Bargain (Not Met) (JungHope)

Interlude - Confrontation

The moon waxed its gentle rays further across the undefined surfaces of Hoseok's room the longer he and Jungkook sat in timid silence. Hoseok fiddled with the loose material of the blankets that Jungkook refused to unearth himself from. A nagging voice in his head urged him in periodic waves of adrenaline to do something. But, he always hesitated on what exactly that something was and ended up faltering back into an edged state of stillness.

He felt Jungkook shift next to him, the first movement either one of them had made since Hoseok joined him on the bed, and a sudden switch flipped in his head when he caught sight of the swollen, reddened appearance of the demon's face.

"What's up, Kook?" Hoseok approached carefully. The words were a familiar comfort for him, and he hoped that Jungkook could cradle the minute sentiment.

Jungkook shuddered out a broken sob before clearing his throat.

Hoseok waited a few moments more before turning his gaze fully toward Jungkook, which was previously wandering the city's obscured night-view beyond the drawn curtains. "Bottling it up inside doesn't help," he murmured solemnly. "Trust me." He shifted closer to bump shoulders with Jungkook, gentle, probing. "You're reentering a difficult period in anyone's life, so it's okay to seek out help from other people."

There seemed to be a determined sort of expression on Jungkook's face, all hard edges and terse. Hoseok felt a little crestfallen at the utter lack of reaction Jungkook held toward his words of genuine comfort. He had expected a little bit of resistance from the demon, what with him being infamously stubborn in his ways. Still, he never even dreamed that Jungkook would be as stoic as he was after facing the reality of his unfortunate situation.

Hoseok stared at Jungkook's trembling jaw and began rethinking his approach on the matter. Maybe he was trying to be too comforting; maybe Jungkook just needed some familiarity instead of some out of character reassurances.

Hoseok, armed with the phrase, why aren't you saying anything, you absolute man-child (or something along those lines), startled when he noticed Jungkook finally give him a semblance of attention. He watched with bated breath as the demon turned, slow and with the air of reluctance, toward him.

Red-rimmed eyes with pupils of uncharacteristically muted blood-red gazed upon him, unshed tears wavering in their hold.

Hoseok held Jungkook's visibly crumbling gaze, trying his hardest to communicate to the demon that it was okay; that he was there to ground him in his time of desperate need.

The only warning that gave away that Jungkook's walls finally caved in was a choked out Hyung, and the demon was falling into his open arms with vulnerable cries of woe. Hoseok wrapped his arms tightly around Jungkook, bringing a hand up to stroke the demon's mop of hair with quiet comfort. He rocked their intertwined bodies with a gentle rhythm, soothing hiccupped tears away from Jungkook's face with tender, careful hands.

The crying eventually began ebbing away, the moon's rays revealing the passage of time between their encounter and comfort. Hoseok continued his mindless petting of Jungkook's hair, and Jungkook accepted the needless affection with periodic sniffles and shuffles.

Hoseok sighed into the crown of Jungkook's head, resting his chin atop the demon's scalp. "Wanna talk about it?" he asked benignly, softly, like it could be refused. It was an option, of course, but he had hope that the demon would see the benefits of sharing his worries with another person.

But, really, he just wanted Jungkook to trust him.

Hoseok felt Jungkook shift his weight further into his chest, burying his face into the material of the office worker's tear-stained shirt. A beat passed, and Hoseok could feel Jungkook mouthing at the wet spots, unspoken words pressed close to his chest, to his heart. He couldn't really make out any coherent words with Jungkook's movements, but he allowed the demon to continue since he was currently pinned in place with the wash of newly formed tears soaking into his shirt.

Some moments passed before Hoseok caught on to the slight pattern that Jungkook's lips made: Later. It took a moment, but Hoseok processed the single-lettered message and went about his nightly routine. He had to pry Jungkook away for a moment to tug his shirt over his head, but the demon was quick to cling to the bare skin of his chest as they cradled one another to sleep.

"Tell me when you're ready," Hoseok murmured into the crown of Jungkook's head. He felt Jungkook breathe in deeply, stuttered and slowed. "Please," he pleaded quietly, desperately, if only to garner Jungkook's sense of comfort.

Jungkook's wet lashes flinched against his collarbones before he answered. "I will."

--

The following morning found Hoseok, Jungkook, and Jimin in the company of an extremely distressed Taehyung.

Hoseok blinked in silent bewilderment at the manager's unusual show of emotion before even considering asking him what was wrong.

"I think," Taehyung began upon Hoseok's awkward concern, "I got some more of my memories last night."

Hoseok heard Jungkook release a noise of some sort. Perhaps of surprise? Discomfort? There really was no telling when all the demon had to show was a stoic mask that featured swollen eyes.

"Can you remember them?" Hoseok asked when Jungkook refused to do so himself.

Taehyung nodded with certainty. "Yeah. Like, I remember some more details about my friend and our history together." His eyes stuttered over toward Jungkook's direction for a second, before settling hastily back onto Hoseok's stilted form. "I also remember learning about the deal he made with his demon."

Jimin gasped from his corner, and Hoseok felt his silent sentiment of astonishment.

"Wouldn't that have been the one thing the demon would've made sure to erase from your memory, though?" Hoseok pressed. He didn't like having to take up the role of the lead investigator. He silently mourned for the days when Jungkook was the one to take the initiative in their deal.

Taehyung paused and pondered upon his questioning, and Hoseok felt impatience crawl down his spine in a slow drawl. "I guess?" Taehyung eventually settled on, an unsure shrug making its rare appearance on the manager. "I'm not really concerned about the mechanics of the whole 'mind-wiping' spell, curse, or whatever. What matters is that we have a clue as to where we should be searching for information."

Hoseok held up his hands in a hasty manner, a spike of panic bolting through his body when Taehyung made to leave his cubicle pompously. "Wait, wait! You didn't even tell us what your friend's deal was!"

Taehyung turned to stare at Hoseok curiously. "Oh! Well, I found out that my friend wanted recognition from his family members so that he could live out his musical career with their support."

Hoseok's heart clenched at the innocent wish of the stranger. "And the catch?"

Taehyung's eyes dulled, and his lips quirked into a wry grin. "If he tried to use any underhanded tricks to gain popularity, people would forget he ever existed."

A/N - sorry for the late update i forgot my own update schedule 💀