He kissed the top of Yoongi’s head affectionately.

“Oh, do five-star boyfriends cancel on their boyfriend half a dozen times and make him feel like he’s not important?” Yoongi retorted.

“Do five-star boyfriends guilt their boyfriend into ignoring his health and committing to a lengthy date-night?” Hoseok countered.

“Do five-star boyfriends lie to their boyfriend and make him spend hours getting ready for a date he’s super excited for just to not go?” He really didn’t want to fight. He didn’t have the energy for it. Why wouldn’t Hoseok just let him shoulder the blame and move on.

Hoseok chuckled, also over the self-depreciating banter, “Five-star boyfriends ride all the way over to their boyfriend’s apartment to go on a night long date even though their sick ass should be in bed. Just to make their boyfriend happy. I love you jagiya.” He pressed a kiss to the crown of Yoongi’s sweaty head. Yoongi hummed pleasantly at the contact. “I’m sorry I didn’t give you a chance to explain yourself this morning. Or if you felt like you needed to put my feelings before your own health. I should have been a better boyfriend to you. If I’d been paying more attention to you on the phone, I’m sure I would have noticed you weren’t feeling well. I’m gonna make it up to you. Stay here and let me take care of you?”

It was phrased like a question. Like Yoongi would turn it down. He’d expended every last ounce of energy he had left just to get to Hoseok’s apartment. He certainly didn’t plan on leaving any time soon. Yoongi just snuggled closer to Hoseok and nodded against his chest. “Please.” Now that the secret was out in the open anyway he allowed himself to acknowledge how poorly he was feeling, in every sense of the word. “I don’t feel good, Seokie,” he whined, shivering with chills. “Everything hurts.”

Hoseok cooed in sympathy. “I know you don’t, jagiya. But you’ll feel better soon.” He pressed a series of kisses across Yoongi’s head traveling down to his jaw and the tip of his nose. Hoseok would kiss every inch of Yoongi’s body if it would heal him. But, unfortunately, only rest and medicine would do that. He eased Yoongi’s weak frame to extend out on the couch, offering up his lap to use as a pillow. The younger started massaging Yoongi’s scalp with one hand, the other reaching over to grab a throw blanket so conveniently decorating the armchair. With practiced ease, Hoseok covered his boyfriend with the blanket, never stopping the soothing ministrations against his sweaty hair.

Yoongi hadn’t resisted as Hoseok got him settled on the couch. He hadn’t fought at all as Hoseok wrapped the soft blanket around his trembling body. He didn’t complain as Hoseok’s warm hands traveled along his body, providing comforting reassurance. Hoseok felt accomplished in his caretaking. “Get some rest, hyung,” he whispered when he noticed Yoongi’s eyelids start to flutter.

Yoongi nuzzled himself closer to Hoseok’s stomach, wrapping an arm around the younger man's torso. “I’m sorry I ruined date night. I’ll make it up to you.”

“Don’t worry about that right now, silly. Just focus on getting better.” Hoseok smiled, tucking Yoongi’s longer strands of hair behind his ear so he could get a better view of his flushed face, “You’re not leaving this apartment until you’re back to 100%.”

A huff of a chuckle escaped Yoongi, “As long as you’re here with me, I’m fine with that.” He yawned, followed by a throat scraping cough, “Thanks for taking care of me, Hoba. I love you.” Yoongi was asleep before he could see the wide grin on Hoseok’s lips.

“Hyung, can I run something by you?” Hosoek asked, feigning an air of nonchalance, as he rolled his chair closer to the couch Yoongi was sprawled on. He rested his feet against the cushions, leaning back against the chair, his fingers drumming against the arm rests. He didn’t want to admit it but he was a little nervous. Chances were that Yoongi would agree to his proposition; he was usually very easy going and enjoyed the fanservice that they partook in. However, lately Yoongi had been pretty stressed, short tempered and tired, snapping at everyone. He hadn’t shared why, but Hoseok felt it was something personal that he didn’t want to pry on. 

Hoseok’s voice broke Yoongi out of his thoughts as he looked up to the brightly dressed man in front of him. He mirrored the frown on Hoseok’s face as he hummed for him to continue. Yoongi would never admit it, but he was in no mood for a conversation; his head running through the overwhelmingly long to-do list he had to accomplish before the end of tomorrow. The longer he looked at Hoseok sitting in silence, the deeper his frown got. What was he so fidgety for? It was putting him on edge, not to mention adding to his stress.

“Spit it out, Hobah,” he snapped, sighing a little in frustration as Hoseok cleared his throat tentatively. 

“Well… I wrote this song. I was wondering if you wanted to perform together.” That’s it? Hoseok just wanted to perform a song together? What was the big deal about that?

“Yeah okay. Sure,” Yoongi acquiesced easily, much to Hoseok’s surprise. Hoseok’s face broke into a large grin, one that brought a small smile on the older rapper’s face. 

“Promise?” Hoseok asked, almost bouncing excitedly. Yoongi furrowed his brows suspiciously, knowing that there was no way he was this giddy about a simple duet. Something had to be up.

“You’re making me rethink this…” Yoongi said as he looked over the rim of the plastic coffee cup in his hand, missing his mouth with the straw before capturing it with his lips with a huff and an eye roll. Hoseok chuckled at the action before continuing.

“Oh come on! It’ll be fun! I can just imagine ARMY’s excitement! A Sope unit song!” Hoseok radiated enthusiasm, lifting Yoongi’s spirits as well as the corners of his mouth. He really was a ball of energy sometimes, his excitement almost contagious as he never failed to energize Yoongi, even when all he wanted to do was crawl in bed and sleep his life away.

“Fine. Let me hear it first,” Yoongi said with a snicker, eager to hear the masterpiece his friend had created. He couldn’t help shaking his head with a smile as Hoseok excitedly stood up, almost hopping to the computer to play the track. Yoongi smiled as the track played, habitually fidgeting with his lip in concentration.

To say it was different than any of the songs Hoseok had penned before was an understatement. Yoongi expected vibrant beats and spunky lyrics like the tracks Hoseok had consulted with him on for his future mixtape but this song was a rollercoaster, a tongue-in-cheek trot song of optimism. He smiled as the track played on, Hoseok’s cheerful vocals a perfect fit for the atmosphere it created. As the chorus played again, Yoongi couldn’t help but sing along to the catchy words under his breath. An action not missed by Hoseok, whose smile only got wider.

As the song came to an end, Yoongi felt his mood lightened, the song already stuck in his head. Hoseok hadn’t written many songs alone before and he felt proud of his friend’s accomplishment. “It’s good. Good job, Hoseok!” Yoongi complimented, a gummy smile on his face.

“Thanks!” Hoseok sang out, his smile quickly replaced by his professional straight face as he continued on with the details of the collaboration, which part Yoongi would sing and the vibe he would add. Yoongi found himself easily agreeing with him. He could do with a fun project, and to be completely honest he was ready to record it as soon as the month was over. However, this thought was brought to a screeching halt as the next words left Hoseok’s lips. 

“So I was thinking we reveal it at the Japan fan meeting.” Yoongi’s eyes widened at the comment. *Was he serious?

“The one in two weeks?” Yoongi’s momentarily forgotten stress was back with full force, and he bit his nail. He had so many things on his plate that adding a song that he would not only have to record, but learn the dance and words to *within the next fortnight made his chest clench uneasily. He always had a hard time saying no to Hoseok but the more he thought about the endless things he had to work through, the easier it became. “Absolutely not.”

“Hyungnim!” Hoseok stretched the syllables cutely in a whine to appeal to his older member. He knew behind all the apathy Yoongi had a soft spot for him and it was not beyond him to use it to his advantage. He jumped from his chair next to Yoongi, an arm around the smaller man’s shoulders as he tried to get him as excited as he was. “The theme to Hwagae Market! We’ll wear cheesy suits and goof around! Come on! It’d be fun!”

Yoongi knew Hoseok was just being his usual self, but he felt slightly suffocated. Shrugging his arm off, Yoongi leaned forward, elbows on knees as he rubbed his face with a groan. He missed the way Hoseok frowned, certain now that something was bothering his friend. Before he could prod for details, Yoongi let out an exasperated sigh.

“I don’t know, Hoseok. Fuck. I’m just so stressed. I don’t know if I can take something else on right now.” Yoongi looked at him, a silent plea hidden in his eyes that made Hoseok’s heart tighten in empathy. He knew all about being overly stressed. It would be a lie to say the life they had chosen was easy and smooth sailing. 

Hoseok always tried to keep a professional distance between his members, not wanting to overwhelm them when they had to spend so much time together by obligation. He always felt he was prying if he asked about their personal lives or struggles, but he also knew that Yoongi never brought up something unless he wanted to share. He just needed a push.

“You wanna talk about it?” Hoseok asked, placing his hand on Yoongi’s knee, trying to coax the rapper into conversation.

“I don’t know…” Yoongi began, but it didn’t take him long to delve into his problems. There was something about Hoseok that always led him to open up without feeling the guilt he sometimes did when sharing his feelings. Although Hoseok was usually loud and energetic, when prompted he was quiet and a great listener. Just looking at his face stoic in concentration made Yoongi feel as if what he was saying truly mattered, regardless if it was a useless rant about work stress that Hoseok himself had. 

It was close to midnight by the time the two had wrapped up their heart to heart, empty beer bottles and half eaten dishes of sundae and tteokbokki cluttering the coffee table in front of them. Hoseok hadn’t expected Yoongi to open up to him the way he did, but he was glad to shoulder his burden with him. There was a reason he was closest with the introverted producer in the group; he seemed to make everything Hoseok said seem important, like it had substance, be it a stupid joke that Yoongi laughed at the loudest, or advice that he could’ve gotten off an Instagram inspiration page. 

By the time they packed to make their way to the dorms, Hoseok felt almost bad for adding to Yoongi’s work load, but the dark haired man would have none of it.

“Nah, Hobi. We’re doing it,” Yoongi said, his voice stern and determined.

“Are you sure?” Hoseok asked, as he climbed into the passenger seat of Yoongi’s car, stuffing his backpack between his legs before strapping on his seatbelt. “It was a random idea. We don’t have to. I can table this song for next year.”

“No. It will be fun. ARMY will love it,” Yoongi replied, placing an arm on the back of Hoseok’s headrest as he turned to reverse out of the parking space, before driving out of the underground lot. “It’s a really good song, Hobi. Proud of you, man.”

Hoseok couldn’t help but chuckle at the earnest praise, feeling instantly shy. He was right though, he realized as he walked off the stage two weeks later, high on adrenaline with a huge grin on his face. His expression was mirrored on Yoongi’s face who clapped him on the back, panting hard.

“Sope des!” Yoongi joked, still laughing at how great the performance went, taking off the shiny sequined coat.

“Sope des!” echoed the rest of the boys cheerfully before rushing towards the stage, as Hoseok laughed putting on the jacket for the next performance.

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