Chapter Text
Hoseok stepped out of the bathroom, drying his hair with a towel. The salty ocean water had finally been washed away, and his skin felt pleasant to the touch from the cleanliness. In the room on the third floor, it was humid and smelled of their mixed scents. The alpha smiled. Every day the air was becoming better and more similar to how it felt at home.
Yoongi wasn't in the room, but perhaps he was hanging out with the members downstairs, which was actually great, because they didn't necessarily have to be together all day long.
Hoseok tossed the towel over the back of the chair, pulled on a light, bright t-shirt and loose shorts. It was the height of the day outside, the sun flooding the room through the large windows, and the alpha decided that it was the perfect time for his plan. After all, why not.
Hoseok walked out into the hallway, adjusting the collar of his clean t-shirt as he went. Somewhere downstairs, a door thudded—probably one of the guys had run out to the veranda again and had now returned. The alpha began to descend the stairs, listening to the sounds of the house.
It was quiet on the second floor, only a rhythmic mumbling drifted from Namjoon's room—he was probably watching a video or listening to a podcast.
The lower he descended, the louder the house became. On the first floor, an atmosphere of lazy afternoon chaos reigned. Hoseok entered the kitchen, where Jin stood by the open refrigerator, deep in thought about something.
“Oh, hyung,” Jimin, who was sitting on a chair and watching something intently on his phone, now looked up at him. “Are you thirsty? There's cold lemonade on the table here.”
“Oh, that's actually perfect. The heat here is intense. Good thing we got a swim in this morning, otherwise we would have fried.”
“Right? I was just thinking the exact same thing,” Seokjin agreed.
Hoseok chuckled. He walked to the table, poured himself a glass of the ice-cold drink, and took a sip. The sourness of the lemon refreshed him instantly. He didn't rush, instead leaning against the counter, watching as birds outside landed on the terrace, walked along it, and chirped songs known only to them.
“And where is everyone else?” Hoseok asked, finally setting the glass down.
“All over the place,” Jin said. “Namjoon is upstairs, Jungkook and Taehyung are somewhere on the first floor. Do you hear that racket?”
Jimin chuckled, and Hoseok nodded.
“And Yoongi?”
Jin, having finally chosen nothing from the refrigerator, closed the door, leaned his back against it, and looked around in confusion, as if Yoongi might suddenly materialize right there beside them.
“No idea, Hobi. I saw him for the last time before I went into the shower,” he scratched the back of his head. “There was so much movement here, everyone running somewhere... Actually, I thought he was with you.”
“No, I was alone,” Hoseok frowned slightly, and a strange feeling stirred in his chest—not exactly anxiety, but rather an instinctive desire to find his omega.
“He was here relatively recently, taking a bottle of water,” Jimin said. “But I don't know where he went.”
“Hmm, I see,” Hoseok nodded thoughtfully to Jimin.
He left the kitchen, leaving the members to their own business. The house was large, with plenty of cozy corners, and Yoongi could be anywhere. So Hoseok just tried to head toward any kind of sound.
At first, he found himself in several empty rooms, about to start heading up to the second floor—what if Yoongi was actually there? But then he remembered one more place. He walked through the living room deeper into the first floor, toward where the hallway led to another room.
Even before reaching the door, he realized that rhythmic thud-pause, thud-pause—and the loud laughter of Taehyung and Jungkook—were coming from exactly there. Hoseok cracked the door open.
The room was spacious, with high windows. In the center stood a massive tennis table. Jungkook had just made a very fast serve to the side, from which Taehyung almost fell while trying to hit the ball back.
“Hey!” V exclaimed, but laughter was heard in his voice.
Only then did Hoseok see the one he was looking for.
Yoongi stood a bit to the side, leaning his shoulder against the wall. He was holding a bottle of water and intently watching the trajectory of the ball's flight, as if calculating the physics of every hit in his head. When Jungkook scored again, Yoongi laughed briefly.
“Tae, give up, he won't let you win,” the omega said. He looked very relaxed in his oversized t-shirt, with his hair slightly disheveled.
“No way!” Taehyung tossed a strand of hair from his face, returning to his fighting stance. “That was just a strategic mistake, hyung! Like I told you before, I will definitely win. You somehow beat Jungkook, and I can too!”
Yoongi shook his head quietly again, his shoulders shaking slightly with laughter. He was so captivated by this childish excitement of the younger ones that he still didn't notice Hoseok, who was frozen in the doorway, watching him.
“I only won because he was just warming up then,” Yoongi said.
“That's true,” Jungkook chuckled. “And now you stand no chance.”
Yoongi took a sip of water, and his gaze focused on the table again. He narrowed his eyes slightly, preparing to comment on Taehyung's next epic fail. Which, in the end, did happen. All three laughed.
Hoseok, leaning against the doorframe, couldn't help but admire the scene. The light from the window fell softly on Yoongi, highlighting the strands of his hair, and his calm voice wove so harmoniously into the noise of the younger ones. Hoseok didn't want to ruin this moment. There was something special about seeing Yoongi like this—happy, entertained, and a little rumpled. The alpha wanted to watch like this for at least an eternity and never look away.
Jungkook, meanwhile, crouched low to the table, preparing for the final attack. “Get ready, here comes the shot that will decide if you have a chance to keep playing or if you lose right now!”
“Hey! Of course I'll hit it back and win!”
“Just don't hit the lamp with your hitting back,” Yoongi said, took another sip of water, and continued to calmly watch as Jungkook prepared to serve with intense focus.
And finally, the ball sliced through the air with a whistle, hit the table, and flew with mad speed directly at Taehyung. He, shouting something incomprehensible, either from fear or excitement, swung so hard that the racket described a full circle in the air.
“Yes, yes, yes!” Taehyung shouted when he miraculously managed to hit the ball back with the very edge.
The ball went in such an incredible arc that it seemed about to hit the ceiling, but at the last moment, it dived sharply down, touching the table on Jungkook's side. And then the ball rolled onto the floor because no one managed to hit it back in time.
“That was...” Jungkook looked confusedly at the ball, which was now peacefully bouncing on the floor. “That was pure luck! And besides, who hits it back that high up, almost to the ceiling?”
“But I hit it and won!” Taehyung triumphantly tossed the racket into the air and caught it, beaming with happiness. “Did you see, Yoongi-hyung? I told you I'd win!”
“Well, at least the chandelier is intact,” the omega noted, smiling.
“I think I'm tired,” Jungkook chuckled.
“Ha! That's because you lost!” Taehyung answered him, though he was already breathing hard himself. “But actually, I'm tired too. We'll continue later.”
Hoseok, watching the younger ones finish their duel, finally pushed off from the doorframe. With a slow, confident stride, he crossed the room, heading toward Yoongi. The distance between them shortened, and Hoseok felt his scent flare up as soon as he stepped closer.
“Wait,” he stopped the omega gently, just as Yoongi was about to follow the younger ones, who noisily moved toward the room's door. At the touch on his hand, the omega turned and looked at the alpha.
“Hoba,” Yoongi smiled.
“Oh, Hobi-hyung!” Taehyung said at the same time. “Did you see how he lost?”
“I saw,” Hoseok nodded to them. “The invincible Jungkook is still vincible.”
“Next time it won't be like that!” Jungkook said, approaching the room's door. “Yoongi-hyung, thanks for playing with us!”
“Yeah. It was a lot of fun,” the omega nodded at his words, smiling.
“I think we should go, leave you two alone,” Taehyung said.
“Right, that game we started playing, it won't finish itself,” Jungkook agreed.
“The one we played here on the island, or the one we played at home?” Taehyung clarified with him, but the answer sounded muffled, as their voices grew distant since both alphas had left the room.
Hoseok turned back to the omega, closing the small distance that remained between them. Yoongi had to tilt his head back slightly to continue looking him in the eyes. In this sudden silence of the room, the sound of their breathing seemed louder than any words.
“Ping pong?” Hoseok asked softly. “I didn't know you knew how to play. Sad that I missed it.”
“Ah, well no, it's not like I know how,” Yoongi chuckled.
“Still, I'd like to play with you sometime.”
“Well, that's all in your hands. If you don't forget and if you want to constantly see how I lose, then I don't mind.”
“You think I know how to play?” Hoseok chuckled. “I'm sure you play better.”
Yoongi smiled and shrugged. The alpha's warm hand on his arm felt so good. It didn't squeeze, didn't cause pain, and didn't hold him by force—it was never like that. Hoseok always treated him with tenderness, care, and attention. It seemed Yoongi even felt how he began to purr very quietly.
“Are you tired?” the alpha asked softly, looking into the omega's eyes.
Yoongi was surprised by such a sudden question but shook his head.
“No, I'm not tired,” he replied. “Why? Do I look that bad?”
“What? Of course not! You are absolutely always beautiful,” Hoseok said sincerely, and a warm admiration flashed in his eyes for a moment. “I didn't ask for that reason.”
Yoongi smiled—very lightly, only at the corners of his lips, but the gesture was more eloquent than any words. He tilted his head slightly to the side, casting an expectant, encouraging glance at Hoseok, as if pushing the alpha to finally say what he had planned.
“So I... I was looking a bit more into this island. I saw there are several beautiful places nearby,” Hoseok began. “Want to go for a walk?”
Yoongi thought for a moment. “Will anyone see us?”
“It's unlikely we'll be recognized here. Besides, there aren't many people in this part of the island, I think there are almost none. And we won't be going far,” Hoseok said.
“I want to,” Yoongi agreed.
“Wait, really?” the alpha was even a little surprised by such a quick and decisive answer.
The omega simply nodded, and in this gesture, there was so much trust that Hoseok felt a pleasant warmth inside.
“Okay, then... um...” he began, trying to remember what he was going to say next.
“Breathe,” Yoongi smiled tenderly, touching the alpha's shoulders with both hands. This time his palms felt not cool, but warm even through the thin fabric of the t-shirt. “Why are you nervous, Hoba?”
Hoseok took a deep breath, as the omega had advised. He felt the tension in his shoulders instantly disappear under this soothing touch.
“I don't know,” Hoseok admitted honestly, and his signature bright smile appeared on his face again. “I guess I just really wanted you to agree. I didn't even expect it to be so fast.”
Yoongi hummed quietly, squeezing the alpha's shoulders slightly with his fingers before lowering his hands. “I have no reason to refuse. To go somewhere with you, see something new? I'm all for it.”
Hoseok felt warmth in his chest again after those words. Yoongi knew how to just remove any uncertainty and make the alpha feel like the happiest person in the world.
Hoseok took Yoongi's palms in his and looked into the omega's face. In the light filtering through the curtains, the omega's eyes seemed especially deep.
Yoongi froze for a moment, also peering into Hoseok's glowing eyes. And then, as if yielding to a sudden impulse, the omega rose slightly on his tiptoes and quickly, almost weightlessly, touched the alpha's lips with his own. It was a short, soft kiss that smelled of freshness and that same peace that Yoongi always brought with him.
“Get ready,” Yoongi whispered against Hoseok's lips, pulling away only slightly. “Let's not waste time. We don't want to be walking in the dark later, right?”
He looked at the alpha for another moment, and then gently pulled away. Without saying another word, he turned and left the room. His gait was calm, but Hoseok was ready to bet that the omega was smiling contentedly right now.
The alpha himself remained standing in the middle of the room. He instinctively touched his lips with his fingertips, where the warmth of the omega's lips was still felt. His heart did its usual, and therefore increasingly intense, thud-thud-thud, and his smile became even wider.
They went outside. The sun was very warm, but not so much as to burn, so everything was fine. Hoseok confidently turned around the corner of the house, where a dense tropical forest began nearby. Yoongi walked beside him, looking around.
“Here,” when they approached closer, Hoseok pointed his hand toward a narrow path that dived right under the sprawling canopies.
“Are you sure we're allowed to go there?”
“Of course. This path leads exactly to where we're going,” Hoseok reassured him.
Yoongi nodded, stepping forward.
Just a few steps—and the world seemed to change. The house disappeared behind a natural wall of giant palm leaves. The air here was more humid and smelled of heated bark and some exotic flowers whose names they didn't know.
Thick, twisted vines hung from the tall trunks and intertwined with each other. The sun broke through this greenery in individual golden pillars of light, in which small insects slowly circled.
“Wow,” Yoongi said softly, stopping and examining one of the vines that had wrapped around the trunk of a massive palm tree. “This looks so... wow!”
Hoseok laughed, pulling even with him. Around was only the noise of the forest, the monotonous chorus of cicadas, the rustle of giant leaves that resembled a whisper, and the distant sounds of ocean waves.
The path became narrower, in places crossed by massive palm roots that protruded from under the ground. Yoongi had to watch his step carefully, and Hoseok felt the omega squeezing his hand tighter every time he needed to step over another obstacle.
“Everything is so different here,” Yoongi said softly, bypassing a low-hanging vine that dangled picturesquely from above.
“Yeah,” Hoseok agreed. “Oh, the path is even narrower here. Be careful.”
The alpha held back the branch of a spreading fern, allowing Yoongi to pass forward. The omega carefully slipped under the slanted branch that Hoseok was holding and stopped for a moment. The greenery around was so saturated that it seemed almost unreal.
“Are we definitely going the right way?”
“I'm one hundred percent sure, Yoongi-ya. Not much longer. And, it seems, the path ahead becomes wider.”
“That's good. At least we'll be able to see if we're stepping on snakes. If there are any here.”
Hoseok nodded.
They walked on. The air here was filled with a dense sound—hundreds of insects and birds called to each other somewhere in the treetops, creating a sense of absolute isolation from the rest of the world.
“Even breathing is different here,” Yoongi said, stopping for a moment to wipe a small bead of sweat from his forehead. The path finally became wide enough for them to walk side by side. “The smell of wet earth and...” he sniffed, “Something citrusy?”
“Wild lemons or limes? They probably grow here on their own,” Hoseok replied, also stopping. He enjoyed how interested the omega was.
“A pity there are no tangerines,” Yoongi said.
“What do you mean, none?” Hoseok looked at him.
Yoongi lightly nudged him with his elbow, smiling.
“You know what I meant,” the omega said. “And I can feel your scent is strong. By the way, also—”
Suddenly Yoongi fell silent. A branch somewhere a bit further from them deep in the thicket snapped. The omega turned his head just in time: something crawled out from behind a bush, darted to the side, and hid behind a broad tree. It was only a brief flash of movement, a barely noticeable silhouette, but cold shivers ran down the omega's back.
“Yoongi?”
“Um...” the omega swallowed, brushing off the fright. “There... there was something there.”
Yoongi pointed in that direction, not taking his eyes off the dark greenery.
Hoseok instantly focused. His relaxed posture shifted to a more protective one—the alpha's instincts kicked in faster than he could realize. He took a step forward, bringing Yoongi slightly behind his shoulder, and also peered into the thicket where the omega was pointing.
“Where exactly?” he asked softly, making no sudden movements.
Yoongi froze, almost not breathing. The light breaking through the leaves created bizarre shadows, and for a moment it seemed to him that the whole forest was watching them.
“There, behind that massive palm tree far ahead... It was something very fast,” Yoongi's voice sounded muffled, and there wasn't a hint of a joke in it. “It was big.”
Hoseok didn't just look there; he froze, listening to every rustle and trying to catch any kind of the scent. But the air was clean—only humid greenery, scents of flowers and wet earth.
Nothing foreign. No hostile scent of someone else. No signs of human presence.
Hoseok turned back to the omega, gently embracing him and taking his hand in his. The omega's palm was still tense. The alpha began to slowly stroke his skin with his thumb, soothing him.
“Look at me. Everything is fine. I believe you, and I don't deny that something was there. But right now I don't hear or feel anything,” Hoseok said gently. “Maybe it was some animal? There are many wild animals here, but they usually don't come close. At least that's what the internet said. In any case, don't worry, Yoongi, I'm right here.”
Yoongi cast one more brief glance at the thicket. He trusted Hoseok's instincts. If the alpha said everything was fine and there was no threat, it meant he had probably just imagined it. Likely, the sun's glare had played a trick on him and shown a person's silhouette. Because in reality, it could truly have been some animal, right?
“Yeah... probably,” Yoongi finally exhaled, slightly relaxing his shoulders. “It's just this place is... too wild. I must be seeing things.”
Yoongi looked back up at Hoseok, peering into his calm eyes. The alpha's warmth, his confident voice, and that gentle movement of his thumb over the skin worked instantly. The tension in the omega's shoulders began to melt.
Now, as it dawned on Yoongi what Hoseok had said about the internet, he even let out a barely noticeable huff—it was so typical for the alpha: preparing for a walk by studying all possible threats online.
“At least that's what the internet said?” Yoongi repeated softly, and a faint smile finally appeared on his face. “I hope the local animals read those articles too and know they shouldn't come close.”
Hoseok laughed, happy that Yoongi had started joking again. That sound, so familiar and sincere, finally dispelled the last remains of anxiety in the air.