Bargain (Not Met) (JungHope)

Interlude - Hangover

Hoseok woke up with a pounding headache and a bone dry mouth.

He groaned when he realized that what had woken him up was the glean of sunlight shining on his still tightly shut eyelids.

"Hyung, get up," a voice that was starting to become sickly familiar whispered from above him.

"Don't wanna," Hoseok muttered. His tongue stretched oddly around the handful of syllables due to his severe dehydration. "Hey, get me some water."

"What am I? Your butler?"

Hoseok knew the complaints were all for naught once the tell-tale sounds of retreating footsteps entered his hearing.

Deciding he should get up and try to remember what happened the previous night, Hoseok shifted his head away from the sunlight and slowly peeled his eyelids open.

He was still in Taehyung's penthouse.

Hoseok jolted upright at the startling revelation but quickly crumpled back down onto the couch's cushion when a rush of blood swelled inside his head. The utter mortification that came with the acknowledgment of having been sleeping on his manager's living room couch was too much for Hoseok to handle with his overwhelming hangover.

"Feel like throwing up yet?" another familiar voice called out.

Hoseok grimaced as he observed Taehyung pad over to him; bedroom wear wasn't supposed to look good on a person once they've slept in it for eight hours, right?

"I feel like going back to bed," Hoseok admitted.

Taehyung chuckled good-naturedly. "Please, by all means. I'll be busy most of the day delivering gifts, but I trust that you can stand guard of my house." His smile melded into something more mellow. "But are you sure you're feeling alright? One of the other guests found you passed out on the balcony railing last night."

Huh. That explained the feverish warmth that was clouding Hoseok's mind.

"Damn, I wanted to tell you that before anyone else could." Hoseok's gaze traveled away from Taehyung and toward Jungkook, who held a clear glass filled to the brim with water. "I wanted to make sure you didn't get sick or anything."

Hoseok slowly pushed his body into a sitting position, nearly losing his balance when the back of the couch ended up being farther away than he had expected.

"I'm fine, Taehyung-ah," Hoseok assured. He signaled toward Jungkook with a desperate sort of gaze to put the glass down somewhere Taehyung wouldn't find it. "And I should probably go home; I've got some reports to finish up."

"I can drop you off," Taehyung offered, a giddy note lifting his voice an octave too high for Hoseok's abused head to handle.

"No, that's fine," Hoseok insisted. "Just, um, lemme drink some water and I'll be out of your hair..."

"Oh, let me get it for you!" Taehyung whirled around and sauntered back over to the kitchen, only to stop short upon noticing Jungkook's hastily placed glass sitting atop the kitchen's island. "Huh. I guess this was left out last night."

Hoseok released a nervous trill in the back of his throat as his gaze swirled over to where Jungkook stood from behind the kitchen island. The demon caught his eye and smiled that sadistic smile that Hoseok has learned to associate with ensuing mischief.

"Oh, it's still cold," Taehyung mused softly. His tone revealed a muted curiosity, but he decidedly shrugged off the strangeness of the situation and wandered back over to where Hoseok sat on the couch. His movements were careful and deliberate as he focused to not allow the sloshing water to make its escape from the brim.