PERFECT (YOONSEOK)

TWENTY-THREE

"You know, I've had years to get used to this... And his relapses still scare me." Seokjin said as he and Yoongi prepared dinner. Hoseok was sitting on the couch, half-asleep as he watched television. "I can't imagine what you're going through..."

"I'm scared..." Yoongi admitted, staring down at the vegetables he was cutting. "And confused..."

"Confused?" Yoongi nodded.

"I was designed to be perfect. I am perfect." Yoongi looked up at Seokjin. "And yet, even with companionship mode off, I can't find a solution to this problem. I can't find a cure..."

Seokjin just smiled and shook his head, placing a hand on Yoongi's shoulder.

"Yoongi, let me let you in on a little secret... The company that made you can tell themselves they've created the perfect being, but they haven't." Yoongi frowned slightly. "Everyone has their faults. Even robots. Look at you, you're supposedly an unfeeling computer, and yet you obviously love Hoseok."

"It's just a-"

"Response to stimuli, yeah I know." Seokjin rolled his eyes. "Do you know how many times Hoseok told me that when talking about Taehyung? A million times..."

"But-" Seokjin shook his head.

"No buts, Yoongi. It's simple, we all have our faults, but that doesn't mean we're not perfect."

"But perfect means to be faultless..." Seokjin sighed and shook his head again. In the background, they could hear Hoseok cough.

"It also means to be as good as possible. Yoongi, I get woken up every morning by either an air horn or water pistol. I'm lucky to get a minute of silence in my house and sometimes I wonder if I'm a parent or a boyfriend." Seokjin laughed. "But, despite Taehyung's overactiveness which some would call a fault, I wouldn't change him. Everyone has flaws and it's just a part of us."

"I-" Yoongi was cut off by the sound of more coughing. There was then something that sounded like scrabbling.

The pair rushed out to see Hoseok doubled over as he coughed into a handful of tissues. The tissues were turning red from blood.

Yoongi and Seokjin both went to Hoseok's side, placing a hand on each shoulder. Once he'd stopped coughing, he shrugged them off and went to dispose of the tissues.

"Hoseok, are-"

"I'm fine." Hoseok snapped, disliking the treatment he was receiving from everyone.

He walked into the bathroom and flushed the tissues down the toilet. He then rested against his sink, staring up at his reflection.

He sighed, hating how weak his arms felt as he held himself up, hating how sick he looked.

Opening the cabinet behind the mirror, Hoseok pulled out his medication and with a shaky hand poured some of the pills into his hand.

He swallowed them dry and stared at himself once more time.

He looked like he was dying... And Hoseok hated that.

-

"Yoongi, can you please make me your seaweed soup again?" Hoseok asked as they lay in bed. It was only eight but Hoseok was growing too tired to stay awake and he wanted to escape Seokjin's constant gaze.

Because Yoongi wasn't classified as a person, he couldn't count as Hoseok's carer so Seokjin had to basically live with the two.

This meant Taehyung had to stay with someone else, and of course he chose Jungkook.

"Of course." Yoongi watched as Hoseok smiled.

"Thanks..." Hoseok, unable to keep his eyes open anymore, slowly closed them and fell asleep almost instantly.

Yoongi stroked his hair as he stared down at him, his brain slowly trying to find a way to save Hoseok.

It wasn't working.

Yoongi eventually fell asleep, his chest still hurting.

-

"I have to go check on Taehyung." Seokjin said as Yoongi made seaweed soup.

"Okay." Yoongi didn't look up from the soup, attempting to make the best soup he could.

"I should be back by lunch, provided Taehyung lets me leave." Yoongi nodded and Seokjin took that as his response. "Bye."

"Bye." Yoongi heard the front door open and shut as Seokjin rushed out. He then looked at his bedroom door, where Hoseok was still sleeping.

He sighed, returning his attention to the soup.

"What time is it?" Hoseok asked when he eventually woke up, still looking exhausted.

"Two." Yoongi looked at Hoseok as he sat down next to him. Hoseok slowly lied down till his head was in Yoongi's lap. "I made seaweed soup."

"Sorry for not waking up." Yoongi ran his fingers through Hoseok's hair.

"It's alright. Seokjin went to see Taehyung by the way."

"Ah, okay." Hoseok closed his eyes, enjoying the feeling of Yoongi's fingers in his hair. "Yoongi..."

"Yeah?" Hoseok sighed.

"I'm sorry for keeping it all a secret from you." He said. "I'm sorry for never telling you."

"It's okay, I understand." Hoseok sighed again as he sat up, turning to face Yoongi.

"And... I love you, Yoongi." For a brief moment as Hoseok gently kissed Yoongi, Yoongi's chest stopped hurting.

"I love you too, Hoseok."

-

Hoseok sat in the bath, tears falling freely from his eyes and camouflaging with the water.

He'd started taking baths alone, purely so he could hide his tears. If Yoongi was with him, he would have instantly noticed the tears that were basically invisible.

Hoseok coughed, bringing his hand up to his mouth. Blood seeped through his fingers and dropped into the water.

Hoseok rinsed his hand in the bath water and got out. He slowly dried himself, disliking the fact he could feel a large number of his bones, and dressed himself.

Emptying the water from the bath, he watched as it spiralled down the hole.

Hoseok felt everything grow dark and he collapsed.

He felt slightly guilty as he lost consciousness, realising Yoongi was going to have to walk in on him.

He just hoped it wasn't to his lifeless body...