hoseok didn't even check his phone when he woke up. he left it stuffed under his pillow and pushed himself out of bed, shuffling his feet through his dorm room and out the front door, rubbing his eye with one hand and making a wild grab at a rack containing many towels with the other, stumbling his way to the joint shower rooms. many people greeted him and he replied with a half hearted bow and a wave of a tired hand.

he was relieved to find the shower room almost empty. he could hardly even feel himself removing his clothes and turning on the shower until hot water was spraying down his back and bringing him fully back to reality. the height of the curtain from the floor always made him uncomfortable so he tended to be quite quick when he showered. hair dye mixed with the froth from the shampoo as he scrubbed it into his scalp, making brown drip down his back and onto the floor.

voices began to flood the room as time passed so he took this as a hint to leave, stopping the water and trying to dry himself as quickly as possible in fear of the cold and the possibility of somebody pulling back the curtains and exposing his naked body to the population of the bathroom. after he was dressed in what he liked to call 'lazy sunday' clothes, he pulled back the curtains and was taken aback when jeongguk was stood in front of one of the many mirrors, brushing his teeth.

"i'm surprised you didn't stay over at seokjin's." hoseok said instead of a greeting, nudging him playfully with his shoulder. jeongguk almost choked on his toothbrush, spitting out the froth in his mouth and giving the elder an unimpressed look.

as hoseok coated his own toothbrush with toothpaste and put it in his mouth, jeongguk began to rant.

"i would have been if people hadn't given so many inappropriate comments." he said, running the tap and cupping his hands under it, shoving his face in and drenching his fringe alongside it. "people kept saying 'oh you're too young for him' and 'is he your babysitter?' and i'm getting sick of it! it's only a four year difference, yeah maybe i just started college and he just finished, but it's not that bad, right?"

hoseok shook his head, as he had no other means of communication, and patted his younger on the back reassuringly. then his hand moved to ruffle his hair, and jeongguk's hands flew to fix it. "hyung!" he whined, and hoseok choked on his toothbrush.

"i saw yoongi hyung last night." jeongguk admitted once hoseok had spat out his toothpaste, and his voice had dropped to a mutter. "he was out with dean, and dean's arm was around him. i'm sorry, i thought you should know."

"oh, i knew they were together. yoongi left me on read again last night." hoseok spoke quietly, then ushered for him to be followed back to his room before he continued to speak. "i was having one of my reality attacks and he didn't bother to help me."

"he's being such a dickhead lately, he deserves a right smack on the head." jeongguk dropped himself onto hoseok's bed and sighed, head resting where hoseok had concealed his phone. "have you checked to see if he replied this morning?"

"nah, it's unlikely. he probably won't reply until i next text him, like normal." hoseok spoke from the kitchen, pouring cereal into a bowl. "my phone's under my pillow. you can check if you want."

jeongguk's hand slithered under the pillow and pressed the lock button, lighting up the phone. his eyes were wide as he scrolled through the many messages from yoongi, and one sent two minutes declaring he was coming over.

"hyung, yoongi is literally on his way over!" jeongguk shrieked and forced himself off of the bed, hopping over rubbish abandoned on hoseok's floor. "i need to get dressed! goodbye!"

"...bye?" hoseok muttered, but jeongguk was already gone. "stupid kid, leaving me alone when yoongi said he's gonna come over. stupid yoongi. ditching me. stupid."

as he had a mouthful of cereal, a frantic knock on the door awoke him from being away with the fairies. with the spoon still in his mouth he slid over to the door, opening it and almost choking on it when yoongi forced his way in, arms curling around his waist and squeezing tightly. when his elbows rested on yoongi's shoulder, he removed his spoon then wrapped his arms fully around the elder.

"i'm sorry, i'm sorry, i'm sorry." yoongi chanted, squeezing as hard as he could and resting his turned head on hoseok's shoulder, nose grazing against the slightly taller's neck. his heavy breath was working it's way down hoseok's neck and it was sending an ice cold shiver down his spine, his grip grew tighter around the other and he held him easily against his chest.

"shush, yoongi. it's okay." hoseok muttered into yoongi's ear, a hand grazing up the boy's neck and running through his hair and nails scratching against his scalp. he knew the boy liked having his hair played with.

"no, no it's not, i should have been here, not with..." he stopped abruptly, shutting himself up.

"i know you were with dean. just drop it." hoseok decided to quickly change the subject from dean - he didn't even want to hear the boy's name.

"are you mad at me?" yoongi muttered into his shoulder, the words slightly muffled but hearable.

"yes," hoseok admitted, hand scratching at his scalp to keep yoongi calm. "but i'll get over it."

"i'm sorry, i shouldn't have made you mad, i shouldn't have ditched you, it was unfair and you don't deserve that." yoongi moved and faced hoseok so he was looking him in the eyes, hands moving to cup his face. "are you okay now? do you need me to stay?"

"i don't need you to stay, but i want you to." hoseok flirted, but yoongi did not notice. his mind was on dean.

hoseok knew that.