Hope, In a Photo (Yoonseok)

Part 10

Yoongi received a few more letters from Hoseok, but he hadn't been able to write any back, he'd tried numerous times, but each time he didn't know how to get past 'Dear Seok-ah,'

The boy fumbled with the plane ticket in his pocket, he'd carried it around with him ever since he'd bought it.

"So you leave in a few weeks?" Namjoon asked, they were at Seokjin's café after closing, the snow was piling up outside the window and with christmas just a few days away, the warm smell of gingerbread and peppermint filled the little cafe. Seokjin had poured them all some beer as they sat at the counter, the dim light overhead offering a sense of comfort as they sipped their alcohol.

Yoongi breathed, "Yes."

"And you're not nervous? You know the tension has been growing, it's just getting more and more dangerous." Seokjin asked, worry filling his tone that only caused Yoongi to feel the guilt that seeped in-between the cracks of his chest.

"That's exactly why I have to go. As soon as possible." He took another swig of his drink, "I'm sorry, I am, but I have to do this. I'll write back more this time." His two friends hummed in confirmation.

They were quiet for a little while, letting their minds wander after their long days, finally finding peace in the middle of Seokjin's café at one in the morning. The familiar presence of each other, just being there, was enough to calm the roughest of waters.

And Yoongi closed his eyes, letting his mind wander, to a pair of dark brown eyes, and a bright, heart shaped smile.

_

Yoongi was at the airport, waiting with Namjoon and Seokjin for his friends, they were all coming home and the excitement in Yoongi's chest could barely be contained in his gummy smile. He held flowers, sunflowers, for Hoseok, Namjoon and Seokjin teased him while they waited, but his smile only grew with anticipation.

But it all came crashing down, all of it, when Yoongi was looking out the windows in the terminal, and saw the plane crash right there on the runway. And then the grenades went off in the airport, the same way they did on the base. Namjoon and Seokjin were trying to pull him away, were trying to bring him to safety but Yoongi couldn't listen to reason, he couldn't process anything other than the plane that smashed itself to pieces outside the window.

He looked back to his friends, screaming, "Go!" before running towards the windows, the grenades had blasted through the glass, creating the perfect escape for him as he jumped down to the runway, running, he couldn't process anything, he couldn't think, he couldn't feel, anything.

"Hoseok" He heard himself whisper, or maybe he was screaming, "Hoseok, Hoseok, Hoseok"

When he got to the plane's wreckage, he found Jimin, Taehyung and Jungkook, all seemingly untouched, all three greeting Yoongi with smiles.

"Hyung!" Jimin called out excitedly, trapping Yoongi in a hug that the other two quickly joined in.

"Hyung we missed you." Jungkook spoke.

Yoongi hugged them back, relieved, really, but he couldn't stop shaking, he couldn't make his voice work, but then they pulled away, their smiles dropping as Taehyung spoke, "Nobody was hurt in the crash hyung...but..." he couldn't finish his sentence, his voice wavering at the end as he pulled something out of his pocket, and placed it in Yoongi's hands.

The older was confused, looking at the three boys, waiting for an explanation only to find their gazes glued to the ground,

Yoongi looked down, finding a set of dog tags resting in his hands, cold, lifeless, as he read the name,