"i know, i know they didn't mean it," hoseok replies, holding onto them oh-so-tight as he takes their soothing words in for some strength. he drops his gaze to the bedsheets beneath him, shuddering with every breath he pulled into his lungs. "that's not really the point. there was just so many... too many of them drunk to get together. that's what i was more worried about." he curls up and pull both of them close, thankful that they were there. "i don't deserve you guys."
“hoseok,” yuta softly crooned, again, feeling that ache of guilt because he was there but definitely piss-drunk, “they were out of their minds and wouldn’t listen—it’s not about you at all, just them being drunk and dickheads.” yuta keeps hoseok’s hand in his own and rests his head against hoseok’s. he wasn’t the most eloquent, but he knew how to hold a person tight and make his intentions felt. “you’re not a dickhead for feeling bad—you’re human. who would wanna be called a pedo? NO ONE,” he whispers fiercely, albeit becoming a little protective in the meantime.
the look hoseok practically throws his way only makes ten's lips droop into a heavy frown and his heart sink further into the depths of his chest, the hand on hoseok's cheek moving to swipe away any more tears that fall. his head sways very softly, and matching with yuta, he puts on the softest and most sincere green his lips can make without giving way to his concern. "you're not a dickhead for getting hurt by that, hoseok." his voice leaves him softly and almost in a whisper, fingers of each hand taking hold of hoseok's free one to pat and squeeze it in their hold. "i'd be hurt by that too, and being hurt by something like that doesn't even make you a dickhead. that's their role in this situation."
hoseok breaks another level of his smiling guard the more the other two fuss over him. why are they being so nice? everything he said earlier made him sound like a jerk, yet they took to him and embrace him as he cries. "i-i... i couldn't do anything..." he whimpers, clutching yuta's hand and ten's sleeve as tightly as he could. "it w-was so messy and and i just wanted to get everyone... home safely, but they kept calling me a p-pedo and didn't want to go. a ing pedo, with a white van and i know that they were drunk and didn't mean it but-" hoseok rambles through the tears, eyebrows knitted tightly as he looks straight into ten's eyes, his own pair fraught with agony. "i don't wanna b-be the dickhead but that hurt, you know?"
yuta heard the sniffles before he saw them and he can honestly say it’s been a while since he felt the ache of his heart hurting like it did for hoseok. yuta meets ten’s gaze very briefly and silently stands there, holding hoseok firmly against him and even slipping his hand into hoseok’s for a supportive squeeze. “i don’t want to leave you alone like this ever. i never want to leave you alone.” yuta adds, uncharacteristically soft and genuine. (he was trying hard for hoseok.)
when hoseok's tears begin to cascade down his cheeks, a sharp sting shakes his heart and he instantly moves to sit the other down. his face washes over with worry stringing together his brows and thumbs fidgeting slightly when they come to cup the other's cheeks. "what's the matter, hoseok?" he almost whispers, glancing at yuta again and moving his hand to pat his thigh real fast and share a look of regret before coming forward to look at hoseok again. "what happened? was it the party? did we stress you?"
"let me go!" hoseok is only able to resist for a short second against yuta and ten, until his expression crumbles when yuta wraps his arms around him. the sudden warmth just made it so easy. please, for the love of everything good in this world, stop, he tells himself. yet the silver streaks lining his cheeks disobey, coaxing a sob from his lips. this was why he wanted to be alone. they didn't need to see him this way. "let me be alone... please." he musters a broken beg and drops all his strength behind.
yuta doesn’t waste time with a look like that; he scrambles off the bed (foot almost catching in the sheets) and he takes a hold of hoseok from behind, hugging him tight. and his chin rested on hoseok’s shoulder. “we’re all tired and that couch is more than a days work for any one of us.” yuta takes a step back, testing if he’s able to maneuver hoseok with him.
"no, hoseok, we'll handle it tomorrow," he quickly huffs out while taking the other by the hand and bringing him to one side of his bed before shooting yuta a quick 'grab him and hold him hostage' look. "why do you wanna clean so bad anyway? you look tired."
"but it's dirty!" hoseok protests as he's dragged off from his distraction and turns his head to the door, an almost forlorn look crossing his face. "i need to clean it." in his lower lip, he glares at ten for a quick moment before turning away to hide his face. he wants out, he doesn't want the silence to fill his brain and whisper everything he was trying to push away. "please. let me clean."
yuta turns to look over his shoulder, feeling the start of a headache forming dully in his temples but never the less, he greets the others by sitting up and peeling back the sheets. he pats the empty space beside him.
just as he was helping set all the garbage bags near the door, he spots hoseok move away to go clean the couch and furrows his brows in disbelief, little legs of his scuttling over to grab the other and yank the cushion and its cover out of hoseok's hands then drag him off to his room and close the door. "get in bed." just in case hoseok were to try and leave again he stays in the way, lifting a hand to point it at his bed. "do it now, dude."
hoseok grunts in acknowledgement at everyone else and gathers all the bags to take them out later. staring at the couch that everyone had their eyes on in suspicion, he decides, screw sleep. he crouches down next to it and idly inspects the surfaces, daring a sniff before reeling in disgust. "ew," he whines, pulling out the cushion in question and ripping the cover off to wash it.
“ten there’s enough room for us both on your bed so— i don’t trust that couch either.” he mumbles, shuffling off to ten’s room and getting as comfortable as he could before slipping into the sheets, squeezing himself into the space against the wall, leaving most of the bed for ten. embarrassment still rung heavy behind his eyelids but he takes it for what it is and falls asleep quickly.
grinning to herself at nahee's warm hearted invitation to make up for things, doyeon threw a few more articles of trash into the garbage bag and wiped her hands off. goodnight boys! the dreaded feeling of fatigue made her eyelids hard to keep open at the erratic pacing of events. waving off to her roommates and yuta, doyeon yawned dragging herself into her room and locked the door.
grabbing a towel to sop up the random liquid he's praying is drool mixed with food bits, he shoves the item in the trashbag he had nearby. wiping down the wall near that spot the wiping down all the door handles after picking up more empty bottles before. "yeah, dude, just go to sleep. my room is open." shaking down some of the bottles stuffed in his bag to tie it closed, he takes it and another one to the corner then faces the others as well. "we can talk more when we head to that brunch."
"stop. stop talking and just go to sleep," even when hoseok is drained out of his mind his mouth never stops working. he didn't mean it that way but he simply wasn't in the mood to talk to anybody anymore. slowly squeezing his eyes shut, he crosses his arms and turns to face him. "we can talk about this in the morning." he murmurs, in hopes that it would soften the severity of his words.
“i— you sure?” yuta doesn’t have it in him to fight as a yawn takes over and he sets the mop aside, where he found it. “i’m... seriously so sorry. this will never happen again—and i mean that. i put so much on you guys and i KNOW how much work it was. hoseok, ten— i love you guys so much. i’m seriously so sorry.” yuta doesn’t know when it’ll be adequate enough— he doesn’t know if he should stop or keep going. he doesn’t know if he’ll truly be forgiven. but this: this was unacceptable.
"kay." hoseok mumbles yet again, working wordlessly with only heavy exhales breaking his vow of silence. he just wants this over with and keeps going over the spots that had already been cleaned. while he's grateful that no one decided to talk whilst this happened, his nose crinkles ever so slightly with disgust as he puts everything back in place.
a small chuckle leaves him and he's waving her off with a soft goodnight until he turns and looks back at the horror that is his dorm. shuffling about to find some gloves and another trash bag, he's quick to get to work too and makes an occasional glance at the others until yuta speaks again and he finds a suspicious liquid on the floor. trying not to gag while doing so, he looks away and puts a wrist to his lips. "yeah, no— sleep in my bed because i don't trust the couch."
yuta wasn’t afraid of cleaning: from wiping down the counters with some elbow grease, and mopping the floors as they were his own, he took to cleaning as best as he could in the time that he was awake and there. looking around, and seeing that the room was only slightly disheveled, he lets out a soft exhale. he was tired, heavy lidded.
“can i crash on your couch this one time? i’ll be out by noon, promise.”
"yuta–" hoseok is left staring as he brushes by him, not used to the tone he had served him. "rest well at home okay nahee?" the night was to end peacefully, or as much as it could anyway. he just wanted to be useful for once this night, but even then for someone like him, maybe it was impossible. "make it quick," he mutters, silently scampering around to pick up the trash and wiping up anything he could see.
"we'll come over, yeah," he agrees, a small smile forming on his lips and a nod accompanying it though he feels bad about doing so. "go home and rest up now, okay?"
“really?!” she cheers up briefly, an idiotic grin on her face as she bats her eyelashes. “you’ll all come over for an apology brunch tomorrow, right? i’ll cook as a way to say sorry!”
"nahee, no," he says as his hands come to her shoulders to spin her around and give her a gentle push forward. "just go home, love. you need to rest and you can make us all hangover soup later if you really want to."
“hoseok i brought everyone here,” yuta states matter of factly as he slips under hoseok’s arm and into the apartment, happy to take up ten’s trash bag and begin hauling , “let me do this—and get yall to bed earl— er, earlier than expected.” yuta’s adamant, not having any more of the niceties and overcome with a strong sense of responsibility: he was going to stick with his buddies no matter what.
hoseok had not a single idea of the events that had transpired between him leaving the club and returning. the only clarity of it all were the two pairs of puppy eyes glistening with guilt that painted more questions in his head. "guys... please. it's fine, i started the whole idea of getting everyone to come just- please just go back and sleep, you need it," he strains a reply, hand threading through his hair slowly.
she bites her lip, guilt gnawing at her like an infection. “please, it’s the least i can do. i would also like to apologize for everything. i was supposed to look after them, but i... contributed to the mess instead.”
eyes landing on yuta again, he exhales a heavy sigh and shakes his head softly so as to not disturb his headache. for a split second he thinks to ask hoseok if he'd sleep should yuta come in and help, but he already knows the other is more likely to stubbornly refuse. "yuta, you can come in and help because this is your fault too."
