youth- glass animals

YOUR POV

The beach stretched much farther than you had anticipated it would, with pockets of people of all ages stretched out across it. However, the biggest surprise was the large pier that stretched out into the water and the beautiful mountainous landscape that fell behind it. You had never seen a section of earth that was so attractive before, and you felt excitement rise in your chest.

Hoseok practically jumped out of the back of the truck the second that Kai brought it to a stop in the parking lot. He smiled, his excitement showing through as well, reaching for your hand to help you get down.

"This place is amazing! I can't believe you prefer Poipu over this," you exclaimed, almost spinning in a circle so you could absorb all the corners of your magnificent surroundings.

"I'll admit, it's difficult to beat the views at Hanalei Pier. But, the waves for surfing are much better back home," Hoseok reached for the first surfboard and pulled it out of the back of the track.

"Oh, how come you wanted to drive this far then? If the waves aren't the best?" You went over beside Hoseok, standing on your tiptoes as you struggled to reach for your backpack. Hoseok chuckled and grabbed it for you, slinging it over his shoulder.

"You don't have to carry that. I can-"

"I got it. And this beach is good for beginner surfers. Kaylen has been struggling with some of his technique lately, so Kai and Felix and I thought it would be good to bring him out here to practice. A change of scenery might help him get over his mental block," Hoseok explained as the others began to pile out of the truck.

"Y/N! We can let these perfectly capable, strong boys do the heavy lifting. Want to help me find a nice stretch of sand to sit on?" Lea grinned, skipping toward you.

"Thanks for calling me a 'perfectly capable, strong boy', but I personally think that you're a perfectly capable, strong girl," Felix smirked, coming up behind her, an arm around her waist to stop her from walking any farther.

"Flirting with me isn't going to convince me to carry that bag."

Felix pressed a kiss to her cheek. "Silly girl," he chuckled before slipping the bag on her shoulder so quickly that she couldn't resist it. He retreated back to the other boys, beginning to drag out the other surfboards.

"Felix!" Lea complained, pouting.

"It's already on your shoulder now so you might as well just carry it," he turned for a brief moment and winked at her. You suppressed a laugh.

"I hate you!"

"Love you too, babe," Felix called out without turning around, leaving Lea muttering under breath about how he's a flirty idiot.

"You guys are cute," you said as you began to walk alongside Lea down the beach.

"Thanks. I want to kill him sometimes, but he really is great. We've been through a lot together," Lea adjusted the bag on her shoulder, "So, Y/N, enlighten me. How's your time in Hawaii been so far?"

"I'm still just trying to get used to everything, but it's been good. Hoseok's been really kind to me, and I've appreciated that a lot considering I barely know anyone here yet," you spoke honestly, not embarrassed to share your gratitude toward Hoseok.

"I find it funny that you say Hoseok's been kind to you since he nearly broke your head open," Lea let out a giggle.

"When will everyone stop bringing that up?" you let out an exasperated laugh, "It was a dumb accident and he's more than made up for it since then."

"Fair enough," the corner of Lea's mouth turned up into a smirk, "You're letting him off easy because he's cute, right?"

The question caught you off guard. "Well, I mean-" You began, unsure of whether it would be weird to tell her that she wasn't wrong about his looks.

"Hoseok's like my brother, but I'm not blind. He's hot." You and Lea both paused, practically glancing back over at him in unison as he removed his cotton T-shirt to replace with another Volcom rashguard.

"I guess he already bought a new one then," you mumbled to yourself, quickly removing your eyes from at him at the last second as he looked in yours and Lea's direction.

"Hurry up!" she called out to him before turning and beginning to walk again. "They always take forever to get their stuff together when we go places. Oh! We can sit there!" Lea pointed to a nice stretch of sand that was adequately empty enough for the group to be comfortable.

By the time you and Lea had spread out a few large beach towels for sitting, the boys had finally caught up.

"Can I go now?" That was Kaylen who was impatiently waiting with his surfboard. He looked to both Hoseok and Kai, waiting on one of them to grant him permission to enter the water.

"Go ahead, I'll be out there with you in a second," Kai nodded, sitting down to wax the surfboard.

"Hey, look at me," Hoseok called out before Kaylen had a chance to run out into the ocean. His eyebrows were narrowed and his voice was more serious than you had heard it so far. "Remember the rules, okay? I'm serious. You're not used to this beach and you don't know the water as well as you think you do. Be safe."

"I'll be careful, I promise."

"Alright, go on then."

Kaylen turned, excitedly heading for the water as the three older boys stood by and watched with expressions of mild hesitation.

"I think I'll just go on ahead with him...This makes me nervous," Kai scratched the back of his head in a fidgeting manner, grabbing his surfboard and tucking it under his arm.

"You're going to have to learn to trust him one of these days," Lea called out from her spot on the beach towels.

"I know," Kai grimaced before entering the water anyway, taking off after his little brother.

"I'm gonna go too," Felix turned for a brief moment to flash a smile at Lea before he too entered the water.

"Y/N, you sure you don't want to come with?" Hoseok offered one more time, seeming unsure about leaving you behind.

"I'll be here when you get tired and wanna come back," you smiled at him, "No worries, alright?"

He nodded with a grin and then charged into the water, quickly wading out to meet up with everyone else.

"They all seem so close. It's cute," you put on your sunshades and laid back on the sand beside Lea who was already attempting to get a tan.

"We're just a big family," she murmured in reply.

"How did things get to be this way? I mean, I've always wanted to be apart of one of those tight-knit groups of friends...Never managed to find a group like though, so I started to believe they didn't exist. Until I met Hoseok," you appreciated the feeling of getting to be so genuinely honest. There was something so freeing about being in Hawaii and truly being yourself. It felt okay to be vulnerable, even with someone you barely knew.

"Kai and Kaylen are my little brothers, you know? I've always been close to them just by nature. Well, I guess Kai's not really so little, I'm only older than him by a year. But, our father is in the army, which eventually caused our mother to leave. I guess she just couldn't deal with him being away all the time and didn't think it was fair anymore...I don't know, I can't really figure her out. But yeah, she's not around anymore. After that happened, Kai and I became laser-focused on caring for Kaylen. He's 14 now, but he had to go through all of the emotional garbage at a young age and I think that messed him up a little. We're careful with him because we don't want his growing up to have to be completely ruined by divorce. If you haven't noticed, Kai's pretty overprotective."

"Wow...I'm sorry you guys had to deal with all that. That's a lot of responsibility to take on...But honestly, I admire both of you for that."

"Thanks. Anyway, I met Felix the summer before I started University, and he just kind of fell in line with our family. He's been around ever since, and I think he'll always be around. And of course, you know Hoseok. He's been a big part of Kaylen's teenage years," Lea continued as you propped up and looked out into the water, watching the boys smiling and having fun surfing together.

"That's the thing about Hoseok," Lea said, "He's always reliable. He's honest, and he cares about everything he does. He's warm and bright, always."

The conversation naturally petered off there, but Lea's words were left bouncing around in your mind for the afternoon as you watched him from afar. Lea's words seemed truthful, and they expanded your already growing curiosity for Hoseok. Was it okay to get close to him? Was it okay to just throw yourself openly into a potentially amazing friendship despite the fact you'd have to leave him in a few months? Those lingering questions felt easier to answer after Lea said what she did, and you felt liberated once again.

Hoseok came back to the shore a little while later. The other boys were still out in the water, and even though you didn't know for sure because she was wearing shades, it seemed like Lea had fallen asleep.

"How were the waves?" you prompted Hoseok as he approached, dropping his board next to the towels.

"A little wimpy, but still fun," he chuckled, crouching down to grab a fresh T-shirt from the backpack. "You having fun?"

"Totally. It's beautiful here, and Lea kept me company...I must be boring, though, she fell asleep," you joked.

"She's always falling asleep. Don't take it personally," he removed the rashguard and pulled on the T-shirt before digging through the bag again. After a few moments of searching, he finally found his sunshades. "You wanna go walk the pier with me?"

"Sure!" You jumped at the idea before the excitement fell flat. "Can we leave Lea here, though? Won't she get burned if she stays on her back like that for too long?"

"Nah, she'll be fine. Felix should be coming in from the water soon anyway. Those two don't do very well when separated for more than an hour," he grinned.

"Alright," you couldn't help but smile back at him as you stood and began walking alongside him once again. You felt silly smiling so intensely all the time while around him, but you really couldn't resist.

"You look happy today, and happiness is a good look on you," Hoseok said, his simple words making you unexplainably even happier.

"I just feel really content. I'm glad I'm here..." you hesitated for a moment, wondering how far you could push yourself, how brave you could be. "And I'm glad I met you as well."

"I have a feeling this summer is going to be a good one," He said, "I'm glad you're here too."

☼☼☼

You walked the pier with Hoseok, naturally shifting in and out of light conversation as the both of you enjoyed the view. As the day dwindled and everyone's energy became more depleted, you felt a sense of sadness. It was such a simple day, but yet it was such a good one. It was one you knew you were going to remember. You were no longer dreading the writing of your paper as the short day trip had left you with much-needed inspiration. Even though had tagged along with already such a tight-knit group of friends, you felt like you belonged, and they treated you like you did. You realized during their play arguing and rough-housing and giggling and fighting over the pizza that was acquired on the way home that you felt light and joyous for the first time in a long time.

It was all so beautiful as you reflected on the day as the sunlight was fading. As Kai stopped the truck on the side of the road for everyone to observe the sunset, you felt yourself drawing closer to Hoseok.

You realized how warm he really was, and it was a warmth that you were going to chase for as long as you possibly could.

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A/N: I sincerely apologize to all of you who have been patiently waiting for a new chapter. Life has been crazy lately, but don't worry as I have not forgotten about this story or all of you. I love writing this, and I know exactly where the story is headed. Thank you so much to everyone who is reading and has left me nice comments. It means more to me than you know. As my updates may be a bit inconsistent, I just wanted to remind you all that I have already finished a Min Yoongi x Reader called "Bad For Me" that really focuses on soft min yoongi because not enough people portray the lighter aspects of his personality (in my opinion.) Anyway, you might consider adding that to your library in the meantime as it's complete and you won't have to wait for updates. Thanks again you guys. Happy holidays, and stay safe! <3 ~Mattie