Archive of Our Own ^beta

Hoseok wakes up in bed alone, and that’s when he realizes that it’s really over. That they left him for good. It wasn’t like he expected anything different after all, he is a rebel, and they’re done bringing the casts down. It just serves him right for getting involved with two of the most powerful people in Illéa. It all started when he met up with them halfway through the Selection, when Prince Yoongi himself sought out Hoseok and the other rebels. He took the revolution that he is related to Namjoon, their leader well enough, and Hoseok was assigned to work as the rebel on the inside.

The caste system has been around since the days of Il-Sung Illéa, a plan for after the Great War with China that divided the people into numbered castes based on their standings in society to better distribute food, or at least that was Illéa’s explanation for it. Ones are the top, the royalty and their family, like Prince Yoongi for example, and his new consort Jimin. Twos are the celebrities, pop artists, models and actors, along with public service workers like policemen and firefighters, as well as the royal guard and soldiers. Threes are educated working professions, Fours are less educated business owning professions as well as farmers, Fives are artists. Jimin actually is from that caste, something Hoseok finds entertaining because he, from the eyes of the king was not supposed to win the Selection. Yet he did. And then the castes get worse. Sixes are servants, Sevens are manual laborers, and Eights are the lowest of the low, the homeless, the drug addicts, and the people born orphaned unknowing of their caste, as well as the people who committed “treason”. 

Hoseok himself was born a Two, the son of police officers, yet now, after faking his death to work exclusively for the rebels, he’s probably an Eight. Yet with the caste system dissolved, none of that matters now. And it will take time, but he can’t wait to eventually see a caste free society. It just will come at the cost of his relationship with them. 

He knew it would happen, too, being a rebel and getting involved with the now power couple of Illéa was a stupid idea, yet the heart wants what it wants. 

Groaning, he gets himself out of their bed, and dressing, leaves the chambers. He makes his way to the servant’s corridors, a small smile on his face even though he just wants to cry inside. Evidence of the fight from the Southern Rebels is everywhere, blood splattering the wall. He enters his quarters, pulling off of his blooded jacket and uniform to put a new one on. It’s clearly time for him to leave the palace, and he puts his street clothes on. 

Just then, Jeongguk and Taehyung enter his room, both of them relieved to see him. “There you are,” Taehyung states, as the two sit on his bed, pulling him down to sit between them. Jeongguk is limping slightly, likely the result of a wound from the fight, but Taehyung seems to be unharmed, which is good. 

Taehyung was a member of the Selection along with Jimin, yet was caught kissing Jeongguk and as a result declared a traitor and sentenced to life as an Eight. Yoongi managed to save both him and Jeongguk, and hid the two of them in the palace. Hoseok made friends with both of them as they acclimated into the palace, and they both are now close confidants of him. 

“I’m leaving,” he states confidently, looking between the two of them. “There’s nothing left for me here right now, and I would like nothing more than to stay, but I just can’t.”

Taehyung’s eyebrows shoot up. “What about Jimin and Yoongi, isn’t that enough of a reason?”

Hoseok just shakes his head. “They don’t really want me, they love each other. I’m really just a convenient third person for them to have fun with,” he says only slightly bitter. 

Jeongguk shakes his head at that, “hyung has never acted like that around you. Neither of them have stated anything of that nature to me or Tae.”

Hoseok shakes his head. “I have to go,” he says, standing. “I’m not one for palace life, and Namjoonie needs me.” With that, he strides out, leaving the palace, and a relationship that has no room for him, behind. 

Hoseok makes it back to the rebel base in thirty minutes, dodging past people celebrating Yoongi’s ascension to the throne and the royal wedding on his motorbike. It kind of sucks, that no matter how much he tries, he can’t escape them. He wishes he could, but he can’t. 

Upon entering, both Namjoon and Seokjin frown. “We thought you would be in the palace.” Seokjin says, glancing around, “celebrating the end of the castes with Yoongi-ssi and Jimin-ssi?”

Hoseok frowns, remembering his boast about that only days before. But the pride always comes before the fall, and he’s fallen hard. He just shakes his head once, and that’s enough for the two of them. 

“What happened?” his oldest friend and leader asks, and it’s enough to get Hoseok to start crying. 

“I just-” he says, voice breaking, “really love them. But it’s just friends with benefits on my end, not anything more. They’re getting married, and there is no room in a marriage for three.”

Jin shakes his head, cupping his shoulders from behind and Hoseok feels comfortably sandwiched in between them. “No, Hobi-ah. You deserve the world,” he says, “they clearly don’t deserve you then.”

Namjoon coughs, the sound coming from him a curse that ends the quiet of the moment. “I know you’re hurt,” he says, “but I want you to think about this before responding. I have a position that I wasn’t considering for you because of your relationship with the two of them. But I would want to send one of my most trusted, which you are.”

“What is it?” Hoseok asks, only slightly suspicious.

“Jimin-ssi made close friends with the Princess of Italy, and as a result they wish to meet with us, partly due to the agreement made about weapons. It would be a year, I was going to offer it to Youngshik, but the position is open for you as well.”

Hoseok sighs. “Can I think about it, Namjoonie? For now I need to come to terms with my heartbreak.”

Namjoon nods, tripping slightly as he picks up his pad. “Whatever you want, Hoseokie. You should get some rest though, and don’t think I didn't notice your injury in the battle, you will be getting that looked over.”

“They looked it over at the palace,” he responds, but Namjoon shakes his head. “Jin will be checking it out. I don’t care if you had it looked over, you likely sat their and declared you just needed a bandage and that they should just focus on the more wounded victims.”

It still is almost scary to Hoseok just how accurately Namjoon sees through him, so he does nothing but nod as Jin escorts him to the med bay. It’s really only then that he notices just how much his shoulder is hurting. He knew someone got a piece of it, but right now it feels like it’s slowly bleeding out. 

Once Jin, rather unceremoniously strips his top off, Hoseok actually realizes he is bleeding out as the bandage he slapped onto the wound is seeping blood. 

It’s a rather strange feeling, watching the droplets of red blood drip down his collarbone and down his chest. Jin lets out a curse, and Hoseok just blinks, continuing to watch, as if it isn’t his blood. Jin wipes it off and unravels the bandage, cursing all the while. The gash in his chest is deeper than Hoseok thought, from a deflecting bullet that managed to scrape it’s way up and across his shoulder. Immediately Jin pulls out a needle and thread to sew him up, Hoseok continuing to ignore the cursing from both his friends at the sight of the wound. 

“Fucking hell,” Jin lets out another string of curse as he applies salve to the finished stitches before bandging him. “You really got really fucking lucky, Hoseok. If it hit your brachial artery, you would have bled out in a minute, maybe two if you were lucky.”

“But it didn’t, hyung,” Hoseok states rather cheerfully. “Now I’m fine, right?”

“Yes, Hobi-ah, you’re fine.” Jin sighs, “just don’t do something so completly stupid ever again! I need you both in my life.”

Hoseok looks at Joon before nodding, “of course. Now can I sleep now?”

They nod and leave him in the infirmary. Hoseok lays back, elevating his injured arm slightly. It’s only then that he notices, still lying in his jacket Jimin’s pale blue handkerchief, folded around the blue rose Yoongi gave him, hours before the attack.

He picks it up, and holding it to his face, the tears slowly begin to flow, sadness overtaking him. Even if he tries his best to forget, he still cares, and maybe that’s why it hurts so much.

He wakes to an argument, muffled yells coming from outside. It appears only to be growing louder, and he rolls over, hissing slightly in pain as his injured arm twangs at the unexpected movement. 

He sits up, leaning briefly against the wall, staggering to his feet before pulling on his jacket. After getting it on, rotating his shoulder only to hiss again, he staggers to the door. He opens it enough to peek out, and sees Namjoon and Seokjin, with Seokjin yelling at...Yoongi and Jimin?

He blinks, not sure if he’s more surprised that Jin is yelling, or that both Yoongi and Jimin are both here. He leans closer, trying to hear. 

“-don’t care!” Jin continues, Hoseok pressing his ear to the door’s open crack, “you hurt him! You think you can fucking come back and apologize like it will mean something?” Why should I let you see him, if all  you can do is hurt him?”

Hoseok looks closer, and Jimin looks seconds away from crying, holding tight onto Yoongi who just stands, giving into Jin’s fury.

“Can you let us explain, please?” Yoongi asks, raising an eyebrow in that sarcastic way that Hoseok’s loved (still loves). 

Jin nods, face still full of fury, breathing slowly. “Speak. Before I very politely kick you out.”

Jimin steps foreword, giving a small smile. “Thank you, Seokjin-nim. I think that Hoseok misunderstood, we love him, just as much as one another.”

Hoseok pushes open the door, swaying slightly, ignoring the gasps from all four of them standing there. “Then why did you leave?” he asks, staring at the two of them. “I woke up without you, the bed cold. What the hell was I supposed to think then? I felt like a fucking one-night stand to you both!” He sways, exhausted from his rant, leaning back against the doorframe. 

Yoongi and Jimin both run up to him, each pressing a gentle hand to hold him up.

“We are sorry you thought that way,” Yoongi responds steadily, “we did not intend to, but-”

“There was blood on the sheets,” Jimin bursts out, voice shrill. “Yoongi and I both woke up, and there was blood on the sheets from your wound. We were looking for a doctor, but when we came back with one, you left.”

Yoongi nods, as Hoseok looks at both of them, eyes wide. Did he really misunderstand that badly? “We were worried, and now I’m worried that you think we could ever leave you behind. We love you Hoseok. Jimin and I may have been thrust together through the Selection, but you settled for us, regardless of our standing in society. We need you more than ever.”

Hoseok sobs, overwhelmed with relief, tears streaming down his cheeks. “You want me?”

“We want you,” Jimin replies. “Always.” He presses a kiss to Hoseok’s lips, soft and grateful. Once he breaks off, Yoongi does the same, pressing in before breaking off to kiss his cheek. 

“Now,” Yoongi states, smiling, showing his gums, “can we sit with you? I know that you’re still injured, there’s no fooling me. And there is something we want to ask you, can you be our boyfriend?”

Jimin pulls him back into the infirmary, Yoongi following as Namjoon and Seokjin stare on. Hoseok just nods, squealing slightly. “Yes I will,” he exclaims, “I love you both so much.” he begins to feel himself growing slightly more woozy, likely from the pain medications setting in, as he settles back down into the infirmary's bed, Jimin and Yoongi laying against him on both sides, blanketing him with their bodies.  Hoseok smiles, with the castes dissolved and having two boyfriends, no matter what comes his way, life can;t get much better than this.