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Yoongi laughed, feeling arms snake around his waist. "Taehyung-ah, what are you doing?" He asked, as a gummy smile grew on his face. Suddenly, he was pulled backwards, until he collided with a firm chest. Taehyung hooked his chin over Yoongi's shoulder, turning to press a kiss to his cheek.
"You were too far away Hyungie," he murmured, and Yoongi could practically see the pout on his lips. He settled back against his boyfriend, relishing in the comforting warmth the other provided.
"Guys, come on ," Jungkook's voice cut across the room, and Yoongi glanced up to see the rest of Bangtan staring at them, their expressions ranging anywhere between mock disgusted and amused. "We're only halfway through the movie, cut back on the PDA." But the fondness in the maknae's voice gave away his joke.
Yoongi turned his head to the side, just in time to see Taehyung stick his tongue out childishly. He smiled, shifting on the couch until he was resting comfortably against the other's side, Taehyung's arm nestled around his shoulders. Tomorrow they had a late start to their schedule, and so, Bangtan was using the time to have a group movie night. Avengers Endgame played on their TV (for the umpteenth time), and they were scattered on different couches.
Seokjin, Hoseok and Namjoon sat on a couch, while Jungkook took an armchair and Jimin lounged against his legs. Taehyung and Yoongi, of course, were given another couch all to themselves - and they were loving it. Suddenly, the ringtone of a phone rang out, and Namjoon startled, glancing around. “Do you guys- Anyone know where my phone is?” He asked, patting himself everywhere.
Yoongi rolled his eyes, but couldn’t stop the fond grin that curled his lips. “Namjoon-ah, check your jacket pocket. The rapper checked and froze, a sheeping smile spreading on his face. The rest of Bangtan laughed, as Namjoon accepted the call.
“I’m gonna go take this, be right back!” They kept the movie paused once he left (even though they had all seen it many, many times before) and instead engaged in idle conversation while waiting for the other to come back. Yoongi felt Taehyung squeeze his shoulder, shifting infinitely closer.
“So hyungie, we have some free time tomorrow evening, it looks like.” Yoongi raised an eyebrow, settling against him. Their hands found each others’ and they intertwined their fingers.
“It appears we do. What do you have in mind, Taehyung-ah?” At these words, his boyfriend’s eyes lit up, and Yoongi rubbed his thumb over the back of the other’s hand. He loved being the one to put the smile on his face, loved when Taehyung talked about something he truly loved, and loved when it was about something the two of them could share together. This time, he was talking about the new museum exhibit that opened recently in their area.
"...and if you want, maybe we can go visit it tomorrow in the evening! We can make a date out of it. What do you think, Hyung?" Yoongi simply leaned forward, pressing a tender kiss to his lips.
He pulled back, patting the other's chest. "That sounds lovely, Tae. I can't wait."
Jimin spoke up, fondness dancing in his eyes. "I don't suppose you both will let me tag along, will you? I've been wanting to see that new exhibit for a while now." Before Yoongi could say anything, Seokjin let out a laugh, winking at the two of them.
"Careful, Jimin-ah. With those two, you're gonna end up being a third wheel."
"Oh come on Hyung, we're not that bad," Yoongi protested, but even he couldn't argue that point as Taehyung chose that moment to nuzzle his face into the rapper's neck.
Hoseok gave them a pointed look, though everyone was smiling. "I actually wanted to see it too. How about we all go together? Make a day out of it. That way, you both can go on your date, and no one is gonna feel like a third wheel." Everyone called out affirmatives, and Yoongi smiled, looking around at Bangtan. It’ll be fun to spend time with them all… we don’t really have too much time to do that with our schedules and all. He glanced around, frowning slightly when he only counted 6 people.
"What's wrong Hyungie?" Taehyung whispered to him, squeezing his hand. Yoongi shook his head, still looking around.
"Nothing, just-" He huffed. "What's taking Namjoon-ah so long? It's worrying me." Almost immediately, the other rapper came into view. But there was something... off , about him. His hands were clenched so tight that they had turned white, and his face seemed tense. Yoongi jumped up, coming over to him. He peered up at the other worriedly, as Namjoon seemed to be a million miles away.
Everyone else noticed Namjoon's arrival, and Yoongi placed a gentle hand on his arm. "Hey. Hey, Namjoon-ah? What's wrong?" The rapper snapped out of his thoughts, and looked down at Yoongi. Namjoon shook his head, letting out a sigh.
"Guys, you- You can't check your phones today."
Jungkook tilted his head. "Wait, why? What's going on?" The others voiced similar concerns, but Namjoon only shook his head, going around and collecting them.
"I- I don't really know. I just talked to Sejin-hyung. He told me that none of us are allowed to go online tonight. There's going to be an important meeting first thing in the morning tomorrow, so until then...that's all the information I have. He wouldn't tell me anything else."
"Whatever it is, it can't be good," Hoseok said worriedly, rubbing Namjoon's shoulder as the other sat down. Yoongi dropped down next to Taehyung again, trying to ignore the rising feeling of dread inside him.
"What about our other schedules?" Seokjin asked, and the rapper only shrugged, shoulders tight.
"That's all going to change. We should...we should probably finish the movie. I don't think tomorrow is going to be easy." He didn't say anything else, and Yoongi tried to relax against Taehyung. His boyfriend pulled him into his laugh, hooking his chin on Yoongi's shoulder and intertwining their hands around the rapper's waist. It was Taehyung's way of providing comfort. And yet...Yoongi couldn't help but worry, pulling at his nails and biting his lip.
After a couple more minutes of trying and failing to make sense of the movie they had watched numerous times before, Yoongi decided he couldn't take it anymore, and stood up suddenly. The others paused the movie, and everyone looked at him worriedly.
"Yoongi-yah?" Seokjin started in confusion. "What's wrong?"
The rapper shook his head, running a hand through his hair. "I- I can't focus on the movie. I'm gonna go to bed now. See you all in the morning." With that, he turned, heading towards his bedroom. He heard Taehyung getting up behind him, and sure enough, the other followed him into the bedroom, dropping down on the bed with a sigh.
Yoongi washed up before joining him on the bed, and the two of them lay down under the covers. He snuggled closer to his boyfriend, and the singer threw an arm around him. They lay in silence, until Taehyung spoke up softly. "Hyung, what's wrong? You're worrying me."
Yoongi closed his eyes, the anxiety creeping up on him and gripping his heart in a vice. "I just- I'm scared Tae. If Namjoon's this worried, then I can only imagine what sort of news is waiting for us tomorrow."
Taehyung brushed his bangs out of his eyes, though his eyes and shoulders betrayed the tension he felt as well. "I'm sure it's not too serious. We've dealt with a lot of shit before. We've picked ourselves up from the bottom and made it to the top. We can handle anything that comes our way."
Yoongi shook his head, finding Taehyung's hand and squeezing it tight, desperate for comfort. "What if-" He paused, not wanting the words to come out for fear of jinxing it. "What if someone found out about us?" He felt more than saw taehyung freeze, and his fears felt all the more real.
Then Taehyung, the ever-optimistic, loving boyfriend he was, gave a soft smile. He leaned forward to drop a kiss to the other's forehead, pulling him into a hug. Yoongi just let himself be enveloped with Taehyung's being wrapped around him, trying to still his heart and nerves. "That's the worst case scenario, Yoongi," he comforted, dropping the honorifics when it was just the two of them. "It's not going to happen."
Yoongi clutched him tighter. "It's not going to happen," he repeated, hoping that saying it over and over again would make it true.
It’s not going to happen.
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It happened.
"They what? " Namjoon gasped out, words choked and laced with shock.
Bangtan had reached the meeting, surprised to find Bang there, face solemn and eyes full of sadness. The group had sat down, the atmosphere in the room heavy and dark. And then Bang spoke, and they had all been shook to the core. There were publicists in the meeting as well, a rare event as Bangtan always took care to maintain their image. This meant something was truly wrong. And oh how wrong it was. Bang only hung his head, hands folded in front of him as he looked past all of them at two particular members, sitting side-by-side.
Then the bomb had burst. “Yoongi-yah and Taehyung-ah. I’m sorry to say, but your personal relationship has been leaked to the public by one of our staff members.”
Everyone had gone pale, until Taehyung whispered the word to break the silence. "How?"
Bang only ducked his head, gesturing to the publicist sitting next to him. The publicist brought up some images on the screen, gesturing in a grave voice as the boys gasped once more. "We don't know how the staff member gained access to these, but as you can see, there is quite a lot of...intimate photos between Yoongi-ssi and Taehyung-ssi, that had been posted to Twitter anonymously."
The pictures displayed on the screen were something out of the band's worst nightmares. Photos taken of the two during their dance practices, close together. Taehyung's arm around his waist or Yoongi's face buried in the other's neck. There were selfies of the two kissing, the backdrop of a bed seen. There were even some photograph collages of Yoongi and Taehyung that the singer had made for him on occasions, titled "To my boyfriend <3". The evidence was undeniable.
Then something else was pulled up on the screen. "Those are- Those are screenshots from our conversations!" Taehyung exclaimed, shooting up from his seat. Protests sounded out around the table, everyone talking over each other about how this was all a major breach of privacy. In another minute, Taehyung dropped heavily down in his chair, voice sounding lost. "Everything...it's all from my phone."
Bang frowned, leaning forward with his head tilted. "Do you know how they would have gotten access to your phone?"
Taehyung bit his lip, before speaking softly. "I...I gave my phone to a staff member, one that already knew about Hyung and my relationship. It needed an update and I couldn't figure out how to do it, and they saw me struggling and offered to help me. Since they already knew about our relationship, I didn't think they would-"
"We're on it," the publicist said, and left the room, presumably to find the person who may have single-handedly destroyed the future of the group. Yoongi hadn't said a word the entire time. He couldn't. Everything - their career, their future, their entire image that they had cultivated together other the years - was all gone in a flash. And it was all their faults. If they had been more careful, if they had told less people, if they weren't like this in the first place-
"Hyung." Yoongi blinked, suddenly aware of someone gripping his hand tightly. Taehyung. He glanced up to see the singer staring at him in concern. "Hyung, please don't blame us for this. I'm so, so, sorry, but if we start to blame ourselves, it's gonna make everything worse. Have faith in us. We're not doing anything wrong." He leaned forward to rest his forehead against Yoongi's and the rapper let out a broken sigh. "I love you hyung, and this doesn't change it."
"I- I know Taehyung-ah. I love you too." It was the first words he spoke for the past half-hour, and they already sapped his energy. Taehyung was right about one thing. This wasn't the time to doubt all that they had. They truly loved each other and had taken every precaution. This isn’t our fault. We’re not the ones in the wrong.
"He's right," Bang said, giving them a kind smile. "We wouldn't have approved your relationship if we weren't aware of the risks. As you know, Korea is a very conservative company, but times are changing. We can overcome this, as long as we all stay strong. You are not in the wrong, alright? You are not. No one blames you."
Yoongi saw Taehyung swallow, and he tried to take deep breaths. "Thank you, it means a lot."
Namjoon spoke out, tremor in his voice betraying his concern. "What do we do from here? How- How bad is the media coverage."
Bang simply looked to the person next to him, another publicist who clicked through various sights. "I'll be honest - it's bad. It's all over every news site, and there are countless...ah, homophobic articles written. Many fans have also left, feeling betrayed." Yoongi gripped Taehyung's hand tighter. He should have expected this...why did it still hurt so much? "But, there is also support from ARMY, the ones who love you all no matter what. For every bad comment, there are at least that many supportive ones as well."
Seokjin hummed, turning to Yoongi and Taehyung. “Should we release a statement to ARMY? Confirming or denying this?”
Yoongi kept his eyes down, focusing on the sensation of Taehyung’s hand in his. “Hyung, I’ll do whatever you want to do.”
He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath, then another. ARMY deserves that we accept this. For us, and for those who need someone to lean on, someone to look up to. We have to trust that the true fans will support us. He opened his eyes, looking at Taehyung, his boyfriend, and squeezing his hand. “Let’s release a statement. We’ll go public with this, and whatever happens, we’ll deal with it. Together.”
Taehyung squeezed his hand back, a ghost of a smile on his lips. “Together.”
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The mood in the air when they reached the dorms again was anxious, thick with tension. No one said a word as they all shuffled in, minds heavy with the storm that was sure to sweep them all away. Seokjin cleared his throat, heading towards the kitchen. "I'm gonna make dinner. Jungkook-ah, Jimin-ah, wanna help me out?" He left without another word, and for once, both of the maknae's trailed after him silently.
Yoongi shook his head, squeezing Taehyung's hand tighter to give himself something to stay grounded. "I- I'm just gonna head to my room, alright? I don't think I can eat anything right now." Not when the dread weighed him down, fear coursed through his veins, and his anxiety whispered nightmares into his mind.
Thankfully, his boyfriend knew he couldn't deal with everything at the moment and nodded, tugging him in the direction of their bedroom. "Yeah, I don't have much of an appetite either," he admitted. "See you all in the morning."
Before they could leave, Namjoon spoke up, voice soft and filled with concern. "Wait, I just thought...you guys should know, the staff member who did this has been found and dismissed." The rapper paused. "I can't tell you to stay off the internet because I know you both, especially you Hyung, aren't going to listen to me, so just-" Suddenly, he threw his arms around the two, squeezing them tight. "Please, try and get some sleep, and we're here for you all." Yoongi stayed in the embrace of his best friend a little longer before pulling away, sending him a tight smile and heading to his room
He heard Taehyung follow after him, and the rapper immediately got in bed, pulling his knees to his chest and resting his cheek on them. His nerves were acting up too much to get any rest, and frankly, he didn't feel like doing anything. He couldn't ignore the problem, and he couldn't think too much about it. He hated it. Taehyung hesitated by the foot of the bed before turning to head to the joined bathroom. "I'm going to wash up, okay Hyungie?" Yoongi hummed, but said nothing else.
As soon as the door clicked shut, Yoongi brought out his phone, scrolling to Naver. He hesitated briefly, biting his lip. Should I really be looking this mess up? Do I even want to know what they’re all saying about me? About us? He let out a sigh, tapping the icon. I’m not strong enough to not care about this. I have to see for myself. He steeled himself and scrolled through his feed. A broken sob left him at the sight that awaited him.
BTS SUGA AND BTS V IN A DISGUSTING RELATIONSHIP
ARMY FEELS BETRAYAL AT THE LIES OF BTS
REPULSIVELY INTIMATE PHOTOS RELEASED OF BTS SUGA AND V
BTS - A DISAPPOINTMENT TO FANS AND KOREA
THE BIGGEST BOYBAND IN THE WORLD AND THEIR INEVITABLE DOWNFALL
And these were just the articles. With shaking fingers, he clicked on their youtube channel, scrolling down to the comments. Biting his lip so deep he could taste blood, he switched to their V-live, checking the comments there. And then on Weverse. Everywhere, there were the same words, stabbing painfully into his heart.
OMG did you see the photos? It's sickening 💩
Can you believe they hid this from ARMY? What a betrayal 😑😑😑
Do they seriously have to be so defective 🙄
You can't have perfect men nowadays, there's always some problem 😒
Imagine the embarrassment of their families
Korea's famous boy band turned out to be a disappointment
Why do they have to flaunt their defects like this?
Glad someone exposed their fake asses
Now sit back and watch them fall. The band doesn't deserve this hate. It's all SUGA and V's fault.
SUGA and V ruined it for everyone
I feel so bad for their band and their families...truly sickening 🤢🤢🤢
They're together?? That's not right.
Fucking fags 🤮
Yoongi swallowed the heartbreak that threatened to tear him apart from the inside out. He knew that there wouldn't be a good reaction. They were in South Korea - a highly conservative area. He had just hoped that... That what? The cynical part of his brain taunted him. That your status as a global idol would be enough to save you from homophobia? Yeah, right. Dream on. He shook his head, resolving to only check one other place before calling it quits...at least for the night. He headed to twitter, a hand digging painfully into his leg to keep him grounded from what he saw.
#Koreasfags
#BTSthedissapointment
#ewtaegi
#disgracefulrelationshipofBTS
#sugaandvrelationshipexposed
#exposedsugaandv
#disgustingsugaandv
More bad tags. Of course . The list just went on and on. Come on ARMY, some of you have to be open-minded, right? You’re always shipping the members… I’ve seen the Taegi edits and fanfictions and posts… please tell me at least some of you meant them… Finally, some other tags, buried deep beneath the awful ones, caught his eye. And when he clicked on them, it only led to a barrage of more and more tags willed to the brim with ARMY's positivity, support, and love.
#taegisocute
#sugaandvrevealedandcute
#taegiinlove
#cutestrelationshipBTS
#stophomophobiaBTS
#supporttaegi
#supportsugaandv
Despite the horrific amount of hate received, the amount of positive tags, messages, and comments helped to lighten his mood and cheer him up, if only a little bit. At least the real ARMY is beside us. Suddenly, the door to the bathroom opened, and Taehyung came out with a tired smile. Yoongi returned it, dropping his phone to the side.
"Hyung, why were you looking at that?" His boyfriend sighed, climbing in next to him in the bed. Yoongi only shrugged, shifting closer until they were pressed together, soaking in the comfort Taehyung always seemed to radiate.
"You know I wouldn't be able to sit still without at least knowing."
Taehyung hugged him close, dropping a soft kiss to his forehead. "That doesn't make it better, Hyungie."
"I know. But we have to move forward from here. It'll...it'll be okay. We have each other."
Yoongi felt Taehyung hug him even tighter to his chest, as if afraid the rapper would disappear. "We have each other." If Yoongi felt the singer's tears dripping onto his face, he didn't say anything. They simply mixed with the tears that ran down his own cheeks, mingling together and sharing the misery. As he tried to sleep, he tried not to think about the hate comments rolling in by the second. He tried not to think about the way their subscribers dropped a couple million. He tried not to think about the fact that... People think we don’t deserve happiness. We do… don’t we?
(He tried)
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The next day when Yoongi and Taehyung woke up, tangled in each other's embrace with dried tear tracts running down their cheeks, nothing looked any better. In fact, it seemed as though overnight the entire situation became even worse. Now, it was all over the news globally .
At least we still have some allies on the other side of the ocean, he thought to himself, smiling slightly as he checked the messages on his phone. There were some from Jimmy Fallon and James Corden, encouraging them. Troye Sivan and Lauv sent a lot of love and support. Halsey had a long audio message about how people are shitty (he laughed at that one). Max and his wife had even called him, telling him that if he ever needed to talk, they would listen as well as they could. It helped, if only a little.
Yoongi and Taehyung trudged out to meet the other's for breakfast, and the rapper would be lying if he said that everyone didn't look worse for wear. Breakfast that morning was a dismal event, everyone barely saying a word. Normally Yoongi adored the silence that was rare to come by in the typically loud Bangtan household - but not like this. This silence was stifling, as if it had taken any last figment of hope, of the flower blooming in his chest saying everything was gonna be alright, and choked it out, smothering it into dust. It was an awful feeling.
After a couple minutes of pushing around the leftover food from last night (even Seokjin wasn't up to cooking anything in the morning), Yoongi shoved his plate away, standing up. He ignored everyone's eyes worriedly on him. The media's attention was more than enough: he didn't need theirs as well. "I'm gonna go to my room." Yoongi didn't say anything else, and Taehyung stood to follow him. The rapper closed his eyes, turning away. "Alone, please." He heard the sound of Taehyung sitting back down, and he didn't need to open his eyes to imagine the heartbroken look on his boyfriend's face.
I need some space for myself. I don’t want to hurt him but I’m going to get overwhelmed.
Without stopping or glancing back, Yoongi headed straight for his room and closed the door sharply, leaning back against it and slipping down to the floor. He buried his face in his hands, silent sobs racking his body. He didn't want to look at his phone. He couldn't. He couldn't see everything they were saying about him, about Taehyung online. People insulted them and their group all the time - he should be used to it. But he wasn't, because this wasn't about their group. This was personal.
Why do people think Taehyungie and I don’t deserve happiness? Why are we different?
Still, his curiosity got the best of him, and he had to look. It was harder not to. So Yoongi picked up his phone, biting his lip so hard that he could taste the metal of blood filling his mouth. He found it difficult to care. Not when the results on the screen made his blood boil. There were many more tags trending. Stuff about how they were disgusting, a disgrace, liars, and cheats. More articles, scrutinizing every "gay" act he and Taehyung had done over the years. There were even articles trying to analyze whether more of Bangtan was lying about their sexualities as well. That’s all private. They have no right to judge us for who we are. We’re just people, like them.
The comments on their videos increased in their severity too, and Bighit had even disabled commenting on their official videos in an attempt to quell the hatred being poured at them from all sides. At least PD-Nim is on our side. He’s always been on our side. Yoongi didn't know what he would have done if the majority of Bighit ended up being as close-minded and homophobic as the rest fo South Korea was. It was a little bit of comfort to know that no matter how much worse things got from here on out, at least Bangtan had someone in their corner. We also have ARMY… the real fans…
Of course, that brought on thoughts of all of their fans, all of the ARMY that left them - over the fact that Yoongi and Taehyung were happy together. Did they see the softness in their eyes as they looked at each other, the tender kisses, the embraces, the picture of happiness and decide that they had to snatch it away? That they had to ruin it and berate them and punish every one of them for something that was so completely out of their control?
Yoongi didn't understand how people could be so heartless. The sadness of the loss filled him, and the tears fell again. He was crying more now than he had in the past 10 years. It’s all my fault… we lost so many of the fans that the group had spent years accumulating… I’ve disappointed so many people… maybe… maybe I don’t actually deserve this happiness. It was all too good to be true.
Suddenly, the closed space of his room was far too intimidating, and he felt his breath speed up as his heartbeat quickened. He needed to get out of here. He needed air. The rapper got to his feet, opening the door a crack and peeking out. The house was dead silent - it was suffocating. Thankfully though, no one looked to be in the hall, and he had a clear path to the door. Walking as fast as he could without making too much noise, Yoongi made his way to the door, slipping on his shoes and leaving the dorm.
He made his way downstairs with a hood over his head and a mask up over his face. I think a walk to the convenience store will help me. Just going through the motions in the fresh air.. I can take my mind off of all the hatred following us all around. Typically, the members tried to keep from being recognized when they went on walks outside their dorm. Right now, that was made all the more important.
Yoongi had just reached the lobby when- "Hyung, why didn't you tell me you left the dorm?" He let out a very undignified yelp, jumping back and whirling around in anger at being thoroughly surprised, only to soften immediately upon seeing who it was that had jump-scared him. He was met with the sight of a teary Taehyung who looked out of breath, as if he had run out trying to find him. His boyfriend looked a second away from tears, and the rapper felt his heart clenching in his chest.
He reached out, and Taehyung fell easily into his arms. Yoongi hugged him tightly, burying his head in the other's shoulder. "Sorry Taehyungie," he murmured, stroking the other's hair. "I just needed to get out of there. I was going to go on a walk to the convenience store. I'd ask you to come with, but..." Yoongi trailed off, knowing that no further explanation was necessary. One person walking was risky enough - but two people , who looked like Yoongi and Taehyung, would draw much more unwanted attention from the rabid anti-fans.
He felt more than heard Taehyung's sharp intake of breath, and pulled away quickly. "I don't think it's a good idea for you to be out of the dorm either," he said quietly, and Yoongi was taken aback by the utter pain in his eyes. He followed Taehyung's finger to look at where he was pointing, and bit back a sob at the sight. Taehyung and him ducked behind a corner so they could be out of sight from whoever would be looking from the lobby. Them being seen would make everything a whole lot worse.
And boy was it awful already.
There was a mass of people outside their dorm, yelling and thumping on the glass walls. They held signs, waving them around and driving them right into Yoongi's heart. Signs that read: Fags, Disgraces, Not in Korea, Dissaapointment to Us All, Taegi Go Die, and much, much more. The yells continued to grow, as if they were convinced Yoongi and Taehyung were right there, listening to it all. The rapper took veen more steps back, though they had already been out of sight. Then he grabbed Taehyung's hand, and ran .
The two of them ran up the stairs, bursting through the door of their dorm. Once the door had closed once more, Taehyung broke down, sliding to the floor. Yoongi didn't waste a single second, dropping down to hug him tightly. "Why do they hate us so much Hyung? What did we do?"
Yoongi tried to wipe the other's tears, uncaring of the ones that slipped down his own cheek. He pressed his lips to Taehyung's tasting salt. He pulled away, resting their foreheads together. "I don't know Tae. I'm so sorry, I really don't know. We didn't do anything. Nothing at all."
They sat there together on the floor for another second, before Namjoon burst into the hall, eyes wide. "Where did the two of you go? It's too dangerous to go outside! I tried calling you but neither of you picked up. Whatever you do, don't go downstairs to the-"
"-the lobby?" Yoongi cut him off, giving him a watery smile. His heart hurt at the way Namjoon's face fell, the pain of him and Taehyung reflected on their leader as well. "We found that out the hard way." He let his head thump back to rest against the door, giving a bitter laugh. "Do you know just how many people hate us right now Joon? Check downstairs, you can see the signs. I'm sorry this happened. 10 years of work...sorry."
Namjoon leaped up, coming over to both of them and pulling them up. Then he enveloped them in what had to be the tightest hug Yoongi had ever felt. In a second of horror, he felt Namjoon’s tears soaking his shoulder. "Don't- Don't you dare say you're sorry for this. None of this is your fault. At all. I'm sorry that you both have to go through this." What else could Yoongi do but hug him back?
After a couple seconds, Namjoon pulled away, and ducked his head. "I- I have to talk to you both about something, but I'm gonna bring the whole group, okay? I'll be back." Taehyung nodded, and Namjoon left. Yoongi pulled the singer to the couch where they sat huddled together, hands intertwined. No reassuring words were necessary at the moment - they had all been used before. For now, the comforting touch was enough for the two of them. Hand holding had always been their love language anyways.
Their leader came back a second later, the rest of the members in tow. When everyone was seated, Namjoon sighed, fiddling with his hands. "I know that the last two days have been... awful , to say the least. We've put our schedule on hold, but- I've been getting calls. Apparently we need to go back to our job soon. The company wants us to do an interview." A chorus of outcry came out, and Yoongi and TAehyung stayed silent.
Namjoon held up his hands. "Not to talk about this! That's private. I discussed it with PD-Nim, and his aspect is that if we show up to an interview, like we were scheduled to do before-" The ones that didn’t cancel immediately because they were openly homophobic. "-then it shows the image that this doesn't define you. That we're still a group centered around music. But of course I would never agree to anything without Hyung and Taehyung's consent. It's ultimately up to them." He met their eyes. "What do you guys think?"
Yoongi bit his lip, glancing at Taehyung. The singer squeezed his hand, nodding slightly. "I think we should do it. I'm not ashamed of who we are, and our music is what we're all really about anyways. We're BTS, a music group. Our personal lives have no impact, and people should see and know that."
The rapper spoke up then, voice firm. "We need to tell them that we're not afraid. We know who we are, and what we're doing. No one can question that." Yoongi looked around at all the members, who had varying degrees of worry (and pride) in their eyes. "Let's do it."
Namjoon nodded, standing up. "Alright, I'll say that. We've got this, guys. It'll be okay." As he left, everyone agreed, nodding along. Yoongi smiled as his stomach churned and his heart thumped painfully in his chest. He may have agreed, but his anxiety threatened to pull him down under the waves. He had to believe them, for all of their sakes. They needed to go back to normal at some point, right? They had to face the public. But why do I have the feeling that something is going to go horribly wrong?
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"So, how does it feel knowing you've disappointed most of the country?"
Everyone froze, eyes going wide before each and every one of them slipped into a mask of professionalism. Yoongi desperately hoped no one noticed the way he had tensed up. Taehyung, however, was a master of nonchalance, and made no change in expression. The rapper tried to keep his focus on the comforting hand Seokjin had placed on his knee to ground himself, and let Namjoon answer for them.
"I would disagree since we cannot disappoint people by simply being who we are," he responded cooley, though it was obvious to see the way his jaw clenched.
The interview was unfazed, and her smile seemed much more like a snake's. "I see. But still, Yoongi-ssi and Taehyung-ssi, it would be beneficial to address, for everyone watching, what prompted you to turn your back on your fans in such a...distasteful manner." Yoongi's hands formed fists, nails cutting into his skin. "For attention? Or was this your way of subtly pulling down Bangtan?"
Jungkook spoke up this time, and it was difficult to conceal the anger on the maknae's face and voice. "They have done nothing like that, and would never turn their backs on ARMY."
"I'd still like to hear from them specifically-"
"-we would prefer to talk about our music," Taehyung cut in smoothly, and not for the first time, Yoongi wondered just how lucky he was to have gotten someone so strong and capable as Taehyung in his life. "We are, after all, a music group."
Namjoon easily picked up from Taehyung, not giving the interviewer a chance to intervene or attack them again. "I believe I had given the station strict instructions to keep the questions focused only on our music. If you cannot manage that, we will be on our way. No one in Bangtan tolerates any sort of disrespect to our own members."
The interviewer opened and closed her mouth a couple times before her lips set into a line, and her eyes hardened. "Very well. What was the message behind your latest song..."
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As soon as the interview concluded, everyone dashed for the car, bodyguards helping to keep the rampaging anti-fans at bay. Yoongi tried to keep his breathing in check, already feeling the beginnings of an anxiety attack building up. Still, he kept his gaze on Namjoon in front of him, letting their leader guide them to the van where they all piled in. Once the door slid shut, everyone let out a collective sigh of relief. It was only then that the reality of what had just transpired sunk in.
Namjoon was the first to break the heavy silence. "Yoongi-hyung, Taehyung-ah, I'm so sorry that we went to that. We should never have gone."
"Those people were awful. Don't listen to them," Seokjin added in, already shifting to protective-hyung mode. He seemed to be able to tell that even a joke wouldn't lighten the mood.
Jimin had taken Taehyung's hand, squeezing it comfortingly. Everyone fell back into silence, though it was easy to tell how affected and shaken everyone was from the interaction. Namjoon was clicking a pen repeatedly, Seokjin remained quiet, Hoseok had his jaw clenched tight, Jimin tried to offer some comfort, and Jungkook...
Jungkook spoke up, voice smaller than they had ever heard it. "Why- Why are people so mean? "
Seokjin and Hoseok, who sat on either side of him, brought their maknae in for a hug, rubbing his back. "I don't know Gguk-ah. People are just bad like that. They can't understand the simplest things. They don't want to," Seokjin said gently.
Suddenly, a sniff sounded out in the car. Yoongi, who had willed his mind to shut down and stay numb, realized only belatedly that it had come from him. He felt more than saw everyone fall quiet, and his family's eyes turned on him. Still, Yoongi couldn't help it, and the silent tears continued to run down his face as his shoulders shook.
Jungkook’s right… Why are people so mean?
Before he could fall further into his thoughts, strong arms wrapped around him, pulling him into a hug. Soon enough, Taehyung had buried his face in Yoongi's hair, holding him close. It only took another second or so for the rest of Bangtan to clamber over the seats until they had all meshed together in a group hug. "We deserve to be happy, Hyung," Taehyung whispered to him, dropping a kiss to his hair. Yoongi realized, not for the first time, that he truly didn't deserve someone like Taehyung.
I don’t deserve it. I don’t deserve happiness. I don’t deserve anything. Taehyung though… he deserves the world.
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The drive home was full of a heavy silence, the anger palpable in the air. Yoongi sat pressed up against Taehyung, their hands intertwined as the quiet tears continued to drip down their faces. Thankfully, no one continued to whisper reassurances - that wouldn't fix the mess they were in, nor the hell that would continue to await them at every turn from here on out.
Yoongi had his head buried in the other's shoulder, trying to hide his tear-stained face from the members. He didn't want to worry them any more than they already were. Taehyung's head rested on his own, and when he sensed they were approaching home, he pulled away, wiping at his face to school his expression into a mask of indifference. He had shown far too much emotion over the past couple days.
I have to be strong. For Taehyung, whose suffering just as much, if not more, than I am. For Namjoon, who’s carrying the brunt of the criticism, as our leader. For Jimin and Jungkook, who hurt when the members hurt, with hearts too big. For Seokjin, who’s tasked with the daunting job of putting us all back together after we have broken down so many times. For Hoseok, who has to watch the world torment us with nothing being able to be done about it. And… for me. I’m going to fall apart if this continues. I have to be strong. I need to be strong.
So, Yoongi set his jaw, shaking his head at his boyfriend's confused gaze and gently guiding the singer's head to rest on his shoulder. From now on, Yoongi would be the one to provide comfort for him. Taehyung needed him, and the rapper would provide. They would get through this, but only if Yoongi didn't let any of this get to him - or worse, get to Taehyung . So far, Taehyung had been doing better than he had at remaining calm. The day Taehyung broke down to pieces, was the day that Yoongi had failed. As a hyung, and as a boyfriend.
They would be fine.
When they all slip inside the door, everyone stands there in the living room for a couple minutes. Yoongi didn't know whether he wanted to lock himself in his room, or stay with the rest of the group and let himself be comforted like he knew they so desperately wanted to do. Finally, Jungkook, their sweet Jungkook, cleared his throat, shuffling his feet. "If- If we're all feeling up to it, maybe we can watch a movie? Eat some leftovers in the fridge and just stay out here with blankets and everything?"
He looked around at them all with his wide eyes, so full of concern for his hyungs. Yoongi could only give a soft smile as Taehyung stepped forward, hugging Jungkook tightly. "Sounds great Ggukie. Let's do that." The singers glanced towards Yoongi, seemingly asking for permission. In fact, all of the members had turned towards Yoongi as well, the silent question in their eyes. Are you feeling up to it? Do you want to stay with us?
Yoongi nodded, and everyone burst into action, gathering CDs, blankets, and all of the junk food they held in their kitchen. Barely 10 minutes later, they sat together in their living room, a Disney movie (Big Hero 6) playing on their TV. Taehyung wrapped an arm around Yoongi's waist tugging him into his side. I need to relax. I don’t have to think about the world when I’m with my family, with the one I love.
Until suddenly, as his mind always did, his thoughts betrayed him. Because watching a movie with everyone gathered together, smiling and laughing, reminded him far too much of the last time they had done so, a few nights ago. When it had all gone to shit so damn quickly . When the world had been snatched from underneath his feet and he was left scrambling for purchase, screaming as he fell. He was fucking terrified.
Yoongi couldn't stop thinking about it all, the torment, the hatred, the sadness, the tears...it was all too much. He shot up from his seat, startling Taehyung and the others. "Hyung, what-"
"I can't do this right now. I need to go. I'm going to go to my studio." Ignoring their protests, the rapper turned and ran , going up some stairs and down a couple halls until he reached his make-shift studio within their dorm. I can’t even go to my own studio because of the stupid protesters outside our dorm. He slammed his dorm, collapsing on the ground and burying his face in his hands. He had just left Taehyung there after his outburst, after he had vowed to stay strong for his boyfriend. I’m so shitty.
Because he was nothing but a sadist, Yoongi brought out his phone (after Namjoon had explicitly forbade him) and scrolled through his feed, reading article after article and clicking on as many toxic tags as he could. he drank in all the criticisms, the harsh words, letting them stab him like sharp salt in his wounds. He deserved this. He deserved all of this, every dagger they threw at him. He'd take the brunt of it all, if it meant Taehyung was spared. He’s the one that doesn’t deserve all of this. He’s the one that deserves happiness. Not me. Never me.
Twitter was filled to the brim with homophobes, people who were too closed minded to accept that maybe, Yoongi and Taehyung were allowed to love each other. That they were normal for loving who they loved. That they were fine the way they were. Twitter couldn't seem to agree with that fact. Everyone was convinced that they had committed some awful felony, the scandal of the century.
It got even worse the further he went on. Once he had moved past the homophobes to the fans that did regularly ship the members romantically, he still found himself gravely insulted and beaten everywhere he looked. Many apparently felt that Taehyung would have been better off dating any other member. Any member that wasn't Yoongi. These articles tore into every insecurity the rapper had, how thin he was, how pale he was, his so-called "cold" demeanor. Here, he found detailed accounts of how cruel he was to Tae, and how Taehyung deserved better. How Taehyung deserved to be happy.
They were right. He does deserve to be happy. I guess no one believes that he could ever be happy with me . A couple clicks and he found numerous articles detailing the same things. How he may have used Taehyung's admiration for his rape against the younger, forcing Taehyung to date him. How he was emotionally manipulating the singer. How Yoongi was the reason Taehyung became gay and now he was going to ruin the entire group. How the leak of their relationship, the impending decline of Bangtan, everything bad was Yoongi's fault. Yoongi, Yoongi, Yoongi.
Before he knew it, tears streamed down his face, and he just let them fall. I deserve this. I deserve all of this. It’s all my fault. Everybody thinks so. Taehyung deserves so much better. He curled in on himself, letting the waves of sobs rack his body. Suddenly, he felt arms wrap around him from behind, and Yoongi froze for a split second before leaning back against the person who had latched onto him. Taehyung. "Hyungie, what's wrong?" His boyfriend's worried voice only served to make the tears fall faster, and he continued to cry.
Slowly, Taehyung let go, coming to kneel in front of him. He pulled Yoongi's hands away, and the rapper ducked his head. The singer rushed forward to hug him from the front, and not for the first time, Yoongi felt utterly pathetic. Still, he let himself be held as Taehyung picked him up, depositing the both of them on the couch. He held Yoongi in a hug for a couple minutes, until the sobs slowly subsided. Finally, he choked out what was really on his mind. "W-what did we do to deserve all this, Tae? What did we do?
Taehyung gripped Yoongi's hand, brushing it with his thumb. "I don't know Hyung. I don't know why this is happening to us. We didn't do anything, but it hurts, I know. It'll get better. This will all get better." Yoongi's heart clenched. He was the Hyung. He was supposed to be supporting Taehyung. Taehyung was hurting too. He couldn't forget that.
Yoongi shook his head, reaching out to grip Taehyung's hand instead, squeezing it. "I'm so sorry, I'm making this all about me. They're right, you do deserve better than me. I'm so sorry Tae." Taehyung wrenched his hand away, and Yoongi closed his eyes tight. He didn't want to see the realization dawn on the other's face. The realization that the media was right, in some aspects. He deserved much better than Yoongi. The tears burned behind his eyes, threatening to fall any second-
"What the fuck Hyung."
Yoongi snapped his head up to meet Taehyung's bewildered eyes. "What-"
His boyfriend came closer, holding him by the shoulders. "Hyung, please tell me you don't actually believe that shit!" Yoongi said nothing, and the singer sighed heavily. "Hyung, this situation is so, so awful to us. I hate it. I hate pretending that I'm okay, I hate trying to keep smiling, I hate disappointing my family, friends, fans...but the one thing that keeps me going is you, hyung. You and I, that's the only thing that's certain about this entire fucked-up thing."
Yoongi's breath caught in his throat, and he bit his lip. "Tae..."
Taehyung didn't hear, instead running a hand through his hair. "And now...and now you're believing all these lies! Hyung, this is hard for all of us, but you have to keep hoping, keep looking for the positives. Our group supports us and loves us. They're our family. And so does the real ARMY! Our real fans will never leave us." He let out a slight laugh. "You should see the extent to which they're defending us right now, it's insane." He met his eyes, then, and the rapper was taken aback by the emotions swimming in them. "Please tell me hyung that you won't give up on us. Please ."
Yoongi blinked before rushing forward, throwing his arms around Taehyung and bringing him in for a tight hug. "I would never, ever give up on us. I just want you to be happy, Tae. If you say you're happy with me like I am with you, then nothing is going to change that. Fuck them. We'll make it past this, together. I’m sorry I haven’t been much support so far." He pulled away, giving Taehyung a lingering kiss. "Our ARMY is loyal, and Bangtan - our family - is on our side. One step at a time, we'll come out stronger at the end." Taehyung smiled, and Yoongi reached up to wipe the unshed tears from their eyes. "One step at a time," he whispered, relishing in the comfort that came from the one you loved.
Taehyung squeezed Yoongi's hand, giving him that gentle smile that always made the rapper's heart skip a beat. Then, he leaned in, grin going sly. "I think we should give our loyal ARMY a treat, don't you?" Yoongi simply laughed, shifting ever closer to his boyfriend on the couch. Taehyung brought up his phone (the very thing that started their entire situation), poising it to take a selfie. On instinct, Yoongi leaned over just as the camera flashed, kissing Taehyung's cheek. They settled back together, and Yoongi watched as Taehyung's square smile glowed on his face, working on uploading the picture to all of their social media accounts.
Yoongi's heart warmed at the caption: We deserve happiness too #taegi #inlove #strongertogether 🐱🐯💖
Taehyung glanced over at him before resting his head on the rapper's shoulder. Yoongi wrapped an arm around him, holding him tight as the picture posted. "We deserve happiness, okay Hyung?" The singer prompted gently, gazing up at him with his wide eyes. However, Yoongi merely shook his head.
"I don't need happiness Tae," he replied softly, kissing his boyfriend again. Because to hell with everyone who said he shouldn't, who said it was wrong, who said it was disgusting.
He
wanted to, so he would keep doing it. Touching Taehyung, kissing Taehyung,
loving
Taehyung. For the rest of his life. "I already have it."